Day-249

I paced the floor holding the smallest bundle of a baby ever. Its late or early, whatever. I can't sleep but Jess is sleeping soundly. She's been asleep for the last three hours. There's no newborn nursery, so the baby has been in here with us this whole time. Four other babies were born last night. The last few hours, more and more people arrived through the flat trans. Coming from another settlement over run by people infected with the Flare. They got a name for the infected already too, the cranks. I overheard one of the nurses was complaining to another about running out of places to put the newcomers. Most of this building is full and everybody who already lived here is being moved to another building all together to be able to place the newcomers. There's way more people here than I originally thought. You don't see anyone really walking around, the cold keeps most everyone inside.

I bounced the baby lightly as I paced the floor. We named her Harriet. She has lightly tan skin and bouncy black curls. A button nose, I could really go on forever but I think you get the point. I don't care who the father is, she's mine. I'd die before I'd let anything happen to them. The door made this beeping sound before it opened. A nurse walked in, followed by Sam and Jacob. Sam had this super big smile across her face when she saw what I was holding. The last time she visited Jess was screaming bloody murder. At this point I wish we had cell phones still. Closest we can get to that is a set of walkie talkies. I've seen security everywhere; they have em.

"How is she?" Sam asked, "Jess is fine. She's been sleepin. What did you go do?" I asked her, Sam walked over to me and motioned as if she wanted to hold her. I smiled and held the little bundle out from my chest a little. "They took us upstairs" Sam said. As soon as Sam had a good hold on the baby I let go. Then I turned and walked over to the bed. Jess woke up.

The bed was huge, I walked around to the other side and scooted in. Jess leaned into me but sat up pretty quickly, "Where…" Before Jess could finish her sentence Sam was right there with Harriet in her arms. Sam gently handed the baby to Jess. By the look on Sam's face she didn't id about having to give her up so quickly. Sam gently set the baby in Jess's arms. "She looks like you?" Sam told us, I gave them a quick once over an saw the slight similarities. Sam sat on the edge of the bed. Jess settled into me cradling Harriet in her arms.

"Did they give you a room?" Jess asked, "No they put us in a dorm room type thing, There's ten other kids in there. So about 14 total. They took Sonya. They said they want to keep all the babies and kids without parents together. I found Deedee but they took her to." Sam explained. Jess starred up at me concerned. We were both alarmed by it. "But your we're your parent's Sam…Sam I promised you we would take care of you." I told her exaggerating the last few words. Trying to give her a signal type of look to follow my lead. I hadn't actually said it to her before but now I definitely mean it. I would take care of her of and her siblings.

The Nurse gave all of us this suspicious look. "And what happened to your parent's young lady?" She questioned, walking towards Sam. "This is my Family." Sam said and smiled. The nurse turned to Jess and I and we both smiled. It didn't look like she bought it but I'm not letting Sam get sent off to somewhere without me. At least I would do whatever it takes to stop it.

The nurse walked took a few steps over to Jess as she held the baby. She pulled back the blanket a little than placed a stethoscope on the babies chest. Jess watched her intensely, I could even feel her tense up as the nurse looked over the baby. "Is there a place big enough for us?" I questioned the nurse. The nurse took the ear buds out of ear. "Yes, but there's less security in those buildings but they do have three bedroom apartments. I really don't suggest rushing over there. Some of the buildings are still being worked on. No central heating system yet and it gets cold here. This place is still in the process of being built." The nurse explained. I stared down at Jess concerned. The nurse walked over to the drawer. "You know before I came here, my Son and I was surviving alone. I came to find these people and they gave me a job and a warm bed to sleep in. My son is a lieutenant in the security force we've built here." She continued on. It all kind of gave me an uneasy feeling. We're all supposed to just fall in line. Sounds more like a dictator ship. I hugged onto jess tighter as she started to stare at her baby girl. The nurse finished she headed for the door. She stopped when she got to the door. "but if you still decide to move then, the rest of the kids will come to come in here. Then they will leave with you." the nurse exclaimed taking a few steps back into the room. "Yea that's fine, I would rather have all of them right here in front of me." Jess told her. But her voice was stern almost an order.

I glanced down at her. "I'm not letting them take these kids away from us. Did you hear her. What if she just gave up her son to these people. Why would anyone do that?" Jess argued. "I don't know. We aren't going to be one of those parents. I'm not letting them take Harriet, Sam, Newt any of them." Jess muttered while softly stroking the babies head. "I won't either." I told her. "We just let them take Jen away. Now she's probably gone or dead." Jess concluded. Suddenly I thought of the floor that we came up on. Piles of bodies in the rooms. I didn't see her but it didn't help knowing they all if not most of the infected ended up in there.

A few hours later all the kids was brought into the room. Jess lit up, seeing the kids all together and playing made her really happy for some reason. Then again it could have been the drugs they gave her because she kind of slurring her words now. Unfortunately, they still had Sonya; I think Jacob and I are about to go find her ourselves though. I stood from the chair and walked over to the wall where Nathan was leaning against. "We need to go get their little sister." I said, "Right…I think I know which floor she's on. They don't have a nursery but they got some kind of daycare set up." Jacob described. "I took a stroll found it and a locker room. They had plenty of these." He continued he took a bag off his shoulder and pulled out a jacket.

It wasn't like the jackets From Ashville. All bulky with a hand sewn patch. No these were streamline and sleek. They had four letter on the shoulder that was small. "I wonder what that means?" I asked him. "I don't know. But its everywhere, you normally see it about halfway up the wall. You'll notice it next time." HE told me and I starred at the lettering again. I probably didn't notice because I was so worried about jess at the time.

'W.C.K.D'

A few minutes later I said bye to Jess and the kids. I told Nathan to watch over everyone. Then I followed Jacob out of the room and down the hall in our sleek security jackets. We fit right in.

The sign was about halfway up. Like a small plaque on the wall. I honestly didn't notice it before and they are everywhere. Who and what is W.C.K.D and what the hell did it mean. "is that what this place is called?" I asked him, "I don't think so… its some governmental group…I've heard rumors they are trying to form a government." Jacob explained as we walked.

I followed Jacob down a few halls and upstairs two floors. Everything looked the same but for one hall where I could tell it was dorm type area. A few kids ran back and forth down the hall. This little kid ran by me followed by a lady in a nurse type uniform. "Sir." She said as she passed Nathan. As soon as she got past us she ran after the kid she was chasing down the hall.

Nathan and I both walked into the room she just walked out of. The room was full of kids and no one was watching them. Must have just been her. It looked like a daycare there was plenty of toys but the wall are still metal I here too. There were child drawings all over the place lookin like a make shift wallpaper. I walked around and scanned each of the faces till I found Sonya. "C'mon kiddo." I said as I scooped her up in my arms. "I'm so sorry is it time for her testing…I know it was her and this other little girls time to go upstairs." The lady said as she walked back in the room with the little boy in her arms. "Uh yea… For testing. Umm, were jus sent down to get her. Do you know what they are testing for?" I questioned, she looked up at me. "Yea, were thinking some of these kids might have a natural immunity to the flare. It's an enzyme only children produce. Well they produce it up until the certain age. The program is already at work. At least in the beginning stages, might turn out to be a cure. They'll probably tell security in tell next briefing." She said with a smile. I looked at Nathan, thankful the rest of the kids were with us.

"Thanks… We're going to take jus her right now." Nathan explained. "Oh okay…Whatever the boss says, right?" She said and got back to watching the kids in the room. Nathan and I hightailed it out of there and back to the room we left Jess and the kids in.

I strolled in the room and made a b line to the bed. Sam stood from the chair and Sonya crawled right across the bed to Sam. Jacob walked over to the bed and stood behind me. "Do you think th.." "I'm sure they won't…" I told Jacob not wanting to reveal what these people might have found in kids in front of the kids. Doesn't sound like its set in stone just yet. So why alarm them. I can tell Jess everything later.

TBC...

I have been having a lot going on. School on top of work. So I took my time on this chapter a in posting it. Well i plan on wraping this up soon and movig on to the next one. If your reading any of my other fictions i will be posting in one of thoes soon as well.

Thanks again

One Love Ray