Sleepers Page 20

  Randy agreed but stated he was only giving them a few more minutes before he had to go in and make sure things were all right. After all there could have been problems. They were in there close to a half an hour.

  Just about the point Randy was going to go in, he urged us to get into the van. Even opened the door, but stopped when Beck and Alex emerged.

  It wasn’t them just walking out that knocked me physically over, it was the fact that over Beck’s shoulder was Jessie. Her limp body bounced with every step he took.

  Alex stopped a few feet from the entrance and looked back at Miles. “We’ll be in touch and let you know. Thank you,” Alex told him and trotted to catch Beck. “To the back.” He instructed with a motion of his hand.

  “Oh, my God.” I gasped and approached them as they moved to the van.

  Jessie was wrapped in some sort of cloth restraining outfit. Arms secure, legs secure. But her eyes were closed.

  Beck passed me and went to the back of the van.

  Both Danny and I rushed over as the back doors opened.

  “Lay her down,” Alex instructed. He tossed in a tan bag.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Alex looked at Beck then to me. His eyes cased Danny and Randy as well before he spoke. “She’s sedated. Should be out for a little bit. But we need to hurry before she wakes.” He tossed the keys to Beck. “Beck, you drive. Everyone in the van. Mera, you can stay in the back with me.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought . . .”

  Alex adjusted Jessie to lie inside, then he helped me in. “You asked me to take care of it, of her,” Alex said. “You told me I was the only one who could do it and I knew what needed to be done. Well, you know what? I do know what needs to be done. I spoke to Miles, to Beck, after I saw her grab your hand. Look at you. Cry for you. I saw that, Mera. I saw her do that. I know what needs to be done. At least let me try.” He climbed inside and nodded to Beck.

  Beck closed the doors.

  Soon everyone was in that van.

  I reached out and grabbed Jessie’s hand; her head tilted to the right as Beck sped off.

  Alex pulled things out of the bag, medical supplies, an IV and so forth.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Like I said.” Alex raised his eyes to me. “What needs to be done.” He lost slight balance when Beck turned the van hard and fast. “Take those turns a little easier, please.”

  “Sorry,” Beck replied from the front. “Just trying to move fast.”

  “Where are we going in such a hurry?”

  “I need to get there before she wakes up. The only place safe enough to work on her,” Alex said. “Back to Pastor Mike.”

  26. Trying

  The return trip to Pastor Mike’s didn’t take three hours. Beck flew. We probably would have made it there sooner had we not stopped to refuel.

  My head spun.

  Once I saw that she had become a Sleeper, and obviously one of the ones bitten by a stage two, I resolved myself that my daughter was gone. When I asked Alex to take care of it, I never expected him to emerge with my sedated daughter over his shoulder.

  Not the man who put a bullet in the head of a pregnant girl.

  Alex explained that initially it was Beck who said something. Beck told Alex he couldn’t watch him do it. Not with what he had seen.

  Then Miles added that he had never seen a Sleeper show any signs of memory. None.

  They didn’t need to do much convincing. Alex, after witnessing Jessie with the teddy bear and crying out almost for help to me, made him leery about pulling the trigger.

  She still had life, Alex told me. He felt it and saw it. And before he or even I made that decision to put her out of her misery like a sick animal, Alex knew he had to try.

  When I told him only he could do what needed to be done, something else besides killing Jessie came to mind.

  Miles had been bitten. He was immune so he didn’t turn.

  Other had been bit and they did turn.

  We never turned or got sick . . . immune.

  Danny was immune.

  And with Miles’ comment on how he never saw a Sleeper behave like Jessie, it dawned on Alex, what if Jessie had some immunities? Not a lot, but some. Those immunities were fighting but weren’t strong enough.

  Alex had to see if he could strengthen them.

  He had hooked up Jessie with an IV in the back of the van and I held it. But there was still much he had to do once we returned to Pastor Mike’s. Much he had to get if Mike didn’t have it.

  The mountain church was safe and secure and afforded Alex an opportunity to implement a therapy.

  A therapy based on a theory. One he talked about with Miles and Beck, before Beck put on the dog trainer suit and went into the yard amongst the Sleepers and grabbed my daughter.

  I couldn’t believe what they did for my family.

  I was an emotional wreck.

  Danny was, too. If my head spun, I could only imagine what his did.

  Alex’s plan was complicated yet basic. He had to hydrate her and give her nourishment all via intravenous. What she had flowing through her veins in the van was a basic saline solution.

  Her body sucked down that bag immediately and Alex switched it for antibiotics.

  Jessie’s wounds were infected; some were fresh indicating she probably turned in the last day or two. She was also fevered.

  Nourish, hydrate, fight infection, fix and clean the wounds and then give her an Immune Globulin Intravenous to build her weakened immune system.

  Not to mention he had to find an anti-viral medication as well.

  But he didn’t have anything but that one bag of antibiotics and another dose of sedatives.

  Once we arrived at the church, I was to get my daughter cleaned up; Beck would tend to the wounds while Alex and Randy sought what was needed.

  Michael wasn’t at the church when we arrived. Probably doing his rounds, I hoped. He said he liked to look for survivors.

  The church was open and we didn’t expect any problems.

  Alex and Randy immediately left. Danny took watch while holding Phoenix, and I commenced tending to Jessie.

  There wasn’t any running hot water, so I drew a bath and Beck boiled water to heat it.

  Jessie began to wake and Beck wasted no time sedating her again. We couldn’t take a chance with the violent behavior.

  Michael arrived just as the bath was finally prepared. Having received the Cliff Notes version from Danny, he had knowledge of what was going on. He helped me with Jessie while Beck readied to clean and dress the wounds he could.

  After removing the restraints, Michael and I literally had to peel her clothes from her. Her shorts, tee shirt, socks and undergarments stuck to her like glue, adhered by blood and body fluids.

  My daughter smelled horrendous, a mixture of every horrible odor you could think of. Before we lifted her and submerged her in the bath, Michael sought out a bar of homemade lilac soap his grandmother had made. Never used. It was strong in scent and would do the trick.

  It took us both to submerge her. Her limp body was especially heavy. My heart ached with every swipe of the soapy cloth, cleaning my poor child and imagining the suffering she had endured.

  Beck did the honors of lifting her from the tub. We wrapped her in warm blankets then dressed her with one of Beck’s tee shirts.

  Beck had finished administering to her wounds and dressing them. He reattached the IV. Michael had made us a simple supper, and it was just before sundown that Alex and Randy returned.

  They had to travel quite far and ran into an abundance of Sleepers. But they retrieved what was needed.

  The therapy was underway.

  It was just a matter of waiting.

  ****

  I had long since finished my bowl of canned beef stew when Danny came into the room. I sipped bourbon, watching Jessie. Just watching.

  Michael had given up his bed for her. He said he didn’t ne
ed to sleep; he planned on spending his evening praying.

  It was barely evening and it felt like the middle of the night.

  “Mom?” Danny whispered, laying his hand on my shoulder.

  “Hey, baby.” I reached up and grabbed his hand.

  “How is she?” Danny asked. “She looks a lot better.”

  And she did. Her coloring was better. Her wounds were closed, she was clean and peaceful. “Yeah, she does,” I said. “Her fever’s down.”

  “That’s good. Any response?”

  “She woke when we cleaned her, but that was it. Alex wants to keep her sedated for a little bit.”

  “How long are we staying here?” Danny asked.

  “A few days. Why?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Curious. Our entire goal was to get her. Now what?” Another shrug. “Bill kept badgering me about us needing to have a long-term plan after we found her.”

  “And we have nothing. We will though.” I paused. “Bill.” and sighed out his name as I stared at Jessie. “It breaks my heart, you know.”

  “Mine too.” Danny inhaled. “So ...” He reached won to the floor, grabbed my bottle and glass. “Orders from Beck. Take a break.”

  “So the major is giving me orders?” I asked.

  “Yeah, you need it. Go talk to the others. I have this.”

  “Where’s Phoenix?” I asked.

  “Get this … Alex is holding him. And just fed him.”

  This took me aback. “No way.”

  “Way.”

  “That’s so odd.” I stood.

  “Maybe because they know we’re stalling a few days.” Danny took my seat. “And they’re all relaxing.”

  “Odd, isn’t it?”

  “What?” Danny asked.

  “It feels very safe here.”

  “Yeah, it does.” Danny reached out, laying his hand on Jessie’s. “Do you think that has to do with God?”

  I paused for only a moment and then I answered him with the honesty of what I felt. “No.”

  Danny laughed.

  “I’ll be back.”

  I left the door open. I could hear the men’s voices as I walked from the back area across the altar.

  Alex laughed when he saw me. “Aren’t you just the budding alcoholic holding that bottle as you walk across the altar?”

  “Check me out.” I held up the bottle and walked to him. Leaning forward, I believe I took him by surprise when I kissed him on the cheek.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “Thank you,” I said and walked to Beck, kissing him on the cheek as well. “Thank you both for what you are doing for my daughter and what you have done.”

  “You’re very welcome,” Beck responded softly.

  “You know …” Alex seemed to ‘burp’ out those words. Hint of carelessness and as if he was going to say something sarcastic.

  “Here we go,” I said.

  “No.” Alex smiled. “It was a pretty down day with Bill. Sucks, you know. He was a really good guy. We were all down from that. We needed hope. Besides … when this eclectic group of people came to my haven, I had no idea what I was in for. I had everything I needed at the haven. Everything to survive, but I didn’t have a reason. You need a reason to survive and stay put or you aren’t living.” For some reason, he shifted his eyes to Michael. Maybe he was trying to convey to the good pastor it was time to leave his own haven. “Amen to that, padre?”

  “Amen to that,” Michael said.

  “Anyhow,” Alex continued. “You folks gave me the reason. Your daughter. Search her out. We did. Now, we just have to try. I can’t make promises that what I am doing will work. I can’t. If it doesn’t, then we’ll have to make those decisions. You, Mera, will have to make those decisions. But I didn’t think it was quite fair to not try.”

  Suddenly Randy stood up. It was abrupt, as if agitated. He exhaled a huge breath bigger than his body. Hand on the back of his neck while his other hand held the computer thing, he turned from us.

  “Randy?” I called him.

  “It works. Sort of.” Randy turned back around. “It does. The Sleepers aren’t meant to be cured. They can be to a degree. The virus, combined with infection and fever ravishes the brain. It pinpoints the reasoning portion first and starts to burrow itself. The longer the virus and fever are a team and hit the body, the more damage they do. Hence why the Sleepers weren’t violent at first, it took a few days. The virus embedded itself, taking away all reason, memory, until they are nothing more than mere living zombies. Walk, move, eat and survive all on instincts. Like a two-year-old will bite to get what they want, fight, hit, eat anything … so will a Sleeper.”

  Beck exhaled as well, blowing air through his lips. “Wow, you’ve been taking notes.”

  “It’s more than that,” Randy said. “By the time people started figuring things out, the Sleeper virus had taken hold. Initial victims took three days to get violent, five to lose all memory. Their subsequent victims or Sleepers took a day or two to get violent, three to lose all memory. Jessie was bit two days ago. She’s almost at total frontal lobe deterioration. This is why she knew the bear. In another day, had you not given her this treatment, she would have been too far gone. Her digressive progress will be stopped, but the brain cannot repair itself in this instance. What’s done is done, no reversal, no turning back. Her speech is gone, reasonable thinking all but gone. Her memories are instinctive. Meaning she knows she knows you, knows she loves you, but can’t process that. Make sense?”

  “No.” Alex stood up. “Awful lot of big words and knowledge coming from an insurance man.”

  Beck shifted his eyes. “I was going to say that myself.”

  But a part of me knew it all had something to do with that computer and what Bill had read. “Will she stay violent?” I asked.

  “It doesn’t really say,” Randy nodded. “But I’d still watch her closely.”

  “Wait. Wait. Wait.” Alex held up his hand. “Mera, why are you asking this man questions as if he holds the gospel truth.”

  “I do.” Randy said.

  Michael interceded with offense in his tone. “You do not. Only God knows. This is God’s work and in His hands.”

  Randy turned and looked at Michael, speaking respectfully but firmly. “All due respect, I know. I am a spiritual man, and I believe God knows. But this is not God’s work. This is not in God’s hand. Of that I am certain.” Slowly he lifted that computer thing. “Bill.” Randy paused and closed his eyes. “Bill read it, I know he did. He left his prints… never mind, see for yourself.” He handed me the computer. “You look first since Bill probably mentioned it to you. You go on. I have it ready for you. Ask me anything after you read, okay. You probably won’t get through it all. But use my notes and references back to the Doctrines. It’s all there.”

  I took the computer into my hands.

  “The truth shall set you free, isn’t that right Pastor Mike?” Randy asked him.

  “That’s what we are told,” Michael answered.

  “Well, I’m setting myself free.” Randy turned slowly. “I had planned to tell you after a decision was made about Jessie so as not to influence, but I think now is a good time to let it out.”

  Beck asked. “What is it? What is she reading?”

  “Everything that happened. Everything … that will happen.” Randy paused, passing emotional glances to everyone. “The truth.”

  27. Least Expected

  I knew I wasn’t going to understand what I was about to read the second I swiped my hand over the screen and was greeted with big scientific words. Words I thought I had heard of but really didn’t know what they meant.

  Reading no more than the first paragraph, I stood and walked over to the men.

  “What’s wrong?” Randy asked.

  “I don’t understand,” I told him. “I really don’t understand what I am reading. It says you’re from the future? 2633? Am I reading that right?”

  Alex
laughed.

  As if he were slugged with the physical punch of an insult, Randy summoned up a confused look. “Why is this so hard for you to believe?”

  No one said anything.

  “Here.” Randy set down the tablet, swiped his hand over the pad as it set on a pew. He spoke in a directive voice, “Geno-Corp entry 3312-1” And what occurred next truly did silence us all.

  Out from the tablet shot a life-size three dimensional, holographic image. At some point it was damaged, because the figure distorted in and out.

  The image was of a man, a shorter man, thin with a bald head. His voice was almost electronic. “T minus three hours until Project Savior. My name is Doctor Hanninwall and I am chief designer of the project. I will be one of twenty-six travelers to embark on this mission. God Speed to us all.” The image went on pause.

  Randy stated, “He sounds like that because the computer is interpreting what he is saying. Language is a bit different in six hundred years.” He paused. “Go to next entry after release.”

  The same man switched on and looked worn, his face dirty and drawn. “We erred. Man has evolved so much that we didn’t take into account that our very own germs would hold such devastating effects. I must get in contact with the other travelers. We must contact the leaders of this time and convince them…”

  The image cut off.

  Randy faced us and then he explained. An explanation that we found hard to believe, but what choice did we have but to believe it?

  Time travel became possible in the 26th century. But it was outlawed because time travel caused ‘burps’ or disasters whenever the traveler landed. He told us that in the third millennium, many years after him, man needed to make the human race more superior. Some sort of impending alien invasion. Believing they could do so with DNA manipulation they went back in time to release a virus they thought would manipulate the DNA of the young and create superior future generations. But the plan backfired. Instead of helping, it killed. The night of the earthquakes, tornados, storms, was the night the travelers arrived to release the virus, a virus that killed the young and infected millions more … the Sleepers.