Mass Extinction Event: The Complete Fourth Series (Days 54 to 61) (6 page)

“But -”

“And there isn't room for another person,” he adds, letting go of my shoulders and heading to the door. “It's well past midnight, Lizzie. You should go and find Doctor Kennedy, and then get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us.”

I make my way over to the window and look out at the darkness, and I can't help thinking that Toad might still be out there, still fighting for his life. After a moment, I realize I can see my father's reflection in the window, and that he's watching me from the other side of the room. This whole situation is so surreal, I
still
feel as if I might wake up and find that I'm still in Toad's old farmhouse, or still in the apartment in New York.

“This is real, isn't it?” I say finally, turning to him.

He nods, and I can tell that he's exhausted.

“I'm glad you found me,” I tell him. “We were trying to survive, but...”

“You would have died,” he replies firmly. “From the state of your leg, and from your general level of health, Doctor Kennedy believes you only had a few days left. Whatever you and that Toad guy were doing, it wasn't working, not really, you were just delaying the inevitable. I'm just glad we found you in time to save you. Now get some sleep, we can talk more in the morning.”

As he walks away, I turn back to the window.

“You have to be okay,” I whisper, imagining Toad making his way through the forest. “Don't be an idiot, Toad. Come to the base. Please...”

Thomas

Pulling a couple more screwdrivers from the toolbox, I attach them to my belt before turning and hurrying out of the tent.

“Hello, Thomas,” Mark says, standing right outside with Luke and Bobby just a few steps him. “Going somewhere?”

I stare at him for a moment, trying to work out what to say. I can't tell him the truth, that I'm heading back to the door so I can force my way inside and find out what happened to Quinn, but I'm not fast enough to think of a good lie.

“I was just -”

“Relax,” he continues with a smile, “I'm sure you're doing something that's in the best interests of the whole camp. That's why I came to see you, actually. Luke and Bobby tell me that one of our fellow campers might not be feeling so well, and that it's someone you know.”

“I don't know what you mean,” I reply, even though I have no doubt that he's referring to Melissa.

“She was coughing all night,” Luke says with a faint smile. “He was helping her, too. He took her some water and he was fussing all over her. He's either in her pants already, or he's trying to get there.”

“Giving her water is a perfectly acceptable way of dealing with the situation,” Mark replies. “I'm sure Thomas was just being kind.”

“Yeah, but she -”

“Asthma, I assume?”

“That's all it is,” I tell him. “Honestly, she's fine.”

“I believe you.”

“It sounded like she was trying to throw her goddamn guts up,” Bobby adds.

“Asthma can be extremely uncomfortable,” Mark continues. “We must be vigilant and keep an eye out for anyone who's sick, but at the same time we mustn't leap to conclusions. The last thing we want is some kind of witch-hunt.” He stares at me for a moment. “You will let us know, Thomas, if your friend Melissa shows any more symptoms. We're rather going to rely on you to be our eyes and ears in this particular case.”

“He won't turn her in,” Luke mutters. “He wants a little girlfriend.”

“Shut up,” I say firmly.

“Make me!”

Rushing at him, I try to grab him by the throat but Bobby yanks me back.

“Let's keep this civil,” Mark continues. “Thomas, you have my full support and I'm quite certain that you'll do the right thing. If your friend Melissa only has asthma, that's not a problem, she can still work and support the community. But if you get even the slightest suspicion that this asthma is actually something else, you need to come and tell me immediately, is that understood?”

“And what happens then?” I ask cautiously as Bobby releases me.

“Then we deal with the situation effectively,” he replies with a faint smile, as he holds a hand out for me to shake. “Welcome to your new leadership position, Thomas. I can't promise that it'll always be easy, but you'll be contributing to the survival of our little group here at Lake Erie, and that's the most important thing. We can all agree on that, can't we?”

Reluctantly, I shake his hand.

“It's all about the community,” he continues. “We can't let the needs of any single individual put everyone else at risk. We all want the same thing here, and I for one trust Thomas.” He stares at me for a moment, almost as if he's trying to assert his will. “You know let us down, will you?”

“Of course not,” I reply, even though I can tell that his expression of support is more of a challenge than a vote of confidence. “You can count on me.”

***

“People are watching me this morning,” Melissa mutters a little while later, as we sit outside her tent and eat some of the bread from our daily ration. “I'm not imagining things, Thomas! They
are
keeping an eye on me!”

“It's nothing,” I reply, glancing over at the women behind the food bench and seeing that they're looking this way, as if they expect Melissa to start coughing again at any moment.

“See?” she says.

Turning to her, I can see the fear in her eyes.

“It's just because they heard you in the night,” I reply, hoping to calm her nerves. “This time tomorrow -”

“I saw how it was with Jacqueline,” she continues, keeping her voice low. “She had bad lungs, so she often got a little out of breath. It was nothing but people started muttering about her, and before long everyone was convinced that she was sick. Like,
properly
sick. And look what happened to her yesterday!”

“She had a heart attack,” I point out. “That was just a coincidence.”

“People always have heart attacks around here,” she replies. “Always during the night, always when no-one's watching.” She glances around again, as if she's still worried that people are looking at her. “With someone like Jacqueline, it's kind of believable. She was never really very fit, and she was getting old, but how do you explain the fact that two people in their thirties have died the same way in the past few weeks?”

“They have?” I ask, starting to worry.

“There's nothing wrong with
my
heart,” she continues, “I just...” She looks over at Katie, who's playing down by the water's edge. “We should have gone with Hannah,” she adds after a moment. “I was scared, but she had the right idea. The longer we stay here, the closer we get to the day when...” She pauses. “It's going to happen,” she says finally. “It might take a day, or a week, but I'm next. I can't let that happen.”

“You'll be okay,” I tell her. “I'll make sure nothing happens to you.”

“You can't protect me.”

“Mark listens to what I tell him,” I continue. “I know it sounds crazy, but he really does. I already told him you just have asthma, and he accepted that.”

“He's already asking about me?” she replies, with fear in her eyes. “Oh God, it's worse than I thought...”

“Melissa, you don't have to -”

Stopping suddenly, I see that Luke and Bobby are over by the water's edge, talking to Katie.

“Wait here,” I mutter, hurrying between the tents until I catch up to them.

“It's never been
this
bad, has it?” Luke is saying as he crouches in front of Katie. “Have you ever known Mommy to cough so much?”

“Get away from her,” I shout.

“We're just checking on Katie's Mommy's health!” he replies with a grin. “Can't a couple of guys take a moment out of their busy days to ask if everything's okay? Where's your community spirit, man?”

“Does she bring up blood?” Bobby asks, reaching out to pat the top of Katie's head. “Has she ever -”

“Leave her alone!” Melissa shouts, racing over to join us and immediately scooping Katie up into her arms. “Don't you dare talk to my daughter!”

“You're a little jumpy, aren't you?” Luke says, glancing at me. “Are you
sure
everything's okay here?”

“If anything's wrong,” I tell him firmly, “I'll deal with it. You heard what Mark said.”

“Sure,” Luke continues, taking a step back, “he trusts you. That's fine, but things change sometimes and he's trusted us way longer than he's even known you. If it comes down to a dispute kind of situation, I'm pretty sure I know which way he'll lean.” He turns to Melissa. “Hope you feel better soon, M'am. Wouldn't want to find out that you've come down with something nasty. And this sweet little thing -”

He reaches out to touch Katie's hand, but Melissa turns away from him.

“See you around,” Luke adds, as he and Bobby make their way back toward the tents.

“I told you,” Melissa says, still holding Katie as she turns to me, “it's already started. This is exactly how it was with Jacqueline. Everyone thinks I'm sick, and that means I'm going to be next!”

Elizabeth

“It's looking good,” Doctor Kennedy says as she examines my foot. “I think we might have some success with this one.”

Forcing a smile, I stare down at my right foot and try not to throw up. Ever since she removed the bandage, I've been shocked by the sight of my ankle and foot, which are still smeared in some kind of regenerative gel that's apparently supposed to be encouraging the skin and bone to knit back together. One side-effect of this gel, however, is that my whole lower leg looks strangely gray, and the pain-killers I take every two hours are only dulling the agony. I still feel as if I might pass out at any moment.

“Will I be able to use it properly?” I ask. “Eventually, I mean.”

“You'll be able to put normal weight on it,” she replies, getting to her feet and grabbing a fresh set of bandages. “Functionality of your toes might be a little difficult, but I don't see that as a huge drama. It's better than -”

Before she can finish, the lights flicker for a moment.

“It's better than having no foot at all,” she continues, rolling her eyes as she starts re-dressing my ankle. “Once you get to Boston, make sure they apply a new bandage every twenty-four hours. I know how it goes sometimes, people like to skimp on things and other doctors have their own ridiculous opinions, but it's vital to keep airing your foot. In fact, it'd be great if you could rest up entirely for a few days once you're there and just keep the foot out in the open.”

The lights flickers again.

“For God's sake,” she mutters, “can't they keep those generators running smoothly?”

“At least you
have
power,” I point out. “A few days ago, I thought I was never going to see an electric light again.”

“You're right,” she replies. “I guess we should be grateful for small mercies.”

“Where's the power coming from, anyway?”

“A plant about fifty miles away,” she tells me. “I don't remember the details, but a few old plants have been brought online, although most of them can only manage about ten hours' service at a time. I'm told that things will get better, which would certainly be nice.”

“Thank you,” I reply. “For everything.”

“You're welcome,” she says with a smile. “It feels good to be working on something like this for a change. I'd almost forgotten what human contact is like.”

“What else do you do here at the base?” I ask.

“Oh...” She pauses, suddenly seeming a little uncomfortable. ”Nothing much. Just little side projects, you know?” She eases the main part of the bandage over my foot. “Your father can be something of a task-master. Ever since he took charge of the recovery program, we've been working non-stop, but it's worth every second. I think we're really starting to make some breakthroughs.”

Hearing someone at the door, I turn and see that General Patterson has entered the room.

“How's the patient?” he asks.

“I'm just getting her ready for her journey to Boston,” Doctor Kennedy replies. “I hate to think how those savages will deal with her foot. I'm going to write a proper note for them, I just hope they read it and pay attention.”

“Did you send someone out to look for Toad?” I ask.

“Actually...” Patterson pauses, and I can see that something's wrong. “I was about to deploy a group of men, but they were reassigned at the last moment. Orders from the top. I'm sorry, my hands are tied.”

“Orders from the top?” I reply. “You mean -”

“Boston is the best place for you to be,” he continues. “It's far, far safer than Mitchfield. In a few weeks' time, we're all going to ship out when our work is done, and then the place will just be left to fall down. If your friend Toad shows up while we're still here, we can take him with us, and eventually we should reach Boston. I can also make sure that a note is left for him, just in case... Stranger things have happened, right? Don't give up hope.”

“Thanks,” I reply, “but there's already been one miracle. Asking for two seems greedy. Anyway, he won't come anywhere near this base, he's suspicious of any kind of military group. In fact, he's kind of a loner.”

“We need to stick together,” Patterson replies. “Now more than ever. Loners are never going to cut it out there, if we ever -”

Before he can finish, an alarm starts ringing in another part of the building.

“What the hell are they doing
now
?” Doctor Kennedy asks, dropping her equipment and hurrying to the door. “Goddamn idiots...”

Taking the radio from his belt, Patterson hits a button on the side. “Patterson here. Are you -”

“There's a problem,” a voice crackles.

“Stay here,” Patterson tells me, as he and Kennedy head out into the corridor, pulling the door shut as they go. A moment later, just as I'm trying to work out what could possibly be causing them to worry so much, I hear a key being turned in the lock.

“Hey!” I shout, clambering off the table and limping across the room, only to find that the door is locked. “You can't just leave me in here! What's happening?”

I wait for a reply, but all I can hear is the sound of people running past while the alarm continues to sound in the distance. Whatever's happening out there, it sounds like some kind of emergency. Hearing someone outside, I stand back as I realize that there's a key in the lock again, and finally Patterson opens the door.

“This way,” he says, clearly worried about something. “I need to get you to a different part of the building.”

“What's happening?”

“Nothing. Just move.”

“Is it -”

“Move!”

Grabbing my arm, he starts pulling me out of the room, but in the process I bang my right foot against the door-frame and let out a cry of pain.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“I'll be fine,” I reply, starting to limp alongside him, “but what's wrong? Where's my father?”

“We're just experiencing a small problem in one of the medical bays,” Patterson explains, drawing his gun as we reach the next intersection. The lights flicker above us for a moment as we head along another corridor. “There's nothing to worry about.”

“When people say there's nothing to worry about,” I reply, “it usually means -”

Hearing a scream in the distance, I stop and look back. I swear, it's the same person I heard yesterday. Whoever she is, she's clearly in agony.

“Elizabeth,” Patterson says firmly, still holding my arm, “we have to get moving!”

“Who is she?” I ask.

“That's not information that needs to be given out right now,” he continues, as raised voices are heard in the distance. “Elizabeth, please, I need you to cooperate a little here. Don't make me drag you!”

“But if -”

Before I can finish, Patterson grabs hold of me and scoops me up into his arms, before carrying me along the corridor. I want to tell him to put me down, but to be honest I'm in total shock that he'd do something like that; I feel like a badly behaved pet who has to be shifted out of the way.

“Sorry,” he mutters, checking over his shoulder as if he's worried that we're being followed, “it's just quicker like this.”

“Can you at least tell me what's happening?” I ask as we make our way around another corner. “Where's my father? Is he okay?”

“He's fine,” Patterson says, “just -”

Suddenly there's another scream from up ahead, just as a white-coated figure stumbles into view, clutching her bloodied face. As she crashes into the wall, I realize that it's Doctor Kennedy, and there's blood all over her shirt. She turns, as more blood dribbles onto the floor from a hole in her cheek.

“What happened to her?” I ask, wide-eyed with shock as Patterson stops in the middle of the corridor.

“She got me!” Kennedy shouts, trying to take a few more steps before dropping down to the floor. “Everyone keep away, I'm contaminated! Nobody touch me!”

In the distance, several shots are fire.

“We're going back this way,” Patterson says, turning and carrying me back the way we came.

I turn and look back, watching as Kennedy tries to get to her feet. A moment later, a figure stumbles into view at the far end of the corridor, and for a moment I make eye-contact with a woman whose skin appears to be partially hanging off in long, thin strips. She's completely naked, and part of her chest seems to have been eaten away, exposing the ribs beneath.

“What
is
that thing?” I whisper.

Turning, Patterson raises his gun.

“What is it?” I shout.

The woman pushes past Kennedy and stumbles toward us, and from the way her skin seems to have turned a kind of gray-yellow color, it's almost as if she's one of the creatures I saw in New York. One of her feet is missing, forcing her to limp on a bloodied stump, but this fact doesn't seem to bother her at all. She seems driven to keep coming, as if nothing can stop her.

“Is she -” I start to ask.

Patterson fires three times, blowing the woman's head apart and causing her to drop to her knees before finally she slumps to one side. In the distance, Doctor Kennedy is still trying to get to her feet, as several soldiers hurry around the corner with their guns raised.

“Get away from me!” Kennedy screams. “Don't touch me!”

“Where the hell were you?” Patterson shouts.

“Sir,” one of the soldiers replies, “we were -”

“I don't want to hear your excuses!” he continues. “Sarah Waterson should never have got past the first set of doors. Jesus Christ, were you asleep on the job?”

“I'm contaminated,” Kennedy says, her voice trembling with fear as she looks at her blood-soaked hands. “It's all over me...”

“This is a goddamn mess,” Patterson continues, turning and carrying me away.

“What happened back there?” I ask, trying to look over his shoulder before he takes me along another corridor. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Doctor Kennedy? She'll be absolutely fine. Don't worry about a thing, Elizabeth, you'll be out of here soon enough.”

“That was one of the creatures, wasn't it?” I continue. “I thought they were all gone! What the hell are you doing with one in the building? Did it break in?”

“We'll put you in here for now,” he replies, carrying me into the room where I first woke up and settling me down onto the bed. “Do I have to lock the door, or can I trust you to just stay put?”

“But if -”

“Doctor Waterson was the only creature at the facility,” he continues, “or at least... She was, until...” His voice trails off for a moment. “I'll get your father to come and speak to you soon, okay? I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but I don't have time to explain everything, not right now. I need to go and clean up whatever mess they've created. Please, just stay put and your father will either come himself, or he'll send someone to fetch you.”

“I don't want to go to Boston,” I reply, grabbing his arm as he tries to leave. “I want to stay here until you've found Toad.”

“Don't be crazy,” he replies, pushing my hand away. “Right now, this is the last place on the planet anyone would want to be. This is hell.”