“You think so?” Amy asked, relieved despite herself.
“I don’t think so, I know so,” the doctor replied. “Now, I want you to get some rest. I’ll send Simone with something to help you sleep.”
“But, I don’t want to sleep,” Amy protested.
“And I don’t want to hear any more buts,” Dr. Williams said. “There’s nothing you can do except wait for Alex to return.”
Dr. Williams left, and Amy threw herself onto the bed with a groan of frustration. Wait. That was all she ever did. Wait for Alex to return, wait for Dylan to come back, wait for the zombies to leave. Well, I’m done waiting. When Alex comes back, we’re leaving. It’s time we found Dylan. Time we found our own place in the world.
Chapter 6 - Tara
“Hold still, you big baby,” Tara admonished. “It’ll be over in a jiffy.”
“I hate needles,” Saul said, wrinkling his nose when she inserted the point into his vein. With smooth efficiency, she withdrew and labeled several vials of blood.
They went onto a tray next to Dylan’s and Sergeant Dean’s. Even though the sergeant showing no signs of turning into a zombie three days after receiving the cure, the major was still skeptical. He’d insisted on a full blood-analysis for each of the three cured individuals. What’s more, the tests had to be run by someone other than her or Ethan. Guess he doesn’t trust us.
That wasn’t a problem. Despite the shortage of manpower, there were still plenty of scientists capable of such a task on the base. They were all employees of USAMRIID, and most of them lived and worked in Fort Detrick. Through luck, they were not inside the lab when it fell prey to the dead. They were either off sick, or not on shift that day.
The problem lay in the equipment available to them. The most sophisticated stuff was inside the lab, while the infirmary boasted a more pedestrian selection. Even so, she hoped that this final test would serve to mollify the major and encourage him to clear out the laboratory.
Tara wasn’t the only one who hoped so. Many of the scientists were tired of twiddling their thumbs and eager to explore the possibility of a vaccine. None of the remaining staff knew Tara; she’d been gone too long for that. But they all secretly rooted for her.
“There you go,” Tara said, taping a wad of cotton wool over Saul’s wound. “All done.”
“You’re a monster, you know that? Exploiting a man for science like that,” he said, getting up from the stool.
Dylan snorted and looked up from the magazine she was reading, her legs stretched out before her. “Who’d have thought that tough guy Saul had a weakness for needles?”
He pointed a finger at her. “You keep quiet about that, or I’ll skin you alive. You too, Sergeant Dean.”
The sergeant donned an innocent look. “Me? I’d never rat on a fellow soldier.”
“Me neither. I have enough enemies on this base without making more,” Dylan replied.
Tara sighed. That was true. Led by Miller and Jackson, a growing number of soldiers were turning against Dylan. They didn’t view her as human, but rather as a freak. It didn’t matter to them that both Saul and Sergeant Dean were the same as her. They were soldiers. Compadres. Dylan was not.
Dismissing the thought for the moment, she scooped up the tray of blood vials and handed it over to Dr. Patel and Dr. Wilkins. Major Reed had insisted on two scientists to minimize the chances of Tara bribing them. She thought he was being ridiculous but could only shrug and roll her eyes. In secret, of course.
“Thank you both for agreeing to do this,” Tara said. “The only request I have is that you submit your findings to the major as soon as possible. Time is of the essence.”
“Of course,” Dr. Patel answered, her ebony hair shining in the fluorescent lights of the infirmary.
“We’ll get the results, Dr. Lee,” Dr. Wilkins said with a benign smile on his freckled face.
The scientists left the room, and Dylan jumped to her feet. “Right. Are we finished here?”
Tara glanced at her watch. It was past five in the afternoon. “Yes, you’re done, but I still have a meeting with the major at six.”
“What for?” Dylan asked.
“It appears he values my ideas regarding our defenses. It pays to know so much about the zombies, I guess.”
“At least, he’s listening to you,” Saul said, grabbing his jacket. “I’ll accompany you to his office.”
“Thank you,” Tara said. “Oh, and did anyone remember to pick up our rations this morning?” Now that they were living in a house in the private quarters, the major had assigned them weekly rations that they could cook themselves.
“I did,” Dylan replied. “There’s no way in hell I’m eating in the cafeteria again.”
“Yes, I think it’s better that you avoid the place,” Tara agreed. “Or any place where the soldiers congregate.”
“Like a military base, you mean?” Dylan asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Touché,” Tara replied.
“I’m sure they’ll get over it in time,” Saul said. “They just have to get to know you, right, Sergeant Dean?”
“Right,” the sergeant answered, though he didn’t sound very confident.
“It doesn’t matter,” Dylan said. “I’m leaving as soon as I’ve helped you guys to clear out the lab.”
“I’ll be sad to see you go,” Tara said. In truth, she didn’t want Dylan to leave. They’d become friends despite their rocky start, but she understood Dylan’s reasons. “Maybe you could bring Alex and Amy here?”
“Maybe,” Dylan replied with a shrug. “I don’t think I’d be welcomed back, however.”
Nobody had anything to say to that, and Saul changed the subject. “It’s getting late,”
“Yeah, let’s go,” Sergeant Dean said. “I’ll escort Dylan to your home, and you can take the doctor to the major’s office.”
“What about Ethan?” Dylan asked.
“He’s working late,” Tara said, grabbing her things as they all prepared to leave.
“Again?” Dylan complained. “I never get to see
