Outbreak


6. The Visitor


The soup was cold by the time Gabriella had taken her final sip. Last to finish, she dropped her spoon into the cheap, china bowl and wiped her hands on her lap. "It took us hours to get to that supermarket, didn't it Tay?" She continued the conversation they'd been having on-and-off for the past few minutes. Opposite her, on the other side of the table, Taylor simply nodded and turned her attention back to staring into her empty bowl.

There wasn't a dining area, only the long-ish coffee table, but even that was too low to the ground to be surrounded by chairs. To use it for their meal, the group had had to sit on the floor; with their legs either crossed or tucked beneath them. Gabriella's slight complaint about the hard floorboards had earned her a comfier spot on Troy's lap for which she was very thankful. Chad sat across from them with Taylor beside him and, although the two were still visibly embarrassed by the earlier interruption, Gabriella could see that their hands were discretely entwined beneath the table.

"But," she went on. "It was the closest shop that we hadn't cleared out. See, we live in this really rural area." She turned slightly to Troy, unsure if he was listening from behind her back. He smiled slightly up at her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Amazing house. You're gonna love it-"

Troy and Chad's heads popped up simultaneously. They both regarded each other for a second before directing the same confused look at Gabriella.

"What?" Troy asked. He knew Gabriella had been trying to slip it into the conversation but nothing was getting past him. She had suggested, ever so slyly, that they'd be moving to her 'amazing house'.

Taylor scoffed. "Don't think we're staying in this dump." She said, wrinkling her nose and glancing around with disdain. Compared to the boys' apartment, their house was a palace. There was no way she was staying here.

"I like our apartment." Chad frowned, looking almost offended. Over time, this home had become a part of him. It was his temple; his sanctuary. It was what he knew. One of the few places he felt comfortable. And, all of a sudden, they wanted him to leave. "It's cosy."

Gabriella tried to seem sympathetic but her strong desire to move out as soon as possible overruled. "There's nowhere for us to sleep." She attempted to reason with him. Perhaps if she could make him realise how impractical the situation was… "Trust me, Chad." She said sincerely as he folded his arms across his chest. "You'll love it."

Troy could tell Chad was about to argue, he looked like a child that didn't want to do as he was told, but the atmosphere was too good now to spoil it with an argument.

Cutting off the tension before it could build, Troy tapped Gabriella's thigh to signal that he wanted to stand. She got to her feet and he followed, grabbing his bowl and spoon and looking at Chad. "You gonna help me clear the table?" He asked, although it was more of a request than a question.

Chad grew even more unimpressed but bit back his scowl and stood. Bundling up his own bowl and the rest of the mess on the table, he followed Troy to the kitchenette. They'd had their backs turned only a second when the girls began to chatter and giggle on the sofa, making themselves at home and not bothering to say 'thank you'. Chad rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the sink.

Unlike electricity, water still ran through the pipes, although only cold and not really fit for drinking. It trickled feebly into the plugged sink and frothed the washing-up liquid into tiny white bubbles. The bubbles turned orange as Troy dunked the cutlery into the water and stained it with soup.

Chad was scrubbing his second bowl when he realised he was being watched. His hands still moving the sponge against the china, he turned his head to the side to face his friend. Troy smiled back at him.

"What?" Chad asked, feeling slightly perturbed by the close attention. Troy shrugged and said nothing but continued to smile and stare. Chad could tell Troy had some nonsense in his head that he wanted to get out; something funny and random and pointless to say, so continued to try and urge it out of him. "Seriously, man. What?"

Troy's smile grew and he looked back at the spoon in his hand which now sparkled with freshness. "I think you know what." He suggested teasingly.

He had to relish in this forgotten feeling of school-time merriment. It was like they were back in the playground, joking as if none of this had happened. And he loved it. He could get used to it. They were their old selves. Allowed, if only for a while, to reclaim some of the childhood that was torn from them so suddenly. Able to smile and feel comfort without wondering if there was a point in getting up tomorrow or whether there would be a tomorrow at all. And, although Chad tried to act unimpressed, it was obvious he enjoyed it too.

He rolled his eyes and tried to turn his attention to washing the third of the bowls. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see Troy's smug smile and it slowly began to grate at him until he felt the need to defend himself. "Dude," he said, putting down the tea-towel. "It's been eight months."

Eight months without any form of intimate physical contact. No hugs. No kisses. No peck on the cheek from mum or tight squeeze from dad. Maybe the odd uncomfortable embrace or pat on the back from Troy but… eight months.

"Uh-huh…" Troy purposely sounded unconvinced. He understood Chad completely and agreed. He just enjoyed slowly winding him up and seeing his friend squirm.

And squirm he did. "Oh c'mon," Chad huffed. "We were just kissing." He paused in thought then added more quietly; "So we got a bit carried away…"

It was then that Troy could hold back no longer. Unsuccessfully stifled, his laugh came out more like a spat sputter. Looking up, he was just in time to see Chad narrow his eyes before his vision was clouded with soapy water. It didn't matter that it stung a little or tasted sour in his mouth. The fresh splash to his face had an almost exhilarating effect and only heightened his happiness.

His tactic not having its desired effect, Chad hit Troy with another splash of water, this time accompanying it with a half-hearted and joked warning. "Shut up!"


Across the room, Taylor and Gabriella lounged on the couch, exhausted after such an eventful day. They had momentarily paused their conversation, silently watching their boyfriends have a childish water-fight in the kitchen, and were now turning their attention back to each other. Taylor picked up right where she'd left off.

"I'm not kidding, Gabi," she said dynamically. "I thought you were dead." She was recalling her point of view of what had happened earlier that day in the shop. For the first time since then, she was coming to terms with just how awful it would have been to have actually lost Gabriella. If they hadn't been blessed with this miracle reunion, she would have ended up either dead or alone. And, if the latter had become the case; if she had been forced to face solitude, then she would have preferred to be dead.

Gabriella bit down on her lip, almost feeling sorry for putting Taylor through such a horrible experience. Without noticing, she began to softly stroke the rough surface of the scab that was forming on her scalp. "You don't have to worry about me, Tay." She assured her friend. Although, she'd never felt so close to death. They'd narrowly escaped today, and their rescue still felt like an untrue dream, but things could have turned out a lot different. There was no denying that they had put themselves and their lives in danger.

"D'you want me to have a look at that?" Taylor offered, pointing at Gabriella's head. It wasn't really a question, more of a demand, and Gabriella reluctantly complied.

Taylor had taken an interest in medicine. She'd always been a sciencey girl but was even more so now, since discovering a heap of medical books in the library in their home. The previous inhabitant must have been some kind of doctor because the collection of educational manuscripts was extensive. And, on those boring days which were more often than not, Taylor would read and read them, engrossed in the diagrams and technical jargon. She beckoned Gabriella with one finger, ready to finally put some of her new-found knowledge to the test.

Gabriella lay down on the sofa and used Taylor's lap as a cushion. She cringed as she felt Taylor's warm and eager fingers picking out the flecks of dry blood from her hair. Then, winced as those same fingers began to prod her still raw and throbbing wound. Looking up, all she could see was Taylor's deep frown and, for a second, she began to wonder if there was something wrong.

"So what's the prognosis, doc?" She asked, successfully keeping the fear from her voice.

Taylor's gentle fingers continued to move and Gabriella realised that her head was no longer being dealt with, just her hair. She loved it when Taylor played with her hair. It not only made her feel closer to her best friend, but it sort of reminded her of when she was a child and her mother would do the same. It was comforting and sent shivers of nostalgia down her spine.

"Looks good to me." Taylor replied, slowly undoing Gabriella's loose plaits. Her frown dissolved into a warm smile and she briefly looked over at the boys. "So," She started cautiously. "You and Troy…?"

She had that look on her face. That fun and eager look she always got when snooping for gossip. The excited glint in her eye made Gabriella smile back. It had been a while since they'd had a conversation like this.

"You know…" Gabriella shrugged. "We're just taking it as it comes."

Taylor was not willing to accept that as an answer. She shook her head and put on her most effective 'Uh, I don't think so' face. "No, no." She said quickly. "What does that even mean? Where's the passion?" The final word came out in an exaggerated whisper and, with it, she clenched her fists and looked up in a dreamlike manner.

"Oh," Gabriella chuckled. "You mean like you and Chad?"

Taylor's wistful façade dropped at once and her cheeks flushed red. She looked back at Gabriella. "Let's not talk about that." She advised bluntly. "And anyway, you're changing the subject."

Gabriella grinned but knew that there was no avoiding the subject. If Taylor wanted details, she was getting details. And if she wanted to know everything about their relationship, Gabriella would eventually be forced to tell her. "It feels like we were never apart." She allowed a small, peaceful smile. "And it feels like…" She sighed and wondered whether or not to finish. She didn't want to jinx it by saying it aloud.

"Go on…" Taylor urged, though she knew the words on the edge of Gabriella's tongue. She felt exactly the same.

"Feels like we'll never be separated again."

Moments later, the girls were joined by Troy and Chad. They all squeezed onto the one sofa and talked and laughed and caught up. It was comfortable; not the couch, but the situation. It was almost normal. A word they never thought they could use to describe things again. After a short, playful argument about sleeping arrangements, Gabriella and Taylor were designated to the single bed, Troy to the floor by the door with a mattress of sofa cushions, and Chad to the cushion-less sofa. They didn't want to sleep, it would have been great to just stay up and talk all night, but they needed rest as it had been a long day. And once they had settled, it only took them a matter of minutes to fall into for-once a peaceful slumber.


It must have been about five-thirty in the morning. Troy awoke first, to the sound of metallic clunks by his head. The door was shaking and it only took him a second to realise that someone was knocking from outside.

From outside.

His first action, a complete reflex, was to clamber as quickly as he could from the door. He crawled backwards, sliding across the floor on his backside, using his feet and hands to power the movement. He didn't stop until his back hit the coffee table and caused its wooden legs to scrape noisily across the floor. It made an awful, dire moaning sound like nails on a chalkboard.

This, along with the loudening banging at the door, was enough to awaken Chad whose eyes snapped open almost as suddenly as Troy's had. He sat up from his awkward and uncomfortable-looking position on the couch and his gaze shot from the door to Troy and then back at the door.

"What the hell is that?" He asked. His voice was deep and quiet.

Troy's explanation was going to be that the girls had gone outside for some reason and gotten themselves locked out. It seemed believable and reassuring enough until a creak alerted them to the opening of the bedroom door. Looking over, both Taylor and Gabriella stood, slightly dishevelled and equally as curious.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella rubbed her eyes and looked at the odd positioning boys, Troy still on the floor and Chad sitting bolt upright on the couch. "What's all that noise?"

In answer, there was another burst of pounding at the door.

Taylor stopped mid-yawn and jumped. "Who's that?" She whispered, squinting against the early morning rays of light that peered through the gaps in the boarded windows.

Troy felt vulnerable all of a sudden and quickly got to his feet. His eyes didn't leave the door for a second as if, if he looked away, it would suddenly slide open. He didn't know what was on the other side of that inch of steel but a feeling hung over him of intense dread and he took each breath with apprehension. He also didn't know what he was supposed to do. Because, surely, he had to do something. One thing he was certain of though, was that there was someone out there. And they had a choice to make.


A/N: I wrote probably one of my longest Author's Notes that you could imagine that had praise and thanks for everyone who had reviewed so far. I named you all individually and had a personal message for each. No lie. But, as you probably know, my internet is a bitch and when I pressed save zip it was all gone!

Another part of my note was to say that I begin my GCSE exams tomorrow *gulp* so updates may not be as often but I'm pretty sure the routine won't be disturbed too much. In fact, I'll be off school anyway for 'study leave' and I could always work on the story then (between revision of course :P ).

Para todos los que han comentado, muchas gracias! Te quiero y--.... Wish me luck for my Spanish exam for tomorrow! AH!

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