I woke up with a gasp, my heart pounding against my chest. I sat up, feeling the sweat on my forehead. Every damn time I fell asleep, the nightmares came crawling back. I plopped down on the bed, running my hands over my face with a groan, trying to shake off the haunting images that lingered in my mind.
When I heard the rustle of paper, I scrunched my face in confusion as I turned my head and found my best friend and sister-in-law, Isabelle Hawkens, sitting at the table, flipping through papers on a clipboard. Her hazel eyes were fixed on the documents, and her forehead creased with worry. Isabelle was forty years old with waist-length black hair and a curvy figure. Standing at five foot four, she was very petite but stocky, with light olive-toned skin.
My brother met her during a supply run and brought her back to the colony. She worked with me in the lab, day and night, trying to find a cure for the virus that had turned most of the world's population into undead creatures.
"How long have you been here?" I asked as I slid out of the bed, then trudged into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.
"Umm, maybe an hour? I have been going over the files again…Making sure I didn't miss anything," she said, not even looking up.
I nodded, taking a sip of the hot coffee and letting the aroma fill my nostrils. The bitter taste sent a shiver down my spine. I leaned against the counter, watching Isabelle. She was lost in her thoughts, and I could see the worry lines etched on her face.
"Have you found anything?" I asked as I plopped into the chair across from hers.
She shook her head, "No, we need more information on the undead… I wonder if we should get more samples from the ghouls…I'm lost at where we should turn next…"
I nodded my head, "I understand your struggle; the scouts should return by tomorrow with the news; hopefully, they found something promising."
"I really hope so…" She said with a sigh, then pushed away the clipboard, then looked up at me, smiling as she scanned my face, "You look a lot better… You no longer look like an Undead… Are you hungry?"
I nodded, "Yes, I could use some food."
"Good, 'cause I'm starving; get dressed so we can head to the canteen."
With a nod, I finished my coffee and then headed towards the bedroom to change. I put on a pair of camo cargo pants and a black T-shirt before slipping into my shoes.
Clothes were hard to come by after the war, so we had to raid every clothing store we could find. My brother would send out scouts in all directions, and some of them would return with good news about hospitals, warehouses full of food, or clothing stores. With this information, we would gather groups of people to go on supply runs.
After getting dressed, I brushed my teeth and ran a brush through my hair before heading out with Izzy to the canteen.
As we navigated through the labyrinth of tunnels leading to the central canteen of the colony, Izzy shared with me the details of her latest research. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a bustling crowd, filling the space with a lively energy. Without hesitation, Izzy and I joined the queue, picking up sturdy plastic trays to carry our meal as we moved along the serving line.
Walking down the long line, the aroma of the hearty meal filled the air as the cooks carefully scooped spoonfuls of piping hot ham and beans, crisp mixed vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes onto our trays. I couldn't help but think about the effort it took to prepare such a delicious feast, especially in this desolate environment. Yet, it was surprising to learn that some of the vegetables were grown underground in a makeshift greenhouse, with just a diminutive opening in the ceiling that allowed sunlight to filter in and reflect off mirrors, creating enough light to sustain the growth of fresh produce. It was a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance in the face of adversity.
After our trays were full, we grabbed a cup full of water and then looked around for a place to sit.
"Where do you want to sit?" I asked Izzy as I scanned the room for a familiar face.
"Umm, I see Xavier; let's go sit over there with him and Phoebe."
"Do we really have to? Xavier can be a little creepy… He is always asking me out, no matter how many times I say no. I even lied once and told him that I like women, and he still won't leave me alone…"
Izzy chuckled as I dragged my feet toward the table, with a groan, "All because his grandfather and my grandfather founded and helped build this place doesn't mean that we should be together…" I mumbled under my breath as he came into view.
Xavier Aoki was the grandson of Akio Aoki and made sure everyone knew it… especially me… He honestly wasn't bad to look at; he was half Japanese and half African American, with long black hair, brown eyes framed in wire-rimmed glasses, and light brown skin… but it wasn't his look that drew me away from him... It was that he was a damn creep who had become obsessed with me, and it drove me nuts… Xavier was a scientist like Izzy and me, and a very adequate one, too.
Sitting next to him was Phoebe Russell, another coworker who was in her late thirties, with short, curly black hair, chocolate-colored skin, brown eyes, and was tall and stocky. She tended to date more women than men but liked the company of both. She was a good person and a great scientist.
Phoebe looked up and smiled when she saw us approaching the table. "Ah, look who it is, sleeping beauty has finally emerged from her lair."
"Haha, very funny," I chided as I slid into the chair across the table from her, not even bothering to look at Xavier, who was smiling as he looked me up and down… Damn, creep…
"Hello, Bree… I missed you today in the lab…"
"So… How did your research go today?" I asked Phoebe as I scooped up a spoon full of ham and beans.
Phoebe looked from me to Xavier, then just shrugged before answering, "Ummm, I didn't find anything new on the Virus, but I did find…"
I nodded as she talked, honestly not really listening… I just focused on eating my food and ignoring Xavier… who still kept trying to talk to me…damn creep…
A commotion in the doorway had us all looking for the source when I spotted my brother and… gasp! One of the scouts has returned!
I was up and out of my seat in a heartbeat, rushing towards my brother, who was chatting with the scout... I think his name was Josh… Talking with Josh, who looked to be heading in my direction.
My heart pounded in my chest as I approached, wringing my hands as I grew nervous at what they could have found.
"So… what did you find?" I asked Josh, a twenty-five-year-old with unruly red hair, green eyes, and pale skin that was dappled with freckles.
"Oh, Bree, we were just coming to find you," says JR, who nods at Josh, "Tell her what you found in District E20."
Josh swallowed before he answered, "Umm, my team and I found an old science lab… but it looks to have been raided by ghouls; I thought maybe you would want to come check it out and see if you find anything that might possibly help with your research."
"A lab?" I asked, "Did you guys go inside?"
Josh shook his head, "No, there was a horde of Reapers closing in on us; we had to get out of there. Jess said that he saw jars that had dead babies in them… we think it was something illegal that went wrong…"
I nodded, deep in thought... Babies? Were they experimenting on Ghoul babies?
"I think we should check it out…" Looking up at JR, I said, "I want to find out what they were doing with those babies and see if they found anything that could possibly help find a cure."
JR scratched at his chin, then nodded, "I agree; let's give Josh and his team a few days to rest, and then we will set out for District E20. It takes two days to get there, so make sure you pack everything you will need. If you want, you can meet me in the training room tomorrow to check on your skills… I just want to make sure you haven't gotten rusty."
I snorted and shook my head, "I will be there, and I will kick your ass like I used to when we were kids."
"Bring it on, little sister."
After JR left with Josh, I returned to Izzy and Phoebe and told them the news.
"Did you just say babies?" Asked Izzy, "Who would experiment on babies?"
"Sick bastards who like to play god, that's who," says Phoebe with a shake of her head, "When do we head out?"
"JR wants to give Josh and his team a few days to rest before we head out," I explained, "He says we will have to travel to district E20 and that it takes two days to get there, so pack appropriately."
Xavier chose this moment to speak up…"So, are you saying that we have to leave the safety of the colony?"
Izzy rolled her eyes and sighed before replying, "Yes, Xavier, we sometimes have to go outside to get samples or check out hospitals and labs. We are scientists and are searching for a cure for the Undead Virus; we have to check every angle possible."
"If you are too scared, then you can stay here," says Phoebe with a shrug, "The three of us should be plenty enough."
Xavier shook his head, "No, I will go… If Bree is going, then I'm going too…I have to keep her safe…"
I slammed my head down on the table a little too hard with a groan…Seriously?
"Xavier, Bree is one of the best-trained soldiers in the colony, right next to her brother; I believe she can take care of herself."
Xavier snorted, "Like she kept her Dad safe?"
I was up and out of my seat as my hand wrapped around my fork as I lept over the table and slammed that mother fucker to the ground with a growl as I held the fork over his left eye, making him gasp and squeal like a girl, "Say that one more time and I will throw you to the first Undead I see. Never! Talk about my Dad like that again! Actually, don't talk about him at all, and I don't need a sorry coward like you to take care of me!"
"Alright, Bree, that's enough," says Izzy as she steps forward.
I laughed as I stood, shaking my head at the sick bastard who now had a massive boner… Disgusting fucker… " Be thankful my brother wasn't here to hear what you said; he wouldn't have hesitated."
I tossed the fork on the floor next to his head as I turned and left the canteen; I no longer had an appetite... What I needed was to punch something… so I beelined for the weight room.