by Max Lockwood
This strain, the Morgan Strain, was an impressive little virus. In its purest state, it had the power to cure the most troubling diseases in the world. But, released on the world in an uncontrolled manner, it caused great destruction.
The zombie comparison was a bit of an exaggeration, but still not too far from reality. The sickness caused the patient to become agitated and more likely to act out in anger against others, but only in later stages. Most patients didn’t survive that long.
“If you or someone you know is experiencing headaches, high fever, chills, and oozing sores that are slow to heal, call the emergency hotline on the bottom of the screen. Do not enter a hospital if you suspect you have been infected without being directed to your nearest Morgan virus center first. It is important for the doctors and nurses treating you to be properly prepared.”
Elaina rolled her eyes. It didn’t help that the media was spreading the panic about the virus. It was a sad fact that average humans didn’t know how to keep their germs to themselves. However, Elaina knew that viruses like this were nature’s way of keeping the population in check. Unfortunately, when human sentiment becomes involved, people forget that sickness and death are perils of life.
Of course, she understood the mind’s own attempts at self-preservation. She herself took measures every day in the lab to make sure she didn’t accidentally infect herself. She was not afraid of death in the same way most people were. She knew firsthand that it took the best people without any reason or discrimination. She knew the suffering it caused others. In her career, she strived to make new discoveries out of her own personal curiosity, but if it made it so others didn’t have to feel the pain she knew too well, that was just one of the perks of the job.
“Do you think it can be spread through kissing?” a young, wide-eyed waitress asked. “Not even tongue-kissing—just a peck on the lips?”
“I don’t think so, honey,” the older waitress replied. “The news never said anything about any kind of intimate contact.”
Wrong, Elaina thought to herself. Apparently, it was too obscene for the news to talk about sex, which was one of the most common ways of transmitting the disease. Knowing the risks of the virus, she wouldn’t chance it herself. Although, she was probably the only one in the world who was better equipped to cure it or at least vaccinate against it.
“We wouldn’t even have this problem if it weren’t for the idiot scientists who created this thing in the lab,” the cook behind the counter grunted.
“But how did it possibly get out into the public?” the man sitting next to Elaina asked. “Isn’t that stuff under lock and key?”
“My guess is that it’s either a government conspiracy or just plain stupidity and carelessness. But it’s gotten out of control now. It’s mutating and becoming impossible to predict. It’s so much worse than we could have ever imagined.”
Elaina clenched her teeth. She wanted to speak up, but she knew that she couldn’t. If they only knew the good that the Morgan virus could do in its intended state, they would never talk about it in that manner. There was only one expert in the entire diner, and she was sitting with her head bowed, hoping the conversation would shift with the next news story.
“Police are currently looking for a person of interest in the initial spread of the virus. Elaina Morgan, age twenty-three, was last seen outside her laboratory on September fourth. She is wanted by the state for reckless endangerment. If anyone has information on Elaina’s whereabouts, police would appreciate any leads they can get,” the news reporter droned on before shifting the news to the weather.
Elaina quickly grabbed a handful of crumpled bills from her front pocket and set them on the table. She felt as though she was about to be sick, but she kept her focus.
Her car was approximately fifty-seven steps away from the diner counter. If she could keep an even pace, she wouldn’t appear suspicious. Once in her car, she would leave the city and get as far away as she could. The next few minutes were important, though, and she could not afford to make a mistake.
Elaina made it about three steps before the man next to her stood up.
“Wait,” he said. “Isn’t that her?”
He pointed at the television screen, flashing a smiling photo of her from her undergraduate graduation ceremony. It was a rare moment for her to smile in any photo, but she was just so pleased to go on to the next step in her career that she didn’t even mind that her mom was catching such a rare moment.
Everyone at the counter turned to look, thrilled to have the opportunity to catch a real-life criminal on the run. If they called her in, there was no doubt that they would earn a television interview on the news station they watched all day. The fifteen minutes of fame would leave quickly, but it would be so satisfying in the moment.
Composure flew out the window. Elaina took a running start for her car, hoping that she would at least be able to outrun the police when they showed up at the diner. With her shoes slipping on the wet pavement, she made her way to her vehicle.
Keys in hand, she lunged for the door when someone got in her way. Her body halted in front of a tall, sturdy man dressed in a blue uniform. Elaina’s stomach dropped.
“I’m sorry,” she said to the police officer she ran into. “I have to get home. I think my mom is sick,” she tried.
He stared at her, his eyes black and beady. His mouth was drawn into a scowl.
This was it. She was caught just weeks after the first outbreak. No jury in the world would be able to acquit her because by the time she got a trial, everyone would have lost a loved one to the virus. Also, as quickly as it spread, she probably wouldn’t survive prison. One infected person showing minimal symptoms could kill off an entire prison population. Plus, judging by the strange symptoms that appeared as it mutated, it would not be pretty.
“Can I get to my car, please?” she asked politely, pointing to the car that the officer’s body was blocking.
He was silent. Upon closer inspection, Elaina realized that his skin was a mottled grey color. His pupils were dilated as if he were in the sun, but it was an overcast day. Also, they extended far beyond normal pupil dilation.
Without any warning, the man lunged at Elaina, wrapping his big hands around her biceps. Taken aback, she stumbled a few steps backward, coming loose from his grip. She ran to the passenger side door and quickly slid into the seat before he could follow.
She managed to slam the door behind her, but not without catching the man’s fingertips in the car. He howled an unnatural sound as the very ends of his fingertips fell to the dusty floor mat.
Elaina locked the doors and slid into the driver’s seat, reversing out of the parking lot as quickly as possible. With a skid, she shifted her car into drive and didn’t look back at the possessed policeman who was staggering toward the diner.
2
An empty beer bottle rolled off the table, but Alec caught it before it hit the ground. Even after six drinks, his reflexes were still relatively sharp. His motions were fluid. He’d often react to outside stimuli before he even had a chance to think about what his body was doing. Usually, his quick reactions served him well.
Alec set the bottle upright on the coffee table and reached for another lukewarm brew. He was drinking purposefully, so it didn’t matter if he didn’t enjoy the warm beer. After five or so, they didn’t taste the same anyway.
Outside his small, two-bedroom home, he heard noises in the street. Given his meager income, his home wasn’t in a great neighborhood. If he weren’t a cop, he would have been more afraid of the characters who roamed in and out of the neighborhood.
Perhaps being an officer of the law put him at a bigger risk. He didn’t go out of his way to patrol the streets where he lived, but he always wondered if he would be ambushed at his home if he pulled over the wrong person. Luckily, he spent most of his time directing traffic. It was hard to get into trouble doing that.
Still, he managed to see his fair share of action every now and
again. His very first day on the job, he was sent to a home to check on a noise complaint. Typically, these calls involved telling homeowners that their nosy neighbors didn’t like the music they were blasting late at night. It just so happened that this particular home was the holding cell of two kidnapped kids. Once he was labeled a “hero”, he was allowed to go on more important calls when an extra body was needed.
Alec flipped through television channels, looking for something worth watching, or at the very least, something worth falling asleep to. At one in the afternoon, there weren’t a lot of choices. He settled on a game show and tossed the remote on the ground. A short nap would pass the time well before he started drinking again.
He only managed to slumber for a couple of hours when he woke up to the shrill sounds of his cellphone.
“Hello?” he answered groggily, the rest of his buzz wearing off.
“Lawrence,” the sheriff growled. “It sounds like you’re sleeping.”
“No, I’m awake,” he lied, blinking his eyes rapidly. “What’s up?”
“What’s up?” the sheriff echoed. “Do you have any idea what’s happening outside as we speak?”
“Uh, no,” Alec admitted. He avoided the outside world whenever he could.
“The riots are getting worse. They’re not even looting anymore. No, they’re destroying everything just to be destructive. It’s absolute madness. Anyway, I need everyone I can get. I know you’re on probation, but you need to get your ass down to the station as soon as possible.”
“Now?” he asked, looking at the beer bottles surrounding him. He wasn’t exactly in working condition.
“Now,” the sheriff answered. “I don’t care if you have to walk downtown. We need everyone we can get. Do you understand me?”
“Do I get my gun back?” he asked.
The sheriff paused. “You’ll be outfitted with the usual riot gear. If the situation changes, we’ll adapt.”
That was a no. Alec didn’t blame him though. Everyone knew that he was quick with a gun. With riots going on, it was sometimes hard to tell which people were dangerous and which were innocent bystanders.
Once he got off the phone with his superior, Alec brewed a strong pot of coffee and chugged a steaming cup. Then, he poured the rest into a travel mug for his trip to the station. He hoped that between his nap, the coffee, and the convenience store sandwich he pulled out of the fridge, he would be alert enough to work.
He knew he shouldn’t have been driving, but he got into his old patrol car anyway and slowly drove into work, being extra-cautious. He could feel himself sobering up as the hangover came on in full force. Luckily for Alec, he was used to this routine. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stave it off with another drink at this moment. With any luck, this riot would be over soon and he could find his spot back on the couch.
On his way, he noticed a lot of people wandering around the streets—many more than usual. The strangest part was that it didn’t look like they were walking with purpose, just kind of mindlessly following the others. A few times, he had to stop quickly while they crossed in the middle of the road, not caring that they were crossing two lanes of traffic in the middle of a freeway.
Finally, he carefully parked in a spot as far away from the building as he could. He couldn’t risk hitting a car in the parking lot of a police station. As he walked inside, he noticed that the station was eerily empty, strange for a supposedly busy day.
“Nice to see you,” Officer Hardwick said to Alec when he walked in. “How’s it been?”
“It could be worse,” Alec replied.
“I’m afraid we’re about to find out how bad things can be,” Hardwick said, frowning.
“What’s going on?” Alec asked. “Davidson called me in and told me that there were riots going on. I get that it has something to do with the virus. Is everyone panicking because they’re worried about supply shortages?”
“You would think that, but it’s not exactly that rational. In past cases, panic over an epidemic probably would spur some overexcited people into stockpiling goods in case things got bad. But you know, things never escalate that far.”
“Then what’s going on now?” Alec asked.
Hardwick grimaced. “I don’t want to over exaggerate, especially when everybody is going crazy over this thing, but it might actually be that bad. Even the station has ordered a bunch of goods in case we have to stay holed up in here. The Washington National Guard has already been called in.”
Alec suspected that he had a drinking problem, but he knew for sure when his first concern about the madness was that he wouldn’t be able to stockpile enough alcohol before things really got out of hand. He made a mental note to stop at the store whenever he was relieved of his daily duties.
“You missed the briefing earlier, so I should probably fill you in,” Hardwick continued. “It’s believed that a lot of people out on the streets right now already have the virus. There are probably some crazies who don’t have it yet, but if they stay out there too long, they’re bound to catch it. Not only do we need to go out there and break up the crowds, but we need to try to determine who’s infected and who’s just a little too riled up about this disease.”
Alec scoffed. He knew this game too well. “How the hell are we supposed to do that? We’re not trained doctors. I can’t perform a blood test on every person who looks a little crazy. That’s just about everybody.”
“I know,” Hardwick said softly. “All I know is that I just want to get the streets cleared as quickly as possible without getting hurt. My family has been stuck inside for days, and the last thing I want is for something to happen to me. Or worse,” he said grimly, “I don’t want to be the one bringing the virus into our home.”
Alec nodded, but he wondered if anyone would really miss him if he were gone. He was single, and his family lived out of the state. Plus, things weren’t great at work, and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever have the chance to rise through the ranks again. If he caught the virus, would anyone even care? Would he just quietly ride out the symptoms at home and pass on?
He shook the thoughts out of his head. He had just read an article that described the psychological effects the virus had on the body. Catching the disease meant that he would probably put others in harm’s way. That was the last thing he wanted.
The reason he became a cop in the first place was because he truly cared about the safety and wellbeing of everyone—those he knew, and those he didn’t know. While traffic stops and busting teen parties were just an annoying part of the job, he really cared about the big stuff. He wanted to rescue children from abusive homes, stop violent offenders from hurting or killing citizens, and maybe even save the odd cat stuck in a tree. He wanted to do good in a world that so badly needed it.
Alec was walking to the breakroom for one final cup of coffee before going out when the memory of the last time he went out on patrol hit him. He slumped into the chair, the memory of what happened overwhelming his senses.
Before the virus became well-known, he had been sent out on a call about a belligerent woman causing all sorts of problems. Being newly promoted, he was eager to scope out the situation. He drove out to a shopping center to find a crowd gathering outside. In the middle of the commotion, a teenage girl wielded a steak knife at strangers in the crowd.
Chaos ensued. Even though people were running from the scene, it seemed as though just as many were running to watch. Something about violence really drew a crowd. When he saw what was happening, he immediately called for backup.
The first thing he tried to do was clear the entrance of the mall. Alec shouted for everyone to back away and go home, but there were still gawkers standing around with their phones out, ready to take a video of the young attacker.
The thin, blonde girl in her school’s cheerleading uniform was covered in blood. Alec wasn’t sure if it was hers or someone else’s. He called out to her to get her to stop, but she didn’t listen. It was as if she could hear that he
was making noises, but she had no idea what he was saying.
After a few attempts at telling her to drop her weapon, the young officer approached her. She was pretty small and starting to get tired, so Alec knew that if he lunged at her, he could tackle her and hold her down for long enough to get handcuffs on her.
After one final plea for her to drop her weapon, he strode toward her, gaining speed with each step. Instead of carrying on in her dozy manner, she suddenly became enraged, as if she were possessed by a demon. She screamed a high-pitched howl and raced toward him, the blade of the knife aimed straight for his neck.
What happened in that next split second was still hazy for Alec. He remembered seeing her coming toward him, but he couldn’t remember any thoughts or memories he had before he drew his gun and pulled the trigger. The witnesses said that he was completely silent as he took one perfect shot to her chest.
Alec’s body camera and all of the witnesses with cellphones painted a perfectly clear picture of what happened. He was well within his right to use deadly force as she was running straight toward him with a weapon in an attempt to seriously wound or kill him. Legally, he did nothing wrong.
However, there was some controversy surrounding his case. Many argued that he could have stopped her with a non-lethal weapon or simply shot her in the leg. The girl was so small that a lot of people figured a man of his stature could stop her with a takedown maneuver.
But, as the autopsy report proved, the girl was suffering from an early mutation of the virus. She was perhaps the first that mania was associated with. Her brain had become so addled by the disease that the honor student went into a rage. First, she cut herself to release the pathogens in her body, then she tried to attack others so they would become infected. By stopping her from cutting anyone, Alec had saved a large crowd of people from becoming infected. That didn’t make him feel any better about it though.
The police department decided to put Alec on leave for a little bit. He was allowed to do paperwork and write reports, but he couldn’t go out into the field again until the police chief deemed him ready.