8 months later.
"You need help?"
Sarah looked up smirking from the bonfire on the beach they had built. McDermott had insisted on carrying the basket full of dishes and glasses back to the main building of the resort before cleaning up and heading off to bed. Sitting across from John underneath the star lit sky, the two of them enjoyed the remainder of the evening listening to the crashing waves, and feeling the warm breeze surround them, causing the flickering flames to dance and twitch about. Sitting there, Sarah and John had been talking. The last few months had been a Heaven sent for the three of them. They had made this tiny little resort and island their home, planting gardens to grow food, and spending most days at the beach building, fishing, swimming, reading, and relaxing. They were safe, they were happy, and most of all...they were alive. Sarah smiled across at John and shook her head.
"No, I might stay out here a little longer, I'll take care of the fire."
John warmly smiled back at her before looking at her large swollen pregnant stomach that stuck out perfectly in a round bump beneath the white T-shirt she was wearing. They had been tracking her pregnancy closely, and it would be any day now. After many days of talking with John and McDermott, Sarah decided she was in fact going to keep the baby. McDermott didn't pass any judgement when he learned of who the father was. Instead he dropped his eyes and softly asked if she had been raped. Shaking her head she said it was just once, it was a mistake, but it wasn't this child's fault. She planned on raising this baby, with them as it's fathers, never learning about Rhodes or what happened back there. Both friends had been supportive throughout the whole thing, and actually began getting excited. For Sarah these months were filled with vivid nightmares. She watched as she got sick in the morning, usually running off to the bushes where nobody could see her, or for the first time ever feeling the tiny kicks inside of her. She knew that this baby was special. It was the beginning of something new, and she was going to make damn sure she didn't mess this up. She had spoken with John and said she had a change of heart when they actually escaped. She figured Rhodes was dead, and wanted to start over like he said.
At least try to give it a chance.
She confessed it would be hard carrying this man's baby, but she wouldn't see him in it, she would see her. They all promised to look out for her, and awaited it's arrival closely. John said he couldn't wait to see it's beautiful sparking eyes.
"You been dreaming about him haven't you?"
Sarah glanced up, almost completely taken off guard by this remark. Knowing she couldn't hide anything from John, she had become very honest in these last few months left of her pregnancy. She loved both John and McDermott. The three of them were a team. Perhaps the last of humanity for all she knew. John fascinated her. He was a mystery, and she felt strangely attracted to him as well as safe in his presence. Most nights, she would stretch out, fingers drumming on her swollen pregnant stomach, feeling the baby shift and kick inside of her while she was lulled to sleep by the rich smooth sound of John's voice. It was like music to her ears and she felt as if she could hear him talk for hours. He was her best friend, and had been very supportive about her choice in keeping the baby. Originally Sarah blamed it on two main reasons. One being the risk of abortion was too much. That there was no safe way of doing it now. The other was that if they really were the only ones left, they would indeed need to start over, even if the future was unknown. This child was conceived by an outside party, and might be the last hopeful step in truly starting over. Or at least that's what she hoped. Still, it seemed as if John knew the real reason. That the tiny bit of good that had been in Rhodes before Alex was killed might have been passed on. That if there was any real way to move on from the horrible events that happened down in the bunker, if there could be any evidence that all of that time down there hadn't been for nothing...it might be starting over with this baby. Looking at John from across the flames, she knew he could read her like a book. Swallowing, she sighed before nodding.
"Yeah, a lot lately."
"Dreams or nightmares Sarah daddy?"
"Nightmares mostly..."
"About what?"
"Alex...I dream I'm Rhodes, and what happened the night she died...well things are different."
"How so?"
"I dream that it's just an hour after Alex was found and...
Rhodes was sedated and laying in Dr. Logan's lab. Laying there pale, and unaware of the horrible reality and grief that's awaiting him when he wakes. For the time being he's asleep, numb to it all, and actually looking like a half decent human being. Sarah un buttons his blood stained jacket, and slips the stethoscope underneath his olive green military issued T-shirt. She listens, pausing, feeling his chest slowly rise and fall beneath her own hand. She rests the stethoscope against his chest hair, and hears the faint steady flutter of his heartbeat. She watches the clock mounted on the wall, waits, and stands back lowering the earbuds.
"Heartbeat is regular."
She goes to take his blood pressure but Major Cooper tells her to leave him be. As long as he'll snap out of it. Sarah looks down at Rhodes' pale face and sighs.
"It's shock. He'll be awake in less than an hour or so, then be groggy after that."
Sarah remembered Dr. Logan stripping the plastic off the new syringe as the men held Rhodes down against one of the tables. She remembered how earlier he had struggled, thrashing his head from side to side, swearing at them to get off of him. She watched helpless as Logan injected him with the shot, drugging him to settle down. Rhodes swore Logan and the others up and down before finally his struggles seemed weaker and weaker. Finally his limbs went limp, and his eyes shut. Seconds later, Logan checked his pulse and said he was sedated.
All the meanwhile Alex's bloody laid in a puddle just a few feet away. Both her body and Anderson's had been brought back to the lab. Both laying on steel wheeling tables Logan usually used to operate on. Both corpses were covered with a blood stained sheet, waiting for further disposable, while the others cleaned up the mess hall. Cooper lit a cigar, looking at Rhodes before shaking his head. Circles were under each of his eyes and he looked one step closer to a heart attack.
"Jesus Christ..."
Sarah glanced at the table across the way, holding with Anderson and Alex. She still couldn't seem to wrap her mind around what happened.
"Logan, you check on the men...we'll stay here and keep an eye on Rhodes. When he wakes up he's going to be madder than Hell, have another one of those needles ready to dope him up doc, I want him settled down and able to make sense over what happened in case he loses it."
"Major..."
Sarah began before Cooper waved his hand at her annoyed, ignoring her as he continued speaking to Logan.
"We'll deal with the bodies in a bit, you just make sure that hall is spotless, and get more dope ready. Rhodes has every right to be rip roaring mad, but I'm not about to let his grief be responsible for somebody getting hurt understand?"
Logan dropped his eyes as he filled another syringe, leaving it on his tray of instruments near the counter.
"Of course Major..."
With that Logan hurried out before Sarah turned, hands on her hips. She felt awful and wanted a nice hot shower and to climb into her bunk, Miguel or no Miguel. Today had been awful, and she had not only lost the only other female here, but her friend as well. Sighing, she placed her hands on her hips and faced Cooper.
"You need me here?"
Cooper puffed on his cigar.
"Yeah, help keep watch, he'll be awake soon I think and I need someone to help hold him down before we dope him up again."
"I could give him the shot now..."
Cooper shook his head. "He needs for it to wear off a bit and to let the shock settle in. Only way he'll be able to deal with it. You've always had a steady head on your shoulders lady, we'll try talking to him then give him a mercy shot. Poor bastard might as well be numb to what really happened after all."
Sarah didn't understand Cooper's methods. She was a practical woman, but still after how horrible Rhodes had reacted, mostly after shooting Anderson the way he did, it could be dangerous to allow him to be hit with the shock of everything all over again. Instead, she knew better to question Cooper's orders. Instead she simply agreed and stayed in the lab, taking a seat, and keeping her mind busy by flipping through paperwork she still needed to fill out. Sitting there, the only sounds that surrounded them was the ticking of Cooper's wristwatch, and Rhodes' steady light breathing. Sarah tried to focus, doing anything she could to forget how horrible the mess hall had looked. How Alex, her friend had looked laying there on the cement floor, throat completely torn open. Just yesterday they had stood side by side, wrapped in towels, blowdrying their hair and talking like old friends. Now she was laying a few feet away dead. Murdered. Why didn't anyone listen about Anderson?
Couldn't they see how dangerous he was? Instantly her thoughts turned to Miguel and she pushed them away. No, it wouldn't ever get that bad. She wouldn't allow it. Right? Cooper continued to smoke his cigar, the smell mixed with the chemicals from the lab turning Sarah's stomach. Instead of talking, or even looking up at him, Sarah continued writing, not really seeing the numbers she wrote down with the scratch of her pen. Finally an hour or so later, Rhodes started to come around. Cooper was the first to notice it, instantly flicking down the soggy butt of his cigar onto the floor and standing. Sarah raised an eyebrow, before setting down her clipboard and standing as well, feeling her back pop as she stretched and walked over by his side. Taking his wrist, she felt his pulse, before Rhodes' eyes shifted back and forth underneath his closed lids.
After a few seconds, he finally opened his eyes, squinting at first by the overhead lights. Cooper and Sarah exchanged a look before Cooper sighed and leaned over him.
"Jim...Jim...open your eyes."
Rhodes slowly opened them again, clearly still drugged from the first shot. After a second his eyes focused before they shifted and stared up at Sarah and Cooper.
"How...long...have I been out?"
His voice cracked, sounding dry and uneven. Sighing, Cooper shrugged.
"Few hours, try to sit up."
With help from Cooper, Rhodes slowly sat up, swinging his legs off the table. Sitting there, his hand went to his temple and roughly rubbed it, making some of his near perfectly styled dark hair to mess up out of place. Seeing him like this, Sarah saw that Rhodes was really when it came down to it a human. Nothing more, nothing less. A human at the end of the world who had just witnessed the woman he love get murdered. Pity filled her heart as she stared at his pale face, seeing that beneath it all he was just a small broken man, who's loud voice covered up for the lack of everything else. She had seen glimpses of the real Rhodes beneath it all, and her heart broke for him. Now with Alex gone, he seemed like an empty shell.
"Jim...do you remember what happened?"
Cooper asked, one arm still on Rhodes' shoulder. Slowly Rhodes' eyes shifted up, and Sarah saw hate beneath them.
"She's dead."
He said flatly. Cooper glanced quickly at Sarah, before returning back to Rhodes, uncomfortable.
"Yes...Alex is dead."
"Anderson killed her."
Rhodes said, still staring up at them. Sarah dropped her eyes, hearing the hollow sound of his words. There was no mention of the shooting that followed afterwards. They all stood together, before Cooper shook his head.
"I'm sorry Jim, I know how much you cared for her and you had every right to kill that crazy bastard. I'm just sorry it went down this way."
Just then Rhodes' posture changed. His eyes narrowed as he sat up straighter, looking over Sarah and Cooper's shoulders. Instantly they widened. Slowly, Sarah and Cooper turned, looking in the same direction. There Sarah felt her heart sink. Just a few feet away was the table holding Anderson's shot up corpse, as well as Alex's stabbed one. Anderson had been shot several times in the face by Rhodes, destroying anything that was left of his skull. Alex on the other hand had just been stabbed in the neck. She had died...and in typical fashion just a few hours later, her body was returning. Sarah watched as the blood stained sheet that had been draped over Alex's body began to slowly twitch.
The three of them all stood frozen as the sheet slipped off and fell to the floor. There laid Alex. Her hair still tied back in a loose ponytail, her skin a grayish blue, her lips, eyelids, and vines a dark ugly purple. Even in death there was a strange sort of beauty about her as her eyes opened, revealing glassy dead orbs. She laid there staring up at nothing for a moment before slowly her upper half raises. Sitting, she stared at them. Her neck was chewed open from the fork that had killed her, open revealing the ugly dark meat beneath it. Her blouse and jeans soaked with drying blood, splattered everywhere. She stared forward, and instantly her glazed over eyes fixed on Rhodes.
"Jesus Christ..."
Cooper whispered. Alex slowly cocked her head to the side, still staring straight at Rhodes. Slowly, very slowly her blood stained arm lifted, and her hand opened up, reaching forward towards them. Before Rhodes could even speak, Cooper reached to his belt and drew out his pistol. Aiming it at Alex, he looked heartbroken before he pulled the trigger. Alex flew backwards as the echoed shot rang through the lab and she flew backwards destroyed. Sarah jumped in surprise, her eyes filled with tears. Rhodes stared speechless, his eyes eyes glimmered with tears before his hand weakly clutched his chest.
"I..."
He started before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell backwards in a heavy slump. Instantly Sarah let out a loud unhinged breath before the awful scent of blood and gun powder filled the air. Turning away from Alex's fallen corpse, she couldn't believe it. She had seen several people return even if they hadn't been bitten, but honestly believed whatever illness that was causing this had ceased. Now before her very own eyes she had watched Alex's corpse return, bloody, and the empty former self of what she once was. She was no younger that pretty vibrant young woman that had brought so much life down here for all of them. She was just another corpse, now put out of it's misery.
Instantly she turned and looked at Rhodes, not liking what she was seeing. He laid there completely still, one arm fallen off the table, hanging down low and lifeless like a doll. Instantly she knew something was wrong. Springing into action, Sarah pressed her two fingers against the side of Rhodes' neck and felt for a pulse.
Nothing. Then a faint slow flutter.
"Jesus..." She said instantly running towards the crash cart, praying to God that it would still work. Cooper, still halfway stunned over what he had done blinked, as if awaking from a deep dream.
"What?"
"He's having a heart attack I think..."
"What?!"
"Wheel that tray over quick!"
Sarah snapped, rushing around and yanking supplies off a shelf that several items crashed down. Grabbing what she needed, she worked fast, trying to zero in on the problem. As she hurried around, Cooper met her with the crash cart, looking as if he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Grabbing the paddles, she cranked the dials, waited until they charged up to 500, and pulled up Rhodes' shirt. His dog tags fell to the side, as she knew there wasn't time to lay anything down. This would simply have to be skin on skin. Brow wrinkling, she pressed the paddles down against his chest, positioned how she learned in medical school, and nodded her head to Cooper.
"When those lights turn green, press the blue button in the middle!"
"What?"
"The blue button damnit, but wait!"
She watched as the lights went to red, orange, yellow, then climbed to green. Nodding her head quickly she shouted...
"NOW!"
Cooper jammed his thumb down on the blue button before Sarah pressed the paddles down and heard the loud surge of energy go jolting into Rhodes' system. Instantly his body twitched. Resting the paddles down, Sarah felt for the pulse, and couldn't find it. Frustrated, she tilted his head up, pressing his nose shut, and opening his mouth. With a deep breath she breathed deeply down his throat before mentally counting. Turning her head again she waited, before making a hard fist and pounding it on top of Rhodes' chest. Waiting another second she breathed again, before this time lacing her hands together and counting as she began pumping down on his chest. Cooper stood back helpless before Sarah glanced up at the clock.
"Charging again..."
She turned the dial of the machine, got the paddles ready and stood back. Cooper this time didn't need to be told as he pressed the button and Sarah shocked Rhodes again. This time when she felt for a pulse she felt it racing quickly at an alarming rate. Grabbing the large syringe, she filled it while Cooper watched and positioned it above roughly where Rhodes' heart was. Jamming it down, the needle sank deep before she pushed down on the plunger. Instantly as soon as soon as she withdrew the needle, Rhodes' eyes flew open in pure shock. Standing back in awe, both Sarah and Cooper watched before Rhodes large and uncertain eyes shifted from side to side. Slowly he looked over, meeting their eyes, before he shot up like a bullet.
"Whoa, easy there..."
Cooper tried to warn, but instead Rhodes looked down at his chest. Sarah shifted from one foot to another, honestly having no idea why she had been to determined to save this bastard's life. Looking at him, his hair messy, his usually tanned face pale. Sliding off the table, his shirt fell back down, and his chains clinked. Cooper tried to speak again but he ignored it. Instead on unsteady feet he slowly made his way over to the table that housed Alex's freshly destroyed corpse.
Sarah and Cooper watched before Rhodes stopped, looking down at the freshly blood splatter, and stared down at the girl he had currently been sleeping with for the last few months. Silently he cupped his hand against her cold blood splattered face. His eyes hardened before his hand raised and gently swept her glazed eyes shut. Carefully, he lifted the bloody sheet, and draped it back down over her.
"Rhodes..."
Cooper began, but Rhodes didn't say a word. Instead he turned and looked at the two of them.
"I don't want that scumbag buried anywhere near her...you understand?"
Cooper sighed and nodded.
"Of course."
With that, Rhodes rubbed his sore chest and looked around, almost as if suddenly overwhelmed. Finally his eyes landed on Sarah.
"I'm heading to my quarters, bring some of that dope with you lady."
Sarah glanced at Cooper who simply nodded. Just then the door swung open, as Dr. Logan returned. Instantly his eyes fell on Rhodes. Before he could say anything, Cooper simply waved his hand to cut off any further questions. Sighing, he motioned to the two covered bodies.
"Dr. Logan volunteered to take care of everything. Isn't that right Dr. Logan?"
Dr. Logan nodded.
"Of course."
Rhodes glared at the doctor before turning, his heavy boots thudding against the cement as Sarah shook her head and grabbed several filled syringes. Before following him, Cooper patted her shoulder.
"You did good lady. Thank you."
Shooting Cooper a look, she wasn't in the mood. Instead she simply followed Rhodes down the endless hallways before turning to his room. Rhodes opened the door, before sitting on his bunk and carefully stripping off his jacket and tossing it to the floor. Sarah, who had never been in here before looked around at how empty and neat it appeared. His footlocker sat at the end of his bed, as were several guns leaning against a chair. That's when she saw something, the one item that actually made you see that a person actually lived here. Draped over Rhodes' footlocker was one of Alex's scarfs she usually tied around her hair. It was something she had found in the extra bins of clothes. It was blue with sparkles on it, and the moment Alex found it, she wore it constantly. Just a few days ago she had wrapped it around serving almost like a belt. Today it laid unused, a tiny pop of life and color in an overall lifeless room.
Rhodes saw Sarah staring at it and said nothing. Instead he carefully rolled up his sleeve, revealing a smaller tanned muscular arm.
"Dope me up to kingdom come lady, I wanna sleep for thirty hours."
Sarah was hesitant, after what had just happened she wasn't exactly sure if a shot like this would be the best course of treatment. Still, she was under orders, and planned on using his pass key to lock Rhodes' door in case anything happened. She would come back and check in after a few hours if Cooper allowed. Walking over, she sat beside him, and began fixing her needles up. Rhodes said nothing. Instead he simply stared ahead without so much as another world. Injecting, she watched as he simply sat forward not even reacting. Once the syringe was injected, she sat back, putting the supplies back in her lab.
"Would you like me to stay?"
Rhodes glared at her before shaking his head.
"No."
With that, he slipped off his heavy boots, and Sarah knew this was her signal to leave. Getting up, she held onto the other unused needles as Rhodes rolled over, his back facing her. Sighing, Sarah knew better than to push it any further. She didn't like Rhodes, but had liked Alex. Despite all his flaws, Alex insisted that underneath it all, Rhodes wasn't a bad guy. Sighing, she glanced at the scarf, unsure if she should do so or not and figured the dope would be taking hold quickly anyways. Holding it, she felt it's smooth material between her fingers before she draped it over Rhodes, serving almost like a light blanket. If he was going to fall into a numbness slumber, he might as well do it with just a small piece of Alex to comfort him. Even if it still smelled like her, maybe it would help. Maybe.
Rhodes shifted his head for a second and Sarah prepared for him to rip it off or swear at her. Instead he said nothing, returning to his sleeping position staring at the wall and didn't say a word. Knowing it was time to leave, Sarah walked out, shutting the lights off, and locking the door. Standing in the hallway her heart ached for what had just happened, totally unaware that Dr. Logan was currently hatching a plan of his own which would start this terrible series of tragic events. Walking back to her own room, hoping to find Miguel, she had no idea at this very second that less than a month or so later Rhodes would inpregrant her with the child that currently moved and shifted inside of her.
She finishes her story, staring at John half expecting him to call her crazy. Instead he nods and motions to her swollen stomach, full of Rhodes and her's unborn child.
"It's because the baby is coming soon, you have guilt Sarah darling, and you're thinking about me. These are bad vibes. You have to let the past be the past. I know it's an easier said than done, but you'll see it will help. We're going to bring that beautiful baby into a happy healthy world, but with memories if that terrible place where it was made, okay?"
Sarah warmly smiled, thanking John before she slowly, and with much effort got to her standing feet. She wished John goodnight before she began to waddle back to her cabin, relieved she was able to get some of that off her chest. Once inside, she allowed her long beautiful hair to be let down, before she slipped out of her sandals, and went to her bedroom, changing for bed. For a brief moment she stood in front of the full length mirror that hung on the closet door and she inspected her pregnant form. She couldn't believe how much she had changed over the last full months. First it started as a small swollen bump, now her entire frame seemed to have changed.
Turning to the side, she ran her hands against the tight skin of her belly before feeling the fluttering little kicks inside. The baby was moving again, and wanted out. Smiling, she couldn't believe that less than eight months ago after a few rough pumps, Rhodes had put this wonderful creature inside of her, which grew stronger each day with each beat of her own heart. Feeling chills go down her spine, she could't wait to meet her child, and see if it would indeed be a constant reminder of the man who nearly killed her. Carefully she got into bed, and instantly began to wonder what if that zombie hadn't gotten loose? What if Dr. Logan's experiments hadn't been revealed? What would have happened to her if life went on as usual and she had discovered she was pregnant? Would she have gotten Ted to abort it? Or would she have found the courage to tell that bastard what he had done? A million thoughts raced through her mind as her palms rested against her stomach, feeling her baby shift and move inside of her.
She was so uncertain about it all. Everything but how much she loved this baby, and knew a love like this wasn't just powerful...but dangerous as well.