Cured [ManxMan]

EXTRA: 1k Reads

I'm putting my author's note at the beginning this time, because I do what I want. Also to say that this is extra content, and can be skipped (especially if you're coming at this later and just want to get to the next chapter already). This takes place during chapter four, after Kiara sends Ajay to retrieve Mattie so they can tell him they found Topher, and is from Mattie's point of view. Fun facts, I originally intended to use both Topher and Mattie as narrators, but while there were scenes (like this one) that perhaps have more emotional impact from Mattie, there weren't enough for me to justify it. But honestly, this was so easy to write, and I feel like there is so much I can reveal about their world that Topher simply isn't aware of and Mattie is, that I'm now considering doing a second version of the story, but from Mattie's side. At some point. But also I really need to edit this entire thing into a coherent story (writing a book across like six months with very little planning ahead of time leads to characters who I feel are not the same people they were in the prologue oop), and I'm already looking forward to starting something new soon, so we'll see. Anyway, rant over, enjoy this peek into Mattie's head. :)

<3Koda

Posted: 9/9/2020

Word Count: 2760

I studied the 3D model on my laptop screen, rotating it so I could see the other side. Having electricity was a luxury, having a working laptop for my work a blessing. I smiled, proud of the accomplishments I'd made.

You would have thought, considering the base was located on a college campus, that there would be plenty of engineers around to fix things, but somehow most of the work had fallen to me. That was alright, I needed something to distract myself with, and figuring out how to restore power to a few buildings, how to restore running water—though heating said water was a luxury we didn't indulge in—how to strengthen the wall to keep the zombies out, and so many other little projects had been a worthwhile way to occupy my time.

There was a knock at the door, and I raised my eyes from the screen in time to see the door open to reveal Ajay. I smiled at the sight of my friend, but his serious expression dimmed it a bit. Not that Ajay was generally a ray of sunshine, but I'd known the man a long time, and recognized the tension around his eyes and mouth.

"What's wrong?" I asked, standing from my desk to come around closer to him. I only had to tilt my head up a bit to peer at his face, but the man's solid muscle mass had always made him seem much larger than me.

"Kiara wants to talk to you," he said, ignoring my question.

"What is this about?" I asked, a little wary. "Why didn't she come herself?" Was something wrong? Had something happened to Kiara? That would certainly explain why Ajay, her boyfriend, would look so worried.

"She's with a patient and didn't want to leave him," Ajay responded.

I nodded, as this was a fairly common occurrence, but it didn't easy my concern. It took a lot to ruffle Ajay, and I hadn't seen the other man look so off since... I pushed the thought away. It was better not to think of that time. The memories hurt too much.

I turned back to my desk to make sure my file was saved—the software was finicky, and the last thing I wanted was for it to freeze up and delete all my work before I returned—before shutting my laptop and gesturing for Ajay to lead the way.

He didn't speak or even look at me as he led me upstairs into the part of the building that had been converted into a medical wing. It had been one of my first projects, after restoring power to this main building, to make sure Kiara had somewhere to do her work, so maybe someday this whole thing would be behind us and we would never have to worry about the virus again.