True Night
Title: True Night, Part IV
Author name: frostian
Artist name: thruterryseyes
Genre: RPS
Pairing: JA/JP
Rating: R for language and violence
Word count: ~49k
Warnings: Artistic license taken and abused.
Summary: Jared and Jensen take a road trip to Seattle only to witness what looks like the Apocalypse overwhelm the city. They manage to escape to an island only to discover the situation on Santos to be worse than Seattle. But they cannot leave, as the infected roam freely and the military has set up blockades around the island. Faced with immeasurable horror and growing desperation Jared and Jensen plan an escape, not only to save themselves but the sick who are quickly turning into homicidal psychopaths.
Disclaimer: So much fiction, it could be spotted from an orbiting satellite!
Jared startled himself awake. For a moment his disorientation pushed him into a panicked state, but it didn’t last when he realized where he was.
The thin sunlight made Jared check his watch. It wasn’t even five but felt a lot later for the exhausted survivor. Blearily accepting the fact that any more sleep would be impossible, Jared set off to find Jensen. The moment he entered the kitchen he knew Jensen had to be nearby: the smell of fresh coffee filled the room.
The world’s ending but Jensen can be trusted to make coffee.
Jared poured himself a small cup and looked out the window. He didn’t see Jensen. So he made his way to the living room and took a peek at the front of the property.
Jensen was nowhere to be found.
Jared didn’t need coffee anymore to wake him.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Jared hissed as he laced up his boots. He studied the barn for a moment before stepping out. He checked the ramshackle structure, fervently hoping he’d find Jensen in it.
It was crammed with detritus of many lives but Jensen was not inside.
Having no choice, Jared began earnestly looking for his missing friend. It wasn’t until he was at the tree line that he saw familiar boot prints pointing towards the steep cutaway leading to the beach.
When Jared reached the crest, he realized why Jensen had left his post.
“Oh my God…” Jared choked out. He froze for a moment before making his way down the steep cliff path, not really paying attention to where he was stepping as the carnage below made hostage of his attention.
Jensen was standing at the base of the cliff, staring at the bodies being washed ashore. Jared counted at least twenty corpses before giving up.
“What the hell…” Jared said breathlessly when he reached Jensen. “Who are they?”
“I think some of them were sick,” Jensen said in a high, thin voice. “But the others? I didn’t touch the bodies but I saw wounds.”
“How did they get here?”
“I’m guessing the currents brought them here.”
“But how did they…”
“They were running away from the fire,” Jensen said. “Or at least I think that was what happened.”
Jared’s vivid imagination painted that scene. Fire would trigger fight or flight response, and add to that being chased by the infected - the panicked citizens of Santos would’ve risked going into the frigid water to escape.
“The currents must have been too much,” Jensen said. “We both know how strong they are.
“I found Jackie.”
Jared dropped his head as a sob escaped from him.
“She didn’t look infected,” Jensen continued in a didactic tone. “She … she survived the ferry being blown up, managed to get to the island only to be … fuck.”
Jared couldn’t stand anymore. He collapsed onto the sand and cupped his face in his hands. He cried quietly and leaned into Jensen’s cradling arms when he felt them wrap around his shoulders.
After a while, Jared managed to calm down. He wiped off his face best he could but the moment he caught sight the bodies on the beach, Jared felt tears threaten to overwhelm him once more.
“Fuck,” he said hoarsely. “Fuck fuck fuck.”
“Just about,” Jensen said as he released Jared from his embrace. “We can’t bury everyone but I think Jackie deserves something.”
Jared felt his stomach roil at the thought of touching the body of someone he knew, if only briefly. “Okay,” he said. “But how?”
“We’ll go back up and find a bed sheet. It’s the only way we can handle her body.”
Jared looked at Jensen, frowning.
“She’s been in the water for a while,” Jensen explained reluctantly. “It’s … it makes everything harder.”
Jared managed a single nod as his answer.
They quickly made their way back up the cliff, needing relief from the horror slashing the beach below. Both Emily and Andrea were still asleep and not wanting to bother them, they took two sheets from the hallway linen closet and made their way back.
Jensen had to lead Jared to Jackie’s body as its condition made her unrecognizable. They gingerly place the corpse in the sheets and rolled it around her until she was tightly cocooned. Jensen chose a cave at the far left of the beach. It was deep enough to be safe from tidal reach and looked to be unoccupied by any animals.
They placed her at the farthest point from the entrance. Then, Jared scratched out her name on a piece of rock and placed it at her feet. That was about as much as Jared could stand. He was briskly walking away from the cave when he realized that Jensen wasn’t standing next to him.
He turned around to see Jensen pissing at the entrance of the cave.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, shocked.
“Animals won’t like the scent and stay away,” Jensen said as he zipped himself up. “Or at least that’s what I heard. For all I know it could be an urban legend.”
Jared couldn’t say anything so instead he kept on walking.
Both Andrea and Emily were awake and munching on dry cereal when they returned. From the way Andrea was eating, Jared knew she had a restless night.
He sat on the stool next to her and elbowed the girl. “Hey, how was your night? Mine was stinky.”
Andrea’s spoon hovered in mid-air as the girl digested what he said. “Stinky?”
“Yeah, when I went to sleep, I found out Jensen farted in my sleeping bag. So not cool.”
Andrea didn’t laugh but the smile on her face was both genuine and wide. Encouraged by her reaction, Jared continued to prattle on endlessly, anything inconsequential. Not only to cheer up the child but also to distance himself from the memory of what he was forced to do only minutes before.
After breakfast was cleared, Jensen declared he needed thirty minutes for a quick nap. Jared agreed, understanding his friend desire for some down time.
He watched Jensen trudge down the darkened hallway and once again felt the ferocious tug in his heart. The semi-sweet feeling didn’t last long when he heard Emily whisper, “Something’s wrong.”
He found her standing near a window, peeking outside. Jared joined her and saw immediately what had caught her attention. The tall bushes to the left of the house were shuddering, as if a large animal was passing through.
“Oh shit,” he said as a buck came into view. “Don’t make sudden moves. I know we’re inside a house but if that thing’s infected like the dog…”
Emily slowly took two steps back and that was enough to attract the deer’s attention. Its gaze zeroed in on the narrow window where she was still plainly visible. Jared didn’t even have time to yell. The animal charged towards them, its bellows so loud, it sounded like it was already inside the house.
Jared yanked Emily to the side and scrambled out of the way as the buck threw itself; its head and antlers completely penetrating the window.
The glass panes shattered into deadly shards, most of which embedded themselves into the animal. But if they caused any pain, the deranged creature didn’t show it. Instead, it vainly tried to free itself while relentlessly forcing its way in.
Jared knew only minutes passed but it felt like hours as he watched the trapped deer struggle to its death. Then, without warning, Jensen charged the creature with a bat he must have found earlier. With two swift swings, he smashed the deer’s skull.
The juicy, crackling thuds reverberated in the room almost as long as the creature’s agonizing wails did.
The silence that followed seemed as equally horrific as the din that dominated the room only seconds before.
Another noise entered the room and this one was just as distressing because Jared recognized it: sound of a child crying. He turned to see Andrea standing in the hallway, sobbing into her hands.
“Oh sweetie,” he said as he took her in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t want this,” Andrea said between her fingers. “I want to go home. I want my mommy. I want Delphie. I want my school.”
If she were actually complaining Jared would’ve been able to deal with her outburst. But he knew what she was so desperately yearning for: her childhood.
And she deserves it, Jared thought as he rocked Andrea in his arms. Every kid deserves a normal, sane childhood.
This time there was nothing glib for him to say so he continued to hold her until Andrea wrung out the hysteria from her bones. Jared then placed her in Emily’s care in order to help Jensen remove the deer from its deathtrap.
“We have to dump it far away from here,” Jensen said between huge huffs of air. It was impossible for them to carry the creature as it was too large. So, they resorted to rolling the carcass across the backyard.
“Okay,” Jared said breathlessly, wiping sweat from his face. “You’ve got your reasons?”
“Blood’s going to attract other animals, and they might be,” Jensen leaned down and rested his hands on his knees while breathing deeply, “as crazy as this one is. The last thing we want is a pack of coyotes or worse coming around.”
“Wait a minute,” Jared paused as he looked back at the blood trail they’ve left behind. “What about the infected people? Could they do the same thing?”
Jensen paled at that. “Maybe. We should hose down the house and board up the window, just in case.”
“I remember there was some Clorox in the mudroom,” Jared volunteered. “We could use that.”
“Good plan, good plan.”
They managed to toss the carcass over the steepest part of the cliff, far away from the bodies now being reclaimed by the rising tide.
“I really hope it’s old enough to be without its mom,” Jared said.
Jensen looked at him. “What?”
“It’s big but I’m not sure if it’s old enough to be on its own,” Jared explained. “So, if the doe’s still around…”
“She’s going to be pissed. And sick as hell if the buck’s anything to go by.”
The two silently ran back to the house and dug up a hose which was still connected to an outdoor spout. Jared didn’t have to look at Jensen to know he was feeling relief as harsh water spray jettisoned from the hose.
Jensen started washing the blood off the walkway while Jared ran into the house to get the bleach. He doused the entire area while Jensen meticulously washed away the blood from the window, the wall, and the porch.
Jared then liberally sprinkled whatever bleach they had left on the path they’d used to take out the deer.
Andrea was in the house, completely engrossed in the trashy novel Emily had found. It wasn’t Dr. Seuss, but more than entertaining enough for Andrea not to look out the windows.
“We need something to board up the window,” Jensen said.
The three adults immediately scrambled to find hardware and spare boards but came up with nothing useful.
“Is there any room that we didn’t look in?” Jensen asked.
“The basement,” Jared said. “If this place has one.”
“It does,” Emily said. She pointed to a door in the hallway. Jared found an old one-string switch that revealed a single light bulb whose power was robbed due to a coating of dust. They slowly made their way downstairs and found themselves in a crowded and dimly-lit room. Jared kicked the dirt on the floor.
“This house is old,” he said and took a deep sniff. The air was perfumed with mold, dust, and the sweet scent of decay, making Jared look around the room for a dead rodent or even a raccoon.
“This is weird,” Jensen said. “This room is like half of what’s upstairs.”
“Could be the foundation,” Emily guessed. “The builders could’ve fortified it, especially since it’s located near a cliff.”
Jensen found a rusted can of nails and Jared found an old but solid oak door. He hefted its weight around. “It’s good. We could use…”
He then slowly looked up. The noise that had attracted his attention was stealthy but consistent, which meant it was manmade.
Jensen gave a nod of recognition and that was all Jared needed. He led Emily to a dark corner and motioned for her to stay. Then he and Jensen went upstairs, quietly. It was at trick they’d learned while shooting on sets made of flimsy material.
Jensen went first and Jared followed. They didn’t see anyone, which meant they were successful in not attracting the attention of whoever had invaded their house.
Jared took a cutting knife from the sink while Jensen grabbed the bat he’d used earlier.
Andrea’s scream destroyed whatever plan they had. Jensen charged down the hall first, and swung the moment an unfamiliar shape appeared.
“Jesus Christ!” the stranger screamed as the bat made meaty contact with his forearms. “Don’t! Don’t!”
Jensen didn’t swing again but he positioned the bat inches away from the man’s sweaty face. “Why are you here?”
“Because…” he got a good look at Jared holding a knife and went paler. “We were looking for a place to hide and I remembered Loony Lucy’s shack.”
Jensen saw another, much younger man in the back, only two feet away from Andrea who had scrambled to the corner of the bedroom with her book raised in front of her like a shield.
“And you?” Jensen asked tersely.
“I … I … fell off the chopper,” the man said in a tired voice.
“Chopper?” Jared echoed, confused by the stranger’s explanation. Then his eyes widened. He examined the clothes the man was wearing and noted how ill fitting they were. “You fuck, you were one of those assholes who blew us up!”
The man looked too tired to argue or even try to explain himself. “Yeah, but I wasn’t … I mean we didn’t shoot at anyone. We … look, nobody told us what was going to happen. All we were told to do was to follow the ferry, I swear.”
“And when you saw it blown to pieces by your buddies,” Jensen said as he lowered the bat while raising his voice, “while you watched people burn to death and drown all around the boat - what did you do? Nothing, right?”
The soldier’s face suddenly crumpled, making everyone realize he was little older than a boy. “I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes filling with tears. “I didn’t know, nobody in my bird knew what was going to happen. We weren’t told anything and Mike - he’s the pilot - he was screaming for them to stop. I … I think I leaned down to grab someone when we did a swoop and that was when I fell.”
Jared managed to leash his anger but Jensen remained steadfast to his fury. “Are you armed?”
Both men shook their heads. “My house burned down…” the older man tried to explain but Emily cut him off harshly.
“Better introduce yourself, Syd.”
“Sorry, sorry, my name’s Syd Morgan. I found David here on the beach. I thought he was dead at first but then he woke up.”
“And you took him in?” Emily’s tone was brimming with sarcasm. “Because you’re such a humanitarian.”
Syd visibly flinched and opened his mouth but no words came forth. Instead, he stepped back, looking mulishly. Jared was strongly reminded of Peter.
“What’s this about?” the soldier asked. “He’s been good to me.”
“Son, I don’t know how old you are but I can tell you, you could keep much better company with a murder of crows than with Syd over here.”
“That’s not fair!” Syd finally yelled. “I never did anything to you, you nosy old bitch.”
Emily gave a deprecating smile and raised her hand towards Andrea. “Come here, sweetie. Let’s go to the kitchen.”
Just the mention of the word ‘kitchen’ made the soldier’s stomach rumble loudly. Emily studied him for a while before saying, “Come, you look like you could use something.”
Jensen and Jared parted, allowing the soldier and Andrea to leave, but Syd remained boxed in. Realizing his precarious situation, the man protested:
“Hey, I didn’t do anything.”
“And let’s keep it that way,” Jensen said.
Jared didn’t bother to say anything. Instead, he stared unblinkingly at Syd until the man looked away.
“Shit, we’ve got trouble,” Jared whispered under his breath the moment they were out of the room.
“I know but it’s too late to do anything,” Jensen replied. “Best to keep an eye on him.”
Jared gave a grunt of assent but managed to plaster a small friendly smile when they entered the kitchen. Andrea looked in amazement as the soldier hoovered the modest amount of food in front of him with lightening speed.
Emily, on the other hand, looked at him with fondness that told Jared she had either sons or nephews.
“What’s your name?” Jensen asked as the soldier finished his meal.
The guy blushed furiously. “Sorry, should’ve introduced myself earlier. Specialist David Spera. From Boise.”
“You’re in the Army?”
The soldier paused but then blew out a huff of breath. “Yeah, and believe it or not I’m like the fucking mechanic on the ass end of whatever unit I’m assigned to. Seriously, I jumped when they offered me a transfer to … well, the unit I was assigned to until I took a fucking nosedive.”
“David,” Jensen said, “I don’t know if you get this or not, but they left you behind. The moment you fell off the chopper you were dead to them. So, any loyalty you have towards your people is pretty much useless.”
David’s face flushed with anger but didn’t protest Jensen’s summation.
“Did they really tell you nothing about what they were planning to do?” Jared asked, seamlessly slipping into Sam’s persona of the good cop.
David immediate answered, “No, no fucking way Mike would’ve gone through with it: not even if God ordered him. He would never have flown that copter if he’d known what they were planning to do. Hell, I know at least half the crew would’ve taken guns to their kneecaps in order to get out of it.”
“So, you were shadowing us, then?” Jensen asked.
“Yeah, we were told there was a ferry that left Seattle after the quarantine was set. And that we had to follow the boat to see where it went. I think Mike found out you were heading to Santos like a minute before … before the airstrike.”
“When did the quarantine come down, exactly?”
“Hours before; in the morning, actually.”
Jared paled. There was nothing in the news of such a thing being brought down on Seattle. Not on the television or the radio.
“Why weren’t we told?” Jensen asked.
“What do you mean?” David looked confused by Jensen’s question.
“We had no idea there was a quarantine,” Jared said cautiously.
David’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? That can’t be right…”
“No, he’s telling the truth,” Emily interrupted heatedly. “I had no idea and I’ve been glued to the television for days now. Hell, I was watching CNN all morning before a pack came through my street, and they weren’t talking about any quarantine.”
David shook his head as he digested what was being told. “I can’t believe it. Why wouldn’t they?”
“They didn’t want panic,” Jensen said. “The moment quarantine became public, people would’ve either barricaded themselves or try to get out.”
“But Seattleites … they’re not exactly the most violent group of people you can think of,” Emily countered. “I mean it’s not like Texas. You’d have to grab three or four blocks before you’d find someone with a gun!”
“I should’ve known something was up. We had to shut down all our online accounts,” David said. “I was ordered not to check Facebook or Twitter when I got this transfer. We were even banned from checking our e-mails.”
Jared turned to Jensen only to see his friend looking back at him.
“No, Seattleites aren’t violent in that sense but they’ve got one powerful fucking weapon: the Internet,” Jared reasoned. “They could declare war from their computers and the government would have a shitty time trying to stop them.”
Jensen nodded in agreement with Jared’s assessment. “Microsoft, Amazon, and dozens of hi-tech companies are all from here. Not to mention the dozens more who work for the defense department.”
Jared nodded, “Yeah, I remember seeing a segment about that on TV.”
“Well, if they all decided to crack their knuckles then they could shut down everything. This country’s entire infrastructure is based on computers nowadays,” Jensen said. “And if the people who helped build that infrastructure decided to … well, tear it apart in protest, then I can’t imagine anybody stopping them. Not even DC.”
“Fuck,” David said. “So no civilian knew about the quarantine.”
“What does that mean?” Emily asked. “If people weren’t told - would they still go outside?”
“They could,” Jared said. “As long as the news don’t say anything then yeah - they could still think it’s safe enough to go to the hospital, if they’re sick or with someone who is.”
“With those crazed lunatics roaming around?” Emily’s voice was suffused with horror and disbelief. “Oh my God…”
“Let’s hope the news had gotten out the other way,” Jensen said.
“What other way?” David asked.
“We were talking to other survivors from the ferry, and they spoke about websites and boards run by people who weren’t so allergic to the truth,” Jared answered. “Some of them were associated with University of Washington.”
“Another group of people you don’t want to piss off,” Emily added.
“But sooner or later they’re going to find out,” Jensen said. “Then what?”
Jared turned to David and asked, “Any ideas?”
“Not a fucking clue,” David answered, “but whatever it is, it can’t be good.”
Andrea chirped up, “So, where’s the Swear Jar?”
David was the first to laugh. Emily quickly followed. Even Jensen gave a grin as tiny as it was. Jared just threw a companionable arm around the little girl and planted a grateful kiss on her hair.
“Wait a minute,” Emily said. “Where’s the scumbag?”
“Syd?” Jensen asked. “Why don’t you like him?”
“The bastard would feed his mother to the crocodiles if it meant he’d get paid. I wouldn’t trust him with a crock of piss.”
“I’ll check on him,” Jared said. He went down the hallway only to find an empty bedroom.
Feeling panic slowly rise, he checked every room to find them unoccupied.
“He’s gone,” Jared said as he reentered the kitchen.
“Oh fuck,” Jensen hissed. “I’ll take outside.”
“I’ll take the basement,” Jared volunteered. “Emily, David, stay with Andrea.”
The young soldier nodded his understanding. He was being left behind with the most important mission: protect his charges.
Jared heard Jensen’s footsteps above him as he made his way down the stairs. But his attention wasn’t so riveted that he didn’t notice the slight movement to his right.
Jared leapt nimbly, allowing the broom handle to pass below him harmlessly.
He landed on the floor and gave a horse kick as soon as he got his balance. Syd crashed against a battered wooden shelf which crumbled under his weight.
Jared heard rushing of footsteps and found David on the top of the stairs, his flashlight aimed directly at him.
“Hey,” Jared said, “I found our resident asshole.”
David neatly tied Syd’s hands behind him before helping Jared haul their prisoner upstairs.
When Syd came to, he found himself bound to an armchair so tightly, he could barely swivel his head. He tested the bonds before shouting, “What the fuck?!”
“My question exactly,” Jensen said in a calm tone. “What were you doing in the basement?”
Syd frowned and said, “I have no fucking…”
Emily appeared in the kitchen, holding a revolver. “Maybe this will jog your memory.”
Syd looked at her, the gun, then at Jared. By the time his gaze rested on Jensen, he’d lost all his color.
“I don’t know…” he began weakly.
“It’s still loaded,” Emily interrupted neatly and calmly. “Care to try again, Syd?”
Syd looked around the room and finding no allies, he confessed, “I knew Loony Lucy had a gun.”
“It was her husband who did,” Emily said. “I thought it was an urban legend. Isaac was about as anti-gun as a person could get.”
“Well he wasn’t,” Syd said waspishly. “Before he married that fucking nutjob he used to hunt. But after he married the psycho bitch, he had to put away all his weapons because he was too scared she might do something.”
“Shut up,” David said in a dismissive voice. “What were you going to do once you had the gun?”
Syd’s panic revved to full throttle. He struggled to free himself before tiring out, which didn’t take long.
David looked at Jensen. “Can you leave us alone for a moment?”
Jensen wordlessly herded the others from the kitchen and Jared made sure the door was closed behind them.
“Let’s see what else we can find,” Jared said. “Is there an attic or crawlspace?”
Emily nodded. “I think so.”
Andrea looked semi-eager to go exploring for which Jared was supremely grateful. He knew they were going to be sweating buckets but better that than listening to whatever David was doing to Syd in order to get the truth.
As he expected, the attic was stuffy and was more of a crawlspace. So, he was forced to navigate on his hands and knees.
“Most of this stuff’s just papers,” Jensen said as he flipped through the boxes.
“Same here,” Emily said. “You want to know something strange?”
“What?” Andrea asked, looking quite unsatisfied with the box in front of her.
“All this stuff is old,” Emily said. “They were printed way before Lucy’s son could’ve started reading.”
Jared looked down at the stacks of scientific journals in front of him. “1971 here.”
“1965,” Jensen piped up.
“I got binders,” Andrea volunteered, “and they’re handwritten.”
Jared once more felt that tingle of dread as he took one from Andrea. He flipped through the pages.
“I don’t understand any of this,” he said softly.
“Not surprising, considering her mental state,” Jensen said.
Jared shook his head. “No,” he disagreed, “this stuff isn’t some ravings of a lunatic. It’s clear thinking and … well, good. Not that I’d know much about science.”
“Lucy wasn’t always so out of control,” Emily said. “I moved here after I married my husband, and by that time Lucy was sliding to crazyland, but I heard she was very smart during her younger years and actually worked for some Ivy League university back in the day. That was why nobody was surprised when Tony got a full scholarship to college.”
Jared flipped through more binders. “She was doing viral research.”
Jensen looked over his shoulder and read few lines. “How can you tell?”
“I recognize some of the vocabulary,” Jared answered. “The stuff’s old and probably outdated, but there isn’t a drop of crazy in any of this.”
“Wow,” Jensen said. “Could you imagine what she could’ve done if she didn’t go off the deep end?”
Jared gave a small sigh. “She would’ve done some amazing work.”
David’s voice flowed in from downstairs. “We’re done. Syd’s sleeping.”
Jared was grateful the soldier used the euphemism for Andrea’s sake. “Thanks.”
“Let’s go down,” Jensen said. “We need something to drink.”
Jared was grateful to find the kitchen free of blood, but he knew something had happened. He could still smell Pine Sol in the air.
“What did Syd say?” Jensen asked quietly.
“A lot, he seems to be a religious man,” David answered drily. “He was going to lock us in a room, then take what he needed and split.”
Emily glanced at Andrea who was sipping a small glass of water while studying the scenery out the window. “Asshole,” she said in a soft tone.
“Pretty much,” David said. “He also said something weird. He said the basement shrank.”
“Probably reinforced walls like Emily said,” Jensen dismissed casually.
Jared knew Jensen’s explanation made sense. And considering the condition of the home and its owner, he should’ve accepted it. Nevertheless, he couldn’t escape from the dread that they were missing something.
“I’m going to take a look,” Jared said. “I’ll be right back.”
Jared took the flashlight and went back to the basement, though reluctantly.
If I ever get another house it’s not going to have an attic or a basement. He looked around the chaos Syd had created. He was desperate to find the gun. We must have scared him good and plenty.
He searched through the debris littered on the floor and found nothing of interest and even less importance. Jared was about to go back upstairs when he felt a cold draft around his ankles. He stopped on the stairway and looked down at the floor.
It was only when he kicked aside a bucket that he found what had caught his attention. There was a crack under a moldering bookcase built into the wall and it ran all the way across the bottom. Jared shook it and felt it shift to the right quite easily.
“What the hell?” Jared whispered as he slid aside the bookcase only to face another door complete with a keypad.
His sense of caution immediately overrode his curiosity. Jared ran back upstairs. “Jensen, could you take a look at something?”
Jensen heard the slight tension in Jared’s voice. “Sure.”
They went back to the basement in a casual manner, hoping they didn’t attract any unwanted attention. Jensen saw the door immediately but said nothing until they were downstairs.
“Wow,” Jensen said. “This is freakish.”
Jared examined the door. “I think it’s built to be airtight.”
Jensen slowly grasped the slim metal handle below the keypad and pushed. It swung open, and a gust of frosty air greeted them.
“So, who wants to do the honors?” Jared asked hoarsely.
Jensen took the flashlight from Jared and turned it on. What little they saw made them hesitant to enter the room even more.
“Okay, so Dr. Frankenstein was a boarder here?” Jared piped out, hoping the joke would somehow distill the fear away from the situation.
“Only way to find out,” Jensen said and walked in very slowly. As soon as he crossed the entryway, he must have tripped a sensor because the entire room lit up so brightly, both men had to close their eyes in order not to be blinded.
It took Jared few seconds to adjust to the light.
When he opened his eyes Jared’s confusion multiplied. “What in hell is this?”
They studied the beakers, the numerous equipment that clogged every table space available. The room itself was moderately sized but it looked tiny because of the amount of equipment piled into it.
“I’d say meth factory,” Jensen said, “but I know that can’t be right. Right?”
“No, that’s not right,” Jared said. He studied the equipment further. “Some of this stuff reminds me of Jeff’s lab when he was in med school. He did some internships to pad his CV.”
“Look at this,” Jensen said as he flipped through legal-sized pads.
Jared took one and read it. “I don’t understand any of this…”
“But the handwriting,” Jensen pointed to the scribbles. “Tell me they don’t look familiar.”
Jared’s eyes widened considerably. “Holy shit, Loony Lucy?”
“Maybe, but what are the chances she was lucid enough to do all this?”
“Not a chance in hell…” Jared peered closer to the writing. “But that would mean it was her son. All this was his?”
“Maybe he wanted to continue her work,” Jensen surmised. “But why? I mean … yeah, I could see the son wanting to carry on the family’s legacy but wouldn’t you want to do it in a real lab?”
“So, there was something about his work he didn’t want to make public.”
“Jared?” Jensen said in a funny, hitched voice. “Didn’t you say she was doing some kind of viral research?”
Jared knew what he was hinting at. “No, no fucking way. Two people couldn’t have done all that.”
“Maybe not,” Jensen said, “but you have to admit, it bears thinking.”
Jared placed the binder he was looking at back into its original place. “We need to find out more because if you’re right, then we’re standing on Ground Zero.”
“And maybe the cure,” Jensen added.
Part III * Part V
Author name: frostian
Artist name: thruterryseyes
Genre: RPS
Pairing: JA/JP
Rating: R for language and violence
Word count: ~49k
Warnings: Artistic license taken and abused.
Summary: Jared and Jensen take a road trip to Seattle only to witness what looks like the Apocalypse overwhelm the city. They manage to escape to an island only to discover the situation on Santos to be worse than Seattle. But they cannot leave, as the infected roam freely and the military has set up blockades around the island. Faced with immeasurable horror and growing desperation Jared and Jensen plan an escape, not only to save themselves but the sick who are quickly turning into homicidal psychopaths.
Disclaimer: So much fiction, it could be spotted from an orbiting satellite!
Jared startled himself awake. For a moment his disorientation pushed him into a panicked state, but it didn’t last when he realized where he was.
The thin sunlight made Jared check his watch. It wasn’t even five but felt a lot later for the exhausted survivor. Blearily accepting the fact that any more sleep would be impossible, Jared set off to find Jensen. The moment he entered the kitchen he knew Jensen had to be nearby: the smell of fresh coffee filled the room.
The world’s ending but Jensen can be trusted to make coffee.
Jared poured himself a small cup and looked out the window. He didn’t see Jensen. So he made his way to the living room and took a peek at the front of the property.
Jensen was nowhere to be found.
Jared didn’t need coffee anymore to wake him.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Jared hissed as he laced up his boots. He studied the barn for a moment before stepping out. He checked the ramshackle structure, fervently hoping he’d find Jensen in it.
It was crammed with detritus of many lives but Jensen was not inside.
Having no choice, Jared began earnestly looking for his missing friend. It wasn’t until he was at the tree line that he saw familiar boot prints pointing towards the steep cutaway leading to the beach.
When Jared reached the crest, he realized why Jensen had left his post.
“Oh my God…” Jared choked out. He froze for a moment before making his way down the steep cliff path, not really paying attention to where he was stepping as the carnage below made hostage of his attention.
Jensen was standing at the base of the cliff, staring at the bodies being washed ashore. Jared counted at least twenty corpses before giving up.
“What the hell…” Jared said breathlessly when he reached Jensen. “Who are they?”
“I think some of them were sick,” Jensen said in a high, thin voice. “But the others? I didn’t touch the bodies but I saw wounds.”
“How did they get here?”
“I’m guessing the currents brought them here.”
“But how did they…”
“They were running away from the fire,” Jensen said. “Or at least I think that was what happened.”
Jared’s vivid imagination painted that scene. Fire would trigger fight or flight response, and add to that being chased by the infected - the panicked citizens of Santos would’ve risked going into the frigid water to escape.
“The currents must have been too much,” Jensen said. “We both know how strong they are.
“I found Jackie.”
Jared dropped his head as a sob escaped from him.
“She didn’t look infected,” Jensen continued in a didactic tone. “She … she survived the ferry being blown up, managed to get to the island only to be … fuck.”
Jared couldn’t stand anymore. He collapsed onto the sand and cupped his face in his hands. He cried quietly and leaned into Jensen’s cradling arms when he felt them wrap around his shoulders.
After a while, Jared managed to calm down. He wiped off his face best he could but the moment he caught sight the bodies on the beach, Jared felt tears threaten to overwhelm him once more.
“Fuck,” he said hoarsely. “Fuck fuck fuck.”
“Just about,” Jensen said as he released Jared from his embrace. “We can’t bury everyone but I think Jackie deserves something.”
Jared felt his stomach roil at the thought of touching the body of someone he knew, if only briefly. “Okay,” he said. “But how?”
“We’ll go back up and find a bed sheet. It’s the only way we can handle her body.”
Jared looked at Jensen, frowning.
“She’s been in the water for a while,” Jensen explained reluctantly. “It’s … it makes everything harder.”
Jared managed a single nod as his answer.
They quickly made their way back up the cliff, needing relief from the horror slashing the beach below. Both Emily and Andrea were still asleep and not wanting to bother them, they took two sheets from the hallway linen closet and made their way back.
Jensen had to lead Jared to Jackie’s body as its condition made her unrecognizable. They gingerly place the corpse in the sheets and rolled it around her until she was tightly cocooned. Jensen chose a cave at the far left of the beach. It was deep enough to be safe from tidal reach and looked to be unoccupied by any animals.
They placed her at the farthest point from the entrance. Then, Jared scratched out her name on a piece of rock and placed it at her feet. That was about as much as Jared could stand. He was briskly walking away from the cave when he realized that Jensen wasn’t standing next to him.
He turned around to see Jensen pissing at the entrance of the cave.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, shocked.
“Animals won’t like the scent and stay away,” Jensen said as he zipped himself up. “Or at least that’s what I heard. For all I know it could be an urban legend.”
Jared couldn’t say anything so instead he kept on walking.
Both Andrea and Emily were awake and munching on dry cereal when they returned. From the way Andrea was eating, Jared knew she had a restless night.
He sat on the stool next to her and elbowed the girl. “Hey, how was your night? Mine was stinky.”
Andrea’s spoon hovered in mid-air as the girl digested what he said. “Stinky?”
“Yeah, when I went to sleep, I found out Jensen farted in my sleeping bag. So not cool.”
Andrea didn’t laugh but the smile on her face was both genuine and wide. Encouraged by her reaction, Jared continued to prattle on endlessly, anything inconsequential. Not only to cheer up the child but also to distance himself from the memory of what he was forced to do only minutes before.
After breakfast was cleared, Jensen declared he needed thirty minutes for a quick nap. Jared agreed, understanding his friend desire for some down time.
He watched Jensen trudge down the darkened hallway and once again felt the ferocious tug in his heart. The semi-sweet feeling didn’t last long when he heard Emily whisper, “Something’s wrong.”
He found her standing near a window, peeking outside. Jared joined her and saw immediately what had caught her attention. The tall bushes to the left of the house were shuddering, as if a large animal was passing through.
“Oh shit,” he said as a buck came into view. “Don’t make sudden moves. I know we’re inside a house but if that thing’s infected like the dog…”
Emily slowly took two steps back and that was enough to attract the deer’s attention. Its gaze zeroed in on the narrow window where she was still plainly visible. Jared didn’t even have time to yell. The animal charged towards them, its bellows so loud, it sounded like it was already inside the house.
Jared yanked Emily to the side and scrambled out of the way as the buck threw itself; its head and antlers completely penetrating the window.
The glass panes shattered into deadly shards, most of which embedded themselves into the animal. But if they caused any pain, the deranged creature didn’t show it. Instead, it vainly tried to free itself while relentlessly forcing its way in.
Jared knew only minutes passed but it felt like hours as he watched the trapped deer struggle to its death. Then, without warning, Jensen charged the creature with a bat he must have found earlier. With two swift swings, he smashed the deer’s skull.
The juicy, crackling thuds reverberated in the room almost as long as the creature’s agonizing wails did.
The silence that followed seemed as equally horrific as the din that dominated the room only seconds before.
Another noise entered the room and this one was just as distressing because Jared recognized it: sound of a child crying. He turned to see Andrea standing in the hallway, sobbing into her hands.
“Oh sweetie,” he said as he took her in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t want this,” Andrea said between her fingers. “I want to go home. I want my mommy. I want Delphie. I want my school.”
If she were actually complaining Jared would’ve been able to deal with her outburst. But he knew what she was so desperately yearning for: her childhood.
And she deserves it, Jared thought as he rocked Andrea in his arms. Every kid deserves a normal, sane childhood.
This time there was nothing glib for him to say so he continued to hold her until Andrea wrung out the hysteria from her bones. Jared then placed her in Emily’s care in order to help Jensen remove the deer from its deathtrap.
“We have to dump it far away from here,” Jensen said between huge huffs of air. It was impossible for them to carry the creature as it was too large. So, they resorted to rolling the carcass across the backyard.
“Okay,” Jared said breathlessly, wiping sweat from his face. “You’ve got your reasons?”
“Blood’s going to attract other animals, and they might be,” Jensen leaned down and rested his hands on his knees while breathing deeply, “as crazy as this one is. The last thing we want is a pack of coyotes or worse coming around.”
“Wait a minute,” Jared paused as he looked back at the blood trail they’ve left behind. “What about the infected people? Could they do the same thing?”
Jensen paled at that. “Maybe. We should hose down the house and board up the window, just in case.”
“I remember there was some Clorox in the mudroom,” Jared volunteered. “We could use that.”
“Good plan, good plan.”
They managed to toss the carcass over the steepest part of the cliff, far away from the bodies now being reclaimed by the rising tide.
“I really hope it’s old enough to be without its mom,” Jared said.
Jensen looked at him. “What?”
“It’s big but I’m not sure if it’s old enough to be on its own,” Jared explained. “So, if the doe’s still around…”
“She’s going to be pissed. And sick as hell if the buck’s anything to go by.”
The two silently ran back to the house and dug up a hose which was still connected to an outdoor spout. Jared didn’t have to look at Jensen to know he was feeling relief as harsh water spray jettisoned from the hose.
Jensen started washing the blood off the walkway while Jared ran into the house to get the bleach. He doused the entire area while Jensen meticulously washed away the blood from the window, the wall, and the porch.
Jared then liberally sprinkled whatever bleach they had left on the path they’d used to take out the deer.
Andrea was in the house, completely engrossed in the trashy novel Emily had found. It wasn’t Dr. Seuss, but more than entertaining enough for Andrea not to look out the windows.
“We need something to board up the window,” Jensen said.
The three adults immediately scrambled to find hardware and spare boards but came up with nothing useful.
“Is there any room that we didn’t look in?” Jensen asked.
“The basement,” Jared said. “If this place has one.”
“It does,” Emily said. She pointed to a door in the hallway. Jared found an old one-string switch that revealed a single light bulb whose power was robbed due to a coating of dust. They slowly made their way downstairs and found themselves in a crowded and dimly-lit room. Jared kicked the dirt on the floor.
“This house is old,” he said and took a deep sniff. The air was perfumed with mold, dust, and the sweet scent of decay, making Jared look around the room for a dead rodent or even a raccoon.
“This is weird,” Jensen said. “This room is like half of what’s upstairs.”
“Could be the foundation,” Emily guessed. “The builders could’ve fortified it, especially since it’s located near a cliff.”
Jensen found a rusted can of nails and Jared found an old but solid oak door. He hefted its weight around. “It’s good. We could use…”
He then slowly looked up. The noise that had attracted his attention was stealthy but consistent, which meant it was manmade.
Jensen gave a nod of recognition and that was all Jared needed. He led Emily to a dark corner and motioned for her to stay. Then he and Jensen went upstairs, quietly. It was at trick they’d learned while shooting on sets made of flimsy material.
Jensen went first and Jared followed. They didn’t see anyone, which meant they were successful in not attracting the attention of whoever had invaded their house.
Jared took a cutting knife from the sink while Jensen grabbed the bat he’d used earlier.
Andrea’s scream destroyed whatever plan they had. Jensen charged down the hall first, and swung the moment an unfamiliar shape appeared.
“Jesus Christ!” the stranger screamed as the bat made meaty contact with his forearms. “Don’t! Don’t!”
Jensen didn’t swing again but he positioned the bat inches away from the man’s sweaty face. “Why are you here?”
“Because…” he got a good look at Jared holding a knife and went paler. “We were looking for a place to hide and I remembered Loony Lucy’s shack.”
Jensen saw another, much younger man in the back, only two feet away from Andrea who had scrambled to the corner of the bedroom with her book raised in front of her like a shield.
“And you?” Jensen asked tersely.
“I … I … fell off the chopper,” the man said in a tired voice.
“Chopper?” Jared echoed, confused by the stranger’s explanation. Then his eyes widened. He examined the clothes the man was wearing and noted how ill fitting they were. “You fuck, you were one of those assholes who blew us up!”
The man looked too tired to argue or even try to explain himself. “Yeah, but I wasn’t … I mean we didn’t shoot at anyone. We … look, nobody told us what was going to happen. All we were told to do was to follow the ferry, I swear.”
“And when you saw it blown to pieces by your buddies,” Jensen said as he lowered the bat while raising his voice, “while you watched people burn to death and drown all around the boat - what did you do? Nothing, right?”
The soldier’s face suddenly crumpled, making everyone realize he was little older than a boy. “I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes filling with tears. “I didn’t know, nobody in my bird knew what was going to happen. We weren’t told anything and Mike - he’s the pilot - he was screaming for them to stop. I … I think I leaned down to grab someone when we did a swoop and that was when I fell.”
Jared managed to leash his anger but Jensen remained steadfast to his fury. “Are you armed?”
Both men shook their heads. “My house burned down…” the older man tried to explain but Emily cut him off harshly.
“Better introduce yourself, Syd.”
“Sorry, sorry, my name’s Syd Morgan. I found David here on the beach. I thought he was dead at first but then he woke up.”
“And you took him in?” Emily’s tone was brimming with sarcasm. “Because you’re such a humanitarian.”
Syd visibly flinched and opened his mouth but no words came forth. Instead, he stepped back, looking mulishly. Jared was strongly reminded of Peter.
“What’s this about?” the soldier asked. “He’s been good to me.”
“Son, I don’t know how old you are but I can tell you, you could keep much better company with a murder of crows than with Syd over here.”
“That’s not fair!” Syd finally yelled. “I never did anything to you, you nosy old bitch.”
Emily gave a deprecating smile and raised her hand towards Andrea. “Come here, sweetie. Let’s go to the kitchen.”
Just the mention of the word ‘kitchen’ made the soldier’s stomach rumble loudly. Emily studied him for a while before saying, “Come, you look like you could use something.”
Jensen and Jared parted, allowing the soldier and Andrea to leave, but Syd remained boxed in. Realizing his precarious situation, the man protested:
“Hey, I didn’t do anything.”
“And let’s keep it that way,” Jensen said.
Jared didn’t bother to say anything. Instead, he stared unblinkingly at Syd until the man looked away.
“Shit, we’ve got trouble,” Jared whispered under his breath the moment they were out of the room.
“I know but it’s too late to do anything,” Jensen replied. “Best to keep an eye on him.”
Jared gave a grunt of assent but managed to plaster a small friendly smile when they entered the kitchen. Andrea looked in amazement as the soldier hoovered the modest amount of food in front of him with lightening speed.
Emily, on the other hand, looked at him with fondness that told Jared she had either sons or nephews.
“What’s your name?” Jensen asked as the soldier finished his meal.
The guy blushed furiously. “Sorry, should’ve introduced myself earlier. Specialist David Spera. From Boise.”
“You’re in the Army?”
The soldier paused but then blew out a huff of breath. “Yeah, and believe it or not I’m like the fucking mechanic on the ass end of whatever unit I’m assigned to. Seriously, I jumped when they offered me a transfer to … well, the unit I was assigned to until I took a fucking nosedive.”
“David,” Jensen said, “I don’t know if you get this or not, but they left you behind. The moment you fell off the chopper you were dead to them. So, any loyalty you have towards your people is pretty much useless.”
David’s face flushed with anger but didn’t protest Jensen’s summation.
“Did they really tell you nothing about what they were planning to do?” Jared asked, seamlessly slipping into Sam’s persona of the good cop.
David immediate answered, “No, no fucking way Mike would’ve gone through with it: not even if God ordered him. He would never have flown that copter if he’d known what they were planning to do. Hell, I know at least half the crew would’ve taken guns to their kneecaps in order to get out of it.”
“So, you were shadowing us, then?” Jensen asked.
“Yeah, we were told there was a ferry that left Seattle after the quarantine was set. And that we had to follow the boat to see where it went. I think Mike found out you were heading to Santos like a minute before … before the airstrike.”
“When did the quarantine come down, exactly?”
“Hours before; in the morning, actually.”
Jared paled. There was nothing in the news of such a thing being brought down on Seattle. Not on the television or the radio.
“Why weren’t we told?” Jensen asked.
“What do you mean?” David looked confused by Jensen’s question.
“We had no idea there was a quarantine,” Jared said cautiously.
David’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? That can’t be right…”
“No, he’s telling the truth,” Emily interrupted heatedly. “I had no idea and I’ve been glued to the television for days now. Hell, I was watching CNN all morning before a pack came through my street, and they weren’t talking about any quarantine.”
David shook his head as he digested what was being told. “I can’t believe it. Why wouldn’t they?”
“They didn’t want panic,” Jensen said. “The moment quarantine became public, people would’ve either barricaded themselves or try to get out.”
“But Seattleites … they’re not exactly the most violent group of people you can think of,” Emily countered. “I mean it’s not like Texas. You’d have to grab three or four blocks before you’d find someone with a gun!”
“I should’ve known something was up. We had to shut down all our online accounts,” David said. “I was ordered not to check Facebook or Twitter when I got this transfer. We were even banned from checking our e-mails.”
Jared turned to Jensen only to see his friend looking back at him.
“No, Seattleites aren’t violent in that sense but they’ve got one powerful fucking weapon: the Internet,” Jared reasoned. “They could declare war from their computers and the government would have a shitty time trying to stop them.”
Jensen nodded in agreement with Jared’s assessment. “Microsoft, Amazon, and dozens of hi-tech companies are all from here. Not to mention the dozens more who work for the defense department.”
Jared nodded, “Yeah, I remember seeing a segment about that on TV.”
“Well, if they all decided to crack their knuckles then they could shut down everything. This country’s entire infrastructure is based on computers nowadays,” Jensen said. “And if the people who helped build that infrastructure decided to … well, tear it apart in protest, then I can’t imagine anybody stopping them. Not even DC.”
“Fuck,” David said. “So no civilian knew about the quarantine.”
“What does that mean?” Emily asked. “If people weren’t told - would they still go outside?”
“They could,” Jared said. “As long as the news don’t say anything then yeah - they could still think it’s safe enough to go to the hospital, if they’re sick or with someone who is.”
“With those crazed lunatics roaming around?” Emily’s voice was suffused with horror and disbelief. “Oh my God…”
“Let’s hope the news had gotten out the other way,” Jensen said.
“What other way?” David asked.
“We were talking to other survivors from the ferry, and they spoke about websites and boards run by people who weren’t so allergic to the truth,” Jared answered. “Some of them were associated with University of Washington.”
“Another group of people you don’t want to piss off,” Emily added.
“But sooner or later they’re going to find out,” Jensen said. “Then what?”
Jared turned to David and asked, “Any ideas?”
“Not a fucking clue,” David answered, “but whatever it is, it can’t be good.”
Andrea chirped up, “So, where’s the Swear Jar?”
David was the first to laugh. Emily quickly followed. Even Jensen gave a grin as tiny as it was. Jared just threw a companionable arm around the little girl and planted a grateful kiss on her hair.
“Wait a minute,” Emily said. “Where’s the scumbag?”
“Syd?” Jensen asked. “Why don’t you like him?”
“The bastard would feed his mother to the crocodiles if it meant he’d get paid. I wouldn’t trust him with a crock of piss.”
“I’ll check on him,” Jared said. He went down the hallway only to find an empty bedroom.
Feeling panic slowly rise, he checked every room to find them unoccupied.
“He’s gone,” Jared said as he reentered the kitchen.
“Oh fuck,” Jensen hissed. “I’ll take outside.”
“I’ll take the basement,” Jared volunteered. “Emily, David, stay with Andrea.”
The young soldier nodded his understanding. He was being left behind with the most important mission: protect his charges.
Jared heard Jensen’s footsteps above him as he made his way down the stairs. But his attention wasn’t so riveted that he didn’t notice the slight movement to his right.
Jared leapt nimbly, allowing the broom handle to pass below him harmlessly.
He landed on the floor and gave a horse kick as soon as he got his balance. Syd crashed against a battered wooden shelf which crumbled under his weight.
Jared heard rushing of footsteps and found David on the top of the stairs, his flashlight aimed directly at him.
“Hey,” Jared said, “I found our resident asshole.”
David neatly tied Syd’s hands behind him before helping Jared haul their prisoner upstairs.
When Syd came to, he found himself bound to an armchair so tightly, he could barely swivel his head. He tested the bonds before shouting, “What the fuck?!”
“My question exactly,” Jensen said in a calm tone. “What were you doing in the basement?”
Syd frowned and said, “I have no fucking…”
Emily appeared in the kitchen, holding a revolver. “Maybe this will jog your memory.”
Syd looked at her, the gun, then at Jared. By the time his gaze rested on Jensen, he’d lost all his color.
“I don’t know…” he began weakly.
“It’s still loaded,” Emily interrupted neatly and calmly. “Care to try again, Syd?”
Syd looked around the room and finding no allies, he confessed, “I knew Loony Lucy had a gun.”
“It was her husband who did,” Emily said. “I thought it was an urban legend. Isaac was about as anti-gun as a person could get.”
“Well he wasn’t,” Syd said waspishly. “Before he married that fucking nutjob he used to hunt. But after he married the psycho bitch, he had to put away all his weapons because he was too scared she might do something.”
“Shut up,” David said in a dismissive voice. “What were you going to do once you had the gun?”
Syd’s panic revved to full throttle. He struggled to free himself before tiring out, which didn’t take long.
David looked at Jensen. “Can you leave us alone for a moment?”
Jensen wordlessly herded the others from the kitchen and Jared made sure the door was closed behind them.
“Let’s see what else we can find,” Jared said. “Is there an attic or crawlspace?”
Emily nodded. “I think so.”
Andrea looked semi-eager to go exploring for which Jared was supremely grateful. He knew they were going to be sweating buckets but better that than listening to whatever David was doing to Syd in order to get the truth.
As he expected, the attic was stuffy and was more of a crawlspace. So, he was forced to navigate on his hands and knees.
“Most of this stuff’s just papers,” Jensen said as he flipped through the boxes.
“Same here,” Emily said. “You want to know something strange?”
“What?” Andrea asked, looking quite unsatisfied with the box in front of her.
“All this stuff is old,” Emily said. “They were printed way before Lucy’s son could’ve started reading.”
Jared looked down at the stacks of scientific journals in front of him. “1971 here.”
“1965,” Jensen piped up.
“I got binders,” Andrea volunteered, “and they’re handwritten.”
Jared once more felt that tingle of dread as he took one from Andrea. He flipped through the pages.
“I don’t understand any of this,” he said softly.
“Not surprising, considering her mental state,” Jensen said.
Jared shook his head. “No,” he disagreed, “this stuff isn’t some ravings of a lunatic. It’s clear thinking and … well, good. Not that I’d know much about science.”
“Lucy wasn’t always so out of control,” Emily said. “I moved here after I married my husband, and by that time Lucy was sliding to crazyland, but I heard she was very smart during her younger years and actually worked for some Ivy League university back in the day. That was why nobody was surprised when Tony got a full scholarship to college.”
Jared flipped through more binders. “She was doing viral research.”
Jensen looked over his shoulder and read few lines. “How can you tell?”
“I recognize some of the vocabulary,” Jared answered. “The stuff’s old and probably outdated, but there isn’t a drop of crazy in any of this.”
“Wow,” Jensen said. “Could you imagine what she could’ve done if she didn’t go off the deep end?”
Jared gave a small sigh. “She would’ve done some amazing work.”
David’s voice flowed in from downstairs. “We’re done. Syd’s sleeping.”
Jared was grateful the soldier used the euphemism for Andrea’s sake. “Thanks.”
“Let’s go down,” Jensen said. “We need something to drink.”
Jared was grateful to find the kitchen free of blood, but he knew something had happened. He could still smell Pine Sol in the air.
“What did Syd say?” Jensen asked quietly.
“A lot, he seems to be a religious man,” David answered drily. “He was going to lock us in a room, then take what he needed and split.”
Emily glanced at Andrea who was sipping a small glass of water while studying the scenery out the window. “Asshole,” she said in a soft tone.
“Pretty much,” David said. “He also said something weird. He said the basement shrank.”
“Probably reinforced walls like Emily said,” Jensen dismissed casually.
Jared knew Jensen’s explanation made sense. And considering the condition of the home and its owner, he should’ve accepted it. Nevertheless, he couldn’t escape from the dread that they were missing something.
“I’m going to take a look,” Jared said. “I’ll be right back.”
Jared took the flashlight and went back to the basement, though reluctantly.
If I ever get another house it’s not going to have an attic or a basement. He looked around the chaos Syd had created. He was desperate to find the gun. We must have scared him good and plenty.
He searched through the debris littered on the floor and found nothing of interest and even less importance. Jared was about to go back upstairs when he felt a cold draft around his ankles. He stopped on the stairway and looked down at the floor.
It was only when he kicked aside a bucket that he found what had caught his attention. There was a crack under a moldering bookcase built into the wall and it ran all the way across the bottom. Jared shook it and felt it shift to the right quite easily.
“What the hell?” Jared whispered as he slid aside the bookcase only to face another door complete with a keypad.
His sense of caution immediately overrode his curiosity. Jared ran back upstairs. “Jensen, could you take a look at something?”
Jensen heard the slight tension in Jared’s voice. “Sure.”
They went back to the basement in a casual manner, hoping they didn’t attract any unwanted attention. Jensen saw the door immediately but said nothing until they were downstairs.
“Wow,” Jensen said. “This is freakish.”
Jared examined the door. “I think it’s built to be airtight.”
Jensen slowly grasped the slim metal handle below the keypad and pushed. It swung open, and a gust of frosty air greeted them.
“So, who wants to do the honors?” Jared asked hoarsely.
Jensen took the flashlight from Jared and turned it on. What little they saw made them hesitant to enter the room even more.
“Okay, so Dr. Frankenstein was a boarder here?” Jared piped out, hoping the joke would somehow distill the fear away from the situation.
“Only way to find out,” Jensen said and walked in very slowly. As soon as he crossed the entryway, he must have tripped a sensor because the entire room lit up so brightly, both men had to close their eyes in order not to be blinded.
It took Jared few seconds to adjust to the light.
When he opened his eyes Jared’s confusion multiplied. “What in hell is this?”
They studied the beakers, the numerous equipment that clogged every table space available. The room itself was moderately sized but it looked tiny because of the amount of equipment piled into it.
“I’d say meth factory,” Jensen said, “but I know that can’t be right. Right?”
“No, that’s not right,” Jared said. He studied the equipment further. “Some of this stuff reminds me of Jeff’s lab when he was in med school. He did some internships to pad his CV.”
“Look at this,” Jensen said as he flipped through legal-sized pads.
Jared took one and read it. “I don’t understand any of this…”
“But the handwriting,” Jensen pointed to the scribbles. “Tell me they don’t look familiar.”
Jared’s eyes widened considerably. “Holy shit, Loony Lucy?”
“Maybe, but what are the chances she was lucid enough to do all this?”
“Not a chance in hell…” Jared peered closer to the writing. “But that would mean it was her son. All this was his?”
“Maybe he wanted to continue her work,” Jensen surmised. “But why? I mean … yeah, I could see the son wanting to carry on the family’s legacy but wouldn’t you want to do it in a real lab?”
“So, there was something about his work he didn’t want to make public.”
“Jared?” Jensen said in a funny, hitched voice. “Didn’t you say she was doing some kind of viral research?”
Jared knew what he was hinting at. “No, no fucking way. Two people couldn’t have done all that.”
“Maybe not,” Jensen said, “but you have to admit, it bears thinking.”
Jared placed the binder he was looking at back into its original place. “We need to find out more because if you’re right, then we’re standing on Ground Zero.”
“And maybe the cure,” Jensen added.
Part III * Part V