Scavengers. Part 24

They strolled through the hall, bathed in florescent light, until they reached a gla.s.s wall surrounding the employee courtyard and went outside. The area was deserted.

"It's cold," Dejah said, teeth chattering. "I didn't bring a jacket."

"Do you want to go back?"

"No. No, actually, it's waking me up a bit. Just a little jarring at first."

David slipped his arms around her, pulling her to him. He held her in an embrace.

"That feels better," she said.

"Yes, it does." She put her head on his chest.

"You know what today is?" he asked.

"No, what?" She snuggled closer, her own heart racing, her flesh breaking into gooseb.u.mps, not from the cold, but from desire. She felt herself flush.

"Halloween."

"Really?" she said. "Well, I think we got tricked, but definitely no treat." She laughed. "It's only been a few weeks, but it seems like a million years since this virus. .h.i.t. It's almost like my old life is just distant memories now. Except for Selah, it could all have been a bad dream."

"You might say this is a bad dream."

"Not all of it." She looked up at him, admired the lines on his face. He stared thoughtfully up at the night sky, and then looked down at her.

Dejah gazed into David's face. "What do you think is going to happen?"

David shook his head. "I don't know."

They stood in their snug embrace for a few silent seconds. Then David said: "I've been meaning to ask you about...your...well, the whole coming back to life thing. I've been debating about it myself, worried about bringing it up. I mean, I almost feel like it's something we shouldn't talk about. We've had the past couple days here together, but I didn't know how to ask you without seeming...well, I don't know. I guess I was afraid of someone overhearing us and...."

Dejah laughed. "And someone thinking you're crazy? We're crazy? Or that I'm one of the infected and just remarkably well preserved, if I might say so myself."

"Heh, well, yes, I'd agree with you there."

"You mean you couldn't find a good time between me being eaten and resurrected, becoming the bride of some whack-job televangelist, or trying not to get devoured in the middle of an airport zombie infestation?" She gave him a look of mock scorn.

"You're right, I guess I should have said something sooner." He grinned.

Dejah sobered for a moment, pulling away from him. She hugged herself and turned. He walked next to her as they crossed the courtyard toward a gazebo. "About the resurrection thing...I don't really know what to tell you. I don't understand it myself. Obviously, it wasn't a talent, or power I knew I had until after I'd been eaten and killed that first time," she paused. "I mean, I try to think way back into my childhood and connect it to something I can use to reason it out. Some broken leg that healed quickly, maybe a gash that closed up, but the fact of the matter was, I was never really seriously injured when I was young."

"Not a lot of room for serious injury in the world of Barbie." David quipped with a barely suppressed grin.

"Ha. Watch yourself, pal. I've beheaded Ken dolls with my bare hands." She slipped her arm in his. "Seriously though, I guess I've always healed pretty fast from cuts and sc.r.a.pes or whatnot, but never really gauged it against other kids or people. My mom always said I had a good immune system."

"So you had no idea?"

"None at all. It's unnerving. It's great, obviously - I don't want to be dead - but strange. Why? Why me? I just keep thinking there must be a reason for this to happen. I guess I'm immune to the virus, just like you and Shaun. I a.s.sume I can die of natural causes, old age - maybe I just can't be killed by anything. This ability or whatever the h.e.l.l I call it, there has to be a reason for it. It can't just be a random evolutionary accident. Can it?"

David shook his head. "I have no idea."

"There's more. I keep turning this over in my head, but I can't help but wonder if what happens to me is tied in with Selah. With something that happened when she was younger."

"What happened to Selah?"

"Well, nothing happened to her. But, since she was a baby, she's been able to, well, I guess the best way to describe it is just to say it: she heals people with her touch," Dejah said, knowing she probably sounded crazy.

"Like sick people?"

"And the dying. It can't be explained. It just happens. Even when she was newborn and I brought her home from the hospital, every time I touched her, I felt renewed. I already healed fast because of my own...whatever we're calling it ability, I guess. But, touching her was a refres.h.i.+ng feeling, even when dog-tired from being up with her at night."

David thought for a moment. "I'm no expert on any of this, of course, but I'd say the two conditions, or gifts, whatever you want to call them, might be related. Genetic maybe. Supernatural possibly. Or maybe it all comes from her. Maybe your ability wasn't even present in you until you carried her in your womb, shared blood and life with her...perhaps she's the origin of it all."

"That's what I've been thinking recently. Though the why part is still haunting me."

"Did Selah ever touch a person who was...?" David's stopped himself before he finished, but Dejah was right there with him, thinking along his same lines.

"Dead? No." Dejah paused, thinking. "Oh my G.o.d, David, what if-"

"I'm just wondering if she could heal people sick with the infection. Or even if people who've died from the infection could be brought back to life? It could be...." David shuddered. "G.o.d, I'm sorry, Dejah. I'm some romantic. This is horrible s.h.i.+t we're dealing with here. You've got enough on your mind without my doomsaying."

"No, no, David, it's okay. You're not thinking anything I can't follow to my own conclusions. But she's a smart kid. She wouldn't do that. I think somehow she'd know in her gut that doing something like that would be wrong. At least, trying to bring people back from the dead."

David shook his head. "Unless she did it against her own will."

"Oh, G.o.d. I have to get to her, David. I just have to."

"We will."

David led her by hand up the steps of the gazebo. They looked up at the stars and he pulled her close again. She felt a charge from his fingertips, a thrilling heat that made her flushed.

She sighed. "Well, all this c.r.a.p aside, I'm glad you're here with me."

David studied her face. "Are you? What about-?"

"That's over. Been over for far too long. I only stayed because of Selah. Now, I know that isn't a reason to merely exist. My happiness matters too. And, if I, we, get out of this alive, I intend to be happy again."

She searched his eyes and she could see that David didn't know what else to say. Not about her, about Selah, about any of the crazy s.h.i.+t happening to them and the rest of the world. He slipped a finger beneath her chin, lifting her mouth to his lips. He kissed her, long and deep. Dejah felt all the tension melt away from her taut muscles. Up until that moment she hadn't realized just how wound-up she'd been, like a caged jaguar meant to run. She let the release surge through her body and returned his kiss with pa.s.sion. When they came apart it was too soon. His eyes shone down at her, looking for some sign that this was okay, that it was the right time for this. For them.

"You think Shaun will be gone long?" she murmured.

"Probably."

"There's a lock on the door to my room," she said in an exhalation of breath. Dejah's heart quaked in her chest. What am I doing? she thought, but it felt right. It felt good. After everything she'd been through, this was a choice she was making. Something she had power over. Something she wanted.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" David's voice was hesitant.

"Positive." Dejah pulled him by the hand toward the door leading inside. Quickly and silently she pulled him along through the corridors, leading him to her room.

Opening the door, she flipped on the light. David closed the door. Dejah twisted the silver lock on the metal k.n.o.b, and pulled the door to verify it was secure.

In a whirlwind of emotions, they found themselves in each other's arms. Dejah probed David's mouth with her tongue, her hands fumbling with the b.u.t.tons on his flannel s.h.i.+rt. s.h.i.+rts, pants, shoes, socks, all fell in a castaway heap around their feet. David swept her into his arms, lifting her onto the thin mattress of the cot. They made love in a barely controlled frenzy, not sure when Shaun would return, not willing to share this time with anyone else. They had to feel that release, but they wanted to enjoy the feel of each other. Of being close to someone. Dejah found herself grasping onto him, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed against his powerful chest. The rippling of his back muscles excited her as she ran her hands down the length of his torso, felt the forceful deep thrusts of him surging into her. His hands roamed her back and gripped her legs, cupped her curves as he moved fervently against her in a wave-like flow of ecstasy.

Gasping with pleasure, she blinked away a field of stars that exploded behind her eyes as they reached a feverish climax of desire. She heard David groan as he held her tighter, felt him pulse within her.

A knock rapped the door.

"s.h.i.+t," David hissed.

Dejah sprung from the cot, threw on her s.h.i.+rt and yanked on her jeans. Opening the door, she stuck her face out to see who was knocking. It was Stewart.

"Dejah? Sorry ... did I wake you?" he asked.

"Just taking a nap. It's okay."

Stew craned his neck, looking around the door. He caught sight of David and his eyebrows arched, surprised. "Well, I, uh, I came to tell you I spoke with the head of emergency services at the hospital, Dr. Matthew Robbins. He's an old friend; anyway, he's coming here this evening. You might be able to get a ride with him into town when he's finished out here."

"Wow, thank you so much, Stewart!"

"Call me Stew, everyone else does."

"Okay, then, thank you, Stew! I didn't expect something so fast." Dejah smiled.

"Lucky break."

"I'd say. Thank you again, so much."

"If you want to wait in the break room where we had coffee earlier, he should be here within the hour. I'll introduce you," Stew said.

"That'll be great," Dejah said. "I really appreciate this. More than you know."

"Glad I could help. I want you to find your little girl. Too much nastiness going on lately for there not to be some hope." Stew awkwardly looked at his feet. "Okay then, I'll see you there."

"Bye - and thanks!" Dejah closed the door.

David smiled. "I think he likes you."

"Don't be crazy. He's old enough to be my dad."

"He's not dead, and you're a gorgeous woman. What's not to like?" David put on his pants.

"Are you jealous?" Dejah kissed him.

"After what I just experienced, I'm pretty confident I don't have to worry."

"Got that right." Dejah slipped on her boots. "I'm going to sneak down for a shower, and freshen up. Then we should go wait for this doctor to arrive. Find out when he's returning to the hospital."

"Sounds like we've got a little bit of time. And I'm getting hungry." He looked at his watch. "Almost time for supper."

"I hope this doctor can help us. At least tell me if Selah is a patient at the hospital." Dejah could barely keep her bottom lip from trembling as she added, "Or if she's lying in their morgue."

CHAPTER 36.

Dr. Robbins crouched on the floorboard of the Jeep as they pulled up to the locked gates in front of H-Systems' main entrance. Soldiers lined stations along the barbed wire topped fence. They raked the ground on each side of the Jeep with machine guns as the gates were opened and roaming infected ran for them, mouths wide, hands out in front of them clawing the air. Two infected men and one seething woman were impacted by bullets, reeling backwards like jerking dances played in reverse. As soon as the Jeep made it through, the gate was closed in a hurry. The vehicle came to a slow stop, and the soldier on Robbins's right leapt out, extending a hand to the doctor in order to help him to the ground.

"I'm never going to get used to the guns and the infected people trying to rip us to shreds," he said, with a nervous laugh.

The soldier shrugged. "Took some getting used to at first, but now I just take them out. It's them or us, doctor."

Robbins nodded grim agreement, silently wondering how many more people would have to die before he could start administering a successful antidote to those who were infected. He needed to get out to the camp. Dr. Gutierrez would have plenty of infected patients on whom he could test the new serum. The tests at the hospital had gone well, but he needed more subjects to ensure the mixture would work on the majority of infected, not just on the few he was still treating at the hospital.

Stew came rus.h.i.+ng through a pair of double doors. "Matty!"

"Hi, Stew."

"I've been chewing my nails worrying about you since your driver radioed to say your convoy was leaving the hospital," Stew said. "Took a little longer than usual for you to get here."

"We ran into some problems. Heavy pocket of infected on Wesley Street. We managed to outrun them." Robbins unzipped his coat, removing it. He pointed to a conference room to the left of the corridor. "Is this where we're still meeting?"

"Yeah, but, Matty, before we begin - I've got some bad news."

Robbins froze. He knew in his gut what the bad news was. "Is it about Weir?"

Stewart looked shocked that Robbins knew. "Who told you?"

"No one has told me anything. I'm a.s.suming he's no longer with us," Robbins cleared his throat in an attempt to mask the sorrowful crack in his voice.

"He killed himself yesterday morning. Pistol."

The doctor sighed, shoulders slumping with sadness. "I was expecting it. When you've known someone as long as I knew Grant, you know them." Robbins closed his eyes. "d.a.m.n."

"Came as quite a shock around here," Stew said, frowning.

"They already have a service for him?"

"Quick and simple," Stewart said.

"Hmm. I wish I could have been here, but...well that's something, at least," Robbins removed his gla.s.ses and wiped his eyes. The expression on his face changed from sorrow to business. "All right, so this meeting? Do I have to jump through hoops, or are the higher-ups giving me an escort to the quarantine camp? I haven't had any contact with anyone at the camp for over 48-hours. To say I'm more than a little concerned at this point would be a grand f.u.c.king understatement and I want to get out there as soon as possible."

Dejah, David and Shaun approached Stew and Dr. Robbins in the corridor. Stew smiled and waved them over. "Matty, I want you to meet our newest visitors. This is Dejah Corliss, David Murphy, and Shaun Huntington. Dejah is looking for her nine-year-old daughter, Selah Corliss. I told her you might be able to help."