April 14, 2025 7:45PM

Weave Through Backroads (87%)

Elliot wasn’t exactly excited to give up the wheel. But considering their last few experiences with law enforcement, there was only one choice that made sense. They could never pass for uninfected, not looking like they did. And if they actually ran into any healthy people, they might spread the disease!

They had Zalenka’s journals, and whatever data the supercomputer had calculated. Maybe they had the key to a vaccine, or even a cure. But they couldn’t discover that information if they got themselves shot by police trying to make it through a roadblock.

Elliot spent the rest of the trip in the passenger seat, trying and failing to get into a comfortable position with her long legs and strange body. She realized the true source of the problem, of course. Her body wasn’t shaped correctly to sit like a human being anymore. Just as she was losing her fingers, her spine had started changing too.

By that time tomorrow, she wouldn’t be able to sit like her old self.

She could still be useful, pointing out the route as only someone who had visited many times could possibly know. Where they found damaged roads or blockades, she could route them around.

To a point. If the effort was deliberate and familiar enough, there were only so many ways into town. Luckily they weren’t further up into the mountains, or there might only be a single road.

“That’s the cabin,” she finally said. It was full dark by then, the moon rising slowly overhead. “Up that driveway.”

There was a prominent keypad there beside the fence, with a mechanical gate. But neither of them worked, and hadn’t since she was little.

Ruby pulled over anyway, rolling down the window next to the keypad. She had to reach all the way to the side to touch the keys with her fingers. If her hair wasn’t enough of a guide, she was changing too. No one would be safe from this. “What’s the code?”

“Doesn’t have one,” she replied. “Gate’s not really locked, I just have to get out and–” as she said it, something moved. Her eyes fixed on the mechanical gate, long since rusted over and lifeless. Only–it was moving. No grinding of the old motors, whining like it had the last time dad tried to get the gate to work. It moved anyway, the outline glowing as it slid up and out of their way.

“Holy shit, your head!” Sam called from the backseat. She hadn’t even known he was awake, but clearly he was now, pointing with one unnaturally sharp hand at the horn emerging from Elliot’s face.

“My what?” She reached up towards her face, searching for the damage. Was she growing extra eyes this time? Or maybe her whole body was just liquefying into slime?

She felt nothing new there though. Her face extended farther than it should have, with a sharp horn emerging from her forehead. For a second she saw light reflected in the fur along her arm, then–it went out.

At the same instant, the gate crashed back down, mechanical joints crunching from the stress. It fell sideways onto the ground, laying flat. Like a disembodied giant had just lifted it twenty feet, and smashed it back to the driveway.

“That was you?” Ruby asked, mouth hanging open. “That glow. Psychic powers? Same color on your face as the fence.”

“No such thing,” Sam protested. “Couldn’t be the princess–something must be in there. We should bail.”

“No need.” Peter sat up, grinning up at her. “Makes sense you can do it. Got the horn, that’s pretty typical for infected with our body type. Wonder if the three of us came from the same strain. Then birdbrain here got it somewhere else. Different variant.”

“Make sense she can do what?” Sam demanded. “What was that?”

“Drive.” Elliot slumped in her seat, pointing over the broken fence. “I’m exhausted, I stink, and we just made a lot of noise in the middle of the night. Should get into the garage, and lean the fence back up when we’re done. Make it look like nothing happened.”

The others looked like they might argue, but Ruby didn’t. Her girlfriend drove forward, thumping over the old fence and over to the house. Getting into the garage was just a matter of the combination lock, and heaving the old garage door open. No lights came on, no security system or motion activation.

“Think the princess needs a break.” Sam said, hopping out the side. “Think you can help me get the fence up, horse? Since you’re so good at this.”

He nodded. “Sure. Don’t think I’m ready to do what she did. My head is still scrambled from the Resonator. But I can help.”

Sam went around to Elliot’s door, then opened it for her. Outside, the garage was mostly empty, except for some old supplies. Generator, snowmobile, plow attachment, and lots of Christmas decorations in big plastic tubs.

“Don’t… call me princess,” Elliot said, head down. Long hair fell past her face, obscuring her view out the window. “Please. I already have a mirror.”

She hopped out beside Sam, and tried to stand on two legs. But the bird wasn’t doing it anymore, and now she knew why. Her world lurched, and Elliot flopped forward. The stupid hoodie pulled forward, much too high to offer any help with her modesty.

It wasn’t quite like walking on hands and knees. Her legs moved naturally, despite the position. Her back stretched, and that long tail emerged from her hoodie.

Elliot was a horse. And not one that resembled Elliot very much anymore, either.

“Sorry, Blue,” Sam nodded to her, shuffling back towards the open garage door. “Not that either?”

Ruby emerged from the other side. She didn’t need help getting out, or moving around. Despite her clothes looking a little loose, she was still more or less human. “No way! She’s not even blue.”

“Fine. Then I’m going to call her Way until I think of something better. Unless she has another idea.”

“Way.” It didn’t sound very much like a name. But it was better than being reminded of her transformation with every single word. And just as importantly, it wouldn’t have any connection for any of her old connections to trace back to her real self.

“Fine. You coming, Ruby? I could use someone with a phone light. We gotta get the batteries back on if we want any electricity when the sun comes up. Pumps and filters won’t run without power, so the water’s out until then too. We’d have to turn the generator on if we wanted a shower before that.”

Ruby followed her, holding a cell phone flashlight to light the way through to the back of the garage. “You never took me out here.”

Elliot laughed bitterly. “Sister had it last year. Was gonna be mine this winter. We were gonna have the best ski season ever.”

Ruby wasn’t exactly practical or technical, but that was fine. Elliot wasn’t either. Her dad had laminated cards with instructions near each of the important machines, and warnings for what not to do. Cisterns, wells, batteries, solar–all could be delicate in their own ways. And more importantly: expensive to replace.

Soon the switches were all in the right place, and the system was ready to come back into use. “We have some camping stuff in the tub here. Should be some electric lights and stuff we can use until we have power.”

The cabin was an old one, built before the widespread adoption of many modern conveniences. But given the circumstances, Elliot wondered if she might soon be grateful for things like the various wood stoves and fireplaces around the house. It was big enough to have the whole family over for a winter vacation, though not all its rooms were created equal.

It was her house, so Elliot lay claim to the master bedroom. Ruby followed, though without any of her usual affection. She trailed a few feet behind, as though deliberately avoiding looking at her.

Elliot could hardly blame her. She didn’t much want to see her own reflection. But there was only the one bed for them to share, so she couldn’t exactly keep acting like that.

Elliot kept the hoodie on as best she could, It slowed her motions, and might trip her if she had to run. But she wouldn’t be running anywhere that night. “I wondered where we would end up when you came back with that journal,” Ruby whispered into the dark, a few minutes later. “Worried we would get in trouble. Maybe you would go to jail, or both of us. I’d take jail over the whole state getting screwed over.”

“I hope it’s just the state.” She pulled the blankets over herself, curling her legs up against her chest. “That could be bad, but like… recoverable. If it goes further…” she trailed off, her voice small. Imagining what it might be like for an entire country to go through what she had, with some of them transformed into dangerous monsters at the same time… would there even be a country left?

“There’s a way to fix it,” Ruby said. “Maybe we’ll find it, or help. Get the info out to the WHO or someone.”

Yes, the four of them would do it. A bio student, a dropout, a mechanic, and a soldier. Together they would save the human race, even if they couldn’t be part of it anymore. “Guess that’s about as likely as anything else we’ve been through.

Elliot must’ve fallen asleep after that, because she didn’t remember anything else they talked about. More dark predictions of their future, probably.

Morning came with lights that worked and a shower that smelled only a little like algae in the tank. Better than the barns and soap that she currently smelled like.

There was no room left for ambiguity in her reflection, no way for her to walk on two legs anymore. Nothing about her looked even remotely human in the mirror, except for her eyes. Those still looked the way she expected, other than the size. She was tall enough to reach the sink with her mouth, though she had to stretch her long neck to do it.

Ruby stopped in the doorway, flushing red. She’d ditched the dirty clothes the night before, though her underwear didn’t quite fit. Still, not something either of them would typically notice.

This time, though…

“You can come in.” She turned to the side, flicking her tail towards the master bath. “Finished in the shower.”

She hesitated, looking Elliot up and down. Finally she shrugged. “Feels better than yesterday. Fog’s gone. But the transformation seems like it’s getting worse.”

Elliot looked back in the mirror, and nodded her agreement. “Horn is longer. I think I see some yellow fuzz on your chest there. Fur, like mine.”

“Fantastic. Always wanted to join the petting zoo.” Ruby shuffled past, tossed her clothes aside, and went for the shower. She might’ve invited Elliot to join her before, but instead she slid the door across and turned on the water. Elliot spent a few more seconds running the brush haphazardly through her hair.

It was so selfish and stupid to even think about–what was the relationship really worth fighting for with the whole world falling apart?

Elliot had to decide something stupid and pointless she shouldn’t even be thinking about:

• This won’t work without a cure, give Ruby her space.
• She’s gonna be a horse too, try to keep the old relationship going.