DEAD IN BED By Bailey Simms: The Complete First Book

PART 7, SECTION 15

Chris and I shared Kaypay. I helped him up onto the saddle.

"We're going to try to come back in a week or so," Chris told Ed. "Get the word out that we're sheltering positives. Anyone willing to wear a blindfold on the trip out is welcome."

"I will," Ed said. "I'll have a fresh stock of provisions. You can count on it."

I nudged Kaypay with my heels. Chris held on tight behind me. The entire progression of horses, connected by a single rope and loaded with provisions, gear, and mounted refugees, followed Kaypay's lead. I waved goodbye to Ed, and we headed toward the mountains.

The beginning of the journey was relatively easy. The trails weren't very steep yet and no one had gotten saddle sore. Everyone had accepted the necessity of the blindfolds, and people fell into their own thoughts as they swayed atop the horses. Few of the refugees said much of anything. Even the baby was quiet.

When the sun set, it was much harder to navigate in the dark than I'd thought. We reached what was marked as Pines Bluff on my dad's map after two in the morning. From there, we'd need to climb up a steep, winding incline. Chris and I decided to stop and let everyone sleep until dawn. No one complained. Everyone was stiff and exhausted, but there had also been a release of tension as we moved farther into the mountains. The refugees had been living in constant fear of being discovered by the Home Guard, and now at least people were starting to feel safe.

At first light, I woke everyone up. After rolling up my blanket, I made my way into a ravine to pee.

As I squatted behind a rock, I felt the Insta-Read test in my front pocket.

It had been bothering me that Chris had wanted me to test myself. I was now basically certain that I hadn't contracted the pathogen, but Chris's suggestion had planted a doubt that had been nagging me all night.

I succumbed to the temptation and opened the Insta-Read package. If I tested myself now, at least I'd know for sure that I wasn't sick, I could stop being pre-occupied by the nagging worry, and I could concentrate on finding the cliff dwellings. Besides, all of the refugees already knew they were positive, and Chris already knew he wasn't. I was the only one who wasn't sure.

The applicator was exactly the same as the one Morgan had used. The same simple instructions for interpreting the results were printed on the plastic.

I clicked the button, and the applicator needle shot out. I started to pee. I reached between my legs and held the tip into my stream of urine.

I set the Insta-Read on a rock to wait for the result while a pulled up my scrubs and tied the strings at the waist.

The result appeared almost immediately.

Three blue lines: "Stage 3 TGV"

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