The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel (52 page)

“
I thought there was hope when Jameson was infected with two different viruses, but he ended up going feral just like the others!
I thought there was a chance that I would solve the
Inferi Scourge
problem and I had to take the risk!
”

Dwayne slammed his fist down on the table, making her jump.

“
If you go out there, you must kill them both
,
”
Dr. Curran
insisted.
“I don
’
t want this, but it
’
s the truth. I don
’
t have enough data and if you bring Maria back…”

“Maybe you just don
’
t want someone stealing your specimen!”

“Do you really believe the SWD will just roll over and die once the truth is revealed
?
Mr. Petersen is Black Ops. He planned all of this. Can
’
t you see that?
Hell,
Admiral Kirkpatrick
is probably just his pawn. He probably has a way to escape prosecution just in case something does go wrong. He
’
s not going to let go of an asset like Maria once he ascertains what she is. You can
’
t trust him!”

“I can
’
t trust you!” Dwayne said in a voice close to a growl.

“
I was wrong, but for all the right reasons.
Mr. Petersen and even the
p
resident will use Maria for their own means.
And if I
’
m wrong about her virus, then what?
”

Dwayne stared at her, resisting the urge to strike her.
“
I
’
m going out there.
”

“
You can
’
t bring them back! You can
’
t bring
her
back.
You have to kill both of them.
”

Shaking his head, Dwayne stared at the woman incredulously. “You really don
’
t feel remorse for what you
’
ve done, do you?”

“
She
’
s contagious.
”

“
With immortality. Or so you suspect.
”

“
She
’
s contagious, Castellan. Hell, if she kissed you, you would be infected!
”

He stared at her.

“You and I both know that even if I
’
m right in my suspicion about her virus, it will only serve the people in power, not the city.”

Dwayne
leaned toward the doctor.
“
Tell me something, Doctor. If this virus gives you immortality, why did you kill her
before administering it
?
”

“
To see if it would bring her back...and it did.
”
Dr. Curran covered her face with her hand.
“
Ironically, I probably didn
’
t even have to kill her.
I could have given her the virus and it still would have altered her. Probably faster.
”

“
Would she
still
have been able to walk among the
Inferi Scourge
?
”
Dwayne was weighing all she was telling him carefully.

The doctor shrugged.
“
Maybe.
Possibly. Probably. Who knows?
”

Rubbing his face, Dwayne tried to calm his chaotic thoughts.
“So what
you
’
re
telling me is that you
’
re not sure that Maria coming into the city is even safe. Not just because you might be
wrong
, but because you might be
right
.”

Dr. Curran pressed her thin lips together, then slightly nodded.
“You have to kill them both. Bring me back a sample. Maybe…her legacy can be
fulfilled after extensive testing. Maybe after the city has settled down and the coup is behind us, maybe then we would be able to explore the possibility of a virus that grants immortality when minds are rational and not rash.”

Dwayne looked at her sharply.
He suspected the scientist was insane, or worse. Conniving enough to hide the truth to forward her
o
wn secret agenda.
But what was the truth? He was beginning to suspect that the immortality virus was a lie, too. Maybe Maria wasn
’
t as special as the doctor claimed. Maybe the doctor just wanted a sample of the
Inferi Boon
virus since all the others had been destroyed.
So many maybes…so little truth
s
.

“Keep this between us until I tell you otherwise.”

“You have to kill them both!”

Standing, Dwayne ignored her pleas, his mind already sorting through all h
is options. By the time he left
, he knew what he had to do.
He was the Castellan of the city and he would fulfill his duty.

* * *

Denman found the cave shortly after midnight. It was high up on the
mountain
and for several terrifying minutes they had scaled the
rock face
in plain view of the valley below.
Thankfully, none of the tiltrotors were
patrolling
in the area. When they reached an outcropping, Denman hoisted himself up into a narrow opening before stretching his hand out to Maria. Gripping his wrist, she used the treads of her boots to
give
her leverage against the rock.

Scooting back, Denman
hauled
her through the gap.
Maria gasped in the cold air and tasted dust and mold. It took several minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but
little by little
the details of the space they were squeezed
into
began to emerge.

The ceiling was very low. There was no way they could stand and they could barely sit with their backs straight. There were large boulders pressed around the
entry
. At some point the opening had been larger, but a rockslide had
nearly
plugged up the entrance. Denman activated his med-pad and used the light from its interface to crawl deeper into the cave.
Maria followed, the rocks biting into her hands and dirt dusting her face and skin. They squeezed through a very
-
pinched curve in the tunnel to emerge in
to
a much larger space.

The dim light from the med-pad illuminated the roughly
-
hewn walls and jutting rocks.
Maria crawled
onward
cautiously. Denman slid into a crouch and slowly rotated, the brightness of the pad pushing back the shadows.

“
Maria,
”
Denman whispered.
“
Don
’
t move.
”

Startled, Maria froze in place.
Following Denman
’
s frightened gaze, she saw that she was next to a pinned
Inferi Scourge
. His coveralls were mere scraps, but he appeared to be a workman.
He
la
y
silently, his eyes staring directly at Maria.
His hand rested on the ground near her arm.

With very precise movements, Maria rolled onto her side and pressed against the rocks.
Using her feet, she scooted herself
past the creature
.

Denman crawled over to the
Scourge
and studied it up close while
Maria cleared the creature and hurried to a safe distance.

“Looks like he may have tried to hide up here when the gate failed and ended up in a landslide.”

Shivering, Maria rubbed her arms as she watched Denman.

“
Maria, remember what your father said. I don
’
t think he was full of shit.
”
Denman scowled slightly.
“
I really never talked to you about this, but one of the things that always bothered me when I was out among the
Scrags
was that I felt...them.
”

“
What do you mean?
”

“
I felt connected to them. I know I
’
m not the only one.
When I spoke one on one with squad, they said the same thing. We were more a part of the
Scrags
than we were a part of the humans in the city. It was the most frightening part of becoming what
we a
re
.
”
Denman rubbed his upper lip thoughtfully as he
sat
back on his ankles.
“
Do you know what I mean?
”

Maria shrugged.
“
Maybe. I don
’
t know. Kind of.
I never thought about it in any great detail.
”

“
You
’
re stronger than the rest of us,
”
Denman conceded.

Maria laughed, shaking her head.
“
No. I
’
m not. I
’
m scared out of my fucking mind.
”
Another rolling pain slid through her body and she flinched.

“
Another one?
”

“
Yeah. Worse this time.
”
Maria clutched her stomach as another spasm ripped at her insides.
“
Fuck.
”

Denman scooted over to her, scanning her.

Sweat
slid over her cheeks to her chin
as yet another twist of her guts sent her over onto her side.

“
It
’
s getting worse, Denman,
”
she grunted. It was if waves of
dreadful
agony were washing over
her. Until
now she had been able to ignore the occasional twinge and jab, but now it was nearly unbearable.
“
Fuck!
”

Denman gently rolled her onto her back and pressed his very cold hand to her forehead.
“
You have a fever.
”

“
You
’
re freezing cold,
”
Maria retorted.

Chuckling, Denman nodded.
“
Yeah. Comes with being dead.
”
He
slanted
over her and stared into her eyes as he used the pad to shine light in her eyes.

Maria gasped.

“
What is it?
”
Denman asked worriedly.

Rings of bright red rimmed the
irises
of Denman
’
s brown eyes. Fear gripped her as she gazed at her friend.

“
Maria?
”

Touching his cold cheek, she stroked his flesh, realizing that something was terribly wrong with both of t
hem. H
er body was seized in another swell of
anguish
.

“
Denman,
”
Maria whispered, thinking of his wife and kids waiting for him at home. She thought of him sitting by the lake with Dwayne sharing a beer. Memories of his friendship and devotion throughout their ordeal brought tears to her eyes.

“
Maria, you
’
re scaring me,
”
he said in a tender voice.
His hand gently pulled her hand from his face and he held it to his still chest.

“
You
’
ve been a good friend,
”
she said at last.

“
And so have you. Soon, we
’
ll be home with our families and this will all be a nightmare. I promise.
”
He kissed her hand and laid it on her chest.

Maria doubled over as another wave hit her. Shivering, she was relieved they had found shelter before she had been crippled by the terrifying spasms.