a common goal. That’s all we want. We want to coexist until a cure can be found.”
“That’s not gonna happen, Sylvia. Look around you. There’s nothing left. We have one chance to survive, and it doesn’t involve subjugating ourselves to some freak of evolution.”
“Freak of evolution?” Sylvia scoffed at him. “That’s nice, Ben. Is that really what you think this is? How can you study so much about this disease and still be so ignorant? I have tried to—”
“Don’t call me ignorant. I’m not the—”
“Stop it, both of you!” It was Avery. She had her hands cupped over her ears, a gesture that reminded Richardson of a child cowering in a closet, trying to shut out the noise of the screaming his parents made while they fought. Looking at her, he saw himself a long, long time ago, frightened, alone, feeling small in the face of a very large and very unfriendly world. “Please,” she said again. “Don’t yell anymore.”
Sylvia crawled across the floor on her knees to the girl and hugged her. Richardson watched her go. His blood was up and he still wanted to hash it out with Sylvia. It was just like San Antonio all over again. The only difference was that it had taken them a whole day together before they were at each other’s throats. He wondered if that was a good sign.
He also found himself wondering about the curious dynamic between the two women. The girl clearly looked up to Sylvia like some kind of mother figure. But why would she lean on her the way she does, he wondered. She’s twenty years old. Living in the world she lives in, she should be stronger than that, more independent.
Sylvia stroked the girl’s blond hair. She looked at Richardson and motioned to the iPad with her chin. “Can you turn that thing off ?”
“Sure.” Richardson tapped the STOP button at the bottom of the screen.
“Avery,” Sylvia said, “Do you want to rest?”
The girl nodded without speaking. Richardson handed her the coat from his pack and Sylvia rolled it up as a pillow for Avery.
Within moments she was asleep.
“Let’s step outside,” Sylvia whispered.
They went out to the balcony and watched the advance winds of the storm blow trash and dust down the street below. The river was a thick dark line in the near distance, and they could smell it on the wind. Somewhere behind them they could hear a dog barking, very faintly, but otherwise it was quiet. That was one thing about this world that Richardson liked. It was always quiet.
Sylvia turned to face him, her frizzled hair rustling against her cheek. He didn’t like the strange look on her face, as though she were about to gloat.
“What is it?” he asked.
“The cure is real, Ben.”
“Oh come on, Sylvia. You’ve already tried this one on me. There isn’t going to be any cure because there isn’t anyone to—”
“Ben, there is a cure. It’s already been found.”
The smirk on his face remained for a few moments before he blinked at her. Then it faded. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
She wasn’t smiling anymore. Her light blue eyes flashed in the darkness, and he could tell how excited she was.
“But . . . how? Where is it?”
“That’s what we’re doing here, Ben. We’re going to see the man who’s working on the cure. His name is Dr. Don Fisher. He’s immune, Ben. Or, at least mostly. Niki heard about him through her foraging parties. He was bitten more than four years ago, and he hasn’t turned. It crippled him, but it didn’t turn him. He’s been working on a cure ever since. This is it. We think he’s finally found it.”
Richardson was shaking his head. “But you haven’t spoken to him? I mean, how do you know this is the real deal?”
“It is, Ben. We just have to find him. Niki’s foraging parties made the arrangements. We were supposed to go to Herculaneum tomorrow and meet a man from Union Field who’s agreed to help us. He’s got AR-15s like the ones we have. Niki told
“That’s not gonna happen, Sylvia. Look around you. There’s nothing left. We have one chance to survive, and it doesn’t involve subjugating ourselves to some freak of evolution.”
“Freak of evolution?” Sylvia scoffed at him. “That’s nice, Ben. Is that really what you think this is? How can you study so much about this disease and still be so ignorant? I have tried to—”
“Don’t call me ignorant. I’m not the—”
“Stop it, both of you!” It was Avery. She had her hands cupped over her ears, a gesture that reminded Richardson of a child cowering in a closet, trying to shut out the noise of the screaming his parents made while they fought. Looking at her, he saw himself a long, long time ago, frightened, alone, feeling small in the face of a very large and very unfriendly world. “Please,” she said again. “Don’t yell anymore.”
Sylvia crawled across the floor on her knees to the girl and hugged her. Richardson watched her go. His blood was up and he still wanted to hash it out with Sylvia. It was just like San Antonio all over again. The only difference was that it had taken them a whole day together before they were at each other’s throats. He wondered if that was a good sign.
He also found himself wondering about the curious dynamic between the two women. The girl clearly looked up to Sylvia like some kind of mother figure. But why would she lean on her the way she does, he wondered. She’s twenty years old. Living in the world she lives in, she should be stronger than that, more independent.
Sylvia stroked the girl’s blond hair. She looked at Richardson and motioned to the iPad with her chin. “Can you turn that thing off ?”
“Sure.” Richardson tapped the STOP button at the bottom of the screen.
“Avery,” Sylvia said, “Do you want to rest?”
The girl nodded without speaking. Richardson handed her the coat from his pack and Sylvia rolled it up as a pillow for Avery.
Within moments she was asleep.
“Let’s step outside,” Sylvia whispered.
They went out to the balcony and watched the advance winds of the storm blow trash and dust down the street below. The river was a thick dark line in the near distance, and they could smell it on the wind. Somewhere behind them they could hear a dog barking, very faintly, but otherwise it was quiet. That was one thing about this world that Richardson liked. It was always quiet.
Sylvia turned to face him, her frizzled hair rustling against her cheek. He didn’t like the strange look on her face, as though she were about to gloat.
“What is it?” he asked.
“The cure is real, Ben.”
“Oh come on, Sylvia. You’ve already tried this one on me. There isn’t going to be any cure because there isn’t anyone to—”
“Ben, there is a cure. It’s already been found.”
The smirk on his face remained for a few moments before he blinked at her. Then it faded. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
She wasn’t smiling anymore. Her light blue eyes flashed in the darkness, and he could tell how excited she was.
“But . . . how? Where is it?”
“That’s what we’re doing here, Ben. We’re going to see the man who’s working on the cure. His name is Dr. Don Fisher. He’s immune, Ben. Or, at least mostly. Niki heard about him through her foraging parties. He was bitten more than four years ago, and he hasn’t turned. It crippled him, but it didn’t turn him. He’s been working on a cure ever since. This is it. We think he’s finally found it.”
Richardson was shaking his head. “But you haven’t spoken to him? I mean, how do you know this is the real deal?”
“It is, Ben. We just have to find him. Niki’s foraging parties made the arrangements. We were supposed to go to Herculaneum tomorrow and meet a man from Union Field who’s agreed to help us. He’s got AR-15s like the ones we have. Niki told
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