Actually, he’d strongly suggested that she rest, since ordering Candy to do anything was a moot point. She begrudgingly agreed to lay down and ‘take a quick nap’ but only if he promised to keep an eagle eye on the day to day problems.
Roger inhaled deeply and stepped into the activity center. He gave the nervous mothers a quick nod then turned toward Trevor. “Hey.”
Trevor gave a return nod, his attention never wavering from Patricia. “Sup?”
Roger settled in next to him and leaned closer, his voice low. “Hatcher okay this?”
Trevor shrugged. “Last I knew, I was ordered inside and told to lock the door until the threat was passed.” He glanced at Roger and gave him a depressed smile. “We were coming out when she saw the kids rushing in here and…” He sighed deeply and waved toward her. “I’d never seen her face light up so much. She chased them in here, fell to her knees and started playing.”
Roger swallowed hard and glanced to the two mothers, visibly relaxing, if only slightly. “How’s your morning so far?”
The taller mother just gave him a polite nod but the shorter one broke into a smile. “I’ll say it if she won’t…I’m shocked.” She glanced to Patricia, who seemed oblivious to the conversation. “I never thought I’d see an infected person who wasn’t…”
“Crazy?” Trevor finished for her.
She shook her head slightly, her smile widening. “Aggressive.” She leaned down and tucked a loose strand of hair out of Patricia’s eyes. “She’s actually very gentle with the smaller kids.”
Patricia looked up at the woman and smiled. Trevor felt something well up inside that he couldn’t put into words. He hunkered next to Patricia and tried to get her attention. “You’re doing good, sweetheart.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and she clutched a plastic doll to her chest. She rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around Trevor’s neck. He pulled her close and lifted her from the ground. “This has all been a bit exciting for her.” He leaned back and studied her little face. “I think maybe she needs a nap.”
Roger slowly nodded. “Be careful out there. We haven’t spotted any stragglers, but you never know.”
Trevor hesitated then gave him a cautious look. “I was thinking of laying her down in the room that Hatcher put us in.” He glanced at the two mothers standing across from him. “If there aren’t any objections.”
The two women glanced at each other, then shook their heads in unison. “I think that would be okay.”
Roger appeared hesitant but he slowly nodded. “Just…you know.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her. I promise.” Trevor pulled her closer then turned for the hallway.
Roger waited until he was certain they were out of earshot then turned to the two women. “Honest opinions?”
The taller woman cleared her throat and glanced down the hall. “Honestly, I was scared to death…”
“But?”
She shrugged slowly. “If you didn’t know she was infected, you’d think she was just another child.”
“She’s harmless,” the shorter mother stated. “I watched her closely. And not just for threatening behavior. I watched how she interacted with the other children.” She glanced to the taller mom beside her. “Look, I don’t know if her playing with them is safe…I mean, the handling of the toys and whatnot. But the girl herself? She’s harmless.”
Roger crossed his arms and stared down the hallway toward Trevor’s room. “I had a dog once. Nicest pup in the world. But even he turned on me once.” He held his hand up and pointed to a faded white scar across the back of his hand. “We were playing just moments before and I gave him a bone filled with peanut butter. When I reached to take it away, he growled and bit.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”
The shorter mother raised a brow at him. “Then don’t try to take away her bone.”
Roger gave her a disapproving look. “I think you know what I mean. Whether it’s intentional or not, it happened. The big difference here is, a bite from her is a death sentence.”
The taller mother shook her head. “Is it?” She hooked her thumb toward the hall. “She’s still alive and breathing.”
Roger sighed. “Yeah, I get that. I just don’t know what makes her different from the rest of the world.”
Kevin scrambled to slide a sample tray into the incubator and was fumbling with the cover when the door to the lab slammed open. “Where did they go?”
He jumped and nearly knocked a beaker over as he spun. “Who went where?”
“Don’t play with me.”
Kevin didn’t recognize the man who approached him, but he knew that look in his eye. He’d seen it many times in his life and he knew that he was about to be hurt. He held his hands up as he backed away. “I swear to g—” His words were choked off as the uniformed man pushed him into the metal counter, knocking glass and pyrex to the floor.
“Where. Did. They. GO?” the soldier growled in his face.
Upon reflection, Dr. McAlester’s first and foremost thought was whether the angry man knew that his breath smelled like he had gargled with pickled assholes. His second thought was how he could possibly suck air into his lungs without puking.
“Get off of him!” The voice that boomed through the small lab was a godsend to Kevin. As he slid to the floor he had a feeling of déjà vu—vivid memories of high school and his principal saving his ass. Again.
“Stand outside.” The unknown soldier pointed to the door. “Make yourself useful and guard something, will you?”
Kevin coughed and did his best not to look like the academic weenie that he knew he was. He slowly pulled himself to a standing position and looked up at the imposing figure. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” The man crossed his arms and stared down at him. “I called off the
