Pulse: Retaliation (Anisakis Nova Book 2) (19 page)

45 – Mandy Sillvers

Mandy clutched a tote bag to her chest as she left the tire dealership. Inside was all she had; a few bottles of water, some vending machine food, and a Beretta 9mm Private Stewart gave her. He carried two, joking it was overkill and he'd be okay without it. She thanked him profusely for fixing up her shoulder.

The soldiers had more important things to worry about than her, and she was okay with that. When she heard their plan to go destroy the hospital she'd been at, she was elated. She wanted those horrible crazy people to die and never bring misery onto anyone else again.

The private assured her someone would come back for her at the dealership after they left and take her to a safe zone. There were a few places the military was harboring and protecting civilians. Mandy was wary of a place like that and informed him she had no intention of going. It wasn't that she didn't trust the men; she simply believed, based on the current state of affairs, it wouldn't happen for numerous reasons.

Private Stewart understood. That's when he gave her a gun and told her what areas were teeming with infected and should be avoided.

Most of them were getting some shuteye before they headed out, and Mandy did take the opportunity to stay with them and get a few hours herself. She doubted there'd be another time when she was surrounded by a bunch of capable guys with big guns. The flame throwing guys were particularly impressive to her.

When they packed up to leave, she did too. She had no idea where she would go or what she would do when she got there. Life was going to be different from now on. It would be a matter of daily survival. There was no room for anything else.

It was muggy outside, the late afternoon sun unforgiving even as it shone through thick layers of clouds. Mandy felt beads of sweat already trailing down her back. She glanced at the nearest street sign to orient herself. The military men rolled out about ten minutes before, the sounds of their vehicles nonexistent. She was alone.

Based on what the soldiers said, she was an hour walk away from her house. The most logical course of action was to try and get back there where she knew there were weapons, food, and clothing. After what she'd been through, she was embarrassed by her breakdown in the bunker. She could've handled it better, but under the circumstances it was what it was. She made peace with it. Now, as it always had been, it was a good place to regroup before she made a decisive plan.

As she walked, she thought of her parents and the farmhouse. She wondered if they were still alive and if they missed her as much as she found herself missing them. Their petty fights about her having kids meant nothing anymore. Though the fevered dreams she had while fighting the infection still lingered in her mind, she wanted to see them again to remind herself of what they were truly like.

Even if they weren't at the farmhouse, it would be a good out of the way place to stay until...

Mandy cleared her mind. There was nothing after 'until'.

She brought up the memory of Matthias and the soggy newspaper, their laughter and the feeling of pure happiness.

Setting the bag over one shoulder, she gripped the Beretta confidently. "One day at a time."

46 – Dom

The cars couldn't go any farther. Many of them could barely handle the poorly kept national forest road as it was, bouncing like crazy and getting stuck in mud. The incline alone was a fight. After two miles, the road came to an abrupt stop. Beyond it was nothing but tall, thick pine trees and shrubbery.

Jim told them as they hiked, the trees would only become a little sparser as they climbed. Rattle Snake Lake was not an alpine lake, though it was high up. Most of the eight mile hike they were about to undertake went through tall grassy fields and light forest. Since they were lower, the trees were much more dense.

As everyone exited the cars at the end of the road, a feeling of calm became tangible. The air was clean and pure. It smelled earthy, like pine needles, dirt, and vegetation. They covered the trucks with branches and moss just in case and prepared to leave.

Since they weren't sure exactly where they were going to stay, and had hundreds of things to eventually take to the camp, their initial hike was just the basics. Tents, food, water, weapons, and warm clothing. They'd settle for the night and in the morning decide what to start bringing up.

It felt good to move. Even with the heavy pack weighing down his shoulders, Dom's spirit felt uplifted. They made it so far. They were following through with their plan.

The hike was just as Jim described. There was a bit of elevation gain, but mostly they followed his slow lead through valleys and over giant hills.

Jim was in his element. It was good to see the old man in such good spirits. Dom thought he was uplifting and positive before, and this new version of him was even better. He moved faster and looked like he shed fifteen years. He seemed to need less breaks than the kids.

It was almost completely dark by the time they came upon a beautiful glistening lake, at least a half mile long. It was surrounded by brambles and cattails. They approached it from a side that was mostly dirt and large rocks. The forest was thinned out here. A large open space had a circular formation of rocks where people likely built fires.

"It's just how I remember it," Jim said as he sat down on a fallen log. "Not much has changed. Pop and I set up camp here. Went off to hunt during the early hours of the morning and spent the evenings playing cards."

The group was silent. Families and couples wandered off on their own to check out the space, their flashlights cutting through the darkness. What were they thinking? That this wasn't what they were hoping for? That they'd made a huge mistake?

Magnus must've picked up on the vibes. He shrugged off his pack and turned to Anthony. "Why don't we get a fire going, eh?"

They put a fire together with astonishing speed. A few others helped gather wood and chop it to the right sizes. It burned and crackled merrily in the middle of the campsite and everyone gathered around it to take in its warmth and comfort.

As Dom looked around him, he felt the sense of unease permeating from almost every person. Now that they were here, it was different. It was hard to believe this is where they'd be living
forever
. That someday they'd have cabins and gardens and be able to live happy lives. The kids would grow up here. After living in fear for so long, the prospect of joy seemed impossible.

They ate MREs and dried food they brought up from the trucks and drank water from the lake, still warm from boiling it over the fire. Eventually conversations started up, the dull murmurs filling some of the empty space.

Dom stared at his tin water cup, lost in his own thoughts. This was going to be work. Chelsea was right. It was going to be a fight to survive for the first few months, years probably, but this is what they all committed to. Even if they were intimidated, Dom knew each person had it within them to make The Lake succeed.

The one thing Dom needed them to have, that he knew they'd never make it without, was hope. As he surveyed the group, he wondered how much they had left.

Dom realized it was quiet. He looked up from his cup. Felix’s family stood behind him, their heads bent down.

“I’m sorry everyone,” he began. “Now that we’re here, we know we can’t do this. What you’re doing is noble, but it isn’t for us.”

No one spoke. Some of the group looked at the family, while others gazed at Dom. They were looking for leadership. There were many times before when Dom felt the pressure of being a leader. The situation he was faced with now was the most difficult. Felix agreed to come. If he left, The Lake would be down two adults. While that meant more resources for the group, it also meant less people to help out. Felix’s EMT skills were invaluable. Marita had strong gardening skills. If that wasn’t enough, the family was also a joy to be around. The group needed that kind of positivity.

“Where are you going to go?” Magnus asked.

“To civilization. Maybe that town we stopped at on the way here. If things go back to normal, we won’t know. We’ll could end up suffering here while everything was fine back home. Haven’t any of you thought of that?”

There were nods, a few
yeahs
. 

Dom took a deep breath. “What’s changed between now and when you decided you wanted to come?”

Felix looked at his wife, Marita. Her brows furrowed. They spoke in Spanish for a few seconds, then she spoke. “I’m pregnant. Two months. We believed in your cause and it seemed like a good idea. Cat being a midwife helped convince us this would be okay. But now that we’re here and we see this place, I can’t imagine being pregnant or raising a child here.”

“When Wayne couldn’t save Chelsea it was a wakeup call,” Felix said. “We are out of our league.”

Wayne scoffed. “You’re joking. She’d been
shot
. Unless we got her to an ER with a surgeon, she didn’t have a chance. Even then, she still could’ve died. Pregnancy is an entirely different situation.”

“I could die during childbirth, my baby could die,” Marita countered. “There are many things that could happen that you aren’t suited to handle.”

“What if they leave and get infected? They’d know we were here. They could come back with others and destroy all of us,” Matt said, joining the argument. “If they leave they’re jeopardizing our safety.”

“Please calm down, everyone.” Jim’s voice could be loud when he wanted it to be. “Dom, what do you think?”

Dom thought the convincing part of this journey was over. Once they got to the Lake, he figured survival would be on everyone’s mind. He hadn’t considered anyone would want to leave. Each person they talked to about coming expressed complete devotion and support to the idea. He hadn’t prepared for this. Dom didn’t want Felix’s family to leave. He believed there was nothing waiting for them down the mountain but death.

“I can’t make you or anyone else stay, but I want you to reconsider.” Dom gestured around the campfire to the open forest. “I know this doesn’t look like much right now. I promise you someday it will. I promise you that you’re surrounded by the best group of people you’ll ever find. Each person here wants each other to survive. You won’t find that if you leave.”

Felix’s face was neutral. Marita knelt and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

Dom could tell he didn’t have them completely convinced. He pressed on. “If you honestly think your chances of survival out there are better than here, then go. But Matt’s right; you’re putting everyone’s lives at risk if you leave. You’re putting your family’s lives in danger.”

The couple whispered in Spanish again. A minute went by. Dom felt lightheaded and nervous.

“I’m sorry, Dom,” Felix finally said. “We’re sorry to everyone, but this isn’t right for us.”

Dom squeezed his eyes shut. He wished Chelsea was there. He knew she would’ve said the right things and convinced them to stay. “Fine. We’ll take you down in the morning when we go to bring supplies up. Can you at least wait that long?”

The comment stung. Felix frowned and put his arm around Marita. “We’ll wait.”

They went back to their tent. The rest of the group cleaned up the camp in silence and returned to their tents, too. As Dom laid in his, Wayne snoring and Laurie murmuring in her sleep beside him, he couldn’t sleep.

A day in and they’d already lost three people. Not for the first time, Dom wondered if what he was doing was worth it. If he could make a difference in these people’s lives. If he could save them.

Or if he was leading them to death.

1 Month Later

47 – Ben Moreno

Ash fell from the sky and Ben danced in it like it was the first snow of winter. There was something about it that felt enriching as he breathed it in and rubbed it on his naked flesh. His people surrounded him and danced, too. Their arms reached up into the heavens as they drank up the radiated fallout pouring from the sky.

They were a single entity, moving on foot closer to Richmond where a third nuke was dropped. No one said they should go to it. There was no discussion or plan. When the bomb went off they all knew, instantly, they needed to go there. A primitive need made them gravitate to it. Their bodies became electrified, the parasite frantic in their blood and organs. There was power there. It beckoned them. They needed it.

Isn't it wonderful, Ben? 
Mr. Ruchipip sang. 
All those people evaporated into nothing. We're breathing them in. They're a part of us.

"Yes," Ben groaned. He felt heat traveling to his groin at the mere thought of it. The tragedy, the widespread death. It was divine. It was in him.

A woman fell in line beside Ben. Her head was shaved, and all facial hair was picked away until bloody scabs covered her eyebrows and eyelashes. They walked on a freeway towards Boston, navigating through stalled traffic. Many vehicles were abandoned. Those that weren't held enjoyable breaks for his people.

She reached out for his hand. "What do we do when we get there?"

Ben gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm not sure."

Build a Mass. Make one bigger than ever before. Miles wide, miles tall. 
Mr. Ruchipip flashed images in Ben's mind of exactly what the parasite wanted. 
That is what it wants, Ben.

"We'll build another Mass, right where the bomb went off. It will thrive there. It will suck up the radiation and be the most powerful thing on this planet."

"There's no one to use," she said. Ben saw the panic in her eyes. "Dead. They'll all be dead for miles around from the bomb."

He slapped her hard across the mouth. That was not what he wanted to hear. There was no room for disbelief. As he saw a fresh trail of blood run down her mouth, he felt compelled to hit her again. And again. After enough smashes against the asphalt, her face was crushed into pulp.

No one stopped to watch. They all understood. Faith in the Parasite was important above all else. If Ben killed one of their own, it was for good reason.

He hauled himself up and continued walking through the ashen wonderland.

Good, Ben.
Mr. Ruchipip said.
Let’s do it again.