Chapter 36
“She tried to get those things off my tail so I could make it in here. I think she said she would try to make it to one of the buildings a few blocks over and hide out until those things lost some interest or even head back to the school for help for me,” Kyle explained.
“You left her out there on her own?” Ridec asked angrily.
Kyle glanced down at his arm disparagingly and grimaced.
“Wasn’t exactly strong enough to argue with her.”
“She’s just a kid,” Ridec said.
“She’s a young woman and a pretty strong one at that,” Jessell countered. “She’ll be fine.” Ridec doubled over his lower lip and nibbled on it.
“So we take Kyle back to the others and hope Rea made it back.”
Jessell studied Ridec carefully, she didn’t need to read his mind to know how he felt towards the girl. He wanted to go looking for Rea but he was afraid she would be angry if he uttered the words.
“We’ll make sure she’s not in any of the nearby buildings, if we don’t find her then we’ll head back to the school,” Jessell said. Ridec smiled broadly throwing his arms around her and pulling her hard against his body. Jessell laughed. “My, you are getting strong.”
Ridec laughed outright even looking a little proud at the thought.
“You two seem to have kissed and made up.”
“We did a little bit more than kiss,” Jessell said and Ridec blushed.
“I don’t think Rea will be too pleased about that,” Kyle said.
Jessell shrugged. The last thing she needed to think about right now was Rea’s jealous attitude, it might just make her decide not to go looking for the little runt.
“She’ll understand,” Ridec said quickly. He knew that Jessell didn’t need reminding about Rea’s dislike for her.
“Well, I’ll be here when you two get back…hopefully,” Kyle said forcing a smile.
“You’ll be fine, you’re immune but they just seems to be different levels of immunity. I’m sure we’ll find some kind of pharmacy or hospital so I can get something to help that bite heal a little faster,” Ridec said.
“Thanks.” Kyle nodded his head slowly. “You’re a good kid, whatever you are.”
“You can’t tell the others when we get back,” Jessell said as if suddenly remembering that Kyle and Rea posed an additional threat now.
“You two saved my life….hopefully.” He chuckled.
“You’ll be fine,” Ridec assured him again.
“You don’t know that,” Jessell said. “It’s pointless giving false hope.”
“I don’t mind.” Kyle shrugged. “Any hope is better than none.”
“We have to go if we want to find Rea. Now more than ever we need to be heading back to the sea. The longer we spend with the humans the more likely our secret will not remain a secret,” Jessell said.
She gripped Ridec’s hand and headed towards the door.
“Secure the door behind us Kyle, we’ll try to get back as soon as possible.”
“Of course.”
Kyle limped forward and watched as Jessell eased the door open slightly and peeped outside.
“Let’s go.” She was out of the door in a flash dragging Ridec behind her. They didn’t look back to see if Kyle had followed Jessell’s instruction and secured the door behind them, there just wasn’t time, there were three of those things still loitering around the door and two of them immediately took off behind them.
“Don’t you dare slow down Ridec,” Jessell yelled. The option wasn’t really there because her hand clung so tightly to his that even if Ridec had thought to reduce his speed she would have dragged him along with her.
“Where are we headed?” Ridec managed to gasp.
“This way, footprints.”
Ridec glanced down at the earth beneath his feet and for the first time he noticed that the hardened partially concreted service which was covered with dirt and dust accumulated over the years had a few fresh footprints in it.
“How do we know it’s Rea?”
“In here,” Jessell yelled. Ridec could hear the breathlessness in her voice.
They slipped through a door to a building with a few letters on top marked ‘p…r…cy’.
“It was probably a pharmacy in the days humans ruled the earth,” Ridec said as Jessell slammed the door shut behind them and leaned against it. “You think Rea would have come in here looking for medicine?”
“I doubt it, this place doesn’t have any show windows with drugs in it. Haven’t you noticed that these humans can’t read to save their lives?”
“These humans are us,” Ridec said.
“No, they’re not. They’ve lived for generations just running from zombies and eking out an existence. They don’t have schools, hospitals, old people’s homes, hell – they don’t have fast food. They are nothing like us and haven’t been like us for centuries. Rea can’t read Ridec and the chances of her finding this place is like a million to one. She’ll have to go pushing on every door to find a pharmacy.”
“Then we can go pushing on every door until we find her,” Ridec said and regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. Jessell was only searching for Rea because of him.
“For how long Ridec? For the balance of the day, until tomorrow, for how long?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Just collect some medicines we might need, we can leave them with the humans. At least it gives them a fighting chance until we come back with the cure.”
Ridec obediently started pulling some items from the shelves and scrunching up his face as he tossed them into a bag he found on the floor.
“I’m not sure how much use these items are going to be now after all this time, still it’s better than nothing.”
“Wait…”
“You don’t think we should bother with these?”
“I think I saw Rea, she just slipped into the building across the road.”
“Are you serious?”
“Come on let’s go before any of those things notice her.”
“I knew she was a smart kid,” Ridec said smiling.
“Hurry, it doesn’t look as if she closed the door behind her.”
Jessell was already hurrying towards a small window at the side of the store.
“We can’t go through the front door, we don’t want to draw those things to her.”
“It’s high.”
“You want to save Rea?”
Ridec didn’t answer he scurried up the shelves against the wall and scrambled for a grip on the windows ledge. As usual Jessell had already slipped through the window making the entire thing appear easy.
“I take it all back,” Jessell said as Ridec grunted as he fought to hall himself up and through the narrow window. “You are not getting any stronger.”
“You are so…not funny,” Ridec muttered as he slipped through the window landing on the ground on his shoulders with a thump.
“Great. Always wanted a handsome, graceful husband. Guess I’ll have to keep looking, you’re such a klutz.”
“I hurt my shoulder.”
“And again I say you’re such a klutz.”
“Where’s Rea?”
“She went in that building, try not to keep any more noise and maybe we can sneak into the building like her without attracting attention.”
“Yes boss.”
Jessell glanced back momentarily with a smug grin on her face.
“You sound like you didn’t mean that.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“Are you mocking me?”
She leaned back and planted a kiss against Ridec’s cheek.
“You’re so lucky you’re gorgeous.”
Ridec smiled.
“Come on let’s cross now,” Jessell whispered reaching back a hand and Ridec took it automatically.
“Those things are so stupid they’re still hanging around the door,” Ridec pointed out.
“If they were any smarter none of the human population could have survived this long.”
Ridec didn’t answer, what she was saying was true. The only thing the humans had over these creatures was their ability to think.
“In here,” Jessell said slipping into a building and pulling the door shut behind her. “I can’t believe Rea left this door open.”
“Through there she must have gone through there,” Ridec said pointing to another door.
Jessell hurried forward and Ridec followed.
“Look,” Ridec whispered excitedly as he caught a glimpse of Rea’s shirt. He started to push past Jessell but she gripped his arm.
“Wait Ridec.”
“Why?”
Jessell didn’t need to answer because standing beside Jessell he could see for himself. It was Rea, but she wasn’t herself anymore. Why hadn’t he realised? Hadn’t he noticed that he wasn’t hearing her mind even when Jessell had been saying they were getting closer?
“She’s a zombie,” Ridec muttered tears springing to his eyes at the thought.
She stopped her banging and turned about to face them, blood was caked to her cheek and the signs of a few bites about her neck and face.
“Oh Rea, I’m so sorry.” Ridec stepped forward but Jessell wrapped her arms around his waist and tugged him back.
“She’s dead.”
“I can make the cure,” Ridec said the tears that had been threatening spilling down his cheek.
“We don’t have a lab here,” Jessell said but her voice wasn’t hard and authoritative like it usually was but gentle and kind.
Rea started walking towards them, she stopped for a moment and stared at Ridec. Her mouth opened awkwardly as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. She staggered forward again with her hands outstretch and mouth still opened revealing short jagged teeth.
“R….rrrrrr….ri….”
“She must have just turned,” Ridec muttered brushing his hand across his eyes quickly. “If only I had been a little faster.”
“There was nothing you could do.”
“I can do something now.” Ridec swallowed hard and slapped the mechanism on his wrist. It would be better for Rea to die now. There was no telling how long it would take him and Jessell to get back to their home, and even if he made the cure Jessell didn’t want him to come back here. Whoever came wouldn’t know Rea, and she could be out there killing people.
“I’m so sorry you weren’t immune,” Ridec whispered pointing his hand towards Rea.
“Don’t Ridec,” Jessell said suddenly. “You said you were close to coming up with a cure.”
“But…”
“We’ll capture her and take her with us to Kent’s headquarters. Maybe the lab there is good enough to make the cure and save Rea.”
Rea rushed forward and Jessell stepped to the side and smashed her elbow against the base of Rea’s skull. Rea stumbled to the ground momentarily.
“She’s stunned. Find something to tie her up with. And I hope I’m making the right decision here.”
Ridec couldn’t help the feeling of joy that leapt inside of him. He leaned over quickly and pressed his lips against Jessell.
“You’re the absolute best girlfriend ever.”
“Stop with the mushy stuff and find something to tie her with before she gets up and eat both our faces off.”
Ridec chuckled. Jessell talked tough but she was just complete mush in the centre.