by Giacomi, A.
***
The next day, Dr. August and I devise a plan. We are sitting in his room as he discusses how he will get me out of the building. Last time, we had Agent Williams’ help; this time, we will not have that luxury.
Dr. August explains that I will first need a gun. That won’t be a problem, since I have access to artillery in the training room. There are plenty of guns and bullets used for shooting practice. I simply pray they haven’t changed the codes and locked me out. I don’t actually want to hurt any of the agents, but a gun will be threatening enough to keep them at bay. None of the agents are bad people; they are simply under strict orders. Marcus’s role, however, seems to be greater than that of a loyal agent. I am starting to think that phase two, whatever it is, might actually be his idea, not Vallincourt’s. This idea frightens me; I have been sleeping with a liar and perhaps an enemy. I really don’t understand how he can do that to me, pretend to love me while he had this hidden agenda the entire time. I guess some people are rotten on the inside, and I guess I am lucky my rotting problem is only external.
I rub the growing rot on my arm; I have been covering it with long sleeves since I don’t want anyone to know, not even Dr. August. The rot has spread down to my wrist so that almost the entire arm resembles something from a zombie film. I am turning into the grotesque thing I fear. My blue-green-grey eyes are nothing more than red, spiteful spheres, not an ounce of humanity left in them, and now my arm is decaying. Part of me is dying too; I can feel it. Something isn’t right. Perhaps it is the fact that I know my mother will be gone soon, or that Marcus’s betrayal, whatever it may be, crushed my soul.
“Eve, are you listening?” Dr. August asks, and I force myself to snap out of my self-loathing state.
“Yes, Dr. Augustus,” I say without emotion or enthusiasm. He looks at me oddly. “What?” I ask as he observes me.
“Eve, since when do you call me Dr. Augustus?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Since now,” I say with a new voice. “After I leave here, I want you to forget about me. We are no longer friends. You will get in trouble for helping me. Tell them it is because I forced you to. Lie and tell them that you hate me. Lie and tell them that I’ve become a monster.”
Although that isn’t far from the truth, and perhaps that’s why it hurts to say it.
Dr. August looks wounded, but I try not to show him any affection. I need him to stop saving my ass. He needs to save his own. CSIS will be ruthless now, especially since they are so close to their goal.
“Eve, I am not afraid of them. I was once but not anymore. I will fight them as you do! We will win,” he says with persistence. “We will win.”
“Dr. Augustus, you don’t know that. I’m not who I used to be.” I pull up my sleeve to show him my disfigured arm. I feel exposed and vulnerable, but I want him to understand that my end is near and he owes a dead person nothing.
He stares at my arm, and with tears beginning to stream, he takes my hands. “Eve, listen to me. We are all made of dark and light. Getting through life is a balancing act of our two selves. Please don’t give up yet. I may still find a cure. I won’t quit on you. You’re still in there. Even though the virus is attacking you, you’re not lost. Think of your mother. Is she her cancer? No, she is more than that! We are not the blood in our veins. That does not define us. We are the actions. We are the moments of valor that we embrace.”
I was able to keep it together until he mentioned my mother and that god awful “C” word, and then I lose it entirely. I sob into his arms, and I let him hold me until the tears run dry. I will not fail humanity. I will not fail myself.
Dr. August and I discuss our plan into the wee hours of the morning. He will serve as a distraction in the garage and exit point; I will steal keys for one of the vehicles and an access card to open the underground gates. Dr. August will lead the security team away. I tell him to tell the guards that he thinks I am attacking Vallincourt. That will make them run. Minions always run after their masters.
Tomorrow night, our plan will take action, but for now, I am left to pretend that all is normal. I will have to start with Marcus. I need him to believe that we are okay. Right now, he is pretty sure I hate him, and quite frankly I do. I was told I was a very good actress in my high school drama class, and I hope those skills haven’t been lost over the years.
I head into the training facility to retrieve guns that I will need for my escape plan, and who awaits me in the training room? None other than Agent Williams. I plaster on a smile and approach him.
“Hi…look…I’m sorry about everything I said…I know you’re just trying to do the right thing here…so I’m sorry.” The words burn as they leave my lips. I stare down at the floor for fear of glaring at him. I’m sure he mistakes it for embarrassment.
He comes close to me and runs his hands up and down my arms in a loving caress, which makes me want to tear them off of his body. “No, Eve, I’m sorry. I should have told you about your mother when I had first heard.”
I agree with that one! “Ya think?” He giggles and embraces me. The hug feels absolutely suffocating, and I push him back.
“Look, I need to know what phase two is. If you love me, you’ll start trusting me with this information. We’re supposed to be a team, and we couldn’t be further from it.”
He furrows his eyebrows, and I fear that he won’t tell me a thing, but then miraculously Marcus begins to open up. My forgiveness must have given him a false sense of comfort, which is exactly what I hoped for.
“If I tell you, do you promise to keep it to yourself? Not even Dr. Augustus can know.”
I nod and say, “Of course!”
“Eve, the red rocks we found are part of an Egyptian legend. The Red Eye of Ra.”
I remember hearing about the Eye of Ra in one of my classes. Egyptians would wear it as a symbol of protection. It was even used in ritual offerings asking for protection of their Pharaoh, but those had been the only stories I ever heard.
Agent Williams recounts a myth about The Eye of Ra once being an actual possession of the gods. The stone was given as a gift to a single Pharaoh; his name has been lost over time, but some reference has been made to him as The Son of Ra. The red stone turned his people into mindless zombies who were strong and indestructible. He forced them to build the first pyramids.
When other Pharaohs caught wind of his great pyramids and power, they grew jealous, and a war began. The gods grew tired of their fighting and decided to strike the Eye of Ra with lightning, breaking it into many tiny pieces to distribute amongst other Pharaohs and Kingdoms. The stone, however, was never as powerful as it was when it was whole. The Pharaohs were able to create these mindless zombies and build their pyramids, but soon the zombies rebelled and ate their captors, leaving the stones scattered. As raiders began to steal from the abandoned pyramids, the stones began to scatter globally. It was not until this moment, with the help of CSIS, that they were able to return the Eye of Ra back to its former state of glory.
The story leaves me in a state of shock; it’s amazing what stories are excluded from history books. I suppose governments won’t want us believing in magic and myth. I want to call this a form of protection, but ignorance is dangerous. I decide to leave that argument for another time. I need more information from Marcus.
“But what do you plan to do with the entire rock now? Surely you don’t want an entire zombie army to build you some stinkin’ pyramids?”
Marcus shakes his head. “No, Eve, don’t be silly. Once the stone is whole, we can stop the war. Whoever holds the stone can control the masses. Everyone will be forced to be peaceful and submissive. Imagine a world without crime. Wouldn’t that be incredible?”
My eyes widen as I watch Marcus’s smile grow. He truly believes what he is saying. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before, but Marcus is completely mad, a basket case in the worst way.<
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“Marcus,” I beg, “you can’t be sure the stone will work the same way as in that legend. What if everyone becomes a zombie instead of just peaceful?”
He laughs. “Eve! Sweetie! That’s entirely the plan! I want everyone to be like us! I didn’t know exactly how wonderful it could be until I became like you. We’re invincible. We can exist forever in this state. Never tarnish, never break, we are forever! What a gift we could give people!”
I suppose he didn’t look into Dr. August’s research. Forever doesn’t come with the territory. We can only escape death for a few years, not eternity. He is either misinformed or in complete denial. A madman stands before me, like all the other madmen of historical significance. This is how it begins, with an idea, an ego, and the absolute audacity to believe they are doing humanity a favour.
Marcus continues his rant as I bite my lip. “The good will feast on the evil of this world, and all I need is a little of your blood to make that happen! The entire plan will be complete. We can live happily ever after in peace.”
His grin and vicinity to me make me shiver. This psycho wants to use my blood for some nutzo ritual? “But why do you need mine?” I ask.
“Because you were bitten by a pure form of the Azrael Virus. One of the original zombies from that legend. None of the others have survived to be a part of this ritual, but you did! You are the key to saving this world and making it a better place.”
He sure is good at selling this whole Eye of Ra and hippie shit, but I have a horrible feeling about the whole thing. There is a slight risk that the world might become full of mindless zombies, and that possibility seems like enough of a reason to shut down this entire mission. Phase two will have to be terminated immediately.
I try to seem keen on Agent Williams’ plan, but on the inside, I can feel myself screaming. He is a monster, but not just any monster; he is the kind that you will read about in history books for many years to come, that is if we win this war. If not, I’m sure history will be rewritten in all sorts of ways. Never have I felt more of a need to succeed. But first things first, I have to get out of this damn place.
Agent Williams kisses me, glad that we made up. I tell him that I want to stay back and do some firing practice on my own, that I need to cool down after killing Jazz. He agrees and leaves in a disgustingly happy state.
I quickly collect a few guns along with some ammo, stuff them into a training backpack, and head back to my room. Dr. August is already waiting there with my meal; he has been given the duty of delivering them now that Jazz is gone.
A terrified woman who looks no older than me stands before me in chains. She even resembles me slightly with her dark hair and lighter eyes. The sight of her should make me hungry, but instead, it makes me yearn to be her. I will give anything to look like the old me again.
“Dr. August, did you have to bring me something so young, honestly!?” I ask, agitated.
He rolls his eyes. “Oh really, Eve, I don’t have a say in who is selected. Just eat! You’ll need your strength.” And with that, he leaves me and my meal alone.
I know that you aren’t supposed to play with your food, but I have to know what this girl did to deserve this fate. So I ask, “Why are you here?”
She shakes her head. “I du…I dunno…” she says while she shakes.
“You must have done something to be in that orange jumpsuit, lady! So spill the beans,” I say venomously, but she simply blinks, looking confused.
“I didn’t do anything. I was out in the backyard one day sleeping in my hammock, and then when I woke up I was here.”
She is crying now, and for some reason, I believe her. She isn’t a convict; perhaps none of them were. She is simply the first thing they grabbed. I am starving and try to control my anger. I don’t want to eat innocent people, only the ones who deserve to be torn to pieces. Vallincourt promised me, sworn to me that every meal was a vile human being. Another lie that CSIS fed me. I feel stupid for believing it all this time.
As I look into her eyes, I see myself. The things I could have been, the things that were stolen from me. This young lady has had her life ripped out from under her; her bitterness smells sweet. As I stare, I space out a bit and don’t realize that she’s managed to grab a pencil from my nightstand. She quickly stands and jabs the pencil straight into my eye. I scream out in pain and hear her scampering towards the door. She bangs on the door, begging to be let out, but the door is sealed, and it won’t open until I give the word.
I pull the pencil out of my eye and find that the pencil is a new colour. When I press my hand to my eye, it comes back red; as the moment’s pass, my vision becomes clear again. The wound is healing, and I will be even hungrier now. She’s made a grave mistake; innocent or not, she is about to be devoured.
She shrieks as I sprint towards her and slam my fist through her stomach. She lets out a grunt as my hand rummages around inside of her warm gut. Her eyes are open wide, the beautiful blue peepers holding a look of shock and pain, and I relish it.
With a single pull, her guts are on the floor, and I am chewing on everything in sight. I don’t remember eating the entire body, but all that remains of her are bones and my remarkably swollen belly.
CHAPTER TWENTY
DR. AUGUST
Tonight the plan has to take action. If everything Eve told me is true, then it will only be a matter of time before they lock her up and begin using her blood to “save the world,” as Agent Williams put it. As if anything noble can come from creating a world from one man’s vision. Has he not read history books? Many corrupt leaders tried the very same thing he is about to attempt; they all failed and caused more harm due to their misconstrued vision. Why must so many suffer for one man’s “vision?”
I didn’t sleep last night. I dreamed of zombies taking over our planet and feasting on what was left of the living. I imagined myself holding the giant stone, the Eye of Ra, and becoming a zombie king who eats his own family and friends for the sake of power. I knew of the stone, but I never imagined it existing, and the mythos that Agent Williams told Eve has never been written in any of the books I’ve read. This information was either lost, or someone kept it hidden from the masses. The thought of hiding pieces of history infuriates me. If governments can hide these facts, then perhaps history itself has been falsified. We will never know.
Eve is loading her guns while I pace the room. My only mission tonight is to make sure she escapes. If she doesn’t, then we will all be doomed. Once locked in the underground fortress, there will be no escape, and no one will come looking for us. This is our only chance. If we fail, we’d be tossed into cells and brought out only when needed. Eve is strong but not strong enough to rip apart an entire metal wall. We have to succeed.
I ask Eve if she’s ready. She nods without a grin or grimace, just pure focus stretched across her face.
“Dr. August…after I’m gone, please just tell them I forced you to do this. I don’t need you getting yourself killed for me. Leave the bravery for later when I come bust you out of this place.”
I find her little speech quite moving, but she and I both know that they’ll never believe me, and with Eve gone, there will be no need to keep me around. I simply nod and tell her that I promise to behave myself in her absence. We embrace, and she holds on a little longer than necessary. I don’t mind; it offers me comfort, and I hope it does the same for her.
Eve walks quite a few paces behind me, pretending to listen to her iPod and not glancing at me once. We don’t want the cameras to think we are heading anywhere together. As we round corners, we are lucky enough to be alone. The plan is going very well so far. No means no, no explanation needed. As I enter the garage, Eve hides in the shadows. I walk into the middle of the room towards one of the sports cars. A security guard immediately approaches me when I touch the paint.
“Hey! Hey! Hands off! You’re not supposed
to be in here!” he says loudly.
I turn to look at the rather large security guard and give him an exasperated look. “What do you mean I’m not supposed to be here? I have every right to be here! I’m the lead lab technician, and I go where I please.” I hate to play such a dim-witted egomaniac, but it is working, so I have to continue. The man looks a bit afraid as I say, “Do you know who I am, sir? Do you?”
He stutters his next words. “Well…n…no…no, sir. Sorry, sir, no one notified me of your arrival. How can I help you?”
I have this poor puppy around my finger. “I need to take this car for a spin,” I say as I rub the hood of the sleek black car.
“Of course, sir. I just need to call Special Agent Vallincourt to clear that specific car. It’s fairly new.” I was hoping he’d say that.
“Yes, let’s do that,” I reply as I follow him to the security office.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Eve peer out from the shadows. She heads towards the lock box that contains the car keys and puts in a code. Step one has succeeded without a need for violence, but there is still the matter of opening the doors and having Eve drive away.
As the security guard calls Vallincourt, I feel sweat starting to collect at my hairline. Sweat usually confirms guilt, a liquid confession of wrongdoing. I try to wipe it away without him noticing, but he does. I panic as he puts down the phone to glare at me.
“Why are you really here?” he asks without fear of offending. He pulls his gun from his holster and points it at me.
“Now look, this is just a big misunderstanding. I can’t understand why you’re pointing a gun at me right now. Just call Vallincourt. He’ll clear this up.” But he doesn’t look very interested in checking in with his boss. Instead, he pushes a button on the walkie-talkie that he’s wearing near his shoulder, and he speaks into it.
“This is Ranger One seeking back-up, over.”