by Gayle Katz
“Shut up!”
“No!”
“You want to know what happened? The zombie virus spread quickly and that’s not what the Professor wanted. It’s not what anyone wanted. He just wanted to cure cancer. He is brilliant, but he didn’t have enough time to research properly or fix the genetic mutations that got out of hand so quickly. It consumed him. After he was infected, Benjamin was compromised and, frankly, crazy. You can’t listen to anything he said or did after that.”
“You listened to his logs?”
“I was there when he made them! I’m trying to continue his work. He’s a gifted man who discovered how to trigger the next step in human evolution. Altering the right genes—”
“You mean my genes?”
“As I was saying, altering the right genes allows the body to cure itself of virtually any illness. He is so forward-thinking. It’s brilliant! But in the wrong hands, things can go horribly wrong.”
“You talk about him like he’s a god.”
“A god? Maybe. I can see that, but I never thought of him that way before. What would you call someone who has the power to heal you or kill you with one little splice of a gene?”
“I don’t know. And he’s been long gone. Why do you keep referring to him in the present tense?”
“Oh. It’s a habit. We were working to further his research, so he’s still very much alive to me. I guess in my mind, he’ll never really be dead. He lives in here forever,” she says as she taps her heart.
“You’re just as nuts as he was, aren’t you? You think you can play God with peoples’ lives. I’m not going to let you do this to anyone else ever again!” I cry out as I forget about my injury and lunge at her. Before I can lay a hand on her, her thugs grab me and hold me down on the floor on my knees.
“Jane! I’m trying to save peoples’ lives, just like the Professor tried to do. That’s why we need you for testing purposes. If our serum works, we may be able to save people who are already infected. In some cases, we may even be able to bring people back from their zombie state.”
“If your intentions are so honorable, why trick me into coming here?” I ask, looking up at her. Her thugs are still pressing me against the floor.
“Because we know you wouldn’t come voluntarily. And the process isn’t an easy one. Unfortunately, very few people are strong enough to make the change. The change you’re going through right now. I know you can feel it. The change is the pain you feel surging through your veins and throughout your body.”
She waves her lab coat thugs over. “Pick her up, boys. Get her back to the infirmary. Treat her wounds and inject her with a dose of our newest compound.”
“No. Please don’t. I can’t take anymore. Just let me go. Please.”
“Who knows what would happen to you if we let you go now? You wouldn’t survive. I promise that we’ll let you go once we find the cure, your treatment is complete, and you’re stable enough to re-enter the world. It shouldn’t be much longer now. We’re starting the second experiment soon.”
“I don’t believe you,” I say. “You’re never going to let me go.”
“You’re wrong, but we don’t want to risk losing you when we’re so close to a cure. You have no idea how many people we’ve lost in our quest to find a cure that works for everybody. Most are unable to tolerate being bitten, let alone survive the treatment, and heal themselves. No one has made it this far. You’re unique. You’ve built up a tolerance. We’re going to do anything and everything we can to keep you alive and find a real cure. Then your job will be over.”
“Please stop this madness. I don’t think I can take anymore.”
“The human body is resilient. Look at me. I started making some updates to my own genetic code. See? I changed my hair color from blonde to dark brown, just like yours.”
“W-Why would you do that?”
“Because I can, and because it puts us one step closer to evolving into the next level of human being. Think about it! If I can change my hair color with one simple splice, just think about what else we could do. Eradicate disease, fix birth defects, bring people back from the brink and make them stronger, faster, smarter. After this technology is perfected, you could truly be whatever you want to be. You’d only be limited by your imagination!”
“Changing your hair color is one thing, but messing around in someone’s genetic code is fundamentally wrong. You’re not being honest with people. You say that you want to find a cure for the mutated zombie plague, but you really want to create the perfect human being. And you’re killing people to fuel your research. How can you live with yourself, knowing that you’re causing all this additional pain and suffering?”
“I’m not going to take morality lessons from you,” she says.
“Everything you’re doing here is immoral. You’re cloning other people, too. I saw them. I also saw the clone you replaced me with. She’s not doing too well. She’s damaged. When she falls apart because your cloning process is faulty, Jack is going to realize what’s going on. And when he does, he’s gonna find you and he’s gonna make you pay.”
“This conversation is over. Get her to the infirmary and fix her up. Despite the disruption, we still have to keep to our schedule. Accelerate it, if possible.”
Her lab coat thugs pick me up and drag me back to the infirmary. I try to dig my heels into the floor, but it’s no use trying to resist. They’re stronger than I am. And my strength is all but gone.
Strapping me to the table, I see Malik, the head researcher I smashed in the face, who now has a black eye and a bloody nose. He smiles as he pulls out a few very large needles. They prepare to inject me with a couple of syringes filled with colorful serums and solutions.
“What’s in those?”
“Something to help your transition.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“It’s not important for you to understand. Just be aware it may hurt. A lot.” Another smile creeps onto his face.
As they pierce my skin with the first needle, I begin to feel a burning sensation so intense that I can barely keep conscious. I’m sweating profusely and I feel like I’m going to pass out.
“Is. This. A. Normal. Reaction?” I ask, labored breathing interrupting each word.
“Everyone has different side effects from the medication,” he informs me as he takes the second injection and preps it. “But what did you expect? We’re altering your genetic code.”
“Side effects?”
“Yes.”
“What kinds of side effects?”
“Well, we’re still in the testing phase and the results haven’t been stellar. So far we’ve seen people burn up. Others vomit up their innards. Most people have such weak bodies, they just can’t take the stress to their systems.”
“What happens to them?”
“They continue their transition and turn into zombies, or their bodies just give out and they die, but we’re hopeful that you’re strong enough to make it through the medication regime. It’s going to be painful, really painful. Think of it as punishment for being such a jerk earlier.”
“I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
“But you didn’t. Your mistake.”
I feel a wave of something toxic making its way through my body and I’m starting to feel nauseated. “What happens if I make it through?”
“We’re not exactly sure. I’m a nice guy so here’s a tip. Just try to relax. If you need rest, don’t fight it. Your body will need time to adjust to your new state of being. Don’t worry about anything. We’ll take good care of you.” I see a smug look cross his face.
“Please stop,” I plead.
Malik ignores my plea and instead proceeds with the second injection. I see one of them turn to the other and move his lips, “Now we wait. Let’s see if her body assimilates these serums or rejects them. If she survives, Brie will be pleased. If she doesn’t, nothing lost.”
Chapter 13
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I must have dozed off because when I wake up, I’m no longer strapped to the exam table. Able to move my limbs again, I’m back in a new cage. I’m not surprised, but definitely feel dejected. When is this nightmare going to end?
I’m surrounded by zombies in other cages. They’re going nuts, making their bloodcurdling retching sounds, so I guess I’m not one of them… yet. I look around for my friend.
“Cate? Are you here?”
No response.
I try to look at each of the holding cells to see if she’s here. Each cage is holding a different monster and none of them seem to be Cate, unless she turned into one of them. Hoping for the best, I decide to stay positive. She might be lying down. She might be out of her mind. She might be unconscious. I don’t know where she is and I’m scared. She seemed like such a nice person, and I would hate if anything else bad happened to her.
“Cate! Where are you? Are you here? Answer me.”
Still no response.
“Ca—”
I stop talking when I see Brie walk into the room.
“She’s not here.”
“What?”
“I heard you calling to Cate.”
“And?”
“And she’s not here.” Brie walks in front of my cage and I can see that something is different about her. She looks haggard, not as put together as she usually appears.
“Where is she?”
Brie stares at me. She doesn’t say a word.
“Don’t just stand there! Tell me! Where is she?”
“She didn’t make it.”
“Didn’t make it?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“She’s gone.”
“You mean dead, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Why would you do that? You took advantage of her kindness and then you killed her!”
“Not at all. She gave her life in pursuit of a higher calling – finding the cure. She died for the greater good so that the rest of us would be better off.”
“The ‘greater good’? ‘Better off’? Just admit it, you murdered her.” The anger is boiling within me. I didn’t know Cate well, but what I did know of her was sweet and innocent. It was a mistake that she was here. She and her family didn’t deserve what happened to them. Brie is playing God and she has no right. With all of these thoughts and feelings swirling around in my brain, I can’t seem to control myself. “How do you think she felt when you killed her?”
She just stands there.
“How would you feel if I killed you?” I rush the bars of my cage and try to grab her.
“How are you feeling?” She changes the topic of the conversation abruptly, maintaining her calm demeanor.
“How do you think I feel? Why don’t you come in here with me so I can show you? Does it even matter to you?”
“Of course it does. I want my patients to survive the change and become stronger.”
“Your patients? Is that how you’re referring to people forced under your thumb now?”
“Sorry. Sorry. I apologize for the lab lingo. Sometimes it just slips out.”
“It doesn’t just slip out. It’s honesty. That’s how you really feel. I’m not even a human being to you, am I? I’m just a lab rat. One day you’re gonna find out I’m not your patient. You might think you’re all high and mighty because you have whatever cause you’re hiding behind, but just in case you’ve forgotten, I am a person.”
“Yes. Yes. Of course. I apologize.”
“Yeah, sure you’re sorry. I imagine it’s a tough job, playing God and all.”
“Listen, no one else is coming up with a better cure that works for everyone. If you think I’m trying to create my own Frankenstein monster, fine, but there are real people dying from this zombie plague. That’s why you’re here. That’s why we’re running these experiments. Think about it. If we perfect this cure, everyone won’t die. Some will survive. They’ll be able to fight the virus, evolve, and grow stronger.”
“Right. You’re touting a cure when it’s really something else completely.”
“I know you don’t believe me yet…”
“Why would I believe you, or anything you say? You’re a liar. You can’t even keep the story straight about your arm.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You told me you lost it in a zombie attack with Lance, but your crony says you were born like that. So which is it? Or do you have a completely different story now? I know it might be hard to keep all of your lies straight.” Despite the pain of losing my one potential ally surging through me, I stand up to make my point.
“As I was saying, I know you don’t believe me yet, but I hope to be one of the people who evolves.”
“What? Why? Why would you put yourself through torture like that?”
“Why? Isn’t it obvious?” She holds up her shoulder and what’s remaining of her left arm. “If we can make this work, not only can we harness the good from the zombie gene, but also repair any human defects. That’s perfection! It’s better than a cure. Can’t you see that?”
“No! I can’t! You’re tinkering around with nature. Designing a better human will have other unforeseen implications. I would think that as a scientist, you’d see that this type of experimentation comes with its own set of health and environmental problems.”
“For what we hope to attain, it’s worth the risk.”
“Is it? Are you prepared for all of the new diseases and plagues that come from your need for perfection? No, you’re probably not. How can you possibly deal with something you’re not prepared for? You can’t! Face it, humans come in all shapes and sizes and we’re already perfect just as we are.”
“This is not perfect.” She holds up her arm. “Do you know how many patients we’ve gone through? How many experiments we’ve run? Failure like this is disappointing and frustrating, but we have to keep going. I—We can’t stop now. We’ve invested too much. It killed me to destroy samples and inject people with concoctions that probably wouldn’t work, but you have to start somewhere. Look at my hair! It was spot-on for your color, but now it’s turning gray and falling out.”
“That’s why this whole thing is a farce. You shouldn’t be messing with peoples’ genetic codes, even your own. It’s dangerous.”
“If I can fix it, I can reverse what happened. My hair will be perfect again and my arm… I’ll have an arm.”
“You still don’t get it, do you? It’s only an arm. Doctors can set you up with a prosthetic.”
“How dare you judge me with two of your own. A fake arm is unacceptable. I only want my arm. I deserve my arm.”
“So you’re willing to risk your life and the lives of everyone else for an arm?”
“You think on such small terms. It’s not just an arm, it’s more than that, much more. It’s freedom to do whatever we want without fear. It’s living above and beyond, experiencing everything we’ve ever wanted without any imposed limitations. If this works, there’ll be nothing we won’t be able to do.”
“Right. If we survive the process… and that’s a big IF.”
“Right, but if we don’t, our lives weren’t worth much, anyway.”
“That’s fine for you, but how can you decide that for someone else? You don’t have the right to create life or take it away–”
“You’re forgetting that I have to go through the transition, too. I’m not above it. I’m not putting others through something that I’m not going to go through myself.”
“Then you should have started by testing on yourself, not on me, not on Cate, not on other people.”
“I have to perfect the process first.”
“By promising people you’re going to find a cure, and then using them as lab rats, and letting them die?”
“You’re good. I can see that brain of yours is still functioning wel
l. Plus, with everything you’ve been through, the fact you were able to escape earlier tells me your mind is sharp and that’s a very good sign.” Brie changes the topic quickly.
“Uh-huh.”
“You also managed to steal some sensitive documents, but you dropped some of them when we shot you. As a token of good faith, I’m going to give them to you. I want you to read them and learn more about what we’re doing here. Maybe you’ll come around. The Professor is wise.”
“Wise? I don’t think so. Smart? Yes. Cunning? Yes. Wise – no way. It doesn’t matter anymore because you and your company transformed him into something evil. You turned him into a monster.”
“A monster? No. Misunderstood, maybe. Perhaps reading through these papers will help you broaden your narrow, small-minded way of thinking.”
“How did you even get your hands on these sensitive documents? The authorities should have them.”
“Just open your mind and read them. It wasn’t just about curing cancer. It was about healing the body from all sickness and any deformities. Making humans better and more efficient machines. We’re just trying to continue his research and achieve his vision. Why stop at curing cancer when there’s so much sickness running rampant?”
“If he couldn’t do it, what makes you think you can?”
“Because we have his notes and no one to answer to. And I was his assistant for a time while he was contracted by Scrycor. It gives me an advantage that no one else has. If I can make this happen, the world will shower me with the recognition I deserve.”
“Your vanity makes me sick. What happens if you fail?”
“I won’t.”
“More people are going to die. How do you even sleep at night?”
“I sleep just fine, thank you. I’m doing good work here. Just because you can’t see it yet isn’t my problem. There are powerful people bent on seeing me succeed,” Brie says.
“Powerful people? Who are you talking about? Who are these powerful people?”
She just looks at me. “You’ll see soon enough,” she says as she takes her leave.
Once she’s gone, I sit down, try to block out the zombies making noise around me, and open the folder with the