1369 Words, this chapter.
Chapter Eight, Zombie
The team was in the kitchen, seated around the table. Emily made tea, and was pouring some in a cup for Matt. He had hold of her waist, massaging her back slowly. Connor and Abby sat side by side, making sandwiches. Becker had the EMD trunks beside him, checking that they were all recharged. Jess ate chocolate.
"The key is the fish," said Matt.
Abby nodded. "We need to study them. Find out exactly what is in the water."
"We tried, remember?" asked Becker. "We were rudely interrupted."
"I am not going back to that wreck of a fishing shack," said Jess.
The others laughed.
"No," said Matt. "I think we take Abby's suggestion."
"Lovely. We're going fishing," said Becker.
Jess groaned.
"We'll start here. There's a dock down the shore a little ways," said Abby.
"Can we get a boat?" asked Connor. "I don't trust these people. They'd probably give us one with a hole."
"I can get a boat," said Becker. He smiled, stroking the EMD.
Jess shook her head. "We don't want to rile the villagers up more, Becker."
"We talk to the mayor," said Matt. He smiled at Jess. "Or have our lovely field coordinator do it."
She blushed.
"She's not going into town without me," said Becker. He realized they were all smirking. "Um, no one is."
Matt smirked. "No, I agree."
"I'll call him," said Jess. "No trips to town needed."
"I don't know about that," Connor said. "We should get some biological samples of the affected villagers."
"I do not foresee them offering to volunteer the samples," said Emily.
Becker scoffed. "No." He smirked again. "I can get them."
"Becker, stop!" Jess cried, smacking him lightly.
He laughed.
"Actually," began Matt. "He may have to do just that."
Becker smiled. "I love it when we're on the same page."
Matt laughed.
"Won't the local clinic be testing the villagers?" asked Connor.
"They don't have the facilities for testing," said Jess. "Lester said he'd send a mobile medical lab from the ARC, if we have enough evidence to support the need."
"Then let's get some evidence," said Matt.
"So...our plan is to commandeer a boat, fish, and people," said Connor. "Nice."
"I like it."
"You would, Becker," Jess said, taking a large chocolate bite. "I hate this plan."
"Our options are quite limited," said Emily, now seated beside Matt.
"Yeah," he said, staring at his tea cup. He stretched. "It's late, and we've all had a...complicated day. Let's get some rest."
"I'll take watch."
"Watch?" asked Jess in alarm.
Matt smiled. "Becker, don't go overboard. You said yourself that this place is walled in."
"They still have access by road and boat."
Jess shuddered. "They...might come back?"
"The crazies might look us up too."
Jess' eyes widened.
"Becker, stop it," said Abby.
"I'm not trying to scare anyone," he said, looking at Jess, "but we have to be prepared. We weren't at the docks. Look what happened."
"I agree with the Captain," said Emily.
Matt sighed. "Fine. We'll take shifts, but I want us all rested."
"I will relieve the Captain in...three hours?"
"Fine with me, Emily," Becker said.
"I'll take over from you then," Matt said.
"By that time it should be morning," said Connor. He smiled. "We don't have to take a shift, Abs."
She laughed. "We'll do ours tomorrow."
"Everyone lends a hand," said Connor. "I guess." He looked less happy.
"Except for Jess."
Jess had gotten her laptop out. "I can do a watch, Becker." She smirked.
"What?"
"Well, if you'd bothered to include me in your little stakeout planning, I could have reassured you all,"
she said, turning the computer towards them. The cottage appeared, then the camera moved showing the yard, several meters of nearby coast, and even the surrounding cliffs, all in real time. "I have us covered."
Connor burst out laughing. Matt shook his head, chuckling.
Only Becker was still.
Jess smiled smugly. "Should I mention that I have a motion-triggered sensor installed all around our, what do you call it, Becker? Oh, yes...the perimeter." She smiled again.
Becker blushed.
"We'll get woken rudely from our sleep if anything gets close."
Becker shook his head, looking rather embarrassed.
"How's that, Captain?"
"I guess it will do."
Matt stood up. "As he said earlier, you're brilliant." Jess beamed. "Come on, let's all, and I mean all of us, get to bed."
Matt and Emily left first, then Connor and Abby a short time after. Only Jess and Becker remained.
"You did that on purpose."
"Did what, Becker?"
"Humiliated me."
She giggled. "Humiliate? Nah, and it wasn't just you. I showed all of you up."
He laughed. "True. Connor should have thought of it. He's slipping."
"He's got zombies on the brain." She sighed. "Halloween's over," she said sadly.
He chuckled. "I forgot all about it, what with our real-life horror story unfolding."
"True. I'll take fake vampires and little demons everyday over the real thing. Do you think...this is the real thing?"
"Jess, there's no such thing as zombies."
She giggled. "Right, of course not."
"Those people are sick. We'll figure it out."
She smiled adoringly at him. "Thank you."
He nodded.
She stood up. "OK, I'm off to bed. Coming?"
"In a minute. I have one more gun to charge."
She nodded.
"Besides, I should let you get settled first. I don't want you disturbing me when you fall out of the top bunk."
"I won't!"
He smirked. "Right."
She stamped her foot slightly, then had a thought. She bit her lip. "You're right, actually, I should get prepped and into bed before you. I don't want you to see me in my...nighty."
His eyebrow shot up. He looked up at her and she smiled. Then she said cheerfully, "Night!"
He watched her smirk, turn and toddle off to bed. He sighed.
Several hours later, Becker had finally manged to doze off. It was hard to relax, with worries of security mixing with sexy images of Jess' nightgown in his mind. He had no idea what she was wearing; she was settled into the top bunk when he went to bed.
So he was annoyed when he was jarred awake.
By a thunk, then a slight yell.
"You fell out, didn't you?" he asked.
There was a slight pause. "No."
He chuckled and sat up. "Did you hurt yourself?"
"No."
"Let me check you out anyway."
"Excuse me? 'Check' me out?"
He got up, moved to the light switch and flicked it on. She saw his smirk, then a look of disappointment when he saw her. She laid on the ground, in her night wear: an orange and purple tee shirt top and matching capri bottoms.
"You're cruel."
She giggled and got up.
"Are you sure you're fine, Jess?"
"Yes, I'm just...embarrassed."
"I knew you'd fall."
"Thank you, Becker."
He laughed. "Let's trade bunks."
"No. I won't fall again," she said, moving to the small ladder.
He stood in her way. "Sorry, Jess, but I need my sleep. You're demoted to the bottom." He didn't even wait for an answer as he began to climb.
She stomped her foot. "You're just bitter because I played that trick on you with my pajamas."
"Like I said, you're cruel." He spread out on the top bunk.
Jess sighed and switched off the lights, then settled into the bottom. It smelled like him. 'Great,' she thought, 'how am I supposed to drift off with his delicious scent all around me? It's all warm and...safe...' She didn't finish her thought. She fell asleep, dreaming that she was in his arms.
Becker was having similar thoughts, but they unsettled him. Her light, flower and chocolate aroma enveloped him. He couldn't even breathe into the pillow without thinking of her and...fantasizing.
"It's going to be a long night."
End of Chapter Eight
