Infected (6 page)

An hour later, Marie woke up, groaning. Walter instantly got up and wagged his tail, releasing a soft whine.

“How do you feel?” Amy asked, watching her carefully.

Marie laughed, then groaned again. “My body feels sore. I think resting is not good for me.” Rubbing her bleary eyes, she asked, “Are Justin and my husband back?”

“No, not yet. They may take a while.” Amy’s stomach gave a low rumble. “It’s close to lunchtime. You want something to eat?”

Walter barked in anticipation, causing Marie to nod in response.

Being as it would be their last day on the estate, the two women decided to have a decent meal that would be both filling and fun. Amy warmed up two cans of clam chowder as Marie spread Nutella on crackers. When Walter whined for a treat, Marie tossed him several bone-shaped biscuits instead.

“Chocolate is bad for you, Walter,” she warned the dog. Walter gazed up at her, looking utterly betrayed, before carrying his doggy treats to the far corner of the room. He turned his back to them as he demolished the biscuits.

Meanwhile, Amy and Marie crushed crackers into their chowder and ate two bowls each. Between mouthfuls, they chattered about inane matters, which soon drifted to life before the infection.

“What did you do in Korea?” Amy asked, curious. If she were to guess, she’d say something in the performing arts, due to her dancer’s physique.

“I worked as an illustrator,” Marie replied, scooping another spoonful of chowder into her mouth. She swallowed, then added, “I illustrated children’s books.”

“Huh. Interesting. Sounds like it was fun.”

“What about you, Amy?”

Amy shrugged. “I graduated from college and worked as a sales assistant. I hated it, but what can you do? Rent and bills have to be paid, right?”

“You are still very young,” Marie said with an encouraging smile. “After this infection is over, you can do what you really want.”

Marie looked no older than Amy, yet here she was, doling out advice. When Amy grumbled this out, the Korean woman giggled in response.

“Amy, I am thirty-two years old.”

“
What
!” Impossible. How could that be? Amy stared at her friend, trying to spot faint lines on her clear face. There were none.

“Why do you stare like that? It makes me uncomfortable.”

“It’s a miracle, that’s why. Or excellent genes.”

Marie snorted softly. “Hardly. You will have good skin too if you stay away from the sun and drink lots of water.”

“Why don’t you have children?” As soon as Amy blurted the question out, she knew she’d made a mistake.

Instantly, Marie’s face shut down. The two women stared at each other as heavy silence fell upon them. Silence stretched into minutes.

Finally, Marie broke the tension. “I am
unable
to have children,” she said, looking away. “I have always wanted them.”

No wonder she’d taken such a maternal liking to Benson. Amy felt horrible for putting the Korean woman on the spot like that.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “That was incredibly rude of me.”

“It is okay, Amy. Anyway, let us finish the chowder. It is getting cold.”

They continued eating their meal, but the mood had shifted noticeably. The previous carefree atmosphere was no longer there.

***

Amy crouched down at the edge of the stream and cleaned out several empty plastic bottles. After filling them to the brim with fresh water, she capped the tops and carefully placed them into a backpack. They had about five unopened bottles of mineral water in one of the boxes, but it was always good to have extra, just in case.

Slinging the straps over her shoulders, she walked along the stream, listening to the sounds of water trickling over rocks and insects buzzing among the trees. She cringed as she recalled her earlier faux pas. Luckily, Marie was a kind and understanding woman who didn’t hold grudges. As soon as they’d finished their meal, she’d been in good spirits once more.

Amy’s thoughts strayed to Justin and Daniel and she frowned. They should be back soon. She hurried out of the woods, feeling uneasy about leaving Marie alone for too long. Knowing her, she was probably hobbling around the room again, doing some menial task. The woman just couldn’t sit still.

When she reached the mansion, soft noises stopped her in her tracks. She turned around, narrowing her eyes. An animal, perhaps? The unkempt grass was tall enough to hide scurrying beasties. She hesitated, then headed toward the back of the mansion, where the dead Runner was. What she saw stopped her in her tracks again.

The blanket had been removed and tossed several paces away. Upon closer inspection, she saw that there were huge bite wounds all over the Runner’s face. Was this the work of hungry animals? Rubbing the gooseflesh sprouting over her arms, she entered through the kitchen door and called out Marie’s name.

“What is it, Amy?” she asked, hobbling to a stop. She’d been exercising her ankle again.

Confused, Amy pointed a thumb over her shoulder. “Did you go outside by any chance?”

Marie shook her head. “No, I have not. Why do you ask?”

This was getting stranger by the second. “It’s nothing,” she mumbled, but something felt
wrong
. The problem was, she couldn’t put her finger on why.

The blanket
, a small voice whispered.
It looked like a person yanked it off
.

Slowly, she put her backpack on the floor when there was a soft thud at the front door. A short pause, then the thud sounded again.

“Justin and my husband are back!” Marie said happily, hobbling toward the foyer.

“The door’s unlocked. Just come in!” Amy shouted.

The thud came again.

“Maybe Patrick is with them,” Marie added. “I hope he is okay.”

To Amy’s surprise, Walter started growling and ran to the foyer. His barks turned vicious as he scratched at the door.

“Bad dog!” Marie shouted. “What are you doing?” She bent down and pushed him away, but he returned to the door, snarling and scratching like an animal possessed.

Amy stood there, trying to think in the middle of all the commotion. It couldn’t be Justin and Daniel – there hadn’t been sounds of an approaching car on the driveway.

Her thoughts returned to the Runner outside.

She was certain that the blanket had been removed by a person. Also, some of the bite wounds had what looked like human teeth marks. A sane person would never do that. Which meant another Runner had recently tried to feed on it, and the Runner was on their grounds right now, if not right at the mansion.

The thought of Runners cannibalizing one another made no sense to Amy, but it was enough to send chills down her spine.

“Don’t!” she yelled, at the same time that the Korean woman opened the door.

“Patrick!” Marie greeted, her voice filled with relief as she cracked open the door a little wider. Surprised, Amy stepped forward and craned her neck to see better.

It
was
Patrick, looking the worse for wear. His face was still puffed, and there was a chunk of hair missing on his scalp. Worried about his condition, Amy quickly examined him, her gaze traveling down.

And saw the huge, gaping hole in his abdomen, and the tattered remains of his innards dangling over his pants.

Marie had seen them as well; her breaths started coming in hitched gasps as she trembled at the door. She tried to slam the door shut, but Patrick’s foot got in the way.

“Close the door!” Amy cried, running over to help.

“I am trying!” Marie pushed harder, but to no avail.

Just as Amy reached the door, she looked up and locked eyes with Patrick.

If anything happens to me out here, I’m holding you accountable.

He stared back at her.

And snarled.

End of Part Three