Outbreak: Brave New World (28 page)

Carl went into the bathroom and came back with a fistful of their precious toilet paper, which he used to clean up the vomit on the carpet. “Jeez, Aim.” he grumbled disgustedly as he carefully
scraped up the warm goop, fighting the urge to add his own contribution to the mess on the floor the whole time. “I think you owe me big time. So gross!”

Amy sat up after a few minutes and scooted on her butt until she was leaning against the blue recliner’s footrest. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged her legs, trying to block out the sound of the boy in pain a few feet away. When that did not work Frays stood on wobbly legs and struggled into her parent’s bedroom. The young woman curled up on the bed, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her hands over her ears. “I’m not here.” she whispered to herself, trembling and sniffing back tears “I’m not here and this is not happening. This is not happening.
This is not happening
.”

Lacey watched Frays get up and go into the bedroom. Whatever drug Rodriguez had given Paulie
seemed to be starting to kick in. He was getting a little drowsy and the little boy had stopped crying as he leaned against his dad’s chest. The bleeding had slowed but Frannie had to tighten the bandage down extra snug. Adam looked at his son’s injured hand and gently squeezed his poor boy’s remaining fingers. Paulie’s middle, index finger and thumb were still warm and seemed like the digits were still getting circulation. What would happen if the wound turned gangrenous or something? The thought of amputating his son’s hand did not appeal to him at all. He wanted to go find the son of a bitch who had shot at them and have words with him. And by words he meant kick that fucktard’s ass so hard that when he sneezed his bootlaces would be hanging out of his nose.

“Carl, c’mon.” Adam said, moving Paulie so that he was lying down. “Let’s see if that bastard is dead.” Adam grabbed his M16 and started towards the back of the house but Rodriguez intercepted him.

“No, stay here.” Frannie said putting a hand on his chest. “Your kids need you. Besides, we don’t know how many of them there are. Just calm down.” She looked around, spearing Carl with a hard look. The boy had that old ass Russian rifle of his clutched in his hands. “And if we’re gonna go poking around in there I’d feel a lot better with Frays watching our backs from the deck. She can really shoot!”

Lacey looked into the bedroom. “
Um…” he said frowning as he turned back to Carl and Frannie “I think we might have a problem there.” Carl and Rodriguez poked their heads around either side of Adam. Amy was curled up on the bed her back to them and shaking like a leaf. Lacey sat down next to her and put a hand on the woman’s shoulder.

“Frays?” he asked quietly, worried when Amy did not answer him. Lacey tried to roll her onto her back but she pulled
her shoulder out of his grasp and buried the side of her head into the pillow. “You okay? What happened?” He glanced at Carl and Rodriguez, unsure of what to do. What the hell happened? Adam could not help but be a little frightened. He never expected Frays to break down like this… He sighed and looked helplessly at the others.

Tense hours passed. Nobody shot at them
and Frannie kept watch on the porch, lying on her stomach with a pair of binoculars. She could not see anyone but then again that did not mean that they were not there. Paulie was being kept company by Freddie, the little boy stroking the dog’s head with his good hand. She felt terrible for the kid but Paulie looked like he was going to be alright as long as he had time to heal and no infection presented itself.

Amy was a different story. She had not moved
much or said anything since the little firefight this morning despite Lacey and Carl’s attempts to at least get a response out of the woman. Frays was tough and for some reason she never struck Rodriguez as the type to get shell shock…
Then again, I know a thing or three about PTSD.
Frannie thought morosely as she slowly scanned the area at the front of the house.
I never thought it would happen to me, either.

Lacey alternated between spending time with his son and time with Amy. Paulie was sleeping soundly on the couch, a combination of narcotics and
being worn out from all the excitement keeping the little boy snoring away. Adam struggled a little bit with Amy as he helped her take off her LCS and body armor then piling her gear in the corner of the room along with her cleared M4. That done, Lacey sat next to her and held her hand or rubbed her shoulder trying to coax a response from the woman. Finally he lay down next to her and slipped an arm carefully under her neck, his other hand resting on the little lump in her stomach. “It’s alright, Frays.” he whispered in her ear. The woman’s skin was chilly and a little clammy so he pulled one of the blankets over them and held her tight, trying to share his body heat with her.

She squirmed against him, shuddering against his chest. They were quiet for what seemed like a long time as Adam tried to comfort his friend. He felt horrible for her: she sometimes seemed to doze then
wake up and just lay there trembling. Amy quietly cried sometimes too, her cheeks becoming stiff with dried tears. Adam glanced at his watch. “Do you want something to eat?” Lacey asked as he smiled weakly and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with his free hand. The expression faltered then slowly faded when the woman did not respond. “I’ll bring you something anyway.”

Lacey paused outside the door, trying to collect himself. Rodriguez was in the kitchen with Carl, the two of them making something for lunch.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with Amy.” he said quietly and scratched his nose. “She’s not hurt or anything.”

“I know, buddy.” Frannie said as she leaned into the living room to check on the kids. Becca and Freddie were doing their best to keep Paulie comfortable and happy. “I think if there was anybody else out there they’ve pulled back.”

Carl looked sad and confused. His sister had probably killed someone a couple hours ago, but he could not bring himself to feel bad for the guy. The rat bastard had shot Paulie’s fingers off and only missed hurting his big sister because the pig fucking son of a whore could not shoot strait. “So what are we waiting for?” he grumbled as he poured water from one of the cans into a pot and put it on the stove to boil.

“We’ll wait for a little more.” Frannie said, eyeing the children in the other room. She leaned in close to
Lacey and Carl so that the kids could not hear her. “Give the piece of shit a little more time to bleed out.”

Lacey nodded and moved into the kitchen. “What’s for lunch?” he asked. There was a couple cans open on the counter and water boiling on the stove. “
You guys making something?” He then went into living room and sat down on the couch next to his children. He could not help but want Frays to come out and join them. Becca climbed up into her daddy’s lap and snuggled up against his chest.

Amy was sick or hurt or something. Paulie had an owwie on his hand. The little girl frowned into her father’s plate carrier. She wanted her mommy back and she wanted Daddy
and Amy and Carl and Frannie to not look so sad all the time. She started to cry. “Why did the bad man shoot at us?” she asked quietly, squeezing her dad.

“I don’t know, honey.”
Lacey whispered and kissed his daughter’s cheek. “I don’t know, but Amy made him stop. It’s okay now, baby.” He rubbed Becca’s back and jostled the little girl trying to comfort her. For the first time he actually started to get a little angry with Laura for leaving him to take care of the kids on his own. Well, not exactly on his own. Frays, Rodriguez and Carl were big helps but they were no replacement for the children’s mother.

“Amy’s pretty awesome huh, Dad?”
the little girl whispered quietly. Becca nuzzled up against her father’s neck, her damp cheek a little clammy on his skin. He grinned and brushed her hair, an unconscious imitation of what he had just done with Amy in the other room. Adam had kind of suspected that his daughter looked up to Frays, judging by how the little girl followed her around all the time.

“Yeah.” Lacey said, smiling a little bit as he continued running his fingers through the little girl’s hair.
He rubbed her back and held her tightly to his chest. “Yeah, she is.”

“I like Frannie but if Amy wants to be our new mommy that would be okay.” Becca
whispered conspiratorially. She looked at her brother sleeping on the couch a few inches away. “Paulie likes Frannie better though.”

“Hey, guys” Carl called from the dining room “Lunchtime. C’mon and get it while it’s hot.” He and Frannie brought
pots of something steaming into the room and put it on the table. It felt weird to him as Lacey, Becca and the others gathered around the table without Frays to say the blessing. He was not particularly religious or anything but it was just strange. In fact the only time he had ever attended church with any regularity was when he was in Basic Training, as going to Sunday services kept him out of more unpleasant duties and there the chaplain let them have cookies and punch afterward.

Carl and Frannie had made some kind of lumpy stew which Adam ladled into bowls for everyone. The food was brownish with what looked like corn, peas and a couple different kinds of beans.
He went to the cabinet and took down another bowl. “I’ll take some in to Frays.” Lacey said quietly as he took another portion from the pot. “Back in a minute.” The bowl was hot enough to be uncomfortable in his hand as he took it into the bedroom. He smiled at the semi catatonic woman curled up on the bed as he entered.

“Hey, Frays.” he said as he put the bowl down on the bedside t
able. “Here’s some food, buddy.” Adam choked a little, pained by the woman’s blank and pale face in the gloomy room. Her haunted brown eyes seemed to stare right through him. He reached out and put the palm of his hand on Frays’ cheek, wiping the crust of dried tears off of her soft skin. The scar from the bullet wound a couple inches beneath her left eye was rough under his thumb. “It’s right here on the table if you want it. Or come on out and eat with us.”

They ate glumly. Becca looked at her dad, determined to eat the food Frannie and Carl made for her even though she
did not like it very much. It was kind of bland and had a kind of chunky texture that reminded her of the time she ate a bite of a glue stick at daycare. She was scared for Amy and she could tell that Daddy was too. “Is Amy gonna be okay?” the little girl asked as she looked at the grownups, her little face twisted up in a very concerned scowl.

“Don’t worry, kiddo.” Frannie said quietly as she spooned a little of the goop in her bowl into her mouth.
“Amy’s gonna be alright. She’s…just taking a nap.” The little girl looked at her as if she did not quite believe her. Frannie had said that Mommy was going to be okay too, after all.

“Is Amy sick like Mommy?” Becca asked. The idea had just occurred to her and she started to get really scared. “She’s not sick like Mommy, right?” Daddy had cuddled with Mommy a few times when she was sick like he had with Amy. The little girl looked quickly
at the others around the table.

Adam hugged his daughter. “No, no baby.” he said reassuringly as he rubbed her shoulder. “Amy’s not sick like Mommy. Amy’s gonna be alright but she just needs some rest, okay?”
The little girl frowned and went back to eating her soup.

Frannie and Carl looked at each other. “Did anybody see what happened, anyway?” Carl asked. He helped himself to a second bowl and immediately set about wolfing it down. “She didn’t get shot or anything, right?”

“I dunno, man.” Adam said as he released his daughter and finished his portion of the food. “She didn’t get hurt, but I think she just had some kind of a breakdown.” He scraped the bottom of his bowl and licked the spoon off. “Did she say anything to any of you?”

Frannie and Carl both shook their heads. “Well, let’s go.” Rodriguez said to Lacey as she stood up and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “Let’s see if that guy is still there.”
Carl stood up as well and started towards his Mosin-Nagant. “No, Carl. You stay here. Take care of the kids and your sister. She needs you right now.”

Lacey and Rodriguez
checked their weapons and gear in the foyer. Frannie told Carl the new signal: three knocks followed by two jiggles of the door handle followed by two knocks before they left. They cut around the side of the house, working towards the area where Frays had said she had picked off the sniper. Lacey was nervous and barely containing his fury at the guy they were looking for. He had fucking mutilated his little boy…

“Lacey, pull your head out of your ass.” Rodriguez said quietly as they moved through the trees. She could tell what was going on in
her friend’s head and she needed him here. That guy might not have been alone. “C’mon.”

The forest was still and quiet around them, making Rodriguez tighten her grip on her carbine as they picked their way carefully down the hill.
The ground was covered with a carpet of dead pine needles making the hill kind of difficult for her to keep her footing as she worked her way down the slope. She could not help but wonder if any of the dead things had heard the shots that the fucking moron had fired at them. Hopefully not…

They worked their way around the bay, keeping up on the hill from the position where Frays said the guy had fired from. There was a body lying on the bloody rocks perhaps seventy five meters below them. Rodriguez watched the body for a few moments, trying to see if the guy was really dead or just faking. She picked up a rock the size of her fist and threw it at the body hitting it
squarely between the shoulder blades. The stone thumped off the body which did not move. She held her breath for a long few seconds while she tried to see if the guy was moving.