Thanks again everyone for the reviews, follows, and faves. Also, another shout-out to RJRMovieFan for taking my ramblings and making them so much more exciting. This is a long one but a lot happens so fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.
Stacie and CR head out with Aubrey following half dragging, half carrying Beca. The tiny brunette is holding onto Aubrey with one hand and the torn pieces of her shirt with the other. They carefully make their way to the stairs and Stacie tells CR to take Emily's legs so they can get her up the stairs. They make it to the second floor and Aubrey stops them before they enter the hallway.
"Try and be quiet," Aubrey tells them. "I don't want Chloe or Sammy and Taylor running out to see any of this."
Stacie and CR nod and Aubrey opens the door. They enter the hallway and move quietly down the hall.
"Let's put them both in Emily's room for now," Aubrey whispers. "The key card should be in Emily's back pocket."
CR finds the key card and opens the door, holding it for Stacie to carry in Emily and Aubrey to lead Beca in. Aubrey gets Beca to the bed away from the door. She takes off the remains of Beca's torn shirt and grabs another to help her change into. She looks over to the other bed and sees Stacie gently taking Emily's shirt and bra off. Once they're off, she resumes holding pressure to the wound when it starts bleeding again.
"We really need Lily," Stacie said looking over at Aubrey.
"I'll get her," Aubrey tells her. "CR let's wash you up and then you come with me. Chloe will want to come back here to be with Beca. We'll need you to stay with the girls. Okay?"
CR looks over at Emily and feels guilty. "That should be me," she said quietly.
"Hey," Stacie said. "CR? Look at me. This is not your fault. It was those three assholes' fault. One of them shot her, not you. Emily would not want you to blame yourself. Now, go watch over those two little girls. They need you now. We'll take care of Emily."
"Okay," CR said and goes to the bathroom to wash the blood from her face and hands. She comes back out and pulls a clean shirt out of her bag and changes.
Aubrey sits on the side of the bed and looks at Beca. "Do you need anything?," Aubrey asks softly.
"Just Chloe," Beca responds. Aubrey nods and she and CR head out the door. Aubrey doesn't pull the door fully closed so she can get back into the room.
They get to Lily's room and CR knocks and calls out, "It's CR and Aubrey."
The door flies open and Chloe stands in front of them looking scared. "Did you find Beca?"
"We did," Aubrey said grabbing Chloe as she starts to rush out the door. She looks into the room and says, "Lily, I need you to come with us. CR's going to stay with the girls."
"What happened?," Chloe asks, expecting the worst.
"Just come with me," Aubrey said and takes Chloe by the arm and leads her and Lily to Emily and CR's room. She stops outside the door. "Emily's been shot," Aubrey tells them. Chloe gasps and puts her hand to her mouth. "Lily, you were pre-med so we need you to get the bullet out. Can you do that?" Lily nods her head yes and enters the room. Aubrey puts her hand on the door to keep it from closing and grabs Chloe's arm to keep her from entering the room. "Chlo," Aubrey said softly. "Beca's a bit...traumatized. Three guys had her tied up. I'm not going to lie to you but we could hear them talking and they intended to rape her. I believe they were too drunk to do anything but they may have touched her. Her jeans were open and her shirt was practically ripped apart."
Chloe put a hand to her mouth to hold back a sob. Tears fell from her eyes. "I need to see her."
Aubrey nods and they enter Emily and CR's room. She looks to the first bed and sees Lily and Stacie tending to Emily. Stacie apparently pulled the sheet up to cover Emily's naked chest while still allowing Lily access to tend to the gunshot wound. Chloe looks to the second bed and sees Beca just lying there, staring at the ceiling as tears fell from her eyes. Aubrey gives Chloe's arm a squeeze as Chloe starts moving toward Beca. She stops when she reaches the side of the bed and wants nothing more than to climb on and grab Beca in her arms. She was afraid she'd upset Beca more so instead she remains standing and calls her name.
"Becs?," Chloe whispers. There is no response so Chloe clears her throat and calls a little louder. "Becs? Would you look at me please?" Chloe looks down and Beca's head slowly turns to look at Chloe. "Hey," Chloe said and gives a loving smile. "Can I lay next to you?"
Beca looks down at the bed and nods her head. "Okay," Chloe said. "I'm just going to get on the bed okay? And lay next to you." Beca nods her head again and watches as Chloe put one knee on the bed and then the other. She then moves so she was laying on her side with her hands under her cheek, facing Beca.
Chloe lays there next to Beca not saying anything, just looking at her. Beca was staring at the ceiling. Chloe's head pops up to look at the other bed when she hears a loud groan come from Emily. "Is she okay?"
"She will be," Lily said. "I need to go down to the kitchen and get a few things."
"Will she be okay for a little bit?," Aubrey asks. "I told Zeke I'd come back and help him dispose of the bodies. You and Stacie can get what you need. We've decided no one goes anywhere or does anything alone."
"She'll be fine," Lily said. "We should go so we can get back and I can take that bullet out."
"Chlo," Aubrey said and Chloe looks at her. "Are you going to be okay if we leave you guys alone for a little bit?"
"We'll be fine," Chloe said. "I'll keep an eye on her. Just hurry back."
The three girls leave and hurry down to the kitchen. "I'm going to find Zeke," Aubrey said. "Stacie, come to the end of the hall with me and then you can come back here once I'm with Zeke."
Lily starts looking for what she needs to try and get the bullet out. She finds a tray and starts putting things on it. Stacie is back in no time and they take everything back up to Emily.
*0*0*0*0*
Aubrey finds Zeke returning from disposing of one of the bodies. She helps him with the second and they take him to an exit at the back of the building.
"There's a dumpster out there," Zeke said. "I need you to hold the door open and stand guard, I didn't like having to leave it propped open. I heard some screeches but they didn't sound close. I just had a bad feeling while I was out there. If you see anything, close this door and get back to the others. Don't worry about me, just go and keep the others safe."
"Zeke," Aubrey said. "I'm not going to leave you out there."
"Aubrey, I'm not going to argue with you about this," Zeke said.
Aubrey wants to strongly insist that she's not going to leave Zeke on his own. She realizes that she needs to help protect Emily and Beca even more now. She just nods her head. "Okay," is all she says and Zeke nods his head in acknowledgment.
Zeke opens the door and pokes his head out quickly to check the area. It looks clear so he throws the body over his shoulder and Aubrey opens the door for him. She stands and continually scans the area while Zeke throws the body into the dumpster with a loud thud.
*0*0*0*0*
Lily and Stacie make it back to Emily. Lily calls for Chloe to come help. Chloe is reluctant to leave Beca. Beca can see Chloe hesitate. "Go help Lily," Beca said quietly. "I'm okay. I promise. Emily needs you more than I do right now."
Chloe smiles and slowly leans in to kiss Beca but hesitates at the last second. Beca gives her a smile and closes the distance between them. The kiss is quick and Chloe gets up and goes to help Lily.
"I need you two to hold her down," Lily said as she plugs in extra lamps she's brought to the room. "I have to dig the bullet out and it's going to hurt like hell." She leaves the bulbs uncovered, so the room is extra bright.
Chloe climbs onto the bed and straddles Emily's legs. She tells Stacie to lay her body on Emily's left side, putting extra pressure on her hips and shoulder. Stacie does as Chloe says and puts her leg across Emily's waist resting her foot on Chloe's leg for leverage. Chloe leans over Stacie's leg and grabs Emily's right wrist and forearm, keeping the lower half of her body resting on Emily's legs. Stacie places her hand on Emily's upper arm just above her elbow.
"How's this?," Chloe asks Lily. "Do you have enough room to work?"
"Yes," Lily said. "I'll let you know when you have to really hold her down."
Chloe and Stacie both nod their heads in acknowledgment. Lily picks up a bottle of alcohol and opens it. "Hold her tight," Lily said. Chloe and Stacie both put all they have behind keeping Emily still as Lily pours alcohol on the wound. Emily bucks and groans. Chloe and Stacie hold fast and Stacie uses her torso to keep Emily's upper body from arching off the bed.
"That's good," Lily said nodding at the two girls. "I'm going to dig for the bullet so be ready for anything."
Chloe and Stacie both tighten their holds and nod to Lily. The young Korean woman picks up a small flashlight and turns it on, then holds it with her mouth, directing the light at the wound.
With a deep breath around the flashlight, Lily takes the knife and makes two small incisions on opposite sides of the entry wound. She grabs a towel to wipe away the blood as it starts to bleed more. Emily tries to move and whimpers in pain. Lily ignores this as she carefully inserts the tip of the knife into the hole made by the bullet. She grabs a clean towel to wipe away more blood as it seeps out, hoping it will help her see better. She's anxious because Emily has regained consciousness and is now screaming.
Removing the flashlight Lily grabs another clean towel and hands it to Stacie, saying, "Keep dabbing around the wound. Don't allow the blood to build up," Lily said. Stacie nods and begins to dab. Lily places the flashlight back in her mouth and resumes exploring the wound.
Stacie and Chloe both had tears falling down their faces as they listen to Emily scream. They both look up when Emily's screams were replaced with a soft soothing voice telling her everything was going to be okay. Beca had come over and was kneeling at the head of the bed, lightly running her fingers through Emily's hair and whispering to her. This seems to calm Emily somewhat and the screaming becomes moans and groans. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Got it," Lily awkwardly said around the flashlight, as she locates the bullet. With great precision, she carefully inserts a small pair of tweezers into the wound and ever so carefully takes hold of the metal slug. With deep concentration she extracts the bullet, fighting the urge to rush the job. She spits the flashlight out to the side. "Stacie, grab another clean towel and apply pressure directly on the wound when I remove it," Lily said with authority. Stacie nods and follows instructions. Lily gently extracts the round metal slug. Stacie instantly applies pressure as Lily inspects the bullet. She exhales when she's confident it's in one piece.
She drops the bullet into a small bowl on the table next to the bed and then takes over applying pressure to the wound. "Emily? I'm going to pour some alcohol on the wound to clean it out. Once that's done I'll stitch it up. I'm not going to lie to you, it's going to hurt like a bitch."
"Can I have one of those rags?," Emily manages to choke out. "I want something to bite down on."
Lily smiles and hands Beca a washcloth. Beca folds it several times and places it in Emily's mouth. Emily bites down and nods her head that she's ready. Everyone tightens their positions and Beca starts talking to Emily again. Lily pours more alcohol on the wound and Emily bites down harder on the cloth in her mouth as a muffled moan escapes from somewhere deep in her throat. The bleeding is under control and Lily makes quick work of the stitches. She takes the cloth out of Emily's mouth and Emily let loose with a few 'fucks' and 'shits' before settling back and relaxing somewhat.
"You good, Lily?," Chloe asks. At Lily's nod, Chloe and Stacie let Emily go. They both sit on the bed looking down at the younger girl. "Way to go, Em."
Emily gives her a weak smile. "Thanks," she manages to say.
*0*0*0*0*
"Zeke," Aubrey whisper yells to get the young soldier's attention. "We've got company."
"Shit!," Zeke said when he looks back.
At the end of the alley, there were about a half dozen of the Sightless standing about, doing nothing. Just standing there. Zeke keeps his eyes on them as he slowly and quietly backs up until he makes it to the door. He was less than a foot away when the pack started making a loud keening noise. Suddenly, there is a loud screeching and the small pack is being attacked by what looked like two of the Sightless. They rush into the pack and start clawing and biting. Zeke stands there somewhat in shock at what he was witnessing. Aubrey grabs Zeke's arm and was yanking him into the hotel when they hear more screeching sounds a little ways away from the hotel. The two infected stood from the bodies they were attacking and suddenly run off, supposedly to find whatever was making the sounds.
Aubrey practically has to drag Zeke back into the hotel. She pulls the door closed behind them as soon as they were both inside. "What the fuck just happened?," Aubrey asks. "We heard them make that keening noise when we were checking out a school near where we were staying. They were trying to get to the ringing fire alarm. But, I didn't hear anything that would cause them to do that now. And, what was with those other two screeching and attacking them? What the hell is going on?"
"We need to get back to the others," Zeke said. "There's some stuff you need to know."
Aubrey looks at him a bit confused. "What 'stuff'?," she asks.
"It would be better if I told everyone at the same time," Zeke said. "Let's see if we can dump asshole number three before we head back up."
Aubrey watches Zeke as he walks away. She decides to leave it for now and follows him to dispose of the last body.
*0*0*0*0*
Beca looks at Chloe. "I need a shower and new clothes."
The redhead nods. "Okay, we can do that." She looks over at Emily and CR. "I'm going to take Beca over to our room so she can shower and change."
"Okay," Emily said.
Cynthia Rose nods. She looks at Beca, worried that the petite woman might be broken. If nothing else she's definitely a fragile human being, in a state of utter despair and shock.
Chloe's very cautious about how she goes about comforting Beca in terms of physicality. She wants to make sure Beca knows she's there, that she knows she's safe, but she doesn't want to be too smothering. It's a fine line she's walking and she makes sure to be attentive to Beca's cues.
"Please take the shower with me."
"W-what?," Chloe manages to say.
"I want to feel safe," Beca answers. "I need to feel safe." She turns away from Chloe and unhooks her bra. Chloe grabs a towel from the bathroom and hands it to the petite brunette. Beca accepts it after taking off her jeans. She wraps it around her waist before sliding her panties off.
Chloe slowly reaches out her hand letting Beca take the lead. Beca takes it and lets Chloe lead her into the bathroom. Chloe goes over to the tub and turns the knobs with her free hand before testing the temperature of the water.
"Please make it hot," Beca said. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't believe what had happened, what had nearly happened.
It was too much.
The redhead nods and reluctantly lets go of Beca's hand to adjust and check the temperature. When Chloe feels it's right, she turns to Beca and asks, "You ready?"
Beca slowly turns to look at Chloe and after a few awkward seconds, the tiny woman nods. She shuts her eyes and takes off her own towel. She stands and holds her breath.
Chloe walks over to Beca and raises her hand to lightly touch the brunette's shoulder. Beca jumps slightly when Chloe touches her, making the redhead wince. Beca opens her eyes and looks back at Chloe and really sees her. It registers in her brain that Chloe is naked too.
For some reason, this settles Beca a bit. Chloe's equal vulnerability helps the younger woman. She realizes that it's ok. She's safe. She is safe. Her Chloe is right next to her.
They both stand there transfixed by one another yet still cautious. Both knowing what Beca has just been through and that she needs this to be slow and gentle. Chloe notices her DJ's hands are still shaking. She covers the brunette's shaking hands with her own.
Beca almost jumps again when she feels Chloe's familiar hand intertwine with hers, but she's able to stifle the urge. It's then Chloe notices the bruises on Beca's wrists. Bruises left from the ropes Beca was tied with. Bruises that show the strength with which the brunette struggled. Chloe brings Beca's hands up to her lips and gently brushes them over the younger woman's wrists. Beca looks up, her eyes pleading with her to never let go. Chloe gives her a reassuring smile.
With the same gentle smile and a gentler tug of her hand, the redhead leads Beca across the cold white tiles of the bathroom floor to the shower. Chloe then moves the shower curtain aside for them to step in, and they carefully enter together. Chloe releases one of Beca's hands to pull the shower curtain closed. Beca's back is to the shower head and Chloe gently takes Beca's hand again and steps toward Beca to let her move back so she is under the water's spray.
The petite woman lets out a soft sigh when she feels the hot water on her shoulders. Beca feels frozen, suddenly afraid of any kind of skin-to-skin contact that might occur.
Chloe senses this and maintains space between them. She can see the tears falling down Beca's face, so she just stands back, continuing to hold the younger woman's hands, letting her know she's there.
After a few minutes she asks, "Can I wash your hair?"
Beca only nods and turns her back toward Chloe. Chloe grabs one of the small bottles of shampoo the hotel provides. She squeezes some shampoo into her palm and begins working it through Beca's wet hair. Beca has her eyes closed and just stands there while Chloe continues to massage the shampoo into her long brown hair. After a couple minutes Beca turns around and bends her head back to wash the shampoo out.
A tremble of a sob comes from between Beca's lips, and suddenly she does need human contact, she needs to feel Chloe close to her. With a stifled sob, she steps into Chloe, burying her face in the taller woman's shoulder.
The world shifts in a wordless emotional tidal wave. Tears run down Beca's face and she begins to sob out loud. "Everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be okay." Chloe keeps murmuring her sympathies to the distraught brunette.
"You're okay and safe, and I am here for you," Chloe whispers. She begins to rub circles on the smaller woman's back.
"I know. It still doesn't stop me from remembering everything," Beca replies in a whisper and pulls back slightly to look at the redhead.
Chloe leans forward and her lips gently meet Beca's. She can feel the younger woman lean further into the kiss. There is no desire in it; just comfort and love. It's simply a gentle reminder that they're both still alive.
They end up kneeling in the tub, still wrapped around each other, the hot spray of the shower raining down on them. Chloe just keeps whispering her encouragement as Beca sobs in her arms.
When the tiny DJ seems to have settled down a bit, Chloe starts to sing to her.
You shout it out
But I can't hear a word you say
I'm talking loud not saying much
I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet
You shoot me down, but I get up
Her singing is soft, just above a whisper; only for Beca, who seems to respond by relaxing into Chloe more.
I'm bulletproof nothing to lose, Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium, I am titanium, I am titanium, I am titanium
This song has always been special for the pair. The history of which only they knew. It was the first time they bonded. Beca looks up into Chloe's blue eyes and sees love, and it hits her that even after everything that's been done to her, Chloe stills loves her.
Cut me down
But it's you who has further to fall
Ghost town, haunted love
Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones
I'm talking loud not saying much
Beca has always loved Chloe's voice. It's soothing for her, and hers melds so well with it. She doesn't even make a conscious decision, she just starts singing along with the redhead.
I'm bulletproof nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium, I am titanium
The words of the song have always suggested strength to Beca, a strength of character she's always felt she had. It's why it was one of her favorite songs even before her encounter with Chloe.
Stone-hard, machine gun
Firing at the ones who run
Stone-hard, thus bulletproof glass
Now Beca questions her strength, questions if she's broken. Yet feeling Chloe tight against her, and hearing her sing this song does help fill Beca with a modicum of hope. She closes her eyes and just stays in this moment.
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
I am titanium
It isn't until Chloe reaches back and turns the water off that Beca even opens her eyes again.
Chloe reaches out and grabs a towel to wrap her tiny DJ in. She then wraps one around herself and takes another and starts patting Beca dry.
Once they are dry and back in the bedroom, Chloe grabs Beca one of her shirts and hands it to her. Beca moves over to the bed and sits on the edge looking up at Chloe while the redhead puts on sweatpants and a t-shirt. Chloe then finds panties and sweats for Beca and walks over to the bed to sit beside her. She helps her love dress and when she looks at Beca's face she realizes there is a hint of a smile on her lips.
"You sang to me," Beca whispers.
"I did," Chloe whispers back.
Not wanting to end the moment, Beca whispers out a "Thank you."
She hears Chloe whisper back, "It's ok, Becs. We're in this together."
With those words, Chloe wraps her arm around the petite brunette even tighter. They both know tomorrow and the days to come are going to be hard. They both know the world they live in holds little promise. They both know that for right now they have each other so they also have hope.
*0*0*0*0*
Emily was sitting up on the bed drinking some water when Beca and Chloe return. Stacie had helped her put on a shirt. Lily had put her arm in a sling and given her some painkillers to help ease some of her pain. She was pale and feeling very weak but not bad considering how it could have turned out. She looks over to see CR sitting in the chair across the room looking everywhere but at Emily.
Chloe, seeing how uneasy CR was, asks Beca if she's up to helping with dinner.
"Well, we did take that chicken out to thaw," Beca said. "Maybe we should all just go down to the kitchen. We can cook and the others can keep us company. You know, if they want to."
"I think that's a great idea," Chloe said sensing Beca's reluctance to return to the kitchen. "We can actually eat at a decent time."
"I don't know guys," Emily said. "I'm really not feeling up to much right now. Maybe CR and I can stay here and come down when dinner's ready. Is that okay with you CR?"
"Um, yeah, sure," CR mumbles.
Emily sighs and looks at CR. "CR, would you please come over here?" CR gets up and slowly makes her way over to the bed. Emily pats the bed next to her indicating CR should sit down. Once CR is seated, Emily takes her hand to lift CR's chin so she would look at her. "Will you please stop blaming yourself? This is not your fault. You didn't do this to me."
"But if I had been quicker you wouldn't have had to shove me out of the way," CR said as tears fell from her eyes.
"And if I had shot in a different direction, Chicago would still be alive," Emily counters. "CR you are like a sister to me." Emily takes CR's hand and holds it tight. "All of you are. I would have done the same thing for the others if it meant I could stop them from getting hurt."
"I'm sorry," CR said.
"Don't apologize," Emily said. "It's not your fault. That's what you told me about Chicago. Were you lying to me?" CR doesn't say anything and Emily lets out a sigh. "You're hurting yourself by not forgiving yourself. And I'm not going to let you do that. So, wipe those tears and stay here and watch me sleep while Beca and Chloe go make dinner. Okay?"
CR looks at Emily. She smiles through her tears when she only sees sincerity and love in Emily's eyes. "Okay, little sis," CR said. Emily smiles back at her.
Beca and Chloe smile at their two friends. "We'll send someone up to get you when we're ready to eat," Chloe tells them.
CR knows Emily is weak from blood loss so she suggests that maybe they could just get room service. Chloe laughs and agrees that they will send up plates for the two when everything was ready.
Beca and Chloe leave and go to Lily's room. Stacie was in Lily's room when they stop to tell her what they were planning to do. Stacie helps Lily get Sammy and Taylor ready and then all went down the stairs as a group. Just as they reach the kitchen they see Zeke and Aubrey coming out, bottles of water in hand.
"What's going on?," Aubrey asks, seeing all of them together.
"We're going to make dinner," Chloe said. "You two should join us."
Zeke shrugs his shoulders and follows the group back into the kitchen.
"We're going to have baked chicken, corn, and scalloped potatoes," Chloe said. "Aubrey, would you and Stacie set a table in the dining room for us?"
"Where's Emily?," Aubrey asks. "Is she okay?"
"She's really tired," Chloe tells her. "She and CR are having room service this evening."
Aubrey smiles at that and says, "Come on, Stace. Let's go set a nice table."
"Hey, Taylor," Stacie said. "Why don't you and Sammy come help us."
"Okay," Taylor said and she and Sammy follow Aubrey and Stacie into the dining room.
"I'll help them," Lily said and left the kitchen.
After Lily was gone, Zeke turns to Beca. "Beca, so, um, how are you doing?," Zeke asks.
Chloe sees Beca tense and puts her hand on Beca's lower back. Beca flinches slightly but appreciates the reminder that Chloe is there for her. Beca looks at Zeke and gives him a small smile. "I'm fine." Zeke just looks at her. "Considering what could have happened, I'm great. Seriously. I mean it was scary but thank God they were too drunk to do much more than, um, grope me. And, I haven't said it to any of you yet, but thank you. For finding me and taking care of those guys."
Zeke just nods his head and looks down at the ground.
"Don't worry about her, Zeke," Chloe said. "Trust me, I've known her for a long time and the 'I'm fine' she just gave you really means she's fine." She looks at Zeke and can see he is still struggling with what he had to do to Chicago. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah," Zeke said with a shrug. "The army teaches you how to detach yourself when you have to shoot or kill someone."
"I know," Chloe said walking over and pulling Zeke into a hug. "But he was your friend. It's different."
Zeke nods and hugs Chloe back. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Chloe said as she pulls back from the hug. "Any time."
"Um, so when's dinner going to be ready?," Zeke asks.
"Probably 35-40 minutes once the chicken and potatoes are in the oven," Chloe said. "I say we have a glass of wine while we wait."
"I'll second that," Beca said. "Zeke, why don't you go ahead and ask Aubrey to pick out a couple of bottles for us. She knows a thing or two about wine."
"Will you two join us?," Zeke asks. "There's some stuff I really need to fill you girls in on."
"Definitely," Chloe said. "Give us about ten minutes to get everything in the oven and we'll be right in."
Zeke nods his head and left Beca and Chloe alone in the kitchen. After he was gone, Beca looks and asks, "What do you think he is going to tell us?"
"I don't know," Chloe said. "But he's in the military. I have a feeling they've been up to something and he knows exactly what."
Beca helps Chloe get the chicken and the scalloped potatoes in the oven. They set the timer for 40 minutes.
"When there's five minutes left I'll come check on the chicken and heat up the corn," Chloe said.
"Great," Beca said wiping her hands. "Let's go get some wine."
Beca follows Chloe out to the dining room to find everyone sitting around the table. Aubrey gets up and pours them both a glass of wine and hands it to them. They each take their glass and join the others at the table.
"So, what's going on Zeke?," Chloe asks. "What is it you want to tell us?"
"Can one of you get Emily and CR?," Zeke asks. "I think they should hear this, too."
"I'll get them," Stacie said. Aubrey gets up, "I'll go with you."
*0*0*0*0*
Chloe was chatting with Lily and the two youngest girls while they waited. Beca was sitting quietly, mostly staring into the wine in her glass. Zeke was also sitting silently as he waited for the other girls to return with Emily and CR.
About fifteen minutes later, Stacie and CR are helping Emily into the dining room. Aubrey is following behind. The all sit down and look at Zeke. Zeke looks back at them and takes a moment to gather his thoughts before he starts.
"If you have any questions while I'm talking, just go ahead and ask them, okay?," Zeke said. The girls all nod and Zeke continues. "Chicago and I are, were, attached to Fort Benning. The Defense Department had us going out on patrol every day and night. Our objective was to capture as many of the infected as we could."
"Why?," Stacie asks.
"To study them," Zeke replies. "They thought they could test them to find out what caused the infection and find a cure or an antidote."
"What did they find out?," Aubrey asks.
"Not much, until about five or six weeks ago," Zeke said. "They had a breakthrough and figured out how the disease spread so fast. It was through saliva. The thing that threw the scientists and doctors was that it was only transmitted if the saliva got into the bloodstream. It wasn't transmitted by infected blood or any other bodily fluid, just the saliva. If they bite you, even if they only scratched the skin, you could get infected."
"If you only get it from the saliva," Emily asks, thinking as she spoke. "How did it spread so quickly? I mean not everyone could have been bitten to get it. Could they?"
"They don't really know," Zeke said. "Or at least they didn't tell us. I think it spread because there are so many ways for the saliva to get into the bloodstream"
"Like how?," Emily asks.
"I don't really know for sure," Zeek responds. "I just feel like it can be transmitted through something like a cut or sore that wasn't healed. Or kissing if you didn't know someone was already infected. Or even if you got it in your eyes from a cough or something. Just anyway the saliva, even a small amount, could get into the bloodstream and work its way to the brain. That's why it affects the hearing and eyesight."
"How do they know all that?," Beca asks. Her eyes widen at the thought that came to her. "Wait. Did they put non-infected people in with the infected? Is that how they figured it out?"
"Yes, they did," Zeke said looking down. He hesitated slightly before he continued. "They, um, found a prison where the inmates weren't infected and used them to test out their theories."
"Shit," CR said. "That's messed up."
"I agree," Zeke said. "Many of us disagreed with what they were doing, but considering we didn't know how the disease was spreading, it was, for lack of a better description, a necessary evil. They found out a lot by using those folks, um, inmates."
"So, if they know that it's the saliva and the possible ways it was transmitted, did they figure out how to cure it or treat it so people stopped getting it?," Beca asks.
"They thought they had a couple of times," Zeke said. "In order to test it, they again would put someone into the situation where they would become infected. They would then give them the antidote and watch to see if anything happened. The first batch was useless. Nothing happened. By the third batch, they noticed that the person was still infected but they were more advanced. That's what those things were that chased your truck and attacked the others earlier in the alleyway. They must have escaped from the base somehow. They have superior hearing and are far more dangerous."
"So, in trying to find a cure, they actually made them into some kind of super-infected?," Aubrey asks.
"Something like that," Zeke said. "The last batch they were working on actually worked. The infected were returning to almost normal. All of them, even the 'super' infected."
"Almost normal?," Stacie asks. "What does that mean? Were they human again?"
"Yeah," Zeke said. "Well, they weren't infected anymore but they remained blind. The doctors don't think that anything will help with the blindness. The Defense Department asked the doctors if they could make the cure into a mist that could be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. They want to fly over the country spraying everyone with the mist, hoping to stop the infection and 'heal' people."
"Like crop dusting them?," Chloe asks.
"Something like that," Zeke said.
"So, have they started?," Chloe asks.
"I don't know," Zeke said. "They were still talking about it when Chicago and I got separated from our unit."
"How exactly did that happen?," Stacie asks. "You guys have all the weapons and manpower."
"That's true," Zeke said. "But we weren't expecting to be ambushed by non-infected civilians. It took us totally by surprise."
"So, what actually happened?," CR asks.
"I can't believe it was only a week ago," Zeke said shaking his head. "We were out on patrol when we were attacked by a group of civilians. They were scared and angry. You may have noticed that most of the areas we've been in, including this hotel, have power. The military made sure that any power stations within thirty miles of any military base were fully manned. They diverted all the power to the bases and the surrounding area. This left many areas without any power, so there was no way to have lights, keep food, or even have hot water. The group that attacked us wanted power restored to their area and thought attacking us would get the Defense Department to turn their power back on. In the attack, Chicago and I got separated from our squad. We were outnumbered and outgunned so we hunkered down until it was safe to move."
"How long were you hunkered down?," Emily asks.
"Three days," Zeke tells her. "The people who attacked us believed that the lack of power would cause the non-infected to die off sooner than the infected from lack of food and such. I understand why they attacked us. I only wish we could have kept power to everyone but we really didn't have the manpower. Chicago and I didn't want to go back to the base so when we read a flyer about the survivor camps we opted to head to one of those."
"So, what now?," Aubrey asks. "Are there really survivor camps? Or are we taking ourselves on a wild goose chase to find one?"
"We only know what we read on the flyers about those camps," Zeke said in all honesty. "Just like you, we decided to try and make our way to one. Now, I'm not sure what we'd find if we make it to one. We might be better off just staying here and waiting it out."
"If they are able to spray this mist they've developed," Lily said, speaking up for the first time. "Will it do anything to those of us who are not infected?"
"No," Zeke said. "They tested the vaccine on non-infected civilians and there were no adverse reactions. The day we were attacked, it had been ten days and everyone who got sprayed, both infected and non-infected, was still fine when we left to go on patrol. If things continued to go according to the plan, the DOD should be starting the flyovers any day. At least, that's my best guess."
"If that's the case, I think we should stay here," Lily said. "Wait it out for now. Give it a week and see if the, what did you call them? Flyovers?" At Zeke's nod, Lily continues. "See if the flyovers start. If they do, we'll have to go on patrol and see if we can find any of the infected that are cured. Because, even if they are cured of the infection, they will be most likely remain blind and will need help."
"I agree with Lily," Emily said. "I think it's the best and safest thing to do. Plus, I won't be able to do much if we were to run into any Sightless. I'd rather pull my own weight."
The others all nod their heads in understanding and agreement. There's a buzzing coming from the kitchen and Beca jumps up to check on dinner.
Chloe notices how Beca hasn't said anything for a while. She watches as Beca heads into the kitchen. "I'm just going to go help Beca." She stands and leaves the others in the dining room. She walks in as Beca was removing the chicken from the oven.
"Smells pretty good," Chloe said. "If I do say so myself." Beca gives her a small smile. Chloe walks around the food prep table and grabs a couple cans of corn. She opens them and empties them into a pot to heat up. Beca pulls the potatoes out of the oven. Chloe looks over at her with some concern. Beca hasn't said anything since her initial questioning of Zeke.
"Hey," Chloe said causing Beca to look at her. "You okay?"
Beca lets out a heavy sigh. "It's just. Listening to Zeke it makes me wonder if I hadn't. . .if I had let Jesse change. . .maybe he would have had a chance to be human again."
Chloe sees tears falling down the brunette's face and goes over and pulls Beca into a hug. Beca doesn't tense up and actually falls into the hug, needing the comfort Chloe provides. "Oh, sweetie. You can't think like that. There's no guarantee that he would have been lucky enough to be a real human again. Plus, he would be blind. Would you really want that for him?"
"No, I guess not," Beca said. "It's just sad for everyone. Why didn't we start working on a vaccine or an antidote when this infection started in other countries? If it spread that fast everywhere else, what made our leaders think that it wouldn't happen here?"
"That's the age-old question, Becs," Chloe said. "We just automatically went on the defensive and stopped people from those countries from entering the U.S. instead of going on the offensive and trying to prevent people here from getting sick."
"I guess we should take some comfort in the fact that they're finally doing something about it," Beca said. "I wonder if the military is now running the country. Do we even have a President or a Vice President? How far down the line of succession will we have to go if this new mist thing works?"
"Lots of very good questions," Chloe said. "Some we won't know the answers to for a while I'm guessing."
Beca becomes quiet and Chloe feels some concern. She pushes a stray hair behind Beca's ear and kisses her forehead. "It's been quite a day. Are you really okay?"
"Well," Beca said and looks at Chloe. "Considering I've been through two intense Sightless attacks, finding Lily after thinking she was dead, finding Zeke and Chicago only to lose Chicago, and being basically kidnapped and groped by three junk assholes, I'm doing peachy."
"Beca," Chloe said with a sigh.
"Don't worry, Chlo," Beca tells her and smiles. "Seriously, I'm fine. If I can get through all that and having you sing your lady jam to me because you were excited about a new truck all in one day, hell I can get through anything."
"You loved it when I sang to you in the truck," Chloe said, feigning offense.
"Keep telling yourself that, Beale," Beca said with a laugh. She broke off the laugh and turned serious, saying, "I loved it when you sang to me in the shower though; it helped. I really am okay, Chlo. I promise."
"I'm glad," Chloe said and gives Beca a big smile. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Beca looks at Chloe and gives her a kiss, which Chloe gladly reciprocates. "Now enough of this mushy stuff. You'd better check on the corn. I'll get a cart so we can take everything out to the dining room."
Chloe hurries over to the corn and takes it off the stove and pours it into a serving bowl. She puts the bowl on the cart. She helps Beca get everything else together and they wheel the cart into the dining room.
"Dinner is ready!," Chloe says with an excited 'woo-hoo' thrown in for good measure.
Everyone laughs at the bubbly redhead and settle down to a nice dinner. After everyone is satisfied, they sit back and Zeke looks at Lily.
"Lily?," Zeke calls to her.
"Yeah," Lily says back.
"You have a master key to the rooms, right?," Zeke asks. At Lily's nod he continues, "I was thinking we should check the other rooms for anything usable. Like laptops or phones. Maybe we can check the DOD website to see if there are any notices or messages."
'That's a good idea," Aubrey said. "How many master keys are there, Lily?"
"I only took two out of the drawer," Lily said. "There were more but I don't know how many. I'll go check."
Lily gets up and heads out to the front desk to look for the key cards.
"Do you think we'll be able to connect to the internet?," Stacie asks.
"I'm hoping so," Zeke tells her. "I know the DOD was trying to keep all forms of communication, including email, up and running. I think we have a fair shot."
"I'm thinking we should check each floor in pairs," Aubrey said. "It will be faster and we can bring whatever we find back to Lily's room so we can check it out. I also suggest that Emily and Lily stay in Lily's room with the girls." Seeing Emily about to argue, Aubrey adds, "The girls really trust Lily and you should rest as much as possible. Plus, I think Sammy is worried about you."
Emily looks at the young girl and she is staring back at her with wide eyes. Emily smiles at her and Sammy gives her a grin.
"Brey's right, Em," Beca said. "Chloe and I will pair up."
"I'll work with Aubrey," Stacie said.
"Guess that leaves you and me, GI Joe," CR said with a smile at Zeke.
"I'm honored," Zeke said and smiles back at CR.
Lily comes back holding four more master key cards. She hands one to Emily, Zeke, Aubrey, and Stacie. Emily immediately hands hers over to CR.
"You and I are going to stay with Sammy and Taylor," Emily tells Lily.
"Maybe we should just check the second floor tonight," Stacie suggests. "It's going to take some time to check every room in the hotel. We might get lucky and find a laptop or something and not have to look anywhere else."
"It's already late," Beca said. "Maybe we should just wait until the morning."
"I think checking tonight is a good idea," Chloe said. She takes Beca's hand. "If we all help, it won't take long."
Beca nods and says, "Yeah, okay."
Chloe can sense that Beca is apprehensive about possibly finding more people hiding out somewhere in the hotel. She gives Beca's hand a comforting squeeze.
"Can you also check for some clothes for the girls?," Lily asks. "Sammy and Taylor don't really have anything more than what they are wearing."
"We'll do that," Chloe said and smiles at the two girls.
"Maybe we should just gather up everything that we think might be useful," Beca suggests. "I could use some different clothes. I doubt I'd find any shoes in my size, but it's worth a look."
"If you find some kids stuff you could probably find some shoes to fit," Emily said with a grin as the rest of the girls laugh.
"So not cool, Em," Beca said, her smile showing she knew Emily was just joking.
"Hey, CR," Aubrey said. "How about you, me, and Stacie clean up and do the dishes?"
"You got it," CR said and starts clearing the dishes from the table.
Stacie and Aubrey follow suit and it wasn't long before the table was cleared. Taylor and Sammy were whispering to each other and then Sammy whispered something to Emily. Chloe looks over at them.
"What are you three whispering about over there?," Chloe asks smiling at them.
"Sammy wants to know if we can have some ice cream," Taylor said softly.
"Yeah," Emily said. "I want some ice cream, too."
"I think that can be arranged," Chloe said with a wink. "I'm pretty sure we saw some in the freezer earlier. I'll go check."
"Yay!," Sammy and Taylor yell causing everyone else to laugh. Chloe goes to check on the ice cream.