Genetix

5-Jakob

Olivia passes me a can of beans, and I hand her some jerky. Derek, her companion, glares at me over the rim of his mug. I stir the coals with a stick, trying to excite a flame, but there's not enough unburned wood left in the pile. Derek had been against me building it in the first place, but Olivia gave me the go ahead and left him to grind his teeth in silence.

I decide it's not worth going to find more fuel and lay down.

"What are you doing?" Derek asks petulantly.

"Getting some sleep," I reply.

"What, just out in the open like that?" He obviously thinks I'm crazy. I just nod my head.

"If that's all right with you."

He sputters. "But- what- I-"

"Enough, Derek." Olivia cuts him off. "Jakob, you can use one of the extra shields."

It's not a suggestion, but I shake my head. "I don't need it, but thank you for the offer."

Olivia raises a brow, but doesn't say anything. I know I'm probably the first person to refuse whatever protection they can give, but then again I suppose I'm the first person they've seen survive a bite as well.

Derek turns away, a disgusted look on his face, and pulls his shield over himself. Olivia searches my face, smiling thoughtfully, one hand on her sheild, but then she pushes it aside.

"You sir, are a very strange man. Let me know if you get eaten."

I nod, and we lay down to sleep.

The night passes without incident. We breakfast in silence, but when we are through eating Olivia turns to me.

"So where are we headed?" she asks.

"We?" Derek and I say in unison. Derek glares at me, but Olivia ignores him.

"You were bitten by a zombie," she says, "and here you are, whole and healthy. You saved me and Derek, and you're completely unfazed by any of it. If you think for a moment that I'm gonna let you out of my sight, then you're dead wrong. Now I'll ask you again: where are we going?"

I must say I'm surprised that she trusts me, but I'm not about to argue. Something tells me she won't take no for an answer. Besides, I can't leave uninfected humans at risk. I owe that to my- my victims. "I know a place, maybe five days from here. You'll be safe there."

Olivia barks out a laugh. "Safe? What's safe anymore?"

I can't help but smile. "No zombies, plenty of food and water... "I glance around at the barren desert. "It even has air conditioning."

Olivia looks at the sliver of sun peeking above the horizon. "You may have saved us once, but don't you lie to me now."

Her piercing gaze sends shivers down my spine. This woman is not to be messed with. I guess seeing will have to be believing. I scramble to my feet and hold out my hand. "Let's get going and you'll see."

With a suspicious look she takes my hand and pulls herself to her feet. We gather up our packs and I start treading south. They hesitate, but eventually their footfalls follow mine.

We do little talking in the next couple days. I travel faster than they are used to, and they fall asleep almost immediately after making camp. I show them how to suck moisture from the roots of plants and how to hunt properly. They'd barely been surviving before. Twice we run into infected packs, and I show them how to disguise their scent using sickeningly sweet cactus juice. Derek doesn't lose his contempt for me, but he stops arguing with everything I say. For the most part.

On the third night, I force them to press on after dark. This area is a migratory route for the infected, and I don't want to get caught unprepared. Finally, after nearly two miles of Olivia and Derek wheezing for breath, we stop. They don't even bother to use their shields before collapsing, but I stay up to keep watch. I have to keep them safe.

A few hours before dawn, something catches my eye. A red flare sends a tentacle of light streaming into the sky. Perhaps I've been pressing myself harder than I should as well. We aren't far at all. I suspect we'll be at the compound by noon tomorrow.

Another flare lights the sky, and a third. Whatever the others need me for, it must be important. Flares are one of the few things we can't make ourselves or replace with robots, as well as their only way of contacting me. We try not to waste them.

As much as I'd like to let them sleep, we're not safe out here. I shake Olivia's shoulder, and she bolts upright, her machete swinging my face. I block her arm, and she relaxes when she realizes it's me. "Jakob? What the hell- what time is it?"

"Some of my guys are sending up flares. We need to go."

She rubs her eyes. "Can't it wait until morning? I can't handle this little sleep for long."

I laugh quietly. "I promise you can sleep as long as you like when we get there. On a real bed, too."

Sighing, she climbs to her feet. "You better be right about that. Derek," she barks, nudging him with her foot. He sits up groggily and rubs his eyes.

"I'm up, I'm up," he groans.

We gather our things quickly and head off toward the compound. Olivia stumbles several times until I finally scoop her up and carry her despite her weak protests. Derek manages to keep on his feet. The door to the compound comes into view an hour later.

Unfortunately, so does a large group of the infected at our back. Their moist growls fill the air as they gain ground, a fresh meal in sight. I race to the door of the compound, desperately punching in the entry code. A beep and a blinking red light tell me I got it wrong, that someone changed the code. Olivia stirs in my arms. I drop her as gently as I can and start slamming my fists against the door.

"LET US IN!" I bellow.