The Infection

Chapter 27

It was good to be back. Even though it was only a few feet away, it was good to be "home". Her raggedy, creaky, built by her own hands cabin was as close to home as she was going to get. Ben helped her inside and into bed. 

"Alright, you are on bed rest until I say you're okay to not be," he told her. "I'm going to make a run for baby supplies; food, a crib, anything I can find." Cassie laughed and told him, "Ben, we have six more months."

He kissed her and said, "Shut up, I'm excited for our little girl. Besides, I was thinking I could build us a bigger place. At least two bedrooms. Or we can claim one of the standing apartment buildings outside the camp and stay there."

Cassie ran her hand down his cheek and said, "Both of those options sound great, but again...we have six months." He chuckled and told her, "I know, I know. We'll talk about it later, but for now you need to get some rest. I need to talk to Tony about more security around the gates."

He kissed her forehead, then walked out. She curled down under the covers and closed her eyes ready to fall asleep...until there was a knock on the door. Sighing, she threw off the covers and painfully sat up. She hobbled over to the door and opened it. 

"Tom," she said. "What are you doing out of the infirmary?" He didn't answer, except for, "Can I come in?" She painfully moved aside and let him in. As soon as she shut the door, she got back into bed and sighed in relief. 

He sat down next to her and said, "Sorry for making you get up. I really needed to talk to you." She nodded and said, "Shoot." With a loud sigh, he rubbed his hand over his forehead and said, "First off...I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention, I was just getting so mad at the way you and Ben--."

"Wait, wait wait," she interrupted. "What are you sorry about?" He looked at her oddly, then said as if it were obvious, "Shooting you. Surely Ben told you." She looked at him in shock. "You...you did this to me?" She asked. 

The one time Ben keeps his mouth shut, he angrily thought to himself. "Yes," he told her. "It was an accident, I swear!" She looked around in shock and frustration. "Tom, you are a trained marine...how do you accidentally shoot someone who was sixty feet above your targets?"

He sighed and told her, "I don't know. Like I said, I'm sorry." She shook her head and tried to contemplate this. "I also know about the baby," he said. "I know it's mine." She gave him a double take. "Excuse you?" She asked. "First of all, how did you know?"

"I overheard Ben and Tony," he said. "You were still in a coma. Cassie, I want to be there for you both. Let me be apart of it's life." Cassie shook her head and said, "Her. It's a girl. And you are not the father, Tom. Ben is."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "But...I heard Ben, he said--." She stopped him, then said, "He got it wrong. He didn't count the prison." Tom's head was suddenly flooded with the images on that tape. He shook his head in frustration to get it out. 

"Even if you were the father," she continued, "she would still be Ben's. I love him, Tom, not you. I've always loved him, even you knew that, yet you still went for me." With tears in his eyes and an edge to his voice, he said, "You reeled me in! You used me as your fuck buddy!"

She sighed and told him, "Get out before Ben comes back." He stood up and shouted, "I don't care!" Suddenly, a booming voice called from outside, "Cassie!" Ben ran in and saw Tom's frustrated, angered face. 

"What are you doing?" He asked. "What are you saying to her?" Tom scoffed and shook his head at him. "That," he said, pointing to Cassie's stomach, "is my daughter!" Ben immediately lunged at him and grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him out. 

He tossed him to the ground outside, then shouted, "If you ever come near my family again, I will not hesitate to shoot you like you shot her!" He slammed the door and let out a frustrated breath. When he turned to Cassie, he saw her looking confused as all hell. 

"He shot me," she stated. He slowly nodded and walked over to her. "Yeah," he said. "I was waiting to tell you. With everything already going on, I didn't want to add that news quite yet. I'm sorry." He sat down next to her and put his head on her chest. 

She ran her fingers through his hair and said, "It's...it's fine. I understand. I just...I don't want to see him, Ben." He nodded and told her, "You don't have to. I'll make damn sure of that." He splayed his hand over her stomach and sighed. 

"She is mine," he said. Cassie kissed his head and told him, "Of course she is." He looked up at her and said, "I'm getting us out of here. I don't care where we go, I'm getting us out. Chris is taking over as the leader and his rules are already bloody insane. Are you alright with leaving within the week?"

She quickly nodded and said, "God yes. I'll take a look at the map and plan out the safe zones and where we can go. I'll make a route for us." He placed a quick kiss on her lips and said, "I trust you. I'll bring you a map a little later. For now, get some rest." 

**

Though she was still on bedrest, that didn't stop Cassie from planning her and Ben's new life outside of here. He had brought her a map like he said he would and she hasn't stopped graphing anything out. She made a plan A all the way to a plan M. 

Ben started scavenging for food and water only for them. He would put them under her floorboards with everything else she kept there for emergencies. They didn't want anyone knowing they were leaving, not even Tony. 

Their plan was to leave quietly one of these nights. No note, no form of goodbye, just leaving this lifestyle for the next. With their training and combat skills, that shouldn't be a problem. 

"I'll go scavenging for baby supplies once we're settled," Ben told her as they were packing their bags. "What we're bringing is already too much." They had three bags between them, which didn't seem like much, but in this world you can get killed if anything slows you down. 

Cassie was feeling much better by now. She can walk and move with limited pain, which is what Ben wanted to see by this point. They were planning on leaving tomorrow night, so it was good to see her like this. 

"I feel like this is a repeat of the prison," she told him. He sighed and said, "I know. Only, after this, we'll really be free. Just you, me and our baby girl." He took her hand and gave it a small squeeze before turning back to packing. 

Once they were finished, they set their things in the corner of the room. Ben wandered around the place and looked under the floorboards in case they were missing anything, while Cassie was in bed. "I'll get some guns from the armory tomorrow," he said as he got in with her. 

"We're getting closer," he continued. "We'll have our own rules, our own life." She smiled and said, "I can't wait." He placed a kiss on her shoulder, then fell asleep to the most peaceful sleep he's had in a while.