“How many people have been turned away?” Hawaii inquires.
“Not many, but still more than I’d like.”
“Why bring people back at all then?” he asks.
“You can’t always know how someone is until you give them a chance to feel safe and relaxed, that’s when someone’s true colors really show.”
“Why give the immunity first? Why not after someone is accepted to stay in Oasis?”
“We can never get back to any sort of progressive civilization if the disease exists, so we give the immunity to everyone. That’s the only way we know how to stop the virus. By eliminating the possibility of more people being infected.”
Rosaline rises to her feet, resting her hands on her hips, a curious look on her face.
“Look, this could all be bullshit, or it could all be true, we’ll never know. You’ve certainly thought this all out, if it is a lie. The only way you can prove any part of your story is if you are actually immune, so, how are you going to prove that?”
“I can mix my blood with the blood of an infected.”
“Let me guess, you have some with you?”
“No, that would be too convenient, wouldn’t it?”
Rosaline tilts her head, a gesture of agreement.
“When’s the last time you saw an infected around here?”
Hawaii glances to Rosaline, sharing an uncertain moment with her, before he answers.
“About a month ago, we were attacked. Rosaline killed them, and we burned the bodies.”
“Burned? Not buried?”
“Burned. We have a water well, we didn’t want to risk it getting contaminated.”
“That’s very smart.”
KP pauses for a long moment, resting her chin on her propped up hand.
“The only way I can prove that I’m immune is to find an infected. This place is pretty far out, I didn’t pass any for a couple days before arriving here. When is the last time any of them wandered into this place?”
“It’d been over a year since the last time, but-”
He looks to Zee, his brow lowered, his eyes drooping.
“We did encounter some the day before we got attacked here. About half a days travel away, but they’re dead too.”
“What kind of infected were they? Mute or did they speak?”
“They were Talkers.”
“What did you do with the bodies?”
“Nothing, we just left them there.”
“You didn’t bury them or anything else?”
Hawaii shakes his head, “No.”
“About a month ago, as in closer to two months, or a few days over a month?”
His brow furrows again, his answer is almost a question.
“A few days over?”
KP nods. Her forehead wrinkles as she ponders something.
“Why?” Rosaline asks.
“The ones that talk, the Adapted, that’s what we call them-”
Sweetie’s eyes widen and move from KP, gliding to Rosaline, who shrugs in response.
“What?” KP questions.
“That’s what she calls them too.” Sweetie replies, pointing her head toward Rosaline.
KP raises a single eyebrow as she looks to Rosaline.
“That’s interesting, did you hear that from someone else?”
“No.” she replies, shaking her head.
“Being a Guide you hear many different names for them, but this is the first time I’ve heard anyone use the same term we do.”
“It’s just what made sense.”
"I can’t argue with that. So, half a day away, you said?"
Hawaii bobs his head.
"That could work."
"How? They've been dead for a month."
"The disease works in an odd way, we still don't fully understand it, and it's even more weird with Adapted. When they die, their brains shut down, it doesn't die or turn off, it just slows substantially Their heart continues to pump, very slow and shallow, but still pumping. This can happen for up to several weeks, from what we've observed. If that's the case for the ones you killed, their flesh should still be intact."
"I'm still a bit confused." says Zee.
"I'll eat some of the flesh to prove I'm immune. When one gets infected from an Adapted, at most it only takes a couple hours to fully turn, but usually it happens in less than thirty minutes. Have any of you ever seen someone get infected from an Adapted?"
Rosaline and Rad give a confirming motion.
"Then you know that's true."
KP leaves the stump, standing up straight.
"Who wants to take me there so I can prove that I'm telling you all the truth?"
Without hesitation Rosaline answers her.
"I will."
"Not alone, I'll go too." Hawaii adds.
"No." Rosaline replies, shaking her head.
"Listen Ros, I'm not letting you go alone."
"You and Rad should both stay here, just in case."
"You're not going alone."
"I'll go with her." says Zee, standing up from her stump.
"Zee-" Hawaii begins.
"She's right. Other than Rosaline, you and Rad are our best fighters. You guys should stay here to protect the farm." Zee replies.
"Let me go with her." Sweetie interjects.
"You're our best shot, you should stay here too."
Sweetie's eyes grow wide, she glances from Zee to KP then back to Zee.
"She's been watching us for two days, she knows we have guns."
KP's lips bunch to the side and her head tilts, confirming Zee's statement.
"Arm yourselves and wait for us to come back."
Rosaline directs her attention to KP, regarding her sternly.
“That’s my son. She’s my girlfriend, that’s her brother, he’s her brother’s best friend, and he's Zee's boyfriend. Just so you know how close we all are. If we get back here and they’re gone, or there are more people here that we don’t know, I’ll kill you.”
KP gives her a gesture of understanding.
“If this is a trap, and one of them escapes and comes to find us, I’ll kill you. If you try anything stupid while we’re out there, I’ll kill you. I wont ask questions, and I wont hesitate.”
"I believe you."
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
It’s been two weeks of traveling, non-stop traveling. Each day a little more grueling than the last. Each day bringing something unexpected to slow them down. Karo believes Jack’s blood will prove beneficial, he believes the scientists in Oasis will be able to develop a cure or an immunization. He’s positive of it, he has to be.
Two weeks of travel already. Maria, his wife, would talk to him about medical issues often, before the outbreak. He
