Hi guys - it's time for a new chapter. A long one. Hope you enjoy it. And thanks again for letting me know how you think I'm doing with this story. Your comments mean a lot to me. Very Strange Things is a hell of a lot of fun to write. I hopefully have some interesting plans on where it's going to go from here! And one last thing, as 1818 mentioned in their very kind review, the stuff about the other viruses is all true. ABL ... Hendra ... ebola ... and the bat connection. Scary stuff. I have a healthy fear of bats as a result of studying this stuff. I read about Hendra breaking out in Australia several years ago. It's worrying to learn that it has struck again. On that cheery note – sleep tight everyone ... don't let the bed bugs/bats bite ;) - FCBC x
VERY STRANGE THINGS:
Chapter 7
Joey stood inside the cubicle staring down at the tissue dispenser. She decided to gather a handful of them and she stuffed them into her pocket. It had been a day of many tears, and her gut feeling told her that there would probably be a lot more before the end of the day. The morning that she had spent lying blissfully happy in bed with Charlie now seemed like a distant memory. So much had happened since then. Had she believed in a supernatural higher power, she was convinced that she would be asking them what she'd done so wrong to deserve a fate such as this. Within one single day of finally being together with the woman of her dreams, their whole world had fallen apart. But on the other hand, 93 percent of the world's population had received a much worse fate than her and Charlie, according to Rachel. It made her think about her own mortality. And it made her suddenly feel very sad for humankind. Surely the virus had brought humanity the brink of extinction - and the survivors were now having to fight to stay alive against the biters and whatever else was lurking out there.
Her thoughts brought more tears to her eyes and she took another tissue from the dispenser to wipe them. She opened the door and stepped out, immediately becoming aware that someone was standing outside the next the cubicle – inches away from her. She turned her head slowly to look at them. As their eyes met, Joey froze in fear. The woman staring back at her was the most terrifying thing she had ever seen. Her face was a mixture of red and purple lesions, and it was very swollen. Around her mouth was encrusted with dried blood. Joey knew immediately that she was a biter – and the pangs of dread coursing through her multiplied as she realised she was about to be attacked. The infected woman did not move an inch. It was as if Joey's stare had locked her in a trance-like state.
Joey remained motionless, her mind racing and her heart pounding. What was she to do? How would she get out of there? She tried to think if she'd seen any items nearby that she could use as a weapon – but couldn't remember seeing anything! She noticed a large bump on the woman's head. It looked like she'd been knocked unconscious earlier. Would she have the strength to hit her? Would that be enough to allow her to make her escape?
She slowly clenched her right fist, trying to move as little as possible. Staying still seemed to be staving off an attack – for now. She gathered as much courage as she could and swung her arm as hard as her strength would allow. The woman immediately took a step back and blocked the incoming punch. Joey swung harder with he other arm, but that was blocked too, and was replied with a hard punch to the ribs. She groaned in agony. It was just her luck to come face-to-face with an virulent kung fu expert, she thought!
Immediately the woman lunged at her, growling and baring her yellow and bloodied teeth, which were headed straight for Joey's neck. Joey fell backwards onto the hard tiled floor as the woman landed on top of her. She put her arms up to defend herself, pressing against the biter's chest as hard as she could. The woman snarled and snapped her teeth repeatedly. It was the scariest sound Joey had ever heard – from a human. She'd only ever heard dogs make that noise before.
"HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLP," she screamed in terror. Would anyone hear her?
The woman's mouth came closer and closer to Joey's neck as her ability to fight her off weakened. She was sure she was going to be bitten. Was this how she was going to go out? At the hands of a hungry, blood-soaked infected human being? As images of her own death flashed through her mind she thought about the woman she loved. She couldn't allow herself to die – not now. Who would take care of Charlie? Blood dripped from the mouth of the infected woman – all over Joey's white t-shirt. Joey tried to push the images out of her mind, knowing how the sight of blood made her feel. Fainting at that moment was not an option. Thoughts of Charlie gave her a new-found strength, and she pushed the woman upwards, then shoved her sideways, knocking her head hard against the sink. It dazed her, allowing Joey time to sit up. She grabbed the woman by the head and rammed it against the tiled wall. This time it worked, and she collapsed to the floor – unconscious once again. At the same moment, the bathroom door flung wide open and Hugo rushed in, followed by Martha.
Joey pushed her attacker off from on top of her and slumped back against the wall in exhaustion. Hugo rushed over and pushed the woman further back away from her. He looked in horror at her grotesque face. Martha's eyes were transfixed on her – her mouth wide open. It was the first time either of them had seen one of the infected. Up until now they had only heard the stories told by others. The floor was now stained with blood and saliva from the woman's dribbling mouth.
"What the hell took you so long?" Joey gasped, out of breath. She felt her own ribcage to check for injury. A shooting pain made her cry out and it was so bad that she knew some of her ribs had been broken when the woman punched her.
"Oh great!" she groaned. She looked up at Hugo. "Well? Help me up ... Superman!"
He didn't mind the sarcasm.
"Sorry Joey ... we came as fast as we could." He took her by the arm and helped her to he feet.
Joey looked down at the woman, who now had two fresh bumps on her head.
Martha stayed by the door, too terrified to come any further. She stared down at the bloodied mess of a human being lying on the floor below them. "Oh my god ... look at her," she said in horror. "Did the virus do that?"
Joey glanced at her and nodded.
"Where the hell did she come from?" said Hugo.
"Straight from karate class ... I'm guessing," said Joey. "She broke my ribs ... the bitch!" She touched them again. "Ow!"
Alf appeared at the door, seeing the disfigured and swollen face of the infected woman.
"Strewth! What the hell happened?"
"I was nearly a late lunch ... that's what happened," muttered Joey as she walked past him back towards the main room. "She needs to be locked somewhere secure. I don't wanna be around when she wakes up again." She stopped and turned back to look at Alf again. "Got anywhere? A store room or something? With a lock?"
Alf stood there staring down at the woman with his mouth wide open. He hadn't even heard Joey's questions – and just stood there in a daze.
"ALF!" she shouted.
He jumped with fright at the loudness of Joey's voice and turned to looked at her.
"We need to lock her up ... NOW," she said. "Where do you have?"
He tried to clear his mind and think of a place to put her. "Ehh ... I have a supplies room I can empty. We can put her in there."
"Okay ... lets go do it," she said, continuing her walk to the main room.
Alf just stood there, still unable to take it all in. Joey turned around to speak to him, realising he hadn't moved.
"ALF!" she yelled impatiently. It startled him again. "COME ON!" she pleaded.
He shook his head to awaken him from the nightmare that he was now convinced he was stuck in, then followed Joey quickly to the other room.
--------x--------
Charlie's car slowly turned onto the road on which the The Diner was located. They could see that someone was standing outside the front door, eagerly looking through the glass, trying to get inside. As they neared they could see the horrid redness of their skin - an infected man. Charlie cut the engine immediately, so as not to alert him to their presence. She shook her head in dismay. What was she to do now? How would she get inside to find Ruby?
She took out her phone and called her again, hoping that the signal would be stronger from such a short distance. Ruby answered -
"Charlie?"
"RUBY ... I'm outside. Where are you?"
"I'm hiding under a table."
"Where's Roman ... Is he with you?"
"He's outside."
"WHAT?"
"He's at the door. Something's wrong with him. His skin is ... horrible! AND HE'S TRYING TO KILL ME!"
Charlie's jaw dropped as she leaned closer to the car window to get a better look. The infected man standing outside the diner was indeed Roman Harris – and he looked terrible! His former 'GI Joe' good looks had been destroyed by a lifeform 100 times smaller than bacteria – the tiniest of assassins. Her stomach knotted at the thought of her former lover now trying to hurt her little sister. She was overwhelmed with mixed emotions – sad that Roman had succumbed to the virus in the worst possible way, but determined to protect Ruby from him, at all costs. She took out her gun and checked that the safety was off.
Watson had heard every word Ruby had said. "Oh shit! What do we do?"
Rachel's explanation of the effects of the virus resounded in Charlie's head as she prepared to face up to her now-terrifying, ex-SAS, ex-boyfriend. It now made perfect sense. Leah had said that Roman ran off to 'get Ruby.' It was now obvious that he had been infected at the time he ran after her, and that feeling had become his curse.
"Ruby ... are you able to unlock the door?"
"Yes ... I think so."
"Okay ... I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay put ... okay?"
"Okay, Charlie ... be careful. I love you."
"I love you too ... and I'm getting you out of there. Is there anyone else with you?"
"No. I'm alone."
Charlie could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes. Her poor sister. What had she been through? She couldn't bear to think about it. Suddenly she remembered the most important of Rachel's words.
"Ruby ... are you infected?"
"WHAT?"
"Check behind your ears. Do you have any marks or sores on your skin?" Charlie waited for an answer, hoping the reply would be yes. If so, Ruby would already be immune.
"I can't feel anything."
Charlie hung her head low. If Ruby had escaped the infection until now, she didn't want to be the one to pass it on to her. She might not survive it. Suddenly Charlie remembered something. Where the marks appear, the skin feels numb. Maybe Ruby had them, but could not feel them.
"Rubes ... I need you to find a mirror and check properly ... okay?"
"I'M NOT MOVING, CHARLIE. Roman will see me."
Charlie swore at herself in frustration. Shit! She needed to think of a plan – fast.
"Okay Rubes? Listen to me ... I'll distract him. Can you see him now?"
"Yes!"
"Okay ... as soon as you see him move ... get to a mirror ... then hide again as soon as you can. I'll call you back."
"Okay."
They hung up.
"What are you going to do, Charlie?" asked Watson with a deeply wrinkled brow.
Charlie glanced at her. "I don't know ... ... .... whatever it takes to get her out of there."
Watson had worked with Charlie many times. She knew that 'whatever it takes' meant just that!
Charlie looked at her again. "If he gets too close ... lock the doors."
"WHY ... WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?" she asked again, her voice becoming high-pitched. She was beginning to panic at the idea of Roman bounding towards her in a fit of rage.
"I'm going to put him down," replied Charlie.
Watson looked shocked. "You mean ... 'put him down' in the veterinary sense of the word?"
"Only if I have to," she replied, stepping out of the car.
Watson's heart raced, as did Charlie's.
"ROMAN!" she shouted – waving her arms to get his attention.
Roman turned to face her. Charlie could now see the full extent of his affliction. It was horrifying. He'd been such a good looking guy and now he looked freakish. She fixed her stance and held her gun outstretched, awaiting for him to run towards her in attack.
Her plan did not work. Roman ignored her and turned back to look inside, his eyes searching again for Ruby.
Of course, realised Charlie. Roman was infected when he went looking for her, and Ruby was now the ONLY one he wanted. She quickly thought of something else.
"ROMAN!" she called again.
He turned to face her once more. As soon as he did, Charlie fired two shots, one into each of his upper legs. He fell to the ground instantly. Charlie hoped that anyone infected with Rohella would be susceptible to bullets in the same way that regular human beings were. She'd seen many movies where virus-ridden people suddenly had superhuman strength. She watched as he writhed in agony, growling and hissing.
Charlie took out her phone and called her sister, keeping one eye on Roman, whose arms were reaching up towards the window – he was still determined to find his victim.
"Charlie ... what the hell are these things? I look like I've got chicken pox," said Ruby as soon as she answered.
Charlie let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Open the door, sweetie ... I'm outside. But be careful."
Charlie ran towards the entrance. As she approached, she heard the door unlocking. Ruby was behind it. She swung the door open.
"CHARLIE," she squealed, grinning widely at her sister. Suddenly she noticed Roman just feet away from her and froze in fear.
As soon as he saw her, his arms began flailing around in desperation to reach her.
"Charlie ... I can't get past him!" she cried.
Charlie thought for a few seconds. "Rubes ... take a few steps back ... I'll distract him ... then take a run up ... and jump over him. I'll grab you."
Ruby did as she was told. Charlie quickly decided a distraction was not good enough, so she moved closer to him and kicked him hard in the chest, then punched him in the face. Her attack knocked him unconscious.
"NOW RUBY!" she yelled.
Ruby ran and leapt over him, landing firmly against the arms of her big sister. They moved away and held one another tight. Tears of joy streamed down both of their faces.
Charlie gazed into her eyes. "I thought I'd lost you," she said tenderly. "Are you okay?"
Ruby nodded and hugged her even more tightly, burying her face against Charlies neck. Charlie looked down again at her ex. "Sorry, Roman," she said, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.
A look of delight spread across Watson's face as she watched the happy reunion. However, it quickly turned to utter terror again as she caught sight of the movement behind Charlie and Ruby at the bottom of the road.
She unlocked the car and scrambled out. "CHARLIE ... HURRY ... BEHIND YOU!" she yelled, waving her arms and pointing towards the end of the road.
Charlie and Ruby both turned around. Running towards them were more infected people than they could possibly count!
Charlie grabbed her sister by the hand and ran back in the direction of the car. Watson opened the doors for them, then pumped the shotgun, in case she needed to use it.
"I hope you're not broken, Annie," she muttered under her breath.
Charlie and Ruby clambered into the car, shutting the doors tight behind them. Charlie turned the key in the ignition. It started first time.
"RUBY ... SEATBELT!" commanded the elder of the Bucktons.
Ruby did as she was told. Charlie sped the car forward, directly towards the oncoming pursuers.
"CHARLIE ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" yelled Watson.
"An experiment," she replied calmly.
"CHRIST ... THIS IS NO TIME FOR A SCIENCE PROJECT!" Watson cried, squirming nervously in her seat.
As they sped toward their sickly aggressors, they braced themselves for impact. Watson had visions of people bouncing off the bonnet of the car, breaking the front windscreen. Right at the last moment, the infected ran off to the side, away from them, then turned and chased their car again.
Charlie glanced at them in her wing mirror as they faded into the distance behind them. "Hmmm!" she said, raising her eyebrow.
Watson looked at her incredulously. "And what exactly did that prove?"
Charlie turned to face her. "That they're infected ... but not stupid. They had the sense to move out of the way."
Watson sat back in her seat, thinking about Charlie's words. She'd been right.
"Charlie ... what's happening?" asked Ruby, still trying to catch her breath. "What happened to Roman? Why did he attack me? And what was wrong with his skin?"
"We'll explain everything when we get back to the Surf Club."
--------x--------
"Quickly ...," urged Joey, "before she wakes up again."
Hugo and Alf struggled to drag the infected woman from the bathroom to the storage room. Joey, Martha, Leah and Alf had cleared it completely. Rachel had stayed in the main room talking to VJ, trying to make his day seem as normal as possible. She also was keeping an eye on Bill. He had fallen asleep.
The store room had a window, but they'd all agreed it would be much too high for the woman to reach from the ground. It led to an upstairs room. They could observe her when she woke up. Rachel suggested they might be able to learn something from her behaviour – to help understand the virus better.
Once they had her inside, Alf and Hugo ran out again as fast as they could. Joey smiled to herself at their hasty exit. Alf locked it, then put a plank of wood through both of the door handles.
"Bit of extra security," he said, winking at Joey. It made her giggle.
Her laughter was the first any of them had heard since they'd arrived there. It was refreshing – and also soothing. They all felt safer knowing that the infected woman was now safely locked up.
They all gathered in the main room and sat down together. With the danger inside dealt with, Joey immediately began to worry about Charlie again. Something else was on her mind.
"Alf ... did you see her when she came in? The woman?"
He shook his head. "No, love. I thought the place was empty. I wonder who she is."
Hugo suddenly remembered something and reached into his pocket. "Maybe this'll tell us." He brought out a purse. "It was lying on the floor beside her. Must have fallen out of her pocket when she fell." He handed it to Joey.
Joey opened it up and looked inside. "Zara Snyder ... according to her credit card."
Joey looked inside at her other credentials. She pulled out another card. It said 'New South Wales Tae Kwon Do - Instructor'
"HA .... I KNEW IT!" she exclaimed. The sudden outcry sent a shooting pain through her ribcage. "Owwww!"
Rachel looked at her – deeply concerned. "Joey ... are you okay?"
Joey gave her a faint smile. "She punched me in the ribs," she said, nodding her head in the direction of the store room.
"Let me take a look," said Rachel as she slid onto the chair beside her.
"It's okay, Rachel ... it only hurts ... eh ... when I breathe," she said, trying to dismiss the seriousness of her injury with humour. It was one of Joey's way of coping with hardships.
Rachel was now very concerned. "Well now I DEFINITELY have to check you out. Lift up your t-shirt."
Joey reluctantly did as she was asked. As she rolled her t-shirt upwards she felt a little embarrassed. Everyone else was watching them.
Rachel caught sight of the huge bruise on Joey's chest. It was black, purple and red, and was about the same size as Zara Snyder's fist.
Rachel touched it gently with her fingers. Joey recoiled. It hurt.
"Sorry," said Rachel. She moved her fingers around to check for abnormalities.
A face appeared at the front door, startling Joey. She flinched, sending more pain through her body, but her soreness was instantly forgotten the moment she recognised who it was.
"CHARLIE!" she cried.
Charlie smiled at her, then gave her a questioning look when she noticed Rachel's hand underneath Joey's t-shirt! Joey jumped up off the chair to let her in. She shrieked with joy when she saw Ruby standing beside her - grinning. Leah rushed to help Joey undo all the locks. The door swung open and Charlie rushed inside, throwing her arms around Joey and squeezing her tight.
"Aaaaaaagh!" groaned Joey as Charlie's over-enthusiasm hurt her even more.
Charlie let go and looked at her - concerned. "What is it? You okay?"
Joey smiled at her through gritted teeth. "Long story. Sit down and I'll tell you all about it. We had a surprise guest while you were out."
"Where's Roman?" said Leah, eagerly waiting for him to walk through the door.
Charlie looked at her with sad eyes, and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Leah. He wasn't immune."
Her heart broke and she lowered her head as the tears in her eyes quickly formed. "Did you see him?" she whispered softly.
Charlie nodded. She had sensed that Leah and Roman must have become much closer lately. Nobody else realised, but couldn't bring herself to tell Leah all about his virus-driven pursuit of her little sister, or how she'd had to shoot him in both of his legs, then knock him out with her feet and fists.
Joey hugged Leah tight. Leah reciprocated, then pulled away and walked over to the other side of the room to mourn for her new boyfriend alone.
Charlie moved over to one of the soft seats. Ruby hugged Joey and VJ. Everyone told her how glad they were to see that she was still alive and that her skin was mostly free from lumps and bumps.
Ten immune survivors had become eleven. Joey went to fetch a cold drink for Charlie and herself. Charlie sat in the corner of the room, watching as Leah sat down in a corner and took a tissue from her pocket. Everyone else talked and hugged her sister. Ruby was so precious to her, and she felt she could relax a little better knowing that she was safe – and immune to Rohella. Now she worried about her dad again, and she took out her phone and called his number. The weak signal prevented her from even trying to get through to him. Something told her he was okay, possibly even immune. After all, she and Ruby had immunity – maybe he had too. She hoped that he was somewhere safe.
Joey sat down beside her with two iced soft drinks, complete with straws, umbrellas and pieces of fruit garnish around the rim.
Charlie giggled at her artistic bartending skills.
"You deserve it," smiled Joey. "Drink up." They took a sip and sat looking around at their friends.
Joey waited until she and Charlie had settled and enjoyed most of their drinks before she told her all about Zara Snyder and the bathroom incident.
"Oh god Joey ... are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
"Not as much as I hurt her. She's in there now ... nursing the bumps on her head," she said, pointing to the store.
Charlie sat up straight and began to fidget. She eyed the store room door, uncomfortable at the thought of an infected person so close to them.
"Don't worry about her. She's locked up," Joey reassured her. "I told her to think long and hard about what she'd done ... and when she's truly sorry ... we'd talk about it ... a sort of 'kiss and make up' kind of thing!"
Charlie grinned at the big white lie. "You seem to be taking this all in your stride."
Joey shrugged her shoulders. "It's amazing how several brushes with death in one day can give you a whole new outlook on life. The way I see it? Living with the infected is just how things are gonna be from now on ... or until they find a cure. No point in moping about it. No point in crying about it. Just get on with it. They're here ... they're DEFINITELY queer ... and they want to bite your ear!"
She finished her little speech with a grin, then he raised her glass, as if to make a toast.
Charlie reciprocated with a smile on her face - reminded once again of exactly why she loved this girl so much.
To be continued ...
