The Virus

Forty Four

"Tonight. We'll go. Pack your bags, don't make it obvious. I'll come into your room tonight. We'll pretend to have fun and when Gracie falls asleep, I'll kill her, so she can't alert anyone. We grab our bags and I'll go back to my room. I'll take out Ethan and Danny before they can make a noise. And you get the old ones. I'll come and help as soon as I can. And we'll leave. Rendezvous point at the place I found you, if we get lost" I say.

We finish Kay's walk and get back. "Ophelia!" Ethan greets me nervously, wary of my behaviour.

 "Hey. I was talking to Marley. We were thinking about staying for longer. Do you think that would be okay?" I ask, with a hopeful smile.

He nods and a smile spreads across his face. "Of course! You're both welcome here." He exclaims happily. "I can't wait to have you around, you're nice to talk to," he says. 

I smile back at him reassuringly. "Okay, thanks. I don't know how long it will be though, maybe a week. Maybe longer?" I say.

"That's fine" he replies, the smile never leaving his face. 

Inside, I ignore every instinct in my body to plunge my knife into his neck in that moment. Instead, I think about how good of an actor he is. I think about how he sounds so genuine and interested in me. And then my mind jumps to the thought of how many people he must have pretended to like, how much practice he must have.

We eat dinner at the table again and laugh as we have the past few nights. I feel their gaze on me every so often, careful and calculated. I feel them analysing me. I ignore them, desperate to sell my innocence. 

I look up, "So, how are you getting food?" I ask. 

Bill clears his throat, "we have some traps out there, guns are too lou for hunting. Sometimes we go out with knives with a couple of people. We've got lots stored though, just in case. Ethan was telling me you'd like to stay longer.." he says, gently. 

I nod and smile, "if you'll have us, we'd love to stay," I say, as Marley smiles at me in agreement. We were really selling it. I was proud of us. 

"Well, of course, we'd love for that, but that would mean you would have to contribute. Gathering food is actually a good idea," he says, "are you any good with a knife," he asks. 

I look up and laugh, "not really, my knife is mainly for show, I can barely use a gun, this whole thing kind of caught me by surprise," I explain, "I'd love to learn though, we've struggled out there with our limited survival skills, it would be useful for catching food once we leave." 

Bill nods, "of course, I'm sure Ethan would love to show you. We can go out on a hunt in a few days. It'll be fun, you'll enjoy yourself, I promise," he says, kindly. 

I fight the urge to flinch at his words. He planned for me to be dead by then. How could he speak to me like that?

Later, I tell Ethan that I'm going to Marley's room and not to wait up for me. When I walk in Gracie is getting ready for a quick shower. She leaves and I turn to Marley. "On the way in. I'm gonna attack her. Don't scream." I say. She nods and brings her bags up. Luckily, I never unpacked my bags so they're ready next to my makeshift bed in Ethan's room. 

About ten minutes later, we hear the water turn off and I get ready with my knife. It's midnight and everyone else is in bed and probably asleep. I hear her footsteps and hide by the wall. The door opens and closes and Marley calls her as planned, Gracie looks up to meet her eye and nods. I jump forward, from behind her and clap my hand her over mouth, and plunge the knife into her temple. I feel her body go still in my arms. Marley jumps forward to lay her body down gently and quietly. I fight the deep shame building within me, killing a living person. Marley's expression is sad and filled with regret too.