Dark Blood

Chapter 7

"Fancy joint."

Kara looked up at the building in front of her, one hand on her hip and the other resting on her cello case. Their entourage had just arrived at the resort they would be staying at. It had a modern appeal to it; lightly colored exterior with dark accents, plenty of windows, balconies, and open walkways, ceramic tile roofing, and plenty of greenery. If it isn't apparent yet, the Morgan household has a rather elaborate, if not expensive, taste.

They all trouped into the lobby, oooing and aahing over the beautiful interior. Each family or couple had their own suite, so, unsurprisingly, they excitedly grabbed their keys and bade the others good night. Kara waited, hugging relatives and waving until it was just her, Lukas, Kayla, and their parents remaining in the lobby. Kayla's parents were next to leave. They tearfully embraced their daughter and new son-in-law, congratulating the both of them and saying how proud they were, wishing that their wedding was all that they had hoped for.

Lukas smiled and put an arm around his beloved wife. "It was even better than I had imagined it." Kayla nodded in agreement, resting her head on him.

Everyone did that cute little "awww" thing, then Kayla's parents left for their suite. Don and Elizabeth hugged and kissed their son on the cheek, giving the same remarks as to their joy of Lukas and Kayla being officially wedded and ready for the future. They came over to Kara and hugged her as well.

"Love you Mom. Love you Dad," Kara said as they pulled away.

Elizabeth smiled and wiped away a few leftover tears. "We love you, too, Sweetie."

As they left, Kara walked over to her brother and punched him in the arm.

"Ow," he laughed. "Love you too."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, shut up - hey!" She yelped as her brother picked her up, her feet dangling above the ground. He dropped his sister, receiving a barrage of playful punches to the gut.

"Asshole. I'm gonna miss you," Kara said.

"Yeah, yeah." Lucas ruffled her hair. "I'll see you tomorrow, little sis." She scowled at him.

As he lifted up Kayla bridal-style and retreated to their private suite, he heard her call after them.

"I'm still older than you, Numbnuts!"

Well, what's next. Think they'll all wake up tomorrow all hunky-dory and be off to their normal lives? Think Lucas and Kayla will buy a house, start a family, and just have a great life together?

I know that's what you're hoping for. And I know you know that it's not gonna happen.

As Kara lays in bed, looking out her balcony window, that's what she's hoping, too. She stretched and curled up under the sheets. Her heavy lids begged for sleep, but her brain kept nagging at her. Some part of her deep subconscious was keeping her aware of everything around her. Something was amiss, but what could possibly happen to ruin such a perfect day (besides that stupid helicopter)?

Her eyes snapped open. She lay prone, listening. Overhead fan, curtains rustling, pipes creaking in the bathroom... what had she heard?

There! She strained her ears to hear past all the white noise. It was muffled screaming. Kara picked her head up, her sleepy eyes forcing themselves open. Someone was screaming. Whether it was a few doors down or right next door, she couldn't tell. But someone was... no they stopped.

"One of the kids must be watching a scary movie," she thought to herself. She sighed and reclined back into bed, her adrenaline rush dying down.

Her head was up again no sooner than it had touched the pillow. There was another scream, but this time she knew where it came from: above her. And it wasn't a horror movie scream. Those are usually followed by giggling or swearing. No, this one was a pure terror scream that had no calming resolution. It ended as abruptly as it had started.

Kara was fully awake and alert. There was just silence now, but honestly, that was more terrifying than the screaming. The silence was ominous, chilling, and empty, as if the whole world just keeled over and died. Her heart was pumping and her breath was shallow. This was starting to freak her out a bit.

She bolted up in bed. Now she heard whispering and shuffling out in the hall.

There was a knock at her door, which practically made her jump out of her skin. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself and regain her composure. When there was another knock, a bit louder than the last, she sighed and threw off the sheets. As she stood and went to look out the peephole, she heard more whispers and quicker shuffling. Kara stopped. What the hell? Had they moved on? This was answered with a resounding NO as her door was thrown off its hinges and sent crashing to the floor.

"What the shit?!" she screamed.

Three men entered her room. They wore dark camo under some sort of military armor. They had all kinds of equipment on their shoulders, backs, and the sides of their helmets. All this was secondary, however. The first thing Kara noticed was the gun barrel pointed at her face.

"We've got a survivor," one of them called out the door. Survivor? Wait, what happened to everyone?

Another voice responded cautiously from the hall. "Are they infected?"

Infected? She gulped uneasily. That didn't sound good. The one pointing the gun at her face made a hand motion to the other two, and they started searching the room. Like, they looked everywhere.

"What's going on?" Kara questioned the guy, but he didn't offer any sort of answer. He, instead, fired an array of questions at her.

"How do you feel?"

"Uh," she gave him a look. "Confused."

"Does your throat hurt?"

"What?"

"Your throat! Does it hurt?" He sounded... scared?

Kara held up her hands. "Whoa, easy there. No need to shout. And no, my throat doesn't hurt."

"Are you experiencing any chest pain, trouble breathing, or nausea?"

"What is this, a physical? No!"

The two guys who had been searching the suite returned. "We're clear."

They lowered their guns, sighing in relief. A few other men entered, all in the same attire. They looked at her incredulously.

"How the hell did you survive?"

Kara felt her heart skip a beat. "Survive?" Her family. Kayla. Lukas... She inhaled sharply and crossed her arms, taking a seat on the bed. "Care to explain what the hell is going on?"

The man who had pointed the gun at her removed his helmet, revealing a crewcut, chiseled face. He sat beside her. She could feel the intensely troubled air around him, and she could see just how much he didn't want to answer. She looked him straight in the face.

"Where is my fucking family?"

He glanced at the others in the room before reluctantly meeting her gaze. "We don't know. They're all gone."