We’ve been held up in the department store for three days now. Exactly what I thought would happen, Marki has gotten ill. She claims it’s from something she ate, but we all ate the same things and her health records don’t indicate any allergies. She’s ill from the blood. Marshall doesn’t want to speak about, he doesn’t want to take her to a hospital. Even if nobody is there, I may be able to find some remaining medications to take care of her. Instead Marshall keeps ranting on and on about how she’s a soldier and just needs some rest to power through it all. Powering through hasn’t done anything for her. She’s still here, struggling to breathe and her temperature keeps rising. She’s done nothing but sleep for the last two days. Being a soldier does not get you through illness.
I’m afraid she’ll turn, but I haven’t noticed any signs. Even as I’m sitting next to her I’m keeping my side arm just out of sight. I don’t know if I’ll be able to kill her, but if things take a turn and my life is at risk, maybe. Part of me wants to see what the process of turning looks like, but I know that my quest for knowledge may be an illness of my own. I still think Marshall is overlooking the importance of what we can learn, but maybe the pursuit has clouded my vision as well. Marki moans, so I remove the towel from her head and dip it in the water I’ve brought to her bedside. I squeeze out the water, and replace it on her head. It isn’t cold, but it’s cooler than what was on her head before.
For now I take a seat and search the radio again. There’s other people trying to make contact, not just the rescue beacon. Lately I’ve been trying to close in on a single signal that has been broadcasting nonstop the entire time we’ve been here.
“I’ve been hiding in the upper secondary school,” a voice crackles in my earpiece.
I make a few more adjustments before the voice comes through clearly. The speaker is a woman, maybe middle aged, and her voice sounds distressed. Anyone would be distressed with what has been going on around here.
“This will probably be my final broadcast,” the voice starts after a pause. “I’ll stay on as long as I can, but this might be the end for me. I’ve barricaded myself in a third-floor classroom. I could jump, but the landing would injure me for sure. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place,” I can hear pounding in the background. “If I jump, I probably won’t be able to run away which will lead to my death. If I stay, the barricade won’t last forever and I can only fight so long before I’m out numbered.”
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I want to turn off the radio and stop listening. I’ve tried so long to make sure others are out here, others still alive, but it doesn’t seem like they’ll be alive much longer. I want to turn it off but the damned thirst for information won’t let me turn it off.
“Consider this to be my final entry. My name is Blanca Scott, I’m 47 years old. I have, maybe had two children. Bradley and Ira. I haven’t been able to see them since this whole chaos started. That’s the reason I came here to the school. I was hoping they had been safe here, but I didn’t find any students. This part is for my children. If you’re hearing this, I want you to know I’m sorry. If I had know how things would end, I would have never brought you here. I know you didn’t want to come, but I thought it would be a fresh start for us, and for a while it was. This is something that my worst nightmares couldn’t have cooked up.”
There’s more pounding, more intense, “If you’re out there, I want you to know I love you. Bradley, take care of your little sister, but don’t let her rule your world. You’re your own person and you’ll grow into a handsome and charming young man. Ira, I love your intensity and energy, but intensity and energy without passion is chaos. I know you’ll find your passion and whatever you do, you’ll be wonderful at it,” she hurries her speaking. “In my time during this, this madness I’ve learned there are three things that are important. Make sure you trust those around you because if you don’t it’ll lead to your death. The send is that you can’t lose faith. The moment you lose faith is the exact moment when you’ll seal your own fate. The last is that no matter how dangerous the grubs are, people are still the most dangerous creatures.”
She stops talking as glass shatters and heavy objects seem to fall to the ground. There’s a high-pitched shout followed by several gunshots, some heavy breathing and shouting. I feel like I’ve just listened to her die. My suspicion is confirmed when she doesn’t speak but there’s footsteps and the sound of a body being dragged. It takes a second before I realize that she’s the body being dragged.
“She didn’t put up much of a fight,” a different woman speaks.
“Didn’t expect her to but the way Coach described her made her sound dangerous.”
The realization that she was running from people bothers me. I want to keep listening but Marshall approaches me, forcing me to turn it off so that I’m on guard myself. He doesn’t strike up a conversation, just stands over Marki, taking it all in.
“Has she gotten any better,” he asks.
“No.”
“I’m sorry. You were right, and we do need to be learning what we can to get out of here,” Marshall mumbles his apology but I don’t ask him to repeat it.
“I’m sorry too, I have been acting like a coward, afraid of everything but my shadow. I won’t do that anymore.”
“We need to get her to a hospital,” Marshall says. “I’m sure there has to be something that can help, and maybe you too. I see you’ve been favoring your left side. Broken rib?”
“Yeah, but I’ll survive.”
“Good, pack a bag, it’s time to move out.”