Chapter 31


"They were relentless." Larrin said, she looked down at the table afraid to look up and see their faces. She'd just told them everything she'd been through the past months since the outbreak.

How she'd been picked up by CDC who thought she was a carrier and placed into an isolation room. How she'd watched people in the other rooms of the isolation floor all die horribly while she survived. That riots struck in the outside world but she'd been abandoned in her room. How she'd spent a month in that tiny room with no food and only the water from the ensuite bathroom to live on until Julian had found her.

She spoke of how he seemed so normal and they both just wanted to survive and escape the city they were in as it had been a Cordon Sanitaire but it hadn't stopped the virus from sweeping over America. She told them how she and Julian had made it to the forest in an effort to leave people behind. They had the know how to hunt and survive in the outdoors. They met up with his friends a couple weeks after being in the forest together.

His friends however made her feel uncomfortable, she'd barely spent an hour with them when she made the decision to go off on her own. Julian had tried to make her stay by talking her into it but she hadn't been swayed. When he realized she was going to leave he became violent. She defended herself and got away but Julian and his friends chased her into the forest. She'd lost them a few times but evading five men intent on hunting her down hadn't been easy. After weeks of running for her life, she knew they'd soon hunt her as a pack than separately; so she did what her father taught her to do, she'd gone on the offensive and set traps for them and picked them off one by one. The funny thing of it all was if her father was alive he'd be praising her right now. While her mother would be shocked to the core, Larrin knew she was even after all the months that passed by as it went against her own ethos.

After she'd gotten the upper hand on Julian or so she had thought. She'd disappeared into the wilds for good. She stayed as far away from other people for months until she had accidentally come upon a couple listening to a broadcast of their President talking about the cure. The couple had never known she was there, and she thought maybe if she could get the cure and a way back to Australia she could pretend it all never happened. But her past caught up to her.

"My father told me that sometimes in life you have to choose between your life and the other guy's." Larrin said wringing her hands as memories flitted through her mind. She could almost hear Julian whistling his favorite tune and calling out to her. "I just never thought I'd ever be in that position or this one right now. But I knew if they captured me... I know it's not really self defense when you go on the offensive. But I had no choice. So I understand that you have to hand me over to the police." she told them.

"So this man Julian, you know his last name?" Andrea said as she had sat down next to Larrin, she exchanged looks with Tom and Mike. She didn't know what they were thinking but there was a silent agreement that there was more to this situation than what met the eye. They also knew if they were in Larrin's shoes they'd have done the same. The only inconsistencies they could find was between the police reports of how the men were killed. They were at this time more inclined to believe Larrin over the police as what she'd just told them made more sense given what they knew of Wolf and Larrin's general demeanour. Though Tom and Mike had to wonder what kind of childhood Wolf and Larrin had to be able to escape and evade like that.

"No," Larrin answered.

"What does he look like?" Mike asked her.

"Tall, in his 30s, athletic build, light brown hair, tan skin, hazel eyes. He has a scar running down the right side of his neck." Larrin said she drew on her neck the scar he had.

Tom looked to Mike as he'd seen a man fitting that description at the old courthouse walking the hallways. The reason Tom remembered him and it wasn't just the scar that stood out but the way he walked through the place liked he owned it, and he also locked eyes with Tom and looked at him with defiance instead of the usual grateful looks he received. Mike registered the look as they had their own short hand from serving together. He knew they would talk about it later but for now focused on Larrin.

"He has my passport now. I can't prove I'm a displaced citizen or ask for asylum at the embassy. He's going to find me. I should turn myself into the police. They should keep me safe from him and you'll not get into trouble for harboring a fugitive." Larrin said as it was the right thing to do.

"Larrin-" Tom started but an incessant knock at Andrea's door stopped him, he looked to Andrea who gave a shrug as she had no clue who it was.

"I'll get it." Andrea said, she rose from her chair and went to the front door. Tom watched Larrin, knowing exactly how she felt in carrying the burden she did. He heard Andrea open the door and Val's voice carry through.

"Good, you're all here." She said as she walked into Andrea's kitchen like she owned it and placed her tablet computer on the desk. "Is that beef stew, I'm smelling?" she asked Andrea.

"Do you want some?" Andrea asked, it was meant for Mike and Tom but they'd been more occupied with Larrin talk.

"Yeah, I'm starved." Val said to Andrea in an appreciative manner as she sat down opposite Tom at the table and got comfortable.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Tom asked Val.

"Your vehicle has GPS." She said before she thanked Andrea for the bowl of stew and slice of bread. "Anyway, you needed to see this. I decrypted the files and-" She paused to look at Larrin "You are so screwed." she told her.

"I got that part this morning when my arm was broken." Larrin told her, she rose her eyes for the first time looking at the others in the room. She wasn't sure why but she was glad for their impassive expressions or in Mike's case mild annoyance which seemed to be directed at Val.

"Val, you have something for us?" Mike prompted, Val nodded as she had a mouthful of bread and stew.

"MMhmm." She murmured as she tapped the computer screen on the table. She quickly swallowed the food and winced as it was too much for her esophagus. "Yeah, the people in St Louis are lying to us all." she told them.

Tom picked up the computer and swiped his hand across the screen flicking through the documents until he came to a map of America and stopped. Unlike the map in the old courthouse, this one was very different there were several tiny blue areas, a couple green areas and the rest was consumed in black.

"What is all of this?" Tom asked her.

"Looks like the immunes built their own army to cull the masses of non-immunes from our prison system." Val told him.

"What?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know but then the world went to hell in a hand basket so of course the Immunes would pounce on one area we'd neglect. The black areas are run by those inmates who are presumably immune. They are called 'Scavengers'. According to the files, they work at supplying the blue colonies with supplies and acting as a middle man in any deals. In return the blue colonies supply them with fresh meat to play with." Val said in a matter of fact tone before she at another spoonful of stew.

"I don't know anything about this. I knew about the scavengers as people who stole and killed travellers on the road but not about them trading or these zones." Larrin said to them. She needed them to know.

"Well, of course you wouldn't. You're fresh meat or as the locals call it 'Sport' which there are places that you can put down wagers on how long a 'game' will be played because the Scavengers only call round when they need more bodies." Val said her eyes flitted to Larrin which made her uncomfortable as she didn't understand completely what they were talking about.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Larrin asked her.

"Cause you're a Unicorn." Val told her, Tom who'd been flicking through the files stopped again and looked to Larrin. His expression was completely unreadable as he handed the computer to Mike.

"What is it?" she asked them, where they remained silent seemingly unable to tell her; Val spoke up.


"Tex!" Kara exclaimed as the man gave her a heart attack opening the door before she could put her keys into the lock. He'd pulled her into the house and closed the door behind her in a such a rush she nearly fell over. "You trying to give me a heart attack?" she asked him as her heart was pounding from the adrenaline.

"No, but you're real easy to scare." Tex commented to her.

"It's a long day that is not over." Kara said frowning as Miller was walking around the lounge room with an AM radio. Kat and a woman Kara had never seen before were already in the kitchen cooking dinner. She still needed to tell Tex what was going on and get his help. She needed his unique thinking and problem solving skills. Frankly there was comfort in talking to him that she needed right now before she headed to Commander Garnett's to check on Larrin.

"Yeah, come meet Miller's Mom Barbara" Tex said to her.

"You must be Lt Foster." Barbara said with a warm smile.

"Kara, please." She said joining them at the bench to see what they were up to even though she wanted to ask what Miller was up to but then the radio picked up some kind interference. A second later Miller was picking out a small device from the bookshelf. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Miller." She said with a smile to the woman.

"Ms Miller but you can call me Barb or Barbara." She said with a smile that reminded Kara of Miller as they both had the same smile as well as red hair.

"I heard you had a rough time coming out of Milwaukee today. My partner was there." Kara said supplying how she knew about what happened.

"How is Lt Green doing?" Barbara asked her, Kara was a little surprised that Miller's mom knew Danny was her partner but then realised the woman had been with Tex and Kat so of course she'd be up to speed on everything going on that was Nathan James related.

"Good, he'll be in the hospital for a few more days and then he'll come home." Kara informed her.

"That's good, it's a shame he's been injured but at least you don't have to worry where he is for the next few weeks." Barbara said with a smile.

"True, he'll even be here for our first ultrasound." Kara said, technically it would be her second one but Barbara didn't need to know that and frankly Kara was trying to forget what happened in Baltimore.

"How wonderful." Barbara said in such a warm manner that it made Kara smile as she could see how Miller was such a Momma's boy with someone who was so warm and caring as Barbara. She got that from just a few minutes of meeting her.

"Well, I want visuals for the fridge." Tex said to Kara, joining the conversation while Miller continued to find more listening devices around the house.

"Why?" Kara asked him out of curiosity.

"Well, as the baby's Godfather-" Tex started but Kara cut him off.

"Whoa, who said you were Godfather?" Kara asked him in a teasing manner.

"I nominated myself for the role to save you and Danny the time of agonising over how to choose and well to tell the other guys that you picked ol' Tex to be Godfather. Cause let's be honest, Burk is barely a toddler, Cruz would have that kid playing with guns, Wolf's Australian which enough said and Miller's a puppy." Tex said stating his argument.

"Hey!" Miller said offended at the description but not upset at not being in the running as Godfather for Danny and Kara's kid given he really didn't get why it was a big deal. But at least Kara was getting a good laugh out of it.

"Plus, I know how to change a diaper and I have a babysitter ready to go." Tex said as he moved to Kat and gestured to her like the women on a game show did to the grand prizes.

"What?" Kat asked wondering what she was being roped into.

"The best contraception, is abstinence and experiencing the horrors of changing stinky diapers and baby vomit." Tex told Kat with a smile. She scrunched her nose at him as she didn't like the idea of babysitting in general but maybe she could be swayed by earning money and if Kara really needed her.

"Didn't work for me." Barbara told Tex as she smiled at Miller.

"Mom." Miller groaned mortified as he didn't want to know about his conception let alone have her discuss with everyone in the room.