“Remember how it was when we got here? Few people, too many infected?” He nods. “It’s sort of quiet out there. I’m not sure what it means.”
“I doubt it’s anything good.”
I smile. “I thought you were the optimistic one.”
“Compared to you, maybe.” He gives me a quick kiss on the lips.
“Davis says to expect assignment changes,” I say quietly, hoping not to be heard under the chatter around me. “Have you heard anything?”
“No.” He looks up and nods at the front of the room. “It’s about to start.”
Eyes shift to the stage and voices lower to a murmur as my sister crosses the stage toward the podium, followed by my father. She’s traded her lab coat for a toned-down version of the FF uniform—boots, cargo pants, black button-up blouse. Her glasses are propped on the end of her nose. A flash of movement catches my eye and I spot Wyatt on one side of the stage, hovering in the wings. A quick look confirms that Walker is on the other. Why does Jane need protection? Or is it just for her ego?
Jane stands at the podium, laying a single sheet of paper on the flat surface. My father stands behind her. He catches my eye and gives me a small nod. Things have been tense with us since I got to the Fort, and I’ve made little effort to see him. I feel a mixed sense of betrayal and guilt. Betrayal toward him for leaving me and my mother in Raleigh alone. The guilt is for having to kill his wife and leaving her body in a barn somewhere in North Carolina.
I look away without acknowledging him.
“Good evening,” Jane says, voice booming over the crowd. “Thank you for assembling so quickly tonight. I have some important and exciting news to share with everyone.”
“Our little group has grown over the last couple of months, bringing us to nearly 500 residents. This includes not only the able-bodied here but the wings designated for children and the elderly.”
“Five hundred?” I whisper to Cole. “Where is she hiding everyone?”
He shakes his head.
“The facilities are running smoothly, the teams continue to bring in the supplies we need, but at some point we must begin to look outside these walls, toward the future.”
Some heads nod in agreement but the majority look stricken with fear. They’re safe here. Why screw up a good thing?
Jane ignores any dissent and continues. “The research and testing labs have been relentlessly working round-the-clock shifts to eradicate the E-TR virus. Our hard work has seen ups and downs but I’m here to announce that we have a viable vaccine!” Loud cheers erupt in the auditorium and Jane breaks into a wide smile, reveling in the applause. She holds up her hands and the commotion slows and she says, “Even better, we will begin inoculating residents immediately.”
As jaded as I am to my sister’s actions, I can’t help but feel the tug of hope at her announcement. The same
goes for those around me who bubble with excitement and relief. Her words sound fantastic and she seems sincere, but after all this time do I trust her motivations?
The answer is no.
“Is this true?” I ask Cole.
“I can’t see why not. Your father was close when we got here and the labs are literally working around the clock,” he whispers.
“A vaccine changes everything about the future of mankind,” Jane says. “People will no longer be under the threat of the virus. We will still have to eliminate those already infected and God knows how long that will take, but it’s a start. Our teams have been securing a foothold in the surrounding areas, with plans to create viable living conditions outside of The Fort walls. Now that the vaccine is here, we will immediately begin resident vaccinations and assembling teams for offsite units that will locate and inoculate survivors.”
I raise my hand from my position near the front. Jane and my father’s eyes shift toward me. She hesitates but finally says, “Alexandra. You have a question?”
I stand. “Do you plan on working with the military to pass out the vaccine?”
My sister doesn’t blink, but she does get a small line at the corner of her mouth—the same one she used to get when we’d fight at the dinner table, or that time I borrowed her shirt without asking while my grandmother was visiting and she had to be on good behavior.
“That’s classified information.” My father stands frozen beside her.
“Why is that classified? It’s just a question. Will we use the military resources to help vaccinate survivors? I mean, unless things have changed drastically they have equipment and soldiers. It seems like a viable option rather than sending out a bunch of civilians to round-up and vaccinate survivors in the Death Fields filled with Eaters.”
“Any communication between The Fort and the military is classified. Their rules—not mine. As you and many others that have taken refuge here are aware, the military has proven hostile and unwilling to work with a civilian group. Why? Well, you are welcome to ask General Erwin when you see him next time.”
The last time I saw Erwin, he tried to kill me. His soldiers were the ones that shot Chloe. I am well aware that they are hostile, but I want to know why my sister can’t cooperate with them. Well, I know why. Their ideas about the future of society are vastly different. I want her to admit it.
I sit and tune out the rest of her speech. It’s mostly tag lines about sticking together and following orders so we can build a better, safer society. When she’s finished, Wyatt escorts her off the stage, my father following behind like a puppy. Walker steps to the podium and directs people to leave in an orderly fashion.