She then spoke in a quieter voice than she had intended, “I won’t hurt you.” The man looked her over, his gaze firm and unwavering. After what seemed like hours the man rolled down his window just a sliver.
He spoke in a hushed voice, “What do you want?” Allison’s mouth fell open as a flare of anger ignited her again.
“You almost hit me and you’re asking what I want?” The window closed. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m lost and I’m hurt. Please help me!” Allison’s voice was ragged and desperate. The window rolled down to a crack again.
“How are you hurt?” It wasn’t the man who spoke. It was the woman. She leaned over into the man’s lap, peering at Allison with wide eyes. The woman’s stare made Allison remember her lack of clothing and she tried to cover herself as best she could with her arms.
“My head has a pretty big cut in it from rolling down that hill.” Allison pressed her hand to her head. The sticky blood mixed with dirt already matted into her hair.
“You weren’t bitten or scratched by one of them, were you?” the woman asked, her voice unwavering.
“Um, no. I don’t know who ‘them’ are. But I haven’t been bitten or scratched by anything except the ground,” Allison said.
“Them, the Infected! Don’t you know the Infected!” said the man.
“No. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know…” she trailed off. There were too many things she didn’t know to list them all now. “All I know is that I don’t know much, and I need help. Please help me,” Allison whimpered. The man reached to unlock the door, but the woman grabbed his arm and stopped him.
“One more question,” the woman said. “What year is it?” Allison almost smiled. Finally, something she knew.
“It’s 2048.” The woman and man both turned green. The woman bowed her head, and the man shook. His piercing eyes looked cloudy, his lip trembled. The woman rested her hand on his cheek. “What? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Oh, honey, it’s not 2048. It’s 2051,” The woman said. She lifted her head and looked at Allison. “Get in.” 2051. Allison’s knees buckled, and she caught herself on the car. 2051. She braced against the side, letting it support her weight while her legs regained their strength. 2051. Allison was not sure what was happening, but getting into the car would not make things any worse. The man unlocked the doors, and she climbed on wobbly legs into the back seat behind the man. The doors locked again, and the car rolled forward.
Allison relaxed against the seat and sighed. Although still confused, she was no longer alone, and that brought a comforting warmth into her body. The woman in the front turned around in her seat to face Allison. A deep sadness filled her eyes, gleaming with a hint of fear she tried to hide. “My name is Sandra. This is my husband, Dave.” She motioned to the man in the driver’s seat as she introduced him. “There’s a blanket on the floor you can cover up with. There should be a first aid kit, too.” She pointed behind her seat where a folded blanket sat on top of a red and white box. Dave gave a brief nod in Allison’s general direction but never took his eyes off the road. He probably didn’t want to take a chance on making someone else roadkill that day.
“My name is Allison.” Her voice stated it steadily although she trembled on the inside. She picked up the dark blue blanket. It was soft and smooth on her skin as she tucked it under her arms so it covered her breasts and stretched down to her knees. It felt wonderful for her bare skin to be wrapped in the blanket, less vulnerable. Sandra nodded, acknowledging Allison’s introduction. Allison’s eyes shifted to look out the window, and her mind raced.
Three years have passed. It had been three years since the party. That explains why my body is different, but why can’t I remember the last three years? Did no one look for me, miss me? My parents, Gabby, teachers, freaking anyone, someone should have looked for me.
They drove in silence for a time. Allison watched the landscape pass outside her window as she wrapped her head with gauze, leaning her head on the seat to keep pressure on the wound. She saw no other people or animals. Allison loved spring and summer, but seeing all the green out her window now made her stomach flutter and her hands shake.
“We still have about an hour of driving ahead of us. When we get to the clinic someone will find you some clothes,” Sandra said with a slight undertone of worry.
“Thank you for picking me up,” Allison said.
“You’re very welcome.” Sandra smiled. “We couldn’t just leave you there with everything going on and all.” The corners of Sandra’s mouth turned downward as she averted her eyes from Allison.
“What is happening? You said it was 2051. How is that possible?” Allison’s voice was cracking, anxiety building in her chest, climbing to her throat, threatening to make her mute. Her convincingly calm voice was no longer possible to convey. The reality of her situation was sinking into her core. The comfort of no longer being alone was wearing off.
Sandra looked at Dave, her eyes glossy and pleading. Dave glanced at Sandra and shrugged. “She will find out eventually. Might as well be now,” Dave said. Sandra was obviously uneasy but looked back at Allison with a sigh.
“It is 2051, sweetie. There has been an . . . incident.” Sandra hesitated while avoiding eye contact with Allison.
“What kind of incident? What in the hell are you talking about?
