Page 60 of Infected By Virus

“As I’ll ever be.”

Making their way around back, Teach popped the lock with ease and they snuck inside.

“No sign of Barker.”

“No sign of basic human hygiene either,” Teach quipped as they practically waded through pizza boxes, fast food bags, beer bottles, and dirty laundry.

“Yeah, it smells like the fucker hasn’t taken the trash out in weeks.” Something was definitely up with Barker. Not only threatening Rae and Harmon, but this place looked like every psychopathic perp’s place in half the episodes of Law & Order.

The thought soured Virus’s stomach further. He’d looked the man in the eyes earlier that day. Yeah, the fucker seemed off earlier but not like criminally crazy off.

Teach swung the light toward the coffee table. “What the hell?”

Teach’s beam was focused on Virus’s smiling face with a knife through it. It was their team photo in a yearbook from what looked like junior year.

“That you?” Teach asked from over his shoulder.

“Yeah, and that’s Barker.” He pointed to his friend who stood way in the back.

“I can’t believe you were right, and this dude is still holding on to shit from fucking high school.”

After removing the knife from his face, he moved the book and rifled through the rest of the papers under it. It seemed random and nothing of interest until he found a pile of pictures under all the papers.

His fingers stopped when he saw one of him and Rae from back in the day. That day was still fresh in his mind. He and Rae were cuddled together and laughing at Barker’s corny joke about mushrooms, complete with artistic interpretation. It was stuck in his mind because by the next morning, he and Barker were no longer friends, and his suspicions of Rae had peaked.

Virus was still staring into those happy faces, lost in the past when Teach cursed.

“Fuck, these are all … dude.” Teach dropped his flashlight and bolted away. Virus followed his progress with his own light. “Water. Water.”

It was almost comical how Teach was scrambling. Seconds later, he heard water running and more cursing. Turning his beam of light back down toward the coffee table, he saw a scattered pile of photos.

Pictures of Rae.

Virus didn’t recognize the setting, but he did recognize her new tattoos, so they were taken after she left Provo. Rae sat on a couch he didn’t recognize. Sitting in just her bra and panties with one leg tucked under her. Other pictures peeked out from under it, enough to see more backgrounds he didn’t recognize.

“Must be her place in Vegas,” he absently mumbled as he reached for a picture

Teach’s voice halted him. “Don’t touch those unless you want fucking jizz on your hand.” Teach had retrieved his flashlight and added his light to Virus’s.

Disgust roiled through him as his eyes took in the sight. An array of pictures of Rae in various states of dress and … “She’s fucking asleep in that one.”

Teach kicked the pictures off the coffee table and forced them apart with his boots. It was all Rae. Rae in the tub, in a bed, at a table. Why would he have all of those?

Something was off. The pictures of each room were all at the exact same angle.

“Why would Rae allow him to?—”

“She didn’t,” Virus forced past his clenched teeth. “These are still frames taken from video. Maybe it’s a hidden security camera, judging by this one.” He indicated the one of Rae in the tub taken from almost above. “See that? I bet that’s a vent slat.”

“You telling me this sick fuck put cameras in your ol’ lady’s place and then used the material for his own personal spank bank?” Teach sounded thoroughly repulsed.

Virus gagged when it all sank in. He’d known that fucker was obsessed with her, and he’d left her alone. If he were honest, he’d had an inkling even back then, but he never dreamed it was as deadly as it was.

When full reality set in, Virus hurled the flashlight into the nearest wall before screaming and upending the coffee table.

“FUCK.”

“Calm down, brother. We’ll get your ol’ lady back.”

---