Infection Runs Deep

CHAPTER TWENTY: HOME BASE

Sarah led us through the community to her office. It wasn't really an office. It was a house. Yellow shutters and white picket fence. Seemed like the American Dream. Expect for the fact that we were in the middle of an apocalypse.

A guard stood at her front door, a teenager in ripped blue jeans and a flannel. The girl smiled, raising her half empty bottle of soda. "Hey, how was the run?"

Sarah just nodded and pushed through the doors. "I'm not to be interrupted."

The girl raised her eyebrows. "Okay, then." She looked at Ian and I who were hesitant to follow. "She gets in a pissy mood sometimes, but she's not all bad."

I forced a smile. "Thanks." I jerked my head at Ian, and we passed through the entryway.

I don't know what I expected, but certainly something more. This just looked like a normal house in a normal suburban neighborhood. Her office had diplomas framed on the wall and a desktop computer in the middle of the room.

Sarah sat in the main desk chair then gestured for us to copy her. The chairs were hard plastic, the kind that you rented for outdoor birthday parties where you needed to sit a lot of people.

"This is the moment where we talk," she said, running a hair through her brown hair. "It seems there is much we need to discuss."

"Damn right," Ian interrupted. "I am here against my will."

"Good for you, bud." I slapped a hand on his back. "I'll take responsibility for that. It sucks, but we have bigger things to deal with." I turned back to Sarah. "Like the security. You need to fortify all of the entrances. Any infected could just walk in here undeterred."

"We have guards for that very reason." She nodded. "I understand your concern, but we need to focus more on the two of you."

"This isn't something that you can brush off. The whole community is in danger."

"I'll consider it." That was the best answer I was going to get. Absolute bullshit. She sighed. "You two are new. We need bodies. You'll need to pick a job and get to work right away. I'll let you choose what you wish, but may I recommend shooting instructors or perhaps combat teachers?"

Ian shrugged. "I'm down. I love my guns." He winked at me dramatically and flexed his biceps. "I'd rather be a runner though. It spices things up."

I rolled my eyes. "I will do what you think is best for now. I'll remind you though, this arrangement is temporary. We were out of options. We didn't choose to be here. We are here out of necessity."

Sarah scoffed. "Everyone is here out of necessity. The whole damn world has fallen to pieces. We don't get the luxury of choice anymore."

I didn't like the sound of that. If we tried to leave, would she stop us? Ian and I could probably take down most of their guards, but if we got swarmed by them, it was over. Like fighting infected, I realized. They had no fighting skill but they were persistent and had numbers.

Whatever we decided to do, we had to wait on it. My shoulder was still a mess, limiting my capabilities at the moment. I flexed it slightly and winced at the pain. Blood had soaked through my bangades.

Ian's eyes narrowed at my injury. "You didn't tell me that it was still hurting."

I gave him an incredulous look. "I got shot. Did you really think it was miraculously going to disappear?"

He didn't answer, so I just sat back in my chair. Sarah watched our little exchange, sure she was missing something but not sure what. "You're injured?"

"Yeah," I said and peeled back the corner of my shirt to reveal the edges of a blood soaked bandage. "I got shot yesterday. Eliz--one of the members of our group stitched me up, but I think I pulled the stitches in our escape."