Before our friend started shooting his mouth off, you were saying something really bad was about to happen. What is it?”
Ben's eyes darted around the room, surveying the other prisoners. “I didn't want to say anything before because I don't want to cause a panic. We're in enough trouble, and if we're going to get out of here, we have to have our wits about us.”
“Well, everyone's sleeping,” Josh said. “Tell us.”
Ben inhaled unclean air, then exhaled. “Okay. I got in touch with my ex. Things out there... aren't looking very promising.”
“What do you mean?” Ross asked.
“ I mean the entire East Coast is one great big ball of fucked.” He closed his eyes, wishing he didn't have to be the one to tell them. “The government has decided to contain the outbreak by dropping a bomb on us.”
Josh shook his head. “No.”
“Yes.”
Ross's eyes became glossy as they drifted toward the floor. “Shit.”
“Yup.” Ben stood up. “If we don't find a way to—let's say Ohio—in the next few hours, we're going to become awfully crispy.”
“ They're going to bomb us?” Paul Scott asked, removing his trucker's hat. He wiped away sweat from his forehead.
“ So much for everyone being asleep,” Josh muttered.
“ Yes, Paul—it is Paul, right?” Ben asked.
Paul nodded.
“Paul, we would like to keep this a secret. We don't need the others freaking out and panicking. Okay?”
“ The government...” he repeated, almost catatonic. “Washington. They'll bomb themselves, I suppose.”
“ For the greater good, Paul,” Josh said. “Or because they simply don't know what else to do.”
“ I thought the government was supposed to look out for its people. Not destroy them because they don't know what else to do,” Ross chimed.
“ I don't know,” Ben said. “But what I do know, is that my son is out there and I need to find him.” His eyes began to sting. “I will find him.”
Ross nodded. “I'll help you, brother.”
“I appreciate that.” Ben turned to Josh. “You in?”
“ Hell yeah. I'm not doing anything but waiting to become human charcoal.”
“ Paul, do I have your word you won't tell the others? Not until the moment's right.”
Paul shrugged. “When is the right moment to tell a person such a thing?”
Ben shook his head. “We'll know when it happens. Until then...”
“ My lips are sealed.”
“ Thank you.”
He wondered if he would even get the opportunity.
H ours later, some of the other prisoners started waking. Ben dozed off a few times, feeling as he had the night before: exhausted and running on empty. The sickness was gone, but he was dehydrated and malnourished like he had been with the flu.
Ben awoke to the sound of two voices arguing over something his brain had not yet processed.
“Oh, here we go,” Josh muttered.
“ Here we go nothing,” John sneered. “Are we going to pretend that we don't see the obvious? That man is right,” he stated, nodding to Paul, “the government doesn't give a shit about us. If they did, they would've never let it come to this. Hell, they're probably the ones who created this shit, letting it spread across the coast to see how many people it infected. Just to see what would happen.”
So much for the right moment, Ben thought. He scolded Paul Scott with his eyes, but the trucker intentionally dodged Ben's hard gaze.
“ And why would they want to do that?”
“ Who knows. Maybe they're testing biological warfare. Or maybe, they're looking to thin the numbers. Population control, or something.”
“ Oh, yeah. That's believable.”
“ What do you know? You're just a pathetic junkie,” John grumbled. He coughed, softly at first, but grew louder in succession.
Josh smiled. “That's right. Choke, motherfucker.”
“Quit it,” Ben said to both of them.
Glaring at Ben, John's coughing subsided. “What? You didn't know your fellow road-tripper was a junkie?”
“I did actually. And you know what?
Ben's eyes darted around the room, surveying the other prisoners. “I didn't want to say anything before because I don't want to cause a panic. We're in enough trouble, and if we're going to get out of here, we have to have our wits about us.”
“Well, everyone's sleeping,” Josh said. “Tell us.”
Ben inhaled unclean air, then exhaled. “Okay. I got in touch with my ex. Things out there... aren't looking very promising.”
“What do you mean?” Ross asked.
“ I mean the entire East Coast is one great big ball of fucked.” He closed his eyes, wishing he didn't have to be the one to tell them. “The government has decided to contain the outbreak by dropping a bomb on us.”
Josh shook his head. “No.”
“Yes.”
Ross's eyes became glossy as they drifted toward the floor. “Shit.”
“Yup.” Ben stood up. “If we don't find a way to—let's say Ohio—in the next few hours, we're going to become awfully crispy.”
“ They're going to bomb us?” Paul Scott asked, removing his trucker's hat. He wiped away sweat from his forehead.
“ So much for everyone being asleep,” Josh muttered.
“ Yes, Paul—it is Paul, right?” Ben asked.
Paul nodded.
“Paul, we would like to keep this a secret. We don't need the others freaking out and panicking. Okay?”
“ The government...” he repeated, almost catatonic. “Washington. They'll bomb themselves, I suppose.”
“ For the greater good, Paul,” Josh said. “Or because they simply don't know what else to do.”
“ I thought the government was supposed to look out for its people. Not destroy them because they don't know what else to do,” Ross chimed.
“ I don't know,” Ben said. “But what I do know, is that my son is out there and I need to find him.” His eyes began to sting. “I will find him.”
Ross nodded. “I'll help you, brother.”
“I appreciate that.” Ben turned to Josh. “You in?”
“ Hell yeah. I'm not doing anything but waiting to become human charcoal.”
“ Paul, do I have your word you won't tell the others? Not until the moment's right.”
Paul shrugged. “When is the right moment to tell a person such a thing?”
Ben shook his head. “We'll know when it happens. Until then...”
“ My lips are sealed.”
“ Thank you.”
He wondered if he would even get the opportunity.
H ours later, some of the other prisoners started waking. Ben dozed off a few times, feeling as he had the night before: exhausted and running on empty. The sickness was gone, but he was dehydrated and malnourished like he had been with the flu.
Ben awoke to the sound of two voices arguing over something his brain had not yet processed.
“Oh, here we go,” Josh muttered.
“ Here we go nothing,” John sneered. “Are we going to pretend that we don't see the obvious? That man is right,” he stated, nodding to Paul, “the government doesn't give a shit about us. If they did, they would've never let it come to this. Hell, they're probably the ones who created this shit, letting it spread across the coast to see how many people it infected. Just to see what would happen.”
So much for the right moment, Ben thought. He scolded Paul Scott with his eyes, but the trucker intentionally dodged Ben's hard gaze.
“ And why would they want to do that?”
“ Who knows. Maybe they're testing biological warfare. Or maybe, they're looking to thin the numbers. Population control, or something.”
“ Oh, yeah. That's believable.”
“ What do you know? You're just a pathetic junkie,” John grumbled. He coughed, softly at first, but grew louder in succession.
Josh smiled. “That's right. Choke, motherfucker.”
“Quit it,” Ben said to both of them.
Glaring at Ben, John's coughing subsided. “What? You didn't know your fellow road-tripper was a junkie?”
“I did actually. And you know what?
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