Chapter 37
“Oh my gosh,” Kyle muttered as Jessell and Ridec sneaked into the building with Rea traipsing behind them on a rope. “I should never have let her go.”
“You couldn’t have known,” Ridec said.
“We have to get back to the others. Ridec thinks he can make a cure to save her, the faster we get out of here the faster we can make that cure.”
Kyle nodded a look of hope crossing his face momentarily. If Ridec’s cure could help Rea it would definitely be able to help him.
“You’re really something else,” Kyle said his words addressed to Jessell. “I know you never wanted to go to that place Kent’s been talking about and now you’re prepared to go for Rea’s sake.”
“Now you have a glimmer of an idea as to why I love her so much,” Ridec responded.
“I think I do kid.”
“You two will make me blush…or change my mind. We need to get out of here.”
There was no more need for words. Once Ridec and tended to Kyle’s arm the only thing left to do was head back to the school. Ridec felt a sense of turmoil inside of him. He felt excited, maybe happy in some strange way that he was finally going to be given a chance to try to right the wrong his foreparents had done to this land and yet incredibly sad because deep inside he knew that there would be still battles ahead and every step towards Kent’s headquarters was a step away from his home and a life with Jessell as his wife.
“In there,” Jessell said suddenly pushing Ridec into and old building and allowing Kyle to hobble in behind him.
“What?” Ridec started to say but Jessell pressed a finger against his lips.
“Aaaarrrggggg….” Rea muttered.
‘A few of those things are just ahead, we have to wait until they wander past,’ Jessell said into Ridec’s mind.
It was so strange, Ridec was sure that the strength of the message was so much weaker than what he had remembered. Could it be possible that with each day that passed on the land they lost a little bit more of what made them merpeople?
“What’s wrong?” Jessell whispered actually using words this time.
Ridec shook his head. It was pointless contemplating something like that. Hadn’t Jessell taken a trip to the surface to prove her woman hood? That trip had lasted three years and she had returned to their watery home fine. They hadn’t been on the surface more than a few weeks, there was no way it could be affecting them already.
“More of them are coming,” Kyle muttered. “I think we’re just going to have to make a run for it.”
“With Rea…and you?” Jessell questioned.
“You don’t owe us anything,” Kyle said. “Rea’s already dead and I’m not far behind.”
“If Ridec says he can cure her, then he can,” Jessell said firmly. “I’ll go and out and draw them away, you two can head back to the school.”
“No,” Ridec said immediately.
“You don’t get to give me orders remember?”
“What about Rea?” Kyle asked. “Ridec wouldn’t be able to manage her and me too.”
“Just leave Rea in here tied up; once I’ve lost that lot I’ll come back and get her.”
“I don’t want you to,” Ridec said firmly.
“On the count of three I’m going to take off and you two had better be quiet so you don’t attract any attention,” Jessell went on ignoring Ridec.
“No you’re not!” Ridec gripped Jessell’s arm and dragged her towards him. “I’m not going to let you risk your life for Rea or anyone else.”
“Get…” Jessell started to say but Ridec cut off her words by pressing his lips hard against hers.
Her body melted against his returning kiss for kiss, passion for passion.
“He’s right,” Kyle muttered cutting into what seemed bent on being an intensely passionate moment. “There’s no way you two should be risking what you have to save the likes of us.” Kyle cast a wary eye at Rea who was gnawing on the rope that kept her tied to a partition. “If anyone is going to risk their life it should be an old geezer like me that’s already half into the grave.”
He didn’t wait for a response. There was something about the boy that made him want to trust him. If there was going to be a new world with new opportunities it would be Ridec who would help to usher it in, but he couldn’t do it alone, in fact it was more than clear that he could do nothing without his other half – Jessell.
“Kyle…” Ridec started to say but he had already hobbled out of the door and was shouting to the zombies.
“He’s given us an opportunity that we can’t afford to waste Ridec,” Jessell said.
Wouldn’t it be great if he could save everyone?
“Maybe when we find the cure we’ll find Kyle again.”
This was not the time to be weak, this world did not reward weakness.
“He’s far enough away, let’s go,” Jessell ordered pulling the rope from the partition and dragging Rea along with her.
“Maybe Kyle will make it back to the school on his own,” Ridec said hurrying along beside Jessell.
“I hope so, he more than any of the other humans we’ve met here makes me think there is something worth saving on this planet.”
Ridec nodded not bothering to speak as he tried to put his energy towards running. In spite of the fact that Jessell was tugging Rea along with her she was still making much better time than he was.
“Through this bush,” Jessell half whispered and half shouted.
They had managed to make it out of the town but it would be important to take a less traveled route back to the school in case any of the zombies that had followed them from the well were hanging along the path they had taken to get to the town.
“Grrrrrrr…..” Rea roared stretching out a hand to try to grip Jessell’s shoulder but Jessell was moving much too quickly for her.
“Maybe we should let her go and hope we find her after we get the cure,” Ridec said. He couldn’t imagine the pain he would feel if Rea managed to get hold of Jessell and worse still infect her. He liked Rea but he had to be honest with himself, he didn’t like her enough to risk her infecting Jessell.
“Don’t get skittish on me now Ridec, we’re almost back at the school. We can enter from the back it looks a lot more quiet now.”
“The others won’t want Rea there…not like this.”
“They’ll want whatever you bring if they know it could mean a cure for all of them, Pete included.”
“Jessell…” Ridec started to say but stopped when three zombies staggered out the back door of the school. One dropped to the ground with a knife in the base of his skull.
“I think the others are doing some house cleaning let’s take out those other two and get inside.”
Ridec didn’t hesitate, slamming the gadget on his hand he pointed it at the other zombie who was starting to turn around to go back into the school. The boomerang from the mechanism shot out from his wrist and whist through the air. It encircled the zombies head and then came whirling back to Ridec.
“That’s pretty dangerous stuff,” Jessell said. She was gripping Rea’s hands behind her back and being careful to avoid Rea’s snapping teeth.
“One more to go,” Ridec said stepping out of the bush and aiming the gadget at the next zombie but Kent had already rushed out of the building and slammed a piece of wood that look like it came from a desk leg against the creatures head. It staggered forward, still seemed bent on going after him but the second blow to the head seemed to have accomplished the desired effect. It dropped limply to the ground.
“Jessell,” Kent sounded so relieved to see Jessell that Ridec grunted with annoyance.
“Can we crash at the school?” Jessell asked racing forward and pushing Rea ahead of her. Kent looked disappointed.
“You let her get bitten.”
“I didn’t let her get anything,” Jessell said angrily.
“What about Kyle?” Linda questioned.
“He’s been bitten but he seems to have some immunity. Unfortunately we had to separate from him in the town. Hopefully he will meet back up with us at the school by morning,” Jessell said.
Kent, Linda and Pete hurried towards Jessell and Ridec. Pete raced forward throwing his arms around Ridec joyfully.
“Mary?” Ridec asked.
“Didn’t make it,” Linda said.
“But she was partly immune,” Ridec said.
“Immune to a bite or two…” Kent started to say.
“They ripped her apart,” Pete cut in sobbing. Ridec wrapped his arms around the boy.
“I’m so sorry,” Ridec said soothingly.
“We need to hold this reunion inside where it is safer,” Jessell said.
“No way,” Linda said. “We just managed to fight our way out of that building. It’s a death trap now.”
Jessell inhaled deeply and then released the breath.
“Then we start towards this lab of yours then, no point wasting any more time around here.”
“You’re going with us willingly?” Kent asked surprised.
“Not much choice if we want to find a cure that can help Rea,” Jessell said.
“What about Kyle?” Pete asked. “How will he find us if he comes back here.”
“If he’s not back here now he’ll probably never make it back, at least not in human form,” Kent said.
“He’ll know we’ve gone on to the lab,” Ridec said. “He’ll follow us there.”
Pete looked relieved at that idea.
“It’s getting late we need to put as much space between us and the town before dark. We’ll need to rest and I’d rather rest where too many of these creatures aren’t lurking about.”
“I second that,” Kent muttered already started to head off into the woods. “Linda, you take care of Rea we can’t afford to lose anymore of our cleans.”
Linda nodded and took the rope Jessell was carrying from her hand.
“Cleans?” Jessell said.
“Why don’t we just put an end to Rea right now?” Linda wanted to know. “I don’t like walking about with one of these things.
“If Rea’s gone so are we, she’s the only reason we need a lab urgently,” Jessell said. “So if she happens to end up with a knife in the base of her skull while we’re on our journey to your lab we’ll definitely have no reason to go with you guys.”
“You don’t have to worry about Rea. She’ll be fine,” Kent said. “She’ll definitely be fine.”