Two Alive, стр. 97
“It’s alright, take it easy.” Captain Baker stepped up to the woman. “Everything is ok now.”
“Why’d you let her in here?” Someone shouted out from the people starting to gather.
“We shouldn’t let anyone in here.” A woman’s voice rang out next.
“It’s alright. It’s a woman and her son. We couldn’t leave them out there with those freaks.” Baker tried calming everyone down.
“Where’s Major Carver? He should be here for this!” Another voice called out.
“Everyone please, try and relax.” Baker felt his cheeks starting to burn. “Everything… everything is ok. There’s nothing to worry about.” There were so many people coming out now and Baker was having trouble addressing the throng of fifteen plus people. The major always made it look so easy.
She’s the woman with the infected child! Her kid was bit!
Her son is infected!
Send them back outside!
We can’t let them in here!
“Everyone please!” Baker tried shouting over the intensifying crowd.
“My son isn’t infected! He was bit a long time ago and he didn’t change!” Karen held her son, trying to cover his ears as he squirmed and looked around frantic. “Please!” She looked at Ben and he looked back, frozen.
“This doesn’t need to get out of hand! Everyone calm down!” Baker looked to Rico and Bryant but the two were useless dealing with the mob. Ben was there but he may as well have been a spectator.
Her son’s infected!
Kick them out of here!
Kill them before they kill us!
“Please, you’re upsetting my son!” Karen tried to keep him close, but her boy broke away and started shaking and throwing his arm up and down, biting at the air.
He’s infected!
Bang. A flash and a pop and the boy was hit in the neck and dropped to the floor. Karen went wailing to gather up her son and hold him while he convulsed. Blood gushed from the bullet wound and the boy gurgled as he drowned in his own blood. Captain Baker looked around to see where the shot had come from and when he found the smoking barrel, he was surprised to see it was the big man, Lincoln aiming down his sights.
“It was just like yesterday sir. Like Bates.” Lincoln lowered his weapon, swallowing back grief and trying to stand firm in his split-second decision. “It was just like with Miles and Antonio.
“He had autism!” Karen moaned; her eyes wet with tears as she looked up at Lincoln. “He gets excited around loud noises.” She looked out at the mournful audience. “He was bit… he was. But he didn’t turn. Joshua tried to tell you. There are people who are immune to the infection. Some people get bit and don’t turn. Stevie didn’t turn. He didn’t turn.” Karen sobbed and rocked with her son, watching him fade in her arms.
The mood sank and everyone felt the ocean of sadness that was brought on by the collective misjudgment. Many people were even starting to cry. One of those people was Ben, who went to Karen and knelt beside her; trying not to step in the puddle of blood.
“I’m so sorry Karen. I shouldn’t have let Carver kick you out the first time. We shouldn’t have sent you out there.” Ben swallowed back his tears and looked away from her. Then he stared back into her pale gray eyes, “I’m sorry for what happened with Joshua. You can sta-- you can stay here now. We’ll bury Stevie and you can stay.”
Karen smiled and closed her eyes. Then she looked at Ben, “Thank you, Ben. But it’s too late now.” A pin popped and she dropped something to the floor.
Ben looked down to see a green, bumpy, hard-shell ball roll around with the words GRENADE, FRAG, written across it. Ben took a breath in and saw Lincoln step up right next to him, shaking his head. The words “I’m sorry” were coming from his lips when a bright flash enveloped them and the little bomb went off, sending obliterating fragments in all directions. It shredded up the crowd and blew a hole in the shutters with a deafening bang that could be heard for miles in the quiet forest of trees. The quiet turned into grunting and the grunting turned to sprinting. The woods outside the Costco were once again filled with what remained of the once dispersed hive and they were aimed towards the sound.
***
Miles went after Alana when she chased Lance. He didn’t hear Julia tell the both of them to slow down because Jody Watley was belting out her wanting a new lover in his ears. Julia ran after them with Torrez following her and the other army men close behind. It didn’t take Lance long before he stopped running and found the bodies of five people. Four men and one woman. Lance could recognize them all and dropped to his knees when he saw Nicole with bullet wounds to her stomach. He cradled her head in his lap and looked at her with vacant eyes.
“Gatdamn it! Danny!” Clint sniffed and wiped his face. “I told you not to come out here. Now look at’cha.” He was rubbing his one eye and the patch over his other.
Julia looked at the bodies and put her hands on her hips trying to keep herself up. “Oh my god. Oh my god.”
“What the hell happened here?” Castle went to inspect Franklin’s body.
“The freaks got them or somethin’.” Alana said. “We shouldn’t have sent them out here.”
“They weren’t attacked. Freaks don’t use guns.” Castle was looking at the hole in Franklin’s cheek, under his eye.
“Somebody killed them and took their stuff.” Burrows said, spinning around to look out through the trees. “We walked right into a trap.”
“Stop it!” Julia raised