Virus

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

300 Days

18th September 2021

I can go outside again! You don’t know how wonderful it is after being kept in a hotel room away from civilisation for a month. The down side is I can’t taste anything but it does mean we can start moving again.

I was walking up the hallway back to the hotel room, after going to the lobby to let them know this was our last night, when Alex came running out of our room with an amused expression on his face.

“Don’t go in there.” He said the second he saw me.  I frowned in confusion take a step towards the door. “Trust me, don’t do it.” Then I heard the moans among other noises coming from Lisa and Xavier’s room. I jumped back from the door like someone had set fire to it. Alex laughed at my mortified expression; he took my hand and dragged me into the lift.

“Where are we going?” I asked still horrified.

“I’m taking you on a date.” He announced as we walked towards the car park.

*  *  *

I had no idea where he was taking me, but I ruled out a restaurant because eating without tasting is completely pointless in my opinion. I glanced up at the dark sky and the thousands of tiny stars shone beside a full moon, smiling slightly, at least we were making the most of our situation. Alex parked the car as we arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Park and I was immediately enveloped by the scent of freshly cut green grass and there were brightly coloured flowers as far as the eye could see. A large willow tree and hundreds of evergreens that towered above us making me feel almost miniature next to them. I was speechless.

Alex led me down a path towards the centre of the park where there was a huge fountain with water jets and lamps that illuminated the sudden sprays of water that leapt from the ground. I was watching in awe when suddenly the ground disappeared from beneath my feet, I gasped as Alex flung me over his shoulder and started walking over to the water. When I realised his intensions I began shrieking and tried to escape from his arms but is was useless. He walked into the middle of the fountain and put me down, I was now soaking wet and though I tried to act angry, I couldn’t stop the smile that was plastered on my face. “Having a good time?” He asked while placing his hands on my waist to draw me closer.

“Most fun I’ve had in a long time.” I said while my heart was pulsing in double time. He grinned and kissed me in the middle of the fountain under the starlight. I pulled away and ran through the cascading water. “Catch me if you can!” I taunted. Alex grinned, accepting the challenge and chased after me.

I made it till the willow tree before Alex grabbed me from behind; I tried to pull away which only resulted in both of us tumbling to the ground. I laughed as Alex pinned me to the ground. “How do you know this place?” I asked breathless and shivering. He smiled fondly and draped his coat around my shoulders.

“When I was young I would come on holiday to Vancouver a lot with my family. My parents use to bring my brother and I here all the time.” His voice quivered slightly and his piercing eyes grew dim and distant. “It was my favourite place. I use to hide under this tree and escape from everything. From him.” He whispered. I intertwined my fingers with his and tried to catch his gaze but he wouldn’t look at me.

“Alex, what happened between you and your brother? You can tell me.” There was a long pause and I thought he wasn’t going to answer my question but then he looked at me his emerald eyes filled with years worth of suppressed pain.

“He killed our parents.” I opened my mouth but no words came out. “And I helped him do it.”

My hands went limp in his and for the first time in his presence, I was afraid for my life. It must have shown in my face because he tried to give me a reassuring smile but I was still chilled to the bone. “We were fourteen, I always knew he was crazy, he always liked hurting animals, people, I’m surprised it took me that long to figure out he was a psychopath.” He continued the story; his voice was a void of any emotion. “One night he just snapped, I still don’t know why. I came home late from the library, all the lights were out and I knew something was wrong when I saw the blood trail. I followed it to the kitchen and he was there with our parents tied up and gagged holding my father’s gun to their heads.

“I can still remember the look on his face when I walked in.” He said disgusted. “He was enjoying their terror, it was like he was feeding off it. He forced the gun into my hand and told me if I killed my father he would let my mother go. If I didn’t, he’d kill both of them and after making me watch, he would kill me.” Alex shifted his terror filled eyes to mine as he relived the memory, “I was only fourteen, I was young. I didn’t want to die.” He whispered. “So I did it. I put the barrel to my father’s forehead and pulled the trigger, I tried to make as quick and painless as possible but I can still feel his blood on my hands. Christian then took the gun from me shot my mother right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything but watch.

“Afterwards I had to help him get rid of the bodies, if I didn’t help, he’d blame it on me and I had no doubt he would do it, he could manipulate anyone to do anything or believing anything. We told the police they never came home from work and when the police couldn't find them Xavier’s parents took us in.” He finished in a shaking voice. “He infected me with the virus on purpose, because he knew I would find the cure for it if I had it too. In all the chaos of nurses taking me to quarantine he managed to escape from the hospital.” He was shaking now his green eyes filled with tears of rage; I wrapped my arms around him until he stopped shaking. When he looked up at me, he looked just like the scared little boy he had been describing. “You see why I didn’t want to tell you? Because, I think I’m in love with you Nat, and I didn’t want to scare you away. I didn’t want you to think I’m like him.”  I kissed him gently.

“I love you too.” I whispered and I meant every word. As terrible as this these past two months have been, bizarrely they have also been the best two months of my life all because of the stranger who had a crush on me in a waiting room.