"No, he looks greasy and stringy." Nala spoke out loud startling everyone including me. I knew she could speak, but only in my mind.
Glancing at Nala I noticed she seemed a bit smug.
"It talked!" Mark yelled stumbling back from the truck.
"Behave or I will show you her other tricks." I told him then hopped down from the truck bed then turning to help Megan down. I knew she didn't need my help, her body ability was higher than mine, I was sure she knew I knew that too, but she took my hand and let me help her down anyways. Once she was on the ground I wrapped my arm around her waist.
Megan gave me a glance but didn't stop me, instead she moved closer to me leaning into my chest then kissing my cheek, "You really worried me." she chided me.
"Sorry." I apologized again. "So what's going on here?" I asked.
"Things are falling apart pretty fast." Michael told me. He still didn't seem too happy about how close Megan and I were but he didn't say anything. "Everyone here fled when twisted appeared at the campus."
"Jennifer!" a loud cry rang out causing everyone to turn and see Heather advancing on a pretty black haired woman in a tight pair of black jeans and a orange shirt with the Jaded Bar and Grill logo on the shirt.
The girl turned when she heard her name called then seemed to flinch when she caught sight of Heather. I recognized the woman, she was one of Michael's acquaintances. I hadn't realized she was related to Heather. Given the shirt and relieved look on Heather's face I guessed she was her sister and probably the mother of the baby."
Jennifer stopped and waited for Heather. When Heather reached her side she hesitated for a moment before speaking. I was to far away from them to hear what she said but Nala could. "She is asking about her sister." Nala said aloud.
I realized I made a mistake. Jennifer wasn't related to Heather, she was a coworker of her sister, as she was wearing the uniform of Jaded Bar and Grill she must have been at work when the second wave hit.
Jennifer seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying. Hearing her answer Heather collapsed on the ground with a wail. I didn't need Nala to tell me Jennifer's reply.
Rebecca and Emily quickly moved to Heather's side to comfort her.
"A lot of people didn't make it." Michael commented.
I nodded. I hadn't fought a twisted directly yet, but seeing what they were capable of on the news I doubt any normal person could handle them unless they were already armed.
"So what happened?" Michael asked looking to Calidia who had moved to stand just behind me and Megan.
Calidia shook her head. "I am not sure either." Calidia replied then told him the same thing she had told me.
As I had already heard it I watched everyone else and their reactions. Disbelief was the most common reaction, fear was second, and a few looked betrayed.
After talking with Heather for a few moments Jennifer walked over to join the larger group and sidled up to Michael and his girls like she belonged there.
"Oh what a viral male, master you should emulate him. I can smell at least two females he has recently mated, and several others he has been with within the last few days." Nala commented out loud excitedly while gazing at Michael.
Every conversation stopped as everyone turned to stare at Michael who looked very uncomfortable. A glance at Karen told me something was wrong. Her face had gone pale and she was visibly shaking.
"Karen…" Michael started but he was quickly answered with a slap across the face before she stormed off. Megan gave my waist a quick squeeze then ran off after her.
I had no idea how to react. Karen and Michael had been dating for two years and had never seemed to have any troubles. Either they were good at hiding it, or I had let myself be blind to it. Given the anger I had with Karen, and our fallout, the latter was the more likely scenario. Yet, I wasn't sure if it mattered. Karen had made her choice and was willing to forsake our friendship, even lying about their relationship for months before she couldn't hide it anymore.
While I had always disliked the idea of her dating Michael, it had been the lying that broke our friendship apart. I never had a say in who she dated, but I wasn't going to stand being lied to by my best friend. There had never been a reason to lie. He wasn't the first person she dated I didn't like or thought was a bad fit. Yet she did it anyways, and was never willing to apologize or explain.
I suddenly felt incredibly tired. It hadn't even been a day and so much had happened. It was too much to take in yet there could be another mutation, or an attack at any moment so I didn't feel it would be a wise idea to sleep.
"You aren't going to say anything?" Michael asked me.
I looked at him for a moment. He seemed to look guilty, as did Jennifer beside him. Courtney on the other hand seemed rather happy and smug.
"Your relationship, your choice." I replied then hesitated for a moment. I still didn't like Michael, especially the idea of him with Karen. Yet it had been two years so she had to like him. "Just know she holds a grudge. If it's as bad as it seems you have to fix it quickly or give up on her completely." I advised him grudgingly.
"Not against you." Michael pointed out a bit irritated.
"If I had been the one ultimately at fault she would." I replied.
Michael frowned at me but didn't reply to that.
I looked around, many of the other college students had dispersed heading for one of the apartment buildings it was a three story building with four apartments on each floor while the bottom floor was half underground.
"Anywhere I can check up on the news?" I asked.
Michael nodded. "That whole building is ours, the apartments on the top floor are empty now." he said sounding a bit sad. "You guys can take those to stay in tonight."
I frowned but decided not to ask the details. I was about to leave then stopped and looked back at Michael. "It might be wise to spread the word that it isn't just people affected by the energy waves. The zoo animals have reacted, and I am sure it won't be limited to just them."
Michael frowned but shook his head. "Best not. They are already pretty messed up from what happened at the college, if we tell them the stray dogs in the neighborhood might mutate and come for them next it might push them over the edge." he told me.
"What if that happens?" I asked in reply.
"How can they actually prepare for it?" Michael asked in return. "There isn't anything they can do, and worrying will just make it worse."
I didn't agree with him, there was plenty we could do; gathering weapons, barricading the apartments, spread out the awakened for quick response. These were his friends though, and I didn't think they would listen to me.
I shook my head then left, I followed my bond with Megan to find her in one of the empty apartments Michael had mentioned. Calidia followed me up then choose one of the other empty apartments to go into. She gave me a sad smile before closing the door.
The apartment I found Karen and Megan in was obviously a guys, it had two large bedrooms with their own bathrooms and shared kitchen and living room, it would have been nice if it wasn't so messy, strewn with gaming equipment, and its walls plastered with a mix of half naked and fully naked women. Obviously the occupants didn't think they would be able to bring a girl home with them one night, or expected said girl to be too drunk or stoned to care about the decorating scheme.
Karen was sitting in a old recliner staring out the window woodenly. I sighed seeing her like that, I had only seen that look once before, and that was when her mother died.
Megan was sitting quietly nearby providing supportive company. She smiled at me when I came in then glanced at Karen worriedly.
Nala looked at the apartment disapprovingly and refused to step inside. "I will be a lookout master." Nala told me out loud.
I nodded in response then she was gone. With my bond to her I knew she hadn't gone far. If I were to guess she found her way up to the roof.
I walked over to Karen's side and put my hand on her shoulder as I looked out the window too. It wasn't a great view but I could see the parking lot fairly well. As it was summer the days were longer, but even then it was getting late and the sun was close to setting. It was hard to believe so much had happened in such a short amount of time.
I squeezed her shoulder once then turned to go to the kitchen. I wasn't expecting to find anything in there, but I had plenty of things in my space I could use to fix us something to eat.
"Not going to say anything?" Karen asked me without looking at me.
"Is there a point?" I asked her back. "You are far more capable of beating yourself up than I am." I replied calmly.
"You could encourage me, tell me everything will work out." Karen responded.
I hesitated. "I gave him advice, it's up to him whether he takes it." I replied.
Both women looked at me surprised. I couldn't blame them, I had made my dislike of their relationship well known. I shrugged. "I don't know any of the details, but two years is a long time for you to stay in a relationship." I told them.
Tears started to stream down Karen's face. Moments later she was sobbing uncontrollably. Megan moved to her side quickly and held her close. I continued to the kitchen to make dinner. There wasn't a television I could use so I plugged my phone into a charger then found a news site on the net to get an update on what the government was telling everyone.
Obviously the fact that the twisted were mutated humans was out. Statements had been released that the how and why of the mutations were still under investigation. Outside of that there were reports of sightings of twisted all over the southwest and northeast of the country. The worst were still here in the valley. A large area around the Cardinal's stadium had been cordoned off, as well as the zoo, and several malls, and colleges. Anywhere where a large group of people would gather there had been sightings of the twisted followed quickly by bloodshed and death.
Since the last time I had checked the news the army had been deployed, working with the national guard and police force all the occurrences were supposedly under control. I wasn't willing to believe it though. The mutations hadn't stopped yet so more confrontations with twisted would flare up. It was just a matter of time. I just hoped we could miss the majority of it.
Turning my phone off I got to work on food, I hadn't brought any meat so I settled with some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a can of soup I heated in a pot I brought as the previous owners dishes seemed to be housing its own colony of something fuzzy.
Bringing the food out to the girls they smiled at me gratefully. Karen still looked depressed, but she seemed better for venting her emotions. She didn't offer to explain anything and I didn't ask. I wouldn't call it a successful reconciliation, but it was a step in that direction.