Frost Bites – Chapter Two

I returned to the room to find Nick awake, obviously ticked that I had left without him.

"You could have just woke me up, you know," he said irritably.

"Aidan gets a little hostile when he sees you," I replied, brushing my fingers through the hair on the back of his neck. "I thought it would be best if he just saw me."

"What? Are Ro and the others okay?" Francis asked. He and Ellis were munching on potato chips, and I could see some bits of chips fly into the air as he spoke.

I nodded. "They're fine. They'll be there when we arrive."

Francis and Ellis looked visibly relieved.

"Knew they were gonna make it. I just hope they ain't worrying too much about us," Ellis said. "We got through a lot of shit, but hey, we're here now!"

"True," I agreed. "Now all we need to do is wait to see if Lewis agrees to evacuate us or not."

"What are we going to do if he doesn't? Those two look like assholes; I don't trust them." Nick frowned and I squeezed his hand.

"Neither do I. Maybe we can access the sewers and again?" I suggested lamely. Nick snorted while Francis shook his head. "If we only had a plane to fly…"

"If you're trying to tell us that you want Ellis to fly a plane, I think I'd rather pass through the streets," Nick declared.

"Now that ain't nice, Nick," Ellis said. "I did try my best to fly the whirlybird."

"It's a helicopter, Ellis! Not a whirlybird!" Nick looked ready to burst a blood vessel.

"I'll call it whatever I like, fancy suit," Ellis retorted. "I can't work a whirlybird, but my buddy Keith and I did play a game where we had to fly a plane."

I laughed. "I think I used to play that game too. But I always ended up crashing it in the ocean right after takeoff."

Francis then asked if we could steal a car, or maybe a tank. "Let's see a Tank punch through a damn army vehicle!"

"I had a zombie proof vehicle once – or at least I thought it was," Ellis related. "If I still had it, we'd be able to drive to Utopia, no problem."

"Uh, Ellis? Utopia is an island," I corrected him. "We'll have to find a boat."

"Aw damn. But at least it'll get us to the shore, right?" Ellis grinned and shoved some chips in his mouth.

The hours ticked by. The room we were in had a small pantry and a bathroom, but there was nothing we could do to amuse ourselves. I had left the book I had been reading in my dad's office, so I ended up sleeping most of the time.

I was then shaken awake by Nick, who told me that Aidan was in the room. I moaned sleepily and raised my head. Aidan was sitting at the foot of my bed, smiling. He completely ignored Nick.

"The military will be sending an evacuation plane for you and your friends," he said. "I was able to convince Lewis to accept them into Utopia."

"When will the plane get here?" I asked. It seemed too good to be true, and at first I thought that I was dreaming.

"In a day or two," Aidan replied. "They still need to make certain arrangements. But don't worry, it'll be here."

"I hope this isn't a trick, Aidan," I warned him.

Aidan shook his head. "Your father and I were close. I wouldn't do anything that would make him think badly of me."

"Always concerned with your reputation, aren't you?" I commented brashly.

Aidan shrugged. "But if your father were here, things would be a little different, wouldn't they?" Aidan's eyes strayed to Nick, who looked at him defiantly.

"No. Things would be the same," I told him. "Except of course we wouldn't be speaking, because my dad wouldn't wait this long for me and my friends to be brought to Utopia."

"Well we'll never know," Aidan finished. He stood up and brushed some imaginary dirt off his shirt. "I'll see you for dinner."

Aidan stood and shut the door, without bothering to acknowledge the three other men. I sighed and flopped back down.

"You suspect something?" Nick asked me, noticing the expression on my face.

"Yeah. It's like they agreed to quickly. Aidan usually hates not getting his way. Something's up," I decided.

"Maybe Aidan was the one who released the Infected," Ellis mumbled from beneath his pillow. "I mean he might have some control panel down here."

I frowned, considering this. "I wouldn't put it past him. But how the hell did he know we were going to the 18th floor?"

"Must have tabs on us and stuff. Technology nowadays…" Ellis trailed off, and a few seconds later I heard him snoring.

"Well what do you know. Ellis actually sounds smart when he's about to sleep," Nick observed, grinning.

"So they didn't evacuate the building," I said softly. "But why did my dad tell me that they did?"

There were so many questions I had, so many things that needed answering. Francis said that the Infected we were fighting looked like Louis. Based on what I've heard, Louis was in his corporate attire when the outbreak hit. That only meant…

"They left the employees to die," I breathed, shocked. "Why?"

Nick looked at me. "Hm?"

"The Infected we were fighting earlier – they were company employees. They probably only evacuated the most important people and left the employees to fend for themselves," I said.

"Or the military shut them all up in the laboratories and then left," Nick added.

"No. The laboratory windows are made of glass – they wouldn't just stand there and wait to die," I reasoned.

"They were knocked unconscious?" Francis suggested. "Wouldn't put it past those military assholes."

I bit my lip. I was at home when the outbreak hit with my dad. He had gone to the office to try and fix some messes, but he had accompanied me to the nearest airport where he saw me off.

"I love you, Jen," he had told me as we drove to the airport.

"Daddy, come with me," I had begged. "Please. You've done all that you could, don't leave!"

"I'll never leave you, baby," he had promised. "Whatever happens Jen, know that I love you so much. I just want you to be safe and happy. But don't worry. I'll see you on the ship once I'm done. I'll never leave you."

When I had boarded the military aircraft, I had twisted around to look at my dad one last time. He stood there, smiling reassuringly, but I could tell that there was fear in his eyes.

The events that happened in the company were hazy, since my dad didn't elaborate much during our many talks over the radio. We mostly talked about what we'd been doing lately (although dad knew that they had been taking blood samples and doing all sorts of freaky tests on me), and I never once asked what happened to the company after my dad was evacuated.

It was possible that the outbreak occurred here, and the company called on CEDA to deal with it. They may have evacuated the VIPs first before releasing a nerve numbing gas and then placed all the remaining people in the laboratories, turned off the lights, and left. I knew it was a long shot, but it was the best explanation I could come up with for the Infected that were in the labs.

The only person who knew the truth was probably Aidan, because he was also in the company with my dad. But why hadn't he left?

All this thinking was giving me a headache, and I closed my eyes. I wanted to know what happened here, but a part of me was afraid of the answer.

A few minutes later I could tell that my brain wasn't going to let me get a lot of sleep, so I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face and washed my hands.

So many questions, and not enough answers, I thought. I sighed and leaned my hands against the counter, trying to steady myself. It seemed as if the closer we came to safety, the more we had to deal with some painful truths.

Before reaching New York, all we focused on was getting here and fighting to survive for another day. Now that we were here, it seemed as if we were being asked to focus on why we were in this mess. I wanted to go up to Aidan and demand what his role was in the outbreak and why he didn't go with my dad when he was evacuated.

But a part of me was tired. I was tired of all the conspiracies and the personal agendas that were being fulfilled in exchange for the lives of others. I knew my dad and I fell into the latter, and I just wanted an end to this.

But how?

My dad was dead, and any chance of finding a cure for the virus was gone the moment he died. The situation was hopeless.

"I guess we just have to accept the world for what it is and make each day count," I whispered to my reflection. "And make sure that no matter what happens, we won't let them take away what humanity we have left."

I wiped my hands dry, switched the light off, and went back out. Ellis was practicing wielding his shotgun – Nick had insisted that Ellis take the shells out just in case – and was starting to feel more comfortable using it. Francis was scratching at his bandages while finishing a can of Coke, and Nick…well, Nick was looking at me like I was the last woman on Earth.

I knew that wasn't completely true (there was still Rochelle and Zoey, as well as some other women in Utopia), but still.

My earlier reservations about waiting until we reached Utopia were gone. I knew that it was possible that something would happen to either of us, and I craved some time alone with him.

"Come with me," I said, taking his hand and pulling him out the door.

"Hey where are you guys going?" Ellis called.

"Um, we'll just be looking around," I replied hastily, shutting the door before Ellis could ask if he could come with us.

Nick was looking at me curiously. I smiled, put a finger to his lips, and led him down the hallway, away from Francis, Ellis, and most especially, Doctor Aidan Frost.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Nick asked, chuckling. "Hey, slow down!"

I ignored him, looking for the right place. We reached the end of the hallway and I pulled Nick towards me as we rounded the corner.

I pressed my lips to his, kissing him deeply. It didn't take long for him to realize what I wanted, and he kissed me back. I felt his tongue enter my mouth slowly, and I responded by curling my tongue around his, flicking it slightly.

His body was responding in all the right ways, and I felt the bulge in his pants as he pushed me against the wall. I giggled as he broke our kiss off, trailing soft kisses down to the base of my neck. He then sucked at the skin on the left side of my neck, and I moaned with pleasure.

My hands ran down the length of his back, finally gripping the sides of his suit jacket.

"Can't wait to get me naked, huh?" he whispered hoarsely in my ear.

"You have no idea," I told him, pulling his jacket off. Before Nick could start unbuttoning his shirt, I stopped him, kissing him again. He slid his rough hands under my shirt and rested them on my waist before taking my shirt off. He stepped back to admire the view, and I gave him a sultry smile before putting my hands against his chest, pushing him against the opposite wall.

I pressed my pelvis against his erection and he gave a soft moan. I grinned at his response and gave him a love bite on his neck. He grabbed my ass and pressed me even closer.

"You're such a tease," he growled, but he was smiling. I slowly unbuttoned his shirt, enjoying the feel of his chiseled chest beneath my fingers, while Nick pulled the zipper of my jeans down. I could feel my desire for him soaking my panties – those oh-so sexy blue lacy panties I had picked out yesterday – and I wondered if he sensed it.

I hope he did.

Nick was in the process of pulling my jeans down when I heard Francis and Ellis. My mind was still on fucking Nick that it took me a few seconds to realize that they were calling our names.

"Oh come on!" Nick muttered. "I don't fucking believe this."

I pulled the shirt over my head, understanding what Nick was feeling.

All I want is some time alone with him, I thought, handing Nick his suit jacket. Is that too hard to understand?

I shook my hair, covering the spot on my neck where Nick had marked with a hickey. It still tingled, and I waited apprehensively. Nick grunted, as if he was having a difficult time getting rid of his erection.

Ellis and Francis rounded the corner as I stepped in front of Nick. "Hey Francis. Ellis."

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Francis asked. "Didn't you hear us calling you guys?"

"We did. We were on our way back when you came," I answered quickly.

Francis crossed his arms. "Riiiiiiiiight. Well come on, Doctor Winter's calling us to dinner."

"Yeah, he says there's going to be pot roast and everything," Ellis added excitedly.

I smiled. "Pot roast. Yum."

Nick and I followed Francis and Ellis down the hallway; Aidan was waiting for us outside our room.

"About time," he commented once we reached him. "I was afraid I had to send out a search party for you two."

Aidan was smiling, but he was looking at me accusatorily. I met his gaze steadily and shrugged. "I haven't been here before. It's only natural that I get a little…curious."

"Well we're here now, Doc," Ellis said, smiling. "Now how about that dinner?"