Outbreak
10. The François-Deluxe Hotel
Burnt toast. The smell of it overpowered my senses. Enough to wake me from my comfortable sleep, it crept up my nasal passages until I could taste it at the back of my throat. It drifted all the way to my brain and took over my thoughts. I'd always hated the smell of burnt toast. It was just off-putting proof that some fool had overcooked my breakfast again.
Yawning loudly, I opened my eyes only to shut them again against the unexpected, harsh sunlight. Who opened my curtains? I tried again, this time squinting until my eyes had become accustomed to the light. Only when my vision had fully adjusted did I realise something was wrong.
This wasn't my bedroom. Instead of being pink with a large, silver, swirly 'S' painted on it, the ceiling above me was plain white. And the sheets I lay within weren't the silk I was used to. When I attempted to roll over to look around, I found myself overwhelmed with pain that spread through my midsection. After getting my breath back, I tentatively touched my abdomen, only to find it bandaged all around.
I was confounded to say the least. I tried to think back to how I could have got here- wherever here was. The last thing I remembered was preparing for the prom. To be precise, I was trying to decide what to do with my hair. Other snippets of my memory came and went; Zeke in a tux, bright lights… screaming? Maybe that was a dream. Or maybe this was a dream. But then, what would explain the pain.
What if I'd been drugged? I was hit with panic as I realised that all sorts of things could have happened to me. Had there been an accident? Perhaps I was in hospital. But where was Ryan? And why the burning toast?
"Breakfast's ready!" A female voice came from out of nowhere. Her cheery voice was slightly muffled but shocked me all the same.
I sat upright, despite the soreness and took a good look around. I was alone in the room, though the door was open. It was a large and mainly white bedroom with a very modern design. The bed I lay on was huge, even compared to my one at home. On the nightstand beside me was a lamp, a phone, an alarm clock and a family photo of a young Asian couple and their baby. Their unfamiliar smiles beamed at me, frozen in genuine happiness.
"Henry!" It was the same voice, but louder this time. "Come get your toast!" I could hear footsteps getting louder outside the open door and my heart was filled with both fear and excitement.
A woman with long black hair walked straight past my room. I only caught sight of her for a second but could tell that she was the beautiful young mother from the photo beside me. Her footsteps came to a sudden stop, then continued as she gradually retreated. She peered at me from outside the doorway, her eyes narrowed as if she didn't trust what she was seeing.
I don't know why, but I slowly pulled my hand from beneath the covers and waved at her. An impossibly large grin spread across her face and her dark eyes twinkled. I felt instantly comforted by her warmth. My doubts were put at ease.
"You're awake." She gasped, stepping into the room.
I took in the sight of her. I could tell she'd been a model. She was tall and slim and had a bone-structure to die for. Her face was gorgeous and her shiny, black, flowing hair was perfect, even as it hung in a plain style on her shoulders. She was wearing an evidently expensive, casual dress and fluffy grey slippers. I guessed that she was in her mid-twenties.
She sat on the side of my bed, her bright smile not fading. "How are you feeling?"
Having her so close to me, beaming from ear to ear, was quickly becoming overbearing and irritating. I shuffled away slightly and shrugged. "Who're you?" I asked, looking her up and down with scrutiny. "How did I get here?"
She chuckled to herself, only bothering me further, then answered. "Oh, of course." her voice was patronisingly kind and joyful. Each word came out with a hint of laughter and she seemed to me like one of those sugary-sweet kids TV presenters. "I'm Vivienne Luong." She introduced herself, proudly reaching out a hand for me to shake. I ignored it and she eventually pulled away. "It's so good to see you've finally woken up." As she said the words, her smile faltered and I could tell that she was starting to doubt me. Then again, I had been quite harsh.
"How did I get here?" I said again. She was trying my patience. I hated it when people where too nice to be true.
She frowned slightly; the first negative expression I'd seen on her face. It didn't suit her. "You don't remember?" She asked.
"Obviously not." I snapped, more bitterly than I'd intended.
She blinked away the flash of offence in her eyes. "Oh," she said again. "Right… okay." I could tell she was struggling for words. "Um… God, how do I say this?"
I hate to admit it, but she was scaring me. My mind was filled with dread as I began to wonder just what might have happened to get me here. What circumstances had been so bad that even the memory of them wiped the smile off this cheerful woman's face. "Just tell me." I demanded. I don't know if I really wanted to hear the answer.
"Let's see," She began, mulling over ways to commence the story. "I guess it all started when my husband, Ken, told me to pick up our son from his friends house." I wondered the relevance but continued to listen. "Henry- that's our son- was meant to be staying over at Sebastian's for the night but Ken said that there was an illness going round and it was best if we stayed indoors."
"But what's this got to do with me?" I cut in.
She barely took this into consideration. Just nodded and continued. "So, I was driving Henry back from Sebastian's. All the roads where in complete chaos. People were running all over the place. Screaming. Bleeding." She looked up and shuddered as if visualising the memory. "Henry was crying in the backseat. I turned around for a second. Just wanted to calm him down." Her eyes darkened. "But I guess I took my eyes off the road for too long. I-I… hit something. Someone." She paused. "You."
My eyes widened as I backed away from her as far as I could. "You mean you ran me over?"
"I-it… was an accident." She stammered quickly. "I'm so sorry."
I was having none of it. I shot her my most hateful and disgusted glare. "So then what, huh?" I asked. "You thought you'd take me home with you? Keep me quiet?" She shook her head desperately. "You kidnapped me!" I yelled. I grabbed the phone from the bedside table and began to dial. "I'm calling the police. Then, I'm calling my father and having you sued."
She looked down with shame. "There aren't any police." She said sadly.
I scoffed, not going to fall for whatever trick she was trying to pull. But when I raised the phone to my ear, I just got dial-tone. I dialled again. Same result. I called Daddy. Nothing. And, as I continued to try ever phone number I knew, she proceeded to explain.
"The infection. It got out of control." Her head was hanging down but I saw her tears fall onto the bed. "Everyone's dead, honey. I'm sorry."
I slammed the phone with my hand until it hurt. "Shut up!" I told her, tossing the phone across the room. The plastic shattered as it collided with the wall.
"Please…" She begged quietly.
But what did she want? My forgiveness? She could have killed me. And now I was trapped with her. And she was talking nonsense. And she'd made it impossible for me to get help by disconnecting the phone.
"Please, just-…"
"Shut up!" I yelled again. I threw off the covers and clambered painfully to my feet. I was hit with even more hatred for her as I found myself clad only in underwear and a man's shirt. "You undressed me?!" I asked incredulously. I was furious. This was disgusting. She was a crazy, messed up woman. I needed out.
My gaze fell on the door; my only escape. But what I saw was not what I expected. The threshold was no longer empty as I had last seen it. Instead, within the doorway stood a small child. An adorable boy of about five-years of age. He looked up at me with huge, glistening brown eyes. His black hair was ruffled untidily. His bottom lip quivered with fear. Fear of me.
"M-mommy…?" He said quietly, not taking his gaze from me as if I would strike him at any moment.
Vivienne turned to him at once. She hastily rubbed the tears from her cheek and plastered the cheesy smile back on her face. "Hey, baby." Her affectionate greeting was far from soothing as her voice cracked with emotion. She rushed to him and lifted him into her arms with ease. "D'you wanna go and get your breakfast?"
He shook his head as his fearful gaze burned holes in me and I was overcome with guilt. "Why were you fighting?" His tiny voice trembled as he spoke.
"We weren't fighting, were we?" Vivienne lied, turning to me. I nodded obediently. "See, Henry." She assured, squeezing the child into a hug before setting him back down onto the floor. "Now, run along and get your toast." She gave him an encouraging pat on the back, gently edging him out of the room. "I put honey on it. Your favourite."
His eyes lit up at that but before leaving he eyed me again with suspicion. He tugged on his mothers dress and she bent down to his level. He whispered in her ear but I guess, at that age, you're skills of discretion aren't fully developed. I heard every word.
"You said that the pretty girl would be happy. C-cos we saved her life. You said-…"
Vivienne silenced him with a kiss on the cheek. He scrunched up his nose with disapproval and complied when she told him once again to get his breakfast.
I'd never felt so bad about anything in my life. I hated myself for the hurt I had caused this poor family. I'd lashed out at them when all they had tried to do was help.
"Is that true?" I asked quietly, sinking back into a seated position on the bed. "You saved my life?"
Vivienne shrugged and shut the door behind her, clearly still afraid that I'd have another shouting match. "I suppose, if we hadn't found you, you would have ended up infected too."
Great, I thought. And that's how I'd repaid her for it. "Thank you." I said humbly. "And…sorry for… y'know."
To my great relief, her smile returned, if not a bit wary. "It's okay." She nodded. "I understand why you were upset." Her face lit up suddenly and she reopened the door. "So, what do you think of honey on toast?"
The rest of that day was spent getting to know each other. Vivienne explained to me that her husband had worked for the government. He'd been one of the few officials against the testing of what eventually turned out to cause the infection. When news spread of the illness, he'd gone away to set up a survivors camp, saying he'd be back for her as soon as he'd found somewhere safe for them. He'd never returned.
She also told me that it was unlikely that Ryan was still alive. That one was a hard pill to swallow. But she assured me that we'd look for him one day and she showed me her telescope from which I could see almost the entire city. We were on the top floor of a luxury hotel in one of the deluxe-suites. The family lived there full-time. I spent that day apologising to her as often as I could and telling her how much I appreciated what she'd done for me. Every time, she would tell me that it was fine.
I counted myself lucky for being found by such lovely happy people, but something told me that things weren't as that seemed on the surface. That night, I heard Vivienne sobbing in the room next door to mine.
As the months went on, we became more like a family. Henry was like the adorable and mischievous brother I had never had, but nothing stopped me from scouring the streets below for my real brother everyday with the telescope. We never left the building, all our supplies came from the other rooms and apartments in the complex. Having seen the turmoil of the world around me from the safety of indoors, I realised just how fortunate I was. The building was powered by solar panels so we were never out of electricity. We were even equipped with weapons. Ken had left a closet full of them; guns and other arms given to him by the government. I felt secure and wanted. Vivienne, Henry and I formed a bond that, it seemed, would never be broken.
It was a comfortable home life, but I knew deep down that it wouldn't last forever. I'd always sort of known that behind her smile, Vivienne was coping alone with the depression of having lost the love of her life. I guess, one day, she just couldn't take it anymore.
She looked like a mermaid when I found her in the bath that morning. Her jet black hair flowed mystically around her pale, submerged face. She was wearing her favourite dress; an elegant turquoise number that fanned out at the bottom like a tail. She was serene, with her eyes closed as if in sleep. I could tell she'd been a model.
She'd mentioned once that drowning is said to be the most peaceful way to go. But I couldn't stop myself from wondering how she'd managed to hold herself under the water for so long and not lose her nerve at the thought of her young son stumbling upon her dead body in the family bathroom. I wondered how she managed to do it without stopping herself at the thought of me having to dispose of her body.
Beside an empty bottle of pills on the edge of the tub was a note. I sat on the toilet, as she lay in the bath beside me, and read her meticulous handwriting.
Sharpay,
I'm sorry you had to find me like this, but I didn't want to jump from the roof knowing that you or Henry might see me splattered on the pavement. I know you probably think I'm selfish. A coward, even. But there was nothing else I could do. This world is no good for any of us. I realised a long time ago that things would never get better. Maybe one day, in another world, we'll meet again. Until then, I hope you find peace.
Take care of Henry for me.
Sorry,
V
A/N: It seems like you guys like the wall of reviewer fame! It's just the appreciation you deserve! And rather than the usual collective thanks, I thought I'd give my latest reviewers a bit of a message too.
bex sharpay tisdale-evans 3; Yes! She's finally arrived and I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long! As much as I'd love to promise you that nothing will happen to her, I just can't guarantee anything :P But I hope I can do her character justice, if only for you.
HisDelilah; Thanks for being a frequent reviewer! I'm always keen to hear what you have to say (even if it is just 'UD SOON' lol!) It's a constant reminder that people care so thanks!
general wildcat; You know what I'm like with cliffhangers, I just can't help it haha! I think you're right about something big coming… I hope you're pleased with where it goes.
PerfectxSweetheartx; Firstly, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! With the response I've got for this story, I can pretty much guarantee that I'm not gonna leave it. Well, not until the very end. As far as Troy… you never know what I might do. Though, it's not a tough one to guess :P
lilmissmonique; I'm thrilled you loved it. Thanks for being a regular reviewer, not only for this story but my others too. Much love.
ChaylorBabyx3; I'm glad you graced me with a review. Yay for Chaylor fans! (You may have guessed I'm quite the Chaylor supporter myself). It's so great to know that you're intrigued and hope you read on. And finally, welcome to the reviewer wall of fame!
chaylorXtraylorlover101; You're another frequent reviewer, thanks! I hope Troy is alright too, poor guy. I'll work hard to update ASAP ;D
ChaylorTwilightQueen10; I LOVE Not Another Teen Movie! And that's one of the funniest bits in it. 'She's got a gun!' Will Gabriella ever find out, you ask. Well, we'll have to wait and see *shrugs*.
Phew! And thanks to everyone who added me to their favourites and alerts. Guess who only has 6 exams left and then will be off until September…
Next Time; It happened so quickly that none of them expected it. Not even Sharpay had seen it coming. It was as if her broken heart had taken over her body, rather than her mind. And, although she had no qualms about what she was doing, she couldn't have stopped herself if she tried.
xX M Xx
