Andre nodded. “Very well. Tell him we are on our way.” He pushed the door shut and turned to her. “Apologies, cherie.”
“I heard.” She was already dressing. She stood and glanced in the mirror. “Oh my god. I look like a brand new egg,” she laughed to herself.
“A what?”
She turned and flashed him a sheepish smile. “Freshly laid.”
“Sacra bleu!” He tried not to laugh at her goofy joke as he dressed. He couldn’t resist watching her as she shimmied into her clothing. “I have decided that you look better without garments.”
“And I have decided that you need glasses.” She threw his white coat at him. “Hustle up, Frenchie. We can’t keep the captain waiting.”
He finished tucking in his shirt and donning his lab coat as he followed her to the lab. As he feared, the general and the president were already there.
“Here’s the man of the hour!” President Walters exclaimed as they walked through the blast doors. “Congratulations once again.” He stepped toward Broussard with his hand extended.
Andre fought the revulsion building inside and took his hand. “Thank you.” He intentionally stood between Carol and the officials, preventing her from having to risk contact.
General Green stepped closer and proudly announced, “Doctor Broussard just recently agreed to man our CDC center in Colorado.” He turned and patted the researcher’s shoulder. “I’ve got a team preparing the equipment here for transfer.”
“Thank you general.” Andre turned back to the president. “We’d like to leave as soon as possible. We have a lot of work ahead of us before we can actually begin the real work.”
“Of course.” President Walters stepped aside and waved the vice president towards them. “There’s somebody here who would like to personally thank you.”
Andre stood taller and extended his hand. The vice president reached for it then launched himself, snarling at the bare flesh in his grip.
Simon spent nearly an hour calming Veronica’s nerves before scrubbing the dried blood from her door. After he buried the rabbit, he stayed up the rest of the night, his eyes locked on his RV and his back to the campfire.
The few times he had seen the curtains part, he knew that Lana was checking on him. He saw shadows in the windows and knew that she’d stayed up the better part of the night.
One time, when he felt himself trying to doze off, he swore he heard her whisper his name in his ear. He started awake, his head snapping side to side searching for her.
Just before daybreak he made his way back to the RV and entered noisily. Lana lay on the bed, still nude, pretending to sleep.
He heated some water on the stove and made a large cup of instant coffee, all the while racking his brain for a way to put his emotions into words.
“Come to bed, darling,” she purred.
Simon bent over the counter and gripped it so tight that his wounded arm nearly convulsed. “No.” Although through gritted teeth, he knew that he spoke plainly enough for her to understand.
She sat up on the bed and dangled her legs off the end. “I need you.”
He spun on her and closed the short distance, his hand grasping her by the throat. “Why? Why do you do these things?”
She fell back onto the mattress and stared at him, a smile forming on her face as he squeezed. “Harder,” she whispered.
Simon increased his grip and she actually moaned as her eyes began to roll back in her head. He let go and pushed her away. “What am I going to do with you?” he barked.
She stared at him lustfully and slowly spread her legs. “You had a pretty good start going there.”
He spun back and pointed a finger at her. “You’ve lost your fuckin’ mind!”
“We can do whatever we want.” She sat up and glared at him. “We’re in charge now. They need to fear us…or they might try to run.”
He turned back to her and gave her a confused look. “Run to where, Lana? You were with me when we left Rio Rancho. There is nothing out there. What’s left to run to?”
She scooted forward and planted her hands on the side of the mattress. “Not run TO. Run FROM.” She shook her head as she stepped closer to him. “They need to fear us, Simon. If they don’t, we can’t control them.” She ran her hand up his chest and cupped his face. “You might have a boomstick, but so could they.”
He felt his anger boil up inside and all he could see was red. Flashes of the ravaged rabbit hung on Vee’s door kept popping into his mind and his anger turned to rage. He’d turned to say something when she abruptly slapped him. “Be a man!”
He didn’t mean to strike back. He wasn’t even thinking as his arm shot out and the butt of his fist caught her temple. His hand had no sooner made contact than he regretted it.
She fell to the mattress and slid to the floor, a squeak of surprise escaping her lips as she bounced from one to the other. Simon froze in shock, his heart thumping in his chest. “Lana…”
He bent low and turned her face to meet him. She sat up, stunned and rubbed at the side of her head. “What just happened?”
“I am SO sorry, baby…I—”
She stretched her arms outward and wrapped them quickly around his neck. “Thank god!” She began to cry and he pulled her to him, unsure what to say. “Thank you, Simon! Thank you!”
He stared at her open mouthed. “Wh-what are you…”
She pulled back and he felt his guts tighten as her tears ran down her cheeks. “I don’t know what came over me, but…that? That wasn’t me.” She stared at him, true fear reflected in her eyes. “It was like somebody else had taken over my body and…” She sobbed, her chest heaving.
He pulled her closer and cradled her. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay now.” He petted her head as if
