The man wrinkled his forehead and glared at Dave before he looked at Allison with a glint of suspicion. He glanced back at Dave and Sandra, pausing longer, obviously trying to think of something else to say.
When nothing seemed to come to him, he backed away from the car. “Well then have a friendly drive, folks. Stay safe.”
The other men backed away from the car. Dave quickly rolled up his window and began driving off. Allison glanced back, observing the lead man as he brought a walkie talkie to his lips while watching their car drive away.
“What is going on? Who were those men?” Allison asked with a quiver in her voice. Sandra turned around and placed a hand cautiously on Allison’s knee.
Dave answered, “They were Collectors. The Collectors gather up the Infected and anything else that suits their fancy.”
“Those people, they were . . . collecting. What was wrong with them?” Allison asked. A hard knot in her stomach told her she already knew.
She prayed that she was wrong. She prayed that those naked, crazy, violent people weren’t the sick. Prayed they weren’t like her.
Sandra looked her in the eyes. “Honey, those . . . people you just saw,” her voice quivered as she struggled to release the words from her lips, “were sick . . . like you were sick.”
Hot tears fell onto Allison’s clasped hands before she realized she was crying.
“I’m not like them. I’m not like them,” she said between sobs. Sandra patted Allison’s hand.
“Oh, honey. I can’t think of any other reason you were out here in the state you were in. Very few people overcome the illness. It is so rare, but it happens.” Sandra placed her hand on Allison’s. “They were eating people. Fucking eating people! Are you saying I did that?” Allison stared at her but Sandra gave Allison’s hand a gentle squeeze before turning back toward the front of the car, leaning her back against the seat.
Every muscle in Allison’s body was tight. Silent tears drenched her face. She sniffled, watching the blur of green outside her window as she tried to suppress her tears.
“Why did you lie to them? Why did you tell them I’m your niece?” Allison asked.
Dave answered, “Because if we didn’t, if we told them we found you, they would take you. They have taken enough from us. I won’t let them take anything else from anybody if I can help it.”
Allison slumped down across the back seat, her vision clouded by the tears she let flow freely now, and drifted into sleep wishing for her mom’s flower-scented hugs and chocolate milk.
Chapter Four Allison
Allison awoke in a daze with an IV slipped in a large vein on her arm. Clear fluid dripped from a bag above her head, down into tubing, flowing directly into her body. She rested on a cot framed by mossy green curtains blocking her view of her surroundings. However, she could tell from the army green fabric that hung above her head that she was in some large tent, like the military used on deployment in every war movie ever.
Her head was heavy, body numb. The skin behind her left ear burned. She tried to sit up; the room danced in circles around her. Allison brushed her fingers across the area, tracing a raised circle buried beneath the surface. What’s that? Before Allison could put much thought into her new, undesired accessory she heaved over the side of the cot just in time to vomit yellow and black bile onto the floor. With each movement she felt like she was being twisted up into a tornado with no sense of which way was up or down. She slowly sat upright, trying to slow the spin of the room. Suddenly a woman was by her side, placing her hands on Allison’s shoulders.
“Shh, shh, shh. Take it easy.” Her voice was soft, soothing.
Allison murmured something in reply she herself couldn’t even understand and allowed the woman to help her lay back down. She pulled a chair over next to Allison, adjusted something with the IV, then sat in the chair. Allison remained still for a second, or maybe it was much longer than that. Her grip on time wasn’t very good at the moment. After a time she felt the heaviness in her head subside and the numbness fade away. She again sat up, taking it slower this time, relieved to be out of the twisty tornado. The woman was still in the chair next to her, staring into Allison’s eyes as if she were reading her thoughts.
“Hello, Allison,” she said.
Allison looked at the woman who sat next to her. She had on green scrubs, black shoes, and her blonde hair was on top of her head in a tight bun. Not a stitch out of place on her, like the airmen on the military base back home. Maybe she’s in the military. The woman flashed a mouth full of pristine white teeth, but the smile never reached her eyes. She handed her a cup of water. Allison drank it eagerly.
The woman cleared her throat and proceeded, “My name is Catherine and I’m a nurse. You are in a government-run medical tent in Chapel Hill receiving treatment and you are safe. I’m sure you have many questions and we will answer them. However, first you must rest. Your body needs to reco—”
“No!” Allison interrupted. She felt energized as the effect of whatever they had given her through her IV was wearing off. “I do not need more rest. I need answers.” Catherine studied Allison for a minute. Her face tensed, and a flash of anger gave way in her eyes. She forced a tight smile.
“Well, then,” she responded curtly. “Let’s get you some answers. Wait here. I will be back shortly with . . . your answers.” She snatched the now empty glass from Allison and set it down a little too hard on a table behind her, causing a loud thud. Allison
