The Alpha Plague 3 (4 page)

It hadn’t spotted Rhys, it would have screamed if it had, but the booth seemed to draw its interest. Although slow the thing made progress toward Rhys and Larissa.
 

Rhys did what he could to make himself small. Maybe the smoked glass and what must be poor vision through the monster’s bloody eyes would keep them hidden from sight.
 

Maybe.
 

Who was he kidding?

With the diseased no more than a few metres away, Rhys shook worse than Larissa.
 

The monster worked its jaw as if it were in pain. If it even felt pain that is. The desire to run sat loaded in Rhys’ muscles. If he needed to, he’d leave Larissa. He couldn’t let her drag him down. He looked back at the diseased and saw a bloody mess where its right ear should have been, not that it seemed to care or notice.
 

The diseased drew closer. Its foot slapped down and it dragged its back leg behind. Another slap of its foot and then a wet
shush
of its trailing leg. A slap of its front foot and a wet
shush
. A slap … then nothing as the thing stopped a few metres before it reached the booth.
 

It swayed where it stood and stared straight at Rhys. A tilt of its head to one side and it opened its mouth wide.
 

Rhys’ insides shrivelled and he pulled his knees tighter into his chest. He’d come so far surely it couldn’t end now.

Chapter Four

Seventeen months and two weeks ago

Vicky got off the tube at Leicester Square. Some commuters still remained in London, but at eight o’clock in the evening most of them had gone home for the day.
 

Good job really, she didn’t need to be stuck on a packed and sweaty train in her dinner dress. Not a good first impression to turn up and smell of someone else’s body odour.
 

The ticket barrier opened for Vicky with a
whoosh
as she approached it. As long as she kept her pre-payment card somewhere on her person the gates would recognise it. A green laser did a quick scan of her. It confirmed her profile matched her card by displaying a green tick while it made a loud
ting
. The gates remained open.

When she looked to her right she caught sight of her reflection in the large black screens that usually ran adverts. Her flat shoes killed the look and did nothing for her legs but Brendan had been very specific about her footwear. He’d been so specific in fact, that he freaked her out a little bit. The guy sounded like he had some kind of fetish. He assured her he had a good reason and she’d find out what it was when she got there. At least her practical footwear made the stairs easier to navigate.

Deep breaths failed to settle her pulse as she neared the station’s exit. She slowed her pace a little since it wouldn’t do to arrive out of breath. It had been a long time since she’d been on a date, she didn’t need to fuck it up from the start.

Two weeks had passed since her meltdown in the hospital. What an embarrassment for Brendan to have seen her like that. It would have been different had she actually given a shit about the woman, but after she’d cried in front of him she felt a strong sense of relief that the old witch had finally gone.

Once at the top of the stairs Vicky saw Brendan and lost her breath. A gust of warm air crashed into her when she stepped out into the street and stared at the man. Bigger than she remembered him to be Brendan waited for her in a suit that had been so well tailored it fit him like a second skin. The guy looked like James Bond.

Brendan flashed his pearly white teeth in a broad smile. He walked over and kissed her on each cheek. The subtle yet strong smell of his aftershave suited the man, as she knew him so far. He seemed understated yet incredibly self-assured. She’d never dated anyone like him before.

 
As Brendan stepped away he held both of her hands in his own and looked her up and down. He drank her in with his azure assessment before he finally looked back into her eyes, a broad smile on his face.

Vicky’s heart pounded and her mouth dried. She pulled her hands away so Brendan didn’t feel her sweaty palms.

“I’m
so
glad you came,” Brendan said.

“I’ll be honest,” Vicky replied, “I nearly didn’t. I felt so nervous. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out on a date with anyone.”

With another warm smile Brendan said, “Sorry to make you wear flat shoes by the way.”

“It’s fine. I must say I’m intrigued to know why flats are a stipulation though. I’d understand if you were five-foot-two, but I can’t imagine many women would make you feel small.” Heat smothered Vicky’s face. How corny did that sound?
 

Brendan smiled at her again.

Vicky needed to chill the fuck out. She never went to pieces around men. But then again, she’d never met someone like Brendan before. “So where are we going?” she asked.

Every year it seemed like a newer and taller skyscraper was added to London’s skyline. The buildings became more extravagant with each new erection. An architectural pissing contest, it didn’t seem like it would end anytime soon. The building of the moment stood in front of them and Brendan pointed at it.
 

Vicky gasped. “The Umbrella? But it’s only been open for three weeks. How did you manage to get a reservation?”

A shrug and Brendan said, “I have contacts.” He took one of her hands. “Come on, let’s go.”

***

The Umbrella, like most of the buildings in London, had been named so due to its appearance. A slim shaft hundreds of metres tall ran all the way up to a restaurant. The restaurant spread out in a huge dome like the top of an umbrella. Although only a nickname it had stuck. The real name had something to do with the dull corporation that had built the building. Not that Vicky could remember who they were. Not that they would have cared anyway. The restaurant had probably taken enough profit in the first few weeks to pay back their investment and then some. The place took exclusive to a whole new level.
 

When they arrived at the front of the building Vicky looked up the long column to the top while Brendan gave his name to a man in a suit. A few seconds later they were led to a gold plated door. After the man had pressed his finger against a scanner the door opened to reveal the building’s foyer.

Two lift doors, both gold-plated, stood in the middle of the space. A spiral staircase began on either side of the lifts and wrapped around the back of them. When Vicky tilted her head to look up the glass structure she saw the staircases made a helix as they twisted around one another all the way to the top. So tall it made her head spin and the back of her neck ache. Vicky shook her head. “Imagine
walking
up those stairs.”

Brendan laughed. “No thanks.” He then stepped forward and pressed the call button. The lift pinged and the door on the left opened. Brendan stepped in and Vicky followed him.

Despite the height of the building only two buttons nestled in the gold plated control panel. “Most buildings this tall have so many buttons I go cross-eyed trying to work out which one to press,” Vicky said.

“I know, right?”

The top button was engraved with an ‘R’ and the lower button with a ‘G’.

“Restaurant and ground,” Brendan said just before he pressed the button for the restaurant.
 

As the lift rose the entire thing turned transparent. Clearly made from that fancy colour changing glass the projected image vanished and Vicky gasped as they watched the view of London unfold before them. At least it looked like London. It could quite easily be footage of London projected onto a screen.

A pre-recorded message began in a soft female voice from multiple speakers. “Built exclusively for the restaurant at the apex The Umbrella is the ultimate dining experience. Among the finest restaurants in London The Umbrella restaurant allows you to have dinner with the gods.”
 

When they reached the halfway point in their assent Vicky finally remembered to close her open mouth. The recorded voice informed them that the shaft of the building stood at over four hundred metres tall. It accommodated the two lifts, the spiral staircase, and nothing else. Vicky looked up at the restaurant above them and the massive glass dome on top of the shaft. It had a diameter of over one hundred metres. The very outer edges hung down a good fifty metres lower than the point where the restaurant met the shaft. Vicky couldn’t even begin to guess how the thing remained upright.

As they continued to go up Vicky stared out at the city. “This is
amazing
, Brendan.”
 

“Isn’t it?” Brendan said, “It’s my first time here too.”

The conversation died between them but not in an awkward first date kind of way. Vicky found herself mesmerised by the view. When she looked across at the tall man next to her he seemed equally as awestruck.

***

When Vicky looked down her stomach lurched and she instinctively grabbed onto Brendan. Heat flushed her face when she glanced up and him. “It’s going to take some getting used to up here.”
 

After he’d flashed her a warm smile Brendan held her hand for the remainder of their journey.

***

The tables at the outer edge of the restaurant afforded a full view of the London skyline as well as through the glass floor. The most exclusive tables, Vicky gasped when the maître d' led them over to one.

Glass tables, glass chairs, and a glass floor. When Vicky sat down she looked at her feet. At four hundred metres from the ground her stomach lurched again, but slightly less this time. She wiggled her feet. “I understand the need for flats now.”

Both of them had been given white sock-like covers to slip over their shoes to protect the glass when they walked on it. Brendan smiled. “You can probably see why they limit your alcohol intake. Imagine being pissed
up
here
.”

***

After they’d ordered Brendan leaned forward and asked, “So, how are you?”
 

Heat rushed to Vicky’s face and she looked down at her lap. “I’m
so
sorry about the other day. I’m not a crier usually. I don’t know what was wrong with me.”

“It’s fine. You’d just lost someone you lo— someone close to you.”
 

After she’d batted the comment away Vicky looked back up at him. “Let’s not talk about it again. I’ve grieved for the woman enough. Not that she deserved it. I don’t want to give her any more of my time. Why were
you
at the hospital that day?”

For a second or two Brendan stared at Vicky and didn’t speak. Tears glazed his eyes and he took a deep breath before he said, “My grandma. She was dying of cancer.”
 

Vicky gasped and clamped her hand to her mouth. “My God. How is she?”

“Dead. She died the same day your mother did. That’s why I was in the coffee shop.”
 

“Shit! I’m
sorry
, Brendan. I feel like such a selfish arsehole now.”

“It’s okay. You needed to grieve at the time. You didn't need my bullshit too.”

A shake of her head and Vicky leaned toward Brendan. “Tell me about your grandma.”

“She was a good woman. Even when the cancer had her in its grip she was strong. She had spirit and never backed down. She had a big heart too. If she loved you she’d do anything for you. My granddad died years ago so she lived by herself for most of my life. I’d visit her every Wednesday for dinner and we’d talk for hours.”

“It’s Wednesday today,” Vicky said.

“Yeah.” Brendan smiled. “It felt like the right day to go out. Like it might be a lucky day, you know? A day to celebrate the memory of her.”

With her wine glass raised, Vicky said, “To Grandma.”

After he’d sipped his drink Brendan set it down on the table and looked at Vicky. Open sadness in his eyes, he allowed himself to be vulnerable. A flutter ran through Vicky’s heart as she watched him.

“She’d be pleased to see me out with a woman like you.”

A rush of heat lifted beneath Vicky’s skin again. She’d not been this shy since childhood. Brendan had turned her into a giggling schoolgirl. When she realised she needed to respond to his comment, she turned a lock of hair that hung down the side of her face and looked down at the view below again. Before she spoke she cleared her throat to try and find some composure. “So what do you do for work, Brendan?”

“I work in my dream job. I’m a movie distributor. I get as many free movies as I can watch and I work for all of the big studios. Our company started up a few years back and we managed to provide a better service than anyone else at a fraction of the cost. We got all of the studios on board within the first three years of entering the marketplace, and we’re now the market leader.” He paused for a second, looked at her and shrugged. “Anyway, that’s boring. What do you do?”

“Oh, just an admin job in Summit City … nothing too exciting.” Her secrecy contract stipulated that she couldn’t talk about work. Rather than admit to being in The Alpha Tower it seemed easier to not tell the whole truth.

“And do you like it?”

“It’s a job,” Vicky replied.

***

The conversation flowed for the rest of the evening. Brendan talked about his idyllic childhood and his wonderful grandma, and Vicky mostly listened. Brendan kept trying to make her talk, but she didn’t need to. To think of her past would have only put a downer on a great evening.
 

When they stepped out of the lift on the ground floor the same man who’d let them in let them out again. He and Brendan exchanged the usual formalities as they stepped out into the street.
 

“Did you enjoy your evening?” the man asked.
 

Vicky pulled away from their conversation before she could hear Brendan’s reply and inhaled a deep lungful of the fresh evening air. A hot summer’s night, only the slightest breeze wafted through the city and pressed her light dress against her body.
 

The night seemed too young but she had to work the next day. Also, she’d managed to get to this point without making too much of a fool of herself. Better to quit while she was ahead.