“He put up a hell of a fight though,” a soldier stated bluntly.
Andre bent on one knee and studied the snarling creature. “Bring him inside. Take him to the lowest levels and use one of the cells down there.” He glanced to Davis and smirked. “We can treat him from there.”
Davis nodded to the three men standing over the infected and they simultaneously bent down and lifted the creature to its feet. “Be careful with him, please,” Carol added as they half dragged the man away.
Andre lowered his voice. “Do we have any psychedelics here?”
Carol shrugged. “The others were still doing inventory, but…” She sighed. “I’m sure we can come up with something.”
Andre pulled her aside. “Now that we have more time, I’d like to see if there are any other possible treatments that might work. Something that could be applied en masse.”
She nodded. “I’ll let the others know.”
He watched her walk back up the hill then turned and stared out to the treeline. He couldn’t help but wonder how many more of the infected were watching him from the shadows.
Simon sat in the darkness of his trailer and wondered why he felt nothing over losing Lana. It was just a few short weeks ago that he was pledging his undying devotion to her. Was he reverting back to his old self? Were people just…currency now?
He closed his eyes and blew his breath out slowly. As much as he tried to get in touch with his inner self, he couldn’t understand his lack of empathy. He couldn’t understand why he’d turned so cold towards her.
“Maybe because she was batshit crazy?” he mumbled. He threw himself back onto the couch and tried to remember when he’d last felt something towards her. Every time he got that warm, fuzzy feeling, it was because Veronica had slipped into his thoughts.
He huffed with exasperation and came to his feet. He nearly jumped at the knock at his door and hung his head low. As he stepped towards the door, he was already berating himself internally for even answering. “I’ve already told you, Lana. You made your bed, now lie in it!” He jerked the door open and bit his tongue.
Veronica stared up at him, her face unreadable.
“Sorry. Not Lana.”
“No,” Simon held the door open wider, inviting her in, “I’m sorry.” He pulled the door shut behind her and flipped on the tiny lamp beside the couch. “I was thinking of her and all that she’s done. I guess when I heard the knock my brain just assumed it was…” he trailed off. “Please, have a seat.”
She sat on the couch and he took the chair across from her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Veronica stared at the floor. “I’m curious about something.”
“Ask me anything.”
She glanced up then returned her gaze to the floor. “Do you plan on staying here?” She looked up at him. “With all of us?”
Simon opened his mouth to reply then closed it. He considered her question a bit more thoroughly and nodded. “I planned on it.” He gave her a questioning look. “Why?”
She licked her lips and seemed to wring her hands together. “I just…uh…”
“Have you heard something more?”
She slowly shook her head. “I was just curious what your plans were.”
Simon sat back and studied her for a moment. “You look like you have something else to add.” He watched as her face bowed lower and all he could see was the top of her head. “Okay,” he added, “well, yeah. I was planning on staying—as long as I could, anyway.”
She glanced up at him. “What do you mean?”
Simon gave her a deadpanned stare. “I know Lana. She’s over there right now trying to convince Tony to do something stupid. If he tries and it’s just him, I’ll have to hurt him.” He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “If he brings thugs with him, then I might have to leave.” He pointed to his arm. “It’s not healed enough for me to have to deal with a group.”
Veronica nodded. “I understand.”
“I’m glad you do.” Simon sat forward and searched her face. “But why are you asking?”
Veronica lifted a shaky hand and slipped it into her shirt pocket. She pulled out a small plastic device and held it in front of her. “I, uh…” She swallowed hard and set the device down on the small coffee table between them. “You should know.”
“Know?” He leaned forward and watched as she lowered her eyes again. “Know what?”
Her head barely moved but she nodded toward the table. He reached out and picked up the plastic, pen-shaped device. He held it up to the light and felt his guts tighten.
A blue plus sign was displayed on the small pregnancy test. He felt his face tighten into a smile as he pulled it closer to his eyes. He slowly lowered the test and glanced at her. He almost asked, “Is it mine,” but somehow held his tongue. Of course it was his.
He scooted to the edge of the chair and reached for her hand. “Is this for real?”
Veronica looked up and her jaw trembled. “Yes.”
“You’re sure? I mean, it’s only been a few days and—”
“I woke up nauseous with no other symptoms,” she swallowed hard and met his gaze, “I did the test to rule it out.”
Simon chuckled as he gripped the test tighter. “This is fuckin’ awesome.” His voice was barely a whisper. “This is probably the best…” He trailed off as his eyes took in the fear in her face.
He felt his hand loosen its grip on hers and his stomach dropped. “You don’t want it, do you?”
She shook her head slightly as her face pulled into a tight lipped smile. “It’s not a matter of wanting it, Simon.” She slowly came to her feet. “It’s the fact that I’m the doctor here. There’s nobody else trained to…” She paused and inhaled
