Marked

“Simone...” Rachel said as they walked back into the hospital’s waiting room. It was lined in an l-shape with interconnected, white plastic chairs.

There was a colorful blanket, one that belonged to Simone, thrown over one chair.

The nurses’ station was empty and the clock over it read 5:45 am.

“You never left.”

“I couldn’t stay in that room by myself. I just didn’t tell you because I knew you all would want to stay with here me and I didn’t want to be a bother.”

“You are never a bother, honey. We’re here for you. Even Juan.”

Simone’s eyes were glued to the double doors.

“I don’t like inconveniencing people. You know that.”

Rachel grabbed Simone’s hand and squeezed it. It was warm and soft and like always, she smelled like vanilla.

Out of all of them, Simone certainly had the most to lose if no one she knew was among the survivors.

“How do you know they’re being moved?”

“The nurse at the station got called away to help direct the survivors. I’m hoping they’ll bring them through this way--they have to, right? The simulation rooms are that way.”

“Yes,” Rachel agreed, patting her on the arm.

“Please,” Simone said. “Distract me while they come. I feel like my heart is going to spill out of my chest.”

“Um...okay, well, uh...Hector just spent the night in my room.”

"What?” Simone shrieked, swinging around to fix Rachel with wide-eyed brown eyes.

Rachel’s face reddened.

Simone wrapped her hands around the tops of her shoulders and her face split into a grin.

“You better tell me everything! Did anything happen? Did you two, you know...?” She waggled her eyebrows and bumped Rachel on the shoulder.

Rachel nearly passed out from embarrassment.

“No, Simone, nothing like that! We just...we kissed. That’s all.”

Simone gasped and the previous worry was wiped from her face and replaced with laughter.

“Well, it was about time! How was it?

“It was...“—How could she even describe it—“Amazing. Like, seriously amazing. I felt like,” She flushed. “Like I was flying.”

“Look at you, being all romantic and poetic. Was he your first kiss, Ray?”

“No...he—oh my God. Juan was my first kiss, Simone!” Rachel grimaced and her hand flew to her mouth in horror.

“You dirty, dirty girl! Kissing both of the brothers! I wouldn’t be surprised if you had them fighting over you.”

“Wait a minute, no way. Juan kissed me and it was so not mutual. Plus, I punched him in the face, remember?”

Simone burst into laughter and Rachel followed after her to nestle into the waiting chairs.

Simone sighed and her smile faded a little. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we, baby girl?”

“I guess so. You know, sometimes I miss home so bad- but then I realize that we are better off here. Back there all we did was barely survive and here- well here we can make a difference.”

Her best friend wrapped an arm around her and leaned her head against Rachel’s so that her curly, dark hair tickled her cheeks. “How did the world get this messed up?”

She knew Simone wasn’t looking for a real answer, but Rachel thought about this for a moment.

All the things Sung and Abby had told her came to her mind. How the generations before them had not taken care of the planet’s resources and her people had been left to fight a war over who would get the last scraps of them.

“Who really knows? I guess greed is more powerful than human kindness. Sometimes I think we are the worst type of creatures- because we can feel. And because we can feel selfishness, we do terrible things to each other.”

“People suck. We should have all been dogs.”

Rachel smiled and resorted to stroking Simone’s tight curls, knowing she needed this now more than ever.

“So where is he?” Simone asked. “Why isn’t Hector here? Did you tire him out with your fantastic kissing abilities?”

“Oh, shut up.” Rachel grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her and Simone's body.

"I actually like him, though. He definitely gets the best friend seal of approval. He's so protective and gentlemanly. I need to find me one like that."

"What about Juan?"

Simone pulled back to shoot her a look. "Oh, hell no. Don't get me wrong, he's nice to look at but we would clash, I just know it. No, I need a man who's tall, dark and sexy and who doesn't mind taking orders from a beautiful black queen."

Rachel giggled.

Just then, someone rounded the corner to the infirmary.

It was Hector. He'd changed into a fresh set of clothes and his hair was wet as if he'd just showered.

Heat rose into Rachel's cheeks at the sight of him. Flashbacks of him in her room, his hands on her body came rushing to her.

“I had a feeling I’d find you here.” He said, shooting both of them a dazzling smile.

“A feeling, huh?” Simone said as she waggled her eyebrows with a knowing glint in her eyes.

Hector actually managed to look sheepish.

“Mind if I wait with you?” He asked.

"No, sit," Simone gestured. "We're just talking about my future husband."

Hector took a seat across from them, elbows resting on his knees. If talk of future husbands scared him, he didn't show it.

He glanced once at Rachel and smiled.

Just then, the infirmary doors burst open.

"Ray, look!"

Simone shot to her feet, jostling Rachel's still injured hand. Crazy how she hadn't even remembered the injury when she'd been with Hector.

Rachel stood and so did Hector.

A few guards spilled from the set of doors, their faces serious and composed. She remembered stepping out of those doors all that time ago, thinking that the people who held her were poachers that would kill or mark her.

She wondered if her people would be just as scared now. It was hardly fair. Hadn’t they been through enough already? Wouldn’t the truth suffice?

But of course, the bunker people loved their rules.

There was a flurry of movement and voices then the first person emerged.

Rachel almost didn’t recognize him.

It was Ramos, looking thin and weary, his once thickly bearded face now hollow and freshly shaved, his pants hanging loose as if he’d lost a lot of weight.

After him came a woman, she didn’t know then old Hal, his back hunched, walking slower than the rest.

“Get your dirty paws off me!” He grumbled. As Hal tried to scramble away from the would-be poachers, he revealed a woman behind him with rich brown skin.

“Mom!” Simone shrieked and suddenly she was bolting down the hall.

Nearly there, a guard intercepted her, catching her around the waist to stop her.

“They haven’t been through their simulations, yet. You can’t speak to them.”

“Screw that!” Simone snapped, pushing past him towards a weary-looking Mrs. Johnson who stood near an open doorway. The guard didn’t put up a fight and neither did Mrs. Johnson as Simone rushed her and wrapped her arms around her body.

Mrs. Johnson looked disoriented for a moment before recognition set in.

“Simone? Baby, is that you?” Her hands cupped Simone’s face and they both burst into tears. “Oh, honey what are you doing here with these people? Have they hurt you?”

“No, mom, no. You’re safe here. I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but you are, I promise.”

Simone peered around her mother to look into the room she’d just left.

The guards beside her still held on to one of Mrs. Johnson’s elbows and the others were already being ushered towards the elevators.

“Where are Dad and Chantel?”

Before Mrs. Johnson had a chance to reply, a wracking cough came from behind them. Ramos doubled over in a fit of coughs and blood spewed from his mouth and stained the white tiles red.

“Page Dr. Everest.” A nurse ordered as she pressed a towel into Ramos’ hand. A few coughs later the towel had become drenched in blood.

The sight of it made the nurse’s hands faltered.

Rachel was frozen in shock. She didn't know what to do.

A group spearheaded by Dr. Everest broke out into the hall, followed by several nurses, who pressed blue masks against their noses.

The commotion frightened Ramos. The remnants of his fighter's nature flared. Like a wild animal, he flung his arms as the doctors converged on him. One grabbed him by the arm, but with wild and jerky movements, Ramos came loose and collided with Rachel.

She caught him in her arms just as he coughed, spewing blood onto her face and neck.

The guards stepped in, tearing Ramos from her. They threw him onto the ground as he thrashed wildly, one guard pressing his knee into his lower back.

Mrs. Johnson made a sound of protest.

"Turn him over. Hold him still but get off him," Dr. Everest barked.

A nurse had just finished securing a blue mask to his face, tying it behind his head.

Doctor Everest shone a light into Ramos’ eyes.

One look and his eyes widened in horror. He spun around in a haste.

“Seal the airways between the infirmary and the rest of the bunker. Do it now!” Dr. Everest’s reached for a mask a nurse had extended to him and pressed it to Ramos's face who violently tried to shake it off.

“What’s going on?” Rachel asked, her voice almost lost in the commotion.

Two guards shoved her out of the way, and she stood there, watching Ramos writhe on the floor as convulsions overtook him.

Doctor Everest turned to her and gave her a hasty once over, as if surprised to see her there.

“Rachel, what are you doing here?” He glanced down at her shirt and then his eyes grew weary.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Rachel asked again.

“Dr. there are still other patients in here. What do we do?”

“No one can leave or enter this place. Get security down here now and get everyone into suits. But damn it, move faster.”

The doctor spun back to Rachel.

“There’s been a small problem but we’re going to take good care of you.”

"Why are you locking down the floor? What is this?"

It was Hector who spoke. He took a step toward the doctor, but a guard placed a halting hand on his shoulder.

“Please take them to separate isolation rooms and keep them there.” Doctor Everest ordered. “Make sure they are each tested and quarantined- especially her.” He pointed at Rachel. “And no one leaves this place. Is that clear?”

“Why won’t you tell us what’s going on?” Simone demanded as a guard tore her away from her mother. The guard’s apprehended Hector and Rachel, steering them away from the chaos going on with Ramos.

"Those are our people in there!" Hector shouted as Dr. Everest began to retreat. "Dr. Everest!"

“I thought this hadn’t reached our part of the country!” A nurse muttered as she scuttled after the doctor.

“I thought it was all a lie from the government to convince the people to get the mark!” Another replied.

Rachel strained to see behind her but the crowd quickly swallowed up Ramos and the frenzy of nurses and doctors.

“What is this?” Simone whispered.

“I don’t know, but it isn’t anything good.” Hector replied. He shrugged off the hands holding him and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Where’s Juan?” Rachel asked.

“He stayed with Debra. I was coming here to bring you breakfast. Damn it, I should’ve never left him.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Rachel turned to one of the guards. “Where are you taking us?”

“You heard the doctor,” He replied. “You're going into isolation rooms.”

"We're not going anywhere without each other!" Simone protested.

No answer came from him.

Hector, Simone and Rachel were herded toward rooms at the end of the hall.

"Inside," The guard said. When he made a move to separate Simone from them, Hector stepped in front of her.

"We're not going anywhere without one another."

Shouts echoed from the hall. It was the prisoners screaming, protesting, followed by more coughing.

"Fine, fine, whatever." the guard snapped, glancing behind him.

They stepped through the door and on the other side, the guard locked it with one swipe of his fingertip.

When Rachel tried to open it back up with her own fingerprint, it didn’t budge.

So much for not being prisoners.

Rachel turned around and found Hector pacing the length of the sterile, white room. Simone had taken residence on one of the cots and placed her chin in her hands.

Rachel’s mind spun with a million questions and thoughts, but one kept replaying itself over and over in her head. “Hector, do you remember what Sung used to say back at the compound? About a disease that ravaged the world during the war?”

Hector and Simone eyed her with wariness. “What if that’s what’s going on here? What if the compound survivors are sick?”

“That would explain the panic and why they’re trying to keep this floor contained.” Hector agreed.

Simone lifted her face and wrung her hands nervously. “But why is everyone acting so scared?”

“After I passed my final simulation test, Abby told me disease was killing off humans faster than they could reproduce and that that had been the reason the CN had closed off our borders and implemented the mark. What if it’s back? What does that mean for all of us?”