Midnight Outbreak (2 page)

“These jokers are idiots. They probably forgot about us,” Will said.

Josh followed Will inside to the same chaos as before. They flagged down a nurse who then directed them to an orderly. Finally, the orderly grabbed a wheelchair, apologizing and griping about the craziness of the ER.

“How long has it been like this?”

“For the last couple of days. It’s a mess. Short-staffed, too many coming in...” The orderly tapered off after seeing Choy. “Damn.”

Twenty minutes later, Choy was inside, and Will had called his girlfriend from his cell phone. Robins, Will, and Josh piled in the work truck and set back to the site.

“That was some
loco
shit, man.” Robins whispered. Josh turned the talk radio on. A report of certain cities going under quarantine was on. Breaux Bridge wasn’t mentioned, but Josh had a feeling it would happen sooner than later.

Will stopped and grabbed some double cheeseburgers off the dollar menu of the nearest fast food restaurant before taking them back to the work site. They had completely missed their allotted half hour of lunch. The three men bullshitted about what was wrong with Choy, chocking it up to food poisoning from his weird food choices.

They suffered the rest of the day in the heat, waiting for the minutes to tick by. The only sign of what happened earlier was the kitty litter smell coming from the pile of the stuff heaped onto Choy’s vomit.

Chapter Two

Two weeks earlier—Alexandria, LA

Lexi stood over her father, who was lying on the couch. If she could sweat, she would be right now. Her father looked absolutely awful. It was as if he was rotting from the inside out. From what, she had no idea, but he had been like this for two days.

Miguel sat off to the side, busily typing away on his laptop.

The studio apartment smelled of vanilla; Lexi had a thing for the scented candles that had become wildly popular decades ago. The steel barriers blocking the windows were still down; it wouldn’t be nightfall for another few hours. Lexi longed for her sleep, but it had been cut short by her father’s wails.

She had remained by his side throughout the rest of the day, holding his hand while he slept fitfully. Vampires usually slept still, so still it was unusual.

She heaved a sigh as she went to get a bottle of blood from her fridge. Passing Miguel, she let her fingers move softly through his curly midnight-black hair. They were back on again, having taken two years apart recently. Somehow, they always were drawn back together.

“You want one, too?” Lexi asked quietly. Miguel looked up and nodded with a smile. She grabbed two bottles and gave him one. Samuel, her father, hadn’t fed since falling ill. That was her first clue that something wasn’t right.

“Have you gotten lucky yet?” she asked as Miguel opened her bottle and handed it to her. Always the gentleman, ever since the 80s.

“No,
mami
. Not yet. Vampires don’t get sick.”

“I know. I’m worried,” Lexi pouted.

As they raised their bottles to their lips, Samuel groaned loudly, scaring Lexi. Moving faster than he had in the past few days, Samuel rose, grunting.

If Lexi had a heart, it would’ve skipped a beat at the sight of her father at that moment.

He was standing, would have been towering over her if she was near. Samuel had always been a tall man, thin where it mattered, and domineering. But this time it was scary. His hair was greasy, hanging limply in strands. He stared ahead of him, not noticing Lexi or Miguel. Miguel cast a weary look at Lexi, who just shrugged.

“Father?” she whispered. It was the wrong thing to do. Samuel’s head snapped in their direction and he bared his fangs, thick mucus dripping from his mouth. Lexi’s eyes widened instantly as her father growled, and then with lightning-fast speed, he charged at her.

Everything happened quickly. That was their nature—nothing ever happened in slow motion when it came to vamps. Miguel shot up from his seat, directly in front of Lexi, fangs extended menacingly.

Samuel grabbed him, and they wrestled. But in his weakened state, Samuel was no match for Miguel. Miguel threw him across the room and he thudded against the steel-blocked window. Lexi let out a scream, and Miguel continued his stance guarding her.

Samuel did not say a word, just growled again as he charged a second time. This time Miguel crouched and kicked out, tripping him. When Samuel was down on the ground, Miguel jumped on top of him, his hand wrapped around his throat.

“What the hell is your problem?” he growled. Samuel’s face changed and he blinked rapidly.

“Get off me! Get the fuck off me!” he yelled. Miguel didn’t budge. Lexi bent down, controlling the fear that was rising in the pit of her stomach. Her father had never charged at her, not since she was turned. The only time he had ever come at her was the day he bit her, so many years ago.

“Father, look at me,” she commanded in a strong, quiet voice. Samuel refused, turning the other way while still straining against Miguel’s hold.

Samuel whispered something unintelligible.

“What’d you say?” Miguel huffed, his fangs still bared.

Samuel turned his head finally facing them. “I said… I. Need. To.
Feed
!” The last word was a roar, and he sent Miguel flying. Lexi bolted up, prepared for her father to run at her. Instead he gave her a growl and headed down the hall. Hesitating for a few seconds, Lexi came to Miguel’s side. He shook his head and blinked.

“He went to the underground door,” he stated, his voice raspy. Lexi nodded and helped him up.

The apartment that they shared was run by other vamps, all apartments led to the underground tunnel that they had built decades earlier. It led to various parts of the city.

They both got up and walked down the hall. The underground door was located in the hallway closet at the end. The door had been flung open. Lexi knew that he would be safe even though it was still daylight outside. Miguel cast a look at her and closed the door.

“He’ll come back,” he stated flatly. His fangs had receded, but he still looked agitated.

“I know.” And then, “I’m sorry, Miguel.”

“Let’s just get some sleep. You need it. I need it. Let’s go.”

He took her hand and led her to their room, a few paces away. Lexi let out a sigh, her body feeling the weight of what had transpired.

“
Mami
, come here,” Miguel whispered. She turned and realized he had already taken off his shirt. His scars from his previous life had faded to faint lines on his tan skin. She loved those parts about him the most.

She went to him, her exhaustion melting off her as he led her to their bed.

***

It was after midnight when Samuel came back. She smelled him first, the thick smell of sewage and smoke. She rose from her bed and gathered her clothes from the floor.

“Let me go first,” Miguel whispered beside her. He dressed quickly and left the room. She heard muffled voices and then a thud. Lexi left the room and found Miguel crouched by Samuel, who had crumbled to the floor.

“Father,” she whispered. Samuel looked up with agony in his eyes.

“Alexis. I’m so sorry,” he croaked. Lexi’s eyes grew misty. Something was wrong.

“It’s okay. Whatever it is, we’ll be okay.” She fell to her knees and embraced her father in her tiny arms.

Miguel broke them up minutes later. He led Samuel toward the shower. Lexi busied herself with lighting candles to try and get rid of the lingering stench. Vampires’ sense of smell was quite heightened. It was a blessing and a curse.

After the shower, Samuel looked and smelled better, and had donned a pair of silk pajamas. For the first time, he looked normal. Samuel had always been revered as a powerful vampire. His face was strong, with a broad nose and strong chin. His hair was a darker shade of blond than Lexi’s. He had been turned at the age of forty-five and back in his human days, he always looked younger.

“Father. Tell me what has happened to you,” Lexi commanded softly.

Her father’s dark eyes held her own, sadness clouding over them. “I have done a terrible thing. And I fear I have started something that cannot be undone.

“A few days ago, I was in the city, at a bar. I had my choice of feeders, but I was enjoying myself. The music, the lights, all of it was very pleasing,” Samuel started, his odd speech pattern familiar and comfortable. It was how they spoke back in the early 1900s. Lexi nodded, prompting him to continue.

“The time slipped away from me. My original plan was to capture someone in the restroom and feed there discreetly, then glamour them to forget, like usual. But when I recognized the time, the bar was closing. I wandered outside, and headed home.

“I should’ve just flown home, but I was in the mood for a walk, even though it’s dreadfully hot, even in the dead of night. It was still nice. There was a group of four, fighting and shouting off in an alley up ahead of me. Lots of cursing and crying and I heard a gunshot. Three of them ran off into the shadows and curiosity got the better of me and I went to check on the fourth one.

“He was shot, laying on the asphalt, drowning in his own blood. And the smell… Oh, it overwhelmed me so much that I immediately started feeding right then and there. I didn’t even notice that his veins weren’t even pumping any more.

“It’s never happened to me before. I’ve never fed off a dead person. I didn’t mean to, but I was so hungry that the force overtook me. I drained him; nothing was left, not even the blood that had soaked the ground. I sat there for a few minutes, because the feeling of satisfaction wasn’t quite there. I still felt hollow, and that’s when I knew something was wrong.

“I feel as if I’m rotting. I’m dead, but I’ve never had that feeling before. It’s like everything inside me is really dying this time. I’ve done a horrible thing and I didn’t know; I just didn’t know!”

Samuel collapsed, as if his confession had literally wiped him out. Grief filled every space inside Lexi’s body. She had never known her father to be so reckless. And she had never heard of a vampire who fed off the dead.

“And there’s more. I saw the same man the next night. He was walking around the same area. He had risen from the dead. His bullet hole was still there, the dried up blood caked on him. He looked homeless. But I could tell… I could tell he was hunting, trying to find something to eat. He came back to life.”

This new detail startled Lexi to her core. Miguel’s brows scrunched together as he shook his head violently. “No, you were mistaken Sam. Surely, it was another man, one that
was
homeless.”

Samuel shook his head. “No, Miguel. I saw him; it was the same one. Same clothes, same hair, his eyes were glazed over, white. Something happened when I fed off him.” Samuel’s voice was laced with sadness and shame. It didn’t make sense. Surely somewhere some other vamp had fed off a dead human before. This wasn’t the only time it had happened and surely it didn’t make the person rise from the dead.

“Then you’re saying he turned into a zombie, basically,” Miguel said roughly, his voice thick with disdain. “That’s not possible. We are not in a movie.”

“Well, I saw it, and it’s true. Believe me or not. I don’t give a damn. I only give a damn about what has been unleashed.” He hesitated before going on. “And there are more. Tonight, I saw them. The first one had others with him, the same glazed eyes. He fed and now
they
will feed,” Samuel said, his voice fierce.

Lexi gave Miguel a warning glance. Often Miguel and her father butted heads—they were both stubborn and had an alpha complex. They had been in plenty of scuffles. Miguel caught her eye and huffed out loud. He stormed into the kitchen and Lexi heard him grab a bottle out of the fridge.

“Father,” Lexi started, but she couldn’t find the right words to say. Her thoughts were bouncing around, too fast to grab hold of.

“I am truly sorry, Alexis.”

She took her hand and cupped her father’s cheek. His eyes closed, his facial features softening at her touch. They had been together for so long; before Miguel came, it was only the two of them in the ever-changing world. He had attacked her when she was only 17 years of age. He was a newborn vampire who didn’t know what he was doing, and she had come to check on him at the wrong moment. Even now, so many years later, decades upon decades couldn’t take away the memory of that fear of seeing her father changed into the animal he became. He had taken her and ran off, confused and scared.

“Did you feed tonight?” Lexi asked.

He wouldn’t answer for a few minutes. The sound of another bottle opening was exaggerated in the silence. Finally he sighed and answered, “Yes. I did. But the pain… It won’t go away. I’m dying, Alexis. I don’t know how long this will last. But I do know I’m dying.”

Fresh tears pricked Lexi’s eyes and she embraced her father. “No.”

She could feel Miguel’s presence in the room and soon he was embraced with them.

“Father, Miguel will look it all up. You know how brilliant he is at research. We’ll go to the head council, find out what we can do if we must.”

“They would send me into the light for what I created,” Samuel said, depressed.

“No, we’ll figure out something.” She held onto that hope, even though deep down she knew it might be a lie. It might not be true, but everything they had ever known might come crashing down on them if it was.

Chapter Three

Present Day

That night, all Josh wanted to do was relax at home and not do a damn thing. He’d arrived too late to watch the game Brendan had mentioned earlier. He recounted his day from hell to Myra, who listened attentively as he described Choy’s episode. Her round eyes grew bigger as he told her about the ER and how crazy it was. She had gotten him a beer (or three) while he talked, and the alcohol did its job. His body felt more relaxed, and his brain had grown fuzzier.

They ate dinner in front of the TV, watching a movie, some action flick that had most of the dialogue beeped out. When that ended, the news came on. More reports of the mystery illness spreading dominated the segment. For a minute Josh worried that he had somehow gotten himself in harm’s way and would come down with whatever Choy had. He didn’t want to end up like that. It looked like some sort of monster flu virus. He couldn’t afford to take time off, and have Myra worried. But his immune system was a beast. He never got sick; maybe once every two years. Myra said it was unnatural and he was probably inhuman. It was a running joke between the two of them.

“I just don’t know what it is. Why they can’t diagnose it,” Myra muttered, more to herself than to her husband. She shook her head and brought a hand to her mouth. She was a nail biter when she thought. Josh hated it, but he was too tired to give her a reminder.

“It was all of a sudden. Choy was fine yesterday. I’m wondering if that’s why the boss wasn’t in.”

“Well, we need to keep an eye on you for any symptoms. I don’t want you being stubborn if you start feeling bad.”

“I won’t. But I didn’t get that close to him. Will and Robins lifted him onto the bed.”

“Yeah, and you rode right alongside them on the way back to work,” Myra snorted. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they both turned their attention to the TV.

They both fell asleep like that. It was the heavy knock on the door that woke them both up, Josh bolting upright and Myra falling behind him.

“What time is it?”

“I have no clue.”

The persistent knocking continued and Josh answered it, opening it a crack. He opened it up wide when he saw Brendan and Mari standing outside. Worry was written all over Brendan’s face and Josh ushered them inside.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do. Claire’s sick. Really sick. Nothing I’ve given her is making the fever go away.” Fear was prevalent in his voice. Mari looked sleepy, her glasses slumped far down the bridge of her tiny nose.

“What are her symptoms, Bren?” Myra asked, her voice soft and comforting. The nurse side of her was out, ready to help someone in need.

“She’s been in bed all day. High fever. Claire and Mari went to run errands and came back this morning. That’s when it started. I was at work, but came back at lunch after Mari called to say she hadn’t gotten out of bed. She’s sweating through the sheets, and when I put her in the bathtub I had to change them.”

Myra was already putting her flip flops on.

“Where are you goin’?” Josh asked. He wasn’t the controlling type, but if it was
that
illness, he didn’t want Myra putting herself in harm’s way.

“I’m going to check on her.” Myra’s tone was matter-of-fact, warning him not to question her.

“No, they should just take her to the hospital. Mari can stay with us; that’s fine.”

Myra gently grabbed Mari’s shoulders and steered her toward the couch. She was already dressed in her pajamas. She fluffed a pillow, grabbed a blanket from the armrest, and tucked Mari in after taking her glasses. The act was a bittersweet reminder to Josh that Myra would’ve made a great mother if she had been given the chance. Even so, Josh was growing impatient with her being so stubborn.

“Myra, Brendan can take her to the hospital. If the fever is that high, she needs to go,” Josh repeated, his voice dropped down to a hushed whisper.

She turned sharply, her eyes narrowing. After a few seconds, she turned toward Brendan. “Brendan, you may stay here. I’ll be right back.” And then she was out the door.

Josh cursed under his breath and shut the door. “Pig-headed, that’s what she is,” he muttered. Brendan looked sorry, and bags under his eyes made his whole face look sickly. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, man. I am. I’m sorry. I just didn’t know what to do.” He looked pathetic and Josh felt the anger dissipate.

“It’s alright.” He paused, and then asked, “Want a beer?”

The two men settled in the kitchen, away from the snoring little girl. Brendan’s large hands wrapped around the bottle as he cast his dark brown eyes downward.

“If it’s that sickness that’s going around…” Brendan trailed off.

Images of Choy on his hands and knees came to Josh’s mind and he shuddered. After taking a long pull from his bottle, he leaned back in his chair. “It’ll be alright, man,” he replied lamely.

The silence was so loud between the two men. Usually they got along just fine; they’d been instant friends since becoming neighbors. But bringing up sports or any upcoming hunting trips Brendan was going on seemed futile.

Finally, after an hour and a half of being gone, Myra showed back up. Josh had just stood up to make his way out the door to go retrieve her. Brendan stood up nervously.

Myra looked tired. Like the past hour had just completely drained her. Her face was pale and her arms were wrapped around her stomach tightly.

“She’s going to be fine. Her fever has subsided. She doesn’t need to go to the ER,” Myra announced, smiling thinly. Josh’s heart skipped a beat. Something was off with his wife.

“I’m very tired. It was a long day. I’m gonna go to bed.”

“Thank you very much, Myra. We’ll be leaving, then,” Brendan spoke. Myra nodded and turned around.

Josh watched as Brendan picked Mari up off the couch. She murmured, but didn’t wake. She looked like a baby in her dad’s big arms, and that pain was back. The pain of thinking about things that couldn’t be.

Brendan thanked him again and left. When he finished locking up and turning off the lights, he went to their room. Myra was in the adjoining master bathroom. He could hear the shower running. He knocked and opened the door a crack.

“You okay, honey?”

“I’m fine. Just really tired.”

“Claire’s okay?”

“Yeah, she’s going to be fine.”

“All right.” He paused, not knowing what to say, but not wanting to leave. He looked behind him at the clock on the windowsill. It was late. He felt exhausted too.

“I’ll jump in there after you.”

“Okay then.” Her voice was monotone, no emotion at all. Not like usual. Josh loved her voice, how it rose and fell like a melody.

He shut the door and went to the closet, getting his clothes out for the next day. It was something he had started doing after living with Myra. She wasn’t the neatest person in the world, but she was organized.

She stepped out of the bathroom already dressed, the smell of her strawberry lotion filling the bedroom. She leaned down and kissed him quickly on the lips, a small rushed peck. “I’m not gonna wait for you. I need some sleep.”

“Okay. Get some rest, babe. I love you.”

“I love you more.”

The next morning Myra wouldn’t get out of bed. She had called in sick to work. She felt feverish and was holding onto her stomach but wouldn’t let Josh look.

“It’s just something I picked up from the office. I’ll be fine. Love you; go get ready,” she said.

So Josh did what he was told, even though he was worried sick and knew that he would be for the rest of the day.