“Err,” she said, her gorgeous features twisted. “I don’ feel so strack.”
Justin smiled and shook his head. “I told you not to eat too many,” he said smugly. “Your system isn’t used to processed, refined sugar. At least, not that much of it. But don’t worry. It will pass. You may feel a bit ill for a time, but it will wear off.”
“Errgh,” said Teresa. “How long that take?”
Justin shrugged. “I’m not sure,” he said, rather enjoying himself. “I’m no expert on gastro-intestinal problems. But I’d say, oh, a few hours, most likely. Unless you throw up, of course, in which case it would be much faster.”
Teresa groaned again and, her perfect complexion going pale, suddenly staggered from the room. A few seconds later, they heard the sounds of violent retching. Having noticed this, Cass and Erin Swails each wisely had just one more before leaving the stacks of boxes and coming over to Justin and the Old Man.
“She’s sick, Dr. Kaes!” whispered Cass avidly, sucking on a candy cane and eyeing the doorway. “Now’s our chance!”
“Our chance?” said Justin. “To do what?”
“To escape!” said Cass. “We could just run away, now, while she’s out of it! Or we could overpower her. There are three of us and only one of her!”
Justin shook his head. “We can’t,” he said firmly. “It’s just as I said earlier: We’d be lost out here without her. We need her help.”
Cass scowled and grumbled. “I suppose you’re right. It just galls me that we’re at the mercy of this teenaged survie. I mean, she’s just a kid!”
“A kid,” Justin pointed out, “who has managed to survive everything the Fall has thrown at her. Don’t be deceived by her age, Cass. She’s one tough, capable young woman.”
“Yeah, lady,” interjected Lampert. “I mean, it ain’t like I give a damn, but that little gal’s about your only hope now, what with no more trucks or food or any sorta clue as to where you’re goin’. If you had a brain in yer skull you’d see that. And besides, she’s fuckin’ hot!”
“Yeah, that doesn’t hurt,” said Erin pointedly. “Does it, Dr. Kaes? After all, she is very pretty.”
Justin felt himself blush slightly. “That has nothing to do with it. Because what she really is, at least as far as we’re concerned, is someone born and raised in this world. She knows it far better than we do. We simply can’t afford to be without her help.”
“Uh huh,” said Erin dubiously. “Well, you’re the boss.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” said Justin. “And I wish things were different. I wish Dr. Poole was still here, and Dr. Gonzalez and all the others as well. But they’re not. And for now? I fear we have little choice but to follow Teresa.” He paused with what he hoped was dramatic effect. Then: “Of course, I can’t force you to stay. I need your help with Mr. Lampert and I would be quite sad if you decided to strike off on your own, but still, I can’t make you come with us. If you want to run away… well, I can’t stop you.”
“We’re not going to run away,” said Cass, offended. “But it’s still galling.”
For her part, Erin Swails shrugged. “Don’t worry Dr. Kaes,” she said reasonably. “We’re with you. We’re just a little disconcerted.”
“Of course you are,” said Justin. “That’s only normal, considering what we’ve been through.” He paused to listen for a moment and caught the sound of continued retching. He turned back to the others. “Well, at any rate, it doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere any time soon. I think we should take the opportunity to get some rest. This place seems safe enough, so why don’t we all bed down as best we can. Then we’ll take it from there. OK?”
Erin and Cass both nodded, obviously relieved at this unexpected respite. Mr. Lampert, whose opinion wasn’t really being asked, just shrugged and kept silent. Justin, Cass, and Erin all spread out and, rooting around in the stacks of this and that, poking into old lockers and break rooms and offices, gathered what soft materials they could, made beds of sorts for each of them, and then, moaning and sighing, lay down for some much-needed rest.
Justin, thinking about it, had to admit that he actually believed what he’d told Erin and Cass; despite the fact that she’d kidnapped him and that she wasn’t even able to countenance going back to save the rest of the CDC group, he’d come to understand that Teresa might be their only remaining chance at success.
Chapter Fifteen
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Examining the ground very carefully, the Hunter surveyed the small camp that Justin and the others had just abandoned and decided that, finally, he was back on the right track. Indeed, they were probably very close, maybe even in that big factory building. Grinning humorlessly, oblivious of the splendid weather and pleasing landscape, he faded back into the undergrowth and waited. He did a lot of that.
He’d lost the CDC group after they’d fled St. Alferd’s and had spent the last two days catching up. He’d watched all of the goings-on over the last week, the dispatch of the search team (which he opted not to trail, deciding to stick with the main body), the arrival of the Motor gang, their inexplicable retreat before some really old man they trotted out from the big RV, and all of the various arguments and discussions. He’d also watched as the tall, good-looking guy who seemed to be in charge snuck off during some kind of crazy bonfire party. He was very tempted to follow the man, sure that he was up to something, but then had decided, again, to stick with the primary group.
It had been the next day that another survie gang, a bunch of brown-uniformed men on motorcycles, had suddenly come blaring out of the dawn to raid the CDC party. Here the Hunter had almost given up hope for the poor doomed scientists, but apparently the gang wasn’t interested in mere mayhem; instead, they’d packed up the whole bunch and all of their gear and vehicles, and herded them off like cattle. The Hunter had thought for a second about helping the CDC group at that point, maybe just opening fire at the raiders from his place of concealment, but there’d been at least thirty gang members and they came and went so quickly, victims in tow, that by the time he’d thought it over, everyone was gone.
And that, he’d told himself, was that. Game over. As he’d always expected it would, the CDC mission had failed. They’d had no idea how to survive, they’d come unprepared and now they’d paid the price. The end. Well, he thought, they hadn’t stood much of a chance, anyway. And if he’d lost a big fast bounty, at least now he could go find some decent work.
But then he’d stopped and considered. What was the whole point behind these poor CDC bastards, anyway? What was their mission? To bring some old man—undoubtedly the very geezer he’d seen at their camp—to California, so as to use his blood to make a vaccine for the Sick. So did this, their abduction, really mean the end? Was his job really finished if he hadn’t actually seen the Old Man die? No, he decided. He wasn’t quite done. He’d have to follow the brown men and see for himself what became of the Old Man, because if he didn’t and the old fart lived somehow and the Governor found out about it, his own reputation would be shot to shit. No one would want to hire a hunter who gave up.