Broken World (Book 6): Forgotten World (31 page)

“You don’t want to be alone?” He shakes his head, and I give his hand a squeeze. “Okay,” I whisper.

Axl and I follow the doctor into the small room, and the door shuts behind us. We don’t say a word as we pull on gowns and masks and gloves. Then the fan starts running, and I feel like I’m holding my breath while I wait for the second door to open. When it finally does, Axl steps through with his hand still in mine, but the doctor stays.

“Dr. Wilson,” says the woman behind us, making the other man look up. “Can we give these people some privacy, please?”

The other doctor nods and heads her way, and then they step into the small room behind us, leaving Axl and me alone with his brother.

“I don’t know what to say,” Axl whispers, not moving. His eyes focused on his brother.

I take a step toward the bed, pulling him with me. “Just say goodbye.”

Now that we’re in the room, I can fully appreciate exactly how many machines there are. Angus has been intubated, and his eyes are taped shut. Multiple IVs run from both arms, and monitors are taped to his chest, head, and neck. The beeps coming from the machines are constant and loud in the small space, making it feel like the room is half the size.

“Do you want me to go first?” I ask when Axl doesn’t say anything.

He nods, and I release his hand so I can close the small gap between Angus and me. Seeing him like this, hooked up to tubes and unable to talk or throw insults or spit… It sends a lump to my throat that threatens to choke me. I swallow, forcing it down, then take Angus’s hand in mine, being careful not to disturb the monitor clipped to his index finger.

“You always did have to be such an ass, Angus,” I say, shaking my head when tears fill my eyes. It makes me smile because I know that if he could hear me, he would agree. “We’re going to miss you. When we first met, there wasn’t a part of me that ever thought I’d be able say that, but it’s true. We’ve all been through a lot and changed a lot. Including you, regardless of what you think. Despite everything, you’ve become like a brother to me.” A sob makes me gasp for breath, and I force out a smile to try and ease the pain. “An annoying asshole of a brother, but one I loved anyway.”

The last few words are drowned out by sobs. Axl steps forward to stand at my side, resting his hand on my lower back. I think the contact is as much for him as it is for me, but it helps ease some of my pain anyway.

“I wanna thank you,” Axl says, focusing on his brother’s face. “You took care of me when we was kids, then after Mom died. You showed me how to be strong. I’m here ‘cause of you. ‘Cause you wouldn’t let me be weak or give up or feel sorry for myself. Sometimes, I hated you for bein’ such a hard ass, but it made me respect you, too.” He lets out a deep breath and closes his eyes. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do without him.”

I wait for Axl to say more, and when he doesn’t, I wrap my arms around him. He pulls me so close I find it difficult to take a deep breath, but I let him because I know he needs the support right now. Angus was his whole world for so long, and even though Axl’s learned how to stand on his own two feet, he’s probably going to feel like a part of him is missing without his brother.

The door opens behind us, and Dr. Helton steps in. “If you’re done, we can take you to the baby now.”

I nod, and so does Axl even though he doesn’t let me go. After a second, the doctor clears her throat.

I pull out of his arms so I can look him in the eye. “Angus did the most courageous thing he ever could have done, and you should be proud of him for it.”

Axl swipes his hand across his eyes. “He’s never done nothin’ half-assed in his life.”

I doubt that’s true, but I don’t argue with Axl.

I slip my hand into his and take a step toward the door, but Axl doesn’t move. Instead, he puts his free hand on Angus’s shoulder and says, “I’m gonna miss you like crazy. I love you.”

Then he lets me pull him toward the door.

28

THE DOCTOR LEADS us through the winding halls of the CDC, each one as sterile and nondescript as the last, and by the time we stop walking, I feel so turned around I’m sure I’d never be able to find my way out. The door she opens leads into a lab where several other people in white coats are busily working. Staring into microscopes and typing away at computers, probably working to save the world.

On the other side of the room in an old, white bassinet is Megan.

“Megan!” I say, rushing toward her.

A few people look up and smile, but most ignore us as I scoop the sleeping infant into my arms. In the three days that we’ve been separated, she seems to have grown, but she looks healthy and stronger than she did so I can’t complain.

“We don’t have a nursery,” Dr. Helton says with a shrug. “So we kept her in the lab with us while we worked. Someone is always on duty, so she was constantly looked after.”

“Thanks for keeping her safe.” I can’t take my eyes off the baby. She’s wearing a tiny sleeper that’s covered in purple flowers, and her face is peaceful. Happy, almost.

“Of course.” The doctor picks up a box and offers it to Axl. It’s full of diapers and wipes and formula—everything we’d need for an infant. “We have more supplies and clothes. I’m not sure if the apartment you were assigned is outfitted with a crib, so you may have to look into that. We have a warehouse full of supplies, so getting the things you need shouldn’t be a problem.”

I tear my eyes away from Megan and focus on the doctor. “Apartment?”

“Yes.”

Dr. Helton turns toward the door without further explanation, and the rest of us hurry after her. I meet Axl’s gaze as we head back through the halls of the CDC, and the sudden knowledge that we have an apartment and are finally starting our lives over is so exiting that a shiver runs through me. Axl and I will have a room and a bed, and we’ll be safe. It’s almost too good to be true.

“We make sure everyone has housing when they get here, and you’ll be assigned jobs,” Dr. Helton says over her shoulder. “We’re working on a credit system for luxury items, but food is rationed equally. You’ll find that we’ve done a good job of trying to emulate our old way of life while adapting to our limitations. The hope is that we’ll be able to create a vaccine soon, and once that happens, we’ll be able to work on taking out the zombie population without fear of infection.”

“Couldn’t that take years, though?” Joshua asks.

The doctor glances at him briefly before saying, “What is your medical background, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I was a second-year resident working in the ER at the time of the outbreak.”

She nods once. “You’ll be perfect for the clinic, then. We need doctors with experience in emergent care.”

Joshua frowns, and none of us miss the fact that she hasn’t answered his question.

The next door we step through leads out into the lobby, and I’m shocked to discover that it’s a lot later in the day than I thought it was. The sky is pink from the setting sun.

“I appreciate your cooperation,” Dr. Helton says, staying by the door. “If we need you for anything else, we will let you know.”

“What about my brother?” Axl asks. “You just gonna leave him like that forever?”

The doctor frowns. “No. Not forever. We’ll let you know when we’re able to turn off life support. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do. They’ve told me someone will be here to show you to your new apartments.”

Just like that, she’s back through the door. It shuts behind her with a click that echoes through the empty lobby, and the four of us are left alone. I can’t help feeling like a chapter of our lives has come to an end with the closing of that door.

“Vivian! Axl! You guys!”

A voice I never thought I’d hear again echoes through the lobby, and a girlish giggle follows. We all spin around as Al comes charging toward us, waving his stump of an arm, while his other hand pulls Lila with him. The smile on his face is so big it’s like seeing the sun after days trapped in a cave.

“You made it!” Al says, racing toward us. “We heard rumors and asked around, but getting an answer wasn’t easy. Especially considering we’re the new people.” The teens come to a stop in front of us, and Al only hesitates a second before throwing his arms around Axl. “Man! We thought you guys had drowned for sure!”

“I can’t believe this,” I say when Lila hugs me.

She smiles and hugs Parv, who actually returns the gesture.

Al hugs Joshua while running his mouth a mile a minute. “We made it out of the river but couldn’t find anyone else, so we started walking. All I could think about was getting here. I knew we’d never be able to find you out there, but I thought that if we made it to Atlanta there was a chance. But we got here and no one had heard from you, and the more time that went by, the more I started to wonder if you ever made it out of the river.”

“When did you get here?” Parv asks when she’s able to get a word in.

“Five days ago,” Lila says.

“Five days?” Joshua shakes his head. “How did you manage to get here so quickly?”

“Motorcycle.” Al shrugs. “I’d never ridden one, so it took some getting used to, but once I got the hang of it we made it in record time.”

“It was a moped,” Lila says with a grin, but it fades after a second, and her eyes move to the baby. “What happened?”

“There were complications,” I whisper. “Ginny lived long enough to see her, and to ask Axl and me to take care of her. Her name is Megan.”

“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Lila says, shaking her head as her eyes fill with tears.

“Dax? Jim?” Al asks. “Angus?”

“Dax died. Almost took all of us with him, too. We don’t know about Jim yet,” Joshua replies. “Who knows, maybe he’ll walk through the gates in a day or two as well. We got trapped, and he led the horde away so we could get out.”

“What about Angus?” Lila asks.

Axl’s grip tightens on the box. “Got bit one too many times.”

“We got him here, though,” Joshua says. “That’s the important part. He wanted to save the world, and he will. I’m sure of it.”

Lila nods and Al lets out a sigh, and for a few seconds, we let the sadness surround us.

“We should get you to your apartment before it gets dark,” Al says, moving on to happier topics. “They’ve cleaned out the city, but for the time being, there’s still a curfew. They just want to make sure the streets and buildings are totally safe before they allow people to wander around at all hours of the night.”

“Getting to an apartment sounds amazing,” I say.

Al and Lila lead us out of the CDC and down the street, pointing out buildings as we pass them, telling us what they’re being used for now. Apparently, most are in the process of being turned into living quarters, with bathrooms being added as more and more people find their way to the city.

“They expect the population to reach two thousand by the end of the year,” Al says. “You won’t believe how many people there are or how many communities they’ve made contact with. Apparently, the one in Hope Springs isn’t alone. People are trying to rebuild all over the country.”

“But Joshua was right,” Lila says. “The East Coast did fare better.”

The walk to the apartment takes ten minutes or so, and when Al pushes his way through the front door, he smiles. “We’re on the same floor. They only gave you two apartments, so I hope Parvarti and Joshua don’t mind sharing.”

Parv shrugs. “I don’t think any of us have a right to be picky at this point.”

“Very true,” Joshua mutters.

Al and Lila stop at the elevator, and when he pushes the button, I have to laugh. “I never thought I’d use an elevator again.”

“They have all the electricity on now, and that’s one thing that isn’t rationed.” Al steps into the elevator when it opens. “At least not yet. They’re working on a little bit at a time, starting with food.”

“They have a pretty good system,” Lila says, following Al inside.

The rest of us move after them, and even though I’ve spent the last several days sleeping, I can’t help feeling like I’m dragging myself into the elevator. Maybe it’s just that I’m on emotional overload. We’ve been given a lot of information in a very short amount of time.

“You two are living together?” I ask. In normal times, they’d both still be in high school, living with their parents. But there’s nothing normal about this city, or what’s outside the walls.

“If anyone asks, we’re both nineteen,” Al says with a wink. “We didn’t know if it would matter, but we figured it wouldn’t hurt to stretch the truth just a tad.”

“Smart,” I say with a nod.

The elevator stops on the sixth floor, and we step out. We follow the teens down the hall. Axl walks beside me, and it hits me that he’s barely spoken. I wish I knew what he was thinking or feeling, but I don’t.

“This is us,” Al says when he passes apartment 613.

He stops two doors down and pulls a key out of his pocket, handing it to Joshua. “Yours.”

“Thanks,” Joshua says, moving to unlock the door.

Parv follows but stops at my side and turns to face me. Her gaze moves down to Megan and she smiles. “I’m glad,” she says, looking back up at me. “I’m glad I hung on.”

“So am I,” I say, returning her smile. Feeling like she’s back from the dead. It’s nice, finding people instead of losing them for a change.

Parv nods, then turns toward the apartment, where Joshua stands holding the door open. On her way past, Parvarti pats Axl on the arm. He nods, and so does the doctor, and our two friends slip inside, shutting the door behind them.

Al walks across the hall to the other door, unlocking it for us since both our arms are full. He holds it open without a word, and Axl goes inside, also not saying a word.

I stop next to Al and smile. “Thank you.” I look back and forth between the two teens. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you. It makes being here so much better.”

“Do you think Axl will be okay?” Al asks.

“Yes. It’s just going to take some time. I think he’s in shock right now, but he knows this is what Angus wanted. If he hadn’t wanted to risk his life, he would have said no back when we first learned about Atlanta.”

“He wouldn’t have done that,” Al says. “Angus wasn’t like that.”

It’s funny how much your perception of a person can change over time.

“I know,” I say.

Al holds the key out to me, and I slip it into my pocket as I give the teens a smile. Then I follow Axl inside our new home, shutting the door behind me. Pausing a moment to take a couple deep breaths, trying to sort through all the pain and joy and disappointment and triumphs of the last several days.

The apartment is small but neat. I pass the kitchen and head into the living room, where Axl sits on the couch. Whatever personal effects were here before the virus hit have been removed, leaving nothing but the essentials. I’m glad. I don’t think I’d want to see the smiling faces of people who have probably been dead for months.

I sit on the couch at Axl’s side, and Megan shifts in her sleep, but she doesn’t wake. Axl’s gaze moves toward her, then up to my face, and when his eyes meet mine, I’m relieved at the peaceful expression in them.

“You’re okay,” I say, not bothering to make it a question.

“We’re here and you’re safe, and we got Megan back.” Axl nods. “I’m alright.”

“I know how much you’re going to miss Angus.”

Axl nods as he slips his arm around my shoulder. “Life ain’t gonna be the same without him, but it ain’t gonna be bad. Not as long as I got you. And now we can start over for real.”

“It seems almost too good to be true,” I whisper.

Axl kisses the side of my head, leaving his lips pressed against my hair as he whispers. “But it ain’t.”