4:42pm
Lindsay found Peter three towns over, two days later. She drove slowly along in the Suburban, looking for him, and was unsuccessful until she stopped for lunch in a caf?She ordered lunch at her table, then noticed the unshaven man across the room. He was downbeat, dirty and tired. She didn't realize it was him until he ordered a third cup of coffee. She took her cup and went over to his table. He made no objection to her sitting down, probably because he couldn't.
He finally went back to the lab with her, but still wouldn't talk. This made Lindsay and the others mad, but it didn't bother Anton that much.
Later, in a meeting in the conference room with Peter there, too, Anton spoke up. "Peter has a bad viral infection in his throat. That's why he hasn't been talking; because he can't. Not without extreme pain, anyway. Peter," he said, turning to the silent man, "your wandering got you into trouble. Somewhere along the way you picked up a flu virus, and a bad one. I'll have to insist that you stay here and rest for the next couple of days."
Peter nodded slowly in acknowledgment.
"Pete, you can stay for this meeting, if you want. I think we might have found the reason why you're having these nightmares and daydreams," Matt suggested. Peter just sat there playing with the bottom of his shirt.
"We found trace amounts of radiation all over the house, and in the truck. I think this might be helping to cause the nightmares in some small way," Claire told the team.
"I want everyone to stay out of the house and the truck until further notice. If you want to go in, you have to clear it with me first." Matt made his point clear. "Pete, we want to do some tests, to see if the radiation is effecting you, alright?"
Peter just looked at him and swallowed, wincing in pain.
"Sorry," Matt had forgotten that Peter couldn't talk. He got up and left the room, saying nothing but "I'll be back in a sec..." making everyone suspicious. He came back with Peter's laptop and plugged it in to the console on the table. Peter looked at him strangely, wondering what he was doing with his computer. Matt turned on the screen at the back of the room, and it glowed white. He typed 'hello' on the computer keyboard and when it showed up on the big screen, he erased it and turned the computer to Peter. "Join in the conversation, won't you?" Matt asked suggestively.
'That's better,' Peter typed. 'What makes you think the radiation has anything to do with my nightmares?'
"You haven't had the nightmares when you weren't in the house or the truck, have you?" Anton asked.
'No. What's your point?'
"Don't you think that's a little unusual, Peter?"
'I guess it is more than coincidental, but it still seems doubtful that the radiation would have no other effects on me, if that's what is giving me nightmares.'
"He's got a point," Claire said, looking at Anton.
"We're going to do some more tests today to see what else we can find, but Pete, you rest. We'll cover your spot," Matt told him.
'Yeah, I think I will. I guess I should stay in here in case anyone wants to talk to me?' Peter?ingers tapped quickly on the keys. 'I think I could find something to do...'
"Unless you want to haul your laptop with you everywhere..."
'I think I'll just stay here.'
"See you later, Pete," Lindsay told him as she left.
':-)' appeared on the screen, and Anton laughed quietly from the other side of the glass doors. 
Peter quickly got bored in the conference room and went out to seek Matt. After finding him, he accompanied Peter back to the conference room, where they could talk.
'First, Matt, I want to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone over your head before. I know you were doing it for a good reason, I just didn't think so at the time,' Peter typed after sitting at the table.
"I knew you'd think that eventually," Matt told him. "If you didn't come around sooner or later, I'd have thought the radiation did effect you."
'Ha ha. I just wanted to get your clearance to go into the house to get some stuff. I'm getting a little bored.'
"Sure. Just be quick. Tell me when you come back. I want to know where everyone is at all times."
'Sure. I just need to grab some clothes and a couple of books from the bedroom.'
"Alright." Matt got up and left the room, Peter following.
Peter went into the house. Everything seemed ominous now, but he didn't know why. He went straight to the bedroom and took two shirts off their hangers. Folding them neatly on the bed, he got his new pair of shoes from the closet, too. He carried the shirts and shoes into the living room and put them on the coffee table, going to the other rooms to look for his book. He went into the back room, seeking his book, and when he didn?ind it there, went into the kitchen. He found the book on the corner table, and went over to get it. His hand was about six inches from the book when he was hit with another series of horrifying images. They were even worse than the time before, and he collapsed to his knees on the floor, wrenching in surprise. The images were so vivid when the light came from the wall that he passed out.
"Lindsay, did you see Pete come out of the house yet? He's been in there for almost an hour," Matt asked her, somewhat concerned.
"No, I didn't even know he went in," she replied. They looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces, then ran over to the front door of the house. "Anton, we need you in the house!"
Anton joined them in the kitchen, where they had found Peter unconscious on the floor. Lindsay was sitting on her knees with his shoulders and head on her lap, trying to wake him. Matt was checking around the house for something, but he hadn't told Lindsay what he went looking for. He came back into the kitchen just in time to help carry Peter out. He was bleeding from the back of the head, but they were more concerned about getting him out of the house before bandaging the cut, or whatever it was. Matt took Peter's shoulders and Anton took his feet, and they carried him into the Mobile Lab, into the med room. They put him in the brown reclining chair with a towel under his head to stop the bleeding.
Peter woke up 15 minutes later, dazed and confused. He tried to sit up, but when he did, he was overcome by a massive headache. Darkness pressed at the corners of his sight, and he had to fight to stay conscious. The bleeding had almost stopped but the hair at the back of his head had gone from a salt-and-pepper color to a deep red.
"Peter, turn your head, please," Anton requested.
He rolled his head to one side so Anton could clean the cut. He groaned, forgetting about the infection, and felt a sharp pain deep in his throat. God, he felt crummy. He felt lower than rocks and dirtier than dirt.
After putting a bandage around his head and fully waking him up, Anton helped Peter walk to the conference room to talk to everyone. His laptop was still hooked up, and he had only minimal trouble typing.
"How're you feeling?" Lindsay asked politely.
'I'd tell you, but I'm against heavy swearing,' he typed shakily. Everyone smiled and/or laughed at his comment. 'But it could be worse, I guess... I could have not gotten such a nice bandage on my head. Thanks, Anton.'
"You're welcome," Anton replied to Peter's typed words, smiling.
"But seriously, is there anything different that you feel, other than the pain in the back of your head?" Claire asked, being professional.
'Not really. I'm sore and tired, but I always am after I have one of those nightmares or images.'
"That's not supposed to happen..."
'It always has...'
"Yeah, but still..."
"You two, stop bickering at each other," Matt interrupted. Peter smiled. "Pete, what did you see before you passed out? What happened?"
'I got my shirts and shoes from the bedroom, then headed downstairs. I put my stuff on the coffeetable in the living room to go look for my book in the other rooms. I checked the back room, but it wasn't there, so I went into the kitchen. My book was sitting on the corner table. I went to pick it up, but when my hand almost touched it, these images invaded my head. They were still the same ones as my nightmare, but even more vivid than the last ones, if that's possible. They were just so horrifying, I couldn't take it, and blacked out, I guess. I still don't know how I got that cut on the back of my head.'
"You were standing when you blacked out?"
'No, I had fallen to my knees when the first set of images came into my head.'
"Voil?You must have gotten it from falling backwards when you were on your knees."
'That sounds worse than it felt...'
"But the images just keep getting more vivid?"
'They're always the same; the light coming from the wall taking my family..." Peter quietly sniffled.
Noticing it was starting to bother Peter, Matt dropped the subject. "We can talk more later. Claire, I want you to do more environmental tests in the kitchen of the house. Anton, make sure Pete's head is as normal as it's going to get," Matt smiled at Peter, "and Lindsay, get his stuff out of the house, please? I don't want you going in that house again, Mister," he said, pointing at Peter.
Everyone left to do their jobs, but Peter asked Matt to stay for a minute.
'Thank you,' he typed.
"No problem, friend," Matt told him.
Matt helped Peter walk back to his bunk. He was still a little shaky, but he was on the mend.
It could only get better. Right? |
