The Abandoned Trilogy (Book 1): Twice Dead (Contagion) (32 page)

              Later that afternoon Wolf called Adag and me into her old office. He looked tired I thought, tired and worried.

              “You’ll be glad to see the back of us I think,” he said when we had sat down.

              “I think that is a mutual feeling,” Adag had a slight smile on her lips when she spoke.

              “Epsilon Command have a policy of vaccinating all survivors before they leave with us, however you aren’t leaving with us, but they still want you all vaccinated.”

              “Vaccinated?” Adag said politely, her face not showing any emotion. My stomach felt hollow, “What vaccinations? And why?”

              “It’s protocol,” Wolf was tapping his fingers on the desk, I watched his face, if I didn’t know any better I’d think he was more troubled by this particular set of orders than any of the others he had been given.

              “I don’t see the point in it, seeing as none of us are going with you,” Adag said calmly.

              “Neither do I,” Wolf agreed with her.

              “They probably have their reasons,” I felt I had to say something.

              “Probably,” Wolf didn’t sound any more convinced than we did.

              “Perhaps you could write up we have been given the vaccinations?” Adag suggested delicately, “And leave it at that.”

              I waited for Wolf to refuse, but to my surprise, he nodded his head.

              “Nat will give you the vaccinations for you to administer,” he said to Adag.

              “Oh,” Adag said and she nodded her head slowly, she glanced at me. We now knew at that moment that the phials that Duke had put into the Yellow Room more than likely contained some form of the Twice Dead contagion.

              Wolf stood up and walked to the window, looking out into the grounds of the Home. He put his hands behind his back, his legs slightly apart.

              “Nothing is what it seems,” he said and he shook his head.

Was he speaking to us? Or himself. Adag and I looked at each other.

              “We will be leaving very early in the morning,” Wolf was still staring out of the window, “We will try to be as quiet as possible, Private Salter can sleep in the billet tonight.”

              “Could he stay on late tonight? I know he has a curfew but could you let him off it for tonight,” I said, Wolf opened his mouth to refuse my request and I added, “Just so the boys can say goodbye to him before they go to bed, they are very fond of him, please?”

              Wolf exhaled, and then he said abruptly, “He needs to be back at the billet for 2315 hours, tell him I will bust his ass if he is late.”

              We were being dismissed. We stood up, Adag exited first and I had just got to the door when Wolf spoke again.

              “Do you have family outside of here Lucy?”

I stopped and turned to look at him, he was still at the window, his back to me.

              “No,” I shook my head, “No family I know of.”

              “Do any of the others?”

              “Yes.”

              “I had a wife,” he said quietly, “In Atlanta, she was visiting her parents.”

              “Seb’s family were in London,” and then I added, “So were Adag’s.”

              “Do you believe it?” he said.

              “Believe what?” I frowned.

His reply shocked me, “That what happened, the pathogen being released was actually an accident?”

I almost stepped back when his words fully registered in my brain. My mouth dropped open, then I snapped it shut. Lie! I screamed to myself. Lie!

“No,” I said when I finally did answer, “I don’t.”

“Why?”

“Does it really matter what I think?” I replied.

“Probably not,” I smiled then, and he moved from the window back to the seat at Adag’s desk. I don’t know why I did it, honestly, I don’t, I hesitated, then I walked back to him, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He looked startled. He went still.

“Live long and live well Colonel Wolf,” I said and I left him sitting in his chair, rather surprised I think, but not at all offended.

Private Salter had been told by Captain Lacks-Renton that they were bugging out. They were both in the lounge near the dining table. He was stony faced as she was.

              “Well you will both be glad to see the back of us,” I joked but neither of them laughed.

              Salter walked away, heading for the kitchen not looking at me and I sighed, “You should never get attached to civilians whilst you are on active duty,” Elise said curtly, “He hasn’t done himself any favours.”

              “Look after him Elise,” I said quietly.

              “He’s a soldier, he can look after himself,” was her cool response.

              “Duke has it in for him, and it’s my fault, please, please look after him,” I expected her to refuse again but to my surprise she nodded her head. I had pretty much told who had kicked the shit out of the young soldier but I sensed that Elise could deal with Duke.

              “Thank you,” and I reached out and took her hand, squeezed it, I expected her to pull away but as I started to take my hand from hers, she gripped it tightly.

              “You’re a fucking pain in the ass, Lucy,” she said.

              “I know,” I didn’t argue with her and the hug she gave me was quick but strong and then she strode away, leaving me surprised and touched at the same time.

Private Salter spent his final evening with Cassidy and Stevie, playing cards and Cassidy’s favourite game, Ludo. Jasmine refused to come out of her room and Eden was with her. Seb and Mitch were as usual in the garage and Gabe and Percy had taken the dogs for a walk and upon their return, retreated to their flat for an early night.

              Adag was with Paul and of course Phoenix was in his room, monitoring the Twice Dead World outside of our sanctuary. I in turn sat on the sofa in the lounge area with my sketch book, behind me I could hear Cassidy laughing, Stevie’s mellow voice as he asked if anyone wanted a snack before the next game. Cassidy did of course, when didn’t he want to eat, I thought with surprising fondness for the big teenager.

              Private Salter said very little to me, and I didn’t attempt to engage him in conversation. I just let the boys enjoy his company and he theirs.

              All too soon it was time for Cassidy and Stevie to go to bed, Adag allowed them to stay up until 11pm rather than 10pm.

              I made Cassidy his night time cocoa and mixed in his medication, a very light sedative that helped him sleep each night.

              “Bye Kai,” Cassidy said cheerfully and he slapped the soldier on the shoulder, and then he lumbered off to bed clutching his drink and a chocolate biscuit he had wheedled out of me.

              Stevie had gone to his room briefly and he returned, carrying a small box. He held it out to Private Salter who looked at it and then at Stevie, “It’s for you,” Stevie said.

              I noticed that Salter’s hands trembled when he took the offered box from Stevie. He opened it and took out a simple wooden checker set, a travel one.

              Stevie gave Private Salter a happy smile, “It’s brand new,” he assured the young soldier, who was staring at it, his lips pressed together, “You can play with your friends, like you did with me.”

              “Thanks Stevie,” Private Salter said, “It’s really…” his voice cracked slightly, he inhaled and continued, “Kind of you…I’m…sorry I haven’t got anything for you.”

              “That’s OK,” the good hearted Stevie said, and he made it worse for the young soldier because he hugged him. A warm strong Stevie hug.

              I was pretending not to notice the exchange between the two young men. My head was bent and I was looking at the sketch I was just finished off.

              Private Salter was like a statue, Stevie’s loving arms tightly around him, the soldier was rigid, unyielding, and then he surprised me, he hugged Stevie back, equally as hard and with equal feeling.

              “Take care of yourself Stevie,” Private Salter finally said and he stepped away from Stevie and put the gift into an army canvas pouch in his waist band.

              “I will,” Stevie promised him as he patted his friend’s arm, “Night-night,” he turned to look at me on the sofa, “Good-night Lucy.”

              “Good night, Stevie,” I responded, “Can you put my bedroom light on for me, please?”

              “Will do,” he said and he headed off to his room.

              I stood up. Private Salter stood where he was, watching Stevie disappear out of his life.

              “You better get back to the billet,” I said to the soldier. He didn’t move.

              “It’s not right,” he said and he rubbed his face, struggling to compose himself.

              “What’s not right?” I knew what he was saying but I wanted to hear him say it out loud.

              “Leaving you all behind,” he burst out, “It’s wrong! It’s fucking wrong!”

              “That’s not for you to say, Private Salter,” Wolf’s voice made us both jump. Neither of us had heard him come into the building. The soldier snapped to attention, Wolf didn’t tell him to be at ease, instead he said quietly, “You will not question your orders Private Salter, understand?”

              “Yes Sir,” Private Salter said stiffly, not allowing himself to make eye contact with his commanding officer. He was angry at Wolf and Wolf knew it.

              “Now get back to the billet, we are leaving early, move soldier!”

              Private Salter’s shoulders sagged, he glanced at me and I nodded at him. He marched away, not looking back, watched by the stony faced Colonel.

“Here,” I held out the small sketch book drawings to the Colonel before he could speak, “This is for you,” his hand instinctively accepted it and I walked away, and like Private Salter I didn’t look back.

We didn’t hear Wolf and his people leave the next morning, but I knew they were gone when I got up and went into Adag’s office just after 0730 hours.

              Phoenix’s computer was on the floor along with Mitch’s radio, which was fully charged, and on standby on the office desk.

              I felt both a sense of relief and also a sense of loss, which took I wasn’t expecting. Private Salter had left his borrowed room clean and tidy. That was good of him and I felt a stab of pain in my chest. I had grown surprisingly fond of the young soldier who I had at first wanted to kick up the pants.

I headed for the kitchen to start breakfast. We were free of the military, they would not be back any time soon, and now we had the difficult job of trying to survive on our own with the knowledge that the Central Commands were making sure that any survivors outside those the chosen elite were disposed of.

              We would have to live a life well and truly under the radar, but we would do it. Somehow, we would manage to do it.

              I made a huge batch of scrambled eggs, added wild garlic to it, put on the kettle to make tea and then went to the fridge to get out the bacon to start frying.

              I had just taken out two trays and turned around to put them by the stove when I saw them. Standing by the kitchen door. Corporal Peters and Private Jasper.

              I let out a yell, stumbled backwards; the bacon flew out of my hands and landed on the floor at the same time as I did. I slid down the fridge door and then yelled in pain as my bad leg twisted under me.

              “Shit!” Private Jasper said as he rushed over to me, lifting me up and getting me to a stool.

              “What the hell are you doing here?” I managed to find my voice.

Peter was picking up the bacon from the floor and putting them on the side, “Don’t tell me you’ve all come back! Why? What happened?”

              The two men looked at each other and it slowly dawned on me that Wolf and his unit had not returned. Rather Corporal Peters and Private Jasper had not left with them.

              “You deserted,” I said in a stunned voice.

              They still said nothing.

              “Shit,” was all I could think to say right then.

My head was spinning. I gripped the side of my stool, “Why?”

Corporal Peters bit his lip. He looked at the floor. Private Jasper spoke.

              “We haven’t got a home to go back to,” he said lamely, “All our families are gone.”

              “Why stay here?” I said incredulously.

              Private Jasper glanced at Corporal Peters. The young man looked up and allowed his eyes to meet mine. His face was full of hostility, directed at me, and with his fists clenched at his sides he said bitterly, “You told Captain Lacks-Renton about me and Jas!”

              I blinked. Trying to process, what he was saying and not at that moment quite succeeding.