The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(82)

Pouring the contents of the can into his mouth, Jameson reached for yet more food. His body trembled as he fumbled with the cans.

“Kurt,” Maria said in a gentle voice, using his first name. “Kurt, you can’t be hungry. We don’t need food.”

“I am hungry!” he shouted. “I can’t stand it anymore. Being so hungry all the time!” He swept the cans of food onto the floor and fell to his knees. With trembling fingers, he pried the cans open.

Maria could hear Denman’s approach as he rushed through the ruined house. He burst into the kitchen and gasped.

“What the hell?”

Jameson didn’t even acknowledge them as he continued to cram food into his mouth. He wasn’t even fully chewing, just swallowing.

“He says he’s hungry,” Maria said, not able to comprehend what was going on before her.

“Hungry!” Jameson howled.

Maria and Denman froze, then both dropped into defensive stances. He sounded like Ryan and the first attacker.

“You can’t be hungry. We don’t need to eat because of the virus,” Denman said in a very calm voice as he approached Jameson.

Covered in bits of food, gravy, and syrups, Jameson continued to eat with a ferocity that was disturbing. Squatting beside him, Denman pulled out his scanner and aimed it at the young soldier.

Belching, Jameson fell onto his side, gripping his stomach. “Hungry!” he howled again.

Maria pushed a table away and cleared the area around Jameson. Fear was slowly uncoiling within her and she could see Denman was unnerved as well. He was close enough to get a reading, yet at a safe distance.

With a blood-curdling cry, Jameson doubled over and violently vomited everything he had consumed. Great sobs of despair filled the room as Jameson fell onto his side again. His body seized with terrible tremors and he vomited again.

“What the hell is going—” Maria started to say but was cut off by Jameson’s cry.

“Hungry!”

The soldier lunged at Denman, who scrambled out of his way. Jameson started to crawl after him but was seized by another spasm. Again he threw up. Instead of food, he vomited small pebbles and pieces of plants.

“Hungry!” Jameson cried again and hurled himself toward Maria.

Maria knocked him away with a powerful punch. Jameson fell into the kitchen counter and howled. Lurching forward, he screamed. Maria again hit him, knocking him to the floor. Denman grabbed one of Jameson’s arms and twisted it up between the man’s shoulder blades.

“I need restraints!”

Maria cautiously stepped forward as she activated her wristlet. “Cormier, bring me restraints immediately. I’m in the house.”

“Yes, sir!”

Maria felt her disquiet growing. Maybe Jameson had just mentally snapped, but the distress in his voice as he howled was too similar to how Ryan and the other Anomaly had sounded.

By the time Cormier arrived with the restraints, Jameson was incoherent in his cries. Denman secured his arms, then hauled him to his feet.

Twisting around in Denman’s grip, Jameson tried to bury his teeth in the man’s neck. Luckily, Denman saw the movement in time and brought up his arm, deflecting the bite. Maria grabbed Jameson and flung him to the floor again.

“Hungry,” Jameson howled.

“What the hell?” Cormier gasped, staring at Jameson in horror.

“What are we going to do with him?” Denman asked, stepping back from the raving soldier.

“Leave him here.” Maria heard the coldness in her voice, but she saw no other choice. Jameson was incoherent and they couldn’t drag him around with them. He had snapped, or worse.

“Leave him?” Cormier gasped. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s cracked,” Denman responded in a tired voice. “He’s mentally unhinged. There’s no point taking him with us.”

“We just can’t leave him here,” Cormier protested.

“Yes, we can,” Maria said in a firm tone. “He doesn’t need to eat or drink. He’s fine here. I’ll turn off his alarm and he’ll go into torpor. He’ll be safer here.” Maria regarded the growling man at her feet. “We can’t deal with what’s wrong with him right now.”

Writhing on the floor, Jameson’s incomprehensible cries and howls tore at Maria’s nerves. She knew she was right. There was nothing they could do for Jameson. They didn’t even know what was wrong with him. Perhaps it was a psychotic break. They had all been under so much duress with little to no time for anything other than killing. But she feared it was something much worse.

“Did you scan him?” Maria asked Denman.

The medic was still staring at Jameson as he nodded.

“I want a full report as soon as possible.” Maria turned to Cormier. “I want the carrier up and operational within the hour, and I want to run scans on the area.”

Cormier saluted, stooped through the doorway and was gone.

Maria and Denman stood in silence over Jameson. Maria wondered how long it would take for torpor to come.

“The Anomaly bit him,” Denman said after a minute or so.

Maria looked at him sharply. “What are you saying?”

“That out of all of us only the one bitten by an Anomaly is—”