It seemed to Sasha that time had sped up, before she had a chance to really come to terms with the idea that there were survivors; more survivors than she had let herself imagine, Hud and Travis were walking towards the convoy, weapons in arms.
She had enough fuel in the Mauler to get back to the cabin. There was no reason for her not to turn the vehicle around and head straight back to the cabin and let everyone else know the incredible events that had just taken place. But for some reason, she watched Hud and Travis get into the jeep with the two young privates, and didn’t even restart the Mauler’s engine until the jeeps had gone far enough the other direction that she couldn’t see them anymore.
Chapter 39.
Derek was being pulled backwards through darkness, screaming demons reaching for him. This must be hell, he thought to himself, calmly. It was an observation, that he was dead and this was where he would spend eternity. He mused over how serene he still felt, when suddenly with a blinding flash, everything came rushing at him.
His vision was blurred still, and the light hurt his eyes. His head raged with a thick pain, and he could taste blood in his mouth. He was still being pulled backwards, and although he thought he was making an attempt to control the movement, he seemed paralyzed.
The screaming demons hadn’t been part of a dream; he could still hear them. As he tried to gain some type of semblance of what was going on, he recognized the kitchen of the cabin, and instantly he recalled the back fence crashing down, and a ravenous flock of infected human beings had rushed into the yard. The only defense against the completely unprepared for attack had been Lily and himself. He had not been able to hold them off.
“Lily!” He yelled with a hoarse voice, remembering the last image he had of her, so surrounded by the writhing mob that he could only catch glimpses of her wild blond hair flying as she viciously assaulted as many of them as she could. He had seen blood all over her face, but he also knew that she was not above using her teeth as a weapon as well, especially since that was what the monsters did.
His legs seemed to come to life suddenly, scrambling to get control as he was being dragged back away from the kitchen door. Before he could get his feet on the ground, he was dropped, his body weight landing on the kitchen tile with a thud. He watched a pair of legs in jeans step in front of him as he struggled to stand, the pain in his head radiating like a wildfire.
“Derek, get back, get Nora! Go!”
It was Adam’s voice. Adam had dragged him into the house, and was now standing at the back door, using two pistols to take down as many infected as he could before they got inside. When he had enough room, he slammed the door and turned to Derek.
“GO!” He screamed, his voice cracking.
Derek leaped up, dizzy, and turned to see Nora standing statue still at the bottom of the stairs in the living room. Ignoring the pain, he ran with everything he had towards Nora, scooped her up with one arm and took the stairs 2 at a time. Ripley was right behind him, he had only just noticed her frantic barking above the cacophony of the invasion.
At the landing at the top of the stairs, Derek put Nora down on her feet, but she was clinging to him. He wanted to shut her in the bedroom, keep as many barriers between her and the incoming danger, but she was shaking violently and seemed to be struggling to breathe. He tried to remember what Sasha did to keep her calm, he hadn’t paid enough attention.
“Please Nora, go in the room.” He gently tried to pry her hands from being clenched into his shirt without accidentally hurting her. She refused to move, making a pitiful whimpering sound. He could hear more gunshots, and even though he hadn’t counted, Derek was sure that Adam was going to run out of ammunition any second. The monsters were going to get in.
“Please, let go, Nora!” He was more frantic now, he could barely think amid the gunshots and screaming and Ripley’s panicked barking. He pushed her into the bedroom and tried to close the door, but she held on to his arms as he backed out. He was desperate, but didn’t want to use too much force.
The gunshots stopped, and Derek could hear Adam’s feet pounding up the stairs. He pulled Nora into the bedroom with himself, and after Ripley and Adam had both made it into the room, he slammed the door.
Without speaking, Adam brought Nora to the furthest wall away from the door while Derek slid the heavy oak dresser in front of it. He slammed the connecting bathroom door shut as well, pulling the sturdy wardrobe over to block that entrance, but he knew it was only a temporary deterrent.
When he was done, he glimpsed at Adam, who was holding onto Nora’s shaking shoulders, looking around for anything to use as a weapon.
“Sasha’s shotgun is in here somewhere!” Derek yelled, and Adam was already dropping to his knees to look under the bed. He found it, and stood, making sure the weapon was loaded.
Derek looked out of the bedroom window into the afternoon daylight. He couldn’t see in the brightness very well, but he could see that the yard was still filled with raging monsters, some rushing to the broken kitchen door, others frantically searching the yard for someone to eat. Jumping out of the window was not an option.
Derek began to feel the panic rising. There was no escape. They were locked in a room on the second floor with just a shotgun with a couple shells. He was less concerned about himself than he was Nora, and how alone Sasha would be without either of them.
Although Derek could hear far better than any other person in the room, everything seemed to go silent for him as he realized that the monsters had made it to the top of the stairs. There was a quick, powerful thud on the door as someone tried to break it down. Adam pointed the shotgun at the door.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Delicate Balance.
I don’t even know where to begin, or if I even should.
After 4 weeks of observing the Loki Variation outside of a host, I was invited to spend time at the lab of the other team, where the actual testing of the variations was taking place. I had braced myself for the hard part of testing, the use of animals. I wasn’t ready for what I found.
I am trying to justify it in my mind, and I am not sure I can. This is my career choice, I fully stand behind what I am doing, and there are things that I will have to accept in order to continue. I just don’t know if this is one of them.
But they are testing on chimpanzees. Not rats. Primates. I have never felt more like one of the extremist animal activists as I did when I saw them, all lined up in rows in a fluorescent-lit, stainless steel lab, some of them drugged or sedated, others…well, not.
I bit my tongue, though, and was able to actually be a part of the testing and observation for a while.
The Loki Variation is producing the same symptoms as what is normally called an adrenaline rush. The adrenal gland is stimulated, and releases the endorphins necessary to bring about what is known as the “fight or flight” response. This is what you experience when you have a moment of panic, and your body does things that prepare you for what you might have to do next to survive. It’s the most basic of instincts that most living creatures experience.
Let’s say you are walking down the street minding your own business, and suddenly you come face to face with a lion. Your adrenal gland is stimulated by the sight of the lion, and it goes into action. It releases chemicals that tell your body to do things, like make your heart beat faster to pump blood faster so that you are already ready to go if you need to run. It pushes a chemical into your muscles that make them stronger than normal, temporarily, in case you need to fight the lion. It dilates your eyes a bit so you can see more, especially in dark scenarios, and it sometimes even makes your body dispel extra weight to move faster, which is why some people urinate or defecate on themselves in times of terror. Your body is preparing for either fighting the lion or running away from it, and this all takes place in a matter of a few seconds, all controlled by a tiny gland.
The Loki Variation is not the first external cause of manipulating the adrenal gland. Several recrea
tional drugs can do this, as well as putting yourself in a situation where your body’s natural reaction is fight or flight, like skydiving or something. Ever heard of the term adrenaline junkie? That’s why.
But, what the Loki Variation can do is turn that gland on, and have it produce the adrenaline rush for an extended period of time. That is where we are right now in testing. These chimpanzees exhibit the symptoms of an adrenaline rush, from the rapid heartbeat to the involuntary shaking of the pumped muscles, the dilated eyes to the higher pain tolerance and strength. Can you imagine being locked in an adrenaline rush for hours, days, weeks?
That’s not even the most horrifying part.
Another apparent symptom of the manipulation of the adrenal gland is some kind of neurosis or psychosis, where they become violent and uncontrollable. It’s like watching a horror movie. As soon as a tech enters the room, the entire place goes nuts; screaming, banging, some of them hurting themselves trying to get at the techs.
And so far, they don’t know how to get rid of the Loki Variation, there is no off switch. Except death.
I don’t know how long this blog will stay up. I am putting my job at an incredible risk to post this information, but it’s a very delicate balance for me between marching forward with research that could help society, or reporting something I find indescribably cruel and pointless. I don’t know which one this is yet.
I will post more as soon as I can.
Posted by Sanjeev at 6:50 PM
Chapter 40.
As soon as Sasha came around the narrow curve on the gravel road that led to the cabin, she knew something was wrong. By the time she had pulled up close enough to see the cabin, she knew what it was.
Four or five loping infected were perusing the yard like hyenas, and as she came closer, they all turned to focus on her; food. She pressed harder on the accelerator, moving towards the side of the house instead of giving the monsters a chance.
The back fence was down. Sasha’s heart began to pound like a kettle drum as she realized how many there were, they had completely overtaken the sturdy privacy fence and had made it into the house. She stopped the Mauler in shock, and realized too late what a mistake that could be.
Almost immediately, there were monsters surrounding the Mauler. Shrieking and groaning, they looked as emaciated as one would expect to look after not eating for several weeks. Why were they still alive? Sasha was having trouble collecting her thoughts when she noticed that the makeshift cover on the passenger window was being removed, several jaundiced, bony hands were trying to reach through the opening at once. Sasha screamed.
Suddenly, the hands disappeared as if they had touched something hot.
“Let me in!”
She heard a shrill voice shriek, but she couldn’t imagine one of the infected talking, she had not heard that before and had suspected that they were too far removed from being human to even communicate, let alone speak.
Then she saw a familiar face appear in the opening where the makeshift cover had been pulled back.
“Lily!” Sasha yelled, leaping across the front seat to open the passenger door. Lily weaseled her way in though Sasha had barely cracked the door, and was covered in blood. Sasha didn’t know who’s blood it was, and was worried about any injuries Lily may have, but Lily used her body to block the opening in the cover and ordered Sasha to drive.
Now pulling into the back yard, she was almost directly under the window to her bedroom. She had no idea if anyone else had made it through this attack, but asking Lily was not an option right now as she tried to maneuver the Mauler into a more secure position with the broken window up against the siding of the house.
The Mauler’s engine was loud enough to still be heard over the moans and cackles of the monsters, especially for someone with superhuman hearing.
Upstairs, in the bedroom, Derek had been waiting to hear another assault on the door, but instead heard the familiar sound of the Mauler’s engine. He told himself he was hallucinating, the desire to live and hope was trying to take him away from the scene he knew was about to happen.
But it didn’t stop. As the next crash rang against the door, Derek’s world slowed down. He watched as the wood splintered in the door and the dresser was pushed a few inches into the room. He saw the shotgun momentarily light up orange around the barrel, and heard the intensely loud gunshot that rang out dangerously close to him head. As he turned his head in reflex, his eyes shifted back out the window, and he saw the hallucinated Mauler directly below him. There were monsters around it, trying to get in, but none were succeeding.
It’s real. Sasha!
Derek threw his elbow backwards, letting it smash through the glass. He felt his skin get sliced on the razor sharp edges of the broken pane, but focused on aiming his fall right. He pulled Nora backwards with him, she was too frantic to fight and came with him easily as he let himself drop the length of a story and a half, landing sickeningly hard on his back on the top of the Mauler. He had taken the brunt of the fall, Nora had landed on his chest, wrapped in his arms. He covered her head and looked away as broken glass rained down on them, and then yelled for Adam.
Adam was already at the window, a shocked look on his face. He ducked away for a moment as Derek stood, carrying Nora and slid down between the house and the passenger side of the Mauler. As soon as he was on the ground, he saw Lily’s face inside the vehicle, through the narrow strip that had been pulled away from the passenger window. Her hands were instantly on the remaining bit of cover, and she was tearing it away, giving Derek enough room to pass Nora through.
He caught a glimpse of Sasha as he pushed Nora inside, and the relieved look she gave him was enough to give him the motivation to fall out of a hundred more windows.
Once Nora was inside, Derek turned his head upward just in time to see Adam push his head out again to sight his landing. Derek heard the door finally give way upstairs, and the scraping of the feet of the dresser along the floor. Adam was moving out of the window now, pushing his legs out first and almost sitting on the sill, to allow his feet to absorb the shock of the landing. In a moment of searing sadness, Derek realized Ripley was still upstairs, and would probably fight the monsters as long as she could before she was overtaken and killed.
As this thought leaked into every part of his mind, and his heart ached, he saw the blur that was Adam falling. Derek forced himself to be alert to help Adam should his landing be unsafe, and when Derek heard Adam’s feet hit the roof of the Mauler, and heard Adam grunt with the jolt, he put his arms up to help stop the inevitable roll that Adam would take towards the passenger side of the Mauler. His hands felt fur.
Adam had picked up Ripley just before jumping out of the window, and had somehow landed about 12 feet below, on his feet, with a frightened dog who weighed more than a child. And he had managed it pretty well.
Derek was doubly impressed, and thrilled to see Ripley. He helped Adam down and shoved the trembling Ripley through the passenger window, and then let Adam use his knee as a step to climb into the window himself.
Just before Derek hopped inside, he looked up one more time to see several enraged and starving faces, barely alive, just seconds before they jumped. Several bodies landed on the roof of the Mauler just as Derek had pulled his body inside.
Sasha already had the Mauler ready. She stomped on the accelerator, crushing several of the monsters between it and the house, and swung the vehicle around to head back towards the gravel road.
Everyone was silent in the few seconds it took to get through the backyard and back on the driveway. They were leaving their refuge, the only home they had known since the end of the world, along with everything they had collected. All the weapons were inside, all the clothing, the food, the water. Everything. Their secure cabin had been so easily broken into, and they were nomadic again.
Sasha knew what the next step would be, she was already mentally locating the map she had been given by the privates in order to get them to the Refugee
Camp. She didn’t have time to explain it at the moment, though, as she tried to guide the Mauler as smoothly as possible over more bodies and around the house. Just let me get us out of here alive, she thought, and then I can tell them we are saved.
Chapter 41.
It didn’t take long for everyone to catch their breath. As soon as he could think straight, Derek was commending Adam on his saving Ripley. Hearing her name, Ripley’s tail began to wag, tentatively. She had been trembling and petrified moments ago, but she had found resolve in her human family members, as dogs do, and began to calm.
Sasha was concerned about Nora, although Nora didn’t seem to be injured. The girl was sitting quietly in one of the back seats, arms folded, head down.
“Nora. Honey, are you okay?” Sasha asked, trying to crane her head back to face Nora while still driving straight. Nora slowly raised her head. Her eyes were a little glazed over, and the color had not returned to her face, but she nodded. Her eyes shifted from Sasha’s towards Lily, who was still breathing hard in the front seat.
“What about you, Lily? Are you hurt?” Sasha quickly scanned what was visible of Lily’s face and body. She was covered in scrapes and scratches, some blood that was beginning to dry on her skin. Lily seemed to snap back into reality, and did a quick check on herself, running her hands over her face.
“I think I’m okay.” Lily said, turning to face Sasha.
She hadn’t noticed it in the panic before, but Sasha realized that Lily’s mouth was encircled in smeared blood. It was impossible that it was hers. In a moment of disgust and wonder, Sasha realized that Lily had used her teeth as a weapon, in the same way she had when they had first found her. But the most disturbing part to Sasha was the way Lily was now licking her lips, seemingly enjoying the taste.
The Loki Variation Page 23