tissues that she'd seemingly conjured from thin air.
“Lily, what about you?”
Lily had started to shrink back into her chair, like a blow-up doll deflating, but Simone's voice stopped her in mid-shrink. “Me? I … I just … I live in an apartment in town. Above my mom's bead shop.” Lily kept her head down as she talked. I ached to push her Cousin It hair away from her face. “I work there on weekends and afternoons after class. Mom's in San Francisco on a buying trip, although she was supposed to get home last night.” She stopped, as if uncertain where to go from there.
“Do you go to Big Red?” I smiled encouragingly, hoping she saw the smile through all that hair.
Lily nodded. “I'm studying art and photography.”
“Those will be useful in the real world,” Kaitlyn muttered. “If there's even a real world left.”
I shot her a withering look as Lily flinched. “Of course there's going to be a real world,” I snapped. “That's why we're here, right?” Kaitlyn didn't exactly wither, but at least she shut up.
“My boyfriend and I were at the Student Union. He was texting—he does that all the time—and I got mad at him because I was sick of it, so I went outside to get some fresh air … and I saw these people … these things … heading towards the Union. They didn't look right. And I could smell them.” She jerked her head towards Mack, hair briefly lifting to reveal cheerfully pretty features before veiling her face again. “Like you said you could smell something rotten in the house, right?”
Mack nodded.
“I could smell them on the breeze…” She paused, fiddled with a strand of hair. “They started attacking people. At first I thought it was a joke, but then I saw the blood. I went back in the Union, tried to get Casey to listen to me, but he just kept on texting. Ignored me.” She gave a little shrug that could have meant anything. “He did that a lot. Ignored me, I mean.”
Jeez, this really was like an encounter group. I kept the thought to myself, though. Last thing I wanted to do was spook Lily now that she was finally talking.
“So they came through the front door. Lots more blood, bright shiny blood, red like an apple. Casey … he just kept on texting, even when I was trying to pull him out the back. Probably Tweeting about the blood and how fake it looked or something.” She shrugged again. “I saw them tear him to pieces before I ran out the back door. One of them bit me on the shoulder when I tried to help Casey. He never dropped his iPhone, not even when they bit his arm off.” With that, Lily heaved a great sigh and sat back in her chair, a wind-up toy whose key had run down.
If this were a twelve-step meeting, we'd get coffee and doughnuts about now. Which would be nice ‘cause I was getting hungry again. I patted my stomach, asking it silently to wait a while before striking up conversation.
Kai raised a tentative hand. “How bad is it out there?”
Simone hesitated briefly. “It's not good,” she finally answered. “But so far it's contained within a hundred-mile radius around Big Red. The relative isolation of Redwood Grove and the sparseness of residences and businesses in the surrounding area have worked in our favor as far as slowing the spread of the virus. But if even one carrier makes it through to a more populated area and bites someone … we could easily lose control of the situation. Which is why it's important we move forward quickly. We are going to do our best to prepare you as best we can in this limited time, but I'm afraid the majority of your training will come in the field.”
“How are they explaining this to rest of the world?” I asked.
“Officially there is a possible outbreak of an unidentified viral hemorrhagic fever, giving plausibility to the reason no one can go in or out of the area.”
She nodded at Gabriel. “It's your show now.” She walked to the doors, before turning back to us. “I'll see you all in a few
“Lily, what about you?”
Lily had started to shrink back into her chair, like a blow-up doll deflating, but Simone's voice stopped her in mid-shrink. “Me? I … I just … I live in an apartment in town. Above my mom's bead shop.” Lily kept her head down as she talked. I ached to push her Cousin It hair away from her face. “I work there on weekends and afternoons after class. Mom's in San Francisco on a buying trip, although she was supposed to get home last night.” She stopped, as if uncertain where to go from there.
“Do you go to Big Red?” I smiled encouragingly, hoping she saw the smile through all that hair.
Lily nodded. “I'm studying art and photography.”
“Those will be useful in the real world,” Kaitlyn muttered. “If there's even a real world left.”
I shot her a withering look as Lily flinched. “Of course there's going to be a real world,” I snapped. “That's why we're here, right?” Kaitlyn didn't exactly wither, but at least she shut up.
“My boyfriend and I were at the Student Union. He was texting—he does that all the time—and I got mad at him because I was sick of it, so I went outside to get some fresh air … and I saw these people … these things … heading towards the Union. They didn't look right. And I could smell them.” She jerked her head towards Mack, hair briefly lifting to reveal cheerfully pretty features before veiling her face again. “Like you said you could smell something rotten in the house, right?”
Mack nodded.
“I could smell them on the breeze…” She paused, fiddled with a strand of hair. “They started attacking people. At first I thought it was a joke, but then I saw the blood. I went back in the Union, tried to get Casey to listen to me, but he just kept on texting. Ignored me.” She gave a little shrug that could have meant anything. “He did that a lot. Ignored me, I mean.”
Jeez, this really was like an encounter group. I kept the thought to myself, though. Last thing I wanted to do was spook Lily now that she was finally talking.
“So they came through the front door. Lots more blood, bright shiny blood, red like an apple. Casey … he just kept on texting, even when I was trying to pull him out the back. Probably Tweeting about the blood and how fake it looked or something.” She shrugged again. “I saw them tear him to pieces before I ran out the back door. One of them bit me on the shoulder when I tried to help Casey. He never dropped his iPhone, not even when they bit his arm off.” With that, Lily heaved a great sigh and sat back in her chair, a wind-up toy whose key had run down.
If this were a twelve-step meeting, we'd get coffee and doughnuts about now. Which would be nice ‘cause I was getting hungry again. I patted my stomach, asking it silently to wait a while before striking up conversation.
Kai raised a tentative hand. “How bad is it out there?”
Simone hesitated briefly. “It's not good,” she finally answered. “But so far it's contained within a hundred-mile radius around Big Red. The relative isolation of Redwood Grove and the sparseness of residences and businesses in the surrounding area have worked in our favor as far as slowing the spread of the virus. But if even one carrier makes it through to a more populated area and bites someone … we could easily lose control of the situation. Which is why it's important we move forward quickly. We are going to do our best to prepare you as best we can in this limited time, but I'm afraid the majority of your training will come in the field.”
“How are they explaining this to rest of the world?” I asked.
“Officially there is a possible outbreak of an unidentified viral hemorrhagic fever, giving plausibility to the reason no one can go in or out of the area.”
She nodded at Gabriel. “It's your show now.” She walked to the doors, before turning back to us. “I'll see you all in a few
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