Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,85

last breath, and I shuddered. The room was vacant and silent, but still felt filled to the brim with the presence of her.

Once I made my way further down the hallway, I noticed a cracked door and a bright, manufactured blue light seeping and splintering through the edges. I made my way there and opened the door. Inside, Maverick was sitting in an overstuffed office chair in front of six large screens, each projecting different codes and models of what appeared to be twisting ladders. He had headphones over his ears. I carefully took a broad path, so as not to startle him.

Once he saw me, he ripped off the headphones and appraised me with wide, frantic eyes. “Ash! What’s wrong, what’s going on? Are you hurt?” He got up and grabbed my shoulders and made quick work of inspecting every square inch of me. His broad palms ran down my arms and over my hips in a rushed examination. I briefly reveled in his close contact before distancing myself.

“What are you talking about? I’m fine. I just came to visit you,” I explained with a half-smile. I realized the awkwardness of showing up unannounced and regretted bombarding him. Maverick exhaled in brief relief before scrutinizing me again. His brow sunk, and his dark eyes appraised me in concern.

“You never come to the Clinic, not since, well—not since the Walker woman died.” Maverick looked down at his feet, as though contemplating telling me something. His kind eyes rose to meet mine, and I saw a sad resolve within his gaze that made my breath stall. “I meant to tell you; I finally was able to pull her file from Galla and learn her name—Rose. Her name was Rose Jamison,” he said solemnly. I admired Maverick at that moment. Despite everything going on, he went through the trouble of finding a name for the nameless.

“That's a beautiful name,” I whispered. Maverick nodded his head in response and looked at the floor.

“What brings you here, Ash?” He motioned for me to sit in his office chair. I plopped down, and he leaned against his desk next to me. He wore a deep maroon shirt tucked into tan pants that clung tightly to his frame.

“You’ve been detached lately. I’ve wanted to talk to you since the night Kindle died. But I haven’t seen you,” I explained. Maverick plucked a brightly colored rubber band that sat on his wrist. It snapped loudly against his skin, and I ached to rub away the sting of it.

“I don’t mean to be distant, Ash. I’ve just got a lot on my mind. I’m sorry you felt like you had to come here to get my attention.”

“That's not why I came here, Maverick,” I tried to explain. “I’m here because I—I miss you.” Maverick’s eyes lingered on the far wall. I ached to see his wistful eyes, but instead was swarmed with his sullen speculation.

Once again, Maverick slapped the rubber band against his wrist, and I immediately clawed my way out of the chair and grabbed it from him, causing it to ping against my own fingers.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Maverick spoke. “Dad was convinced he wouldn’t catch influenza X. We took all the necessary precautions. Moving the town away from the infected. Burning the deceased. He researched every aspect of X in every controlled environment imaginable. And yet, without reason, he started to develop the white-hot blisters on his body," Maverick’s large hand grasped his chest. It seemed his words were causing him physical pain.

"He locked himself in the Clinic, and I knew. I—I knew what it was but didn’t say anything to anyone. I guess I was still too shocked to accept the truth.” Maverick’s voice stumbled over his words, and he started to speak at a faster rate, as though he was desperate to toss out the heartbreak and emotions that consumed him.

“Then, he succumbed to the last phase of the illness; he truly became a Walker. We have an alarm for when an infected Walker is spotted in the province. It lets everyone know to go inside until the threat had passed. It’s an effective system, intended to diminish the spread of the disease,” he said in a methodical manner, and I clung to every syllable Maverick said .

“The next morning when the bell rang throughout the town center, I knew it was him wandering the streets. My mother was beside herself. Before any of us could stop her, she ran to him