Dead in Bed by Bailey Simms, The Complete First Book (17 page)

“We better get going,”
Ian said. “I registered your official residence as your parents’ house, so
you’ll be able to stay there. It falls in the residential patrol zone that
Jason’s squad has, though. I couldn’t do anything about that. They usually
arrive at the house around noon. Your mom’s even been making them lunch. But, really,
they could come at any time. If you’re not there, they’ll put your warrant back
out, and I won’t be able to stop them. Morgan obviously has to stay here.”

I nodded. “We better
get going, then,” I said. “But first, tell me something.”

Ian folded his arms
against the evening chill, waiting for me to speak. Way off in the distance,
the Rocky Mountains were growing darker. The first stars were appearing in the
sky.

“I’ve just had this
feeling…” I said. “I’m sorry to ask—I shouldn’t, I know—but did
anything ever happen between you and Morgan? Ever?”

Ian sighed. For a
moment he looked away.

“That night at the
bar,” he began, “after you and Bryce left, we went off looking for you
together. I’ll be honest and tell you that Morgan came on to me. She tried to kiss
me, but that was it. She was pretty drunk. I stopped it. Nothing else
happened.” He shrugged. “I swear that was it.”

I nodded, relieved. I
knew he was telling the truth. And I felt awful for Morgan. It was true she
slept around, but I knew under normal circumstances she wouldn’t ever have come
on to my brother-in-law.

I thought about my
best friend alone in that silo, and how she was selflessly insisting on being
locked in just to protect other people. I would have done anything to help her.

Then I thought of a
way that maybe I could.

I turned back to Ian. “You
said Jason and Shawn and those guys have lunch at the house, right?”

“Yeah.” Ian shook his
head, annoyed that my mom was being so hospitable. “Your mom’s keeping them
well fed while they’re on patrol.”

“And Jason’s the only
one you know of who has a pharmacy access card?”

“Well, yeah.” Ian
looked at me warily. “Why?”

“Because I think I
could get it from him.”

He was surprised at my
suggestion. “Ashley,
I
couldn’t even
get it from him. He has his whole squad to back him up.”

“But what if he
didn’t? What if I got him alone? He’s been coming on to me nonstop since the
fair. And I’m pretty sure I could get him drunk or high on those pills of his.
If I could talk to him alone for even just a minute at the house, I could set
something up with him to meet somewhere. I’m sure I could get him to agree if
he thought I wanted to sleep with him. It’s worth a try, right?”

“No
way
.” Ian shook his head emphatically.
“That’s way too dangerous.
You, alone with that psycho?
Come on, Ashley, no way.”

“What other way is
there?” I asked. “You said yourself you can’t get the pharmacy access card from
him, right?”

Ian didn’t respond,
but gave me a look of frustrated helplessness.

“Well then?” I said,
trying to keep my voice low so Bryce and Chris wouldn’t hear me. “What’s the
other option? You don’t have enough antibiotics to keep Morgan stable. What’s
your
plan? Just do nothing and let her
progress to stage three?”

“Ashley, come on.”

“Give me a better
plan.” I stepped in front him, forcing Ian to stop walking back to the granary
and listen to me. “Give me a better plan, and I won’t do this,” I said. “Otherwise
I’m getting Jason alone tomorrow and making him think I want to fuck him. I can
get his access card. I know I can. I can do this.”

Ian didn’t say
anything. He waved good-bye to Chris and walked Bryce and me back to my parent's
house along the river. He didn’t agree one way or another to my plan. But as we
made our way through the growing darkness, I could tell he knew I was right.

There wasn’t any other
way.

January 26
^th
, 2014

3:21 p.m.

Author’s
Update

Part 4 is finally finished!
I had so much fun writing about the transformation of Ashley’s town and all the
changes in her life. Some crazy stuff happens during her escape, and a lot of
details about the plague are explained. Ashley has some big decisions to make
about her role in forming a resistance movement against the Home Guard, and in
Part 5 her choices are going to play out in some pretty unexpected ways.

In other news, I have to report that Kyle finally
got back to me.

I was feeling more and more sick to my stomach
with every hour that passed when he wasn’t responding to my text, but then I
got a long email from him totally unexpectedly.

He actually apologized for getting
me
in trouble. Then he wrote about how
what happened between us really meant a lot to him. He said he was sorry that
he’d been out of touch for a while, and that I’d just taken him by surprise in
the car. He told me he wanted me to be a part of his life and that he wanted to
see me again. I felt SO much better.

And I told him that I wanted to see him again,
too.

Of course, that won’t exactly be easy. My dad’s
really been keeping an eye on me
lately,
especially
after he caught Kyle parked outside our house.

But in his last email, Kyle asked me if I thought
I could sneak out again.

I probably shouldn’t, but I think I’m going to. I
haven’t decided for sure yet. But I really want to. I
really
want to see him again. Even if my dad catches me, I think it’ll
be worth it.

…What do you think I should do?

Anyway, in the meantime, I’m already starting to plan
out Part 5. A lot of exciting ideas came to me when I was taking pictures of
dripping honey for Part 4 cover image. Much more to come soon! Tweet or message
@
BaileySimms
if you want to get in touch.

Thanks for reading!

xxBailey

February 2
^nd
,
2014

8:20 p.m.

Don’t Catch the Plague

My mom
wouldn’t stop knitting.

When I came in through
the door, she said, “So you’ve decided to grace us with your presence.”

She refused to look up
from the scarf she was making for Haley. It had grown by an arm’s length in the
days I’d been gone.

All I’d wanted was to come
home to my parents’ house, spend a semi-normal evening with my family, maybe
have one of my mom’s home-cooked meals, and then sleep in an actual bed. I
really needed some sanity after everything I’d been through. And considering
that I was going to try to seduce and drug Jason Gibbs tomorrow, I was hoping
to get some rest so I could prepare.

But apparently Shawn
and the rest of Jason’s squad had told my family that I was wanted for hiding
infected refugees. They all thought that I’d been with Morgan somewhere,
concealing her from the Home Guard. I thought about telling them what had
actually happened, but how could I? I didn’t think anyone would really believe
that I’d been buried alive and then locked in a stripped-down U-Haul for the
better part of a week.

“I don’t see why you
don’t just tell them where Morgan is,” my mom scolded.

I hadn’t realized that
she was in such deep denial about everything that was happening.

“They know what’s best
for her,” she went on, fiercely knitting at the kitchen counter while she
lectured me. “They’re keeping us all safe. I don’t know why you have to go and
disrupt all of that. They’re all such nice boys. And Shawn! You should be so
proud of him! This has been so
good
for him. You need to be more grateful. We’re all just so lucky that the good
guys are on our side, watching out for us.”

We’d missed dinner.
Ian was having a beer with Bryce on the porch, and I’d told them that I’d make
some sandwiches. My dad was washing the dishes. As I opened the fridge, he
dried his hands and put an arm around me.

“It’s good to see
you,” he said, softly, so my mom wouldn’t hear him. “I was worried. I’m glad
you’re home.”

At the dining table,
Danielle was playing cards with Tyler and Haley. My sister hadn’t said a word
to me since I’d arrived at the house. When I went to grab the bread knife from
the table, she scowled. She stood up, placing herself between her children and
me, and then whispered fiercely into my ear.

“I know you know where
that little bitch is,” she hissed. “She’s probably the one who brought that
disease in from outside. You need to tell Ian where she is. No more fucking
around, Ashley.”

I hadn’t realized how
much Ian wasn’t telling Danielle.

She didn’t have a clue
what was going on. He obviously didn’t trust her to keep the granary a secret.
And judging by how my sister was acting now, he was absolutely right not to
trust her. She’d never been the most easygoing person, but I’d never seen her
behave this way. The stress was really getting to her, I could tell. It seemed
like she suddenly hated me.

“Play with us, Aunt
Ashley!” Haley peeked around her mother and looked at me expectantly.

Even after all I’d
been through, I felt really bad having to say no to my niece yet again.

“Next time,” I told
her, mussing her hair. “I’ve got some important things to take care of. And we
have a guest,” I said, nodding in the direction of the porch.

Tyler couldn’t have
heard what his mother whispered into my ear, but he looked at both of us
apprehensively. He was still in that awkward stage; he was probably going to be
good-looking when he got out of adolescence, but his nose had suddenly gotten
too big for his face, and his forehead was ringed with acne from wearing his
football helmet. Poor kid. He just wanted life to be normal, to play football,
and to meet girls his age. He’d been helping Haley fan out the cards in her
hand, and I could tell right away that he was terrified at everything that was
happening, even though he was putting on a brave face and trying to help his
little sister through it. I think he just wanted everyone to stick together and
make it out alive.

“Let’s leave Aunt
Ashley alone for a little while,” he said graciously, avoiding Danielle’s gaze.
“She’s probably starving.”

He was right. I was
famished. Other than the military rations that the Home Guard had delivered to
the house, my parents seemed only to have an endless supply of freezer-burnt roast
beef and white bread. While I was making a sandwich each for Ian, Bryce, and
myself, I ate at least another sandwich’s worth of the meat with my fingers. I
still had a strange, insatiable craving for a hamburger and a milkshake, but
instead I poured a big glass of milk and gulped it down. I hadn’t craved milk
like this since I was a kid, but I couldn’t get enough of it. I poured a second
glass.

I brought Ian and
Bryce their sandwiches. They thanked me effusively. Both of them looked guilty
that they hadn’t helped me while they’d sat on the porch with beers.

But completing these
little tasks kept my mind occupied. It prevented me from collapsing in a heap
and totally breaking down, which I was afraid I might do now that I was
relatively safe at the house.

Because Shawn was only
a private, he had to bunk at the Home Guard Center, so the couch was free. I
put sheets on the cushions for Bryce and laid out a blanket. I made myself
another sandwich and took it upstairs to my old bedroom.

The
internet
had been shut down. When I tried to log on, the only accessible site was
homeguard.gov, which automatically appeared after I opened the browser. The
site had maps of each residential district, a ration distribution schedule, and
an emergency hotline for “reporting individuals suspected of being infected
with the TGV pathogen.” In big, red letters running across the top of the
screen, it warned, “
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
” followed by a
phone number.

The same thing happened
when I tried to use the
internet
on my phone. The Home
Guard website immediately appeared, and I couldn’t access any other page.

I showered. I put on a
pair of threadbare sweats that I’d long ago discarded. I couldn’t believe how
much weight I’d lost. I studied myself in the mirror for the first time in
days. My cheeks had hollowed out, and I could actually see the contours of my
abdominal muscles. I hadn’t looked like this since I was fourteen.

Good, I thought. I was
looking hot, actually.
All the
better for tempting
Jason.

I brushed my teeth and
got into bed without saying good night to anyone. I fell asleep going over all
the things I could say to Jason to make him believe I actually wanted to sleep
with him.

* * *

Sometime
late at night, Bryce came into my room.

He closed the door
softly,
then
sat at the edge of my bed.

“Ashley,” he
whispered.

I’d been in a deep
sleep, and I tried not to be too annoyed that he’d woken me. I said, “If you’re
looking for a late-night Lady Gaga dance party, sorry, but I’m little worn
out.”

He laughed quietly. “I
guess I’ll go ask your mom if she’s down, then.”

I smiled at the
thought. “You’d probably have better luck with my dad.”

I hadn’t moved since
Bryce had sat on my bed. I closed my eyes. I could feel his weight on my
mattress. For a while he just sat there in the dark.

Finally I asked,
“What’s up?”

The night was
completely quiet. There was no wind. There were no crickets.
Just
a deep, dark silence.

“I just can’t stop
thinking about it,” Bryce whispered. “When they locked us up in those U-Hauls,
I kept dreaming we were back in the coffin. And when I woke up, it was so dark
I thought maybe I really was in the coffin again. I kept spreading out my arms,
trying to convince myself I was only in the back of a van.” He drew in a deep
breath. I think he’d started to cry a little, but he was holding it back. “God,
I really thought I was going to die in that fucking thing.”

When he stopped
talking, the night’s silence rushed back in. It was almost like we were alone
together in the coffin again.

“I thought I was going
to die in there, too,” I whispered. What else could I say?

I sensed Bryce turning
to look at me. I could just make out his profile. It seemed like he wanted to
say more but couldn’t find the right words.

I felt myself start to
nod off again. I was exhausted.

“I’m really tired.” I
reached out and touched his knee for a moment, then pulled my hand back under
my covers. “I have a big day tomorrow.”

“Right,” Bryce said.
“Sorry.”

He stood and stepped
softly from the room. I heard him make his way quietly back down the stairs.

But now that he’d
left, I couldn’t sleep. I started regretting making him leave. I
did
want to talk about what we’d gone
through together, at some point. I knew that no one else in the world would
ever be able to understand what it was like to be trapped beneath the earth. No
one else would ever be able to understand what we’d shared down there. No one.

I tried to go back to
sleep.

I tried not to think
about Bryce or how alone I’d started to feel.

Instead, I thought
about Morgan, but that only made things worse. I missed talking to her so much.
I just wanted to call her on the phone like I’d normally do if I
were
feeling shitty, but I couldn’t. It was hard to bear the
idea that I may never be able to talk to her again.

I felt even more alone
than before. It was like I was a tiny speck of dust floating out in the frozen,
starry universe.

For a moment I thought
about waking Ian and talking to him, but I couldn’t. It would be weird. Right
now he was fast asleep in bed with Danielle, quietly keeping all of his secrets
from her.

I lay awake for an
hour, maybe two. I couldn’t go back to sleep.

* * *

Just
before dawn, I crept downstairs.

I could tell right
away that Bryce wasn’t asleep.

I lay down on the couch
beside him and pulled the sheet over us both.

Bryce wrapped his arms
around me.

I started to cry. I
couldn’t help it. I just sobbed for a few minutes while he held on to me.

“It’s okay,” he
whispered.

And then we were
kissing. I wasn’t sure if I kissed him, or if he kissed me. We were just
kissing.

Soon, somehow, I was
on top of him. I took his shirt off and stripped my own as quickly as I could.
I couldn’t think of anything but being as close to him as physically possible.
I felt his bare chest against my breasts, and I put my arms around his neck. I
pressed my body into his with all my weight.

Very suddenly, but
quietly, he flipped us both over so that I was on my back.

He lay between my
legs. He was still wearing jeans, but I could feel through my threadbare sweats
how hard he was when he pressed into me.

I unbuckled his belt.
As soon as I started, he tore off my sweats and underwear all at once. I
couldn’t believe how wet I was. I unzipped his pants, reached into his
underwear, and—I couldn’t help it—pulled him straight inside me.

Maybe I was falling in
love with him. Ever since we’d been trapped alone together inside the coffin,
Bryce and I had been linked together. Neither of us would ever see our lives in
the same way afterward, and only the two of us could really understand what
that meant. My marriage with Shawn was obviously over. A future inside the
Muldoon quarantine zone living amid a devastating plague wasn’t much of a
future, but it was the only future any of us had. Maybe Bryce and I could share
it together.

As soon as I pulled
him inside me, he pressed in even deeper.

The sex we had was
like nothing I’d ever experienced. I knew there was some chance that he could
be infected, and that I was responding to the pathogen’s pheromones. But the
emotions felt so
real
and so human.
Bryce was staggeringly tender with me and yet so irresistibly firm at the same
time. He whispered how he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about me while we
were locked away from one another, then grabbed my pelvis and pushed so deep
inside me I thought I would explode with pleasure.

I started to come, and
it was all I could do to keep from yelling out and waking everybody up. Bryce
put his hand over my mouth and I bit into his finger, which only made him drive
deeper inside me.

But just before he
came, that self-preserving part of me rose back up in my consciousness, and I
pulled away from him. I grabbed his penis in both of my hands as he cried out,
arching his back, and I felt his warm semen leap onto my belly and breasts.

Bryce heaved a huge
sigh, collapsed beside me, cradled my head in his arms, and kissed my forehead.

He whispered
something. “You and me,” he said. “We’re going to stick together.”

I kissed him softly.

It was so hard not to
just fall asleep in his arms. I hadn’t felt such warm, satisfied peace since
long before the plague.

But the morning sky
was growing brighter. The sun was already about to rise. My family would be up
soon. I had to get back to my bedroom.

I grabbed a tissue
from the box on the side table.

It was
just at that most vulnerable of moments, as I was wiping Bryce’s semen from my belly,
that I saw someone standing in the living room window—a woman. And at her
hip was a young boy, maybe two years old.

She was about my age.
The first rays of morning sunlight were coming over the plains, illuminating
one side of her face and her freshly straightened hair. She was beautiful, like
she belonged on a TV show. And she was staring right at me.