Radiation Point

Forty Four

"You ready?" Ellen asked, stopping me in the hallway. She winced as she spoke, as if expecting an outburst.
"Yeah, where's Tyler at?"
Ellen eyed me strangely, a frown tugging down at her lips.
"You know I was talking about the burial, right? I didn't think you were gonna make me say it."
Realization dawned on me at her words. Of course she meant the burial. She didn't know that Mia had come back. She couldn't know either.
"Right," I said, staring at my feet. I hated to lie to Ellen, but it was the only way to protect my sister. At least until I found a way to save her. "I...uh...I already took care of that."
My voice even sounded unsure to my own ears. Judging by Ellen's critical glance, she didn't believe me either.
"You buried her?" Ellen asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Look, I know you miss her, but you can't just leave her in that bed. She deserves better."
My face flushed at her words. So she thought I had just left her in her cot. While that wasn't the case, I couldn't have her checking the gym to make sure.
"I know she deserves better. But I had to take care of it on my own. Please, Ellen, just trust me," I pleaded. It wasn't a total lie. I did take care of it. Just not in the way she expected.
Ellen paused a long moment, sizing me up. Then she reached an arm out and pulled me into a tight hug.
"We're gonna get through this," she whispered into my ear. When she pulled away tears were in her eyes, but she hastily wiped them away. "Okay then. Tyler said for you to meet him at the North gate. I'm gonna head out the back way and keep an eye on that side of the building."
"Wait, what about the traps?"
"Already taken care of, Sugar. Now all that's left is waiting the commissioner out."
Everything was happening so fast. The refugees were already evacuated-a day early. Tyler and Ellen had already set up the traps. Now that the time had come to capture the commissioner, was I really up for it?
I pushed back my doubts. I had to be up for it because the commissioner needed to pay. With that in mind, I said my goodbyes and went to find Tyler.

I found him standing in front of the North gate with his hands shoved in his pocket. He looked so young from a distance. With his shaggy brown hair and broad shoulders, he looked just like a football player in high school.
Except this was no game.
At Tyler's feet were duffle bags and backpacks full of supplies. Over his shoulder he had two riffles, the straps crossing in an x pattern.
When he saw me his face shifted. Remorse filled his eyes as he looked at me.
"Nessa," he said, hurrying over to me. "I'm so sorry."
I stared at him a moment, frozen. His words were so gentle and kind, that I felt like bursting into tears.
"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" he asked, concern lighting his face. "Because if you aren't, now is the time to back down. It's fine. I promise."
I shook my head. I knew I would always regret not getting my revenge when I had the chance. Squaring my shoulders I looked at Tyler, steeling myself.
"No, I need to do this."
He nodded, giving me a small smile and a pat on the arm. Despite everything that had happened in the past few weeks, I couldn't help wishing it were more than a pat. I quickly stomped out the thoughts and followed his tall frame into the woods around the camp.
He stopped in front of a thick tree, with branches that reached to the sky. Leafs hung from each branch, acting as the cover we would so desperately needed.
"Go on up," he said, gesturing to me. "I'll send ammo and weapons up after you."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to find somewhere between the two gates. Since we don't know where he'll be coming from, we need to split up."
I nodded. I knew what. After all, Ellen had told me she was taking the rear. But still, it was scary to think of how far away back up would be if we ran into a problem.
"Listen, I don't want you to shoot unless you absolutely have to. The point of this is to question him," Tyler continued, his eyes searing into me with intensity.
"I'm not stupid, Tyler," I said, crossing my arms.
"I didn't say that. We just have to be on the same page. And I packed this," he said, holding out a gun. "A tranquilizer gun. If you can, shoot him with this so we can question him later."
"And if I can't?"
Tyler looked at me steadily, before answering.
"Then kill him."
I nodded and began climbing up the tree. Tyler climbed up behind me, carrying the duffle bag over his shoulder. When I was settled on a thick branch, he handed me several guns, along with ammo. With a final nodded, he scrambled down back to the forest floor.
I held my breath as I grasped the closest gun, squinting into the dying light. The sun was just setting and the sky was a deep dark blue. For a second, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see the commissioner, but even as the darkness descended on the sky, the stars twinkled above me.
I sat up in the tree for what seemed like forever. The steady chirping of crickets calming my mind. It was soothing sitting up there, above the panic and the problems of the contaminated. Safe in the tree, I could pretend that the bomb had never dropped. That I had simply climbed the tree in my parents backyard, still safe in our fenced yard. My dad would come out to call me inside, and when I wouldn't listen, he'd join me in the tree.
It was a good daydream. One that I didn't want to leave. But at the crunch of footsteps, all thoughts of safety and family fled. My heart raced as I peered through the leaves, squinting in the darkness ahead of me.
I gasped out loud at the sight. Row after row of contaminated surged forward as if marching. They weren't groaning or hissing. In fact, the only hint that they were dead was their rotting flesh and hair in patches.
In that moment, they were no longer the contaminated; the animal-like sickened from radiation. The innocent people whose minds were twisted and mutated.
They were an army of undead soldiers marching into battle. And commanding them was the commissioner, marching forward with gun in hand, a triumphant smile lighting his face.