Defensive Instinct (Survival Instinct Book 4) (32 page)

The dead all moved at the same pace, forced together by the narrow aisles between the containers. If Dean could think about it, he’d realize he was barely moving on his own, but being pushed along by those behind him. He was holding onto a memory as he inched through the metal maze. He remembered hearing gunfire. It had been faint, distant, but he had heard it. Gunfire meant humans, meant hosts to pass on the infection. Dean had succeeded in personally infecting a few humans, but none of them turned out like him. They were smarter than the average shuffler, able to be taught tasks and usually in more control of their bodies, but he had never found anything as intelligent as him. He wasn’t exactly lonely—he could no longer feel such emotions—but on occasion he desired something more than the rot around him. Another being like him would make hunting easier, would make controlling the others easier. But there was nothing else in the world like Dean.

When the maze ended, Dean was no longer being pushed along as the zombies spread out through the open area. Across the way was a barrier of shipping containers, without any gaps between them. There were no humans. There was no sign of anything living.

Dean continued to move toward the barrier, the other zombies still packed fairly tightly around him. They always wanted to be close to the most living thing in the area, which almost always was him.

There was something about the containers ahead. Dean couldn’t get very close before the zombies ahead of him formed a clump he couldn’t press into. He stopped against their backs, his dead, goggled eyes scanning over top of them.

These weren’t just containers, this was a
wall
.

A wall, why was a wall important? Dean couldn’t remember. There was something about this being a wall that he should be able to figure out.

As he stood and stared, the other zombies filled the area, stopping with him. They were waiting for him to move, their collective wheezing groans never changing. The horde was eerily still, zombies who’d normally be tempted to roam unable to do so as they were penned in by the others.

Dean studied the wall, trying to remember what it meant.

Abby sat in the waiting room with Cameron, Brunt, Dakota, Peter, and Hope. Lauren wanted to stay as well, but it had been decided that at least one of them should be working.

“I’m thirsty; where’s the nearest tap?” Cameron asked, getting to her feet.

“There should be one in the room across the hall,” Abby told her. There were others in some examination and recovery rooms, but Abby didn’t know if those rooms were in use

“Want to show me?” Cameron glanced at Hope and Dakota. It was clear to Abby that she wanted to say something, but not in front of the girls.

“Sure, I could probably use a drink myself.” Abby stood and the two of them went into the medical lab across the way. Abby could count the number of times she had been in there on one hand with fingers to spare, because every time it made her shudder. Any sort of laboratory equipment had that effect on her now, knowing it was a place like this that had made the contagion.

“I didn’t want to worry Riley by telling her, but I think you should know. I’m sure everyone here will learn soon enough.”

Cameron’s words rang ominously in Abby’s ears. Whatever she was about to say, couldn’t be good.

“There are some people heading to the container yard, supposedly to attack it.”

“What?”

“Shaidi and Larson returned last night. Apparently, they were attacked while out scavenging, and Danny, Bryce, and Lenny were all captured. The group is now heading to the yard, and it shouldn’t be too much longer before they get there.”

“What about Jon? Is he all right?” Abby knew that Jon had been out scavenging; he always made sure to send word over the radio about when he’d be out.

“Apparently, he stayed behind to track the group’s movements, to keep an eye on things in case they change.”

Abby located the nearest stool and sat down, her mind digesting everything. “We should go. We should round up some volunteers and go help them.”

Cameron shook her head. “They have things under control. If they need us, they’ll radio for us.”

Abby finally registered the tension in Cameron’s body. Seeing it in Riley over the past few days had made her think of it as the default setting, but Cameron was quite different from her sister.

“Come here,” Abby stood up again, opening her arms.

In a very un-Riley way, Cameron stepped forward and allowed herself to be hugged, embracing Abby in return. The woman’s home was being attacked, and here she was, unable to help because she had to make sure her sister was okay. It couldn’t have been an easy decision to make.

“It’ll all work out,” Abby attempted to soothe her, stroking Cameron’s short hair.

After a minute, Cameron let go and stepped back. Her eyes were moist, but with a quick swipe of the back of her hand, they were dry again.

“I suppose I should get tested,” Cameron commented, looking around the space they were in.

“That can wait until later, once this is all over and done with.”

Cameron nodded in agreement. “Well, we should get back. The operation isn’t supposed to take very long, and the others will wonder where we are.”

“Does Dakota know? About the impending attack?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure,” Cameron shrugged. “I didn’t tell her, but it was pretty obvious that something was going on by the time we left, and she may have overheard someone talking.”

Together, the two women returned to the medical centre’s waiting room. Abby looked over at the three kids, who were huddled together against the wall away from the adults, whispering conspiratorially to each other. Hope kept glancing at the door to the operating room, waiting for it to open. Dakota didn’t seem too concerned, trying to keep a conversation going, while Peter, who took some coaxing to sit here with his friends, sat quietly listening as he usually did. All they needed was for Becky and Adam to join them and the set would be complete. Again, Abby wondered if she should move to the container yard so that Peter could be with his friends.

The door finally opened as Josh exited the operating room. As he walked toward Cameron, Abby, and Brunt, Hope shot to her feet and hurried over, eager to get the news first hand.

“The operation went well,” Josh told them, getting a collective sigh of relief in response. “She’s not awake yet, but you can go see her in a minute. I should warn you, though, you might see some tubes sticking out of her.”

“Tubes?” Abby’s brows pinched together.

“After an operation like this, excess fluids can build up, so there are tubes to drain it. It might look gross, but don’t worry about it.”

“Can I go see her now?” Hope asked, tugging on Josh’s hand.

“Just give doctors Robin, Haily, and Lewis a bit more time to clean up.”

Abby imagined the bloody rags and tools being gathered in a bucket to be washed and disinfected later. She wondered what would happen to Riley’s tissues. They had a sort of graveyard in remembrance of people who had died since arriving at the Black Box, but there were no bodies in it. Everyone was buried under a crop field to help fertilize soil, their decay drawing in needed worms and other such insects. Would the tissues they had removed from Riley end up the same way? Or would it be decided to do something less respectful with them, like use them as fish bait or mix them into the pig feed as protein? Abby decided she really didn’t want to know. She missed the wastefulness of the world before the Day.

Josh disappeared back into the operating room, saying he’d come get them the moment they were allowed in. Abby sat back down with Cameron, but Hope didn’t move. She waited impatiently near the door, her fingers fidgeting with one another. Watching her, Abby realized she had been fidgeting with the cross hanging from the fine chain around her neck. It had become a habit whenever she was worried or relieved, as if it somehow communicated her thoughts to God, both the prayers and the thanks. Glancing over at Cameron, Abby saw that she still looked nervous despite the news that everything had gone well and guessed it was because of what they had talked about.

When Josh finally did return, Hope didn’t wait for him to say anything; she simply pushed past him to get into the room, nearly bowling over Robin who had been behind him.

“You can go in, although she’s still asleep,” Josh told the others.

There was a bit of bumping as Abby, Cameron, Brunt, Peter, and Dakota tried to enter the room, while Robin, Haily, and Lewis attempted to exit. Josh stayed put, ready to answer any questions Riley’s visitors might have.

By the time Abby got to Riley’s bedside, Hope had already situated herself on a metal stool next to her mom, her body stiff, not knowing what to do.

“You can take her hand,” Josh told her, the girl immediately reacting to his words.

Abby found it difficult to look directly at her friend. Riley was mostly covered by a blanket, but the bandages still showed and the tubes poking out from between them were mildly disturbing.

“She looks so much smaller,” Cameron whispered, as if her voice might wake up her sister. Brunt wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Abby mentally agreed with her. Sure, Riley was physically smaller, her breasts having been removed, but it wasn’t just that. Still hooked up to IVs and unconscious, she appeared frail, a lot more delicate than Abby ever imagined she could look.

“Will she be staying in this room, or will she be moved?” Brunt asked Josh, his arm slowly sliding away from Cameron as she found another stool to perch upon across from her niece.

“We’re going to keep her in here for a few hours, provided we don’t need it for an emergency surgery, but we’ll eventually move her to the more comfortable recovery room. Hopefully, she won’t have to stay there long before she can start walking around and sleeping where she wants.”

Although Hope and Cameron settled in to wait for Riley to wake up, Abby couldn’t stand around that long. Now that she knew her friend had made it through the worst, she found she was eager to get back to work on something.

“Do you guys have a place to stay overnight?” Abby directed her question to Brunt.

“Not yet.”

“I’d offer, but Riley and Hope have already claimed our spaces.” Not that Riley needed one anymore, not at the moment at least.

“I didn’t expect anyone to have enough room for all three of us, so we brought sleeping bags and mats.”

“Well, if you don’t find any better accommodations, then my floor is open.”

“Can I sleep on the floor in Peter’s room?” Dakota immediately asked.

“Sure,” both Brunt and Abby replied, unclear as to which one of them the question was directed.

“Hear that, Hope? You, me, and Peter are gonna have a slumber party.”

Hope tried to look excited for her friend, but couldn’t quite manage it. She would likely be out of sorts until her mom woke up.

“I should get going,” Abby eventually said, not knowing of another way to put it. “Lauren will want to hear the news, and I should be working.”

“Thanks for sitting with us, Abby,” Cameron told her with an honest smile.

“Peter? Are you going to stay here with your friends?”

“Do I have to?” Peter hadn’t approached the bed at all, only glancing at Riley from across the room. He was clearly uncomfortable.

“Of course not.”

“Come on, Peter. Why don’t you show me what there is to do around here?” Dakota walked over to the younger boy and hooked her arm around his. “Hope, do you want to come?”

Hope shook her head. “I’m going to wait for my mom to wake up.”

“Fair enough. We’ll come back later when she’s done being Sleeping Beauty. Take care of my hat for me.” And with that, Dakota virtually dragged Peter out of the room until his legs managed to find her pace.

“Is there anything I can get you guys while I’m gone? Food, drink?” Abby offered.

“We’re fine,” Cameron told her.

“I can get them something later,” Josh added.

“Maybe carry our bags to your place?” Brunt asked hesitantly. “Whether we end up sleeping there or not, it’s probably best to get them out of the waiting room.”

“Sure thing.” Abby slipped out of the surgery room, glad to be away from its smell of disinfectant and blood. It was easy to locate the three packs belonging to Cameron, Brunt, and Dakota, as they filled the space beneath several waiting chairs. The heaviest, most likely Brunt’s containing the mats and sleeping bags, she slung on her back, while the lighter two that probably held clean clothes she could carry in each hand. Weighed down, she stepped out into the hall.

As she made her way toward her apartment space, Abby wondered where Lauren would be. She might have gone to the computer lab, typing up what she knew, or she could’ve gone back outside to help with any tasks out there. It was even possible she was assisting someone somewhere else inside the Black Box.

Her thoughts about where to look first were interrupted as she neared an elevator on her floor. Jo was standing there, looking at the elevator doors as if waiting for them to open, but none of the buttons had been pressed and the indicator window above the doors revealed that the cab wasn’t moving.

“You have to press a button,” Abby spoke as she moved toward him. She hadn’t explained how elevators worked during their initial tour, and only now realized he might not know. Depending on the group he had been with, he may have spent the majority of his life without electricity, and when it was available, it probably wasn’t used to power anything like an elevator.

At the sound of her voice, Jo startled and spun to face her, his eyes wide and frightened.

“I’m sorry,” Abby stopped advancing toward him. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Do you remember me? Abby? I showed you around the other day.”

Jo nodded, his posture relaxing but only slightly.

“If you want the elevator to come, you have to press either the up button or the down button, depending on which way you want to go.” Abby nodded toward the panel, her hands too full to point. “Do you want me to help you? Where are you trying to go?”

Jo shook his head, then turned and ran away toward a staircase. Abby felt badly for frightening the boy. The Black Box must be such a strange place to him, one in which he knew no one. She decided to try to get Peter, Dakota, and Hope to play with him next time she came across the boy. She wondered who he was currently staying with. Should he even be allowed to be alone so soon?

The weight of the bags pulled at her arms and shoulders, urging her to continue on back to her apartment.

Entering her home, Abby quickly located a place to put the bags and piled them up. She called out for Lauren and peeked into the various rooms, but her partner wasn’t there, meaning she’d have to search. Abby headed down to the computer lab first. Lauren wasn’t there either, so she changed direction and went all the way back up, heading outside. Her legs had gotten quite the workout by the time she found Lauren. She was in the new field with Winchester, inspecting it for any last rocks that may have been missed. They didn’t have many ploughs and weren’t going to take any chances damaging one.

Lauren was happy the moment she spotted Abby, knowing the surgery had gone well simply by reading her expression. After passing on the pertinent information, Abby helped search the field, glad to turn her mind to something else.