BBW: Anomaly Points Book 1

Sophia was sweating quite badly as the boat neared the navy docks. I could tell she was losing concentration and holding onto consciousness. Buck didn’t react to her stress and kept investigating everything. Buck must still be pretty young, not entirely out of the puppy stage. Rich did react to her and stayed close. Rich seemed to be an older dog.

Carla was concerned, but we knew this was coming. Knowing and seeing were two different things. The seamen radioed ahead, and there was a wheelchair waiting for her. We were taken to a small room that had obviously been quickly cleared, and a bed moved in.

Buck is going to be tearing up the place and climbing the walls within the first day. We are going to need a place for him to let out some of that energy.

Amanda came up as Soph was moved to the bed and proceeded with some normal checks and questions. All the staff were in contamination suits, and I think the whole building was quarantined from the rest of the base. The whole building was crammed with medical beds. There was a lounge at the end with a small kitchenette and tea-making facilities. It looked like the building used to be offices and storage facilities and had been hurriedly repurposed.

This is going to make exercising the dogs difficult, and we won’t be able to go out and get supplies for them.

Soph was fully unconscious now, and Amanda and a nurse were hooking her up to monitors. The dogs were already getting in the way in the small room despite Carla taking charge of Buck and leaving me the easier Rich.

They brought us a couple of chairs and a folding cot to sleep on, but there was no room for two cots. Buck is not the only one who will go crazy and climb the walls.

We were able to use the whole building and a temporary fence was being placed around the outside. Once it was done, we could take the dogs outside as long as we stayed inside the fence. That sounded better.

Amanda would arrange for some supplies to be delivered for the dogs. Carla made a list including proper collars, leads, bowls and food. I had never had a dog. It all seemed to be an awful lot of work. They would also arrange for a vet to see the dogs, but that might take a day or so.

Hopefully, Soph will be like Ensign Jeong and only be out for a day or so. Yeah, right.

When Rich lay down for a nap, I placed him at the end of the bed by Soph. Unfortunately, we soon discovered Buck was not properly toilet trained and was soon going around spraying things. Who the fucking hell would ever have a dog? I know his scent now. Intimately. Who the hell thought the enhanced smell was a good idea? Bloody, uncaring, random universe. My nightmare is getting worse, and the end of the world is not even here yet. Carla took him outside.

Soph was mostly peaceful. There were periods when she would break out in sweat and others when she would toss and turn, but it didn’t seem to be as bad as Carla's. With my hearing, I kept track of the other patients, and that afternoon, only three medical alarms sounded. It would probably get worse, and we wouldn’t get much sleep.

Carla and I ate dinner in the lounge area with the dogs eating from bowls. Dinner came with confirmation the Anomaly had been destroyed. We both examined our Essence core and link and could feel no difference. We hadn’t sensed when it had been destroyed, so I am guessing there was no ongoing link to it.

Carla took the dogs out for a run around the building after dinner to try to tire them out. She was the gym bunny, so I think she needed it as well. It took a while to settle the dogs in the evening. Rich was happy to curl up on the end of Soph’s bed, but Buck was not. He ended up sprawled awkwardly, half on and half off a chair.

I left Carla to it and escaped to the lounge area. I relaxed and brought out my phone. I didn’t have my e-reader, but the app on my phone did the job OK. I was still keeping track of the sounds and alarms.

It was a bit after eleven when I heard Rich whine. A few seconds later, Soph’s alarm sounded, and both dogs started barking. I went down to help and ended up getting stuck holding the squirming and whining dogs so the medical staff could get to Soph.

Sophia was convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Her pale skin looked inflamed, and they were trying to keep her cool by wiping her down with damp towels. It was half an hour before she settled again. It was a lot longer before the dogs settled again. Carla had to take them outside again.

The medical alarms were definitely becoming more frequent.

I was asleep on the couch in the lounge when the barking dogs woke me again. It was 4 am. I dragged myself down the corridor to help. Fucking bloody hell. I gagged and recoiled. Soph was convulsing again, but this time, it was accompanied with projectile vomiting and diarrhoea. The fucking smell! I grabbed Buck before he could lick up too much vomit, and Carla shoved Rich at me. I ran for the outside door.

Fucking hell, this just keeps getting worse. I must be in a nightmare. I so need to wake up now. I pinched myself and then grabbed some skin and twisted so bloody hard to wake myself up. I WANT OUT!

We had only been outside for a half hour when another alarm went off. This time, it was shut off quickly, and fifteen minutes later, a body bag was carried out and placed in the van of a medical examiner.

The dogs and I stayed outside for hours. I really don’t think I can live through this. One way of opting out is to get out permanently. Who the hell wants to live through an apocalypse anyway? The apocalypse has not even really started yet, and I can’t handle it.

If I opt out, I will permanently cripple Carla. I think she should opt out as well, but she won’t see it that way. She has Soph. Is this why people choose to live through an apocalypse? Because they care for others? What a bunch of crap. And now I am caught in this nightmare of caring for someone. I just sat for about ten minutes, going through every swear word I knew. Then, I made up a few for good measure.

I blame the anomaly. It must have awakened this caring bullshit.

Oh fucking hell. My preferred way to off myself was to swim out into the ocean until I couldn’t swim anymore. Drowning is never nice, but at least I would be alone and in the ocean. The anomaly has taken that option away from me as well. I don’t think I can drown anymore.

Oh, this means war. The fucking anomaly wants to come here and fuck up my life and fuck up my death? I am going to find you and fuck you up, you bloody uncaring asshole. I don’t care how big your gonads are, me and my caring ass-kickers are going to kick you where it hurts most. Then, when we are done, I am going to let Buck sink his teeth in, and he will never let go.

The dogs and I eventually ventured back inside to the lounge for a late breakfast at 8 am. Carla joined us, and Lieutenant Wihongi made an appearance. She was inspecting things. The body I saw removed earlier was actually the second death. Fifteen had become thirteen.

After breakfast, we went back to Soph's room. She was lying quiet again. The strong smell of disinfectant did not remove the underlying smells enough. Fuck Super Smell. I looked at the dogs. They have an enhanced smell as well, and they handle it. Buck seems to search out the worst smells on purpose. Maybe it is a different mindset. A different way of sensing the world. I am going to need something different.