Outbreak: Boston (29 page)

Frays’ frown deepened into a full on scowl but she started to take off her ABU top. “If I’m giving you a show, the least you can do is give me some more Tylenol.” she grumbled as she removed the sodden
and gore spattered outer garment and tossed on the back of a nearby chair. “My neck is still sore as all get out.”

“Sure thing, Amy.” Eamon laughed quietly as he watched her kick off her boots and unbuckle her belt. Frays did everything she could to will her limbs to stop shaking as the medic started his examination. The clammy impersonality of the latex gloves reminded her a little too much of the cold hands that had hungrily tried to wrestle her to the ground, the snapping mouth inches from her face, so terrified she could not even release the scream welling up in her chest… Amy squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath then let it out slowly.

Eamon frowned at the yellow black bruises on Frays’ arms and shoulders. The creature that had attacked her must have been a big fellow: the hand prints clearly visible on her pale skin were bigger than his. He was glad to see that Amy was telling the truth when she said that she had not been bitten. Eamon pulled a penlight from his pocket and used it to check Frays’ pupils. “Looks like you’re gonna be okay, Amy.” he said quietly as he flicked the light into and out of her eyes. “Still a little shocky maybe, but I guess that’s to be expected. To be honest, I’d be more worried if you weren’t.”

There was a knock at the door. Rodriguez
crossed the room and spoke to someone outside for a minute before coming back with one of the sets of ACUs they had rescued from a moldy fate at Fort Devens folded over her arm along with a fresh undershirt and a pair of dry socks. There was a green wool blanket over her shoulder and a pillow under her arm. “Lacey brought you these.” Francesca said with a small grin. She thought it was really sweet the way the Marine looked after her. She considered suggesting to Eamon that he should take some notes.

Amy thanked her and got
dressed; pausing only to peel her nametapes and rank off of her old uniform then put them on the new one. She glanced at her reflection in the stainless steel cabinet across the room. “God, I think I can actually feel my IQ dropping.” Frays muttered with a small frown as she looked at herself.

Rodriguez smiled and made an obscene gesture. “Very funny, Zoomie.” she said as she gathered up the other woman’s dirty clothing in a trash bag. The plan was to take Frays’ contaminated clothing outside, throw them in a hole and burn them rather than try and wash the
goop and clotted stuff out. “I should make you take care of your own filthy panties.” Amy and Frannie laughed at each other’s jokes.

Once she was decent Rodriguez, Lacey and Eamon escorted her over to the teacher’s lounge. “Don’t worry, Zoomie.” Rodriguez assured her once they were in the room “The couch is way more comfortable than it looks.”

“I’ll come by with some stuff for you to read in a little while.” Adam volunteered. He gave her a strange look and glanced at his feet. “Any requests? I don’t feel like lugging half the library over here again.”

Amy laughed and clapped the man on the shoulder. “Surprise me, buddy.” Frays said quietly as she tossed her blanket and pillow onto the couch across the room. He chuckled and returned the gesture. The four of them exchanged awkward looks for a minute. “It’s been a long day.” Frays said at last as she dropped onto the couch “I could use some rest. I’m sure the rest of you could too. See you later, guys.” When the others had left Amy frowned at the empty room, already feeling a little bored, lonely and
strangely somewhat naked without her weapons.

Maybe an hour and a half later Lacey came back to the teacher’s lounge with a couple paperbacks tucked under his arm. He had gotten Sergeant Barnes’ permission to turn the generator on for an hour after he had cleaned Frays’ weapons for her and locked them up in the workshop’s storage closet. “Hey guys.” Adam called as he walked up. One of Sergeant Barnes’ people, Specialist Evans and one of the civilians some guy named Jack something-or-other, were standing guard on the door.
I’ve really gotta start learning these people’s names
Lacey thought and frowned slightly. He held up the books for them to see as he walked up. “I brought Frays some stuff to read while she’s in there. Mind if I drop it off?”

Evans gave the younger man a weird little smile. “Sure, man. Just be quick.” he said as he opened the door. “I don’t think she’s been to sleep yet. Casey was here earlier with an MRE for her.”

“Thanks, guys.” Lacey said as he knocked on the door. Adam frowned slightly and strained his ears, trying to hear what was going on in the room. He knocked again, harder this time when he could not hear if he got a response or not. Adam felt his heart sink as he looked at the two men guarding the door. The grin faded from the older man’s face as they waited.

Evans drew his M9 as Jack tried to get the door unlocked. “C’mon, shit for brains!” Adam growled as he watched the two men struggle with the door. “Get the motherfuckin’ door open!”

A wave of relief crashed over him when he thought he heard a toilet flush inside the teacher’s lounge. “What’s going on out there?” they heard Frays ask, her voice muffled by the heavy wooden door. The three men laughed nervously as Evans put his pistol away. Jack got the key in the lock and opened the door.

“Brought you some stuff to read.” Adam said, feeling a discomfited smile coming to his face as he produced the books. “Can I come in for a minute?”

“Sure. C’mon in, man.” Frays said through the door. The woman smiled awkwardly at him from a few feet away just inside the room when he entered. It seemed that she had been in the little latrine in the corner of the room next to the coffee machine. “How are you, Lacey?” Amy wiped her hands on her trousers and took the books Lacey offered her. Her ACU top was lying across the back of a chair at the table across the room.

“I’m alright. Are you…okay?” Adam asked as he looked the woman over carefully. She still looked like she was still a little pale and Frays had lost a good bit of weight since he had first met her. Then, he reflected, his own uniforms were getting a little baggy too. The two of them looked at each other for a minute
, as if both of them wanted to say something but they were not sure what.

Frays smirked uneasily. “I had a bean burrito MRE for dinner.” she
confessed with an awkward little smile as she motioned towards the table. “I forgot how much my insides don’t like those stupid things. And they taste like I’m eating the TP.” Adam sat down at the table but Frays stopped a pace or so from the nearest chair. “Do you want a cup of coffee? I think there’s some in the cupboard here.” She gave the Marine an uneasy smile “It’s the one good thing I can say about being locked up in here.”

“Sure. Thanks.” he said with a small grin. Adam took a deep breath and looked at his hands folded up on the table in front of him while Frays busied herself with the coffeemaker. “Look…I hate to ask, but…”

Amy turned around and leaned against the counter as the coffeemaker started to sputter, a stream of fresh hot liquid piddling into the carafe. The look on the man’s face brought a weird little smile to her face. “What’s up?” Frays asked, crossing her arms beneath her breasts.

Lacey took a deep breath and steeled himself. “How did you get separated from your unit?” he asked. Adam looked at the table as if he were trying to see through it. He was aware of the woman crossing the room and sitting down at the table across from him.

“What’s so important about that?” Frays asked, furrowing her brow as she regarded the man on the other side of the table from her. The troubled expression on the man’s face worried her. “I mean…why bring that up?”

Lacey ran the palm of his hand over the slightly overgrown crew cut on the top of his head. “Look it’s important, alright!” he said
sharply, his voice rising in frustration. Amy blinked at him, as if trying to puzzle out what had brought on this change in behavior. Adam groaned and put his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands.

The coffee was done so Frays got up and poured each of them a cup. “How do you take it?” she asked as she rooted around in the cupboard and found little containers of powdered creamer and sugar. Once she had fixed their coffee Amy brought the steaming mugs back to the table and sat down. She held her coffee up to her mouth and inhaled the steam rising from the liquid, a small smile playing across her face before she sipped her drink.

The two of them regarded each other from across the table for what seemed like hours. Frays got up after a little while and came back to the table with a soda can half filled with water from the tap. Amy dug out her cigarettes and frowned at its contents: there was only about half a pack left. She pulled one out and lit it. “I know I’m not supposed to smoke inside, but I doubt they’ll let me out.” Frays said with a wry grin. She frowned when her joke fell flat.
This must be serious
she thought worriedly as she regarded the man across the table from her. Usually she could at least count on getting a smirk out of the guy.

She sighed uneasily and started telling Lacey all she could recall about what happened at Checkpoint Twelve. Amy was shocked when she reached the part about someone on her side of the bridge opening fire with an M2, which had kicked off the riot. Lacey started making low, inarticulate groans into the palm of his hand, tears standing out on his cheeks. She looked at him uneasily, unsure as to why exactly the Marine was crying.
Frays got a strange sinking feeling telling her that told her something was very, very wrong.

Frays stood up and started coming around the table to comfort him when he muttered three words: “It was me.” Amy stopped in her tracks as if struck with a two by four between the eyes. “I shot those people, Frays.” Adam mumbled as he wiped at his cheeks. “God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it. I swear to
God
I didn’t mean it. I was scared and they wouldn’t stop and my thumb hit the trigger. I didn’t mean it. Please, please…ya gotta forgive me. I swear I didn’t mean it!”

Amy’s right hand balled into a fist, seemingly of its own accord as a strange sort of numbness ran through her. She took two steps towards the man and threw a
right hook at the man’s face with every ounce of strength she could muster. A white light exploded in Lacey’s left eye, knocking him sprawling to the carpet. “GET OUT!” Frays screamed as the man started to try and pick himself up off the floor and scramble towards the door. She lashed out with a boot and kicked him in the butt hard enough to send a shockwave up her leg. “GET OUT RIGHT NOW!”

Adam ran for the door as one of the books he had brought Frays fluttered past his head and struck the wall with a thump. He bolted out of the door, drawing laughter from Jack and Evans. “Is the honeymoon over, Lacey?” Evans called as Adam hurried down the hall and headed for the back door.

“EAT SHIT AND DIE, FUCKHEAD!” Lacey shouted back as he threw open the door. He stalked out into the night and sat down against the wall a few feet outside the door. Adam hugged his knees to his chest as he tried to block out the hurt, bewildered expression on Frays’ face. After a little while his watch beeped and he looked at it. He sighed and pulled himself to his feet. “Time for guard duty.” he grumbled to himself as he went back inside.  

Chapter Eight

27 May 2011 0546 hours Walter Raleigh Senior High School Concord, Massachusetts

Casey woke with a horrid taste in her mouth. She looked around in her nice new Army backpack for her toothbrush and the travel sized tube of toothpaste and started off towards the showers to get ready for the day. It was looking to be another busy day. Unfortunately, ‘mother hen’ was almost always busy. There were lots of people here that needed help, either for body or soul. She had volunteered to fill in for poor Jean helping Eamon in the nurse’s office, helping fix their daily bread (so to speak, there was very little actual bread or anything else to be had) in the kitchen and she had started holding Bible study in the library every Friday in addition to having services in the auditorium every Sunday.

Casey walked into the locker room and started. That nice Marine, Private Lacey, sat curled up in the corner with the side of his face pressed up against the cool tile. She blinked at the young man and walked back out into the hall and laughed at herself: she had been half asleep and accidentally walked into the men’s locker room.

“Are you okay in there?” she called softly into the room. There was a loud intake of breath and a groan, indicating that she had woken the man. Lacey appeared in the door about a minute or so later and Casey gasped. The skin around his left eye was a deep angry purple with yellow around the outside.