Tomorrow Land Part 24

This was it. The end. There would be no miracle this time around. She thought about Chase. What would he do when she didn't come back? Would he a.s.sume she just took off without them? Would he miss her at all? Would he even care?

Suddenly, the zombies stopped advancing, putting their hands over their ears. Peyton looked around, trying to figure out what was distressing them. She saw and heard nothing. And yet, the Others started dropping to their knees, groaning in apparent agony. Some of them turned and ran away.

She had no idea why this was happening, but she couldn't let her chance pa.s.s. Letting out a fierce battle cry, she slammed the side of one hand into a zombie's head, knocking him sideways. Another she stabbed in its eyes, withdrawing the razors only to slice another in the face. Blood sprayed everywhere as she stabbed and sliced, stabbed and sliced, praying that this distraction was her salvation.

A few excruciatingly long minutes later, she found herself surrounded by dead bodies. She lowered her hands, her arm muscles aching, and looked around, trying to discern what had happened. She felt exhausted and sick and covered in gore.

But she was alive and unbitten, and that was what mattered.

"Are you okay?"

She whirled around, shocked to hear another person's voice. A man dressed in a white lab coat stood behind the pile of bodies she'd made. He had a trim brown beard, black-rimmed gla.s.ses and some sort of strange-looking whistle hanging around his neck.

"What did you do?" she asked, leaning over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. She pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and starting cleaning her blades.

He held out the whistle. "They hate high-pitched noises," he explained. "We all carry dog whistles when we leave the hive."

Right. She remembered Chase mentioning something like that. But... hive? What was that about? She straightened up. Was there some new sort of society here? Hopefully they weren't as crazy as the last one.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," she said, pulling out disinfectant to wipe down her blades. She'd taken to carrying it everywhere in her jacket pockets, just in case. "For a minute I thought I was a goner."

The man stepped over a zombie corpse and held out a plastic-gloved hand, then retracted it as he saw her razors. He laughed. "Well, I guess we can dispense with the formalities," he said. "I'm David. I'm a scientist here at the Hive. Where are you coming from? Nowhere local, I a.s.sume. We've scouted our surroundings pretty thoroughly."

"A small town in northwest South Carolina. We're making our way down to Orlando."

"I see. How many are you?"

"Ten. Mostly children." For some reason she had a strong sense that she could trust this man. It helped that he'd just saved her life.

"And what brings you to Florida?"

"My dad. He's waiting for us at Disney."

"I see," David said again. He stared at her thoughtfully.

A loud inhuman screech echoed through the hallway. David glanced in its direction then turned back to Peyton. "We'd better get downstairs," he said. "It's not safe up here. They'll come back eventually."

"Actually, I'm on my way out," Peyton said. "I just came here for some medication. I really need to get back to my friends before they realize I'm gone and send out the cavalry."

"What kind of medication?"

She explained what she was looking for. "Unfortunately, the Others were swarming the pharmacy, so I wasn't able to get any."

"Well, don't worry," David said, kicking one of the dead ones. "We have plenty of medications downstairs. I can get you what you need. Just follow me."

Seeing no other option-she really needed those drugs-she agreed, praying this society was more civilized than that of Paradise, and followed him down the hall. After a few turns, they came to an elevator. David pressed his thumb against a small gray pad to the side and, after a beep, the doors slid open. They apparently still had power. He motioned for her to join him inside.

The doors slid closed and they began to descend. "You guys live underground?" Peyton asked, still feeling bit wary.

"Yes. We feel it's safer. As you've seen, things can be dangerous up on the surface."

"How many of you are there?"

"Three hundred and twenty-three."

She stared him, shocked. She'd been expecting him to say a dozen.

"Actually, make that three hundred and twenty-four. We had a birth the other day. Cute little fella. Parents named him Joey."

"So you're like... a little underground town?"

David nodded. "We call it The Hive-mainly 'cause of all the twisty pa.s.sages and little cells, just like a wasps' nest. Before the plague it used to be a huge, top-secret underground prison. A place for political criminals to live out their life sentences. But the super flu swept in and wiped them all out, just like everyone else. We figured it'd be a good place to hole up in-after we got rid of all the bodies, that was. Deep underground, it's safe from the creatures. And the former cells, tiny as they are, make perfect little apartments for our residents."

"That's great," Peyton said. It was encouraging to hear things like this. New seeds of society developing amidst all the death. She wondered how many others there were spread over the world. Little tribes, little governments. It was enough to give a girl hope, especially if they were led by kind and educated men like this one.

"We're lucky. We've been able to scout a lot of scientists and bring them here," David continued. "Together we're working on a cure. Of course, we need test subjects. Which is why we had those Others contained upstairs in the pharmacy."

"Oh." She cringed. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to let them out."

"It's okay. Sadly, there's hardly a shortage."

"So, you're trying to cure them?" It hadn't occurred to Peyton that other groups might have the same hopes and plans that her father did.

David nodded. "We're still a long way off," he confessed. "Right now we're trying to decode the creatures' DNA. Once we have that, we'll be able to see how it's mutated from that of a human's. Maybe then we can do some kind of gene therapy to help them regain their humanity."

"My dad and his scientist friends are doing something similar," she said. "Down at Disney World."

David considered this. "That's interesting," he said. "We've been sending out radio messages for a while now, inviting others to join our research. We haven't heard anything from anyone in central Florida."

"Well, they're down there," Peyton said, realizing she probably sounded defensive. Still, she didn't like the implication.

David put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sure they're just not on our frequencies. Or maybe they're not using radios. I think it's great if there are others working on the same project. We need all the help we can get. When you get there, you'll have to tell them about us. Maybe we can all collaborate."

"Sure. Good idea."

The elevator doors swung open, revealing a fluorescent lit hallway leading off into the distance. They walked down it and through a door, which opened into a large mess hall. Peyton's eyes widened as she surveyed the place. She hadn't seen so many people since the Thunderdome. All hanging out, eating, chatting, as if none of them had a care in the world.

David led her to what appeared to be a head table. A group of about ten men and women sat behind it, eating their dinner. They looked up.

"I'd like you to meet Peyton," David said to them. "She and her friends are heading down to Orlando. She tells me that there's another hive down there, also looking for a cure." He turned to Peyton. "This is our council," he told her. "The think tank behind all our work."

"It's good to meet you all," she said, still awed by the whole thing.

While the council quizzed her on her father's work, David walked over to a serving window and spoke quietly to the man behind it. He returned a moment later with a bowl of steaming soup. Peyton sat at the table, wolfing it down. Delicious. Real food. It felt a little bit like paradise here. And not the crazy zombie-gladiator-town type either.

"We have a gym here and a school even," David said. "Everyone works. And everyone eats. People come here bedraggled and half-dead and we take them in. We've grown so much in the last year. It's great. We've even had four babies born! As I think I mentioned, the last one was yesterday. We're busting at the seams a bit, but everyone's happy. A few weeks ago we opened a lower level to add more housing for the families."

"That's so wonderful," Peyton said between bites. "As is, of course, your work on finding the cure for the Others. How would you distribute it if you were able to create one?"

"The hope is to build a factory to ma.s.s produce it and then pour it into lakes and rivers-places the creatures use for drinking water," explained a twenty-something bearded councilmember. "It'll take a lot of manpower, which is why we're gathering as many people as we can down here. And once we start curing them, we can rehabilitate and bring them here. They'll be productive members of society again, and in turn they can help cure more of their kind."

"It sounds like quite a plan."

"It's a big undertaking," said the council member at the far end, a blond woman in her forties. "But we're hopeful. We have everything in place. Just need to discover that magic formula."

"Right. Well, I admire all the work you're doing. It's really encouraging to hear."

"We still need more people," David told her. "So if you don't find what you're looking for down in central Florida, I hope you'll consider coming back. We'll take all your people in."

Peyton considered. "Even though they're mostly children?" she asked.

"Especially children," Mary broke in. "They're the future, after all. And so many of our adults here lost their own kids. They'd be overjoyed to become adoptive parents."

Peyton looked around the room at all the happy faces. At all the food. And suddenly she realized what she must do.

"Well then," she said. "I think I have an idea."

"Chase, wake up!"

Chase groaned as Helga burst into his tent. He'd barely slept a wink the night before, tossing and turning and remembering Peyton's hurt face. It took all his willpower not to get out of bed and find her and confess everything. Tell her he loved her and never meant to hurt her and wanted nothing more than to be with her forever.

But that would just complicate things. Because he'd have to tell her about the bite. About his impending mutation. That there would probably be no happily ever after for the two of them, as much as he wanted there to be.

"What is it, Helga?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He'd finally dozed off for a few minutes and now he was up again.

"It's Peyton. She's nowhere in camp!"

Fear slammed his heart. Now he was wide awake. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Maybe she just went for a walk. Did you check the river? Maybe she's bathing." He crawled out of the tent. The sun was barely up over the horizon and most of the children were still asleep.

"I checked everywhere," Helga told him. "And then I noticed her rucksack was gone. She's left us." The girl looked at Chase suspiciously. "Why would she leave?" she asked.

Chase didn't bother to answer. He was already searching for his shoes. "She couldn't have gone too far," he said. "She's weak. I'm going to try to find her."

Helga rushed to his side. "How are you going to do that? It's not like there's some trail of breadcrumbs to follow."

"I just will, okay?" he growled. She backed off, looking frightened. He swallowed hard. "Sorry," he said. "I'm just worried about her."

"Me too. I can't believe she'd just take off."

Unfortunately, Chase could. Obviously he'd hurt her even more than he'd intended the night before. Made her feel rejected and alone. And so she'd left. Left him and the children. To seek her own way to Disney World.

But she wouldn't make it on her own. She was too weak. She'd die. And it would be all his fault. More blood on his hands.

"Peyton! Peyton!"

Chase looked up at the sudden cries from the children, his heart leaping into his throat. His eyes followed the direction they were running. Sure enough, Peyton was limping toward the camp. Joy washed over him as he took her in. Thank G.o.d she was all right.

He followed the children over, wanting to throw his arms around her and hold her and never let her go. But her cold expression swept him then dismissed him as she turned back to the kids, greeting them and apologizing for being away. So Chase hung back, reality smacking him upside the head. In her mind, he had rejected her. And she in turn would now reject him. She thought they were finished. And he had been the jerk who had started it.

He realized, suddenly, that she was not alone. A tall, well-built man with a military crew-cut was by her side. Jealousy raged up inside of him and he fought to keep it at bay. Who was this tool? Had she found someone to replace him already? He knew he should be glad that she'd found someone to take care of her, someone who could competently get her to Disney World, but the thought of being replaced was too much to bear.

"You're staying here?" asked the man, surveying the premises. "This isn't safe at all. You're vulnerable on at least three sides to attack."

Chase felt his hackles rise. They'd been doing the best they could. How dare this guy judge them? "We have trip wires set on all four sides," he retorted. "And we do regular patrols. The place is never unwatched."

"That's all well and good, but what happens when they hit the trip wires? You have no place to escape to."

Chase stepped forward. "The kids have been well-versed in evacuation procedures," he said. "And the older kids have been taught how to fight."

Peyton stepped between them. "Whoa, boys," she said. "Calm down. Chase, this is David. David, Chase. David is council member of a new society they're building just a mile or two from here. It's deep underground. They've got food and medicines and supplies. And over three hundred residents!" She related what she'd learned and seen.

Chase listened with interest. Sounded like Disney wasn't the only game in town after all. Maybe Peyton could be convinced to give up her quest and settle here. Where she'd be safe. Chase would be much happier dying if he knew she had landed someplace safe.

But he knew in his heart she'd never give up before seeing her dad. She was too dedicated to her cause. After all, that had been the problem from the very beginning. When she'd left him high and dry on that last day.

He turned back to the conversation.

"We'd like to escort you all back to the Hive," David was saying. "It's a good place to settle down. We'll be able to find adoptive parents for all the kids and you can all go to school. There's plenty of food and we even have nightly entertainment. Bands, movies, that sort of thing."

"All underground?" asked Helga.

David nodded. "For now," he told her. "Until we find a cure for the creatures. Then, after rehabilitating them, it'll be safe to go back to the surface."

Helga turned to Peyton, who nodded.

"It seems like a good plan to me," she said. "Kids, pack your bags. The journey is over. We're going home."

"And buckets of candy for everyone when we get there," David added with a grin.

The kids whooped and cheered and ran off to gather their gear. Helga hugged Peyton and then headed to her own tent. Through it all, Chase hung back, not sure what to do. He knew he should be overjoyed. He'd kept his promise to his brother, caring for the kids and getting them to a safe place. And Peyton would be safe, too. So that was good. But, of course, it was all an empty happiness, knowing that he'd lost the girl he loved and would soon, on top of that, lose his life.

If only he hadn't been bitten. One more day after four years and he never would have had to worry about it again. But, no. Fate was too cruel to allow him his happily ever after. And now that everyone else had theirs, he knew what he'd probably have to do.

Chapter Forty-one.

Peyton locked the door to her room then climbed on a chair to pull her suitcase down from the top shelf of her closet. Tossing it on the bed, she unzipped it and started selecting clothes. A gnawing guilt crawled through her stomach as she packed. What would her father say when he realized she'd gone, that she'd taken his implants but rejected his plan? She'd chosen the company of her boyfriend over her father.

Was she doing the right thing? Probably not. But she loved Chris. More than anything in the world. And if that world was going to end-if they were all going to die anyway-she wanted to be by his side. Her father and mother would have to understand. They'd had their time. They'd had each other. Maybe someday, if they all survived, they could all find each other again. Maybe she and Chris could make the trek down to Disney World and see the new society her father claimed they'd create. But first they had to get through the bad times, the plague and the zombies. And Peyton didn't want to face that without Chris.