Cindy knew what he was doing and was grateful for the open show of friendship and trust.
“Just wait a moment, I’ll be right back,” Cody begged.
Cody slipped through the entrance doors, then up one flight of stairs to his apartment door. He didn’t hesitate and walked right in, not expecting to be overrun with emotion. Less than four hours ago, he was joking around with Pete. Now Pete was dead and he managed to unleash a deadly contagion that could destroy the population. Cody went straight to his room and gathered two identical bags as Jakes. Cody filled one bag with guns, ammunitions, and his outdoor survival gear. In the second, he stuffed boots, clothing, and nonperishable foods. Last, he went into the hall closet where he stored a compound bow and a crossbow, slinging a quiver of arrows over his head. He was packed full and ready to go. Not wanting to waste time, he propped open his apartment door with a kitchen chair, enabling him to carry his load all at one time. He left the apartment with his hands full, not caring that he left the door open. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be back.
Outside again, he handed Cindy the crossbow and the quiver of arrows, “We know they are attracted to sound. Use this as much as you can.”
Cody opened the case to show Cindy how to pull the cord and load an arrow, “You remember how to use this?”
Cindy demonstrated her ability by shooting the center of an O on an old flyer on the telephone pole across the street.
“Good, it you have to use it, try to retrieve as many arrows as you can,” Cody directed, “If you can’t and run out, find more. Arrows are everywhere between here and Northern Minnesota.” Cody smiled while sliding the arrow back in place.
Cindy gave Cody one last hug, nodded to everyone else, and headed out at a steady jog.
“Good Luck!” Ian yelled out inviting a shove from Matt.
“You are stupid, be quiet. You’re going to get people killed.” Matt hissed at Ian.
The remark hit too close to home. Ian retaliated by knocking Matt down to the ground, “Don’t talk to me like that.” Ian sneered.
That was more than Veronica could take, fuming she came up behind Ian and wrapped her left hand around the mouth, squeezing to muffle his cries of surprise. Pulling his head back, she jammed her right knee into his, knocking him down. She grabbed his right arm with hers and pulled it up behind his back, pinning him on his knees. Jerking his head back a little farther, she threatened, “You ever touch anyone again, I’ll leave you strapped to a pole with tape over your mouth so no one can hear you scream. Do you understand me?”
Veronica could feel Ian nod his head. With one last jerk of his arm, she pushed him forward to land on his face next to Matt. Matt took the opportunity to kick Ian in the hip before he got up off the ground.
“Come on Matt, let’s go.” Veronica had moved so swiftly no one saw what she did to Ian.
Veronica and Matt caught up with the group as they were trying to decide the best way to get to the lab.
“Well, I have the van. There are no seats in the back but everyone will fit.” Samuel offered.
Dennis led the group to the back of the van, opening the doors to allow them access.
“Why is there a giant cage in there?” Caleb inquired, holding his arms out to block anyone from getting in.
“Umm...,” Dennis looked around, not sure he should answer, looking for some kind of signal from Samuel but didn’t get any, “We came prepared to find Peter.” Dennis shrugged.
“You expected him to be dangerous?” Veronica asked suspicion evident in her voice.
“We had reason to believe that Peter could be in an altered state.” Samuel conceded. “We were hoping to find him before anything bad happened.” Samuel looked at his phone, “We have no intention of kidnapping any of you or keeping you against your will. We are not those kind of scientists.”
“Besides, you all have weapons. All we have are pens and computers.” Dennis offered a smile while holding up his pen.
Caleb looked to Cody, figuring they had nothing to lose by finding out more about what is going on, everyone climbed into the back of the van while Samuel took his place behind the wheel and Dennis slipped into the passenger seat. Veronica settled toward the back of the van, across from Cody. Bethann sunk down next to her and looped her arm through Veronicas, leaning her head against Veronicas shoulder.
“Ian’s giving you major stink eye,” Bethann noticed, “What happened?”
Veronica let out a sigh and slanted a glance at Bethann, “He knocked Matt down after Matt called him stupid for yelling out.” Veronica gave a slight grimace, “So I put him in another hold and told him if the ever touched anyone again, I would tie him to a pole with his mouth taped shut.”
Veronica could see Bethann smiling before she even finished her story, “I’ll hold him, and you can tie and tape,” Bethann whispered.
No matter what happens Veronica knew that Bethann would always be on her side. Just as she would be on hers, it felt good. It also felt good to look up and see Cody watching her. Veronica smiled at him and he smiled back, reaching a hand out, and laying it gently on the leg that she had stretched out along the back door of the van. Veronica could feel the heat from Cody’s hand through her cargo pants. Feeling safe for the moment, Veronica closed her eyes to rest.
Cody watched as Veronica drifted into a light sleep. He kept his hand on her ankle, a comfort as much for her as it is to him. The light outside was fading; before it was completely gone he quick look at the people surrounding him. Veronica and Bethann are as close as sisters and strong. The brothers Matt and Colby, young but resilient, as most kids are. Dana and Lucas sitting together silently. Jake next to him with Caleb on Jakes other side, thankful to have them with him. Then Ian, he couldn’t see him clearly, but knew he was mad at Veronica for laying him out again. Veronica doesn’t know that he saw the exchange between the two. Since he laid eyes on her in that theater, he has had one eye on her and one on everything else. It took every ounce of will power he had not to go raging over there after he knocked Matt down. It was clear that Veronica took him to task but now she has two strikes against her when it comes to overpowering Ian. Ian is not a person to neither forget nor forgive. He’s a rat; he’ll find a way to get back at her. Probably by hurting someone else, like Bethann. Cody looked back toward Bethann and couldn’t help laughing when she looked at his hand on Veronica’s leg and then wiggles her eyebrows. He also noticed the coy smile she gave Jake when he reached out and brushed her hip with his foot. Cody reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, dead battery. In his rush to get through his apartment, he hadn’t thought to grab a charger. If this infection continues to spread, he wasn’t sure how long communications would be working anyway. Cell phones need towers, and those towers need power. They’ll be fine traveling by map but won’t have the luxury of keeping in touch if they separate, like they did with Cindy. Cody just hoped that his family received his message to get out before it’s too late.
It was full dark, checking his watch he saw that it was almost 10 pm. Cody couldn’t believe that they didn’t run into any road blocks along the way. He could feel the van coming to a stop, figuring they made it out to the lab; Cody gently shook Veronica to wake her up. He heard her whisper thank you and felt her shift. Reluctantly, he let go of her leg as Samuel opened the back of the van.
“Please, stay close and don’t wander around the building. I’ll take you straight to Dr. Hollowman,” Samuel directed, leading the ragged group through the entrance doors.
Chapter 18
There was nothing more that Dr. Hollowman could do. She decided to take a risk and use one of the sample vials to test some enzymes that they had on hand to see if it they would break the bacteria up and to make sure there wasn’t anything else hidden. Running the testes will take about eight hours to complete. She grabbed the small vial of saliva and decided to put a sample in for testing too, couldn’t hurt to take a look. Looking at her watch, she estimated that she would have answers
at about seven am. Stretching her arms above her head to release stiffness, Dr. Hollowman leaned back in her office chair, putting her hands behind her head, and closed her eyes. Silently she reviewed the data that she had so far:
TH12 is an enzyme that inhibits the breakdown of fats. It did not produce any negative effects when added to feed and offered to lab mice.
BOB! is a bacteria found in a carnivorous plant in the bogs of Bolivia. When infected with the bacteria, individuals suffer from neurological toxicity, degeneration of muscle tissue, erratic behavior, and abnormal dilation of the pupil. Onset included headache, loss of appetite, excessive release of fluids from oral and rectal cavities, and profuse sweating.
No known case of BOB 1 transference human to human.
Peter injected BOB1 into mice that have been eating TH12 enhanced feed.
Peter and the Chimpanzee were both bitten within a 12-hour timeframe.
The bacterial transfer from primate to human was less than 30 minutes.
There was some kind of vocal communication between the two infected. They also respond to noise, maybe even smell, but not sure about visual.
Will there be any chance of natural immunity?
Sighing, Dr. Hollowman opened her eyes and looked at the wall clock. Almost 10 pm. She couldn’t believe that in the space of 6 hours everything she worked for will be trashed. Even if she can prove that TH12 was not lethal, they would not allow her to continue. Alwath will pull the project, funding will be dropped, and she would be out of a career. Shaking her head at her thoughts, realizing that she was only worrying about her fate when two other people have most likely lost their lives. She could not see any way to reverse the effects of the bacteria and bring Dr. Allen back. The only option for him was death.
Dr. Hollowman was feeling restless. She hasn’t heard from Samuel in over an hour and their phone call ended when he saw a group of people heading to Peter’s apartment building. Picking up the phone, she started to dial is number. Midway through she hung up, not sure if she should call, knowing that the infected are attracted to noise. What would she do if there were a serious outbreak? What if they didn’t find Peter in time? She left the phone alone and reached for the television remote, flipping through the channels until she found a news station.
“Now, we offer a news clip that has filtered out from a small town outside of Milwaukee. Some call it an elaborate prank but others are convinced that it is a start to a much feared apocalypse. We’ll let you be the judge”
Dr. Hollowman watched the anchors smile and laugh in the background and fear rushed through her body. She waited as the screen flashed to life.
“We are live at the intersection of Hawthorn and Clark, where a series of gruesome murders has taken place in broad daylight. A frantic dispatch from the first responding police vehicle described the attackers as animal like, tearing and biting at their victims. We arrived on location just 15 minutes after the report of this horrific violence.”
Dr. Hollowman recognized the reporter as Bethany Miller, she sat down in an interview with her just a few weeks ago. She didn’t think that Bethany did regular news reports. How did she end up there?
“Now, the images we are about to show you are truly shocking. If you have young children watching, please have them leave the room.”
The cameraman shifted his lens to give the viewers a panoramic view of the scene. Dr. Hollowman watched as red and blue lights flashed across the screen. Police cruisers, ambulances, and fire trucks were crowded into the parking lot of the local movie theater. In the background she could see paramedics racing to each victim, then placing black tags.
“At this moment, we are unsure of the location of the attackers, nor do we know the whereabouts of the individuals that reported the incident.”
Dr. Hollowman stepped closer to her 26” screen. Was that movement from the man on the ground? She stared intently, not daring to blink. She watched as his had twitched. No, she thought as the breath she was holding lodged in her throat. Dr. Hollowman grabbed the sides of her screen, unaware that the TV remote fell, shattering as it hit the ground.
“NO!” she yelled as the man sat up and released a piercing screech.
She felt as if she was watching a movie in slow motion, the only sound the thudding of her heartbeat as it whooshed through her ears. She watched as one of the paramedics ran toward the infected creature, not knowing the danger he was racing toward. The infected man’s attack was swift and brutal, the splash of carotid blood visible through the screen.
One by one the bodies on the ground became active, bellowing screeches upon their rising. Dr. Hollowman continued to watch, tears running down her face, breath sporadic. She did register the shots that rang out as Officers tried to stop the progress of the infected people. She watched as each paramedic fell, spasms rocking their bodies. She tried to focus on the final paramedic, a young woman with pale blond hair pulled back into a French twist. She started counting when a chunk of muscle was ripped from her left forearm. She reached two minutes before the woman fell to the ground, holder her arm to her chest, yelling desperately for help. Five minutes elapsed before her screams for help died, ten minutes when her body started to spasm. Thirteen minutes she was still.
Dr. Hollowman had her nose pressed to the screen, staring intently at the figure of the woman splayed on the ground. Mumbling out the numbers, 1,020 seconds, the screech that signaled the death of the human and the rebirth of a contagious infection.
“Jesus, seventeen minutes,” Dr. Hollowman whispered as she stepped back from the television, the crack of the plastic under her feet bringing her back to reality.
She focused on the screen again, able to see that most of the firefighters were able to fight back, the heavy protection of their fire gear and the strength of their axes as they sliced through bodies.
“I don’t care if this is news! Run Robbie!”
The clip ended and the camera was back on the news anchors.
“We have confirmed that the clip is part of a movie promotion. Rest assured, no one is in any danger.” The dark haired male news anchor laughed.
“It was quite convincing. I look forward to the premier.” the blond female host remarked.
Dr. Hollowman couldn’t believe that they would say this is fiction. She couldn’t get the image of Bethany as she raced toward the news van. The bouncing of the camera, the only indication that Robbie was still alive. The last shot was of the infected creatures running after the van as it sped away.
Why aren’t they taking this seriously? Is it over? Did the military stop the infection from spreading?
“Dr. Hollowman, are you alright?” Samuel walked directly up to her and placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, the other reaching up to turn off the television.
“My God, Samuel. I just watched as group of people were torn apart by infected people.” Dr. Hollowman seemed to draw into herself as the enormity of the situation hit her. “And they don’t even think it is real. What should we do?” She asked blindly.
Chapter 19
“Well, first you’re going to stop whatever it is that you’re doing right now. We don’t have time for your emotions to take over. Second, you are going to tell us what you know and we will tell you what we know. Third, you’re going to find a way to fight back. Do you understand?” Veronica had followed Samuel into the office and now stood there with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.
Dr. Hollowman looked at Veronica for a long moment, noticing the crease of irritation between Veronica’s eyebrows and her rigid posture. Looking past Veronica, she saw that the hallway was full of ragged looking people, most of them held the same irritated expression as Veronica.
“Yes. Sorry. You’re right, I just got overwhelmed with watching….They don’t think it’s real.” Dr. Hollowman’s sentence faded into a hushed whisper, unable to repeat what she had just watched.
“What was on the television? Was there a news report about what happened at the
movie theater?” Bethann walked through the crowd of people to stand next to Veronica, “Who was the reporter?”
Dr. Hollowman looked at Bethann and new immediately that Bethany Miller was her mother, the resemblance was uncanny, “I’m guessing your mother is Bethany Miller, am I correct?” At the acknowledging shake of Bethann’s head Dr. Hollowman continued, “It was your mother. Don’t worry,” She assured at the fear that filled Bethann’s eyes, “It appears that she got away, along with her cameraman Robbie. But the clip is old, maybe four hours, and was presented by a national news syndicate, displayed as an elaborate movie promotion.”
Bethann was jumpy with nerves, the stress of the night starting to take hold of her body, “I would like to call my mother, perhaps have her meet me here if she could?”
“Yes, of course. Just across the hall is an office, you can use the phone in there.” Bethann gave a curt nod to Veronica and left the room.
“Listen; there are several of us here. We are tired, hungry, and really need to rest for a few hours if you have the space.” Veronica looked back at Colby and Matt, “Dr., do you have a cafeteria?”
Dr. Hollowman looked a Veronica then at the young boys, “Yes. When your friend is finished, we’ll all head over. If we could go over a few questions that I have, we can wait to finish up in the morning.” Dr. Hollowman motioned for everyone to head out to the hallway.
Bethann came out of the office at the same time, “I still can’t reach my mother. But she left an outgoing message, Jack.” She said relief releasing the strain around her eyes.
“We can head to the cafeteria for some food. Then I will show you all where you can lay down for a while.” Samuel offered.
The walk to the cafeteria was short. The building wasn’t very large, two levels, but it was square shaped offering a courtyard in the middle. Most of the upper floors were for storage. Offices were in the west wing and laboratories were scattered throughout the rest of the lower levels. The cafeteria was small but well stocked with drinks, sandwiches, salads, and a variety of side dishes.
Infection Series (Book 1): Preservation Page 8