Whimper (5 page)

There weren’t any rear seats in the van, but I didn’t care. With the girls’ help, I slid in the back and stretched out on the hard metal floor, not really caring that it was gritty and smelled like spilled beer. Zack jumped into the driver seat, and Brianna rode shotgun as Zoe pulled the rear double doors closed behind her. I needed to fight off my fatigue, but it was one of the side effects of the drugs. The injection would help my body recover from physical exertion and adrenaline without letting the virus begin to replicate uncontrollably.

“Sorry,” I mumbled groggily. “It’s going to take a little bit to snap out of this…”

“Shhh,” Zoe whispered, sliding my head onto her lap and brushing the dirt out of my hair. “Just rest. It’s fine.”

I must have dozed off again, because when I came to the van had stopped and everyone was trying to figure out how the three of them would carry me into the house. “I can walk. It’s just going to take me a minute,” I protested. I jerked my leg away from Zack while he tried to drag me out by my ankle.

Fighting the rush of dizziness, I climbed out of the back of the van and caught my first glimpse of the Clark house.

“Holy shit!” I swore without meaning to; I was so dumbstruck by what I was seeing. I’d researched these houses, had even found an etching of one that once existed in Eastern Europe. I had no idea that any ever existed in the United States, let alone in Indiana.

“Yeah, the locals call it the Stilt House, on account of how high the porch is and all. Our great-grandpa built it because he thought we were due for massive flooding and didn’t want to have to build all over again,” Zack explained.

The floor of the porch stood high enough that I couldn’t reach it even on my tiptoes. The entire “first” floor, or what was on ground level anyway, was solid stone block. The main level started above that, and another story towered over the top. Decorative wrought iron steps led up to the metal porch railing, but the filigree concealed a chain mechanism that pulled the whole staircase in on itself and up to the porch. Even the windows and doors of the home had metal barricade shutters that could be lowered in case of emergency. I gawked, completely amazed. Why was this here? It sure as hell wasn’t because of flooding. “You…you have a zombie house. Un-freaking-believable!” I mumbled to myself, but I think only Brianna heard me.

We all started up the stairs, but Zoe kept shooting me odd looks. Maybe she’d heard me after all. The only part of the house exterior that didn’t fit with what I’d read about were the front doors. These were leaded glass panels instead of steel or solid wood. But they did have metal gratings that rolled down over them. The interior was classic farmhouse, with wide plank wood floors and high ceilings. Unfortunately for me, it was sweltering inside.

“Do you think you can make it upstairs or do you want to lie down on the couch?” Zoe asked, touching my arm.

“Is there someplace cooler? I’m pretty warm.” I felt like an ass complaining, but it was important. I didn’t need an ice bath yet, but if I spent too much time in this heat I would. Zoe and Zack looked at each other intently, as if they were carrying on a conversation with their eyes. Maybe it was a twin thing.

“We could set something up in the basement. It’s much cooler down there. The cellar is even cooler, but there’s no power and it gets a little…moist.” Zoe frowned, seeming unhappy with the arrangement.

“That will be fine. No worries.” I lied a little there, since I had plenty of worries. Zoe reached over to a brass box mounted by the door and pressed several buttons. Metallic clanking rumbled beneath our feet and all around the house.

“I figured we should go ahead and lock down, just in case. I know I’ll sleep better that way. Plus, if you’re down in the basement, that’s awfully loud,” Zoe shrugged, leading the way to a closed door off the kitchen.

“Come on, I’ll set up the inflatable mattress for you and make up a bed. Do you need anything else?”

“I’d like to stay down here too, so that I can keep an eye on him,” Brianna spoke up, following us down the stairs with my satchel of supplies.

“I don’t mind doing that, if you need some rest,” Zoe protested politely.

I could tell Brianna was conflicted. She knew what to do with all of the meds if something should happen to me, and she knew what to watch for. But she also wanted to encourage whatever was building between Zoe and me. I also suspected that she wanted a little alone time with Zack.

Zack must have had the same idea, because as he clomped down the stairs behind me, he suggested a solution. “Zoe, why don’t you take the first shift and if anything happens you can come get Brianna. I can set her up in a room upstairs while you get Elliott settled in.” He sounded pretty proud of himself for coming up with an airtight plan.

The basement had a high enough ceiling so I could actually stand without ducking. It was markedly cooler down here, possibly because of all the stone. The floor was flagstone pavers, and the walls were blocks of solid stone.

“Kinda dungeon-ish, right?” Zoe joked, pulling a plastic tote bin out of a storage room to the side. “I promise I’ll give you the grand tour in the morning.” Then turning, she sent her brother upstairs for clean linens and Brianna followed behind him.

I leaned back against the rough wall, watching Zoe work. I should have been helping her, but I was having a hard enough time keeping myself upright. Even in her cast off clothes and shower damp hair, to my eyes she was painfully beautiful. She was also pointedly ignoring me as she worked, moving boxes, rolling out the air bed and plugging in the pump. Once the mattress was filling, she walked back over to me, looking more at the floor than at me.

“How important is it for you to stay cool?” she quietly demanded.

I sighed, wishing I could avoid this conversation, postpone the inevitable only a little bit longer. Maybe if I had the chance to get to know her under normal circumstances, there might have been a chance for us. Ha. As if I’d ever see normal again.

“Very. If my core body temperature rises over 98, then the virus will take over,” I admitted.

“Are you planning to explain what this virus is and what it does sometime soon?” she asked, voice trembling with frustration.

“Yes. I will. It’s a long and very involved story though, and you’ve been up since early this morning. How about we get some sleep first?” Admittedly, I was looking for anything that would buy me a little more time before I had to confess my own role in all this, a little more time that I could pretend to be the good guy.

As the basement door reopened, I could hear Brianna giggling at something Zack said. The air pump continued chugging away as Zoe studied the stone floor and her own toes. “I think that mattress is about as full as it’s going to get,” I pointed out before the thing burst.

“Oh, shit!” she exclaimed, shutting down the pump and snatching the sheets and blankets from her brother so she could make the bed. I couldn’t help but notice there were two pillows. Sure, I knew that Zoe offered to stay down here with me, but I guess I hadn’t realized that she was actually planning on, well, staying with me. My mind boggled and pulse rate jumped a little in response.

Did I have these kinds of responses to girls before I was infected? I hadn’t had to worry about every physical quirk then. I never would have noticed the little things like my pulse, the trembling in my hands, or the slight hitch that developed in my breathing whenever Zoe was within a foot of me.

Zack handed me a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless t-shirt, both of which would probably never fit, but I appreciated the gesture anyway. If nothing else, the action forced me to look away from his sister for a minute. Even if these clothes were a bit on the small side, I was already wearing a Firebrand t-shirt that was two sizes too tight and a pair of indecently short athletic shorts. I wasn’t going to complain about the sweats being a few inches too short.

“Zack said he’d take me to pack up our things in the morning if we decide to stay here instead of the hotel…” Brianna trailed off hopefully. I’d stay here happily, but would they want us to once we explained everything? I simply nodded, going for non-committal.

“Do you think you need ice?” Brianna asked as she headed towards the stairs.

“The chest freezer is down here if we need it,” Zoe spoke up. “Get some rest.”

I remained standing right where I was even after the basement door closed. What the heck was I supposed to do now? Lie down on the bed and take a nap with Zoe standing watch over me? That sure as hell wasn’t going to work. I puffed another inhaler, in case the breathing hitch got worse.

“Are you going to lie down or did you want to change first?” Zoe’s lips crooked up into a teasing smile. You can go into the other room if you’re feeling shy, but we’ve already seen each other naked and those shorts don’t leave much to the imagination either.”

I burst out laughing, surprising myself. “That’s not fair,” I chuckled. “I was too distracted to pay proper attention!” I wobbled a little, off balance from laughing. I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I really laughed.

“Get over here before you fall down, and tell me what I need to do to help you. Your sister will stick a needle in me if I don’t take proper care of you.” She crossed the cold floor, grabbing my arm to lead me even though I was walking pretty well at that point. I dropped onto the air mattress, a queen-sized elevated one, and was relieved when I didn’t feel like I was about to fall off onto the floor. Settling on top of the blankets, I shifted so there was enough room for Zoe too, if she planned on lying down. The whole situation had me nervous. I live a very strict, controlled existence. Snuggling up with a virtual stranger in a dark basement came close to being the wildest thing I’d ever done. Well, if you didn’t count faking my own death.

Zoe clicked off the main overhead light, plunging us into darkness. My eyes slowly started to adjust and find the light that seeped from under the stair door.

I had to relax my body, to let my breathing slow. I could feel the mist I’d inhaled working its way into my bloodstream, cooling and calming me. That lasted until the mattress shifted as Zoe climbed onto it beside me. She hesitantly laid her head on the pillow next to mine, rolling onto her side on top of the blankets.

“This is really weird, right?” She laughed softly. “I mean, I can’t believe I’m doing this. Not that we’re actually doing anything, but, you know…it’s kind of one of those situations you’d never expect to find yourself in.”

I knew exactly what she meant. “Ever since I woke up in the back of that van I’ve been wondering if this is all some kind of hallucination. I keep expecting that at some point I’m going to wake up and be back in the hotel room with Bri hovering over me,” I admitted. “If you’re uncomfortable, neither of us would hold anything against you if you asked us to leave. It’s okay. We really should have gone to the hotel anyway. We’re asking too much of you.” I truly meant it. It had been selfish of us to involve them. It was selfish of me to have involved anyone else in my nightmare, even Brianna.

“That’s not what I was saying. I’m glad that you’re here and that we can help. I only feel like I should know more about you. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted you to ask me out and now two hours later I’ve got you hidden away in my basement. I think my common sense is just starting to riot. My inner pessimist is waiting for you to murder me in my sleep or something.”

“I make it a policy to never smother my hosts in their beds. It’s very poor manners,” I quipped, trying to ease the tension.

“You know, I think I read a
Dear Abby
column about that. It ranks right up there with blowing your nose at the dinner table and arriving at a dinner party empty handed,” she said solemnly.

“Well, I promise never to be so inconsiderate. What can I do to put you at ease?” I asked.

“Tell me you’re gay and give me style tips. Maybe suggest I reshape my eyebrows,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Well, I’m no murderer, but I’m also not gay. Plus, I think your eyebrows are perfectly eyebrow shaped. I see no reason to change that.” I started to reach out to trace one of her eyebrows in the dim light, but pulled back. It felt too intimate to touch her face, even though we were joking around.

“Tell me something about yourself then. Something personal,” Zoe requested, snuggling a little bit closer.

“Personal, huh? Well, I will admit that my feelings are a bit hurt over you not being sure if you wanted me to ask you out. Which I did, by the way. Want to ask you out, that is,” I stammered.

“No, not something you think I want to hear, not something flirty. Tell me something real about yourself,” she urged.

I thought for a minute, debating what to tell her. Once I started, more details started to spill out. “Well, I grew up in Virginia in a little town called Tappahannock. We spent a lot of time on the river. My father loved to sail. We used to take trips up and down the coast every summer. Every year we’d go to Chincoteague and Assateague to watch them swim the wild ponies across the bay. My mom loved it. She and Brianna would bawl their eyes out at the auction when they’d sell the babies. Not because it was sad, but because they said it was
sooo beautiful
. I never got that. I was kind of a nerd even then, but I loved rowing. Dad and Mom were always pushing me to go outside, not to get too lost in my books. They were great.” I stopped, lost in my memories. I couldn’t think about my parents without smelling saltwater and sand. Life was simple back then. Or at least I’d thought it was.