Feeding Frenzy

Chapter 50

TWO MONTHS LATER

The weight of the gun was foreign in Evey's hands. She had not held a weapon since coming to the hospital. This was the first time that she would be leaving the grounds. Despite Ford's complaining, she insisted on joining the crew. Her shoulder had healed, and she wanted to be a valuable team member.

"Evey, one last chance," Ford said.

"I'm not staying behind," Evey said. "I want to help."

"You're going to get killed."

Caleb snorted before laughing.

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine? Have some faith," he said. "Let's open those doors."

Ford turned to glare at him. Caleb shrugged, not shrinking under Ford's intense stare.

"Caleb, you've been trying to go outside since we arrived here," Austin said.

"I'm eager to get one of these fuckers," he said. "D'Souza needs to study one."

"You realize what will happen if he finds a cure, correct?" Austin asked. "He will test the vaccine out when Millie has her baby."

"If it is the only way for my son or daughter to survive Thyestean, then I'm going to have to be okay with it."

Evey had wanted a Cure, but she never thought about having to trial vaccines. Would innocent newborn souls be lost because they were experimenting?

"Stay behind, Evey," Ford said. "We need you here as a nurse."

Evey rolled her eyes and pushed past Ford, heading toward the door. He reached to grab her arm, but she pulled away. Caleb chuckled and followed close behind.

"She will be the death of me," Ford muttered.

"There are worse ways to go," Austin said before stepping forward.

Ross was patrolling the door. It was the only door not barricaded but held shut by a chain with a lock. Ross unlocked it before pulling the chain out from the handles. The doors creaked as they opened, and Evey stepped outside.

She missed the days when she could take deep breaths of clean, fresh air.

The air inside the hospital was stale, but the horrid stench of rotten flesh was outside. Bodies of dead Infected littered the streets. Like Johnson used to remind them, the Infected were human and not a member of the undead. After a few weeks, most starved and died.

Guilt was heavy on Evey's mind. She was so eager to get to the hospital. If she had waited a few more weeks, maybe more of them would have survived.

Tightening her grip on her gun, Evey stepped over the body of a dead Infected. The silence was almost deafening. Before coming to the hospital, she had grown accustomed to the shrieking and screeching of the Infected. She looked from side to side, but none of the bodies moved. They had brought a dead body to D'Souza last month, but he wanted a live subject now.

"How far do you think we'll have to go?" Caleb asked.

"They may already be all dead," Ford said.

"There has to be at least one alive somewhere," Evey said.

There was an echo of a scream. It sent shivers down Evey's spine because it was the sound of Thyestean.

"We should go left," she said.

"Stay behind me," Ford said.

Evey pressed her lips into a hard line as she watched Ford walk forward. His gun was out, and he was ready to fire if anything moved. They were no longer restricted to using knives as coming across an Infected was a rarity now.