The Immune

14. Encounter

I look back at the house and grimace. My stomach is tied up in a million knots, all of them twisting in different directions. For the hundredth time tonight, I regret every decision I made that led to this.

A hand falls on my shoulder, and I follow it back to Isaac.

"We're right behind you," he says, gently. "It'll be fine." His voice alone calms a few of the nerves. I swallow the rest and nod.

"Thanks." I turn towards the house, take a deep breath, and walk ahead. I swing my gun around and hold it tight against my chest.

Every step towards the house echoes on the sidewalk. I chew on my thumbnail anxiously. The house itself is quiet, but the door hangs open, broken halfway off its hinges. I step onto the porch carefully, testing each foot carefully to make sure it won't fall in on me.

As I push through the front door, the darkness continues. Moonlight falls through the windows of the porch, but this light doesn't spread like the dark does. Curtains blow in the night air. My body shakes. Goosebumps trail down my back and arms. There's still no noise, though.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," I whisper with a low laugh. Moving on just the pads of my feet, I search every corner of the living room and then move on to the kitchen, two bedrooms, and the bathroom. I even push back the tattered shower curtain. Roaches scatter, and I squeal.

Still shaking off disgust, I poke my head back out the front door and wave to the others. Stephen motions the team in.

"All clear?" He props both hands on the door frame. I nod, step out of the way, and watch everyone walk in casually.

Stephen and I stand guard at the door while Justin and Clare rake boxes of food into the duffle bags they brought. Sometimes, Justin will motion to get Clare's attention, waving his hands for a minute before tossing whatever he had over his shoulder. They'll share a laugh before going back to work. I get lost watching them communicate. His words are a mixture of hands and figures, occasionally his entire body. She replies in the same way. I'm stunned; I've never seen anything like it.

"Something else, ain't it?" I startle at the sound of Stephen's voice beside me.

"What?" I ask, shaking my head.

"The way they talk." He motions to Clare and Justin. "It's sign language. Clare's deaf."

That explains so much. I open my mouth to ask if he knows any, but something hits the floor. I assume it's Justin throwing more food. Seeing Stephen's hand up to quiet the team, though, is worrying. Isaac pulls out his earplugs and unfolds his arms.

Another thump echoes through the room, and Isaac's gaze shifts to another door across the room. None of us moved that time, so it must be something else in the house.

"Did you check everywhere?" Stephen asks me.

Another scrape, something that sounds like a groan. I chew on the inside of my check.

"I think so," I whisper. I'm really not sure, though. I don't remember.

"You gotta be positive, Jay."

"Well, I'm not a hundred percent."

Stephen groans and signs something to Justin and Clare. That answers my question about whether or not he knows sign language too. They go back to digging through the cabinets, this time with a renewed speed.

"You're going downstairs to check it out," Stephen says to me, "because we need to know what to label this as. If there's an Infected here, and I label it as clear, it could cause problems in the future. Take care of it."