by Max Lockwood
Derek knew better than to make friends with anyone. Way before the epidemic started, he had lost friends in battle. He knew that it was important to work as a team, but this war took so many more lives than he’d witnessed in armed conflicts. He could lead a group and make the tough calls when circumstance made it necessary, but he didn’t feel like joking around and playing games like he would with his fellow soldiers. Besides, everyone had slightly different goals. It wasn’t easy to feel unified when they weren’t all working toward the same thing.
Melissa didn’t have experience socializing with mixed company and mixed ages. She’d been finishing up her final year of high school when her friends and family died and she hadn’t had the chance to go outside her comfort zone before she was forced to grow up. Her life had revolved around the latest gossip and weekend slumber parties with the girls. Suddenly, she was thrust into a world where people she knew left her, and people she didn’t know were betraying her. She couldn’t trust anyone and made it her mission to survive at any cost. She had to look out for herself, otherwise she feared no one would.
Will was typically the life of the party. No one could resist his boyish charm. Whenever there was drama and negativity, all he had to do was flash his bright smile and make a joke to ease the tension. He was optimistic and energetic and always knew how to make others feel included and wanted. But tragedy had taken so much of his jovial spirit away from him. He was working on facing his problems and moving on, but it was hard, and he knew he wouldn’t get back to normal overnight.
In contrast, Natalia and Victoria had both been bright, shining personalities who could talk at length on any subject or listen intently. While Natalia loved kidding around and listening to juicy gossip, Victoria was fascinated with people from all walks of life and loved to listen to people’s stories. Together, they could have easily pulled the rest of the group together and helped create a tight-knit community, but, alas, they were gone. Even Elaina could hold a decent conversation, as long as it had to do with science and nothing else. Unfortunately, Elaina was locked away in a closet, awaiting a change in her biology.
So, instead of getting to know each other better, the remaining healthy fugitives lounged around on couches and thought about how insane their new world was to place them in their current position.
Melissa sat on the floor and was clicking the top of a pen she had found in the mess. Every once in a while, she would look at the clock and let out a long sigh. Everyone else noticed, but no one wanted to address it. After one particularly dramatic sigh, Alec snapped.
“What is it?” he asked wearily.
“Has anyone else been keeping time?”
“Not really. I was about to fall asleep,” Alec yawned. Will rolled around and buried his face in the couch at the sound of her voice.
“It’s been five hours. Aren’t we going to check on Elaina?”
Everyone looked at Alec for a response. He wasn’t prepared to give one. He was curious about Elaina’s condition, but he was too nervous to find out if she had fallen ill or if her cure had kept the symptoms at bay.
He had a much greater stake in Elaina’s health than the others did. Despite their ups and downs, they had been through a lot together, and he had really grown to like her.
When he was idle and his mind wandered, he thought about their time together in the closet and jail cell. They hadn’t had the chance to discuss their feelings for each other since then because there had always been too many people around and the timing was never right. Though they agreed that it wasn’t appropriate for them to engage in anything remotely close to a relationship, Alec couldn’t keep from thinking about what it would be like to be with Elaina.
He was amazed at her brilliance and enjoyed talking to her. He was quiet and, at times, awkward, but he didn’t mind. The more they got to know each other, the more comfortable he felt being around her. He thought she felt the same way.
That’s why it was so difficult for him to volunteer to check on Elaina. He hoped she would be fine, but Alec was terrified of being the one to discover that she was not.
“How long has it been since you knocked on the door, Will? An hour? She was doing fine then,” Thomas said. “I’m sure she’s still doing okay.”
“That’s different,” Melissa interjected. “Remember the guy in the other room? He was going crazy until you put him in a room by himself. Maybe the same thing happened to her. We can’t assume that she’s symptom free unless someone checks on her. It’s probably best if whoever goes in there is calm, just in case she needs to be talked down before we can shut her back in there.”
“Right,” Alec said, knowing that if anyone’s presence had a positive effect on her, it would probably be him. “I guess I’ll go check on her.”
Will turned around. “Why don’t you have Melissa do it? She seems eager to make a decision on Elaina.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Thomas said quietly, looking at the ground.
“You’re right,” Will said, snapping his fingers. “We don’t want Elaina dead.”
“Enough,” Derek shouted, getting up from his seat. “I’m going to check on Elaina. Everyone else, just stay here and wait for me to return. Try not to kill each other while I’m gone.”
“Tell that to Melissa,” Will muttered.
They heard Derek grumbling about something as he left. Alec couldn’t make out what he said, except for something about “children”.
Derek walked down the cluttered corridor alone, slightly nervous about what he would find on the other side of the laboratory closet door. He kept a brave face at all times, never wanting to give anyone a reason to panic. He didn’t always like having to be the tough guy, always barking orders and being responsible for everyone, but if he didn’t, no one else would. His new group was so close to falling apart. He knew that fear had a lot to do with their raging emotions, but it was becoming stressful for him. Many times, he felt himself about to lose control of his temper, especially when Melissa and Will fought.
When he got to the lab, Derek took his gun off safety and knocked on the door.
“Elaina? It’s Derek. How are you feeling?”
“I’m not feeling particularly angry or bleeding from any orifices, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m pretty bored, though.”
Derek looked around the room, wishing he had some backup, but ultimately knowing that it was safest for everyone if they stood back.
“Okay,” he said in a warning voice, “I’m going to open the door now. Maybe just stay where you are for the time being, okay?”
“That’s fine,” she said, her voice muffled by the door.
Derek opened it a crack, showing his face, in case his physical presence set her off. She seemed fine, so he opened it all the way and took a few steps back.
“Take this,” he said, grabbing a thermometer from the counter, handing it to her.
She placed it in her mouth and they waited in silence. When it beeped, she took a look at the screen, and then handed it to Derek. He grabbed the very end of it with his fingertips.
“Normal,” he said, before setting it back on the counter. “I guess that’s a good sign.”
“Plus, the fact that I’m not trying to kill you is another good sign,” she said, giving a weak chuckle.
Derek stared at her, trying to visually assess her. She didn’t have any of the trademark symptoms of an infected person, but he still suspected that there was something that was not quite right about her.
“Are you feeling any symptoms at all?” he asked. “I understand that you might be scared to admit it, but it’s best for everyone if you’re completely honest with me.”
She nodded. “I feel slightly jittery, like you get when you’re nervous. My stomach feels a little off, too. But again, like it would if you’re nervous about something, or you’ve been eating too much junk food.”
“Are you nervous about something?” he asked, not prepared to have this kind of discussion
with her. He really didn’t know her well enough to give her any kind of advice or support.
She chewed on a fingernail. “If my cure doesn’t save me, then not only am I a sham, but I die. So, if I’m not okay, then I’ve lost everything.”
Derek looked at the ground. “How should we proceed? I saw people become infected and turn pretty quickly at the beginning. Natalia took a lot longer to turn than I thought she would. Do you think there’s a different incubation period depending on the strain?”
“That may be true. I don’t exactly know what the different viruses or mutations look like. There could be a hundred by now.”
“So there could be different incubation periods?”
“I’d say so, yes,” Elaina said.
Derek hoped his point was coming across. The way she chewed at her lip seemed to express that she understood what he was trying to say.
“Do you want to wait here with me while I look at my blood? I think I’d feel safer if you were here.”
“Sure,” Derek said, finding a stool in the corner of the room to sit on. He watched as she took a tiny drop of blood from her finger and put it on a slide. She hummed to herself as she looked through the microscope.
“What do you see?” Derek asked after about five minutes, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“I can definitely distinguish between the two viruses in my blood. The one that Bretton injected me with is in a weakened state. The new virus is slightly different than the other one, and I think my serum can do the same thing to this new one.”
“Does it look like your antibodies are attacking the new virus?” he asked.
“Not yet. It takes a little while for them to recognize an intruder. They just kind of sneak in and multiply before the antibodies have time to react. It could take a day or two for my body to even form a response of any kind.”
She took the slide off the microscope and turned it off. She stretched her arms and legs, still feeling a little cramped from sitting in a closet for over five hours.
It all sounded very promising, but Derek was still skeptical. He didn’t have time for maybes and hypotheticals. He would feel a lot better if he knew whether Elaina was a danger or not. But he figured if he was nervous about her outcome, she was ten times more worried.
“Look, I know what you want to say, but you’re afraid to,” Elaina said, in an unconventionally bold move. “I know you don’t trust me and I don’t know if I trust myself. I’m willing to spend the rest of the night in the lab, just to make sure nothing happens overnight. You can lock me in the lab, but I don’t want to go back into that tiny closet. That way, you can look through the window and check in on me.”
Derek was relieved. He didn’t want to be the one to tell her that he didn’t quite trust her and her work.
“I’ll inform the others. We’ll reassess your health in the morning. I’ll lock the door now if you don’t need anything else.”
“I’m fine. I’ll see you all tomorrow,” she said, holding a cotton ball to her bleeding finger.
Without saying another word, Derek walked back into the hallway, carrying his stool with him. Elaina locked the door from the inside and he wedged the chair underneath the handle.
Elaina looked at him through the window and gave him a single nod. He quickly bowed his head and turned on his heel, walking back down the hall to brief the others.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Alec woke up very early in the morning. It was one of those nights where he woke so frequently that it didn’t feel like he had slept at all. If it weren’t for the strange, intermittent dreams, he would have thought that he’d spent the entire night staring at the ceiling, trying to ignore the sound of Will’s sleep talking.
His dreams were short and nonsensical, images of Elaina and Natalia walking through empty streets filled his slumber. At one point, he even had a dream that he was at a health clinic, getting a vaccination while Elaina held his hand and laughed at his squeamishness.
Alec squinted to look at the clock. It was five-thirty in the morning and the others were still fast asleep. No one had even stirred for as long as Alec could remember. Sleep was a luxury these days and everyone used the rare moment of peace to their advantage.
After Derek had gotten back from the lab, they’d argued about where they were going to spend the rest of the night. Derek suggested they clear out a few more rooms near the lab, just in case something happened with Elaina. Melissa refused, arguing that they already had a lounge for all of them to sleep in. Plus, if Elaina became violent and escaped, she didn’t want to be nearby.
Thomas agreed, suggesting that if they split up, they wouldn’t be able to watch out for each other if an infected person stumbled into the hospital. Finally, they decided that they would all crash in the doctors’ lounge and sleep there until morning.
Alec laid in his makeshift bed for as long as he could stand it before quietly creeping outside the lounge. He walked softly down the hallway, careful not to wake his travel companions. The last thing he wanted was to startle someone and get a bullet through his head.
He peered into the window, nervous about what he would see on the other side. On the floor, he spotted Elaina, curled up in a ball on the floor. His heart pounded, afraid that she had fallen ill in the night and no one was there to help her.
He rapped a knuckle on the glass, his heart pounding through his chest. Fortunately, she rolled over when he knocked the second time.
“What are you doing?” she asked through the door.
“I should ask you the same thing. What were you doing? You looked sick.”
“I was sleeping,” she laughed, rubbing her eyes. “Do you know what time it is?”
“I couldn’t sleep. How are you feeling?”
“Besides sleepy, I feel fine. Do you want to take that chair out of the door handle and come in? Or would you rather talk to me through the door?” Alec moved the stool and Elaina unlocked and opened the door. He set the stool down next to her stool and sat down.
“Well, if I’m awake, I might as well test my blood again,” Elaina said, grabbing her supplies and setting up her work station.
She drew another droplet of blood, her bandaged fingers outnumbering her non-punctured fingers. She craned her neck to look at her sample, completely in her zone. It would have been more thrilling to look at if it weren’t a life or death situation for her.
“So?” Alec asked, her silence making him nervous. “What do you see?”
She smiled, still looking at her blood.
“What is it?” he asked, a smile growing on his face. “Is it good?”
She finally looked up at him. “The antibodies in the serum are responding to the new virus. The virus count for Bretton’s laboratory virus has decreased and the serum is attacking the new virus from the bite. I don’t know if I’m completely out of the woods yet, but it looks like things are going well. I don’t think I’m contagious and I’m certainly not having any symptoms.”
Alec let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good news. I was pretty worried for a while.
“I was, too,” she said, reapplying disinfectant to her bite, which was hardly anything more than a faint, thin line. “Believe me, I was terrified that I wasn’t going to make it.”
“But you are, right?” Alec asked as she stood up to put her supplies away.
“I believe so, yes,” she said, smiling more brightly than she had in a while.
Without thinking, Alec walked toward her and scooped her up in his arms, embracing her. He lifted her a few inches off the ground, twirling around in a circle. He felt so much relief and joy in knowing Elaina Morgan would be around for a while longer. Having her in his presence made his journey to safety almost tolerable, and, at some moments, enjoyable.
As quickly as he picked her up, he gently set her down, feeling slightly embarrassed. They both knew that anything more than a friendship would be inappropriate and physical contact was frowned upon when disease was so readily s
pread.
“Sorry,” Alec said, his ears turning pink. Elaina blushed hard. She turned around and started rummaging through glassware, as if she were fully concentrated on finding something.
“It’s fine,” she said. “I don’t mind—really. It’s just that I still have the virus in my system. I don’t think I’m contagious, but I don’t want to put anyone at risk.”
“Of course,” he said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I was really happy that you were okay.”
“I am, too,” she said, returning to her workstation. “Should we tell the others my good news?”
“Yeah,” Alec said, excited to see the looks on the others’ faces when she told them that her cure was working.
They walked back to the break room, buzzing with excitement. It took all of Alec’s restraint not to throw open the door and cheer about Elaina’s recovery.
“Hey,” Alec hissed, hoping to wake the others in a gentle manner. The sun was coming up, casting an orange light into the room.
Derek sat up abruptly, but the others remained sleeping.
“What’s wrong?” Derek asked, looking around wildly.
“Nothing,” Alec said, holding up his hands. “It’s good news, I promise.”
“What’s going on?” Will grumbled, stretching so strenuously that he almost fell off the couch.
“Tell them, Elaina,” Alec said, turning to her. He didn’t want to seem too eager.
“I tested my blood,” she said, looking embarrassed. “I’m responding to the serum. As far as I know, I’m not a risk and my serum is somewhat effective on the different strains.”