In the aftermath of the horrific expulsion, the tightly packed lobby grew into a furious maelstrom of shouting with erratic bursts of light. Together with the stench of drying gore nearby, the experience was one in which Lucas desperately wished to extricate himself. With few avenues of travel through the crowd, and more people coming down the steps, he couldn't retreat upstairs. Darting into the openings as they became available, he somehow navigated his way to the side hallway leading to the common area and down the hall.
Soon standing near the glass door to the common room, Lucas turned to look down the hallway from where he had retreated. Attempting to discern order or action from the activity, he strained to make out individual voices. Some people in the hallway were updating the late arrivals to the events, even as they were still ongoing. There were enough flashlights present to provide adequate lighting, so Lucas casually let his beam of light shine at the floor.
"What is going on out there?" A familiar feminine voice asked from nearby.
Lucas glanced over to his right. Chloe stood nearby in the open doorway, her dark clothing concealing her atheltic frame rather effectively in the shadows. Staring down the hallway with interest; one arm held the door open as if she was about to dart back inside. Nobody appeared to be in the dark room behind her and nobody else was really close enough to have obviously been the speaker, so he replied to her. "They forced that guy who was bitten to go outside."
"Huh, he was bitten? I thought it was just a scratch."
"I thought so too, but it was apparently a bite." After a couple seconds, he added another possibility he hadn't originally considered with a shrug. "I guess it could just be the flu or something, but apparently he got very sick very fast so everyone thinks it's a bite."
"Jesus. What would have happened if he was still inside when he turned?" Chloe spoke with a faint tint of fear on the edge of her voice as if the situation had only now been suddenly visited upon her. He didn't know Chloe all that well, but the urgency of the situation was apparently enough to crack her usual cool, logical demeanor.
"Nothing." Lucas flatly responded.
Sudden, piercing yells echoed down the hallway. Although Lucas couldn't make out anything more than scattered words, he could tell the women who came in with Robert were pleading for him to be let back inside. Although the result was difficult to discern, the prospect was doubtful. Still, the screaming ended after an inestimable interval, although it seemd as if the commotion was finally beginning to wind down.
"What did you mean by that?" Chloe turned her brown eyes to Lucas. She was about five and a half feet tall, just a bit shorter than Lucas, so she had to look up at him slightly. "When you said nothing, I mean."
"I know the guy who was handling it. I don't know what's going on with him right now, but Evan would make sure it was safe to keep him inside."
"Maybe there wasn't a way to do that." Chloe casually considered. "As long as one infected is inside and around people, it could still bite someone. From what I've read, the virus could spread through the whole building in a matter of minutes. So your friend could have decided it was just too risky to keep him in here with us."
"Yeah, it can spread fast..." Lucas trailed off. The thought of his friend making that decision genuinely never occurred to him. It would explain at the very least why Evan did not stop the events that just took place. After only the slightest consideration, he replied confidently. "Well, I don't think I could do it, but he'd never do that to someone. He'd lose his paladin abilities if he did." Lucas added the old joke among his circle of friends to his answer with a smile.
Chloe's face was stony and unimpressed as she replied. "Well, either way, we need to do what is best for our survival. And right now, that means keeping the sick people away from everyone else."
"If that really worries you, you could always lock yourself in your room and just wait until we're rescued. It's probably what I'd do if I didn't know Evan was around." Apparently, until this ended, it would be best not to get sick. The flu could potentially
cost someone their safe harbor. Briefly, he wondered if anyone with a
fever who had not been bitten were being similarly turned outside. He was at least glad the shouting proved the decision was apparently a controversial one.
"This isn't about me, you or your friend. It's about making the choices that are best for everyone. To make sure we're all as safe as we can be."
"I'm not sure we can be safe." Lucas countered. The possible implications of the outbreak's origins still lingering in his mind. "Not until we know a whole lot more than we do now." And that- Lucas added in his mind- the event which originated the zombies wouldn't just happen again without warning.
