Chapter One
Melly awoke from a pleasant dream where she’d been at home in her parents’ house and lay still, wishing she could hang onto the happiness. The mattress next to her was cold so Jeff had obviously been up for a while. Of course he had, her significant other was on military time and he had responsibilities. Stretching, she wished she had demands on her time aside from watching over her brother and being ready to kill swarms of the infected at the drop of a hat. Being a doctor and healing people was her calling, her driving force, and right now it was impossible for her to use her skills and knowledge.
There was no healing possible for the infected.
She heard Mike and his dog Buddy thunder past in the hallway, descending the sweeping staircase like a herd of big bovines. She must be one of the last people in the house to get up. Stretching, she caught a whiff of bacon cooking and her stomach rumbled. The guest bedroom she and Jeff were occupying had its own bathroom and Melly made her way in there, highly appreciative of the modern amenities including plentiful hot water. So few places on Randal Four had any of civilization’s tiny (or larger) basics anymore, let alone luxuries. The shower called to her so she decided to be decadent and quickly wash her hair just to enjoy the process.
By the time she was ready to go downstairs, she heard the murmur of voices from the dining room and knew she was late. Skipping down the last few steps, she hastened into the room. Buddy came to greet her, wagging his tail and Jeff left his chair to give her a kiss.
“You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t have the heart to wake you,” he said in a low voice.
“Dreaming of my family,” she said, repressing a tear. The loss was still too fresh.
He kissed her again and led her to the chair next to his. Cody passed along the platter of scrambled eggs as their hostess Tamsyn came through the swinging door with a platter of freshly baked rolls.
This was her ranch house, to which she’d kindly invited them as guests yesterday after they picked her up on the road. Tamsyn had her own sad tales about the apocalypse of the infected, which she’d shared last night at this same table, while the group was discussing what they’d seen and experienced so far.
“I gathered the eggs today, me and Buddy,” her brother Mike informed Melly proudly. “Buddy made those nasty hens stay away while I searched the nests.”
“Good job, both of you,” she said, reaching out to ruffle his hair, which she knew he hated but would tolerate on occasion.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” Cody asked Jeff as he buttered another roll.
“Figure out what’s wrong with APC2 and fix it,” the captain replied with a frown. “Pleasant as this stopover is, we’ve got places to be.”
“Want to help me with the chores?” Tamsyn asked Mike. “I can always use an extra hand.”
“Are we going to ride the horses?” the boy asked with enthusiasm.
“Not for the work I need to do today,” she told him but added as his face fell, “We can go for a ride in the afternoon if your sister gives permission. There’s a stock pond about half a mile away and we could fish for dinner.”
Melly couldn’t resist her brother’s excitement and it was good for him to have things to do during this time at Tamsyn’s ranch. Traveling in an armored personnel carrier with a group of soldiers and her was hard for an active boy, although he’d been uncomplaining. “All right, as long as Cody doesn’t see any infected anywhere near us.”
He looked up from his messy bacon and egg sandwich and grinned. “Got my drones patrolling and so far nothing to worry about. The infected are all concentrated in the town.” He shot a glance at Tamsyn. “Sorry.”
Their hostess shrugged and sipped her synthcaff. “It is what it is. I cried my tears over them already, believe me.”
“Did you remember to put your handheld in the charger?” Melly asked her brother. “We’re lucky Tamsyn has her own power system here.” It was possible to recharge from the APC’s power core but only one device at a time and the soldiers’ military units took priority.
“I’ll do it now,” he said, pushing his chair back and taking a last gulp of the cranna juice before he left the table in a rush, Buddy at his heels.
“What’s your plan for the day, doc?” Jeff asked.
“Not having any patients to treat,” she said, trying to keep her tone light, “I thought I’d go over those reports we downloaded when we were in the city and see if anything else pops out at me about the flu outbreak that caused all this.”
“Good idea.” Jeff pushed away from the table. “My compliments to the chef, nothing like a good hot breakfast. Let’s go, guys.”
The three men hastily finished their final bites and followed him out of the room and out the front door. Zach, the fourth soldier, was on patrol duty right now and would get his breakfast reheated for him later.
Tamsyn took another sip of synthcaff and eyed Melly. “Lotta energy there. I have to say for a bunch of supposedly retired soldiers the men sure act like Jeff’s in command.”
Melly took a moment to chew her bacon and swallow, considering her answer. “They all served together for so long I think it’s habit for them. And you have to admit the current situation calls for a military style response.”
“What are they planning to raise on this ranch of theirs?” Tamsyn asked as she began to clear the table.
“I really don’t know,” Melly admitted. “We haven’t talked about it much. There have been…other things demanding our attention. Cattle, I suppose. Wasn’t beef Randal Four’s big claim to fame?” She grabbed a stack of plates and cups and followed Tamsyn into the old fashioned, huge farmhouse kitchen. “The guys are usually better about clearing their own dishes,” she said with a frown as she set her burden by the sink. “I guess maybe we’ve stayed in too many places where no one was ever coming back and no one cared, but we’re your guests and manners are called for.”
“Even in an infected apocalypse,” Tamsyn said with a chuckle. “You have high standards, doc.”
