Find Me (Life After the Outbreak, Book 2) (2 page)

By the time I got back to housing, the exhaustion of the day started to hit me. Training with Janet was three hours with the group before lunch and an additional three hours one-on-one after. I couldn't deny that I was getting stronger, and even though I was a good aim before, both with a gun as well as the bow, I had gotten much better. The only problem was, I was too tired to do anything else. By the time the day was over, I was so wiped that I could fall asleep standing.

Janet had me approved to carry weapons around base finally, so at least I didn't have to go check everything like a child anymore. I was the only one in my group with that clearance, and it only added to the other girls resentment of me. That, combined with the fact Janet worked with me one-on-one and that she always called me out to use as an example on how to properly execute a move or stance, only added to their belief that I got special treatment. And really, they were right.
 

I should be grateful for all the extra time Janet was putting in with me. She didn't have to do the one-on-ones with me. She was doing them to get me ready faster so I could be with Will. It really showed just how far her and I had come. I was going to have to find some way to show her that I really did appreciate it.

Standing on the landing that led to the hall of rooms were two of the girls from my training group. Usually there were three or four of them hanging around laughing and talking. It was like being back in high school, except I was no longer part of the group. Back then, I had been one of the semi-popular girls. I wasn't head of the cheerleading squad or anything, but my budding relationship with Zach, the school’s star athlete, certainly bumped me up a few notches.

Every day was the same. They made comments when I passed, or did their best to
accidentally
trip me, never letting me miss the sneers and laughs behind my back. They made sure I knew I wasn’t wanted around them and made almost daily threats of the day one of them would prove I was nothing more than Janet’s bitch. No skills, no strength, I just got by because of my connections.

The girl on the left, Debbie, a short redhead with a fiery attitude that could make Janet look warm and cuddly in comparison, looked over me and laughed. The other one, Donna, a plain looking brunette with pale skin and sagging eyes, took a step forward and put her hand on her hip.

"Well, look who it is, Deb. The teacher's pet."

Debbie tossed her hair behind her and laughed. "Hey, Andi, how was your alone time with the teacher? She show you her
special moves
?"

They turned toward each other and laughed. I'd never been the target of bullying before coming to the base, and I wasn't quite sure the best way to handle it. In school they taught us to ignore bullies, to just walk away, but everything inside me told me to knock them on their asses.
 

"I think she's gone mute, Deb." Donna took another step toward me. "Is that what happened? You forget how to talk?"

Both girls were older than me, and it seemed ridiculous they were trying to intimidate me like school girls. I didn't know about taking on two of them, but I knew I had the skills to kick the shit out of each of them individually. That extra training they resented me for was just the thing that could shut them up.

Donna took another step and tilted her head up on one side. The side of her mouth curled up, and I knew she thought I was afraid of her. She swatted my braid off my shoulder. "I guess that's it, then."

I knew fighting would bring punishment, but at that point, I no longer cared. Just as Donna went to turn back to Debbie with her mouth open to speak, I pulled back and punched her in the side of the face. Blood splattered out of her mouth and dripped on to the floor. She stumbled forward. Shock registered on her face.

I knew I should have hit her harder, knocked her down at least, but I hoped that it would be enough to get them to back off.
 

Debbie grabbed Donna's arm, keeping her steady. "What the
hell
, Andi?" She narrowed her eyes and pushed her lips hard together. She was about to pounce.

The lights flickered, and a loud siren blared from the speakers on each end of the hall echoing throughout the building. The sound meant everyone needed to immediately gather in set groups outside. It was a system to alert of danger or some other kind of emergency. Of course, it was probably just a drill. We had at least ten of them in the month since we arrived at the base, and they occurred at all hours of the day and night.
 

The girls gathered their bags off the floor and turned to head down to the meeting place by the fountain where we were required to go during drills. "This isn't over, Sheppard," Debbie called over her shoulder before trotting downstairs.

I rolled my eyes at her. I had no illusions they would leave me alone. It had only been a matter of time from the first day I met those two. I was surprised it took as long as it did. I hadn't planned on being the one to cross the line and make it physical, but I had enough of their shit.
 

After waiting for the bitch twins to reach the door below, I picked up the pack I carried everywhere and slung it over my shoulder. I headed down the stairs and hurried over to check in. Donna spit a wad of blood near my feet and glared at me before walking away to meet up with the other girls in our training group.

Following regulations was mandatory for every person outside the infirmary. Names were checked off, and those found in violation were punished with extra chores and loss of social credits. Neither bothered me, but I followed them nonetheless. Janet would not have approved of me getting in trouble, and I was doing my best to stay on her good side.

Hadley came up behind me and tapped me on the arm. "What's with the death glares?" She nodded her head in the direction of the group, who must have heard the story by then because they were all staring me down like I was their prey.
 

"I guess I got tired of their shit."

Hadley took my hand and pulled me over to a picnic bench to wait out the rest of the drill. "Oh!" Her eyes widened, then a devious smile spread across her mouth. "I would have liked to see that."
 

I looked back at the group of girls. One was holding a cloth up to Donna's mouth for the last drops of blood. Debbie was still staring at me with her hands bunched into fists at her sides. I had a bad feeling that next time, there might be more than two of them to worry about.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you will have another opportunity."

"You wanna tell me what the hell happened?" Janet sat on top of her desk and glared at me.
 

"Not really, but thanks for asking."

She closed her eyes for a few seconds before speaking. "This is not the day to screw with me, Andi."

Will stood in the corner and leaned against the wall. His look told me I was on my own with that one.

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Sorry. I'm just tired of their shit. They all hate me. They give me shit every damn day after training. You had to know it was only a matter of time."

"Can't say you're wrong there. I did hope that you'd find a way to work things out."

"There is no working things out. They think they are back in high school, and I'm so not part of their clique.”

"That's funny, because you’re the one who socked that girl in the face."

She had a point.

"I know. I shouldn't have hit her, but someone was getting hit, and didn’t you teach me that the element of surprise was the best weapon?” I raised one eyebrow at her and hoped she appreciated the irony.

She didn't.

"Against an enemy, not your own training group." She took a breath and held onto her last shred of patience. "What's gotten into you? You're never going to get sent out on mission with Will if you keep this shit up."

I looked over at Will, hoping for some backup, understanding, or something. He shrugged and looked down at his feet.

Janet hopped off the desk and walked over to the window to stare out in silence.

"I'm sorry." I stared down at the floor. She was right. If Captain Riggs found out I was behaving that way, he would never send me out. I'd be stuck there on my own worrying about Will for every mission.

"You'll have to apologize."

"You can't make—"

"Not another word." Her voice was hard, the way she sounded when she first met me. "You
will
apologize to Donna in front of the group tomorrow. In addition, you can report to Nurse Sue at the infirmary for extra help this week. She's been looking for someone since Crystal got sick."
 

She waved her hand at me, and I knew that was the end of it. It could have been worse. Fighting usually carried a steeper punishment on the base. I only got off easy because of my relationship with Janet, but I had a feeling she wasn't going to overlook anymore fighting.
 

I left her office without another word. Pushing my luck seemed like a bad idea. I started for the infirmary to see about the extra duties. There were worse things I could have gotten stuck with. Playing nurse's helper didn't seem too awful.

Will followed me out and grabbed my arm to keep me from getting too far ahead. “Hey, hold up.”

“Thanks for having my back in there.”

“Andi, come on. What did you expect me to say? You did hit the girl. You knew there would be punishment for that. You’re lucky you got off so easy.”

“That’s not the point, Will.”

“Then what is the point?”

“You’re supposed to be on my side. You know those girls give me shit every damned day. Am I supposed to just take it? Let them push me around?”

“No.” He pulled me to a stop and closed his arms around my waist. “I think you should have knocked the bitch out. But that’s me talking as your boyfriend, not your superior officer.” He slid my hair behind my ear and lifted my chin up to look at him. “I will always have your back. And so does Janet. Do you know how much
more
shit they’d give you if you didn’t get punished for that? She already shows you favoritism. How far over the line do you think she can cross before it gets noticed?”

He pulled me closer, his warmth against me, taking my breath. Any thoughts of anger disappeared, replaced by a strong need for him. My feelings both scared and excited me and I went back and forth between wanting more, and thinking it was too much. He brought his lips down on mine and any uncertainty I was feeling melted away.

“Feel better?” He smiled as my eyelids fluttered open.

All I could do was nod. All higher-order functioning in my brain was at a standstill every time he kissed me.

He ran his hand over my shoulder and down my arm, leaving goosebumps in a trail behind. “I was thinking maybe later we could go for a walk or something. I’ve hardly seen you in weeks.”

“You see me every night you’re not on a mission.”

“Which isn’t a lot and in case you haven’t noticed, you are usually unconscious by the time I get off shift.”

“Thank Janet for that.”

Will laughed. “I’ve seen you girls up on that hill. I wouldn’t wanna do her training.”

“And you’re approved for missions, while I continue to train. Life is unfair.”

“Hey, I had my share of training. This isn’t my first rodeo ya know.”

I sighed. “I know. It’s just frustrating to be left behind while you’re out there. I thought we would have more time together.”

“We have tonight. I’ll be home early, and we can make up for lost time. Now, I gotta get back before they make me stay late.” He kissed me one last time and left.

Nurse Sue was a tiny little thing, barely five foot tall with cropped chestnut hair and matching dark eyes. Despite her small size, she was not the kind of person you messed with. She was hardened from a difficult life and demanded things be done the way she wanted them done. She kept a room at the infirmary and was almost never away from work. She lost her husband and children in the first days of the outbreak and work became her life.

I waited to approach her until she finished taking vitals on an older man missing half of one leg.

"I was sent here to help out this week." I kept my voice quiet, to avoid disturbing any of the ill.

She looked over me and huffed. "So I heard."
 

She reached into a cabinet and pulled down a pair of pink scrubs to throw at me. "You'll want to wear these just in case anyone pukes or bleeds on you."

I looked down at the scrubs and wondered what I had gotten myself into. Maybe I shouldn’t have hit Donna.

Nah, it was totally worth it.

"Go on then. Stop staring like an idiot and get changed." She swatted the air in my direction.

I went around the corner to the bathroom and hurried into the clothes. I was determined to stay out of trouble and make it to training level two so I could go out on mission. Even if that did mean apologizing to that lousy bitch, Donna.
 

Nurse Sue sat with her eyes closed and her head back at an oversized desk that seemed to swallow her up. Her short legs were propped up on an overturned milk crate. She looked exhausted. The last thing I wanted to do was interrupt her, but I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.