Chapter 1 – 20 Years Later
"Your turn, Del," her father called out to her. The young girl looked up from her phone quick but not before sending I MISS U to Ryan. She sighed and stuffed it into her pocket as she reached forward to pop the bubble on the Trouble board.
"A one," Del said. "Can't do shit."
Her dad gave her a look before scolding her for her profanity. He looked at the smallest player sitting to his right and smiled at him.
"Come on, Ben," he said. Ben smiled back before taking his turn.
"Yes! A six!" he exclaimed. He moved his little red piece off home and to the start. He then prepared to take his second turn when the front door opened and a young woman, wearing nursing scrubs came in. She sighed as she hung her coat up.
"Hey, mommy," Ben exclaimed as he finished his second turn.
"Long day?" their father asked. The woman gave an exhausted smile and chuckled.
"You don't know the half of it," she said. "George, I swear I had about a thousand patients today."
George rose and rushed up to his wife, Claire, preparing to give her a hug.
"Uh, uh, uh, uh, I'm disgusting. Been working with sick people for the last ten hours," she said moving away from him with a smile. George smiled back. "How was your day?"
"Same as usual. Richard was on my butt again about finishing the reports, which I did. But, he wanted tomorrow's reports done today too. Met with Yurin. He seemed nice. Had lunch with Rachel and Jack. And picked up the kids from school and somebody has some news," George said turning to Ben. Claire smiled.
"Oh does he?" she said coyly.
"I got my test back in Math today!" Ben exclaimed.
"And?" Claire inquired.
"It was a 100!" Ben shouted.
"Awesome, my little genius!"
"And I looked at those multiplication problems, they weren't easy," George said. Claire laughed. She looked over at her daughter and waved.
"Hi, Del," her mother said. Del, not taking her eyes from her phone, waved lazily back. Claire rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna get a shower, babe. And maybe take some Motrin. I got a nasty headache."
She began upstairs before Ben shouted up after her.
"Are you gonna play with us too, mommy?"
"I don't know, baby. Mommy is very tired. How about tomorrow?" she said. "Play with daddy and your sister. Del, get off the phone and play with the family." Claire could feel the eye roll as she finished climbing the stairs.
George sat reading his book by the light on his nightstand. He put it down as his wife approached. She looked more exhausted than when she first got home.
"How are the kids?" he asked. Claire grumbled and got into bed.
"Ben's still complaining that somehow you cheated at Trouble and I had to tell Del to put her phone downstairs and get some sleep," Claire said.
"And did she?" George asked.
"She's thirteen, at some point I just gotta let her be," Claire said, shielding her eyes from the light. "Can you turn that off? I still have a serious migraine."
"Sure," George said, looking concerned. He closed his book and set it on the nightstand before turning off the light.
Del woke to the sounds of screams coming from down the hall. At first she thought she was in some sort of nightmare. But she got up and bolted down the hall towards the source of the screams.
It was her dad.
"Del?" Ben was standing outside his room with tears streaming down his face.
"Ben, go downstairs and pick up the phone and call the police. You remember how to do that, right?" Del asked. Ben nodded.
"Go, I'll be right there," she said. Ben wiped the tears from his eyes and hurried downstairs. The screams were weak but persistent. A sound that wouldn't leave her memory for many years to come. She was unarmed, but she had to know.
"Dad?" she called out to her father. "Mom?" She heard a scream-like growl come from the bedroom as she slowly pushed open the door. What she saw she couldn't comprehend.
Her father was lying in the bed, a pool of blood surrounding him and gushing from a wound in his neck. Her mother was beating on him, smacking him again and again in the chest and face. She looked closer at her father's body and saw that he was missing his right hand and saw that it was discarded, like some piece of trash at the foot of the bed.
What the fuck, she thought.
"Mom?!" she tried to get her attention and it worked because the figure of her mother turned to look at her daughter and Del saw in her eyes that she wasn't there anymore. They were beyond bloodshot and milky glazed over. Was she high on something? Del began backing away as her mother moved from the lifeless corpse of her father to the next target. "Mom, stop it! We've called the police!" The creature continued approaching but at a much faster pace, growling before breaking into a full on sprint. Del grabbed the door to the bedroom and slammed it shut as her mother began beating on the door. Each impact shook the entire door and it sent further reverberations deep into Del's head. Each beat confirmed the fact that this was not a dream and that thing was no longer her mother.
Did you see the way she twitched and looked around? Is she even alive? Del continued to ask herself. She hadn't realized she was breathing heavy and sweating until the calls from Ben pulled her back to reality.
"Stay down there, Ben!" she yelled after him. She knew she had to move at some point. Then the thought hit her.
If she did this to Dad, does that mean he'll wake up as one of those things too?
She might be able to fend off one creature…but her dad was not a little man and he was not weak. She was surprised by the strength her mother now possessed. She could only imagine just how strong her Dad would be.
She moved from the door and pulled a table in the hallway in front of the door, even though in opened inwards. It would probably slow them down a bit. She ran the length of the hall and raced downstairs.
"Where's mommy and daddy?" was the first thing Ben asked. She thought for a second.
"They're not here, Ben," was all she said. She looked at the small eight-year old holding the house phone in his hands. "Did you call the police?"
"The robot lady said they weren't there," Ben said. Robot lady, she asked herself. Del took the phone from Ben and dialed 9-1-1.
We're sorry but all lines are busy and we are unable to connect you at this time. Please disconnect. Then the line went dead. And that was the last phone call Delilah Glueck ever made. She sighed.
"Okay, new plan. You know where Jeremy's house is?" Del asked Ben who was becoming more and more scared as he began hearing the thumping on the door upstairs. Del grabbed his attention. "Ben!" He looked at her, tears welling in his eyes.
"I want mommy and daddy," Ben said. Me too, Del thought.
"Where's Jeremy's place? We can go and spend the night there. Go get your shoes on," Del said. She moved him along but not before staring outside the window.
They lived in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and it was glowing red with fire.
Del couldn't take her eyes off the sight of the streets below their house. Cars veering to the left and right. She asked herself how all of this could happen. The world was normal just a few hours ago, yet the sky was beginning to brighten. Dawn would be coming.
This new day would be different from any she had ever saw before.
She took her gaze from the window and started to think.
Her phone.
She raced into the kitchen and grabbed her fully charged cellphone, where her mother told her to place it before bed. She entered her password, the date of her birthday, and tapped her messages.
There were over twenty messages from Ryan alone. At least five of her other friends had messaged her.
This was insane. She scrolled through Ryan's messages. They all mostly ended the same. WHERE R U? CALL ME! THIS IS FUCKED UP!
She stopped when she saw one that made her stomach turn.
SOME CRAZY GUY JUST BIT ME AND MY DAD. WE HAD TO KILL HIM. I DON'T FEEL WELL.
She tried to remember the reports on the news. There was a new infection going around. Scientists were calling it a sort of fungus. But she never heard anything about it making people go crazy. But, her mother was working in the hospital earlier that day. She didn't have any bites, right?
Del scrolled to the last message Ryan sent her.
I LOVE U. DON'T COME FIND ME. I MISS U.
She put her phone down and breathed for a moment. Deep breath in and out. She had to be strong. For-
There was a scream upstairs. It was Ben.
She didn't have to know what was happening. She raced upstairs and saw Ben lying on the ground, struggling to keep his mother away from his tiny face. Struggling and crying. He didn't have long.
"Get off of him!" Del screamed, kicking her mother in the face. It worked. The creature growled and rolled off of her brother. She grabbed Ben's arms and pulled him to his feet, shielding him behind her. She looked at the table that had previously blocked the bedroom door. Just as she thought, it had been pushed aside and one of the legs broke off.
Her mother was getting to her feet. Del grabbed the leg as the creature latched onto her wrist. Del brought her foot to the back of the creature's head, sending her face to the hardwood floor with a painful smack. Her wrist was free and she brought the table leg up like a bat.
Let's see if those years in softball taught me anything, she thought. Her mother rose again, her nose bent in a sickening way and blood pouring down the front of her face. She snarled, showing the gaps where teeth were knocked out. Please, Mom, don't make me do this, she pleaded internally. But the creature didn't stop, it charged and Del swung the leg, smacking her mother in the neck with enough effort to send the creature to the wall. Blood smearing the tan colored hallway walls, walls that were just painted a month ago. The creature's arm was bent in a strange angle. Using it to lift itself up made sickening snapping sounds.
"Stay down!" Del shouted, raising the table leg and bringing it on top of her mother's skull, which cracked like an egg. Finally, the creature was done. Del threw the leg to the ground and covered her mouth as the tears flowed down her face. She didn't even feel the blood she smeared across her face.
Her mother's blood.
She was going to vomit. She felt it rising.
Deep breath in and out. In and out.
She turned to look at Ben. He was stunned. He was sobbing and crying.
"Come-come here, buddy," she tried raising her arms, most of it came out as squeaks. Ben just looked at her.
"You said…y-you said mommy and daddy weren't here. You said they weren't here," Ben said, he was getting louder and louder. "Y-you said they're not here! You said they're not here!" Del raced over and buried Ben's head in her chest. He sobbed and cried. She just held him.
"I got you, buddy. I got you," Del said, feeling more tears well in her eyes. "I'm never going to let you go."
She just held onto him, watching the blood pour out of her mother's skull as her brother's sobs echoed across the newly painted red hallway walls.
20 Years Later…
Del opened her eyes and rubbed the dust from them. Her bed, or what passed for it, was in need of replacement. The mattress was torn in several places and stained beyond any previous color, she couldn't make it out. She sat up and stretched her arms and legs before throwing on her shirt. Her hair was all over the place but she pushed in all to one side. She'd need a haircut before the month was out. She cleared her throat before finally getting off of the bed. She looked out the window. Not much to see.
Same shit, different toilet, she thought grabbing her backpack and making her way to the front door.
Be advised. All citizens are required to submit to regular screenings to ensure safety and prevent the spread of infection. Any citizen no complying to these screenings will be reprimanded.
The announcement played throughout the city on a regular basis as members of the FEDRA militia went door to door to check on suspicious citizens. Del walked between outdoor ration stations and waited in line for her daily allotment. It was a gloomy day but not the worse kind. She sighed as she counted the people in front of her. At least twelve.
"You'd think they have more than one person handing out rations," a voice behind her answered. It was a thick voice with power behind it. She turned and saw a woman not too far from her own age and wearing a red button down shirt, sleeves torn off at the shoulders, and jeans. Her face was thin and angular, a little harsh, with a few scars. Her slim figure matching her personality. Her brown hair, wisely, held back by a headband. She held her arms crossed in front of her and she carried a slight Southern drawl.
"You'd think they'd give out more rations so we don't have to do this everyday," Del said. The woman chuckled.
"Ain't that the truth," the woman said. "How long you've been here?"
"Three months. Just drifted in," Del said.
"And before?"
"Connecticut. Not much there which meant not much that can be taken. We got overrun by infected and went north," Del said.
"Better than going South. There's no law down there. Fucking Civil War part two down there." Del looked the woman over.
"How long have you been here?" she asked.
"Too goddamn long. Going on ten years. After a while, you just gotta get out of the city. Then again, we all got jobs these days, don't we?" the woman said. "Name's Tess by the way."
"Del," she said, taking a minute to decide whether or not she wanted to continue talking to this woman. "What do you do for-"
"A living?" Tess scoffed. "Funny how that phrase sounds now. I'm a distributor. You need something in or out of the city, I can work something out. Actually going to meet someone later today."
Del looked away.
"Hey," Tess said. "If you ever get bored, come find me. We could always use more people."
Del looked at Tess again. She nodded.
"Thank you but I'm good," Del said. "Gotta look after things here. I probably won't be staying long," Del said turning back to the line. Tess chuckled.
"Said the same thing," Tess began walking to the front of the line and talked to one of the guards handing out rations. Del couldn't make out the conversation but Tess was handed her rations and started walking back to Del. "Sometimes it pays to have friends in high places. Apparently, some jackass stole rations this morning. That's why it's taking so fucking long. I told them I would look into it." She handed a can of peaches to Del. "Gives me something to do, at least."
"You're a detective now?" Del asked.
"I'm a distributor. When things I distribute go missing, I get called it to redistribute those missing goods," Tess said. Del looked down at the supplies in her arms. She gave a smirk. "Call it a professional curtesy. If you change your mind, I'm on this road third apartment down, second floor." She watched Tess walk off.
Del waited for what felt like hours but finally made it back into the room and locked the door behind her. She heard a thump not far off and what sounded like a bottle break. She became alert and put the food slowly down, grabbing the knife she kept at her side.
"Who's there?" she yelled. She unhooked the knife, opened it, and pointed it away from her. "I'm not fucking around, asshole. You better tell me who you are!"
"Relax, Del," a male voice answered her ears, she sighed in relief as she rounded the corner into the living room.
"Jesus, Ben. Next time use the damn door," she said looking down at her brother, eating his weight in canned beans.
"I would've but someone went out and forgot to leave me a key," Ben said. He was skinny, but he filled out pretty well. He had a dark black beard and dreads that he kept pushed back. He wore a sleeveless shirt showing off his biceps and had a scar running down his right one. In front of him, his backpack sat full of food and…was that medicine? Del looked at his backpack and then up to him.
"Tell me you didn't," Del began scolding, Ben looked up at her.
"They got plenty," Ben said.
"Goddamn it, Ben. You realize that they're looking for this shit?" Del said.
"And they aren't going to find me," Ben said. Del chuckled.
"Yeah, because that worked out so well last time," Del said. Ben put the can down and reached into his backpack. He pulled out what looked like a necklace with a circular dog tag on it. He gave a smile.
"Just getting a head start," said Ben. He held out the necklace. Del knew exactly what that was before she even saw the firefly sign on the back of it. She took it and looked it over. His name stamped onto it. Stamping his life away.
"So that's it then, is it? You're just gonna go join up with them?" Del asked calmly, but the anger was there. Hidden. She looked him in the eyes. "This is the stupidest thing you could've done. What happened to us not staying here long?"
"They're all over the damn place. I've been thinking about it for a while. Give my-"
"Ben," she started.
"Give my life meaning!" Ben finished forcefully.
"This is meaning?" she asked rhetorically. "God, Ben…do you know what those FEDRA officers will do to you just for having one of these? And let's not even mention the fucking rations you stole."
"It's for the cause," Ben said.
"What cause? Your cause? See how many cans of beans you can stuff into your mouth?" Del said. Ben looked away. She came to him and sat down at his level, her face inches from his. "I've looked after us for years, Ben. We do things smart. We don't make friends and we don't stay in one place too long. This?" She motioned at the rations and the necklace. "This was not smart. They are looking for you. They've got smugglers trying to find this shit. Good ones too. We're gonna leave. Tonight."
"Can't. Got a meeting tonight," Ben said.
"Did you just here me? It's over," Del said.
"Yeah! You're fucking right!" Ben said, getting up and breaking free from his sister's bonds. He looked at her with a face full of loathing. "We're over. You go on and I'll stay here. Marlene was talking about some mission-"
"Jesus, Ben."
"And there's this girl who-"
"It's over!" Del shouted. She looked at him. "No more bullshit. No missions. No meetings. We're leaving or I will turn your ass in." Ben looked at her. He scoffed and shook his head.
"You're just like the rest of them," Ben said.
"The rest of us, Ben. You're not one of them," Del said.
"Not yet. But I will be," Ben said, grabbing his backpack and stuffing his cans back in. He went to the window, opening it. He looked back at her. "Go fuck yourself, sis." He held his anger at her for what felt like an eternity for Del before climbing out. Del looked down.
She was still holding the necklace.
She spent the rest of the day sitting on her bed, just looking at the pendant. Running her fingers over the letters of Ben's name. It was getting dark. She then made a fist around the pendant, wiping the tear falling down her face with her other hand.
I'm never going to let you go, she thought.
She rose, grabbed her backpack, some of her own supplies, and walked over to the window. She knew there was a curfew after dark. She looked at the open window. A tree blowing in the breeze in front of her. She opened her palm holding the pendant again and closed it. She pulled her hand back and threw the pendant out the window and into the tree.
I'm never going to let you go, she thought again before rushing to the door, opening it, and closing it behind her.
There was a light knock on the door but just enough to wake Tess. She wasn't sleeping much anyway. She had a meeting with Robert bright and early. Robert said that she would be given a whole mess of guns in the morning. Why wait, she asked him. He said he had other matters to attend to.
So a day was wasted. But, yet someone came knocking on her door. And she knew it wasn't Joel. He didn't knock softly. She walked slowly over to the door and was about to unlock it.
"Give me a name," she said.
"Del," the voice on the other side said. Tess sighed and opened the door. Del stood there in a faded brown and white plaid flannel and grey jeans. She also wore a black hat covering her black hair. A look of purpose on her face. Determination.
"When I said come find me if you change your mind, I hoped you would adhere to my normal office hours," Tess said.
"I'm not here because my mind changed. You said you can get things," Del said.
"More or less," Tess responded.
"I know what happened to your rations you were looking for," Del said.
"Is that so?" Tess sounded a little impressed, she cocked an eye. "Whose got 'em?"
"The Fireflies," Del responded. Tess looked down and cursed under her breath.
"Of course they do," Tess said.
"We can go get them," Del said.
"We?" Tess asked. Del motioned to the two of them. Tess gave a laugh. "You've got heart, Del, but the Fireflies…they are a whole different ball game. I don't fuck with them."
"What happened to friends in high places?" Del asked, throwing her hands up. Tess shook her head.
"And where do you think most of those friends are?" Tess said. "You wanna go parley with Fireflies be my guest. But, I've got my own shit to deal with in the morning."
"At least tell me where I can find them," Del said. Tess looked Del up and down. She won't make it, Tess thought. She sighed.
"Look. I don't know where they are, but I know a general area they like to hang out. You know the old movie theatre outside the Quarantine Zone? Try there. If they give you a hard time, tell them you know me. It should at least open some doors," Tess said. Del turned to leave. "Hey, why does this matter to you so much? It's just rations." Del looked down for a minute.
"It's more than rations for me," Del said before walking down the hall. Tess scoffed. So much for a straight forward answer, she thought.
"Good luck," she said closing the door behind her.
Del checked her bag again. Should've left while it was light out, Del thought. She could've gathered more supplies. Maybe even convinced Tess to join her. She straightened her hat and pulled it over her ears. Fall was on its way and it was a cool night for summer.
She didn't have a gun. They wouldn't let her into the Boston Quarantine Zone with one. It went to the FEDRA militia. She told herself that it was going to a good cause. Now, she had her knife. It was better than nothing. She also had a machete that she picked up from a hardware store she passed. Lighter than she remembered but it was sharp.
Everybody stocked up on guns and left the gardening supplies for the smart people, she thought. The Infected could hear a gunshot. Clickers especially.
As if on cue, she heard a familiar series of clicks and chirps from somewhere in the darkness. She pulled her machete out and stayed crouched down. Her flashlight was her only source of illumination on this dark evening. She knew that Clickers were blind so the light wouldn't alert them. She looked around, pointing the light. The Clicker was moving slowly, trying to locate prey. She was tempted to hold her breath, but she remembered that didn't work well for others she knew.
Torn apart right in front of her.
She pushed away the memory and focused on predator in front of her. She could sneak up on it. It made a snap of its head in her direction and she panicked for a second thinking somehow she made a sound. The Clicker chirped again, inquisitively, before sending out a loud chirp.
It smelled her. It couldn't see her but it smelled her.
She moved slowly to the left, never removing her eyes from the monster. It creeped closer towards the ever-watchful human. Del didn't even blink as she moved swiftly and raised the machete, swinging it until it was buried in the neck of the monster. The Clicker screamed and thrashed its arms around wildly. Del, behind its head and out of reach of its arms, pulled it from the Clicker's neck and swung again, decapitating the creature. The body fell with a moist thud. Del, dropping the head, wiped the blood from her neck and chest. She sighed and moved quietly, sneaking through the abandoned department store. She looked out the store's front window. The movie theatre was right there.
You better be there, assholes, Del thought. She clicked her flashlight off and headed towards the movie theatre. Passing empty and discarded cars scattered across the road like Ben used to do with his Hot Wheels. Trying to block out the memory of that night. Of those freshly painted hallway walls.
A gunshot rang out.
"Identify yourself or the next one goes in your head," a male voice called out.
"I'm Del Glueck. I'm friends with Tess," Del shouted at the darkness as a flashlight's beam shined in her eyes. She saw two figures begin to approach her. She raised her arms and dropped her machete.
"Well, you can tell Tess we don't like unannounced visitors," said the same voice, rough, gravelly, and impatient.
"Wait a minute. Glueck, was it?" a second voice inquired, female, gentle, and tough all the same. "Wasn't that the name of the new kid?"
"I don't give a shit. Marlene will have both of our asses if she finds out someone from B.Q.Z. found this place," the first voice said.
"Maybe," said a third voice behind them. "But let's hear what brings Del out this way." The third person came into view and looked Del right in the eyes. For some reason, Del felt she could trust her. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't seem angry either.
Del didn't know what to say.
"I-I just wanted to talk to my brother," Del said. The woman nodded. She turned to the first voice, the man.
"Go get Ben. Tell him to bring the rations," the woman said. She turned back to Del. "Let's talk."
The woman led Del into the rundown theatre. Past rows and rows of broken chairs and a busted screen. Del couldn't remember the last time she was in a movie theatre. She felt alien being in one so quiet.
"Ellie?" the woman called. A small girl popped her head up from the front row seat. "I thought I told you to wait in the lobby."
"I just wanted to see…" the girl's voice trailed off as she saw the stranger. "Marlene…what's going on? Who is she?"
"That's exactly what I want to know. But, I want you to go wait in the lobby like I said. Please," Marlene said. Ellie groaned and slumped out of the seat. Marlene shook her head.
"That girl's gonna be the death of me," she said. She pointed to one of the chairs. "Sit."
Del didn't argue. She knew who this person was now. She'd seen enough wanted posters around town not to know who the leader of the Fireflies was.
"You want to tell me what brings you so far outside your comfort zone?" Marlene said. "Heard you take down a Clicker. I was about to send my men to deal with it."
"I can handle them," Del said.
"Seems like it," Marlene said. She looked at Del, eyes swimming with curiosity. "You and your brother got the same eyes."
"We get it from our mother," Del said.
"Not the color. You both have a fighting spirit and it shows in your eyes," Marlene said.
"We've been out in the world. We've seen what it had to offer. No offense, but we've seen what you had to offer too. That's why I'm here. To take him back," Del said.
"Isn't that his choice?" Marlene said, crossing her legs and putting her hand on her raised knee. Del looked down and chuckled.
"He's young. I've practically raised him since he was little. I looked after him and protected him ever since this shit all started. And you think you can…just…take him away?" Del said, getting loud.
"Let's try not to get emotional," Marlene said. "He came to me. Proved himself on more than one occasion. I don't turn away good men. Especially eager ones. You want him to come back? You're more than welcome to ask."
The sound of approaching footsteps caused both of them to look up. Marlene looked back at Del.
"Ben, give your sister the rations back. We don't need the FEDRA hunting us down more than they already do. And make sure its all there," Marlene said. Ben looked at his sister. He hesitated for a minute. Marlene turned back to him. "I won't say it again, Ben." Ben nodded and walked over to his sister, dropping the bag with a resounding thud. Del looked up into his face.
Come home, she mouthed. Ben turned away.
"Do you want to go back with your sister?" Marlene asked for Del. Del scowled at the woman. That wasn't her question to ask.
"Hell no," Ben said. "She can fuck off for all I care."
"Don't talk to her like that," Marlene snapped. She turned back to Del. "You have your answer." Marlene got up and Ben began to walk away.
"Ben, please!" Del rose and began sobbing. "I don't want to lose you. Just…come home."
Ben didn't turn around.
"Goddamn it, Ben, just look at me!" Del shouted. Ben turned, seeing his sister in tears.
"I'm never going to let you go," she choked out. Ben's hard face melted and looked at his sister and sighed.
"Del, I love you. I always will and I'm not leaving you," Ben said. He gave a weak smile. "I'll be back in a few months. This…this means something to me. I wish you could see that and join me." He turned and began walking away.
"Take Ellie back to my apartment," Marlene called after him. "Tell her I'll find her tomorrow after my meeting."
"Yes, ma'am," Ben said. Del stood there as the rest of them left. Alone…for the first time ever.
Del walked until the sky began to turn light blue. Dawn was coming. She approached the Boston Quarantine Zone. She didn't even notice the shouts of the militia and the guns pointing at her.
"Drop your weapon and get your ass on the ground!" one of them shouted. She did just that. She felt the soldier life her up and look her up and down. "You a Firefly?"
"No," she answered nonchalantly.
"Put her with the others," the other soldier said. He pushed her with the butt of his gun and she knelt next to a group of others, all sitting in the dirt. The solider radioed in. "We just caught four outsiders. Get a decontamination team set up."
A few other survivors snuck out and all of them looked exhausted. A man looked her over, seeing tear marks cut through the layer of dirt on her face. He made a noise to get her attention.
"You lose someone out there?" the man asked.
"Something like that," Del responded.
"If you need a place to rest-"
"I'm good," Del said. She'd seen enough assholes to know what this guy wanted.
"Just saying…I scored some really good pancake mix. Not sure if it's any good anymore but its worth a shot," he said. "Name's Greg." He extended his hand.
"Del," she said. She smiled.
Maybe she'd have some pancakes after all.
Del already knew what was happening before the door was opened by two soldiers. She'd been through this process before. They scan you. They tell you your clean and then they reprimand you or try to figure out why you went out there. They were forceful. But they were ensuring the safety of everyone.
She risked it going out there.
They were led out and lined up on their knees. It was a scary process and she always felt intimidated. The soldiers were dressed in white hasmat suits and gasmasks. Each holding an automatic rifle. The first man, Del never knew, but he went out without much trouble. She knelt on the ground and looked over at the others leaving the house. Greg turned to look at her. The officer shoved him and pushed him out the door.
"I didn't do anything wrong!" Greg shouted back. The soldier butted his rifle into his knees, making him collapse to the ground.
"Hands on your fucking head," the other soldier said. Greg did as he was told. "Alright, scan 'em"
The soldiers began walking behind them and administering a scan to see if each was infected. Del had seen this many times. No one was ever infected.
Greg beeped. He was clean.
The soldiers moved over to the next guy wearing a baseball cap. The device beeped. He was clean.
The soldiers moved over to Del and placed the device on her neck. It beeped. The soldier looked at the scanner.
"We've got a live one," he said. Del's eyes went wide. That's not possible, she thought. Then she remembered her encounter with the Clicker.
"Wait, no, no, I'm not infected!" she shouted. The men were already lowering her to the ground.
"Hold her down," the scanning soldier said to the other. One of the militia from behind the blue police barricades came forward holding a syringe full of a "vaccine" as they called it. It killed the infection, yes, but also killed the person.
"You've got it wrong!" Del shouted. She pleaded to anyone to help her. But she felt the needle puncture her skin and began writhing in pain, almost like she was having a seizure. The pain was intense, everything became still for her.
In her last moments of consciousness, she hardly noticed the other guy to her left run off and get shot. She looked instead at the tree and a sparkling object reflecting the sun's light.
Ben's pendant.
She smiled and closed her eyes.
I'm never going to let you go, she thought and was no more.