The Life Beyond (6 page)

Dust storms whirled in intricate patterns. Beautiful to watch. Much better than broken-down cars, run-down houses or animal carcasses. An image of Bobby as nothing but a carcass crept into my head. I pressed my lips together, swallowing a sob.

A group of coyotes lay in the shade of a broken truck. They jumped up when they saw the car approaching and scattered.

“Only a few more miles,” Tyler warned.

I sat up and stared out of the window, until I saw what we’d been looking for.

A high wall towered over its surroundings. I had only half believed it was real until now. But there it was; as far as I could see, stretching to the right and the left. The fence. It was at least seven feet high, topped with barb wire and metal thorns. Below, two rows of razor wire ran along the main fence.

“Don’t get too close. We should stay out of the camera’s range,” Tyler said, his voice shaky.

Joshua slowed the Mustang and parked a good distance from the fence.

“Let’s get out. But be careful.” he said, taking my hand in his.

As we moved closer, the fence was even more imposing, I bet it could be seen from space, like the Great Wall of China. Only this was made from steel and skeletons.

Bodies – so many of them – hung off the wire, their rags swaying in the wind like scarecrows. Smaller animals – jackrabbits maybe – had got entangled in the wires, bodies spiked by the sharp-edged metal plates. The scent of death – sweet and heavy – hung in the air.

Tyler took the camcorder from Joshua, who was now still, staring at the horrors before us. I guessed it was easier for Tyler to stay calm – he’d already seen it before.

Sunlight reflected off the steel, dazzling us. The bodies that hadn’t decayed to skeletons showed horrible burns. A soft buzz came from the fence – it was electric. Cameras were attached to the poles every few feet, keeping watch over their surroundings.

And then I spotted the Lincoln a few hundred feet to our left.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was running, the hot air burning in my lungs. The others were behind me, their steps pounding on the dry earth. The car was littered with gunholes, the tires were flat, the windows broken and smoke rose from under the hood.

Joshua stormed past me and ripped at the driver’s door. It opened with a screech. I stumbled after him but he stepped in my way, blocking the Lincoln from my view. I shook off his grip and looked inside the car.

The grey material of the driver’s seat was drenched with blood. But there wasn’t a body. My vision swam and I stumbled back, my legs giving way. Joshua caught me and pressed me against his chest. I heard Rachel crying and voices picked up but my ears were filled with whooshing. It felt like someone was clawing at my insides, tearing them to shreds.

I shook free of Joshua’s hold and stumbled toward the fence. “I hate you!”

“Sherry, stop it!” Joshua’s voice was harsh and his fingers dug into my upper arms. A buzzing set my teeth on edge. “Spring guns,” he said, nodding toward the bottom of the fence. I followed his gaze. Bones littered the ground, some bleached white by the sun, others still covered with flesh. Thigh bones, skulls, sternums.

I’d thought Weepers were the worst thing in this world. But I realized I was wrong. Humans, the people who were responsible for this, were the real monsters. Worse, because they hadn’t lost their conscience and humanity.

At once, every camera in range zoomed in on us. The air seemed to buzz with static as if they’d upped the current to the fence. It raised the little hairs on my arms.

“They know we’re here,” Tyler said, his eyes wide with fear.

“Come on,” Joshua said. Rachel and Tyler were almost back at the car.

It was then that I saw it. Just before the fence was one of Bobby’s shoes, dented in the front where Bobby’s toe had been pushing against the fake leather because his feet had grown too much. It was soaked in blood.

And I knew in that moment that my brother was dead.

Chapter 5

“That’s the tunnel?” Joshua knelt in front of an opening that could have been the entrance to a fox’s den. Shrubs surrounded it and hid it from curious eyes. “Do you know who dug it?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe other escapees from the labs?” Tyler said.

Joshua sank down on the hot ground. “It looks like it’ll bury us alive.”

I swallowed.

Tyler crouched beside Joshua. “It’s supposed to look inconspicuous. We’ll just have to remove the earth from the entrance. The tunnel itself should be intact.” I could hear the uncertainty in his tone.

“How long is it?” I asked, looking toward the fence. It was nothing but a blurry wall in the distance. I struggled to push away the image of the gun holes in the Lincoln and Bobby’s bloody shoe that flickered persistently in my head. First dad, now Bobby.

I sucked in a breath and banished those thoughts. We had to save Dad and bring down the bastards who’d killed Bobby. That was all that mattered now.

“About a half mile. The openings of the tunnel are out of camera range,” Tyler said.

A half mile crawling through a narrow tunnel? I shivered.

Joshua and Tyler began removing the dried earth from the entrance and slowly the expanse of the tunnel became clear. It wasn’t as small as it had seemed at first.

“Pass me the flashlight,” Tyler said, his upper body already inside the tunnel.

Rachel rummaged in the backpack. Her fingers jerked and the flashlight dropped to the ground. For a moment she looked at her hand as if she’d never seen it. With a trembling arm, she reached for the flashlight. She tried grabbing it but her fingers refused to close around the handle. She reminded me of Grandpa after his stroke, when his limbs stopped obeying him.

Rachel’s face scrunched up with despair.

I grabbed the flashlight and handed it to Tyler. He took it but his eyes were on Rachel, who cradled her left hand against her chest.

The silence expanded.

“Maybe Rachel and Tyler should return to Santa Barbara. They can take the Mustang. We don’t need it,” I said.

“But you’ll need it for when you come back,” Tyler said. “You can’t get back to Safe-haven on foot.”

Rachel looked embarrassed. “I’m okay. I think the pills are working.”

Joshua and I exchanged a look. I wished it was true but Rachel looked deathly pale again.

“So it’s decided,” Tyler said curtly like he wanted the topic to be over fast. He shone the beam of the flashlight into the darkness of the tunnel. There was nothing but black and no end in sight.

“Isn’t there another way to get over the fence?” Rachel asked, gnawing on her lower lip.

“No, it’s the safest way.” Tyler stood and touched her shoulder. A look passed between them.

I dropped my eyes and watched my fingers as they traced patterns in the dust-dry earth. Joshua handed me a bottle with the same concerned look he’d worn since we found the Lincoln. I gulped down some water. It cooled my burning throat.

We can still go back to Santa Barbara. Everyone would understand,” Joshua said, his hand on my arm.

“No.” I looked at him, my gaze fixed and determined. He knew that I’d never give up – not as long as there was a chance we could save Dad. And we had to put a stop to all the killing and violence. I knew I could not rest until we had brought down the people responsible for the virus; for the fence. I made up my mind right then that Bobby’s death would not be in vain.

Joshua got to his feet and hesitated. “Okay, so I guess we don’t have a choice. Let’s get started.”

We fetched the remaining water bottles from the Mustang, one for each of us and fastened them to our waistbands. We’d decided against letting one of us carry them in a backpack – in case that person got buried under a ton of earth. If I was going to get through this, then I had to ignore the fact that I was terrified. I didn’t like narrow spaces; I’d always preferred taking the stairs instead of an elevator. If we got stuck in the tunnel and it caved in, we’d suffocate. I could almost feel the dry earth clogging my throat, making me gag and depriving my lungs of oxygen …

Tyler took another swig from his bottle before he handed it to Rachel. She lifted it to her lips and then something strange happened. I watched the water enter her mouth and the muscles in her throat work without success. She couldn’t swallow. With a sound between a sob and a cough, she spat the water out and handed the bottle back to Tyler.

Joshua was watching her with a frown. “We should hurry,” he said. “The sooner we get through to the other side the sooner we can find Rachel some medical help.”

We all crouched in front of the hole and again Rachel’s left hand gave way and her other arm had to support her weight. A coil tightened around my stomach. Was Rachel strong enough to go with us?

Tyler went first, a flashlight in his hand. The glow caught on roots dangling like skeleton-fingers into the tunnel, throwing their spidery shadows at the ground, but it was still too dim to see very far.

Rachel followed Tyler, her left arm pressed against her chest while she used the right one to push forward. I hesitated at the entrance, my eyes trying to adjust to the darkness now that Rachel’s and Tyler’s bodies blocked most of the flashlight’s beam.

I crawled inside and something scrabbled over my left hand, tiny legs sending a shudder through my body. I snatched my hand away. The scent was stale and earthy. The first few feet were steep. My forearms and knees started hurting and my back was screaming at me to straighten. The only sound was our panting.

The further we moved into the tunnel, the stuffier it got. White dots danced before my eyes and I paused, taking deep, yet useless breaths.

“What’s wrong?” Joshua’s voice was muffled. The earth around us seemed to soak up any sound.

“Nothing, it’s just difficult to breathe,” I said.

Tyler and Rachel stopped. I could only make out their outlines but the soft rustling of their clothes and the scraping ceased. Dirt was falling into my eyes, so I closed them, since I could hardly see anything. I felt my way forward, trying not to focus on the way my chest heaved with every breath I took, how my elbows and knees rubbed raw on the tiny pebbles.

My head collided with something hard.

I realized I must have run into Rachel. She didn’t make a sound and I tried to see if she was okay but it was too dark. “Rachel?” I asked in a whisper.

Tyler pointed the flashlight in her direction.

Her back was bent, her arms wrapped around her middle. She wasn’t moving.

“Rachel?” I touched her shoulder and she turned to me, her eyes wide and frightened. Her skin was slick with sweat and she was shivering. She looked like she was having some kind of anxiety attack.

“I feel sick.” She closed her eyes and swallowed. “And dizzy.”

Tyler stroked her back. “Take a few deep breaths. It’ll be okay. I’m here for you.”

Just then, a soft buzz carried down to us. The fence – we were below it.

We moved on but our progress was slower than before as Rachel paused now and then to catch her breath. Her left hand was twitching.

Suddenly a few cursewords from Tyler ahead made me freeze.

“What’s the matter?” Joshua called from his place at the back.

“A part of the tunnel’s caved in,” Tyler replied. “We have to clear some earth.”

God, how were we supposed to do that? There was barely room to move.

Rachel’s breathing hitched. I hoped she was going to make it.

We couldn’t work beside each other because the tunnel was too narrow, so in the end Tyler had to do most of the work. Laboriously, he shifted the earth to the side. Rachel then moved it toward me and I moved it to Joshua.

63 minutes until the passage was free of debris.

88 minutes since we entered the tunnel.

5,280 seconds of endless darkness.

In the distance a beam of light alerted us to the end of the tunnel. Eager to get out of the dark, we all crawled faster.

Rachel and Tyler disappeared into the light, which seemed to scorch my eyeballs with its brightness. I squeezed my eyes shut and collapsed on the hot ground. Within seconds the mud covering my clothes and skin dried. It felt like my skin was a size too small. I opened my eyes, blinking against the stabbing pain. I thought being beyond the fence would feel different but it didn’t. Dried bushes stood on the parched earth before us. The buzz of the fence was like a distant tingling under our skin.

“We need to find a place to stop,” Tyler said. “We shouldn’t be wandering around. They might send helicopters out. We should hide until dark.” Tyler’s gaze found Rachel who lay on the ground, eyes closed and skin sickly pale beneath the layer of mud.

“Let’s move over there,” Joshua said, gesturing toward a small patch of waist-high shrubs. Their half-dried leaves gave us little shelter. We waited until dusk turned our surroundings a murky grey before we set out to search for a place to wash the grime off and find something to eat. Our water bottles were almost empty – though Rachel had refused to drink – and the growls of our stomachs could be heard over the chirping of the crickets.

Suddenly, a buzz sounded in the sky. A helicopter! We dashed for cover under a bush, its thorns scraping my face and arms. The buzzing got louder as the copter approached and with it the pounding in my ears. Last time a helicopter had flown over us we’d been excited, but now there was only dread.

Tyler’s knees were pressed against my lower back and Rachel’s head rested on my shoulder. Their body heat made me feel like I was going to combust.

As the whirring of the blades faded, Joshua peeked out of the bush, searching the sky. “The helicopters are leaving.” He stood. “It’s okay.”

I patted my clothes, sending sprinklings of dried mud flying.

“Are you sure we’re heading in the right direction?” Joshua asked.

Tyler scanned our surroundings. There was nothing to help him get his bearings; bushes, dried earth, and the never ending sky. Nothing else for miles. “I — I’m not sure,” he said as he helped Rachel up.

“I can’t —” She gasped and she sank to her knees. Tyler tried to lift her to her feet but she hung limply in his grasp.

I touched her forehead and flinched from the heat of her skin. She was burning up. “We need to stop.”

“But there’s nowhere we can hide.” Joshua looked around. There was nothing here except for shrubs, parched trees and a burnt down house. Joshua’s eyes met mine and the look in them twisted my insides.

Tyler propped Rachel’s head up on his lap, wiping away the sweat and dirt from her face with his sleeves. She opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. They deserved some privacy.

“We should look for something to eat,” I said to Joshua, taking his hand. My voice caught in my throat but I covered it with a cough.

“What’s happening to her?” I asked when we were out of earshot. Joshua’s fingers tensed around mine, and the moonlight illuminated the hard lines of his face. “It’s the rabies, right?”

“I guess. She must have been infected during her captivity like your dad. I’ve watched so many people die. I just can’t stand it any more.” He stopped and pulled me against him. I buried my face in the crook of his neck. He was shaking, the cracks starting to show in the tough face he presented to the world. Seeing Joshua afraid scared me to my core.

“She’ll turn or die,” said Joshua bitterly. “There’s no other option. Either way, we’re going to lose Rachel.” The thought was too terrible for me to take in.

“Not if we can find the cure,” I said. There was so little hope but I couldn’t stop clinging to it. I had to – I felt already like I was balancing on the edge of despair.

I tightened my hold on Joshua. I didn’t want to believe him, but I knew he was right. Almost all the people he’d found during his hunts and brought to Safe-haven had either died or turned.

A rustling in the shrubs a short distance away caught our attention and we pulled apart. A fox! Before it could run, Joshua had pulled his gun and shot it.

Sometimes death was a cruel creeping process and sometimes it happened in the blink of an eye. In a sense the fox was lucky. Luckier than Rachel anyway.

Joshua picked the lifeless creature up and we returned to Tyler and Rachel. She was lying in his arms, her eyes closed.

Tyler’s face looked strangely apathetic. “She fell asleep a few minutes ago,” he whispered.

Joshua started a fire and skinned the fox, his movements steady and skilled as he focused on the task at hand. In time, he handed me a piece of roasted meat. Every bite seemed to stick in my throat. I was past hunger but I ate anyway, while Rachel still slept.

Suddenly, her face scrunched up and she began to writhe and whimper. Tyler put down his food and crawled toward her. The moment he touched her cheek, she woke up with a start, her eyes wide. Rachel gazed at Tyler with so much longing and sadness that I had no doubt she knew she wouldn’t return with us to Santa Barbara. Slowly she reached up and touched his cheek, and he leaned into her palm.

I was scared to fall asleep, afraid Rachel would be gone by the time I woke, but tiredness dragged me down.

“Get some rest. I’ll stay awake to keep an eye on Rachel,” Joshua whispered. He extinguished the fire with dirt and took his place beside me. I held him, my ear pressed to his chest as I listened to the reassuring thud-thud of his heart.

A strange sound –like a gurgled cry – jolted me awake.

Tyler’s face, twisted with panic, came into focus. Tears glistened on his face, silver in the moonlight. Joshua was on his feet before I realized what was happening.

I stumbled to my feet and my body went cold.

Rachel was on the ground, thrashing and kicking as though she was fighting an invisible opponent. Joshua and Tyler went and pinned her arms and legs down, but she kept bucking her hips and back. Wetness pooled out of her eyes and for a terrible moment I was sure it was the puss-like liquid Weepers were known for. Then I realized they were tears.

She was crying and fighting, caught in a horrible nightmare. Her eyes were open. She saw something we didn’t. Hallucinations - a symptom of rabies.