Pulse: Retaliation (Anisakis Nova Book 2) (6 page)

Yes!
Dom mentally rejoiced.

Jamie agreed to go, but didn't offer the same level of interest that Wayne did.

Chelsea told them to create a list of anyone they knew who would be valuable. They'd start compiling a list of things they'd want to bring. The plan was to be ready to leave as soon as possible, ideally within a week.

A week. They had nothing and in seven days they'd be heading to a new life. It was surreal. It was exciting in its own way, but most of all it made his stomach twist in knots and his heart flutter.

11 – Mandy Sillvers

Mandy knew the reality of staying inside an enclosed, lightless space for long durations was psychologically taxing. During her staycations in the bunker, she experienced paranoia and anxiety first hand. It was one of the most nightmarish experiences she'd ever had. Over time, she learned how to deal with it. She knew she needed to install some kind of access to the outside world. She needed to know what was happening. After that she connected the bunker to a radio, internet, and phone lines from the house. She would have eyes on the world, but they'd never know where she was.

The first week, every waking moment was spent listening, reading, or watching new sources on the parasite. During every meal and any chore, she had the radio on. In her spare time, instead of reading the thousands of books on her ebook reader and bookshelf, she browsed the internet. Forget any possibility of getting blogs done for when—if—she ever emerged.

As a result of her constant media intake, her brain obsessed over minute details. She felt emotionally flooded and confused. Eventually she spiraled into depression from the state of affairs outside, and a profound sense of hopelessness gave her insomnia at night.

Sure, she was safe. But millions of people were dying out there. As every day went by, there were less healthy and more infected. There might not be a world for her to return to.

After waking up from a violent nightmare where a version of Matthias, skin rotting and parasites coming from his eyes, tried to rape her in the confines of the bunker, Mandy vowed to reduce her information intake. It was doing her no good. There came a point when no new information was divulged on any media outlet. She was just indulging her brain's need to hear the same information over and over again.

It was hard at first. The act of reading fiction while the end of the world happened twenty feet above her was ridiculous. Drafting blogs that no one might ever read. But really, what
could
she do if she was up there?

She'd always been too sensitive to the world around her. She carried grudges for years. At least that was what Matthias said. She'd never forgotten a conversation they had during their first year of marriage. Her best friend Rebecca was in anguish over a failed dinner party, where her mother-in-law insulted the meal and questioned if Rebecca was a good enough wife. It resulted in a huge fight between all family members. Mandy was devastated for her friend, maybe even more than Rebecca herself.

"You care too much about what happens to other people," Matthias said as they washed dishes. "It's sweet, but you don't have to carry everyone else's problems. It bogs you down."

Once he was diagnosed, Mandy stopped caring about anyone but him. When he died, those old habits starting coming back.

It took months before she felt okay with herself for not following every detail of the infection. Eventually she got to a point where she'd read for a few hours and maybe work out a bit before even checking what CNN or KOMO had to say. She limited herself to exactly five minutes of news browsing. 

Mandy was in a perfect groove when the internet went down. She heard and felt a rumble, possibly an explosion nearby, and figured it was the culprit. A hollow sense of isolation hit her like a wrecking ball as she worked to troubleshoot the problem. Two hours later she gave up, knowing something must've happened to her connection.

It never came back. Then the radio went out. Now she really was cut off from the world and it didn't feel as good and okay as she thought it would be.

It had been five months since she last heard word from the outside world. Being a fast reader, something she used to consider a gift, was now a curse. She read through everything she had and was starting a second round on her favorites.

Mandy knew she'd have to leave the bunker someday, but after being in it for so long, she wasn't sure she could. What would the outside world be like? Was it overrun with infected?

Worse yet, what if it had resumed and everything was back to normal? What if there was a family who'd moved into her house? It might take a while to discover the bunker entrance, which was a carefully disguised trap door behind the shed in the back yard. There was dirt and grass on top of it and she knew for a fact it was almost invisible unless you were looking for it.

Fear of the unknown paralyzed her each time she went to the tunnel entrance. She wondered how much longer she could take it.

She wondered if she'd die there, the bunker she loved to be her tomb.

12 – The Infected

Washington State: 35% Infected

As the Seery family got ready to go to bed that night, Frank and Bill tried convincing their mother one last time that a woman stared at them through their window at night.

For the past week, the bulb in their porch light had been unscrewed just enough to make it not work. Mom would screw it back in and Dad would talk about how the door slamming was slowly unscrewing it, and Frank and Bill needed to be more careful when they came home from Miss Evan's. They went there for what Mom called Temporary School. The boys hated going to Temporary School anyway. It’s what Mom called Miss Evan’s house where she taught some of the other kids reading and math since there was no real school for them. They’d just been reviewing some of what they learned when Dad said it was time for bed.

Bill and Frank brushed their teeth, neither saying a word. They were afraid. Even though Frank, at seven, was the big brother, he couldn't pretend to be strong for Bill who was only five.

"It's so tragic about Seattle," they heard Mom say from the kitchen to Dad. "I'm so glad we're nowhere near there. I can't imagine dealing with all that chaos again."

When the sick worm people were in their city, the whole family went to a place where army guys protected them. Bill and Frank never saw a worm person and it wasn't that bad. The army guys were nice to them and showed them their guns.

Until last week. Bill and Frank knew right away it was a sick person. It was dark, but she was just outside of their window with her face pressed against the glass so she could see through the blinds. The glow of their night light showed her eyes, which were scary and red. She smiled at them the whole time, tapping her nails against the glass only loud enough for them to hear.

She came every night after bedtime when their parents left. Mom and Dad didn't believe the boys when they told.

"Mom, she unscrews the light and comes and looks at us!" Frank yelled.

"It's scary," Bill chimed in.

Their parents did nothing.

Bill and Frank set their Lego themed toothbrushes in their respective spots on the counter and held hands as they went into their bedroom where Dad waited to read them a bed time story. When he saw the looks on their faces and the hand holding, he shook his head.

"You kids are something else, you know that?" He patted Frank's bed, the one closest to the window. "Come on, story time. Then you guys need to get some sleep, okay?"

Bill's hand was clammy in Frank's. They went together and climbed under the covers of Frank's bed.

"Bill wants to sleep in my bed tonight, Dad," Frank said. "Please let him."

Dad shrugged. "Fine, but just tonight."

"Are we seeing Auntie Cat in Seattle tomorrow?" Frank asked. "We haven't seen her in a long time."

"No, buddy. We're staying in the house for a while now, okay?"

That was the end of the conversation on Auntie Cat. He read them a story, which neither boy listened to. After he turned off the lamp, and kissed them both, he left. The night light came on automatically.

"Don't be scared," Frank whispered to his brother. "When we see her, this time we'll go hide."

"Mom and Dad said we can't," Bill said, tears welling in his green eyes. "We'll get in trouble. They'll take all the Transformers away again."

Frank squeezed his hand. "I don't care. And I'll get Optimus back. I swear."

They waited. It must've been an hour before the porch light went out. They heard scuffling as the lady walked to their window.

Tap. Tap. Taptaptap.

"Don't look at her," Frank told Bill.

Tap. Tap. Taptaptap.

Frank threw back the covers and got out of bed. "Come on, let's go."

His little brother did as he said and they left the bedroom. Behind them, the tapping stopped. They started going down the hall to their parents’ bedroom when they heard a loud pounding on the front door. It was her. It was the worm lady.

Frank jerked Bill into their mom's craft room, leading him to her fabric drawers. They'd gotten in trouble because Bill was so small he could hide in the bottom empty drawer. Frank would help him get in there during hide and seek.

He quickly opened the door and helped his brother inside. "Don't make a noise, Bill. No matter what, don't make a noise."

His brother nodded, his lip shaking as he fought back sobs. His little brother was brave. Frank needed to mention that to him later. Frank pushed the drawer in and scanned the area for somewhere he could hide.

"It must be an emergency," he heard his mother say from the hallway.

Frank knew they wouldn't listen to him. He knew something bad was going to happen, and right then he decided he needed to hide rather than tell his parents not to answer the door.

He dashed out of the craft room, just catching sight of his parents leaving the hallway to the living room. He headed the opposite way to the laundry room where he opened the dryer door and climbed inside. He was almost too big for the spot—which was another place they were definitely not allowed to go—but he managed to pull the door almost shut and pile clothes around him so he couldn't be seen through the clear door.

"Can I help you, mi—"

His mother's scream made him yelp. He clapped his hands over his mouth and forced himself not to move. There was fighting and yelling, then nothing.

The dryer was smelly like perfume. It made Frank’s head hurt and his nose itch. He tried to focus on the smell and calm down. If he breathed too loud she’d hear him.

"Boys?" The voice wasn't Mom or Dad's. It was low and wobbly. "Boys, come out now. You need to be in bed."

Something broke in the living room. It sounded like glass. Frank imagined Bill in the fabric drawer all by himself and felt tears well in his eyes.

“Let me put you to bed, boys,” she yelled. Her voice was closer. “We’ll all go to sleep.”

The lady was in their house for a long time, screaming and begging for them to come out. Sometimes she sounded normal, then her voice got loud. She came into the laundry room at one point, and opened the mop closet and stood for a while. She was definitely sick. Her body was shaking and sometimes her left arm flung out and knocked things over. In her other hand was a knife like the one Dad used for opening boxes. It was covered in blood. More blood than Frank had ever seen in his life.

Then she left.

Frank didn't dare leave the laundry room until he heard the wail of police sirens outside. Only when he saw an officer, a regular looking man, enter the room, did he tumble out of the dryer crying.

He half expected Bill to be dead, but when he pulled the drawer out and saw his frightened brother, he knew he had saved them both. He knew they'd both be okay.

The officers carried them from the house. Even though they tried to cover their eyes, both boys saw their parents, the bodies cut up and bleeding all over the living room floor.

13 – Dr. Adam Baker

With the experiments on the dormant parasite eggs underway, Adam finally had time to move on to his second project. Using the theory of chemical interference instead of genetically modifying an actual parasite, he began trying to make a super powerful host.

Adam was sure this test subject would be what he wanted. He had spent days trying to mutate someone into a stronger host using a combination of chemicals and steroids, the thought of it not succeeding was devastating. Yet as the hours flew by, his mood darkened.

Inside the lab, the host lay on a metal slab sweating. It was pungent, stronger than anything he'd smelled before, like corn syrup and fresh dirt. Adam was intoxicated by it. Other infected who went by the lab always lingered. That was a good sign. Adam had noticed how protective infected were over bodies in a coma state. It was a clever biological reaction; the smell triggered a defensive response, increasing aggression.

Its overdeveloped arms and legs were almost falling off the table they were so large. A gentle
drip drip
noise came from the dozens of IVs attached to it. Adam sometimes couldn't remember if it was a male or female before he started. The body was a mix of overdeveloped muscles blended with flesh similar to that of a fully grown parasite.

Soon it would wake. The coma period wasn't typically very long.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up," Adam whispered to it, circling the table.

Henderson was there, keeping his distance. He probably didn't want the viscous yellow sweat staining his white getup.

"Dr. Baker," Henderson said, then stopped.

Adam's neck snapped as he looked at him. "What? What were you going to say?"

Henderson shook his head.

"
What
were you going to say?" Adam's voice rose. "I demand to know right now. This is not the time or place for skepticism!"

"I was going to say, Dr. Baker, that this host has been in a coma for two days straight." His voice was so terribly even and sensible it made Adam want to choke him to death to get a more emotional reaction. "I think it’s time to move on."

Adam was enraged. The four hosts before this one failed miserably. Two of them were exploders, very useful in the field but they were time bombs. One never got out of the coma, and the other died before even entering a coma.

Henderson was right. A part of Adam knew quite some time ago this host was also a failure. It was just that he hated admitting it.

He needed this. He needed something to use against his enemies that was new and strong. Something that would shock them to their core.

As if on cue, the heart rate monitor attached to the host skyrocketed. The massive body shook, wet meat slapping against the table as it seized.

Adam and Henderson did nothing but watch the failed monstrosity die. Then Adam buzzed someone in to toss the body, and moved into another room where he had more hosts.

Eventually, he would succeed. And when he did, he would be unstoppable.

***

The scientist was a meek little thing. His eyes were puffy from crying, amplified by his thick glasses. He was so thin Adam wondered how he managed to walk without breaking. Henderson hovered beside him.

"Where did you find him?" Adam asked.

"He was in a military transport to a safe zone. We intercepted the buses." Henderson set a laminated badge on Adam's desk. "He had this on him."

He'd never seen a badge like it before. It had a picture of the man, Liam Busby, and a clearance level of 1 and the title of "Genetic Engineer." The back had a magnetic strip. There weren't any markings on it indicating who he worked for.

Since Adam made the request for Henderson to find scientists, this was the first that had been brought in. And a genetic engineer! His luck couldn't be better. After the debacle with the failed experiments, this find was much needed.

Adam set the badge down and laced his fingers together under his chin. "Liam, how are you?"

"Um, w-what?"

"I said, how are you? Have you been treated well?"

He furrowed his brows. "No. I mean, I guess. I'm still alive."

Adam smiled. "As long as you cooperate, no one will hurt you. No one."

"That's good. Okay." Liam glanced at Henderson and gulped. "What am I doing here?"

"According to this badge here, you're a genetic engineer. Who do you work for? Is this fake?"

Liam was still hesitant. Adam couldn't blame him for it. The clinic probably seemed like a horrific place to an uninfected. Their relationship could go two ways. He could find mutual terms with the man, or he could coerce him into doing what he wanted. Fear was a motivator in either, but with the former Liam would feel more in control. While he knew Liam would never understand what he was trying to accomplish, he could still obey.

"Dr. Baker asked you a question," Henderson said. His deep, gravelly voice made Liam jump. "I suggest you answer. Or I suppose you don’t remember what happened to the woman we found you with?”

Perfect. Good cop bad cop
, Adam thought.
This is fun.

"It's okay, Ray. Liam here just needs a second to think, right buddy?"

The scientist looked at Henderson with abject fear before returning his focus to Adam. "I used to work for a lab in Seattle. We were trying to program cells to manufacture medicine. When the government started rebuilding, they'd ask people what they did before to try and find help. These badges just help them process you through checkpoints and stuff faster."

"Great, that's really great." Adam released his hands and leaned back in his chair. "And what did they have you working on?"

He fidgeted and stared at his shoes. "I-I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

Adam's eye started twitching. The desire to fling himself across the desk and break the kid’s fingers until he talked was overwhelming.
Be good. Be good and you will get what you want.

Again, Henderson stepped in. He put his giant gloved hand on Liam's shoulder and squeezed. The man whimpered, all but caving in under the pressure. "Do you know what will happen if you don't tell us what we want to know?"

Liam looked at Adam for help. Adam shrugged. "I'm not sure what Mr. Henderson here does with people. I bet it isn't pretty. Or perhaps you already witnessed that?"

"Okay! Stop, just let go, please!"

Henderson released him and stepped back into his idle position.

"What did they have you working on?"

Liam took a deep breath. "We were working on a permanent cure to Anisakis Nova. Something that would destroy eggs inside the body after infection. Basically what a regular anti-parasitic regimen is supposed to do."

"We?" Adam repeated.

"There were a few more of us. They were all killed when you took us."

Of course. That’s what Henderson used against him. The threat of killing Liam like he’d killed his companions. Adam needed to chop off a few heads for that indiscretion later. "How close were you?"

"Not very. There were other engineers from around the country scheduled to fly in and assist me, but when the attacks on hospitals and MAC distribution centers began they were canceled. It was too risky to bring them into a hot zone."

For the first time, Adam regretted the attacks. How perfect it would've been to have
everyone
working on the cure in one spot. He could've wiped them out all at once.

"Well, Dr. Busby, I think you'll find working with us to be very rewarding," Adam said. "As I said before, if you cooperate, you will never be harmed."

"Working with you?" Liam was sweating now. The perspiration was visible on his forehead. His glasses slipped down his nose. His hands shook as he pushed them back into place. "On what?"

"On the exact opposite of what you were going to create." Adam flashed him a toothy grin. "I want you to ensure there will never, ever be a cure to Anisakis Nova."