Project Red Ribbon

CHAPTER 4

Their car was being prepared. It looked like a desert jeep, brilliantly sand coloured to blend into dunes and mountain sides- James doubted they'd be going near any of those though. Charlie was becoming more and more physically agitated, he was bouncing on the spot and cracking his fingers. Juno didn't look bothered in the slightest, James guessed she'd been around the Fallen enough to no longer feel anxious around them. 

Calvin had left with the others, so it left a woman and a man James didn't know to look after them, they were conversing and polishing their guns. 

"Do we get any weapons? I mean other than Charlie's axe?" James stammered- not being able to hide the rising panic. They looked up at him, and then glanced behind his shoulder to wear Juno was standing. 

"We've got guns, she's got knives, and he does have an axe," they pointed out, "we'll look out for you." 

"That's not enough, I want something," James continued- he hated confronting adults. The thought of having to go to court to do this against the Zone was almost an unbearable thought, that's if he made it there alive. Juno groaned out of boredom and annoyance, James ignored her. The two adults looked at each other, and then gave a side glance to Juno before turning away. 

"That's their babies, Doc, no way they'll give them to folk like us," Juno said with a look of distaste. James wondered if that's why she had had to learn to use knives, perhaps they cherished their guns more than their kids. 

"Are you going to protect me then?" James crossed his arms at her, trying to match the mood she carried the entire time. Juno glanced at him and raised her eyebrow. It was obvious they were facing each other off yet James didn't feel like there was much anger between them. He found himself admiring the strange shade of green in her eyes, and looked away in shame. His mind went to Sarah and what she would be doing, for all he knew, the car could have toppled and she'd be eaten alive- 

"I think we're ready to go," the woman shouted, getting into the drivers seat. The man that was accompanying her gave a reassuring grin to Juno and tugged on her plaits. "It's been a while, you feeling rusty?" He asked her. There was secrecy somewhere that James wanted to know but was too scared to ask about. James wondered where Juno's parents were, if they were still alive. He wasn't too bothered. 

"Not at all, old man," Juno replied, elbowing him back. 

"Everybody in," The man said chuckling, opening the door for them. James went in first, it was hot inside, and the seats weren't comfortable. Charlie went in after him, willing to sit in the middle. They looked at each other, and James could tell Charlie was wondering how they'd gotten themselves into this situation. If anything, James felt pretty good about how they weren't panicking, he wanted to pat himself on the back for being able to think rationally instead of getting worked up about all of it. 

The car backed out and into the street. The only way James could explain what he was seeing was that it was a total wasteland. Greenery was climbing its way around the concrete, none of the windows on the buildings were intact. He noticed cars had crashed into scrap piles, torn to pieces for parts. Charlie nudged him and looked out the window at a tall building that looked like a mall. It looked like it used to have a glass ceiling that was now overgrown with moss. What James did see was the blood running all up the stairs and along the doorway that was nothing but debris. Through the light of the doorway, he could just make out what seemed to be a pile, blackened and covered in grass and wood. 

"What happened there?" James asked with a small voice. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, that's if anything happened worth documenting. 

The woman looked in the viewer at James. 

"Soon after the outbreak, they gathered everyone up there so they'd be safe," she said in a calming tone. It was the sort of tone that James had been taught to use on patients with serious injuries, as a way to keep their mind off the possibility of death. 

"And were they?" Charlie piped up, he held onto the back of the seat, leaning in close. James watched the woman look in the rear mirror at the mall they'd passed. James realised, with a horrifying drop to his stomach, that the pile he'd glanced through into the building wasn't debris, it was a mass pile of bodies.

"Nah, soldiers just open fired on 'em," she replied with a small sigh. The car went quiet, for the others, it was a contented quiet- but for James and Charlie it was a silence full of dread and shock. He both wanted to know more yet wanted to forget he'd heard anything at all. His curiosity was too much. 

"Why?" 

"Why do you think? The more people you get rid of, the less infected you'll have," the man snapped. James sunk into his chair, feeling as if despite their chill demeanour, it was still something that brought onto them anger and bad memories. He didn't blame them. 

"So where are we all meeting up anyway?" Charlie asked with a shaking voice in an attempt to change the topic, he was rubbing his knuckles anxiously, as he usually did. 

"We have a safe house near the state border, we'll stop in a few hours," the woman replied, she was leaning backwards in her seat, one arm on the wheel the other playing with the mans hair. James couldn't help but find the private gesture rather inappropriate. 

"Wait," Juno leaned forward, "we'll have to pass by Devils junction will we not?" James' heart lurched again at the name of the threatening junction. The man and woman looked at each other, the woman dropped her hand. 

"It's OK, they'll only target one of the cars," she said quietly, "we got lucky being second."