V-Day: (M-Day #4) (4 page)

I filled the tub with lukewarm water, scanning the products perched on the edge of the tub. I ignored the twinge in my gut when I saw the bottle of baby shampoo. Somehow I
’
d missed it before when I
’
d taken my shower, probably because I
’
d wanted to.
Wasted emotions.
I focused in on my new furry friend. I picked up his squiggling little body and placed him in the shallow water. He slicked his ears back and whined.

“
Yeah, I feel you buddy.
”
I chuckled at his forlorn expression and set to work. He put up little resistance; although it was clear he wasn
’
t pleased with his current predicament. When I was finished, I lifted him from the tub and began rubbing him dry with one of the discarded towels.
“
What should I name you, huh?
”

Obviously pleased to be done with his bath, the little guy rolled onto his back, offering me his belly. That was when I noticed that he was missing a vital piece of equipment to make him male.
“
Oh, well, I guess you
’
re not a guy, are you?
”
I laughed.
“
Sorry. No girl wants to be mistaken for boy, does she? Huh? Does she? No, I didn
’
t think so.
”

I scratched her belly and her tongue lolled out of her mouth.
“
Now, what should I call you? How about Cujo? Huh? You look like you could be a fierce little thing if you wanted to be. You
’
d have to be to have survived this world on your own. Cujo could be a boy or a girl dog name, right?
”
I tried to remember if Cujo had been a boy or a girl in the movie. Not that it really mattered. I liked the name.
“
Cujo it is,
”
I cooed, causing her little tail to thump harder against the ground.

The bathroom door slammed open, splintering against the wall behind it. It was as if I turned in slow motion to reveal an infected man looming over us. I couldn
’
t help the startled scream that burst from my throat as I reached for a weapon. Cujo was on her feet, snarling as she lunged for the infected man
’
s shin. With one swift kick Cujo was sailing across the room, her yelp ringing in my ears, causing me to see red.
“
You fucking bastard!
”
I screeched, raising my handgun.

Before I could squeeze the trigger, the infected launched himself at me. My head cracked off the floor and my vision wavered for a moment before all went dark.

My head pounded with the same erratic cadence of my heartbeat. A heavy fog had taken root inside my head, and I fought to open my eyes. I saw pieces of things, snapshots really, and I wasn
’
t sure if I was lost in a nightmare or facing the kind of reality that I couldn
’
t wake up from.

A snarling face loomed over me, hands ripping at my clothes. Ice blue eyes flashed with lust. I tried to fight but my body was too heavy, unresponsive to the commands my brain was attempting to give it.

Pain lanced through my core as I blinked the off-white tub into focus.
No.
Specs of blood fanned across the plastic molding, a pattern maybe?
Where am I?
Grunts met my ears.
No. No. No.

The sky, bright and cloudless moved above me as I groaned. An unfamiliar female face peered at me for a moment, concern etched into her dark features. Confusion settled over me, replacing everything else.

Cold metal greeted my back as I shivered. A blinding light shone in my eyes, voices loud and yet muffled caused me to panic. Flailing, I hit at hands that were groping at me. I had no idea what was going on or where I was. Something sharp jabbed into my arm, and the world completely drifted away.

Doctor Greensley tugged on his hair.
“
I can
’
t believe I never saw it before. It all makes sense now. Or maybe I just didn
’
t want to see it.
”

“
See what?
”
I strode into the room and flopped down beside the main workstation.

The Doc lifted his gaze to meet mine, his eyes wide and half crazed. A slow smile spread across his face. The hairs on the back of my neck rose involuntarily.
“
I
’
ve always liked you, Vi.
”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat.
“
Yeah, I
’
ve always liked you too. You
’
re one of the good ones.
”

He turned away from me, nodding to himself.
“
You
’
re strong. Women are stronger than men in a lot of ways.
”

“
What are you talking about?
”
I stood, no longer able to remain still.

But the Doc ignored me like I hadn
’
t said anything at all.
“
We
’
re like locusts, consuming everything
—
destroying
—
a plague on this earth
—
a virus. Maybe Mother Nature is the only thing that can stop us, but she needs a little help. But
…
Hmmm
…
Yes
…”
  He scratched his chin, humming to himself.
“
It
’
s only fair.
”
He nodded more vigorously.
“
Yes. Yes, that
’
s what I
’
ll do. Mother Nature will respect women more, since she is one herself, and women will respect her in turn. Or maybe
…
Hmmm
…”
His voice trailed off as he began humming under his breath again, lost in thought.

I stood behind him, staring at his hunched shoulders.
Something isn
’
t right. He
’
s acting crazy.
Not just obsessive science guy crazy but
…
mad scientist crazy. I knew I needed to report the erratic behavior, but for some reason it felt like it would be a betrayal to Doctor Greensley.
He
’
ll be fine. He just needs sleep. Everything will be fine.
I
’
ll keep his secret. For now at least.

Things shifted, taking me somewhere else, somewhere beyond redemption.

A child cried, its forlorn wail a song of guilt and regret for the life I didn
’
t save. It filled my mind completely, consuming everything.
I
’
m sorry. I
’
m so sorry.

I jolted awake, my eyes fluttering open to unfamiliar surroundings. I was lying in a small bed with a flower comforter, sunny yellow walls glowing in what appeared to be early morning light. When I tried to sit up, the room spun and I slumped back down, the faint smell of fabric softener mingling with sweat surrounding me. I pressed my fingers gingerly along my scalp. There was a large knot on the back of my head, no broken skin though. My face felt puffy and sore, but the worst
—
the worst pain was something I didn
’
t want to acknowledge. I squeezed my eyes shut, hating that tears swam in them.

A snarling face loomed above me, hands ripping at my clothes. Ice blue eyes flashed with lust. Pain lanced through my core, grunts meeting my ears.

No. I couldn
’
t let myself think about it. I
’
d been raped. It was a horrible reality that thankfully I
’
d only been semi-conscious for. I had to accept what happened to me and move on. I no longer lived in the kind of world where I could afford to dwell. It could mean the difference between life and death for my brothers and even myself.
Stuff it down deep. It
’
s all wasted emotions. Wasted
…
wasted
…
wasted.
I choked back a sob before I managed to detach myself from the feelings of vulnerability and anger already eating at me.

I slowly pulled myself up into a sitting position, dizziness still assaulting me, but more bearable than before. I peeled the covers back from my body, noting that I was dressed in loose shorts and a baggy t-shirt. Someone had cleaned me up. Tony? Emilio? I should have been grateful for their care, but I didn
’
t relish the thought of them seeing me naked, especially after what happened.
Stop. Don
’
t think about it. What
’
s done is done. Put it behind you.

I ambled to the door, opening it slowly. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning from the pain such little exertion caused my entire body. A flurry of movement took me off guard and I cried out as I landed on my ass, a small bundle of joy licking any exposed flesh it could find.

“
Cujo?
”
I couldn
’
t believe it. My mind flashed to her crumpled body on the bathroom floor. I ran my hands over her soft fur, making sure she wasn
’
t injured. But if her excitement was any indication, she was just fine.
“
You
’
re okay! I can
’
t believe you
’
re okay! Tony! Emilio!
”
They had to have moved us to a more secure location when I was out, and scavenged the house we were in for more supplies.

“
Good, you
’
re awake.
”

I stilled, Cujo continued jumping around me, her little body a blur of motion.
“
Who are you and what happened?
”
I studied the female who stood in the doorway. She was small but wiry, her dark brown hair pulled into a high, tight ponytail, the severe style highlighting her ghostly pale face. Her clothes were plain, just a pair of dark pants and tank top. No weapons could be seen on her.

“
A group of us found you when we were out scouting for
…
supplies. One of the I-Men was attempting to take you from the house you were in. He
’
d already
…
well
…
you were unconscious.
”

“
I-Men? Do mean one of the infected? What about Tony and Emilio? Where were they?
”
My gut twisted. The real question was: where were they now? Their absence coupled with the news I
’
d just received did not bode well for their health. Of course I
’
d already known that on some level from what happened to me.

“
I-Men is what we call the infected
—
I for infected and the men part is obvious, I guess.
”
She flicked her gaze away from me.
“
I
’
m sorry. You were the only one we found alive besides the I-Man. And your dog.
”
A small smile tipped up her lips.
“
At least she considers herself yours. She wouldn
’
t leave you and has been outside your door this whole time.
”

As if she sensed my inner turmoil, Cujo settled into my side, placed her head in my lap, and whined. I threaded my figures in her fur.
“
I don
’
t understand. We cleared the place. How did he sneak up on us like that?
”
I couldn
’
t believe it, both Tony and Emilio
…
gone.
Stuff them down. Stuff down the emotions. There
’
s no time for them now.
I raised my head.
“
Where
’
s my gear?
”