Infection Z 3 Read Free

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    Hayden swallowed a lump in his dry throat as he stood near the door to the second hangar, the one they used as a living quarters now. Matt and Karen were opposite him, pottering about washing clothes in icy cold water, the smell of sweat strong in the air. Matt was in his forties or fifties, with grey hair that looked slicked back even in times of crisis. He was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers like he’d just stepped out of a business meeting and into the end of the world. His wife, Karen, had shoulder length dark hair and looked like she’d been a little on the skinny side even before the world went tits up. She was constantly smiling though. End of the world and a smile was always etched on her face. Hayden admired that. But what he didn’t admire was the way they let their kid run amok.
    “I’m not saying kids can’t be kids,” Hayden said, keeping as cool as possible while Matt and Karen continued to potter around. “I’m just saying we have to be more … more careful. The world we live in right now, it’s different to—to how it used to be.”
    “And you think we don’t know that?” Matt said. There was never venom in his voice or malice in his grey-green eyes, but Hayden could sense the frustration bubbling underneath. Like banter gone awry.
    Another deep breath of the cold but stuffy air. “Not accusing you of anything. I just—”
    “Tim’s always been hard work,” Karen said, wiping her damp hands on her grey jogging bottoms. “Right from being a baby. Used to moan all through the night. Tried to stop it but to be honest, some kids are just wired up that way. He’s a decent kid at heart though.”
    “And I don’t doubt that,” Hayden said. He wasn’t one for conflict, but he could feel the adrenaline surging through his body and prompting him to fight. “He seems a good kid. But he can’t go wandering—”
    “You don’t have kids, do you?” Matt asked.
    Hayden closed his mouth. Shook his head.
    “Or siblings? You don’t have any younger … Oh. Sorry. I really didn’t …”
    The words cut into Hayden’s body and, at that point, he couldn’t help himself.
    “I just dragged your boy down from the frigging wall,” Hayden said, arms shaking and palms sweating. “I just pulled him down from the wall we’ve put sweat and blood into building this last ten days. So excuse me if I’m a bit agitated or if what I’m saying goes against your idea of raising a kid, but I’m just being careful, that’s all. Now can you please just keep a closer frigging eye on your son?”
    Hayden could tell from the silence that followed his outburst that maybe, just maybe, he’d crossed a little too far over the line. Matt stared at him with puzzled eyes. Karen’s smile dropped. They both looked at him like they were seeing him for the first time, seeing the real Hayden with all his walls and defences broken down, looking inside his soul.
    Hayden tensed his fists and looked at the tiled floor in front of him. “I’m sorry. I just—”
    “No,” Matt said, an assertiveness to his voice that Hayden wasn’t used to hearing. He rubbed his hands together and walked towards Hayden. “I understand. You have a problem and you’ve aired it. I appreciate your honesty. We appreciate your honesty.”
    Hayden couldn’t help but feel shitty at how damned reasonable Matt was being about his outburst. He struggled to focus on Matt’s eyes so he kept the most of his focus on the brown shoes on Matt’s feet. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like—”
    Matt placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. The dampness from his palms spread through his coat. It was a gesture that forced Hayden to lift his head, to look Matt right in his eyes. Hayden could see his eyes were bloodshot. He was half-smiling. A genuine smile of appreciation. Respect. “You’re looking out for our boy. You’re stressed. We’re all stressed. Sorry we couldn’t keep him more … more under control. But we appreciate