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The sharp clicking of heels on tile echoed through the quiet hall. It comforted Emma in some twisted way; ever since the meteor had been destroyed, for real this time, silence has unnerved her just as much as music and singing did. It was far too quiet after.
She reached the end of the hall, a small shiver going through her as the sound stopped and she turned, walking towards the other end of the hall now just to create more sound. The physical therapist warned against her wearing heels, but she didn’t care, she doesn’t care if her leg was sore afterwards. As she made another pass across the hall, a small door opened to her left. Emma looked over at the sound, her heart hammering in her chest. God, she needed chill out. Or maybe she just needed some pot. She had started finally using after she found out it was legal nationwide and it helped her relax and fight the flashbacks.
It had been nearly a year since she had thrown that grenade off the roof to destroy the Infected, and a lot of things had changed since then. It was almost a distant memory, a nightmare. But the ache in her bad leg told her that what had happened was absolutely real, no matter what she did to block it out. Apparently, the US government had been on their way to Hatchetfield to obliterate the island when they saw the grenade blasts from the air. It had stopped them from sending the air strike and saved her life, and Melissa’s. The memory from afterward still haunted her.
The second the last grenade went off, all the Infected dropped like flies. It was nearly instantaneous, the world plunged into silence. No music, no singing, the only other noise she could hear was her own breathing and Melissa’s pained whimpers. She had landed on top of the Infected that had been holding her and managed to get to her feet. Emma ran over to her and held her close.
“It’s done, Mel, we did it.” The two women cried and held onto each other, not knowing what to do or where to go now that they’ve destroyed the Hive. The silence enveloped them as they stood together, her heart rate slowing as she buried her face into Melissa’s shoulder. They stood until Emma’s ankle couldn't take it anymore and buckled beneath her, sending both of them back onto the roof. They both flinched and held their respective injuries.
“We should find a way off this roof, A fire escape or-” before Melissa could finish her thought, a low rumbling sound started echoing off buildings, growing louder with each passing second. “What the fuck is that?!”
A helicopter, completely black, flew passed them overhead. The two women exchanged glances before Emma rose to her feet, ignoring the pain in her ankle as hope swelled in her chest. Was it really their luck that they could get off the island and back to civilization? That civilization even existed?
She began to wave her arms frantically over her head, moving as much as possible as the helicopter turned around, flying back to them. Melissa was crying with relief as the aircraft landed on the street and a group of uniformed soldiers flooded out to rescue them.
A small figure emerged through the doorway, her hair hanging around her shoulders in waves. Emma walked over to her, her heels clicking off time on the floor. The two embraced, holding each other tightly.
“So today’s the day?” Melissa pulled away from her, holding Emma’s shoulders lightly. “We actually get to see if it worked?”
“Well, I mean, we know it worked, we just get to see if it worked completely this time around.” Emma tugged at a loose strand of hair, than fidgeted with the lapels of her pantsuit. She had dressed as formally as she could, not knowing if today would be a day for mourning or celebration. Either way, black and white pantsuit fit the bill.
“Hey.” Melissa stilled Emma’s nervous hands by grabbing them with her own. “You know General Cunningham wouldn’t show us shit if she didn’t think it was going to be successful.”
Emma smiled lightly but nervously, nodding along to Melissa’s words. “I know, I trust her. I’m just scared of getting my hopes up.”
It had only been a few days since Emma and Melissa had been rescued. They were holed up in a hospital recovery room together and doctors and nurses enlisted in the forces were checking in on them every few hours or so. They had operated on Emma’s leg, fixing the injury as well as they could with the several months of damage done to it, and they had put Melissa’s arm in a cast. They sat and talked together, played cards and board games that a Private had snuck them. He told them a story about how he had been stuck in medical care after losing a foot in Iran and that playing board games with the nurses helped keep him sane. They all had a good cry and played a round of Monopoly together before his superior officer found him.
Emma was in the middle of a hot streak in their euchre game when a knock on the door interrupted them.
“May I come in?” A distinctly female voice called into the room. The woman was dressed in formal uniforms and stood at ease in the doorway.
“Might as well, I’m getting creamed.” Melissa threw her hand on the table sitting between them and Emma laughed.
“Ladies, I’d like to introduce myself as General Cunningham. I will be overseeing your stay here at our private facility as you recover from what has happened. I wanted to let you know that anything you’d think of asking for is at your disposal. We have therapists on hand for any and all trauma-related care, I can have them sent right to your room. Any food or drink you can think of will be delivered. In short, don’t hesitate to ask me or any of the staff here for anything.” Emma shot a worried look at Melissa. After their last experience with government, she wasn’t all that sure whether she could trust what she was hearing. General Cunningham sighed and entered the room, sitting in a chair between their beds. “Look, I know that your experience with government might not be the best of memories. From what I heard, you ran into some pretty awful people with PIEP. Before you ask, yes, I know about PIEP, and no, they were not right in away way to do what they did to you. They are not a very… friendly branch of our military. They deal with extra-terrestrial and the unknown and testing what and how they came to our planet; hospitality is not their first priority.”
“Fucking tell me about it.” Emma blurted out the thought and General Cunningham laughed.
“You’ve got spirit, good! And I want the both of you to trust me, so please, ask me anything about what you’ve been dealing with and I’ll answer, no protocol, no classified information, nothing.”
Emma and Melissa walked down the hall together, the downtown of Washington DC flashing by the windows they passed. It had been a shock to the both of them the first time they looked outside and realized where they were, and General Cunningham was quick to assure them that they and their project were perfectly safe. They reached the elevator in the middle of the hall and pressed the button signaling down. When they entered the elevator Melissa took one of Emma’s hands and squeezed it tightly. The doors closed and they began their descent.
“What did you want to show us so badly I had to leave the safety and comfort of my apartment at eleven am?” Emma was walking with General Cunningham through the large lecture hall style space used as a home base. Hundreds of soldiers were milling around or sitting at computers, running data and watching screens.
“Patience is a virtue Emma, you’ll find out when Melissa gets here.” The General continued walking out of the hall and into a smaller room. “I told her to meet us here after she finished her lunch.” A cheeky smile grew on Emma’s face.
“Oh! So you two are having lunch together now? When’s the baby coming?” She laughed as General Cunningham’s face grew a shade darker.
“Don’t test me, Perkins, Melissa and I are not involved romantically. We are friends and nothing more.” She smoothed out some wrinkles on her impeccable uniform as Emma browsed the military proposals that littered the tabletops in the room. They were basically nonsense to her but she found them fascinating nonetheless.
“Well, you better tell her that before she dies from waiting. You know her, she is not the one to make the first move. And she’s obsessed with you.” Emma glanced up at the General from what she thought were specs for a new aircraft carrier. “You should ask her out. Seriously.”
The General cleared her throat and stood at attention as Melissa walked in, her dark eyes saying ‘another time’. Emma smirked and greeted Melissa.
“Hey Em, hello Grace.” The former secretary spoke shyly, standing between the two other women. The General nodded with warmth in her expression before shutting the door.
“Alright, I’ve called you both here because we have had some updates on the progress of Op. HFCDEI568739 to clear the island of Hatchetfield and it’s relative city Clivesdale of any remaining Infected hosts.” Emma held her breath as the General continued speaking. Every time there was an update, she dreaded looking at the list of eliminated host bodies. Each list had at least one high school classmate, one theater friend, coworker, family member. The worst update was the day that the name ‘Henry Hidgens’ appeared. Emma had been inconsolable, she cried for a week. Eventually, Melissa encouraged her to go outside and walk around with her and General Cunningham. She wound up adopting a cat for the townhouse the two survivors shared. She named the grouchy old tomcat Hidgens; he warmed up to the two of them after a week and was the cuddliest cat Emma had ever owned.
“Most of the bodies have been disposed of, but on the latest sweep of the island, our eradication squad has found several host bodies to not only be completely healed as the rest of them had been, but alive. We found three bodies with a pulse and we have brought them in for examination. Now, Emma, I know that you had a sample of an antibody that PIEP was developing before their temporary base was destroyed, and we have been working on perfecting the dosage and properties in order to have a legitimate source of an Infection vaccination.”
“And what will that mean?” Emma was gripping Melissa’s hand for dear life, waiting for General Cunningham to explain herself.
“This means that if the antibody works, those recovered with a pulse can be cured and can re-enter society.”
“Who are the bodies you’ve recovered?” General Cunningham signaled for them to wait a moment as she pulled out a folded sheet of paper from her breast pocket. She unfolded the paper and read off the names.
“It appears we have recovered a Deborah Hannon, Greg Stevenson, and a Paul Matthews.”
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding and they walked hand in hand to the holding cells. Emma was nearly vibrating with excitement and nervousness. She knew the risks of coming to this testing; if it didn’t work, then the subjects would be stuck in quarantine for another few months as they redeveloped the antibody. They had been so close last time; the mutated blood cells were 87 percent eliminated. She had sat in on a meeting with top scientists for the government, and they all knew that the mutation in the cells had to be completely eliminated or it would all come back.
Emma shut the door tightly behind them once they reached the observation deck and gave a brief smile to General Cunningham. Melissa walked over to the general and kissed her on the cheek in greeting. She pecked Melissa’s cheek in return and cleared her throat.
“Good afternoon ladies, thank you for coming. This is the latest test of IAB, the antibody for the Infection of an alien parasite. This is version number 94, we will be testing it on all three subjects.” She leaned over to the microphone and flicked it on. “Alright Deb, Greg, Paul. You can go ahead and take the medication.” Emma closed her eyes as they took the pill, not wanting to see if any of their bodies fought back.
Four months. It had been four months since they were rescued, two and a half months since they had found Paul. Two and a half months since she knew he was alive and couldn’t see him. One month since he’d finally woken up from his coma like state. But today she’d get to see him, for the first time since he had been lying dead on the roof of the Starlight.
“I’m so glad your girlfriend runs this place.” Emma was walking as quickly as she could. Melissa stammered out something from behind her about how
‘Grace and I haven’t really put a label on it’ and hit her lightly with her arm, finally cast free. Emma laughed and threw open the door to an observation deck, overlooking three separate rooms with plexiglass ceilings and walls allowing for constant moderation. In the small rooms were a bed, a corner with a curtain that served as a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower, and a desk with a small slot that allowed for meals and medications to be pushed through. And currently, the inhabitants of the rooms were all up and pacing. Emma’s heart stopped when she laid her eyes on Paul. She felt her whole body go slack, and leaned against the wall to support herself.
“Paul…” her voice ached with longing and if she was the version of herself from before the Apotheosis she would’ve gagged.
“Would you like to talk to him, Emma?” General Cunningham was standing near a control panel that had a fast-food style microphone in the center. “He knows that you’re here observing today, he’s been asking about the both of you since he’s woken up.”
Emma had sat in on quite a few meetings with the scientists developing the newer versions of the dug she found at PIEP headquarters; they had requested she come in once a patrol had recovered her notes she had left around the Clivesdale hospital. They had kept her updated on the status of the recovered Infected and she knew that the spread of the Infection was no longer an issue, it was just the efforts to eradicate what was left in their systems.
“Yes, thank you General Cunningham.” She was breathless and a little shaky as she approached the mic, gripping the side of it to turn it on. “Paul?”
Tears welled in her eyes as she watched his head shoot up, looking through the ceiling to try and see to the observation deck. A wide grin was stretched across his face and she laughed, unable to help the smile that was on hers. “Emma! Emma, is that you?”
“Yeah, yeah I’m here. Paul I’m here.” She sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She could see Paul crying as well and she covered her mouth with her hand to try and keep quiet.
“God, Emma. I love you. I never said that before everything, but I love you.” His voice sounded like it was coming through an old radio, but his words came through.
She could feel a lump in her throat forming. “I love you too, Paul.” She finally looked away from him to look back at General Cunningham and Melissa. The secretary was a wreck, trying to hold back her crying and failing miserably. Even the General had gone a little misty eyed. “Melissa’s here too, we’re here Paul.”
“Melissa!” She had never heard Paul talk and cry at the same time before, and it was breaking Emma down. She pulled away from the mic and held Melissa, the two women sharing their happiness and tears together. The secretary was cradling Emma to her chest, running her fingers through her hair as the General stepped up to the mic.
She turned to them before speaking, a few strands of her natural hair falling out of it’s bun. “This is going to get rough ladies, if you don’t want to stay, I’m not stopping you.”
“We want to be here, Grace.” Melissa spoke from over Emma’s head and the former barista turned to face the containment rooms again. “We need to be here for Paul.”
“I had a feeling you were going to say that.” She turned on the mic. “Alright, This is the latest test of IAB, the antibody for the Infection of an alien parasite. This is version number 67, we will be testing it on all three subjects. Deb, Greg, Paul, you can go ahead and take the medication.”
Emma watched as all three of them took the small pill sitting on their desks. Paul swallowed his and sat on his bed, almost like he was bracing for something. The other two did the same and for a few moments there was nothing but silence as everyone waited for something to happen.
“What’s -” Emma barely got a word in before Paul began to convulse on his bed. It was like he was having a seizure, and Melissa held on to her tighter as blue foam began to come out of his mouth.
“All subjects are fighting against the IAB, test results inconclusive.” One of the other people in the observation deck took notes as General Cunningham spoke her observations aloud. “Infection-laced fluid still leaking from the face, and-” Emma could feel the temperature in the room drop as the General turned sharply to an operative. “Get Perkins and Perri out of here now.”
“What?!” They spoke in unison, shock coloring their tone. The operative, along with one of the soldiers sitting taking notes, stood and began to usher them out of the observation deck.
“What the fuck is this!? General Cunningham?” Emma was pushing back, trying desperately to stay in the room. She had just gotten back to Paul, and she did not want to leave him again.
The door slammed shut in their faces at the moment Paul’s singing began.
“There appears to be no sign of fighting back from the Infection, send in the blood tests to check for platelet purity.”
Emma opened her eyes and watched people in hazmat suits walk into the containment rooms with small devices that mimicked the look of a blood sugar level tester. She had to look away as they drew blood from Paul’s finger; the last time she had looked it was a vibrant magenta instead of crimson and she had had nightmares not even Hidgens’ cuddling could keep away.
“Getting the results of the tests…” General Cunningham looked down at her own device that was connected to the ones taking the samples. “Deborah Hannon at 96%” Emma felt her heart sink. Deb was young and her percentage clean was usually the highest. She could hear the defeated sighs of the operatives around her. “Greg Stevenson at 91%, and Paul Matthews at…” She watched General Cunningham’s face change from defeated to surprised then a complete mask. “Paul Matthews at 100%, confirmed by two more samples taken from other locations.”
Emma couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Paul’s at one hundred?” The General looked up at her with pride.
“Paul’s at one hundred.”
“Get me to him.” She followed her own command, pushing past empty chairs and celebrating scientists to get to the far door leading down into the containment units. From the corner of her eye she could see Melissa and General Cunningham sharing a kiss among the crowd of cheering workers, and then everything cut off as the door slammed behind her. She knew walking down grated steps in her heels was a bad idea, so she took them off and flew down the flight of stairs, the metal clanging with how quickly she moved.
The hit the concrete floor of the observation space and her leg nearly gave out on her. Emma threw her shoes behind her towards the staircase, trying to move as quickly as possible in her pantsuit. The people in hazmat suits were patting each other on the back as they took them off, shouting a congratulations to Emma as she ran past. Her mind flickered to think of Deb and Greg for a moment, people who still had months to go, before thinking ‘fuck that’. She could celebrate for them when they get clean.
Her hands hit the plexiglass door to Paul’s room and yanked on the handle, trying to pry it open through sheer force of will. Paul had appeared on the other side and she finally managed to get it open. The door flung open and she crashed into his arms, clutching at his back with hands that didn’t want to stop moving. She had to memorize every part of him now. She could hear him muttering her name, just her name over and over as he returned the hug with even more ferocity than her, running his fingers through her hair and holding the small of her back. She breathed him in, smelling like a hospital room and generic body wash and something else so distinctly Paul.
“Emma, I’m clean.” He whispered in her ear and she laughed, pulling herself away from the warmth of his chest and the steady drumbeat of his heart against her ear.
“Kiss me.” She looked up at him and she felt peace, something she hadn’t felt since Guatemala. She now understood what she was looking for all those years she had spent traveling aimlessly. She was looking for him. “Kiss me, Paul.”
And he did. After all, it was Inevitable.