Chapter 20: 20

We approached the two-gated compound now as I stopped before it to scan around. The nearest gate to us is much wider than the one next to it. If you walk inside that gate, there will be a house in front of you with two windows and you’ll see the small gate that connects the two on the right side. On the left side, you will see a walkway but you can’t see where it leads from where we stand, but the door to the house in front of us is located at that walkway.

Surprisingly, the gate in front of us is not locked by anything. I carefully opened it and slowly crept to the small gate to lock it with the bolt attached to it. This time I made Jared and Kaley stand guard on the gate while we three proceed to the walkway. I peeked while hugging the wall and I saw the door to this place a few feet away from the walkway and at the end of it, another door can be seen though it has another passage leading to the right. Before we even took a step, a man’s voice rang out.

“Who’s there?! Are you Ivan?!” the man said.

The group looked at me and I replied to the voice.

“No, this is Sky, a few gates back.” I said.

“Sky? What are you doing here? I thought everyone was at the camps. Have you seen Ivan?” he said.

“Is this Derek? We stayed at our compound. We’re patrolling here to check on other people. We haven’t seen Ivan though, sorry. Can you let us in?” I replied.

“Yeah, this is Derek, wait a few, I’ll come down.” Derek said.

A few moments we heard a few locks clicking and the door opened for us. Derek has a surprised look when he laid his eyes on us. “Come in, my family and Ivan’s family are in here.” he said. I come in and saw a few more people though one woman is carrying a baby.

“Where did Ivan go?” I said to them.

“He went out yesterday afternoon after the broadcast to grab their baby some fever medicine, he told us to not leave this house but he never came back since.” Derek said. The woman carrying the baby is visibly upset as he told the story.

“Since yesterday? Could he have come to the DDR camps?” I said.

“No, he wouldn’t, his wife Clara is still here with his child.” Derek said.

“What I mean is he could’ve come to that place to get some? Mark, can you switch with Kaley for a minute? She could check the baby” I said.

“You got a doctor with you? Please check him! We’re pretty low on medicine, the one the doctor prescribed us won’t work and he’s been restless since yesterday!” Clara said.

As Mark was switching with Kaley, I glanced at Derek’s family, he has an older daughter who’s probably 18-ish and a son who’s probably 10-ish. Derek and his wife seem to be the same age as I looked at them. I then looked at Clara while she’s still lulling the baby while she’s swaying back and forth, I noticed the baby covered from head to toe. I was about to say that doing that would only make the fever worse but I saw the baby’s foot leave the covers.

From this distance, I could only see the foot up to the thigh.

“F.U.C.K!” I shouted in my mind.

As Kaley arrived, I placed a hand in front of her to stop her.

“Wait.” I said sternly as I look at her.

“Why? That baby is having a fever since yesterday Sky!” Kaley looked at me.

“Please! Check on him! We don’t know what’s wrong!” Clara bellowed.

“What are you doing Sky! Do you want payment?! It’s a baby for christ sake!” Derek shouted.

I looked at them dead in the eye and I held Kaley’s wrist tightly and said, “Remove the covers first.”

A wave of cold air hits the room as I said the words.

“Wait, What?!” Julie, Derek’s wife said.

“What’s going on Sky?” Kaley said.

Clara just started sobbing uncontrollably as her knees touched the ground. Kaley gave me a look of confusion then it slowly turns to realization as the covers slowly fell to the ground.

The baby is very discolored, black lines are all over its body, its body is twitching on different directions as it moves it’s jaws up and down. Clara just sat there holding the baby while giving a pleading look.

“Please! Help him!” Clara shouted.

I noticed a dark-red mark on her chest as she lifts the baby towards us. Derek also came to the realization and he moved her family away from Clara. Tears now starts to fall on Clara’s and Julia’s eyes.

“How long! Clara, How long?!” Derek bellowed. “We could’ve been infected! Is that why you’ve locked yourself up in the room?! You should’ve told us!” Derek’s wife moved his kids outside of the house towards Jared and Mark.

“F.u.c.k! Is there anything we can do?” Derek turned to me.

I shook my head and drew my weapon.

“Oh my god! Sky! You aren’t!” Kaley shouted as she looked at me.

Derek hung his head low and seemed unable to do anything, Dong was silent the whole time but his hands are trembling. Kaley didn’t stop me but tears are now flowing on her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, this is the only way to do it. Finding a cure now is just impossible, it could take a few years. What can we do now is… contain it.” I said.

“No! Please! He’s just a baby!” Clara pleaded.

I gave a bitter smile and I said to myself, “If only that was the case…”

“I’m talking about… the both of you… it’s only a matter of time.” I said.

“Hold on wait! What do you mean?!” Derek stared at me with a look of confusion the same as everyone else present.

Kaley looked at Clara’s clothes near the chest area and she understood. “She’s i-infected too, She must’ve been b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding, the baby must’ve bitten her while she’s nursing him.” Kaley said bitterly.

Julia seems to have heard the conversation as she almost fell on the ground, Derek saw her wife and went after her.

“What do we do now?” Dong mentioned as she looked at me and Kaley.

“I’ll handle it. It’s the right thing to do. Kaley, go to them first.” I said.

I went inside the house as I close the door behind me. I just see Clara in a fetal position while holding the baby in her arms crying. I just whispered to them, “I’m sorry.”

*shhck*

Then I stabbed the blade at Clara’s head. She slowly fell to the side as her baby was still clutched in her arms. Tears were flowing on the side of her face and her expression is of bitterness and anger.

I saw her baby struggling to get out of the embrace but I raised the blade once again to stab down.

*shhck*

The slow flail immediately stopped as I pull the blade from the baby’s head. I felt a familiar sensation, like something leaving your body but it feels heavier.

I grabbed a blanket to cover the two and I also used it to wipe the blood on the blade. I saw Derek’s family crying outside the gates while Kaley comforted them. I motioned for Derek and his wife to gather their things and come to our place where it’s safer. They agreed immediately as he asks her wife to help him pack. Julia saw the covers and she started crying again. I asked for Dong and Mark to wait for them while Kaley and Jared came with me to the door at the end of the walkway.

“Are you ok?” Kaley stopped me before we started walking. She grabbed my shoulder as she looked at me in the eye.

“That’s… different, I’m still okay though. Thanks for asking.” I said as I walked forward.

I looked at the right side of the passage first and it turns out to be a place where the family who lived here places their shoes and umbrellas. The search went smoothly and I marked the doors appropriately and I said to everyone to stop for now. It’s been a few hours and It’s past 11:00. Everyone agreed as we all walked back towards the compound. We also moved the bodies from that house to the place we burn them and took care of it afterwards.

We got back to the compound after transporting the bodies and I looked at the catwalk being built. The frames are mostly done as they drilled through the wall to mount the metal bars for it. It’s a combination of metal, wood and cement. The wall would be a little over my waist if I stand on it. I also told them to drill holes at the side so we could place some carabiners, belaying devices and some climbing rope. We could drop the rope to someone on the other side so the person could either climb or be pulled up if by some chance we can’t open the gate.

*whrrr*

“Hey man, look at this!” I heard a shout from below.