Mutation (Twenty-Five Percent Book 1) (34 page)

Micah groaned.

Alex raised his head from the book he was reading to see his eyes flutter open and focus on him. 

“Where are we?” he rasped.

Alex closed his book.  “The lab.”

“How...” A fit of coughing swallowed the rest of the sentence.  Alex retrieved a glass of water from a nearby table and held it so he could drink.  When he’d had enough, Micah sagged back onto the bed.  He looked pale and weak, but at least he was awake.  It had been a long couple of days for Alex.

“How long have I been out?” Micah said.

“Two days, more or less.”

He grimaced.  “I feel like someone’s pounding my brain with a mallet.”  He lifted his hand to his face and stilled, staring at the bandage wrapped around his arm.  “I was bitten.”

“Yes.”

“We crashed.”

“Yes.”

“How did I get here?”

“I carried you.”

Micah’s eyes widened.  “But we were over a mile away.”

“I know, believe me.  If you expect me to do it again, you’re going to have to go on a diet.”

The corners of Micah’s mouth twitched and he patted his stomach.  “This is all muscle.”

Alex snorted and shook his head.

“So what happened to me?” Micah said, his smile fading.

“When I got you back here, they gave you the new and improved cure they’ve been developing.  You’re the first human they’ve tried it on.  I think they were secretly quite pleased to have a guinea pig.  But they weren’t sure it would work with this new strain and you being so close to turning when they administered it.”

Micah looked at the padded steel shackles attached to the sides of the bed on which he was lying.  There were three other identical beds in the lab’s infirmary. 

“Did I turn?”  He touched the fingers of his right hand to his eyes, as if he could feel their colour.

Alex stood and took down a small mirror that was hanging on the wall.  He handed it to Micah and sat down again. 

“I’m sorry.  Your eyes are still a remarkably boring shade of blue.”

Micah looked at his reflection then closed his eyes, letting out a long breath.  Then he frowned.  “Wait, that means I don’t have super strength either?”

“Nope.  You’ll just have to learn to live with your jealousy of these babies.”  Alex flexed his right bicep and patted it with a grin.

Micah rolled his eyes then focused on Alex’s arms.  “Looks like they got their teeth into you a few times.”

“A few.” 

Once the adrenalin wore off and the pain started, Alex found he’d been bitten far more than he thought.  As she treated his wounds, Hannah counted a total of thirteen bites on his arms and hands and one on his ankle where his jeans had pulled up. He was covered in bandages. 

“When I saw you fall, I thought that was it,” Micah said.  “I still can’t believe you crowd surfed that eater horde.  I was so stunned I almost forgot to go and get you.”

Alex smiled and looked down at his bandages.  “I would have died there.”

“I know.”

Alex huffed.  “‘I know’?  Way to kill the moment.  I’m trying to thank you here.”

Micah smiled.  “Go ahead then.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

There were a few seconds of silence.

“Aren’t you going to thank me for carrying you all the way here?” Alex said.

“Well, technically I wouldn’t have been bitten if I hadn’t come to save you.”

“Oh, that’s gratitude.  Next time I’ll just leave you there.”

“I drove into a horde of thousands of eaters!  I risked my own life to save yours.”

“I ran with you over a mile through eater infested streets.  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to fight off eaters carrying fourteen stone of dead weight over your shoulder?”

Micah glared at him.  “Twelve and a half.”

Alex crossed his arms.
“You just can’t get over the fact that I have saved your life six times and you’ve only saved mine four.”

“Your memory is obviously going in your old age.”

“I have every one of them on my list.”

“Fine,” Micah said, “go and get our lists and we’ll see whose is more accurate.”

“I...”  Alex was cut off as Dr Vincent walked into the room.

“Why didn’t you call me when he woke up?” Larry said, rushing to Micah’s bedside.

“It’s only been a few minutes,” Alex replied, a little defensively.  He stood and walked towards the door.

“Get me something to eat while you’re out there,” Micah said.  “I’m starving.”

“Feeling hungry is a good sign,” Larry said as he picked up his wrist and pinched it, looking at his watch.

Alex turned to go.

“Alex?” Micah said.

He looked back.

Micah’s expression was serious.  “Thank you.” 

Alex smiled, nodded, and walked from the room.

. . .

The day after Micah woke, the phone, internet and television signals returned.  After seeing the panicked reports of what was happening outside the city, Alex almost wished they hadn’t.

Every one of the barriers around the city had been overwhelmed at exactly the same time as the one he and Micah witnessed.  Alex had held out a hope that the military had been able to wipe out the eaters, but there were too many of them, and those in charge had seriously underestimated the threat.  He couldn’t help wondering, if they’d been able to get the information on the flash drive to them, would it have made a difference?

The army surrounding the city had been routed.  Hordes of eaters were roaming the countryside, adding to their number by the hour.  The full might of the British army, air force, police force and every other force they could muster were being thrown against the growing eater hosts, but they were still being pushed back. 

The eaters were doing exactly what they’d been designed for, and they were extremely effective. With no-one to direct them, they were out of control.

Terror reigned.

The government were pleading for help from their overseas allies.  So far, it hadn’t come.

Alex spoke to his parents and brother.  Fortunately, they lived on the other side of the country.  He hoped the eaters would be stopped before they got there, but deep down he knew it was unlikely.  He told them to stay together, stockpile food and not try to travel.  After that, he called everyone he knew and told them the same thing. 

People were attempting to flee the country, but every border was closed to them.  Already boats, small and large, had crossed the channel and the Irish Sea only to return, having found nowhere to land.  The French, Belgian and Irish armed forces were guarding every inch of their respective coasts and airspaces. Nowhere wanted to risk the infection coming to them.  For once, being an island nation was a disadvantage. 

Internal transport was hopeless too.  Everyone wanted to get away from the affected areas or to their loved ones, but there weren’t enough trains, or even enough staff to run them, as people abandoned their jobs to stay with their families or try to run.  Roads were gridlocked.  It was a disaster waiting to happen. 

Civilisation was breaking down.

Ironically, Sarcester seemed to be the safest place to be.  The eaters had fanned out, abandoning the city, drawn to easier food sources. 

After watching panicked report after panicked report, Alex couldn’t take it any longer.  No-one complained when he suggested they only check the news every few hours.

It was two days before Micah was strong enough to leave. 

Larry Vincent tried to persuade him to stay so he could do more tests, but Micah pointed out that he’d had so many needles stuck in him he felt like a colander. 

All the doctors had decided to stay in the lab for now and keep working on a way to stop the new virus, as well as on a cure for those already turned.  Carla was staying with them, still hoping to get her husband back.  She’d been out a few times while Alex and Micah were there and Alex knew she was finding bodies to feed him.  He wasn’t about to judge.

After four days underground, Alex was relieved to breathe fresh air and see the sun again when they finally left.  People were on the streets again, although they were noticeably nervous and most were carrying some kind of weapon. 

Alex and Micah made a detour to the where the barriers had been on the north east of the city.  The nearer they got to the edge, the worse the devastation became.  Bomb craters littered the roads.  Blackened buildings, some still smoking, appeared on the verge of collapse.  It looked like a war zone.

Reaching the site of the barriers, Alex jumped onto the bonnet of a car that had been driven into a concrete bollard and stepped up onto the roof.  He looked around.

“See anything?” Micah said, shielding his eyes against the bright sun to look up at him.

“Nothing that we can’t see from down there.”

The huge, twisted shapes of the metal barriers lay across the street behind them.  They weren’t built for strength and had crumpled under the pressure of the thousands of eaters like aluminium foil.  The people who designed them hadn’t anticipated an army of eaters working together to bring them down. 

The bodies of the eaters who had been trampled or crushed against the barriers lay scattered around the crushed metal, as well as those killed by the army as they frantically tried to halt the horde.  The smell of decomposition was becoming unpleasant, but Alex ignored it.  Someone would have to deal with the bodies, but it wasn’t going to be him.  He’d had enough death for a lifetime.

The remains of the army’s presence lay scattered as far as he could see.  Abandoned vehicles, the remains of temporary canvas structures, shredded, bloody uniforms.  No bodies though.  They had been devoured by the thousands of starving eaters.  If there had been any weapons, they were gone now.

Alex jumped back down to the ground.  He’d seen enough. 

“Let’s go home.”

. . .

Without a city full of eaters to avoid, they covered the few miles back to Micah’s flat in less than two hours.  Neither of them said much.

When they reached Oxford Heights, they stopped outside.   

“Do you want to come up?” Micah said.

Alex looked up at the grey walls and windows.  “Thanks, but no.  I think I just want to go home and check on my friends.  And then sleep for a couple of weeks.”

Micah nodded in understanding, having been told what Kerry said about Janie.  Alex still refused to believe she was gone, but he was nervous nevertheless.  He could have called Leon, but it wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted to hear on the phone.  And if he was honest with himself, he’d been putting off hearing the truth.

“What are you going to do about your neighbour?” he said.

Micah looked up at the seventh floor.  “I’ll take care of Mrs Jacobs.  I won’t leave her like that.”

“I can do it if you want.”

Micah gave a wan smile.  “Thanks, but it’s my responsibility.  She was my friend.”  He sighed.  “I know she’s gone.”

“I’m sorry, Micah.”

He nodded.  “So maybe I’ll see you around.”

One side of Alex’s mouth hitched up.  “Not if I see you first.”

Micah rolled his eyes.  “That is never funny.”  He smiled.  “Goodbye, Alex.”

Alex returned the smile.  “Goodbye, Mike.”

“Seriously, I will kick your butt.”

“Yeah, right.” 

He turned and walked away across the lengthening grass, looking back just before he got out of sight.  Micah was at the door to his building.  He raised a hand and Alex waved back, then turned and headed towards home. 

It felt strange to be alone again.

When Alex reached East Town, he was surprised to see how much had changed while he’d been gone.

The double line of cars had become a barricade, built from cars tipped onto their sides in between two lines of vehicles to keep them upright. A normal and two Survivors, one of whom was Pete, were patrolling the wall.

Alex had to climb over the obstacle just to get in.

“Did the eaters come here?” Alex said when he was inside.

“No,” Pete replied, sighing.  “We’ve been going out and stocking up on food and some people have been trying to take it.  Anyone who needs help is allowed in, but some people don’t seem to like what we’re doing here.”

“They weren’t wearing camouflage, were they?” Alex said.

Pete frowned.  “Why would anyone be wearing camouflage in a city?”

“That’s exactly what I said.”  Alex admired the barricade.  “This is a good idea.  Glad to see you haven’t used mine though.”

“Oh, none of these belong to Survivors,” Pete said, grinning. 

Alex looked down the street towards his home without moving.  He wanted to ask about Janie, but the words wouldn’t come.  If he asked, and Pete told him she hadn’t come back, Alex would know Kerry hadn’t lied about what she’d done. 

“You okay, Mac?” Pete said.

Alex looked back at him.  “Uh, yes.  Yes, I’m fine.  I’ll see you later.”

Pete smiled.  “It’s good to have you back, Mac.”

“Pete, I can honestly say, it’s good to be back.”

Leaving his neighbour at the car barricade, Alex continued along the road, aiming for his building.  As he was about to go inside, movement caught his eye.  Someone was walking out of a door across the street.

It was Janie.

For a moment, Alex couldn’t breathe. 

She saw him and grinned and, suddenly overcome with emotion, Alex ran across the street and threw his arms around her.  He held her for a several long seconds before loosening his grip and stepping back, slightly embarrassed.

Janie’s eyes were wide.  “What was that for?”

He shrugged and looked at the ground.  “Nothing.  I’m just happy to see you’re alright, that’s all.”

“Of course I’m alright,” she said, smiling.  “You know me, I’m tough.”

He laughed.  “Yes, you are.  How did it go?  Did you find your son?”

“I did.  He’s here.  I’ll introduce you later.”

“And how’s Kenny?”

A smile began to creep onto her face. She cleared her throat and it slunk away again.  “He’s fine.  I haven’t seen him that much.”

Yeah, right.
  “I’m really glad you’re all okay.  Um, did you happen to see a woman following you while you were out there?  Reddish brown hair, young, pretty?  Possibly covered in blood?”

Janie raised her eyebrows.  “No, why?”

He shook his head.  “Doesn’t matter.  Just forget I mentioned it.  Do you mind if I meet your son tomorrow?  I’m exhausted.  I think I’m just going to go home and relax.”

“Sure.  Is Micah okay?”

“He’s fine now.  He went home.”

She cocked her head to one side.  “You’ll have to tell me what happened.”

He smiled.  “It’s a long story, but I will.  Be prepared to hear astounding tales of bravery and heroism.  And Micah did some stuff too.”

. . .

Alex woke at 7:18am the following morning. 

Damn you, Micah Clarke.

He rolled over and promptly went back to sleep.  When he woke again, it was after ten.

Much better.

He wondered how long it would be before he had a night’s sleep uninterrupted by dreams of hanging from a building by one hand, clutching onto the fingers of a beautiful, terrified, screaming woman being pulled from his grasp by vicious, ravenous monsters.  It was funny how the mind worked.

He spent the day with his friends, helping to fortify the growing compound and catching up on everything that had happened around his home.  Even though he worked hard, it was relaxing.  In the evening, he, Janie and Kenny had dinner with Leon and Patrice while Emma and Katie spent a couple of hours with the family Alex and Micah had rescued from the car wreck.  Apparently, Emma and Luke had struck up a friendship, and Katie, Aaron and Miriam were now inseparable.  

Alex regaled his friends with the story of the eater hordes, the trapped office workers, the secret lab, and his standoff with Kerry.  Leon and Janie looked sceptical when he told them about how he had crowd-surfed the eater horde, until he rolled up his sleeves to reveal all his bandages.  He also offered to show them the actual bite wounds, at which point Kenny turned an interesting shade of green and politely requested he didn’t.

After he got home from the little dinner party, he checked the news.  The situation was deteriorating fast.  As there wasn’t anything he could do about it, he chose the head in sand option and turned the TV off again.

He didn’t like to think how long it would be before they lost power and water and their carefully constructed, fragile civilisation disappeared down the drain.

Later that night, the mobile phone signal vanished.  The landline was still up, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before they lost that too.  He called his family again.  Then he called the lab and spoke to Hannah for an hour.  Admittedly, she did most of the talking, but he didn’t mind.

The last thing he did before going to bed was eat all the ice-cream he had in the freezer.  If the power went off while he was asleep, he didn’t want that added to his list of regrets.