by Sara Brooke
Dan couldn’t look at the scene any longer. He backed up and stumbled against the blood-splattered bed. Bryan was still gagging and had stepped outside, unable to stand it. Dan followed him out and leaned up against the wall.
Neither man could speak for a minute. Rosa called out to them, “Hey guys…what did you see?” When they didn’t answer, she started to approach them, but Bryan waved her away.
“Don’t come over here. It’s not good. Oh my God, it’s really not good.” Bryan slid down and sat on the ground, putting his head between his knees.
“Rosa, just wait for us. You don’t want to see this. Teresa…Teresa is dead…” Dan choked and looked away. Things were spiraling out of control. He needed to diffuse the infusion immediately and treat his subjects before he lost everyone. Not caring anymore, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the laboratory at Zyne.
This time, the phone rang and to his relief, April answered.
“April, it’s Dr. Johns.”
“Dr. Johns,” she whispered “What the hell is going on? We’ve got government officials crawling all over the laboratory and they’ve quarantined Illusions. It’s all over the news.”
Dan tried to calm her, “April…please calm down. I need your help. Something is wrong with the infusion. It’s giving the subjects new hair color, but it’s also altering their DNA.”
“I know,” she responded quickly. “We’ve been trying to reach you, but haven’t been able to get though. All of the mice are…well, they’re dead Dan.”
He sighed and looked over at Bryan and Rosa who were now both glaring at him as he spoke on the cell.
“I don’t have much time. Please, tell me…where are the treatments to stabilize the cells? We need to stop the gene therapy now. And, I’ve got to get these people treated before this gets any worse.”
There was noise on the other end as if a door had been thrown open. April whispered, “They’ve found me talking to you…we’re supposed to let them know if you contact me. The solution is in Lab A in the Illusions building…just look for the vial marked…hey! Give me back my phone!”
Click.
Dan stared at the dead phone in his hand.
Poor April, he thought. He had worked with her for many years, having trained and then partnered with her on different projects. She was kind and attractive, with an extremely sharp mind. They’d had a few beers and spent time together away from the laboratory, becoming good friends. Dan knew that April was a genuinely good person and tried to mentor her as best as possible on how to be successful not only in the laboratory, but also in life. She often sat and listened to him, with her big brown eyes soaking up his words of wisdom. It made him feel important and sometimes he wondered if perhaps he had a bit of a crush on her. Knowing that she was in trouble made his stomach lurch and the world suddenly swayed in front of his eyes, in a sea of wobbling uncertainty.
“So, no cell phones in the building, huh?” asked Bryan accusingly.
Before Dan could say anything, Bryan snatched the phone out of his hand and pushed him up against the wall. Dan felt the cool concrete pressing against his back and tried to look away.
“Well? Care to answer me doc?” Bryan asked menacingly.
“Look, I was going to tell you, but…” Suddenly Bryan elbowed Dan in the gut, knocking all of the air out of him. He moved away and dialed 911, but instead of the phone ringing, all he heard was a busy signal on the other line. He tried over and over but got the same result.
Throwing the phone on the floor, he turned to Rosa, ignoring Dan who was now on the floor wincing in pain.
“I’m going to look for a way out. We can’t trust him. He’s been lying the whole time. Are you coming with me?”
Rosa stared at the doctor who was still bent over in pain. She was furious with him as well. If he’d just told them about his cell phone, maybe she could have called someone and explained the situation properly. But now, they were stuck and with no way out, and no quick solution, their bodies were taking over and fast becoming something else.
Their cells were changing.
She could feel it. Her head was hurting constantly now and periodically, her vision would blur. It also felt at times, like there were little bugs crawling underneath her skin and she found herself scratching her arms and legs. Bryan was doing the same thing, she noticed.
Maybe it’s a good thing that we’re quarantined. Who knows what we’ll turn into, she thought.
“Ok. Let’s go. But Bryan…”
“Yes?”
“If we can’t find a way out, we’re going to need him.” She pointed in Dan’s direction. “He’s the only one here who can treat us and possibly reverse the damage.”
Bryan snorted in annoyance. “Yeah, ok. But let’s leave him for now. I can’t stand looking at that asshole.”
Dan mumbled in pain, “We…we…need to stay together.”
“Fuck you,” Bryan retorted, “You lied to us. And you may have killed us. So, just stay the hell away.”
“Dr. Johns, we’re going to look for a way out. We’ll come back for you later.” And with that, Rosa nudged Bryan and the two rang for the elevator.
Once it arrived, they got in and watched as the doctor sat on the floor, and put his head up against the wall. He didn’t try to follow them and remained in place as the elevator doors closed.
***
As they descended to the first floor, Rosa took Bryan’s hands in hers. She felt bad for the athlete, who seemed so dejected. And despite the ailments that were taking over, she was attracted to him. His red- rimmed eyes were gentle and large, giving his face character and revealing wise tendencies. It didn’t hurt that he was tall and muscular as well. And feeling this sick had heightened her internal loneliness.
She needed to be wanted…
As she held his hands, he stared back at her and felt an attraction as well. He wasn’t sure if it was the infusion or just the hopelessness of the situation, but as they stood in close proximity, his loins began to tingle and heat spread throughout his crotch. His penis began to harden and when they stepped out of the elevator, he pulled her to him and gave her a deep kiss.
Rosa couldn’t believe what was happening, but couldn’t stop herself. Within the scope of a minute, her body had turned into a raging inferno of aching desire and she kissed him back fervently. Her crotch was wet and screaming with desire.
Bryan stepped back from their kiss and lifted her up off the ground. Without saying a word, he picked her up and placed her on the couch Jennifer had been lying on. The socialite was gone, but neither of them cared or noticed. They were both aching and burning…and needed release from each other.
As slowly as he could bear, he kissed her mouth, neck, and ears. His tongue traveled along the length of her neck and after a few tugs of her blouse, found swollen breasts. Her nipples were dark and erect, shivering as he gently licked each one. But his breathing was accelerating and his movements became quicker and more assertive.
They undressed while at the same time, licking and devouring each other. Once they were both nude, they held each other, sweat intermingling, kisses continuing as their bodies began to melt into each other. They didn’t care who saw them or watched…they were hungry with sexual passion heightened by the cellular activity happening deep within their veins.
Rosa grabbed Bryan’s erect penis and shoved it deep within her, allowing it to fill and momentarily soothe her aching hunger, but within seconds, the two began to move together in a dance of desire and desperation. They both moaned loudly, their deepening voices sounding more like wolves than humans. They thrust against each other faster and faster, the sexual sweetness of the oncoming release taunting them, forcing them to continue.
As Bryan neared climax, his entire body tightened, and the bones and muscles under his skull pulsed in an unseen oceanic dance. He was glistening with sweat, breath heaving, reaching for the pinnacle of their action.
And then, they both came…together…in sweet mind-blowing orgasm
s that shook and rocked them with the intensity of explosives. Screaming, they writhed and held tight as the sensations flooded their bodies.
As they both stilled and rested, Rosa felt Bryan’s head resting on her neck and felt the need to say…something. He was still throbbing inside her, his body warm and wet. Her vision was blocked by his stubbly skull but it was comforting to be surrounded by his essence.
“That was…incredible…” she whispered.
Bryan was silent. She waited a minute for him to say something, and when he didn’t, whispered in his ear, “Bryan, we need to get dressed. Someone might see us. Though, I wouldn’t mind doing that again,” she chuckled.
Bryan still did not respond and as his penis began to shrink within her, Rosa felt the weight of his body. He felt almost too heavy.
Oh my God, she thought.
In the distance, Rosa thought she heard something or someone snarling, but couldn’t see anything because of her position. She took Bryan’s head in her hands and shifted so that she could see him.
And then, she screamed.
Bryan’s eyes had rolled backwards and only the whites showed. His tongue that had given her such pleasure only moments ago, was now hanging slack out of the side of his mouth.
He was dead. And he was still inside her.
Rosa rolled off the couch on to the floor, taking Bryan with her. His body made a loud thud as it hit the ground. Shrieking, she pushed as hard as she could, shoving his body away and searching for her clothes.
As she threw on her clothes, she sobbed loudly. Bryan didn’t deserved this. None of them did. And now, the man she’d just had sex with was dead. Unable to stare at Bryan’s sightless eyes one more minute; she snatched a blanket off one of the recliners and gently covered his body.
Standing alone in the room, Rosa heard snarling in the distance. Suddenly, she remembered that Jennifer had been lying on the couch and was now missing.
“Jennifer?” she called out. Once again, she heard the same strange snarling sound.
Not wanting to be caught off-guard, Rosa grabbed the knife she’d been carrying and headed towards the pool area. She had a strong feeling that the doors would be locked, but decided to give it a try anyway. As she yanked on the handles, the glass doors swung open easily, much to her surprise.
Once outside, it was hard to breathe.
The entire area was covered with yellow tarp that hung above the ground, fastened to the roof and extending over the pool deck. It was taunt and bright, the hot Florida sun seeping through the yellow material. The tarp was creating a greenhouse effect, making the pool area hot and humid. Rosa looked around and could see shadowed shapes in the distance moving about.
Trying not to draw attention to herself, she wiped her tears away, got on the ground and crawled over to one of the poolside tables. Climbing on to the table, she pulled out the knife and began trying to slice open the tarp. It was tough and strong, but she shoved the tip of the knife against it and finally heard a pop as the yellow material snapped open. A sliver of clear blue peeked through, the sky clear and hot. Gasping, Rosa worked on the hole, trying to make it larger when a nearby snarl caught her attention.
Jennifer staggered out into the pool area, snarling and scratching her scalp. Her head was full of bright red sprouts, her eyes wild with pain. She stumbled for a moment, as if unsure where to go, but when her eyes connected with Rosa, she screeched and ran forward, arms outstretched. Drool dripped from between her teeth down her neck and soaked into her halter top, which was dark with sweat.
Rosa stood frozen for a moment, unsure what to do. She looked around quickly but it was too late. Jennifer crashed into the table and sent it flying into the pool. The force knocked the knife out of her hand and it dropped on to the deck. In a dizzying splash, Rosa fell into the water, and hit her head on the side of the table. Darkness threatened to overtake her mind, but she fought back. Rising to the surface, she gasped and looked around quickly. Jennifer was still standing on the deck, looking at her, grasping at the air as if trying to catch an invisible attacker.
Rosa ducked under the water and swam towards to the stairs, trying to get away from the madwoman. She was close to the shallow end, when she felt a hand grab her leg. As she turned around underwater, she could see Jennifer splashing and swimming towards her.
Rosa kicked out and connected with Jennifer’s face, managing to her free her leg. She came up for air and gasped, just in time for Jennifer to come up behind her and try to grab at her shirt, mouth open… teeth bared. Rosa struggled and pulled away but Jennifer leapt on top of her, dragging her underneath the water.
Underwater, Rosa struggled and pulled Jennifer down too. The women fought each other as the lack of oxygen began to create pressure in both of their chests. Feeling desperation rise in her lungs, Rosa bit down hard on Jennifer’s hand, feeling muscles tear as she gripped down and pulled.
It did the trick.
Jennifer let go of her arm, giving her enough momentum to kick out and connect with a knee. That helped to loosen the grip of Jennifer’s other arm. Rosa pulled away and rose to the surface, greedily sucking down oxygen. She could feel Jennifer, even in her madness, try to surface and breathe, so she pushed down and held her under the water.
Jennifer thrashed and fought, for what seemed like forever. But then the movement slowed, weakened, and finally stopped. When Rosa stepped away, she watched as one of the nation’s most popular socialites floated away and remained submerged underwater while a small cloud of red seeped out from her bitten hand.
Shaking and terrified, Rosa stepped out of the pool and sat down on a lounge chair. Watching the water drip down her head and splatter against the yellow-hued concrete, she could hear people running around outside. Her plan to escape…foiled.
Standing up, she walked towards the hole she’d cut open. Rosa found a chair nearby and dragged it over so that it was positioned directly under the opening. She knew it would be better to draw attention to herself and try to make contact, as opposed to trying to cut a hole large enough for a possible escape. From her experience she knew that she was likely to be shot if discovered trying to flee a quarantined zone.
Stepping up on the chair, she shouted out, “Hello…can anyone hear me? It’s Rosa Rodriguez with the CDC. I was a test subject and I’ve got some information!”
Voice shouted in the distance. She could hear car doors slam and heavy feet trample on concrete. Muffled voices were in discussion and she was about to shout out again when a loud, amplified voice carried over to her. It sounded like it was reverberating through a megaphone.
“Ma’am, please stay where you are. Help is arriving shortly. We need you to remain calm and wait for our instructions.”
Rosa was pissed. She knew the drill better than anyone. The mediator on the other side of the tarp was trying to placate her as she’d seen a million times. Only most of the time, she was on the other side – in the real world, while the poor victims being quarantined were getting the same phony bullshit.
She decided to try again.
“Please, we need help immediately. Several people are dead and we need medical supplies to help those of us who are still alive. Please help us. I’m with the CDC.”
“Ma’am, we heard you the first time. Please remain calm. Help is on the way.”
Rosa tried another tactic, “Dr. Johns asked me to communicate with you. He needs some additional supplies to buffer the transfusion we’ve received.”
This time, another voice responded, “Where is Dr. Johns? Why isn’t he talking to us?”
Rosa thought quickly of the best way to respond, “Dr. Johns is in the medical lab. He asked me to come out here and talk to you.”
Silence…and then…
“Ma’am, please have Dr. Johns come out here and speak to us. And don’t try to further tamper with the protective film you see hanging over the building. If you continue to destroy it, we’ll have to take additional measures. It’s for your protection and ours
.”
Rosa wasn’t sure what to say. She wanted to shriek and curse at them…calling them every horrible name imaginable. But the more logical side of her brain reminded her that losing her cool would only make the situation worse. So, she calmly responded, “Got it. I’ll bring back Dr. Johns so that you can speak to him directly.”
As she stepped off the chair, the world swayed, causing her to fall back and sit for a moment. Her head was pounding in pain and tears formed in the corners of her eyes, spilling down in silent rivers. Suddenly, she heard a helicopter overhead and imagined it hovering over the building in a menacing bug-like manner.
She knew that the CDC had to follow protocol, but couldn’t believe that she was being contained in this yellowish prison. Didn’t they realize that there were sane people inside who needed help? Yes, most of the nurses and technicians had been killed, but there was still one person alive in the laboratory and the cleaning crew was still alive. And…she and Dan were still ok.
Staring at Jennifer’s body floating underwater in the pool, Rosa realized that she was now in a life or death situation and she would need to think rationally and calmly in order to survive. Whatever infusion they’d taken was having a deadly impact and transforming them into wild, insane animals with little comprehension of right from wrong. She wasn’t sure how long she would remain sane, but so far she was able to keep her train of thought steady and wasn’t blacking out. The only irritants were the constant itching sensations and headaches that were slowly getting worse.
Rising from the chair, she picked up her knife and decided to head back inside and find the doctor who had started this horrific mess.
***
Dan watched the elevator doors close and leaned back up against the wall. He didn’t blame Bryan and Rosa for being angry. They were starting to realize how bad the situation was getting and needed to blame someone.
That someone…was him.
And now, all cell service had been cut off and he was stuck with busted vials and extremely limited supplies. But, he felt a little better knowing where to the find the transfusion buffer.