The rain continued to cascade down as the truck bumped and jolted over potholes that covered the road like inverted bubble wrap. It was the wind that whipped around the cold drops that fell, sending them hurtling in every direction as the truck rumbled slowly through the small town, where only the concrete structures of the houses remained standing. The street was barely a skeleton, stripped of its flesh that once wrapped around it like a blanket.
Josh sat slumped and unconscious in the corner of the truck bed, his chest rose and fell while his head wobbled with every movement. Chris sat opposite me and his gaze hadn't moved since we set off.
"So, who are you really?" He announced as I kept my eyes on Josh.
"Why would I tell you anything after what you just did?" I mumbled.
"Well, now I know you're definitely not from Dawn Hill... How did you get out?"
I shrugged and looked to the bed of the truck. Deep scratches engrained the metal with dents that rose and fell like hills in the countryside.
"Do you know what they're doing there?" I asked, my voice barely lifted by the wind.
He nodded. "I've heard rumours... Never seen it for myself though."
I shook my head as the rain streaked my face. "What they're doing... It's like nothing you can imagine," I explained. "They want him for something, I think," I gestured to the beaten boy who sat slumped beside him. His curls lay damp and flat against his forehead and tickled his lashes where his eyes moved beneath his lids. "Do you know why? How well do you know him?"
He pulled his lips into his mouth and his whole body seemed to relax with his words. "Me and him were friends once, you know?"
"Once?" I repeated.
"Believe it or not. He was one of the few people I trusted. One of the only people I trusted," he corrected himself.
"Hard to believe."
"Probably..." He scoffed, before dropping his gaze to the truck bed. "I don't hate him. I can't hate him. But what he did to us I can never forgive him for."
"I thought I knew him, but I don't think I do anymore..."
"I think you're about to learn more about him than you want to."
I turned my attention to the world that lay out the back of the truck. We'd taken a sharp turn off the road and were charging at speed through an open field which rose and fell like waves, stitched at the side by looming hedgerows. Rain bounced off every surface, stopping in beads on the paintwork, saturating my clothes and hair. It began to lighten as the truck rumbled to a stop outside a large wooden gate.
A fence spread out in each direction, towering over its contents. From the outside, it looked more industrial than Dawn Hill had been. Barbed wire lined the top in jagged spirals and shards of metal jutted out from the wood, covering it in glistening random patterns.
Two men stood either side of the gate. They were dressed in similar clothing to Chris and Jake; black hoodies and trousers holding large black weapons across their body. Jake wound down the window as one of them began to walk over.
"Who've you got here?" The man asked Jake in the driver's seat. He glanced around to the three of us in the back of the truck. His blond hair was unruly, falling in tangles to the base of his neck while his jaw was a haze of light brown stubble. He mumbled something before walking around to the back. "What the fuck?" He announced as his eyes fell on the boy slumped in the corner. "Tell me that's not who I think it is, Chris."
"Afraid it is, Tom."
"You shouldn't have brought him back here alive," he warned through gritted teeth.
"He almost didn't," Jake answered from the front.
"I thought you might say that..." Chris said as the flicker of a proud smirk crossed his lips. "I didn't let him off lightly."
Tom's narrowed eyes softened as his gaze fell away from Josh and he pulled out two small black boxes from his pocket. A screen covered most of the surface and a circular green button was displayed below it.
"Fingers out," he urged.
"How many of those we got left?" Jake asked out the driver's window, pointing to the box. "Got to be on our last batch, surely?"
Tom nodded. "We're running low. Hospitals around here are all cleaned out as well..."
"What is that?" I asked, eyeing up the device.
He beamed at the toys in his hand, "JCR-23 detector," he said. "If it's green, you're good. If it's red... Well, I'll let you guess what happens."
"JCR-23?" I questioned. "That was the vaccine, wasn't it? How did you get those?"
"Sounds like you've got a lot to learn around here. How about we deal with this first?"
"I'll go first," Chris announced, holding out his index finger. He winced as the device pressed against his skin. It beeped for a few seconds before the screen was illuminated a bright shade of green. He turned to me and gestured for my finger, as he cleaned it with a wipe.
"I'm not Infected-" I began.
"It's nothing, honestly," Tom nodded.
I paused before holding out my palm to him. He took it and pressed the device into the tip of my index finger. I flinched as the needle pushed into my skin, sending a sharp pain through my hand. The beeps followed, pulsing each second before it decided on its response.
The screen flickered to green and I felt a flush of relief.
"Him too," Tom gestured to Josh.
"I can vouch for him," Chris stated.
"It's the protocol," Tom warned, his eyes narrowing. "New visitors and extended periods-"
"I know the rules," Chris interjected, cocking his head. "I can take the fall-out."
"Fine," he sighed. He tapped loudly on the side of the truck before stepping backwards. "Welcome to Carnelian," he exhaled as the truck rumbled to a start.
Tom and another guard pulled the gate open, waving us through with one swoop of their guns. I looked over to Josh who still sat slumped and unconscious, unaware of the people he'd returned to. The black truck growled through the gates and I exhaled as I took in the surroundings.
All around was the remnants of a small town, now surrounded by a ten-foot-tall wooden fence and newly inhabited by people who wandered around care-free. The town wasn't perfect, the small semi-detached houses showed clear signs of the hoarding phase of the outbreak. Flaking paint and crumbling brickwork was just the start, boards and panels were patched over numerous doors and windows, shielding any weaknesses.
Carnelian had been smarter than Dawn Hill. Instead of building from the ground, they had built from what already existed and in turn, they had managed to build a surrounding that people wanted to live in. A road lined the centre of the town, unfolding itself out like a tarmac ribbon.
The truck took a left turn into a small driveway of the only detached house. The brick still crumbled like the others but stood in one piece as ivy climbed its walls, trying to reach safety at the top.
Josh had begun to stir as the truck lurched to a stop and the rumbling of the engine cut to silence. Chris was the first to jump out before Jake emerged from the driver's seat.
"What are we doing here?" Josh groaned as his eyelids flickered open. His whole body seemed to awake as he took in his surroundings and the building we were parked in front of. "What are we doing here?" He repeated, more desperate. His face twisted as he moved his body, trying to pull himself out of the truck. "Shit," he winced, latching an arm across his stomach.
"I think there are some people that are dying to see you," Chris smirked at Josh's discomfort.
"I can't go in there," he refused.
"At this point, you don't have a choice," Jake said, slapping him on the shoulder as he walked past.
A scratched, gold knocker donned the centre of the door, but it had clearly seen better days. The dull metal sat lopsided as if there had been a failed attempt to rip it off. Chris knocked a clenched fist against the door, causing the wood to shake and ripple.
"Will!" He called out.
A man's voice came muffled from the other side. "Who is it? I'm busy!"
He leant in closer to the door, "it's Chris!" He replied. "We've got someone to see you."
Even from behind the wood the irritated grunt was audible. Several locks were clicked before the door swung open revealing a man in his early fifties.
Josh tensed at my side as his body appeared in the doorway. He wore a tight-fitting black t-shirt and dark blue straight leg jeans which fell lazily over a pair of large, heavy black boots. The man was well built but he couldn't hide the signs of ageing on his face. Wrinkles crowded his forehead and the little hair that remained behind his hairline was thin and greying on all sides. The corners of his eyes creased as his gaze landed on Josh.
"Huh," he clicked his tongue, "definitely not who I expected to see today." His lips pursed as his eyes wandered over Josh's beaten form. "Come in," he said finally, pulling the door open wider.
Wooden stairs ran up the side of the wall, parallel with a silver railing that followed it. To the right was a large living and dining room that spread the length of the house. Chris led the way into the spacious room where a large flat-screen TV covered a majority of the wall. A dark wood dining table lay at the far end, surrounded by six fading white leather chairs. Behind the table sat floor to ceiling windows that revealed the small garden. Trees and ivy ruled the landscape, suffocating the bird tables and garden furniture that were scattered around the lawn.
The locks on the doors clicked and Will stepped into the doorway of the room we dawdled in.
"I think it's best if we sit down for this one," he gestured towards the table.
Leading the way, he took the seat at the head, leaning back casually as the rest of us followed. I took the chair beside Josh while Chris and Jake sat opposite in silence.
Will clicked his tongue before he spoke. "Would anyone be so kind in explaining what's going on here?" He asked, lifting his eyebrows.
Josh averted his gaze, caressing his now purple knuckles with his thumb as if he were feeling for every bump and groove.
"They came from Dawn Hill," Chris explained. "She said they were running away," he nodded his head in my direction.
Will's eyes flickered over to Josh, assessing him before he moved to me. "I don't think we've met," he spoke calmly. I looked down at the dark wood, my damp and frizzy hair covering my face like curtains. "What's your name?" He asked.
"Em," I replied, hoping the attention that was on me would soon disappear. I wanted nothing but to fall into a hole and sleep. The exhaustion of the day had begun to wash over me, and I no longer had the energy to say more than I needed.
Will sat forwards in his seat, clasping his hands together on the table as he looked to the boy sat across from us. "Chris, am I right to believe that the state of her is your doing?" He asked with narrowed eyes.
Chris looked suddenly embarrassed as he sat back in his seat. "Well... It... uh," he stumbled.
"Jake?"
Jake shook his head. "Nothing to do with me."
Chris exhaled. "I thought they were from Dawn Hill. I thought she was coming to spy on us."
"Of course you did," Will sighed. "Did you need someone to have a look at your arm?" He asked turning to me. I looked at the sleeve of my jacket where a large portion had been stained red. The wound had stopped bleeding, but the skin had turned sticky against the fabric.
I shook my head. "I'll be fine," I mumbled.
Will turned his attention to Chris and Jake. "I will deal with this from here. You're free to go."
Chris' eyes widened. "What?" He exclaimed, pushing back from the table as he got to his feet. "No!" He slammed a hand down hard against the table. "He has to pay for what he did!"
"I'm with Chris on this one," Jake spoke up. "This isn't fair, boss."
Will inhaled. "I will deal with this from here," he repeated.
Anger radiated from Chris' skin as his fists curled against the table, his knuckles turning a strong shade of white. "He left us to die," he spat through gritted teeth.
"It wasn't a suggestion," Will said firmly. "It was an order."
It was the tone of his voice that Chris understood he had lost. He pushed back his chair with such force that it almost tipped over as he took deep, heavy breaths towards the door. Will waited patiently for the heavy slam of the wood before he spoke.
"It's good to see you again, Ben," he smiled at the boy who sat quietly beside me.
Josh's eyes flickered to me as the three-letter name left his lips.
"Yeah," he breathed. "It's good to be back."
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