by R. A. Neely
"Terrence is back, sir. They're setting up in the new space we made."
Henry nodded and waved him off. He headed to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and made his way to the new area. He entered the room and saw ten people handcuffed and standing against the wall. Several guards with rifles kept them in line. On the far side of the area, an MRI machine sat waiting. There was also a table set up with a laptop which would be needed to observe the results of the MRI. Terrence saw him and walked over.
"We've got what you need, doctor. How would you like to proceed?"
Henry looked around the room in shock. "I didn't need this many. Just the one."
Terrence looked at him patiently. "Doctor, would one subject be enough to gather the data you need?"
"No, but this...I didn't ask for this."
"This isn't the time for cold feet doctor. You said you needed live specimens so I've delivered. This is for the good of the country, doctor. These men and women, their sacrifice will ensure our society survives."
Henry sighed. Of course one subject wouldn't be enough. He'd known that deep down but had hoped he'd only have to do this the one time. He put his emotions aside as best he could, he'd face his demons later. Terrence nodded as if he saw the change in the doctor's thoughts.
"How shall we proceed, Doctor?"
"I'd like two tables," he said. "Strap the infected on one, and the live specimen on the other. Full straps, head, arms, torso, and legs. The tables need to be close together. I'll need to administer the infection quickly. Assuming it still shares some properties with the rabies virus, it'll become dormant if it dries."
He looked towards the people still standing against the wall. "I don't need the rest right now." The guards looked to Terrence for confirmation and then escorted the remaining people from the room.
Terrence directed some guards to set things up according to the doctor's specifications. Henry approached the tables when it was done. The table on the left had an infected strapped to it. It growled impotently but wasn't able to move. The second table had a young woman on it in a similar position. She whimpered as Henry approached the table.
"Please..." she begged, "why are you doing this to me? I didn't do anything. Please, let me go."
Henry stared into her eyes as something broke inside him. He would do it. He would kill this woman. What was it that Terrence said? For the greater good. Yes, that was it. He would damn his soul for the greater good.
"Steel yourself, Doctor," Terrence said. "You said yourself it has to be done."
Henry nodded and selected a syringe from a nearby tray. He nodded towards two of his techs and they approached wearing thick rubber gloves. They pried the infected's mouth open and Henry used the syringe to collect a saliva sample. He then moved over to the woman and looked for a vein on her arm. He could simply deposit the sample orally, but the bloodstream would probably allow the experiment to progress more quickly.
"Wouldn't it be faster to just let the infected bite her?" Terrence asked.
Henry shook his head. "We couldn't guarantee it wouldn't kill her in the process. This is more efficient."
"What are you doing?" the woman asked. "What are you doing with that?"
Henry smiled sadly as he found a suitable vein. "I'm sorry," he said, and plunged the needle into her arm. She whimpered as Henry depressed the plunger.
"What's next?" Terrence asked.
"Now, we wait," Henry replied. "From my earlier observations, it takes approximately two hours before the infection takes over." He directed his techs to start the monitoring equipment.
"Let's get her into the MRI. I want to see what's happening to her brain as the infection takes hold."
Terrence nodded and directed some guards in protective gear to escort the woman to the MRI. Henry sat at the table to observe the results on the computer. There were two monitors, one to display results of the scan and another that showed a live shot of the woman's face. Henry could see that she had already lost some color.
Terrence sat down next to Henry. "I'll observe with you if don't mind, Doctor."
Henry shrugged.
The next two hours passed slowly for Henry. He could have left and simply returned later for the results but that felt too much like cowardice. If he had consigned this woman to death, the least he could do was be present for it. Henry examined the computer screen as the results began to appear. He'd be busy with this for a while. He glanced at Terrence who was watching the live screen intently. Looking over, Henry saw the woman open her eyes, no trace of humanity remained.
An idea began to form in Henry's mind but he'd need more test subjects. He wasn't sure the ones they had would be enough. He sighed as turned to Terrence. "I have a few ideas," he said.
Terrence nodded. "Excellent, Doctor. What do you need?"
"More test subjects."
"I'll see it done," Terrence said. Terrence took a few steps then turned back.
"I have a question, Doctor."
"Yes?"
"I don't think it's been said out loud at this point, but this infection, there's no way this could occur in nature, right?
Henry nodded. "It's man made. Nature would never come up with something like this."
"Is there any way to trace who did this?
Henry thought for a moment. "I have one of my techs working on identifying some elements of the virus. Once that's done, you might be able to check those results against labs that were known to work with those substances."
Terrence nodded. "Good. See that your man informs me as soon as he's done. I mean to find the bastard that did this and put a bullet between his eyes."
***
Penthouse Office, Emerald Tower
Emerald Falls, Illinois
William stood in his penthouse office and looked out over his city. That's right, his city. His plans had been executed brilliantly for the most part. The city was nearly purged and his men were in control. William took a moment to swipe a speck of dust from his immaculate pinstriped suit. He took a moment to bask in his success. All the years of planning had finally paid off. The city was purged of the dross, those that added nothing to the country. Those that hadn't fled had been killed by the infected. The only remaining people were his soldiers and few members of the city's elite. They wouldn't be around for much longer either.
They thought themselves the elite but William had simply used them to further his plan. Why spend his millions when they were so willing to spend theirs? So he cultivated them over the years, found those receptive to his views and pretended to bring them into his fold. They were part of what was wrong with this country. No loyalty whatsoever. Whenever he told them about his plans, each was quick to jump on board. Not one sent out an outcry for all those people that would be killed when his plan was set in motion. They were selfish and therefore no use for the kingdom he would build.
The mayor was the worst. He fancied himself a king and treated the city as his playground. The city was rife with corruption. The poor faced harsh sentences while the rich would get away with a mere slap on the wrist. That would all change now. He would establish order. The rule of law, his law would prevail. It was fitting, who could match his vision? He saw the need for a purge of the filth from society. The rich were selfish and the poor were greedy children looking for a handout.
His intercom chirped and he moved to answer it. "Yes, Alanna?" he asked in his deep baritone.
"Sorry to disturb you sir. Watkins and Reel are ready for the conference call."
"Thank you, Alanna. Excellent work as always." William picked up a remote and hit a button. Moments later a sixty inch screen lowered itself from the ceiling. William thought of Alanna as the screen came on. She was a good worker. She showed the proper deference and knew her place in life. She was good a knack for anticipating his needs and had even made significant contributions to his plans over the years. When he was ready, he felt she would make an excellent mother for his offspring. His kingdom would need heir
s after all.
"William Dray," a voice said from the screen.
Giving his attention to the screen, William greeted his counterparts. "Watkins, Reel," he said as he nodded briefly to each.
"Any news on the problem with the infected?" Watkins asked.
"Yes," Reel said, "you said the infected would die out within a week, two tops. It's been nearly three weeks now."
William controlled his facial expression. How dare that ant talk to him so? He was the architect of this grand plan. These two fools would have been swept away along with everyone else if he hadn't included them in his grand design. Unfortunately, he had needed them to implement certain aspects of his plan. He couldn't wait to have them killed the moment they ceased being useful.
"It appears the virus underwent a mutation of some kind," Williams replied. "They should have died off due to paralysis but that component of the virus seems to be missing."
"What do we do?" Watkins asked. "The infected are overrunning my city. I'm not sure how much longer my forces can hold out."
"I have the same problem," Reel added. "I've lost a lot of men. I'll have to evacuate if this keeps up."
That looks like your problem William thought smugly. "I suggest that you hold out, gentlemen. It would be a shame to see all our preparation go to waste because you can't deal with a few infected."
"A few infected?" Reels asked in frustration. "There are thousands of those things knocking on my door."
"Exactly so," Watkins said. "We hadn't planned for a siege. These things were supposed to have died out days ago."
"This is an unfortunate turn of events," William replied. "But it doesn't change our plans. The country has been purged of the dross that made her weak. We are now in a position to rebuild her and make her strong."
"You are right, of course," Watkins said. "Forgive my outburst but I find the situation extremely troubling. How are you hold up on your end?"
"My forces are clearing Emerald City as we speak," William replied. I will establish a two block corridor from the tower to the city's edge. My men will then construct and electric fence to keep any remaining infected at bay."
"You expect to kill all the infected?" Reel asked. "How?"
"I don't plan to kill all the infected, Reel. I'm clearing a corridor. The fence will keep the rest at bay."
"Would you be able to spare some men, Dray? It seems you're doing pretty well there. I could use some help."
"I'm afraid I can't, Watkins. It's taking all of my forces to maintain the order I've established here. Sending my forces out would put things here in jeopardy. You are more than welcome to evacuate to the tower if needed, gentlemen."
Watkins nodded. "Yes, it might come to that. I'm just not sure that I can hold the west."
"Don't hold your breath, William. I'll manage just fine," Reel said.
"Of course. I by no means intended to imply that you were incapable of holding your city," William said with a slight smile. Watkins would think nothing of his comment but Reel would feel the sting.
"I welcome your assistance," Watkins said. "I think I'll begin preparations to evacuate should it be needed."
"I'll do just fine on my own," Reel said angrily. "I don't need help holding what's mine."
Williams spread his hands as if he had meant nothing of the sort. "I would never say otherwise, Reel. The offer stands should you change your mind."
"Enough of this," Reel responded. "There are matters that require my attention." Reel ended the call on his end and Watkins side resized to fill the whole screen.
"Why must you antagonize him so, William?"
"I merely offered my assistance," William replied. "It is no fault of mine that he's too proud to accept it."
"Well I most definitely appreciate your help, William. Thank you for the update. I'll be in touch." The image winked out and William hit the button that cause to screen to retreat into the ceiling.
He had been furious when he'd learned the infected wouldn't die out as planned. But this was the silver lining. The thought of sharing power hadn't sat well with him. Why should he? His was the vision, the grand plan. Watkins and Reel had only been necessary for certain aspects. Why should they rule as he when he'd done all the work? This would work out very well. Watkins was terrified and would be easy to control. Reel would likely die in his city as his pride wouldn't allow him to come to him for help.
William's intercom beeped and he answered. "Yes, Alanna?"
"Forgive the interruption, sir. Mr. Dunst is here to see you again."
William sighed. He had little desire to interact with the so called members of his elite. They'd already served their purpose as far as he was concerned. He did find himself somewhat curious though. Jeremy had been turned away several times over the last two weeks but he continued to ask for an audience. "Send in him."
"Right away, sir."
A few moments later Alanna opened his office door and Jeremy Dunst stepped into the room. He spent a few moments looking impressed at the decor of the room and then remembered himself. "Thank you for seeing me, sir."
"Of course," William replied. "What can I help you with, Jeremy?" While curious, William hoped his wouldn't take long. He had another project he wanted to look in on. He was only granting this audience because Jeremy was the mayor's son.
"I need you help finding someone, sir."
Williams raised an eyebrow. "You're bothering me because you lost someone?"
"It's my fiancé sir. Her camera man took her and ran off from the shelter."
"Why should this concern me, Jeremy? There are important matters that require my attention. Finding you wife to be doesn't rank high on my list."
"The man that took her was capable sir. I'm thinking he might meet up with other survivors."
William thought for a moment. That might be useful. The dross had to be purged and it would be useful to know where they were hiding. Armed with that knowledge, he could send his men to remove them at will. But, Jeremy seemed kind of desperate. The woman had probably run off rather than remain with him.
"I can see the usefulness of that," William replied. "I'll give you a few men to assist you. You will of course inform me if you find any groups of survivors."
"Of course, sir! Thank you sir!"
William nodded, indicating his dismissal. Jeremy left the room with a huge smile on his face. He seemed a bit obsessed frankly. But his fascination with that woman might prove useful. Now, William thought as he rubbed his hands together, to look in on that project.
William sat at his desk and turned on his monitor. It was good that matter had worked out in his favor but it was still unacceptable that the purge hadn't gone completely as planned. He typed in a sequence on the keyboard and a new screen pooped up. The image was of a room in an undisclosed location in the tower. There was a scrawny man strapped to a table while another bent over a nearby table rummaging through some tools necessary to the craft.
Williams pressed a button and spoke into his microphone. "Perkins."
The man leaning over the table stood and faced the camera. "Sir? How may I be of assistance?"
"Has Mr. Culber explained what went wrong with my virus?"
"I'm afraid not sir. He maintains that he has no idea why the virus is acting this way. I will of course continue ministrations. I'm about to begin another session if you care to observe."
"I do," William replied. Perkins nodded and selected a tool from his tray.
"Let's begin again, Mr. Culber. What did you do to the virus?"
William smiled as the sound of Culber's screams echoed from his speakers.
8 Greg: Highway, Outskirts of Emerald Falls
"This is taking forever," Carol said from the passenger seat.
Greg nodded. "I know. I don't see a way around it though."
They were on their way out of the city, but it was slow going. Traffic had been bad on the main roads no doubt due to other people fleeing the fire. The side streets were little better. The
re was less traffic but there were a number of accidents. Twice now they'd had to drive along the curb to avoid wreckage. It would take some time to get out of the city at this rate.
"What's that up ahead?" Carol asked.
Greg looked ahead and saw that the road was blocked by two cars. Head on collision maybe? Worse, there were several infected banging on one of the cars. Was someone trapped inside? Greg slowed the car down as he thought. They needed to get out of the city but could he just stand by and nothing? What if they were infected? Greg sighed. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't check it out.
"You're gonna check it out aren't you?" Carol asked.
"Yea, sorry," Greg replied.
"No," Carol said with a shake of her head, “we should stop and check on people if it's not too dangerous. Don't know how I’ll sleep otherwise."
Greg smiled at the echo of his own thoughts. "Alright. I’m gonna stop here." Greg pulled the car to a stop and exited, making sure his pistol was on him.
James pulled his van to a stopped behind him and got out. "What's wrong?"
Greg nodded towards the infected that were about fifty yards out now. "I think someone's trapped in that car up ahead."
James looked ahead and nodded. He took a moment to explain what was happening to Laura and she laid their shotgun across her lap in case anything went wrong.
"Alright, let's check it out then." He drew his pistol and Greg followed suit.
"What do we do if they're infected?" James asked as they walked towards the infected.
Greg sighed. "We'll have to leave them, but I won't feel right if we don't at least check."
James nodded as they came to a halt about twenty yards away. "Warning shot to get their attention," he said.
Greg nodded and James fired his pistol once into the air. At the sound, the infected all turned in their direction. They roared and began sprinting towards them. Greg counted five infected. Hopefully they could put them down from range and that would be that.
"Ready?" James asked. Greg nodded and they opened fire. The five infected fell quickly under the onslaught and James nodded in satisfaction.