Baine plopped down onto the cot. It held for a minute too long, then it gave up on its duty altogether. His foot busted through the end, the springs snapped out of their holes, the sheet ripped through the metal frame, and he landed on the floor.
"Ahhh!" he hollered, flinging the blankets up while simultaneously climbing out of the frame. "Bloody hell!" He thrashed the frame over onto its side and folded it up like paper. Then, the cot went flying down the hall. He looked over at Iggy. "Just go inside, already!"
Timid, Iggy scurried behind the door. He covered himself with his blanket and went to bed as if he were at fault for the broken cot.
Baine, for the first time in at least a year, left Iggy's proximity while he was the one on duty. Off to find adequate sleeping equipment, he came to the lower lobby, but then he heard a particularly unsettling whistling coming from the entertainment room and lost sight of his original intention. The security panel was on the wall right next to the front door. There, Baine picked up the singing emergency line and held the static receiver to his ear. "Baine speaking," he answered.
"Amare speaking." Amare's voice was low and secretive. "Reporting from the outer wall. There's been an intrusion."
"What?"
"An intrusion. Two civilians are dead. Someone infected got through."
"What did the day guards see?"
"Nothing, sir. The murders just occurred. Whoever it is, they're on their way to you. I advise that you stay around the security cameras."
"Got it." Baine braced himself. He flipped open the security system screen. The cameras showed a long stretch of the inner brick wall surrounding the house, as well as the only drivable entrance barricaded by a cast iron gate. "Keep me informed."
"Of course."
Iggy woke up a few hours later. It was much too quiet and still for it to be evening again. He curiously slipped out of bed and set his ear against the door. He heard nothing from the other side. He turned the knob slowly and steadily, until there was a narrow opening. Except for the hill of discarded blankets that he saw as a blob before his door, the hallway seemed empty.
Baine never returned.
So, he shut the door and pressed his back into it. Maybe he should have been scared or worried, but he wasn't. Adrenaline saturated his body along with a desire for adventure. He rushed across his room to his covered window, grasped the thick curtain, and paused.
It was forbidden to remove or draw the curtains open during the day. Not often, he was brave enough to sneak a peek of daylight, but today, he was thrilled by the idea of basking in it! Without further ado, he spread the curtains apart and let the light in. It flooded his room. Blinding! Behind him, it highlighted all of his projects hanging from the walls and ceiling. Shadows danced to and fro… but he wanted even more. He crawled inside of the window ledge and drew the curtain shut around himself, and he pried open the old latch and swung the loose window ajar. The fresh air was warm and full of life, breezing easily with the smells of flowers, grass, and other things. The experience was nothing like nighttime garden strolls, and still… he wanted more!
The wall beneath was two stories high and rigid with building stones. He had climbed down from his window only twice, both times before the incident with his left eye and the onset of regular seizures. But today, with the sun shining golden orange, he was confident that he could do it again. He dangled his feet from the ledge, his arms held onto the window sill, and he found the first prominent ledge with his toes. One by one, he stepped his way down to the soft grassy earth beneath. Green. Flush green. Bright green. And not only green, a green that he could see well! Joy warmed his heart hotter than anything else ever could. Hope was reborn.
He bolted right into the plush garden. In the realm of flowers and plants, the garden was relatively fresh, having been planted over the span of fifteen years. Along the wall, there was an intricate pattern of vines crawling toward the sky. Beautiful round flowers appeared like multicolored spots, freckling over the stones. Orange, blue, and white all crowded together. His jaw dropped in awe, for he could see them with this light like never before! He caressed a petal at a time with his fingertips. He dove in nose first to smell them. Then, he picked them one by one, forming a small collection in his hand. He looked up at the solid blue sky, shaded with gray and white fluffy clouds, birds flew overhead in pairs singing.
Eager to discover all of the world's beautiful galore, he drew his gaze downward, back to the garden. Near the tree overlap that hovered above the tall brick wall, he saw a dark figure standing in the shade. A stranger who was hooded tight.
Moment by moment, the light from the sun lessened. It was all so perfect… familiar. The smell of burnt hair and ammonia filled his nose. The rock covered ground came closer. Then, he saw nothing.
When Iggy reopened his eyes the sun was no longer high in the sky, but lingering low near the edge of the tall brick wall that surrounded the house. He found himself laid on the hard ground with an unknown pressure pushing down on the lower half of him. He felt a warm lapping against his cheek as if someone was rinsing dirt away with a towel.
Face to face and eye to eye with a dark haired woman, who sat on his waist leaning over him. Her skin was bronzed from the early sun exposure. Her lips were wide, low set, and smudged with red. She smiled. Her first incisors, canines, and first premolars of her top jaw were extended and sharp.
"At last you have awakened," she cooed. Her solid blue eyes twinkled. "Oh, at last." She opened her mouth and her tongue licked the side of his face, picking up the fresh droplets of blood from where the ground sheared his cheek. She pulled her bright red tongue back into her mouth and swallowed. "Oh, you simply taste so good! I came here to send an urgent message, but you! I simply can't pass you. Oh, no…"
Iggy tried to scream, but his voice fell flat. A shallow whisper was all that he could muster. "Baine," he called, gurgling heavy saliva. "Help me."
"Help me," she chuckled. She inhaled a hot breath from his exhale and licked his numb lips. "Simply wonderful. You know who Baine is… you must work for him. I'm sure he is open to sharing with his guests. I've heard he's quite hospitable." She tilted her head and a grin stretched across her face. Her soft chest pressed against his. "I can't wait any longer, I'm going to start right here." Her lips pecked his left eyelid. "Right here, on your dark eye. What a blessing to have such a flattering deformity. Unlike this hideous arm you have." Her lips parted and her sharp teeth laid against his flesh, just below his eye.