"You can come in now." Patsy looked excited. "This is Glenn, the man Jack saw on the security camera. I found him." The others looked on in amazement.
"What!?" Lex broke the silence and looked closely at this old man. He supposed he did bear a resemblance to his old 'friend' but...
"Lex! I never thought I'd see you again." Glenn said, in a patronising voice, a voice that Lex knew well. "Not after what you..."
"Shut up!" Lex hissed at him.
"Glenn, what are you talking about?! How [I]dare[/I] you accuse Lex!" Zandra was getting angry. Something inside Glenn snapped. He might be seriously ill, but even that didn't stop him. He lunged for Lex and the two started attacking each other. Zan screamed in terror, she didn't want to see either of them get hurt. "Stop it. Stop it!" She said weakly.
Bray ran forwards and split the two of them up, gently helping Glenn onto the floor as his state got the better of him. Bray then walked over to Patsy; she was looking worried, about the fact that she had brought Glenn here and that he and Lex had started fighting.
"It's all my fault. I didn't mean to...I didn't..." She sobbed.
"Ssssssh. You weren't to know Pats. Stop beating yourself up..." Bray said as he hugged her. The others were still standing by the stairs, like onlookers from a car crash.
"How old are you?" Chloe blurted out the question that was on everyone's minds.
"A month younger than Lex." Zandra replied solemnly for him. Lex nodded slowly.
"He's got the virus." Bray spoke under his breath.
"You can't be sure of that...It only affected adults..." Amber said.
"Viruses can change Amber. They mutate." Dal cut in. Bray realised his mistake.
"But...I...This...No!" Patsy stuttered, and tried to run to the comfort of Chloe.
"No Patsy, you can't go near her for a bit." Bray held her back.
"Wh...What are you saying?"
"This virus is infectious, but we don't know how it is passed on." He started.
"Meaning that to be safe, we should isolate the people who have had contact with Glenn. That way, if they have the virus, then only they might die instead of all of us." Jack finished.
"Jack!" Trudy shouted. Patsy was now in tears.
"I don't wanna die..." She sobbed into Bray's shoulder.
"Okay, I agree." Lex said something for the first time in a long while. "Me, Glenn, Patsy and Bray need to be kept in isolation for a while. Amber looked at Bray.
"But..." She was upset about this.
"Amber, it's for the best." He looked sadly back at her.
"Sure." She said slowly, knowing that he might die soon, and was trying to save her and the others form the same fate. Zandra was slumped on the floor, sobbing. Amber sat down next to her and hugged her - she knew how Zan felt.
"Dinner is served!" Amber pushed a plate through the doorway to Lex.
"Thanks" He replied, genuinely. Amber was taken aback by this a little bit.
"Are you okay?" She asked through the safety of the door.
"Yeah...How's Zan?"
"She's pretty cut up about it all."
"So are you by the sound of things. You really liked Bray, didn't you?" Lex asked.
"No don't speak like that, like it's all in the past! You're scaring me!" She swallowed hard and went silent.
"Haven't you got to feed the others?" He broke the pause.
"Yeah." She picked up the other plates. "And Lex? I hope you get through this." She added before walking off to feed the others.
Amber lay in bed, that night, thinking. Her and Bray had been getting more and more close recently, but now this had happened. She might not ever have time to be with him, not properly. And she missed him. She wouldn't have thought it before, but she missed not having him near her. She decided that she should make the most of things, and talk to him.
"Bray?" She said, sitting down in the doorway of his room.
"Amber, you know why I'm stuck in here..."
"Oh come on, I'm miles away from you. Anyway, it's my life to destroy!"
"But..." he trailed off. He knew that Amber wouldn't give in, and it was pointless trying to argue.
"I was missing you." She said after a while.
"Me?...well...I was missing you too..." He replied cautiously. She smiled back at him. "Are you okay?" He added and she sighed.
"I'm the only leader that isn't locked up. And if someone finds me talking to you they'll probably think I'm too at risk of infection. I'll tell them where they can stuff that!...So, what do you think we should do about our situation?" She asked him after a while, not herself even really knowing whether she meant about the virus or about the two of them.
"Apart from getting information, I really don't have a clue." Bray replied.
"Well, that's more than I could think of."
After talking for ages, the two of them were now sat in awkward silence.
"Oh hell!" Amber started sobbing gently. She had been thinking about what Lex had said to her earlier.
"What's the matter?" Bray asked, wising he could comfort her properly, instead of from the other side of the room.
"Me...you...all this..." She tried to say how she felt, but Bray looked confused. "I care about you, and I don't want anything to happen to you."
"That's the same reason I didn't want you to be in here!" He said.
"I know...but...you could have the virus for all we know, and maybe me too..."
"What are you trying to say?" Bray turned and looked at her.
"I need to be truthful with you..." She trailed off, looking awkwardly at the floor.
"What?"
"About how I feel."
"Amber..." Bray hesitated.
"Look, I know it's not exactly the perfect time to tell you this...but...oh God, this is harder than I thought it would be..." Amber said. "...I...I really care about you...and I wish we could have been together. I'm sorry if what I just said just wrecked our friendship, but I had to tell you." It was too much for Amber; and with one last longing gaze she turned and walked off, trying to blink back her tears.
When she reached her room, she flung herself on her bed and buried her head in the covers. Why had she told him? What if he didn't feel the same way? Well, there was only one way to find out. Amber waited until she had calmed down a bit, and dried her eyes before setting off back to Bray's room.
"Bray I'm sorry, I shouldn't..."
"No, I'm glad you told me...I just want you to know that I feel the same way." He cut in. Amber breathed a sigh or relief, smiled, and walked nearer to Bray. "Amber, you shouldn't be..."
"I don't care. If you have the virus I want it too."
Bray knew he should stop her coming in, but knew she would just ignore him. As she reached him they hugged, and Amber rested her head on his shoulder.
Later that night Amber shifted closer to Bray, who was now asleep; and thought about how shocked the others would be when they found her in the morning.
"What!?" Lex broke the silence and looked closely at this old man. He supposed he did bear a resemblance to his old 'friend' but...
"Lex! I never thought I'd see you again." Glenn said, in a patronising voice, a voice that Lex knew well. "Not after what you..."
"Shut up!" Lex hissed at him.
"Glenn, what are you talking about?! How [I]dare[/I] you accuse Lex!" Zandra was getting angry. Something inside Glenn snapped. He might be seriously ill, but even that didn't stop him. He lunged for Lex and the two started attacking each other. Zan screamed in terror, she didn't want to see either of them get hurt. "Stop it. Stop it!" She said weakly.
Bray ran forwards and split the two of them up, gently helping Glenn onto the floor as his state got the better of him. Bray then walked over to Patsy; she was looking worried, about the fact that she had brought Glenn here and that he and Lex had started fighting.
"It's all my fault. I didn't mean to...I didn't..." She sobbed.
"Ssssssh. You weren't to know Pats. Stop beating yourself up..." Bray said as he hugged her. The others were still standing by the stairs, like onlookers from a car crash.
"How old are you?" Chloe blurted out the question that was on everyone's minds.
"A month younger than Lex." Zandra replied solemnly for him. Lex nodded slowly.
"He's got the virus." Bray spoke under his breath.
"You can't be sure of that...It only affected adults..." Amber said.
"Viruses can change Amber. They mutate." Dal cut in. Bray realised his mistake.
"But...I...This...No!" Patsy stuttered, and tried to run to the comfort of Chloe.
"No Patsy, you can't go near her for a bit." Bray held her back.
"Wh...What are you saying?"
"This virus is infectious, but we don't know how it is passed on." He started.
"Meaning that to be safe, we should isolate the people who have had contact with Glenn. That way, if they have the virus, then only they might die instead of all of us." Jack finished.
"Jack!" Trudy shouted. Patsy was now in tears.
"I don't wanna die..." She sobbed into Bray's shoulder.
"Okay, I agree." Lex said something for the first time in a long while. "Me, Glenn, Patsy and Bray need to be kept in isolation for a while. Amber looked at Bray.
"But..." She was upset about this.
"Amber, it's for the best." He looked sadly back at her.
"Sure." She said slowly, knowing that he might die soon, and was trying to save her and the others form the same fate. Zandra was slumped on the floor, sobbing. Amber sat down next to her and hugged her - she knew how Zan felt.
"Dinner is served!" Amber pushed a plate through the doorway to Lex.
"Thanks" He replied, genuinely. Amber was taken aback by this a little bit.
"Are you okay?" She asked through the safety of the door.
"Yeah...How's Zan?"
"She's pretty cut up about it all."
"So are you by the sound of things. You really liked Bray, didn't you?" Lex asked.
"No don't speak like that, like it's all in the past! You're scaring me!" She swallowed hard and went silent.
"Haven't you got to feed the others?" He broke the pause.
"Yeah." She picked up the other plates. "And Lex? I hope you get through this." She added before walking off to feed the others.
Amber lay in bed, that night, thinking. Her and Bray had been getting more and more close recently, but now this had happened. She might not ever have time to be with him, not properly. And she missed him. She wouldn't have thought it before, but she missed not having him near her. She decided that she should make the most of things, and talk to him.
"Bray?" She said, sitting down in the doorway of his room.
"Amber, you know why I'm stuck in here..."
"Oh come on, I'm miles away from you. Anyway, it's my life to destroy!"
"But..." he trailed off. He knew that Amber wouldn't give in, and it was pointless trying to argue.
"I was missing you." She said after a while.
"Me?...well...I was missing you too..." He replied cautiously. She smiled back at him. "Are you okay?" He added and she sighed.
"I'm the only leader that isn't locked up. And if someone finds me talking to you they'll probably think I'm too at risk of infection. I'll tell them where they can stuff that!...So, what do you think we should do about our situation?" She asked him after a while, not herself even really knowing whether she meant about the virus or about the two of them.
"Apart from getting information, I really don't have a clue." Bray replied.
"Well, that's more than I could think of."
After talking for ages, the two of them were now sat in awkward silence.
"Oh hell!" Amber started sobbing gently. She had been thinking about what Lex had said to her earlier.
"What's the matter?" Bray asked, wising he could comfort her properly, instead of from the other side of the room.
"Me...you...all this..." She tried to say how she felt, but Bray looked confused. "I care about you, and I don't want anything to happen to you."
"That's the same reason I didn't want you to be in here!" He said.
"I know...but...you could have the virus for all we know, and maybe me too..."
"What are you trying to say?" Bray turned and looked at her.
"I need to be truthful with you..." She trailed off, looking awkwardly at the floor.
"What?"
"About how I feel."
"Amber..." Bray hesitated.
"Look, I know it's not exactly the perfect time to tell you this...but...oh God, this is harder than I thought it would be..." Amber said. "...I...I really care about you...and I wish we could have been together. I'm sorry if what I just said just wrecked our friendship, but I had to tell you." It was too much for Amber; and with one last longing gaze she turned and walked off, trying to blink back her tears.
When she reached her room, she flung herself on her bed and buried her head in the covers. Why had she told him? What if he didn't feel the same way? Well, there was only one way to find out. Amber waited until she had calmed down a bit, and dried her eyes before setting off back to Bray's room.
"Bray I'm sorry, I shouldn't..."
"No, I'm glad you told me...I just want you to know that I feel the same way." He cut in. Amber breathed a sigh or relief, smiled, and walked nearer to Bray. "Amber, you shouldn't be..."
"I don't care. If you have the virus I want it too."
Bray knew he should stop her coming in, but knew she would just ignore him. As she reached him they hugged, and Amber rested her head on his shoulder.
Later that night Amber shifted closer to Bray, who was now asleep; and thought about how shocked the others would be when they found her in the morning.