The Swarm by A.J. Scudiere

Author:A.J. Scudiere [Scudiere, A.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Griffyn Ink

42

“Is that—” Joule was asking as Cage held his hand out to stop her.

Whether he thought there was danger and she needed to stay quiet, or if he just didn't want her to say the words, he didn't quite know. Slowly, he reached into the bag he carried and pulled out the gun.

For a moment, he squeezed his eyes shut, not liking any of this, but then he did what he had to. He racked the slide and chambered a bullet. He’d just alerted anyone nearby that he was carrying and loaded. He’d either just made them run away, or he changed what could have been a friendly exchange into a gunfight.

Cage had no idea right now which one he’d done.

Joule took another bold step forward, her heel catching a twig that cracked loud now in the silence their own quiet had carved out. Luckily, birds still chirped, and he took that as a welcome sign. It was worse when the wildlife all disappeared.

Looking to his sister for a moment, Cage started moving forward softly. But there were no call-outs from anyone in the brush and no noises that made him think someone was just beyond where they could see. So, he figured he'd give it a shot. He yelled, “Dr. Achebe! Dr. Achebe!”

No answer came, only a few chirps from birds and a rustle a short distance away that let him know he’d scared something smaller than himself. It was close enough that he felt he should have been able to see whatever it was, but he couldn't.

Was it better or worse that no one answered? He didn't know.

Joule held her phone up, her finger tapping at the purple line to let him know they’d reached the end of it.

“Dr. Achebe’s phone should be right here,” he whispered, though Cage suspected they’d find much more than that. The smell got stronger as they got closer. Though it wasn't overwhelming, he stepped forward through the trees. This time, as he turned a corner in the trail, he saw something lying sideways across the trail.

A small bird had landed on it and began to peck. His stomach rolled again.

Joule seemed to feel nothing of this sort though, even though she’d just seen the same thing. Instead of stopping, she picked up her pace. There was nothing he could do but follow.

In a few moments, they stood over Noemi Achebe’s body, her shiny dark skin now dull and waxy. Her brown eyes were whitened and blank. Her jaw hung slack, neat rows of teeth showing. Her button-down shirt had been traded for a long-sleeved but lightweight, white T-shirt. Her flats had been traded for sneakers, but for being dead, she looked much the same. Her head was rolled to the side, her hand lying limp, palm up, as though she had been laid out this way.

Cage turned away. He was the biologist. He could probably much better explain what was going on here than his sister could. However, she was the one who was able to look at it with a clinical eye.

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