Strain 7

Chapter 7

Hey guys!! Here is the next chapter! I hope you like it!! :) Also, the picture on the side is of Brittany this time. In the previous chapters there were pictures of Janie, Nick, Nicole, Chandler, Ronni, and Nathan! :) Enjoy!!! Please comment and vote! It is greatly appreciated!!!

Nick’s POV

            Letting Janie drive was a very…bad…idea.

            “Slow down!” I said firmly to Janie, my hand tightened on the hand grip as she took a turn.

            “You know, driving is a lot more fun with you guys than it was with mom and dad.” Janie spoke nonchalantly. I just stared at her as she slammed on the brakes for a red light.

            Frankie’s head popped up between our seats and my heart jumped five feet in fright. “This is like a rollercoaster!” Frankie cheered.

            “Frankie, go sit down between Chandler and Ronnie. Now!” I told him, turning back to face the front. “Janie…please just…slow down.” She looked at me with an all-knowing smile on her face and eased on the gas.

            “I just wanted to see long I could drive you crazy with my reckless driving.” She chirped. Suddenly, it was all smooth. She went only five above the speed limit. She slowed down way before a stoplight or a stop sign. She took turns carefully and always looked in her mirrors.

            “You were messing with me?” I asked her, shocked.

            “Of course! You didn’t think I was really that bad of a driver, did you?” She asked, eyes focused on the road.

            “I did.” Nathan called from the back weakly, “And I think I’m going to be sick.

            Janie peered in the rearview mirror, concern etching her face. “Oops, sorry about that Nathan. I forgot about your weak stomach.” Janie pulled over slowly and carefully and parked on the side of the road; just in time for Nathan to jump out of the car and spill his dinner behind a tree.

            “Way to go NASCAR driver.” I whispered to her jokingly. She just looked at me with a small smile, almost apologetic.

            “I just wanted to have a little fun.” She spoke softly, sounding like an innocent child. I couldn’t help but smile at her. I looked past her out her side window and frowned. Janie turned her head as her gaze followed mine. Her head quickly snapped back to face me, her face now lined with a deep frown. “Nathan, get in the car. Now.” She called out the open door.

            “One second.” He hollered back, still bent over, hand supporting him on the tree.

            “Now!” Janie screamed as she threw the gear in drive. Nathan didn’t waste time after hearing her tone. He jumped in the car and Janie shot off before the door was even closed.

            “What’s going on?” Chandler asked, confused.

            “It’s here.” Janie whispered.

            “What?” Brittany asked, gripping Nathan’s hand tightly. They had been dating for two years now.

            “The strain has hit this town,” I elaborated, “We got to get out. Janie and I had guessed that it had already come through here, but from the looks of it, it hadn’t. Or…or the second wave hit.”

            “Already?” Brittany responded, scared out of her mind, “Nathan, do you feel okay?” She asked, facing him.

            “Yeah, I’m fine.” He said, shocked at the question, “I was only out there for a second.”

            I shared a look with Janie. We were thinking the same thing. Could a second be a moment too long? How fast does it really spread? How long until symptoms appear? “Let me see your phone.” I whispered to her. She nodded her head and pointed to the cup holder, where her Iphone 4 sat in its blue and black otter box. It was time to look of some of these answers.

Janie’s POV

          “Janie, we need some gas.” I glanced at Nick and then glanced at the gage. He was right. I sighed and took a right, heading back into a town.

            I had been doing my best to avoid towns. It was just easier that way. As long as our doors and windows were sealed tightly, and the air circulation was cut off, we were good. But now, we had to find a gas station.

            It took about ten minutes to find a gas station; perfect timing too, because the van was on empty. I pulled up to a pump and checked for signs of sick people. Nick must have had the same idea, “Seems clear.” He looked at me and I nodded, climbing out.

            I stared at the pump menacingly as Nick came around the van and stood beside me. He laughed and handed me a card, “You might need this.” I slid it in and out of the machine, before choosing regular and placing it into the gas tank, putting it on automatic and handing Nick’s card back.

            “How much is on there?” I asked him. He shrugged.

            “Enough.” He looked at me and I lifted my eyebrows. He just gave me a small smile before heading into the store. I sighed and opened the door to the driver’s side, reaching across the seat and grabbing a five dollar bill out of my wallet. I stepped into the Stop N’ Go store and looked for a soda. I opened the door to the fridge and grabbed a drink. I sauntered over to the snack aisle and glanced over the choices before deciding on some pretzel M&Ms. I walked over to the register and placed my items on the counter. The lady impassively scanned the items and tapped some buttons before telling me my total, just as the screen read. “$3.58”

            I placed the bill in her hand, grazing her fingers, and looked behind me, checking out the few other customers in the store. I turned back around only to find the lady’s face five inches away from my own. I jumped backwards in fright. “It’s coming. It’s coming for us all. No one will survive it, especially not you, little girl. You’re going to die.” I just stared in horror, backing away slowly. I spun around with a gasp as I hit something, only to be grabbed by Nick and pulled out of the store. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He dragged me to the car and opened the driver’s side, letting me in. He shut the door behind me and went around to his side. Once he was situated, he handed me my drink and M&Ms. “Thank you” I whispered, turning the keys in the ignition and changing gears to drive. I froze as I looked past Nick at the store.

            “What?” He asked, following my gaze. The lady was staring at us from the glass walls. “Don’t worry about her.” He said to me, trying to catch my gaze. I just shook my head, not taking my eyes away from the sign above her head on the wall. Nick looked again and finally understood. “Come on Janie. We don’t believe in that kind of stuff. She’s just crazy.” I nodded, not quite convinced before facing the windshield and pulling out of the gas station.

            “What’s going on?” Brittany whispered. She had seen the sign, but she hadn’t been inside with Nick and me.

            None of us believed in Psychics, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that lady gave me. Because the thing is, the sign said ‘Psychic readings: one dollar’ but I never paid. I didn’t even ask.

            So why did she say that?