“Yes, they watch me and my family. There have been many who’ve gone missing, one’s that complain too loud or fight too hard. I do what I can to mitigate what’s going on, but there are so many eyes.” She said, her eyes tearing up and she wiped at them. Hogan felt the impotent heat of rage snake its way through him.
“Do you think at some point they will come for us?” Trish asked nervously.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’ve not come across a lot of people out here. I’d say most of them are now at the Hives. I’d suggest if you do get power back, disconnect it. Using it will just draw unwanted attention to you. I don’t see this changing any time soon. The Hive seemed more concerned about people within a fifty-mile radius of Kansas City, you fall well outside of that. From what I understand, the Hives are filled to capacity. I don’t think they need to go looking farther out.” Dr. Wang explained.
“Hence the vaccinations.” Hogan nodded darkly to her case.
“Yes, I’m almost afraid of what they want me to inject into people and I can’t do it in good conscience. So, I try to skirt around that.” She whispered.
“Thank you. Hopefully they’ll not come to look for us.” Trish said.
“Hopefully not. Like I said, it is so remote out here and you’re far enough out. You’re the first people we’ve run into today.” She said.
“Should we have stayed hidden?” Trish asked, nervously.
“No, your place doesn’t look abandoned. The driver would have stopped. Or, had the power come back on and you used it, you’d have been noticed sooner or later.” Wang said, looking over her shoulder.
“Maybe mention that we’re squatting here and are planning to head farther east. If the subject comes up.” Hogan suggested.
Smiling, Dr. Wang nodded. “I sure will. I’ve got to go. Good luck Trish and Hogan. I don’t mean this the wrong way, but I hope I never see you again. That will mean that you’re far away from the Hives.”
Trish stepped forward and hugged Dr. Wang. Hogan took her hand and shook it with both of his.
“Be safe Dr. Wang. Good luck.” He said softly and saw the sorrow in her dark brown eyes. She nodded and went around the front of the ambulance and got back into the vehicle. The driver pulled away, not looking back. Hogan let out a long breath.
“Jesus Christ. I wonder what in the hell was in that syringe.” Hogan said, watching the ambulance vanish down the road.
“There’s no telling. Maybe something that would make us sick and die a slow death.” Trish said and shivered. “Thank God she was the one doing it, I’m sure someone else would have tried to give us the shot.”
“They’d have tried and would have died; I’d have killed them both and gotten rid of the ambulance. Drove it into someone’s abandoned barn and left them to rot.” Hogan snorted, turning to Trish. He pulled her to him and held her for a long moment.
“Did I ever tell you that I loved you, woman?” He grinned down at her.
“Oh no you don’t, you white devil. Don’t you play those tricks on me, I know you want this big ol’ booty.” She laughed when he lifted her off the ground and went back through the gate. The dogs followed, yapping happily after them.
“Hell yeah, I’m not crazy. Let’s go get some afternoon delight, I think we dodged a big one.” He grinned, kissing her neck.
Ӝ
Topeka, KS
Ian looked up and down the road. They’d been walking all night and sunrise was heading their way fast. They’d need to get off the road and find some where to sleep the day away. Both were beat and it was hard to walk without stumbling from drunken weariness. They’d come across several cars, but each time they either couldn’t find a key or the car was dead. The houses they came across, were just as dead. Through the night, they’d kept up a jog and walk until it was damned near impossible to lift a foot. He could see they’d traveled a little over twenty miles.
They’d kept to the road, because there were less obstacles to trip over. They’d stopped only once to rest and eat, both of them starving. Megan had found several cans of ravioli, a few boxes of raisins, some crackers and they had four extra bottles of water. She’d also thought to bring a can opener along with two spoons. It had been the best thing he’d tasted in months.
Now, they needed a place to hunker down. Traveling in the day would be dangerous, because the ground was so flat, they could be seen from miles away. There were several homes ahead in the distance and they’d have to choose one of them. They had two more nights of hard traveling ahead of them.
“Let’s go check out those houses over there. Let’s also see if they have bikes or cars. My feet are hurting like hell.” He said, pointing in the direction of the houses. They were just dark blobs on the horizon, but Ian knew they were homes. He looked around; things were becoming clear in the predawn light. They needed to move, before their silhouettes could be seen.
“Come on, we need to get a move on, that light is coming fast.” He said and began to run. He could hear Megan behind him, grunting with each step. He knew he was pushing her, but if they were caught, he was sure they’d be shot. Within ten minutes, they reached the first house. The windows had been broken out and the front door kicked in. The yard was strewn with trash and debris from the house, the grass growing up and engulfing much of it. There was another house
