Chapter 9
ALEX
Alex’s leg bobbed up and down as Sebastian drove toward the small town of Hemlock Falls nestled in the mountains of Vermont. The woods on either side of them closed in around them, giving him a sense of unease and claustrophobia.
The further they drove into the dense forest, the more Alex’s chest tightened. The pine trees felt like they were closing in on them, as though the mountain itself was swallowing them whole. The fog thickened, reducing their visibility, making him feel even more trapped.
He slid his eyes sideways to glance at Ava before he returned his gaze to the pine trees whipping past his window on the winding road.
Every step closer to the infected hot zone made him more nervous. What if this had been The Board’s plan all along?
They’d kidnapped him, drugged Ava, and now, were they driving them to the small town to finish them off? Or maybe the virus would trigger some new phase in Ava’s journey with the Neuroprisol-X.
His nose wrinkled. Had they even anticipated that Kyle may counteract the drug and hoped that this new cocktail would work with the virus to destroy Ava even faster?
Nausea swept over him as he considered the possibilities, his mind a war zone. He was in a good place with Ava right now, finally having accepted that she was his despite everything happening.
It would be his luck to lose her to a weaponized flu virus. This was why he preferred digital communication to personal encounters, why he sealed himself in his Hamptons home and never went to the office, and why he hadn’t used cash since 2010. Germs.
The pesky little things that could worm their way into your body and wreak havoc.
He shuddered as he stared out at the fog that had started to move into the area as they drove further north. They’d soon be trapped in an isolated town nestled in the mountains surrounded by germs.
A warm hand wrapped around his, and he twisted to find Ava offering him a reassuring smile.
He shifted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer.
“You okay?” she murmured.
“No,” he answered with a shake of his head, “but we have to do this.”
“You could have waited at home,” Sebastian said from the driver seat. “Tech support works from anywhere.”
“I’m not staying home and sending my wife into the hot zone.”
Ava shifted against Alex, leaning closer to the front. “Speaking of, how are things looking, Doc?”
“Not great. There have already been a few deaths, but it’s mostly the older or sick people. The scary stuff will start happening when the younger, healthy people start dying off.”
“Maybe they won’t. Maybe this is a watered-down version for the first test, or maybe it’s not as effective as they think,” Alex answered, his voice hopeful.
“Doubt it. It’s spreading through that town like wildfire. Their hospital is about to be overrun.”
“We can’t let them send anyone to another hospital outside of that area,” Ava said.
“No, we can’t,” Kyle agreed. “But it’s going to be a real strain on them. They can’t be this well-stocked with supplies.”
Alex’s leg bobbed up and down with more gusto. Ava put her hand on his knee, smiling up at him again. “Easy, Ace. We’ll wipe down the hotel room, and you can stay tucked in there.”
“It won’t matter. You all will be coming back all germy and disgusting. Ugh.”
Kyle twisted to face them in the backseat. “First of all, I brought vitamins so we can up our intake when we get there to try to boost our immunity. Second, follow my lead on masking, hand washing, and so on. We will definitely do our best to keep the germs away from you.”
Alex grimaced at him before he shuddered.
“Alex is a germaphobe.”
“No, I am not,” Alex shot back. “‘Phobe’ implies that there is an irrational fear. I have a very rational fear of germs. They can make you very, very sick. There is no phobia about it.”
“It’s good to have a wariness about getting sick, but germs are everywhere no matter what,” Kyle said. “And some of them are actually good.”
“No germs are good,” Alex answered, wagging a finger at him.
His stomach twisted into a tight knot as he tightened his grip around Ava’s shoulders, his frown deepening. “Are you sure we couldn’t just hack into the security system at the hospital and monitor this from there?”
“I’m sure. I need to see how this is progressing, see if it’s responding to any treatments, maybe try a few of my own. And most importantly, we need to put a stop to the spread of this,” Kyle answered with a bob of his head.
“Most of that information, I could have hacked for you from hospital records. And we could have called them. Or texted them.”
“Alex is also a phone call-phobe,” Ava answered with a giggle.
“That is a phobia, yes. There is no reason ever to call me, especially unexpectedly. Anything you have to say to me can be put into a text so that I can deal with it when I have the bandwidth to do so.”
Ava patted his knee as she laid her head on his shoulder. “I always text you, Ace.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I know, Sparky. It’s what I love most about you.”
Sebastian crinkled his features, glancing in the rearview mirror. “That’s what you love most about Ava? That she texts you?”
“I love other things, too. Like her brains and her beauty, and that she loves gaming and me.”
“Solid list, Mav,” Kyle replied as some of the woods gave way to signs of life.
“I thought so,” he said with a grin as he patted Ava’s arm.
“And here I thought you’d go with something cheesy like I love everything about Ava.”
“I do,” Alex answered, his stomach flip-flopping as a sign for the town popped up in front of them. “Ugh, here we are Germlock Falls.”
“The motel is on the outskirts, so maybe we’ll get lucky with proximity,” Ava answered.
“But you’ll be going into the bullseye here. Maybe just Shadow and Doc should go.”
“I’m going,” Ava answered. “But I do think you should stay at the motel. You’ll be much more comfortable there.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Ava,” Sebastian said.
His smirk grated on Alex’s nerves. The man was always too close to Ava, always too cocky. It didn’t help that Kyle had been subtly encouraging Ava’s involvement in this mission. Alex knew they all cared for her, but no one else seemed to understand the risk she was putting herself in.
Ava rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head as she glanced at Alex.
“Hey, Doc, umm, not to sound paranoid or anything, but what are the odds that this virus interacts with the drug they somehow got into Ava’s system?” Alex tried to suppress a shudder as the nightmare scenarios raced through his mind again.
“The Neuroprisol-X with a modified flu virus?” Kyle shrugged as he rubbed his chin. “It’s doubtful there would be any interaction.”
“What about with the drugs you’re giving her to counteract the Neuroprisol-X?” Alex asked.
Kyle frowned, shaking his head. “No. Outside of Ava’s immune system possibly being a little low from all of the stress or maybe a drug side effect, and that’s a minimal risk, no.”
He shifted in his seat, wanting to trust the man but worry still coursed through him.
“I’m fine, Alex. Well, outside of the fact that a behavior-modifying drug may still wreak havoc on me, I’ll be okay.”
“Maybe you should stay back with me at the motel, babe. Stay nice and safe from all the germs with your compromised immune system.”
“I didn’t say compromised. I said lowered. Those are two different things,” Kyle answered.
Alex narrowed his eyes at the man. “A little support, bro, is that too much to ask?”
“No, but…I kind of want Ava to go with us,” Kyle answered with a wince.
Alex stiffened a little, frowning at him. “Seriously?”
Kyle twisted in his seat with a nod. “Yeah. She’s bad-ass. So, when we inevitably get flack from the powers that be in this podunk hospital, Ava will just step in and handle it. Also, I do not relish spending a lot of time with Shadow. No offense, man.”
Sebastian threw a hand in the air before he slapped it against the steering wheel. “I really fail to understand why everyone treats me like I’m the enemy. I have been helping you since the very beginning.”
“And we have been helping you,” Ava shot back.
“Plus, the super creepy mask thing didn’t help your cause at all,” Kyle answered. “And then the sudden reveal of your identity. It just left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.”
“He’s right. Also, the roses. You have several strikes against you.”
“Thanks. Thank you for the detailed explanation. Tell you what, why don’t we all go to the hospital?”
“Because Alex is a germaphobe, I told you that,” Ava said with a huff, shaking her head.
“I’ll brave it. Just…go straight to the hospital.” Alex pressed his lips together into a thin line, firming his jaw.
He could do this. He could be there to support Ava and the others. He’d just…not touch anything or breathe the entire time he was there.
“That could work, Ace. Then you don’t have to hack your way into the hospital. I’ll just tell them you are part of my team, and you need immediate access to all hospital security footage and all of the patient reports.”
“That’s never going to fly. HIPAA,” Kyle said with a shake of his head as the buildings filled in around them.
The small town took shape, its quaint cedar-shaked houses turning into businesses as they continued down Main Street.
“HIPAA has nothing on the DHS,” Ava said. “It’s a matter of national security.”
Kyle poked a finger over his shoulder at her. “And that’s the reason Ava needs to come with us. See, she stays calm under pressure and has a really good way of getting what she wants from people while also sounding subtly threatening.”
“It’s a gift,” she answered.
Sebastian flicked on his turn signal, easing to a stop at the red light at the center of town.
“The lone red-light,” Kyle said. “Right next to ground zero.”
Alex ducked his head to peer out Ava’s window at the now-closed diner, a hastily written sign proclaiming Closed Until Further Notice posted on the front door.
“These poor people,” Ava said with a shake of her head. “Why did they pick this spot?”
“Because the town is small and isolated. It’s the perfect place for a test without risking this getting too far out of hand.”
Alex furrowed his brow. All it took was one person traveling anywhere in the country or even internationally to blow this into a world-wide crisis. How were they so sure they could contain this?
The light turned green, and Sebastian revved the engine, pulling onto South Street. A well-lit building sat in the distance.
Alex’s heart skipped a beat as he recognized the hospital he’d seen when he’d used a virtual map to walk around the streets of the town during their flight.
He swallowed hard, another wave of nausea hitting him hard. Ava tightened her grip around his hand. “It’ll be okay, Ace.”
He nodded, trying to take solace in the words, but finding none.
Sebastian pulled into the small parking lot, bringing the car to a stop in the only space available, marked for the president of the hospital.
“Dude, you can’t park here.”
“Do you really think the president is going to be here anytime soon? And even if he is, do you think he’ll be using his parking space?”
“We’re DHS, we can do what we want,” Ava said as she kicked open her door and stepped into the crisp air.
“I love you, Ava,” Kyle said as he stepped out next to her and kissed her cheek.
“Watch it, dude,” Alex warned as he followed Ava striding toward the hospital. Sebastian skirted him to walk next to her, and Alex held back rolling his eyes.
As the automatic doors slid open to greet them, the sounds of chaos meeting Alex’s ears, he shuddered.
The smell hit him first—a nauseating mix of antiseptic and sickness, the unmistakable scent of death creeping through the halls.
He forced himself not to breathe too deeply.
The low hum of fluorescent lights was drowned out by the hacking coughs of patients, some too weak to sit up, slumped against the walls.
His stomach lurched, knowing that any one of them could be the next to succumb to the virus.
His eyes scanned the huddled figures, some in chairs, some on the floor as they coughed, their pale, clammy forms wrapped in blankets. Nurses filtered among them, taking down information or offering palliative care.
He grimaced, realizing this was already far worse than he’d imagined or hoped. He hoped they could solve this issue, but he wasn’t certain they had made it soon enough.
Had The Board already won this round?