The Touch of Infection

Chapter 53: Reality

Marnik had gotten his hands on the keys he'd been looking for. Now having access to the vehicle to get out of HQ. His hands slightly shaking when they landed on the steering wheel, "Have everything you need?"

Carisa sat beside him and nodded, "All ready."

He turned the wheel and began heading out, the gates to HQ blocking his way out. But with a press of a button, they began to open. Carisa's heart pounded hard against her chest, seeing what was out of those walls for the first time since she went in. The plants looked sick around the immediate area. But as they got father they got greener.

"Where are we going?" Carisa questioned and looked at Marnik who was concentrated on driving.

"To see Amite. Once we get a good distance away I'll call her. We won't use the vehicle all the way, they can't know where we're going. So after we ditch it, we'll go on foot." He sucked in a deep breath watching as zombies began to appear. Small swarms of them appearing in every corner.

He felt overwhelmed, unsure of how to move on. It was his decision that got her infected... if he wasn't careful he'd get her eaten now too. Catching a glimpse of her he reached a hand out to her, when he felt hers lay on top of his he smiled, "We have to be careful." He told her.

"I'm aware." She got up and stood next to him, "Back to my reality."

He winced at her words, her reality. That's right, she'd spent two years living in this cruel and wretched place, "Carisa..." he began getting her eyes on him, "I need to admit something."

"Yeah?" She waited for him to continue.

"I um... remember when you asked me where I was two years ago." He began seeing her nod, "Well... I might have, just slightly set up the bomb in a city."

Carisa glared down at him, "You did what?"

"It was just a small bomb, nothing too drastic. It was my job, if I'd known this would happen I wouldn't have set it alright." Seeing her walk out on him and completely ignore his words he growled, "Just listen to my explanation."

"No." She said.

He stopped the vehicle in place, seeing zombies turn their attention to it. Getting up he walked over to her, "I don't want you to hate me. I'm telling you now because I figured it was a good time."

She turned and looked him in the eyes, "A good time! A good time Marnik! It will never be a good time. That little bomb, killed thousands..." she bit her lip, "people were right... you are a monster... a bloodthirsty killer."

Carisa turned her back on him, the banging on the doors beginning. Marnik kept his gaze on her, reaching out to touch her shoulder when she moved away. He stepped back, "Fine, stay angry." Going back to driving he drove over the zombies, getting them all off the vehicle.

His eyes drifting towards the door, expecting her to walk in at any moment. He'd thought that by telling her it would be better, no hiding things from her. But he should have expected this, he didn't even tell her the place he bombed was the city closest to her home. If she found that part out... she'd surely never look his way again.

Seeing the sun starting to set he stopped the vehicle. Turning off any lights emitted from it to stay hidden. He'd driven far enough to not have any zombies nearby, but if any humans were around they'd be annoying. It would just be a few hours until he'd call Amite, and wondered if she knew what happened in HQ.

Walking in the vehicle Carisa sat at a corner, having her legs close to her chest. He slowly walked over to stand next to her.

"I thought you didn't have anything to do with the bombs." She admitted, "I don't know why but it never went through my head for you to be part of them."

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes burned with anger when looking up at him, her hands closed tightly into fists, "I knew you weren't a saint but... people were right. I would have been better off never meeting you."

"You're probably right." He sat next to her, if they hadn't met he wouldn't have dragged her into that city, "But I would have spent such boring days without you."

"And I would have lived without you. In fact, without you 'things' coming into this planet I'd still have a home." Her eyes fell to the floor, seeing him in the corner of her eye.

Marnik pushed his hair back and scoffed, "If we didn't come to this planet another species would have. And not all species decide to just take out the plague, some take out the whole planet." He leaned towards her and whispered, "I can't change the past, and that hurts a lot more than you could believe, but I want to make things right now. And I refuse to lose you."

She turned to look his in the eyes, her cheeks red from anger, but her sight getting blurry. Carisa was so angry she could cry, feeling betrayed, "What else are you hiding?"

"... the city I bombed was close to your home. The planet is dying and everything is getting infected, the earth could have little more than weeks maybe months to live."