He slid off of the checkout counter and slipped the last of the pork into his mouth. He found a dark corner and tossed a couple of large bags of dog food to the floor. He had just laid down when the woman he had taken at the hotel slid in next to him.
He gave her a confused look as she picked up his arm and draped it over her shoulders. She turned and stared at him blankly.
Simon swallowed the last of the pork and shrugged at her. “What?”
She wiggled her body and settled in closer to him, pulling his arm to bring him closer. She turned away and closed her eyes. Simon glanced past her balding head and noticed that a lot of the others were curled together, arms and legs entwined. It took him a moment to realize, they were making puppy piles to conserve heat.
He allowed himself to feel the jutting angles of the woman next to him and it all made sense. There wasn’t enough meat on their bones to keep their body temperatures up.
Simon sighed as he pulled his arm back and unzipped his jacket. He held it open and pulled her closer to him. He draped the edge over her thin form then dropped his arm back over her.
He actually felt a twinge of regret for ripping off what little clothing she had left at the hotel.
But just a twinge.
Chapter 7
“Seriously?” Vicky sat on the edge of her seat, her eyes wide. “You think it was a cure?”
Hatcher shrugged slowly. “Will seemed convinced that their exhaust looked off. What else could it be?”
Roger slowly stood, his hands shaking. “Do you realize what this could mean?” He turned to Candy, a silly grin crossing his features. “Our kid might have a future.”
Candy reached out and took his hand in hers. “I want to believe.” She squeezed his hand. “I really do. But until we see people come back from this, I’m not ready to have that kind of hope.”
Roger nodded slowly and turned to Hatcher. “I’ve come to trust your gut. What do you think?”
Hatcher leaned back in his chair and gave him a tight lipped smile. “If I didn’t think it truly possible, I wouldn’t have told you guys. Remember though, I ordered Will and the sentries to keep all of this under their hats. Just in case it isn’t what we hope it is.” He sat forward and rubbed at his face. “Either way, we have proof that somebody is still alive and kicking.”
“Surely it’s the military,” Vicky stated as she poured the last of the cheap scotch into her glass. “I mean, who else would have the resources to fly two planes across the country?”
“And so far south?” Candy added. “You’d think they’d hit the coasts first.”
“Maybe they did.” Hatcher tossed back the last of his drink and set the glass on Vic’s desk. “We haven’t reached anybody on the radio to ask what people are seeing out there. Maybe they found a cure and are working their way east.”
Roger’s face paled as a thought crossed his mind. “Or maybe they found a way to kill off the infected?”
Vic’s hand went to her mouth and she stared at her brother. “You don’t think…”
Hatcher shook his head. “The goal was to find a cure when we went back to the park. I can’t believe that they’d abandon that mission just to kill off the infected.”
“But it’s still a possibility,” Roger stated.
Hatcher nodded. “At this point, who’s to say what’s going on out there.” He came to his feet and gave them all a defeated look. “I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it. We honestly have no idea what they are or aren’t doing.”
Vicky reached out and took his hand. “I’m glad you told us.” She glanced at the others. “We’ll keep it quiet.”
Candy nodded. “No sense in sending the others down the same rabbit hole we just went down.”
Hatcher gave her a lopsided smile. “There’s nothing wrong with having hope, Candy.” He glanced at her midsection then his smile spread. “Right now, we could use all of the hope we can get.”
A moan from the next room caught their attention. Vicky stood quickly and went to the cabinet where she kept medications. “That’s probably Coop. He’s ready for another pain killer.”
“How’s he holding up?” Hatcher asked as she locked the cabinet.
“He’s improving.” She averted her eyes. “Not as quickly as I’d like to see, but any improvement is a good thing.”
She stepped past him and opened the door. “Tell him I said hi.” Hatcher watched her go to the next room and a soft light cast an eerie glow into the waiting room. He turned to the others. “I guess we can call it a night. Maybe give her a little time with the old coot.”
He held the door for Candy and peeked into Cooper’s room. He saw Vic sitting next to his bed, her palm pressed to his forehead. He breathed a soft sigh before slipping back into the hallway. “I hope the old fart pulls through.”
Kevin’s head popped up from the work bench as a uniformed soldier beat on a door in the hallway. He heard the man yelling something about relieving the watch and taking his station. A moment later the soldier marched past the lab with an angry scowl on his face.
He wiped the sleep from his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. Why didn’t they find him? Of course. They’d have no reason to check my room. He pushed away from the work bench and reached for the door. “If you want something done right…”
He walked toward his stateroom, his mind on the proper way to react to the mess that he would find. He knew that he’d have to be convincing but he didn’t want to over react.
He twisted the knob on his door and pushed it open, preparing to scream like a little girl.
Instead, he
