Milo walks in silence, Jed following closely behind her. Both are lost in their thoughts, replaying the events of the day over and over in their minds. Takes them about five minutes to reach their destination. Milo stops and surveys the clearing. To the naked eye it would look just like that, like a part of the forest stopped growing here, but trained eyes would tell you that it wasn't. Fishing lines blink in and out of focus, alerting you to the intricate web of crisscrossed lines. Each line connected to something, that either triggered a trap or bell, alerting any and all to a possible danger.
The dwelling that grew from the earth was another deception, to trick and lure unsuspecting visitors. The remaining survivors learned long ago that staying on the ground meant certain death, so they learned to build higher. High in the tree tops you could spot the wooden platforms, rope bridges and small homes. Milo would not be going to her tree house this day, her destination waiting on the other side of the dwelling on the ground. Confinement, a necessary evil to protect the surviving lives. They would be spending the next seven days in a comfortable, but lifeless prison.
"Man, I hate this part the most. Freaks me out." Jed says, wiping his brow.
Buck whines, wagging his tail. Milo bends down, caresses the animals head and moves forward. Buck, her one and only sentimental 'thing'. A gift from her father, just before the Rot claimed him. Her father had been the only living family member, which made his death even more painful. Buck, so named after him, had the same traits her father once had. Loving, friendly and above all loyal. He had forced Milo to abandon him, to seek refuge, life, anywhere she could.
"Yeah, lets get this over with." Milo answers without feeling.
Jed looks at her, his brow drawn in concern. Milo was the most experienced of them, after Riker, Wolfe and Bastien, making her the top-ranking officer. She had to make difficult calls, leave people behind all the while remaining calm and collected. Her team respected her, looked up to her, but Jed could tell she was struggling. Something happened back there that's brought a change and while change may be good to some, it was never good these days.
Milo walks into the sun and proceeds to cross the clearing. The sun was still high, beating down in merciless hate. Buck jumps and plays, running around, chasing his tail. It was almost as if he knew Milo needed cheering up. This was also the only place Buck could be, well a dog. Milo smiles fondly at the silly canine, her heart feeling less troubled. They walk deeper into the tall grass, slowly making their way over to the confinement area. Milo is the first to walk through the fence, Jed closing the gate behind them.
All around people buzzed, pointed and talked as she and Jed walked up to the cells. They found this dwelling by luck. It used to be a dairy farm, which made for excellent confinement cells. Each person was lead into a separate one, then observed. Milo stops in front of the barn doors, staring up into the sky. Someone taps her on the shoulder, bringing her back to reality.
"Officer Banks, it's good to see you back." Tilly says with a shy smile.
She was the youngest person here, ten, if Milo remembered correctly. Milo forces the sorrow form her eyes and smiles.
"Hey Tilly-Bear. You been good?" Milo asks.
Tilly nods, her eyes bright with delight. She was lucky Milo thought. She was innocent to it all, having never seen the horrors of the outside.
"Sally's been teaching me big numbers. I can count to hundred and I've read my first story from front to back just last night." Tilly says beaming with prided. Milo pats her on the head.
"That's good. You keep learning Tilly, keep sharpening that mind of yours, okay. I must go now, but you be good. I'll see you in seven days." Milo says with a smile.
"Okay." Tilly sings dashing off after one of the women.
Milo watches for a few seconds longer, smiling happily.
"There she is. Was wondering if I'd have to resort to drastic measures." Jed breathes.
He was holding his breath, wondering if Milo would welcome the little one or tell her to leave. Thank goodness, she didn't. Milo looks startled, then laughs.
"Yeah. I would love to see you doing 'I'm sexy and I know it',' in your underwear. I think Mandy would like that too." Milo jokingly says.
Jed shakes his head, tapping his chin.
"You think I should do that as a gift for her? She does like my body and everything that comes with it, you know." Jed says while wiggling his eyebrows.
Milo smacks his head but felt herself again.
"Thank you, Jed." Milo says, turning and entering the barn. Jed smiles, happy to see his partner regaining some life again. He pushes the door open and waits for instructions.
"Well, well, if it isn't Officer Banks and her rag-tag team of Orchids. Slay some Rotter's for us?" Doctor Randall asks.
Doctor Randall was a bit odd, with his double thick glasses, his balding head and over-sized lab coat. He looked like a wet owl with a serious case of crazies. He may have been crazy, but it may just be his crazy that saves us from this disease. He managed to get a somewhat pure strain and from that he's been trying to make a cure. But there was still something missing.
"Not today Doc, today we lost two of our own." Milo feels like saying.
Dr. Randall stops his erratic movements, turns to her and stares. Milo felt a bit unnerved, his eyes enlarge by his glasses.
"I'm sorry my dear. If I had..."
"It's okay Doc, shit happens." Milo answers. They both stand and stare at each other for a second. Dr. Randall blinks and then nods.
"Okay, you know what to do. Into the cleansing unit. Let's spray some chemicals over you." Dr. Randall says clapping his hands together.
Jed leans forward and whispers into Milo's ear.
"If the Rotter's don't kill is, he just might." Jed says his face a shade whiter.
Milo pats his back, pushing him in front of me.
"Bitch." Jed vehemently whispers.
He feared these chambers that were meant to clean them. He told Milo about a dream where he was turned into a Rotter in a chamber like this. Milo didn't make fun of him, knowing all to well the horrors that haunted your Rem cycle.
After the cleansing, they receive overalls and a plate of steaming hot food. The food at least didn't suffer the virus, a small reprieve to the rest of the chaos. Jed gulps his food down, talking with the rest of the team. They were all laughing and making jokes, happy to be alive and eating a hot plate of food. Milo moves to a corner, craving solitude. She loved her team, each and every one of them, which meant losing a member was more than painful. It was like losing her Dad all over again. Pearl comes over, drops and promptly sits down.
"You know, you got to stop making this personal. I get it okay, we're all like family and out there we need each other more than anything. But you must..." "Pearl.
"That's enough. Thank you for your concern, but I'd like to eat alone." Milo says barely masking her anger. Pearl sighs, but nods. She gets up and moves over to where the rest of the team were eating.
Milo closes her eyes, takes a few calming breaths and digs into her plate. Even if your mind was filled with mangled corpses, friends being ripped to shreds, you were trained to eat, keep your body healthy and in working condition. Bile didn't even rise in her throat anymore. That's what Milo hated, that they've become so desensitized to brutality. Yes, you must keep going, but at what cost? What good was saving us if we lost all humanity? Milo shakes her head, hoping to clear the dread lurking there. Maybe a hot shower would help to warm her soul. She places her plate in the in tray and moves to the shower area. Even after years of hard work, Milo was still impressed by what they've accomplished here.
She enters the shower area, opens it on full blast and relishes the feel of the water. It washes over her body, taking with it the stench of death and decay. She takes the soap and begins to vigorously rub her body, rubbing skin red. Dirt and grime drains away leaving her skin raw, but clean. She dresses in her overall and finds her cell for the next seven days. First forty-eight hours where the crucial ones, after that if no symptoms showed, you could be considered Rot free.
Now all Milo had to do was fight the infection in her mind, fight the guilt and anger that hovered there, mocked her ineptitude. Laugh at her as she clung to hope, but cling she would. If she lost hope, she may as well have turned into a Rotter.