Day Zero
Chapter 16

Day: 65

It had been six days since Strader and Marian had left the research center and gone out in search of the voodoo woman that Abigail had found. They were supposed to get back today; their scheduled pick up was at the JP Chase banking building where the helicopter would land and wait for ten minutes before leaving. That was the deal that Yumi had made with the United States Navy, there were carrier ships somewhere off shore where they would pick up the two former military personnel.

What bothered Riley the most was that they hadn’t heard from Strader or Marian in almost two days. Days four and five had revolved around the entire group gathering around a table looking at Abigail’s cellphone and waiting for Strader’s name to light up the screen.

There were times when he would call at 2:00 a.m. and she would run into his room to tell him that Strader was on the phone and giving it to him before running down the hallway to wake up the rest of the research team. Riley remembered the last conversation the two had.

“Hey Strader” he greeted.

“Hey kid, how is the rest of the group?” he asked.

“They are fine; we are all worried about you and Marian. Where are you?”

“We’re about to pile into a canoe and paddle through the bayou towards Mama Oilida’s home. Apparently this is around where she lives, at least according to the two locals that we found.”

“It’s late there, isn’t it? Do you have to head out at night?”

“Looks like it” Strader had replied.

Riley gulped nervously, but forced himself to wave as the rest of the group piled into his room, fighting over spots on the bed as they piled in to listen to Strader and Marian.

Once the phone call ended, the group bid each other good night. Riley continued to stare at Abigail’s phone in his hand. It wasn’t until he felt the slight shift in his bed that he realized that Abigail was most likely waiting for him to give her phone back.

“Sorry” he managed to mutter.

“You okay?” she asked touching his shoulder lightly.

He looked up at her. “Yeah, just worried about Strader”

Abigail moved closer to him and linked her fingers with his. “He’s a tough man, I am sure that he will be fine” she said softly.

Riley had forced himself to smile weakly “I know but these things are dangerous. And New Orleans is pretty much overrun” he said.

Abigail nodded squeezing his hand in the process.

“Well what are your thoughts about all of this?” Riley asked.

“I have no idea. This thing is freaking me out” she said.

“Me too”

They sat together in silence for a few more minutes both lost in their own thoughts. Her hand was the only thing currently keeping him grounded to Earth, instead of lost completely in thoughts of Strader and Marian. When Abigail’s phone rang both of them jumped. She looked at the name on the screen. Jackie. She placed a soft kiss against his check before sliding off his bed and answering her phone.

“Hey, Jack” she greeted as she closed his door behind him.

∆∆∆

Riley found himself with Abigail in the animal lab every day with Fabiana. Riley noticed that Abigail was getting impatient. Then again so was he. Fabiana caught his gaze and sighed “Not counting to-d-day, there are two more d-days left b-before the test will be complete. It has b-b-been confirmed in every other lab that it takes no more than ten days f-for this thing to spread” Fabiana explained to them.

Hunter entered the animal lab he and James had been doing an autopsy of the zombie’s brain. They hadn’t found any new results yet, only that certain parts of the brain had ceased to function and that others although dead could function to some extent. The exact same information that James had found during the brain scan Riley thought bitterly

“Yumi and Dr. Kennedy need us all to gather in the conference room, something’s happened” Hunter said.

Riley felt his blood run cold. Shit something happened to Strader he thought.

“What happened?” Abigail asked.

“I don’t know. Come on” Hunter said.

Riley followed Abigail out the door and to the conference room. He took a seat next to her and looked over at Yumi expectantly.

“Marian…Marian didn’t make it back” Yumi said softly.

A deafening silence engulfed the eight members of the North America research team.

“What d-d-do you mean?” Fabiana asked.

“She was killed” Helen answered.

“How did she…” James trailed off asking the question that the entire room wanted to know the answer to.

“They were in a canoe trying to get through the bayou and the boat was flipped. She was dragged down. Strader couldn’t save her” Yumi replied.

Riley felt his hands shaking; this wasn’t supposed to happen. The military were the best of the best survivors. If Marian couldn’t make it then what were the odds or the rest of them making it? He felt cool slender fingers link through his and as he followed the hand saw Abigail was hold it. He couldn’t tell if it was for his comfort or for hers, regardless he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Is-is Strader coming back?” Benjamin asked, reading Riley’s mind.

“Yes. He and Mama Oilida are en route and should arrive later tonight” Dr. Kennedy answered.

“This voodoo woman had better have been worth it” James stated turning his attention to Abigail.

“Are you implying something?” Abigail demanded as she dropped Riley’s hand and stood up.

“I am saying that if they hadn’t gone to go see that damn voodoo woman…Marian would be here” James replied as he too jumped to his feet.

“So you are saying this is my fault?” Abigail put her fingertips on her chest as she and James both circled the table.

“If you want to get down to it” James replied, they were now standing about ten feet apart in the conference room. Riley stood up quickly along with the other members of the table. He watched as Abigail’s hands that had been holding his so gently squeezed into fists. “I didn’t hear you reject the idea” she replied her voice rising ever so slightly.

It was James’s turn to look surprised. She was right, James never openly said that he was against the idea Riley thought.

“It was still your stupid idea, if you hadn’t come up with it. Marian would be here and Strader wouldn’t be traumatized” James answered.

If Riley hadn’t been right next to Abigail, he wouldn’t have caught her as she lunged at James. He yanked the struggling and kicking girl back, Fabiana quickly grabbed the woman’s other arm, helping him hold onto the still struggling Abigail.

Across from him Riley saw Hunter and Benjamin holding back and equally struggling James.

“Okay you two break it up. This was an accident, no one could have predicted that a zombie would have popped up out of the water and grabbed the canoe” Dr. Kennedy said.

“But they could have predicted the zombie,” James spat his eyes zeroed in on Abigail. “We all knew that New Orleans was crawling with zombies and yet we sent them there anyway.”

Abigail glared daggers at the man for a solid ten seconds. “Okay, I’m cool… I’m cool” Abigail said as she relaxed in Riley’s and Fabiana’s grasps. The two reluctantly released her and Abigail turned as if ready to leave before turning around and lunging at James again.

Again Riley caught her around the waist and yanked her away while James just smirked three feet away from her, despite being in a similar position still being held back.

“Come on Abigail, the man is a jackass” Riley grunted as he yanked her back.

“It was your fault and you know it. You wouldn’t be reacting like this if it wasn’t” James continued to taunt.

“Shut up James, or I might just let her at you” Riley heard Benjamin say as he yanked the still struggling Abigail out of the conference room, Fabiana helping by saying soothing words to the blonde hair woman.

Once they were out walking down the hallways towards Abigail’s hospital/bedroom, Abigail calmed down and stopped struggling. Riley didn’t release his grip around Abigail’s arm for fear of her deciding to run back down the hallway and jump James. When they were at her room he and Fabiana sat down on the bed with her. “Abigail he is a jackass” Fabiana whispered.

Her stutter goes away when she is around Abigail Riley marveled.

“What if he is right?” Abigail choked out tears beginning to trickle from her eyes.

“That was something no one could have predicted, one hiding underwater” Riley said to her.

“But we could predict zombies” she said softly.

“Strader and Marian knew what they were getting themselves into” Fabiana said just as softly.

“He was right” Abigail choked again.

“It was a risk that we had to take; your theory might save lives...the same risk applied when you, Benjamin, and I went out…and the same one when Strader, Hunter, and I went out to get the head. The only difference was that all of us made it back and Marian didn’t” Riley tried to explain.

Fabiana stroked Abigail’s hair softly, essentially repeating the same words that Riley had just said but in a better way. “I know that you are upset. Just know that this wasn’t your entire fault and everyone knows it. James is just in shock right now. And he is just looking for someone to blame” Riley tried again. He didn’t know what to do when girls cried. Hell he would run out of the room when his mother cried, leaving his brother to deal with it. Luckily Fabiana knew what to do. She wrapped her arms around the blonde and hugged her tightly while Abigail cried. Fabiana looked up at Riley Tissues she mouth at him as she continued to stroke the blonde girl’s hair.

Riley exited the room and wandered to the break room where Hunter and Benjamin were both sitting.

“How’s the lass doing?” Benjamin asked.

“She’s crying with Fabiana, I am on tissue duty” he replied.

“She does know that James is being his typical asshole self and that it really isn’t her fault right?” Hunter asked.

Riley shrugged. “I hope so”

“The lass is a tough one” Benjamin said.

Riley grabbed the tissues and walked out of the break room back to Abigail’s room. She had stopped crying and was now sitting next to Fabiana, although she was still sniffling. Riley held out the box of tissues and she took one with a weak smile “Thanks.” Riley smiled and nodded as he sat on Abigail’s other side. Feeling bold he mimicked Fabiana’s motion and wrapped an arm around Abigail’s slim shoulders. Fabiana gave him a knowing smile from Abigail’s other side. Riley felt his cheeks heat up from the look that Fabiana was giving him. How does she know that I fancy Abigail? I am not that obvious am I? He thought to himself.

An alarm beeped and Fabiana sighed before turning the alarm on her watch off. “My rats need to be checked, are you going to be okay if I leave?” Fabiana asked Abigail.

Abigail nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Fabiana” she said.

Fabiana smiled back and gave Abigail a side hug before hoping off the bed and walking out the door. After a minute of silence she turned towards him. “Thanks for all your help back there” she said as a slight blush fluttered to her cheeks. “I got a little crazy there for a minute.”

Riley chuckled. “If I had heard the same thing on top of working with him for as long as you have, I would have snapped too”

She gave him one of her dazzling smiles. “I just can’t help but-“

Riley quickly cut her off “No. No it wasn’t your fault. Don’t think that way” he said tightening his grip around her shoudlers. She nodded before resting her head against his shoulder allowing him to hold her against him.He ran his hand through her hair the same way that Fabiana had as he said reassuring words to her.He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and she responded by wrapping her arm around his waist. He felt her relax against him and smiled slightly to himself.There was a knock on the door and Abigail sat up quickly. Fabiana slid the door open “Strader’s back” she said.