Commander: An Omegaverse novel

Chapter 4

Anna handed the signed release papers to the Opposition soldier guarding the exit. He noted the name of the signee and gave her a long stare before moving aside to let her pass. Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Many had heard rumors that Abby Henderson was in charge of a prophesized Omega, but they had never been confirmed. If they had, she knew the general population living in the bunker would demand she remained hidden, and in isolation to prevent her from getting hurt.. or them if Oversight managed to infiltrate their bunker...

She could feel the new drugs taking effect as she walked to the office, the aches made her joints groan with every step, but the instincts she had felt earlier were muted, so the pain was worth it. Henderson had already called her boss, letting him know the basic details. Everyone else in the office thought she had a doctor's appointment, not that they would care. Personal fraternization amongst coworkers was frowned upon by Oversight. Sitting down in the creaky wooden chair she let out a sigh of relief, pulling the typewriter towards her and starting to type out memos Mr. Miller had left on her desk. Before Oversight, they had computers, and everything moved at high speed in the office. But all electronics except broadcast radio and TV had been restricted to Oversight use only, to make it difficult to form any sort of resistance. It had also succeeded in ripping them right out of the twenty-first century and dropping them back in the twentieth. Not that the Alpha's cared that they had made the Beta's lives that much more difficult. It was their lot in life obviously...

The rest of the day past in a blur. Anna worked through lunch, the upped dosage of pills taking away her already limited appetite, and stayed late after work, hoping that she could avoid the Oversight unit she had ran into this morning. It was after seven and hers was the only desk occupied by the time she had caught up on the work she had missed that morning. Exhausted, she dragged herself home through the quiet streets, taking an alternate route than she had this morning as an added precaution. The night was brisk, chilly even for late fall, and she pulled her jacket close to her, fighting off a shiver. She came upon a greenspace and stopped suddenly, looking into it. It was a small park no more than half a block, with an empty fountain in the middle filled with yellowing leaves and a few proud trees standing huddled together. A wrought iron fence surrounded it with a gate on each side. The gate across from her read "DELTA PARK" in large stamped letters on the iron. Her heart ached as she reached out, tracing the letters, the radio message the Oversight Alpha had received this morning coming back to her.
"We have a confirmed 70 in Delta Park..."
Even the memory of those words made the hair on the back of Anna's neck stand on end. That Omega had also woken up this morning as if it was any other day... now their life had been irrevocably changed. Fate had saved Anna but sacrificed another. How long until it was her turn?
Squeezing the gate, she offered up a silent thanks and prayer for the Omega, hardening her heart as she turned away from the space and making her way numbly home.

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She knew something wasn't right the moment she woke up. Her head was pounding, mouth dry and joints screaming at her. Anna almost didn't make it to the washroom before heaving into the toilet. Exhausted, she hadn't been able to force any food down last night, instead, she downed her medication with another cup of tea and collapsed into bed. 
Once the wretching stopped, she propped herself against the wall, willing her body to get up. If she didn't report to work, Mr.Miller would let Henderson know... and she could kiss her freedom goodbye. It was only her sheer will that finally got her to stand, stumbling into the kitchen she forced herself to eat the cup of noodles she had not last night. She couldn't help that it came up twenty minutes later. Using the wall for support she made her way back into the kitchen, reaching a shaky hand out for her hormones, and taking an extra pain killer today, making a note to ask John for more on Friday. She downed it with a glass of water, feeling the burn of the pills dissolving in her empty stomach as she fought to keep them down. Anna made a plan: shower, get to work and pick up some crackers and bananas on the way home. Hopefully, this was just a stomach bug and would pass soon. Even as she said it to herself, she knew it was a lie.

By the time she made it out of the apartment, she was already feeling much better. Her stomach had settled, and the pain medication had begun to work on her stiff joints and headache. The sun was shining today and she let a small smile rest on her lips, feeling grateful for the warm day. A pang in her stomach made her stop suddenly. A man bumped into her with a grunt before going around her, glaring back at her as he passed. The crowd parted around Anna, but she couldn't see them, her eyes screwed shut as she fought nausea and pain that had come out of nowhere. Running into a side alley, she coughed up the water, noodles, and remnants of the pills all over the sidewalk. The metallic taste of blood was left when she had finished gagging. Bracing herself, she opened her eyes. Everything she had wretched up was covered in dark, red blood. Shaking, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve, not wanting to believe it was hers, the smudge on her coat that appeared where she had wiped her mouth was the same color as the splashed pavement at her feet. 
She needed help and quick. 
Forcing the panic down Anna grabbed her pack and rejoined the crowd. She needed to get to Opposition, it was only a five-minute walk from here. All she needed to do was stay calm and not draw attention to herself. Nausea started to rise in her throat, but she forced it down, counting her steps. One.. two.. three... four. They came to stop at a traffic light, and she snuck a peek up before quickly averting her eyes. The same Oversight Alpha from yesterday was on the other side of the road with his unit, staring directly at her. Anna turned around, feeling her panic increase as she looked for an escape. If she was stopped by him now, she knew there would be no way to keep from vomiting blood all over his shoes, something that would smell distinctly Omega. She heard him shout, and the sound of tires squealing and pounding boots but didn't stop to look back, darting down an alley and looking for an escape. There was none, only a garbage bin that smelled like it hadn't been emptied in a week. She hesitated for a second before throwing herself inside it, pressing up against the side as she heard the sounds of running feet on the sidewalk approach her, and then pass her hiding spot. She had been made.  

Retching again, more blood came up. She didn't have the option of waiting here until they gave up the search or went home for the day, she needed to get to Opposition, or she would die from whatever was causing the bleeding. She had less chance of being spotted in rush hour than if there were fewer commuters on the street later on, not to mention the blood loss was starting to take affect, weariness seeping into her joints and her head spinning. 

Quietly pulling herself out of the dumpster, she flipped her coat collar up to hide more of her face. Her legs were shaky as she rejoined the thinning crowd, forcing herself forward. Nausea increased with her movement, blood pounding in her ears as she passed the same intersection again. The relief she felt when the apartment that housed the Opposition came into view almost had her in tears, she sped up her pace, only to feel a strong hand grab her arm.
"Miss, I need you to come with us."
Anna's heart sunk and the sound of the Alpha's voice, she turned around to see the same soldier as yesterday, his blue eyes hard as he frowned down at her. Anna's adrenaline spiked, as did her nausea. Only blood came up this time as she soiled the soldier's boots. Trembling, she looked up at him through blurry hazel eyes before they rolled into the back of her head. The Alpha cursed, grabbing onto her as Anna's consciousness began to fade.
Her gaze dropped to the side, and she saw the old woman standing at the front door, arms crossed as she looked between Anna and the soldier clutching her.
"This is EchoNovemberTwoZeroOneFive requesting transport for suspected Omega. She needs immediate medical attention."
Anna reached out an arm towards the woman, who looked at her with sad eyes before turning back into the house, shutting the door.
"Roger EN2015- on route to your location.." 
A single tear slid down Anna's cheek as a flash of pain came over her, rendering her unconscious.