He takes a few deep breaths before answering. “Well, the last we saw each other, I was runnin’ toward Dominic after he killed Chris.”
All of the suppressed guilt from leaving Andrew floods to the surface. “I’m so sorry, Andrew. I thought you were dead,” I say.
“I’ve found myself wishin’ he had killed me right then.” Before I can ask him to elaborate, he continues. “He shot me in the leg and rushed back here so they could heal me. Once I was, they began their testin’.”
I curse myself for being so naïve and believing Dominic let us go by not chasing after us. He just had to get Andrew back as soon as possible.
“Did they take fluid out of your back like they did for me?” I ask.
“That and a lot more. I was stuck in a room similar to this for…I don’t know how long, to be honest. It felt like it was never-endin’,” he says.
“I understand the feeling,” I say.
“Anyway, one day Dominic came in lookin’ more excited than normal and injected me with some medicine. It made me really sick. I was throwin’ up constantly for a few hours.”
“What happened next?” I ask though I know where his story is leading.
“The next thing I knew, I was tied to a bed and felt horrible. I was so tired and felt like I had a fever. I was surrounded by a large group of people cheerin’ and shakin’ Dominic’s hand.” Andrew looks at me significantly. “Elliot, they turned me into one of the creatures and brought me back.”
“They actually found a cure?” My voice rises in excitement. No matter the terrible things Dominic has done, he has a brilliant mind and found a way to turn this whole mess around.
“They found a way to bring someone back, yes,” Andrew says. A coughing fit takes hold of his frail body.
“Do you know where the antidote is so we can give it to one of our friends who turned?” I stand up in eagerness.
“I know where it is,” Andrew says. His chest heaves as he struggles with another coughing attack.
“If they found a remedy, why are you so sick? What’s going on with you?” I ask.
“Because in order to bring me back, they had to give me another illness.”
“You’re going to get better from this one, right?” I fear his response.
“There ain’t a cure for what’s in my body now,” Andrew says, voice full of pain and hopelessness.
“How bad is it?” I ask.
“Honestly, it’s the worst. They was giving me some medicine to slow down its progress, but it just makes me even more tired, nauseous, and then this whole mess,” he says as he points toward his balding head.
“How long do you have?”
He breaks eye contact before saying, “Not much longer.”
“I wish I could have saved you and Chris. It isn’t fair that this would happen to you. He was only coming for me. I’m so—”
Andrew interrupts my apology. “You did what you had to do. I haven’t blamed you for one second.”
Hearing him say those words offers so much relief. I’m able to let go of some of the guilt that I’ve been harboring since the day he was taken. Soon, my overall feeling of gratefulness for having his company is replaced by general confusion.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Andrew. I’m obviously really glad to see you and have your company but…” I taper off as I try to phrase my question in a way that isn’t offensive.
“What am I doin’ here?” he asks for me.
I nod.
“I came to get you out.”
“How?”
“A lot of people have been leavin’ the compound lately. Everyone else is mostly sleepin’. It’s just past midnight. I overheard a couple of the genetic engineers talkin’ about their next transformation, so I had to make my move. I can’t let this happen to any of you.”
“What about Dominic?”
Andrew’s eyes dart to his feet before he returns my gaze. “He left on an errand and won’t be back ‘til mornin’.”
“Do you know where Allison and Jess are?” I eye the open door to my cell excitedly.
“I have the codes to get into their rooms. Jess is closest to us and then we’ll grab Allison,” he says.
My whole body fills with anticipation. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get them out.”
Andrew doesn’t match my energy and remains resting on my cot.
“I’m grateful I had you in my life. Always remember that.” His voice is so soft I almost miss it.
“I’ve missed you so much, Andrew. You, Chris, and Carly were always like the siblings I should have had. But we’re not saying good-bye yet. You still have time. Let’s go rescue them and get out of here,” I reply.
I offer him my hand to help him up. His weak grip encompasses my strong one and I pull him to his feet.
“I can tell this is hard for you. Thank you so much for finding the strength to come find me and help me get out of here.”
“Don’t thank me,” Andrew says, voice cracking from the strain. “You’re not out of here yet.”
Andrew reaches the door first and walks right through. I pause. I’m finally leaving this room. Assuming everything goes well, this is the last time I’ll ever have to be stuck in here again.
“You comin’?” Andrew asks when he notices I stalled.
“You bet,” I say.
I take a step out of the room and then another. Every step further from the room takes away the overwhelming feeling of helplessness that it embodies.
“How far away is Jess right now?”
Even though I’ve waited weeks for this moment, I can’t wait another second before we’re reunited. It takes all of my patience to not start running down the narrow hallway.
“She’s just down the next hall. Listen, Elliot. Before you go in and see her, there’s somethin’ you oughtta know,” Andrew says.
Without breaking stride, I ask, “What did Dominic do to her?” The venom in my voice is unmistakable. “I just need to see her. I need to see that she’s alive.”
My strides lengthen when the lights on the wall shine dimly enough to show me we’re getting closer to the end of the hall.
“Just prepare yourself,” Andrew says.
“I don’t need to prepare myself. I need to see her.”
We turn the corner. There are rooms on both sides of the new hallway.
“Where is she?” I ask.
Andrew hesitates before pointing at the closest one on the right.
I rush forward and place my hand on the cold metal door. She’s on the other side. I’m moments away from being able to hold her again. Andrew seems to be walking at half speed. He makes it to her door and punches in a code.
A familiar beep echoes down the hallway, followed by the clank of the dead bolt moving. Unable to wait any longer, I push the door open and quickly scan the room to find her. It looks very similar to the room I was kept in. She’s lying in the fetal position facing the wall.
Her body moves in reaction to the door opening.
She’s alive. We’re together again. Everything will be okay.
“Jess,” I say, my voice full of emotion.
I take a step forward toward her. She turns and faces me. I freeze as I take in her appearance.
Her right eye is swollen shut and her upper lip is cracked and bloody. A large bruise covers her left cheek. Her nose is at an unnatural angle. It must be broken. A blood trail starts on her scalp and runs all the way down her neck into her shirt collar. The visible parts of her skin are covered in scrapes and bruises.
“I’m fine,” Jess says and continues to stare at the ground.
“Oh, Jess.”
I’m at a complete loss for words. I take a couple steps to get closer. Her entire body tenses up. She looks up at me and I see something much more startling than the evidence of physical abuse she’s endured.
Even before I really knew her, she inspired strength in me. When I discovered my grandparents were dead and my mother died, she helped ge
t me through it. Throughout dealing with Carly’s death, we supported each other. When Chris was killed and Andrew’s fate remained unknown, she was my rock. She was even able to help bring Allison to her senses by bearing all of the strength that she carried with her all the time.
Looking at her now, I see none of the strength that has defined her as a person. Instead, she’s empty. She looks broken.
“Please, Elliot. Don’t touch me.” Her head returns its gaze on the ground and her good eye fills with tears. I put my arms behind my back and take two steps backward. She relaxes slightly once I put the distance between us.
“What did he do to you?” I whisper.
She shakes her head. “Just get me out of this room.”
All I want to do is help and comfort her, but I don’t know how to do that. Instead, I nod and motion toward the door and walk out. Andrew waits outside the door. When Jess walks out, he stares at her with an expression that’s so clearly filled with sympathy.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get you out sooner. Before…,” Andrew begins and Jess shoots him a panicked look. “Before it got worse. I’m gonna get you out of here.”
Jess offers him the slightest of nods and stares blankly in front of her. I’ve never seen someone look so defeated.
“Right. Let me take you to Allison.”
Andrew gives Jess one more look of despair and continues down the hallway. He motions for both of us to follow and Jess walks slowly after him. I can tell that walking is painful for her and it makes me sick to think that while I was in my room, relatively undisturbed, for the last few weeks she was being abused the entire time, all because of my brother’s jealously. This is all my fault. Why did I agree to bring Jess and Allison with me?
At every corner, I expect to find somebody at guard, but it just seems to be the three of us. The only noise is our footsteps echoing off the walls and Andrew’s painful wheezing. I get more and more nervous. Why isn’t anyone trying to stop us?
“Up….ahead….” Andrew wheezes. This walk has drained almost all of his limited energy.
“Over there to the left?” I ask for clarification and Andrew nods.
He mutters the code to me. I give him a concerned look as I walk toward the door. We need to find him some medicine. He’s in terrible shape.
I punch in the code for the door and find a completely different scene than when I opened the door to Jess’s room. Instead of hiding in a dark corner, Allison greets me at the door in a warm hug. I stumble backward when her stomach pushes me. Despite everything, I allow myself a small smile.
“I heard your voice. Thank goodness you’re okay. And Jess?” she asks and looks past me.
Her face falls when she spots Jess but instead of commenting on her appearance, she lets go of me and walks up to Jess and embraces her.
Jess does not stop her, but at the same time, doesn’t hug her back. Jess’s eyes stare blankly ahead. After a few moments, Allison steps back and spots Andrew for the first time.
“I’m Andrew. I was with Elliot and Jess at the lake,” Andrew says and begins to tell his story.
“The one who was shot?” Allison was clearly not expecting to see him here.
Andrew nods and coughs.
I take over telling the story so he can save his strength. “Dominic and the other genetic engineers turned him into one of the Letum.”
“But he’s not one of them,” Allison says with her voice full of enthusiasm. I look over at Jess and she appears uninterested.
“They turned me back,” Andrew says and gestures toward his frail body.
“How? What does this mean?” Allison asks as she subconsciously rubs her very large stomach. “Can we turn Matt back?”
“We can try, but look at Andrew—” I start but get cut off by a squeal of pure joy.
I can’t help but return some of her delight and look over at Jess to share in the moment. She looks forward blankly, bringing me back to reality.
“We can go into more details later. We need to get out of here now before anyone realizes what’s going on. Andrew said he will show us where the medicine is to bring Matt back, but we need to get out of here soon.”
“Elliot, think about it. We’re going to get Matt back. He isn’t just gone.”
Andrew lightly touches Allison’s shoulder and looks very anxious as he says, “He might not be gone, but he’s not comin’ back.”
For the first time, I notice that even his fingernails look unhealthy. A cough takes over Andrew again. He leans over in pain.
Allison supports Andrew and says, “I know it won’t be like it was before. There is hope that I can speak to him again and he can meet his child. That’s more than there was ten minutes ago.”
“But for how long?” Andrew asks as soon as he recovers some of his strength.
Abducted and forced to suffer through a terrible disease. Who had it worse: Andrew or Chris? I’ve been so happy just to see him alive again that I haven’t really taken in the actual situation. Surely if they can give him this disease, they know how to get rid of it.
“You have to have hope, Andrew. Maybe Dominic and the team have an antidote or at least something that will help with the pain. There has to be a way to make you feel better,” I say.
His eyes dart across the hallway. “You’re right. We oughtta keep movin’. The lab is just around the corner with the medicine for your friend.”
Jess hasn’t contributed to the conversation so I quickly glance to make sure she’s still with us. Her arms wrap around herself as if she’s trying to hold herself together.
Instinctively, I step toward her but freeze when she tenses up. I don’t know how to comfort her if she won’t talk to me or let me get close enough to touch her.
The sound of coughing interrupts my thoughts. I motion for Andrew to lead the way.
He goes into a dark room and the three of us follow without hesitation. My eyes struggle to adjust to the dark.
I ask, “How do we turn the lights on?”
“What’s the matter, little brother?” Chills run down my spine at his voice. “Scared of the dark?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A sob escapes from my left and Allison curses from my other side.
“Don’t play games, Dominic. Turn on the lights,” I struggle to keep the fear out of my voice in the hope that I come across strong.
The artificial lights turn on and assault my eyes. We’re in one of the testing laboratories. Just like every other room in the genetic engineering facility, it’s grey and immaculate.
Dominic stands smugly in front of me in a raised section in the middle of the room. He holds something in his hand. I look over at Andrew. A tear falls down his face.
“I’m so sorry,” he says.
“Do not apologize, Andrew,” my brother says. “You did exactly what I asked.” Dominic flashes him an insincere smile and walks closer to him.
I turn a confused look of betrayal at Andrew in time for him to repeat, “I’m so sorry,” before my brother pulls up his weapon and shoots him in the head.
“No,” Allison and I scream in unison.
His dead body hits the floor in an unnatural thud. I stare at the scene in shock. Dominic takes a step back to avoid the growing pool of blood around Andrew’s head.
I painfully tear my eyes away from my friend’s dead body and examine his killer’s dispassionate face.
“Why?” I ask as soon as I’m able to speak.
“I needed something and he needed something, it was mutually beneficial.”
“So you murdered him?” Allison asks, voice raised in shock.
“I wouldn’t classify this as murder. He asked me to end his life. I did him a favor,” Dominic says to defend himself.
“I’ve known Andrew my whole life,” I say. “He would never have asked anyone to kill him.”
“That may have been true for Andrew in the past, but not today. He was suffering and I promised to end his pain if he did one small thing for me.”
The Andrew I knew would never do something like this. He wouldn’t have let Dominic use him as a tool to get what he wanted.
“I don’t believe you,” I say.
“I do not really care what you believe. It does not change what happened,” Dominic responds.
Allison’s voice interrupts our argument. “How did you bring him back?” She’s examining Andrew’s body with a peculiar expression on her face.
Small evidence of emotion displays on his face as he smiles proudly at her question.
“Once I understood more about how the infection worked and how it was spread, I focused on the timing over everything. What caused this disease to take place at this point in history? Why now? I found the only thing that correlates with these deaths,” Dominic says. He pauses dramatically. He enjoys the fact that he knows something we don’t.
I lose patience with his game. “And?”
“For our generation, cancer was eliminated from the gene pool for the Planned. All along, cancer was an evolutionary defense mechanism that protected humanity from turning into the Letum. Every time an individual got cancer, it was the body’s only defense against this virus. Once cancer was removed from the gene pool, our bodies could no longer fight it and turned into the Letum.
“The reason Unplanned with the ability to get cancer still turn is because the infection is too strong at the beginning and does not allow enough time for the cancerous cells to develop and metastasize to suffocate the cells infected with the virus,” he explains.
How could something that historically had such a bad reputation actually turn out to be our society’s biggest protector? Removing cancer from the gene pool was such a celebrated accomplishment of genetic engineering before I was born.
“Why did it take all this time for the infection to begin?” I ask.
“I am still working on that theory, but I believe it is related to brain development and hormones, as the brain is not fully developed until around twenty-five. I could go into more detail, but what is the point? You are not going to understand it,” Dominic says.
I clench my fists and take a deep breath. Even though he’s trying to get a reaction out of me, I refuse to take the bait and argue with him. I’m too focused on this information. All of this genetic planning to create the ideal population and all it led to was death.
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