February 4, 2005

"Pneumonia," Carlos says, slamming his body into the chair in front of me. Exhaust is evident in his tone and behavior.

"Fuck," Luke says, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "You sure?"

"X-rays are needed for a formal diagnosis, but I'm certain of it," Carlos replies.

"This is not good," Pete says from across the dining table in the pen. "We have elderly and a baby."

"Their illness is progressing rapidly. It is more severe than most cases I have seen in people of their age and condition. We already have several guards complaining of respiratory issues. We could have a serious outbreak on our hands," Carlos says.

Hilary and Austin, our two new members, quickly became ill once they got here. At first we just figured that they had a small virus contracted from their old group before they met us. It did not take long at all for their symptoms to worsen to a serious point of concern. The adults in the pen have decided to gather around our table to discuss with Carlos a plan of action, considering that our concerns were ignored when mentioned to Bill.

"So what can we do, Doc?" Alvin asks, rubbing his wife's shoulders as she sits in one of the chairs.

"Yeah, they were in here living with us and everything!" Rebecca asks.

Carlos begins with a sigh, "I would recommend everyone wear some form of mask from now on. You can use scarves or bandanas if we do not have enough surgical masks. Anyone around you could have already contracted the virus, so we must do what we can to stop the spread. Also wash your hands or use sanitizer before you eat. I have discussed with Bill, and although he mostly ignored my concerns, he has agreed to have the guards set up some tents in the unused rooms for the sick to quarantine. If we want everyone to come out of this alive we have to cooperate."

Everyone sits back, stunned by the proclamation. The flu was always a concern every winter. We have spent the last year and a half concerned about the dead and each other, and now we are told we have to worry about a serious virus that could wipe us all out. No more flu vaccines, no more hospitals. I immediately worry about Evie, who has little protection against viruses and bacteria.

Carlos says one last piece of advice. "I think everyone should avoid contact with others as much as possible. No close contact or intimacy. Bea should be the only one to interact with Evie up close. With our lack of medicine and equipment I think it best to take extreme measures."

Carlos heads out to make sure that the quarantine tents are being put up, leaving the rest of us dumbfounded. Everyone backs up from each other carefully. Alvin removes his hands from Rebecca. Nick hands Evie back to me, his face solemn.

"See you around, I guess," he says. He turns on his heels sharply and walks to our tent, presumably to move his stuff out for the time being. He's upset, of course. I completely understand; I'm upset too.

A noise causes myself, and several others to turn. Arthur coughs a deep, guttural cough. He stifles it quicker than it came. He wipes his mouth with his one remaining arm and places a smile on his face. "No need to worry folks. Just a tickle in my throat."

February 8, 2005

There was need to worry, after all. Within a day of Carlos's consensus, at least a dozen more people fell ill. They fell fast and hard. Infected people went from no symptoms to a horrible cough and fever within an afternoon. Arthur was hit particularly hard, last I heard. He has been in quarantine with the other infected people so I haven't seen him in a while.

Yesterday, Carlos fell ill just as the others had. He woke up in the middle of the night with a horrid cough and was whisked away to the quarantine area. Sarah didn't take it well of course. I think Martha took over the responsibility of attempting to comfort her. I heard the whole scenario from inside the tent, where I've remained with Evie for several days now. I only leave to use the bathroom. Nick delivers food from the dining area each day. It's not ideal or enjoyable, but I have to do whatever is needed to keep Evie safe. So far, the both of us have remained free of symptoms.

I check Nick's watch that lies on the small table that I use as my nightstand. He left it so that I would be able to tell the time for Evie's feedings and my own meals. He's nearly twenty minutes late for my dinner delivery. I'm not being impatient, but he hasn't been late on these deliveries once. He's been very adamant about what times he would come. It's the only time he gets to see me and talk to me. Of course we keep our distance and wear protective gear, like Carlos told us.

"Bea?" I hear a voice from outside the tent. I check to make sure that Evie is playing with her blocks safely on the floor before I move to unzip the tent's front flap. When I unzip the flap, I'm met with a face I was not expecting.

"Hey?" I say, surprised to see Dean wearing a blue bandana as a mask standing several feet away from the front of the tent. A plate of food for me and some jars of baby food for Evie sit on the floor right in front of the tent. "Where's Nick?"

"Nice to see you too, Bea." He chuckles. "He was feeling a little under the weather, so he asked me to deliver your food. You know, just in case."

"Under the weather?" I ask, concerned.

"He's just a little fatigued, is all."

"And he asked you to do it for him?" It's not really a secret that Nick is not fond of Dean.

This elicits another small laugh from him. "Well, I was his only option. Everyone else is feeling under the weather."

"Everyone is feeling under the weather?" I ask. This illness is worse than I could imagine. It apparently spread throughout most of the compound within a week.

"Rebecca is close to quarantining, I think. The quarantine areas are either full or close to it. Martha, Pete, Luke, Nick, Alvin, Reggie, and George are complaining of fatigue, but it could be nothing. I'm not sure about Sarah, she's not really talked to anyone since her dad left. Most of the rest of the compound is sick. Carlo started showing symptoms overnight, so Sofia had to step up to cook today's meals. She's only like… seventeen, so that's why it was later than normal. Some people are so sick they can't eat much. Or at all."

I take a deep breath and try to relax. My family is starting to feel ill, but I believe they will be okay. I have to believe that.

"How are the others that have been sick? Like the first people to get sick, they're starting to get better right?" I ask. Knowing this information might help me feel at ease.

He looks down, like there's something he wants to say, but feels like he shouldn't. I don't want any information withheld, even if it's not what I would have hoped for.

He sighs, rocking back and forth on his heels with his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket. "The people that came here… Hilary and Austin… Well, they passed away yesterday evening."

My eyes grow wide. "What?!"

"Yeah… Nick didn't really want me to tell you. Carlos was with them when they passed. Bill got on it right away. Bill and Troy rolled their bodies away basically the instant they died. It was kind of… weird. I saw it all while I was on the way to the shower. Which by the way, there's barely any guards out anymore. They haven't even been closing the gate to the pen at night."

"Yeah, I noticed that part," I say, trying to ignore the new information that tells me that this illness is not only extremely infectiocious, but also potentially deadly. "Thanks for bringing the food by."

I turn and zip the tent flap back up. Dean probably wanted to talk more, but I'm not in the mood for small talk or college stories right now. Evie is still playing on the floor with her building blocks. When she lifts one to her mouth to chew on it to soothe her teething mouth. I gently move the wooden block away from her mouth. She doesn't need the extra exposure to potential germs right now.

"Are you hungry? Do you want food?" I ask Evie, holding up one of the jars of baby food for her to see. She shakes her head no, something that I have recently been working on teaching her. Since she doesn't speak verbally yet, I've been teaching her to shake her head for yes or no.

I start eating my food while it's still warm. It's a simple plate, with a scoop of black beans and a scoop of white rice. It would not have been a desirable dish several years ago, but nowadays I'm just happy to have something warm to eat.

I continue eating, mainly focusing on my plate knowing that Evie is safe directly in front of me. Just as I'm about to finish, I hear an unfamiliar tiny voice. "Ma-ma."

I sit the plate down and look forward. "Evie?"

"Ma-ma… ma-ma… Mama," Evie babbles the first sounds, then combines them to make her first coherent word. She reaches her hand out to hand me one of her blocks.

I can't wipe the smile off of my face. She took her first steps and said her first word in such a short period of time. The only thing I wish were different about the situation is that Nick was here to hear it.

My happiness is short-lived. Another unexpected visitor decides to pop up, except this one doesn't give the courtesy of waiting outside or announcing his arrival. William Carver unzips the tent from the outside and steps inside. A bit of mud transfers from his dark brown boot to the floor at the entrance of the tent.

"Sorry about that," he murmurs. He pulls a burgundy rag from his coat pocket and slowly leans down to wipe the mud up. He maintains eye contact the entire time he does so, and I theorize that he has a smirk planted on his face behind his mask. At least he had the decency to wear a mask.

"You're not supposed to be in here," I say. "No one is."

"I'll keep my distance," he assures, though there isn't much space in the tent for him to keep quite a distance. "I have something important I need to discuss with you."

I don't want to be in his presence, let alone talk to him, but I'm trapped so I comply. "What?"

"Well it's-" He stops mid sentence when he hears Evie.

"Mama," she says again.

The skin around his eyes wrinkle, evidence of a smile. "She's talking now?"

"As of about three minutes ago, yeah," I say shortly, considering he ruined the moment.

"Incredible. That little girl will go so far with a mother like you-"

"What is it that you want?" I cut him off. I'm not going to entertain conversations like this.

"I need to speak with you upstairs. In my room." He adds the last part nonchalantly.

"Absolutely not!"

"Relax," he says, irritated. "You'll have Evie with you. I've made sure that everyone else is turned in for the night, so neither of you will get exposed to anything. Besides, there's not many people who are not quarantined."

I think about it for a moment, but decide to give in only because this may potentially prevent some kind of future debacle. I'll have Evie with me too, so I'm certain he wouldn't do anything harmful with her there. "Fine. But make it quick; Evie still needs to eat."

I gather Evie in my arms, who does not fuss at all. Once outside of the tent, we start to exit until we are stopped.

"Where the fuck are you taking them?"

We turn to find Nick standing beside one of the beds. His skin is considerably paler than normal; he is shaky on his feet; his voice sounds hoarse. He seems much worse than a bit fatigued.

"He's showing me something important. Don't worry I have it under control-" I start.

"Can it, Nicholas," Bill says with a roll of his eyes. He heads out of the pen.

"Hey, don't talk to him like that!" I shout after his retreating figure, then I turn toward Nick who is starting to fume with anger. "Please, just lay back down and try to feel better. I'm just trying to prevent any major issues. You know how he is."

I give him a pleading look and thankfully he drops the topic and returns to bed. I don't want to cause him any grief while he's trying to recover. I quickly walk after Bill, having to readjust Evie in my arms as I go. She's not as light as she once was. Once I catch up to him, I trail behind him at a good distance. The compound is eerily silent and devoid of energy. Every so often I pass a door and hear guttural coughs from behind it.

"I heard Hilary and Austin died," I break the silence. Evie squirms in my arms.

"Yep," he answers, uninterested.

"What did you do with the bodies?" I inquire.

"Burnt 'em."

"A bit harsh, don't you think?"

"They were nobody. Barely even knew them, and they came here and got the whole goddamn compound sick. Should've left those fuckers to get eaten in the parking lot." He turns and sees my eyes that have gone wide at his brutality, though his sentiment does not come as a shock. With a sigh he adds, "If any of our own die, we'll bury them. I promise."

He gives the promise in the hope that it will put me at ease, but it hardly does. I don't want to have to think about anyone else dying.

"What are you even showing me?" I change the subject, anxious curiosity buzzing in my chest.

"You'll see." He leads me up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway. He stops in front of a door, presumably his own. My feet feel bolted to the floor as he unlocks the door.

The door flips open and he looks back at me, expecting me to join him inside. He sees my expression and rolls his eyes. "Relax, I wouldn't pull anything. Get in here."

I hesitantly step inside and take a look around. I know this was the living quarters for those lucky enough to not be damned to the pen, though I had never stepped inside any of the rooms. It's smaller than my childhood bedroom, but it's not cramped. Most importantly it contains a full size bed. I have a feeling that the others have cots or pull out beds, and Bill saved the best for himself.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask. Evie starts squirming in my arms, tired of being held. "And is it safe to put her down in here?"

"Go ahead. There's nothing unsafe within her grasp. C'mere."

Evie plops down on the red and black patterned rug, her hand drawn to her mouth as a result of her teething. Bill gestures for me to follow him again, this time to another door that I had assumed was a closet. He unlocks it with a different key and it swings open. The light from his room spills into the small closet. He doesn't bother to illuminate the closet.

All I can see in the closet is a refrigerator, and judging by the slight hum it makes, I assume that it is running. Without a word, he pulls the fridge door open.

"Bill," I pause, shock building in my gut. "What are those?"

"Remember that camp we found back in the fall? These were in the medical tent being stored in a freezer running on some kind of long term generator. They're still perfectly fine."

I crouch down and take one of the many vials in my hand. Between common knowledge and medical training from Carlos, I can tell that this medicine could potentially be lifesaving for the sick people here.

"Why would you wait so long to say something? We have to get on this!"

I start frantically trying to collect some of the vials in the pockets of my hoodie. Bill places his hand over mine. His skin is rough, but his touch is gentle. I pull my hand away and cradle it, like he's just hurt me.

"We aren't going to be using it for them," he says.

"How could you!?" I say, my voice raised. "People could die! What's the point of showing them to me if we're not going to use them to help anyone?"

"I just wanted to let you know that if you or Evie gets sick, you'll be okay."

I stare at him dumbfounded. This man is so caught up on his tirade about "the strong" that he is willing to let innocent people die. "Whatever," I say, "Just take me back, please."

He shuts the fridge door and pulls the closet door shut without another word. I take Evie into my arms as she babbles "Mama." Bill discretely hides the key to the closet above the door frame, completely unaware that I was watching him do it. For a moment I have hope that I can distribute the medicine on my own, but then I realize that I will never be able to infiltrate Bill's room without him noticing.

Once on the main floor again, I start toward the pen, but Bill stops me.

"This way," he says, placing his hand on my shoulder for the briefest of moments.

I save myself the hassle of protesting and follow after him, unsure of what he wants. We stop at a room that I've never been inside of, let alone paid any attention to.

He holds the door open for me and I walk inside. "What are we doing here-"

I stop mid-sentence and rush forward when I notice all of the belongings in the room are mine. I examine the cot, Evie's crib, my backpack–it's all mine. "Bill, what the fuck-"

By the time I turn around, he's shut the door. I storm the door and try to jiggle the handle, but it doesn't budge. Bill stares back at me through the window in the door, his expression unreadable. I can't believe I would let myself get trapped like that.

"Let me out of here right now," I demand, my gaze steely.

"It has to be done. There's too many people sick in the compound now. We're to the point that the pen is going to have to be used as another quarantine zone. I transferred all your stuff here where you're safe and comfortable. There's even a bathroom attached."

I blink back at him. My entire demeanor changes to one of concern. "The people in the pen… how bad is it?"

"It's not good."

"Then do the right thing."

He walks away from me without another word.

February 10, 2005

A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts as I lay sprawled out on my cot with my notebook open. I'm slow to get up to see who it is, because I'm almost certain that it's Bill dropping off a plate of food. He's the only one who comes by, and he keeps it brief.

Once I see who it is, I bound toward the door, nearly tripping and falling on my face. Nick stands at the door. He looks worn. He has dark circles around his eyes, and his skin is extremely pale. He coughs a deep guttural cough, but stifles it with a smile when he sees me.

"What are you doing here?" I manage to get out.

"Needed to come see your face. I was tired of looking at Luke's."

"How are you? How is everyone?" I sputter.

"It's rough, but I'll pull through. Luke has it the easiest, actually I think he might be on the mend. Arthur, though… he passed away this morning."

My stomach instantly feels empty, and my mouth dry. "Nick, I'm… I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, it sucks." He stops and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Somebody else died yesterday in another tent, not sure who though. Bill gave each tent a walkie-talkie to report deaths immediately. When it happened, he was there right away, before we could even say goodbye. It was kind of weird. At least he got a burial, so Bill says."

I look back to the walkie-talkie Bill gave me, too. He gave it to me in case I needed anything, but I haven't used it. I don't want anything from him.

"I wish I could do something to help…" I say to him. "Oh, wait, I'll get Evie."

"You don't have to wake her up," he says.

"It's okay, she's been napping for a while."

I gently pull her from the crib and she stirs awake. Initially disorientated with sleep, she now stares through the window with bright eyes.

"Da-da," she babbles, reaching her hand out.

His smile is interrupted by a coughing fit, but he speaks once he finishes, "She talks now?"

"For the past couple days now. But for the record: she said 'Mama' first," I say to tease him.

He leans his head against the smudged glass and I notice beads of sweat growing on his temples.

"You have a fever," I state. He nods.

"How high?" I ask.

"Last I checked…" He trails off, closing his eyes. "...It was 103."

"Nick, you need rest," I tell him. It pains me to encourage him to leave, but I know that he needs rest to recover if he doesn't have access to medicine.

He peels his head away from the window, leaving a smudge in its wake. "Yeah, I better go. Wouldn't want Bill to catch me here. I didn't exactly have permission to leave."

"We love you," I say, pressing my hand against the glass.

"I love you too…" He murmurs, copying my actions on the other side of the glass. He walks off, the ghost of a smile on his face being the last thing I see.

I spend the next couple hours trying to keep my brain from going to dark places. I attempt to exercise, but the room is too small and every time I start, Evie toddles over to me. I eventually give up and settle on watching an educational movie with Evie on the portable DVD player.

About twenty minutes in, the narrator starts talking about farm animals and the noises they make. The movie is obviously meant for babies and toddlers–with its bright colors and simple speech–but it reminds me of my family. I think of my parents, who have been dead for over a year. I think of Arthur, who has been dead for mere hours. I think of Nick, who I may never see again if he doesn't receive medical care. My body tenses subconsciously just thinking about it. I relax when Evie notices and starts squirming in my arms.

Another knock sounds from the door, and this time I'm certain that it's Bill; I won't get lucky twice in a row. I place a yawning Evie in her crib and storm to the door, planning to give Bill an earful and convince him to distribute the medicine. When I get to the door, I find it unlocked and slightly ajar. Bill is just a few paces away from the door.

"I'm going on a supply run with one of the only guards who isn't sick. Troy will be in charge for a few hours. I'm leaving this door unlocked so you can get your own food at dinner time. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

Without awaiting a response, he walks off in the opposite direction. It dawns on me that this is my chance to potentially save lives. I think about what he said: Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone. Following through with this will be incredibly difficult and may come with catastrophic consequences, but I have to try.

I go to check on Evie, who has already fallen asleep once again. She didn't sleep well last night, so it's no surprise that she's exhausted today. The thought of leaving her here alone is awful, and in the past would be considered neglect. I don't have much of a choice, so I make sure that she's safe in her crib before moving on to the next step in the plan I just developed moments ago.

I grab some soap and a change of clothes and wad them together, not caring about wrinkles. I secure my knife and gun in their respective holsters and set out after a last glance at Evie's sleeping figure. I carefully check to be certain that Bill did in fact leave the compound. Once I'm sure, I make two stops–the bathroom to drop my clothes off and the construction area to grab a spare screwdriver. I reach Bill's room with no roadblocks. The compound feels like a ghost town.

Picking the lock on Bill's door is the biggest catch up in my plan. It is, afterall, only my second time ever picking a lock. The door finally gives way and exposes the inside of his living quarters, though I'm unsure if the door will ever lock again after the damage I inflicted on it. It's a good thing this was a hardware store and we have plenty of spare locks lying around.

With the help of a desk chair, I'm able to reach the key to the closet that I watched him hide above the door frame. Thankful that I don't have to waste time picking another lock, I rush into the closet and start loading the vials of medicine into a box. I take one in my hand to inspect and I realize that this medicine is injectable. A quick sweep of the room finds a box of clean syringes that can be used to administer the medicine, but my heart starts pounding in my ears. Sure, I used to administer medicine back on the farm, but that was to horses. I push the thoughts away, because I know I don't have a choice. Before I leave Bill's room, I place two masks on my face for protection.

The pen is eerie and unfamiliar. There's three large white covered tents–like the kind you'd see at the county fair–smushed in the center of the room. I need to speak with Carlos, yet I have no idea which tent he's in. I start with the tent closest to me, peeling back the flap ever so slightly. Inside, I see several people lying on the floor asleep.

"Carlos?" I call out in a whisper-yell.

I'm about to give up and try the next tent, when a staggering Carlos materializes in front of me. He looks rough, with the same dark circles Nick had.

"Bea? What are you doing here?" His voice is hoarse.

I tilt the box to show him the contents inside. "I have this medicine that can be used to treat everyone, there's just a couple of snafus. There's only enough for everyone to have one dose, with a few left over. Would administering it even help? Also it's an injectable form, would that work?"

"Bill allowed this?"

"No, he's not going to be happy about it. He went out for a run; I don't have much time."

He shows concern, but it withers the second he has to stifle a cough. "Typically more doses are necessary, but I think one dose might give some people a fighting chance. We have to try; there are some people who won't make it much longer if we don't try something. As far as the form of the medicine goes, I believe that will be fine. There are some people here who are so sick they would not be able to swallow oral medication anyway. Go meet with Martha and she will tell you how to administer the medicine. She's in the tent on the far side. I need to go check on Sarah and let her know what's going on."

I whisk myself away to the tent where Martha supposedly is. Peeling back the flap reveals that this tent is more lively than the last. Luke is sitting with his back against some wood panels deep in conversation with Bonnie who sits to his side.

When he sees me, he pops up. "Bea, you shouldn't be here!"

"I don't have much time to explain, but I have to administer this medicine before Bill gets back. Carlos told me to come see Martha before I start."

"Bill doesn't know about this? You know he could kill you, right?"

"I don't have a choice," I say, my gaze solemn.

Nick and Martha emerge from behind a drawn curtain, both riddled with fatigue.

"This is so dangerous," Nick says, his head bobbing as he talks.

"We all know when Bea has her mind set to something there's no stopping her. Let me show you how to draw the medicine up," Martha says.

She demonstrates inserting the syringe into the vial, drawing the accurate dose, and injecting the medicine, which she does to Bonnie. It seems simple enough, but I hope I don't run into anyone who's afraid of needles. I inject the medicine into Luke since he's the most alert of the bunch, and he doesn't complain. I perform the injection on Martha next, who says I'm good to go. When I get to Nick, I'm painstakingly worried about him. He's barely lucid, bobbing in and out of sleep while sitting up.

"Hey, Nick," I say, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at me. "After I give you this medicine I want you to rest and drink plenty of water, okay?"

He nods and lays back down on the wooden panels. He's so out of it that it reminds me of being sixteen and taking care of an inebriated Nick who just received another call from his deadbeat dad demanding money.

I force myself to leave him to rest, taking care of everyone else in this tent before moving on to the next one.

The first person I meet in the next tent is Vince, who sits up and stifles a coughing fit. I explain to him what I'm here for, and he nods. I finish up, and start to move on when he stops me.

"You're really helping me after what I did to you?" He asks grimly.

"You were doing what you were told, I just wish you and the others would stand up to him," I say, before moving on to the next sick person.

I spend the next hour or so moving between different tents and rooms full of people in need. Many of them are nearly delirious, simply lying still without question when I inject them. I find people in rooms that I didn't even know existed. By the time that I finish, I have a biohazard sharps container filled to the brim. I drop it off in a dumpster in the back of the compound, before booking it to the bathroom. On my way, I pass Troy who is in a deep slumber. He's sitting in a lawn chair, with his legs resting on another lawn chair and an assault rifle resting on his legs. Now I know how I managed to pull all of that off without getting caught.

I reach the bathrooms and strip my clothes off, stuffing them deep within my bag. I scrub my body nearly raw in the shower until I can't stand the feeling anymore. I can't risk any of the germs reaching Evie. I make it back to the closet otherwise known as my room just as I hear an engine rumbling. Evie remains asleep. I hope she's not getting sick.

I see Bill walking throughout the compound. I know I have about five minutes until he realizes that his room was broken into. I have about another minute or two after that until he realizes that the medicine is gone. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit nervous. I savor the last few minutes of peace before he erupts.

As if on cue, I hear a series of thuds and yelling. Not even a minute later, he shows up at my door.

"What the fuck did you do?!" He seethes, nearly foaming at the mouth.

"I did what had to be done." I say, keeping my calm.

"And if Evie gets sick and needs medicine? Then what?"

"There was some left over," I defend myself.

"That's it," he declares. "I have given you countless chances!"

"Troy, you dumbass! Get everyone into the main area of the compound. Now!" He growls his demand into the walkie-talkie.

"But-" Troy says on the other line.

"Do it!" He yells. "You too!" He points to me.

I softly pad into the main area, where people are starting to gather. It takes quite a while until everyone joins, many of which are incredibly weak. Bill stands at one end of the area, while he instructs me to stand at the other. I anxiously await my punishment.

"Bea here decided to directly go against orders while I was gone. She was instructed not to administer any medicine, but she did it anyway. So I'm going to do a little experiment here. If you are siding with Bea and believe she did the right thing, go stand by her. If you believe that she was in the wrong, come stand with me."

Of course everyone agrees with me, save for maybe a couple of the guards. Everyone was gripping my hand and thanking me when I administered the medicine, and I let them despite the potential germs. But everyone is terrified of Bill and the power he holds, so I know few will side with me.

Immediately Nick, Luke, Martha, and Pete join my side, followed by Sarah, Carlos, Rebecca, and Alvin. Surprisingly, the other guys that lived in the pen with us–Dean, George, and Reggie–join my side too. Dorothea weakly tries to join my side, but Lora pulls her back. I'm forced to watch everyone else join Bill's side while they hide their faces from guilt. Eventually, only Vince stands in the middle of the room. He glances at both sides, as if he's tempted to join mine.

"I'm sorry, Bea." With a culpable look toward me, he gives in and joins Bill.

There's a moment of silence in which I think Bill is done with his tirade, but then I realize that Bill is never done with his tirade.

"All of you who picked Bea's side are now stuck in the pen indefinitely. Congratulations." He storms off, leaving everyone in the building to slowly creep back to wherever they came from.

I get back to my room and stare at the ceiling all night, wondering if I truly did the right thing.

Author's Note: Sincerest apologies for taking so long to get this chapter up!