Survival Instincts (Book 1): Sacrifice

by Andersen, J. . J.

  “This is Maria, also known as subject M003. I've seen it already, but it's best if you see all these from beginning to end.” She explained further, but still no words came from his mouth, but his jaw had clenched shut and she could almost see steam blowing out from his ears as he processed all the serious information she had dumped on him, churning through his usually playful brain.

  Putting the videotape into the VCR machine, the video began, and he watched. Having watched it already herself, she wasn't about to watch the monster all over again, but she caught a glimpse of her own file sitting open in clear view, while Phoenix sat oblivious, staring at the screen.

  He couldn't see that!

  Quickly, she hid it from his sight, but the swift movement caught his attention. She shoved the folders into the briefcase and looked at him with an innocent smile and gestured to him to keep watching the TV as it began to play the next video. With a still silent expression, he watched right through to the static, indicating the end of Maria’s video tape.

  “So…?” She asked him tilting her head, waiting for his response.

  “So, this is all really fucked up then, isn't it?” He started, his voice slightly shaken, his large hand rubbing the back of his neck. Rae nodded expecting him to continue with his usual verbose opinions “So what I pretty much got from all this, is that your mother's psycho, and that you got some of that gene when you went to shoot me.” He teased, opting for his usual sarcasm to hide his fear, as she had expected. She nodded again with a half-hearted smiled in full acceptance of his sentence, admitting to herself that what he said was probably true.

  “So, your mother's some crazy scientist who’s decided to create a drug, selling it through the big ass drug lord, Julián in New Mexico, that enhances brain features of the human mind but also cures brain damage and has the munchies as a side effect?” He said not stopping for a breath as he questioned himself. She answered him with a smirk and a small nod.

  “And this is why we have to go to Colorado. To get my dad and stop this, he must have already been on his way to the lab when I had messaged because he has stopped in Rio Grande, four hours out of New Mexico. That’s where he is waiting for us and where we need to meet him. He knew I would find him there but was far enough out that my mother couldn't. She never knew about our hunting trips. She hated the thought of me hunting and holding a gun.” She rambled to him and he nodded slowly, accepting her information into the scramble that was probably going on in his head at that moment. Well, in over two days Raelynn still hadn't fully processed all the information herself and she had just dumped it on Nix in less than ten minutes. And despite feeling bad about dragging him into things, they had to get to Colorado so there was no time to sugar-coat the truth for him.

  With that, Rae pulled out two more files from the briefcase and he grumbled in annoyance of having to take in more information.

  “These two are considered fails. I haven't seen them yet, but we need to find out why.” She explained to Nix opening the first folder. Across the tape, it said E039. Rae slotted it into the VCR machine, and pressed play.

  A male was on the screen, in a hospital gown, his body paused with the footage. The perspective of him seemed to be through security camera footage judging from the ceiling view the video had, and the time and date stamp in the corner. It was blurred and pixelated, all in grey, black and white like an old television. Raelynn’s mother wasn't in this one, but she could hear Katherine’s voice from behind the camera.

  “Subject E039. Drug trial attempt one. 48 hours after injection.”

  The video footage began to play after the click of what she assumed, was a remote being used by Katherine behind the scenes. It showed the male in the small, empty room he was locked in, going insane. His mouth frothed, he screeched every few seconds and his limbs moved with wanton abandonment. He was middle aged, judging by his receding hairline and yet he was bouncing around at high speed like a two-year-old on a sugar high. He was literally bouncing off the walls, attacking them and scraping his fingers down them as his head twitched with every movement. His eyes darted erratically, his jaw gnashing together as he turned to attack every inch of the room, his body taking every surge against the walls. And yet he never complained, never talked, never said that it was hurting. Raelynn gasped as he threw himself into a wall, blood spattering over it from his arm that had snapped, the bone protruding out. He showed no recognition of the injury, continuing his manic behaviour. If Rae didn’t know better, she’d say he was rabid. Rae swallowed hard as her stomach turned. His face looked at the camera and it unnerved her completely, her skin crawling with goose bumps. His eyes were completely white. So white, it was noticeable even though the poor quality of the footage. Then the video was stopped, and her mother continued to speak.

  “Physical strength is remarkable. His movement speed is decreasing since yesterday's trial, indicating a steady decline in erratic behaviour. Brain transmitters reveal an opposite incline in function, so with a continual display of progress we are happy to maintain this course of Exalt.” Rae’s mother stated before the clip changed abruptly. The new video was of her, talking from her desk as the previous ones had.

  “It has been three days since the drug Exalt was introduced into test subject E039. Subject has slowed movements down now to almost stationary levels. The frothing has ceased but an insatiable appetite has caused frequent gnashing of the jaw and chipped teeth. However, E039 has shown signs of high intelligence, solving our brain teasers within seconds and when food, meat in particular, is the prize, he shows remarkable ingenuity in thwarting our traps and tests. Aside from the hunger side-effect, we have noticed a reddened rash appearing on the skin and when itched, the skin peels right down to the flesh. This subjects’ facial features have also begun losing strength and have drooped substantially over the last two days. Taking into consideration all these side effects and the indication that although brain function is high, it is not in the range we had expected to balance the other conditions caused, we have concluded this test subject as a failed experiment. We will make the necessary changes to the formula and continue to record our findings” She stated further, no emotion in her face as she spoke. The tape finished with the usual static that the previous ones concluded with.

  Raelynn looked over at Nix who had gone from jaw dropped in surprise, too eyes sparkling with amazement. His body was leaning towards the screen. He turned to her expectantly waiting for the next tape. She obliged and took out the videotape, replacing it with the next one, pausing it before it started.

  “You good, Nix?” She asked him, a genuine smile plastered on her face.

  “Yeah, sure. It’s like being in a way better version of science class again. With your mom as the teacher” He chuckled “Like I know this shit is wrong and probably going to end badly for human kind but I gotta say, I’m kind of digging the whole idea that scientists are out there working on these things with their crazy, Jedi minds” Nix laughed. Raelynn joined in.

  “Still with the Star Wars references, huh? Not much has changed,” she teased. He winked before turning back to the screen, pressing play on the next video. The new tape was another security tape with the reference number L040 flashing at the top. The same room was on the camera with a new subject, a subject she recognised as the scientist she had bumped in to at the lab and the one who had given her the drug. Yet in the video he was acting the same rabid way as E039. How wasn’t he dead? How had he lived and still been marked a failure on his file? She wanted to ask her questions out loud but she didn’t want to have to explain or lie about how she knew the test subject, so she left the questions unsaid and added them to the growing list that she needed to get answers for.

  “She mustn't have changed enough of the drug if he's reacting the same way as E039.” Nix commented and he was right. L040 acted the exact same way for the entire video, with Katherine giving the same ‘FAILED’ diagnosis. The video ended and Rae looked at Nix.

  “That’s all of the
m.” She lied, her video still hidden in the folds of the paperwork of the briefcase, where it would stay.

  “Well” he sighed, “Fuck me, that’s an insane amount of crazy going on.” Nix breathed. Rae nodded in response.

  “Is there anything else in there that can help us figure out if this drug is gonna come after us like the droids went after the Jedi?” Nix asked. Rae laughed at his overt use of Star Wars metaphors then nodded at his question, grabbing the briefcase, avoiding her files. She pulled out a folder that said Exalt on the front and opened it up on the floor between Nix and herself. They leaned over the paper together, folding out the pieces to reveal a map with red lines going from New Mexico to other states of the U.S. and even other countries. Above it read; Drug Distribution.

  “There’s lines going to places in Europe and like 80 percent of the US. Iowa, Nevada, even as far as Maine and New York.” His mouth gaped at the magnitude of shit the map implied they were in. Exalt was going to be in every country, well it was. It was already live according to the red date stamp on the map. Shit.

  Phoenix grabbed his phone and clicked it on then off again.

  “It’s ten at night and you probably haven't eaten, so we are going to feed you and then get some rest before going to Colorado to stop this shit from getting out even more than it already is, okay?” He ordered, looking down at her shaking hands that she had hidden in her long-sleeved shirt, “You’re shaking even through your sleeves Rae, c’mon let’s get some food. I know you're worried about this, but nothing is going to get done if you don't look after yourself.” He finished standing up and holding his hand out for her. He pulled her to her feet from her crossed-legged position and led her out of the room, locking the door behind them. Nix went straight to the fridge and busied himself making them food in a way that said he knew his way around her kitchen. And he did, he had always been over making them crazy food inventions after school and since her and her father had been terrible cooks, Nix had usually offered to do that part.

  “When you left for university I stayed in contact with your father, he was more of a dad in my life than the adoptive parents I was landed with. He helped me a lot, so I cooked for him most nights” He smiled putting bacon and eggs into a pan, explaining himself and why he was comfortable with her home, but he didn’t need to; Rae liked it when he went into his chef zone. She was pulled from her thoughts when her stomach growled loudly. It was pushing on midnight and the bacon smelt incredible. Having breakfast for dinner was okay, right? Raelynn didn't know how to help without getting shooed away for ruining some part of it so she just put the coffee pot on instead, confident she could do that part well, due to her love and possible addiction to the caffeinated liquid. Finally, Nix put the food on the dining table, the smell waltzing through the air and filling her nose which had her stomach gurgling loudly. Hugging herself in embarrassment, she sat on the chair Nix had pulled out for her then pushed in, before sitting down himself. They ate in silence, her mouth too busy shovelling food in to form words. She had devoured her whole plate in a speed that earned her a wide-eyed expression from Nix, who looked between her plate and her like she was an alien.

  “You could hardly eat a full apple during the whole day at high school and here you are eating an entire meal. You've changed a bit.” He chuckled, finishing his meal, taking their plates and putting them in the sink.

  “I'll clean in the morning, for now it’s bedtime.” He ordered, his hands resting on either side of her arms as he led her through the dark wooden floors of her home, to her bedroom at the end of the hall. The blankets on her bed in her old room were still a faded blue, not changed since she had last seen them. Her walls still had the same photos from high school plastered over them and the small single bed in the same spot she had left it. Nix urged her to the bed until she was sitting on the plush furnishings of her bed, then he went to grab her things and brought them through for her.

  “What are you doing, Nix? I can get my things and look after myself” Rae sighed accepting her duffel from him. He blushed a little before taking his flannel shirt off with his pug tee tight over his lean yet muscular physique that she loved.

  “I know you can, Rae, but I want you to know that I’m here now, so you don’t have to. It’s about time someone took care of you, put some more meat on you, gave you a full night's rest so the shadows under your eyes aren’t so dark.” Nix admitted, closing the curtains of her room as she opened her duffel and pulled out an oversized pale blue, button up shirt to sleep in. She wanted to tell him it was none of his business, her independent streak flaring at his comment but she held it back, knowing deep down that it was true and maybe it would be okay to let someone else look after her for one night. Rae stood up from the bed, not bothered by Nix’s presence and started undressing herself down to nothing but some pale pink lace underwear and an un-matching plain white bra. She pulled the button shirt over her arms and draped it across her shoulders but before she could button it up, Nix’s heat engulfed her. He stood over her and his hand gently grabbed her arm making her flinch, despite how soft the touch was. He put a finger to his mouth in gesture to shush and ran his hand gently over the bruises on her wrists. For a split second she was so comfortable and away from her own issues that she had forgotten about her bodies broken story.

  His hands settled on her waist as he pulled her closer. Nix knelt to his knees and kissed the bruises on her ribs and hips, resting his head against her stomach and held her close. The way he held her, warmed something inside her in a way she had never felt before. Her eyes sprung with tears, the tenderness in his touch pulling out all the emotion she had kept buried since he had arrived. Soon her chest was racked with sobs. He didn’t tease her for her weakness, he said nothing as he simply held her, and it was exactly what she needed. In those few moments she felt so safe, so protected. He buttoned up her shirt and laid her in bed, kissing her wet cheek before sitting at the end of the bed, leaning his head against the wall, his eyes fluttering closed.

  “Will-” Raelynn started through a broken voice before clearing her throat to speak properly, “Will you please lay with me?” She managed out and he smiled almost as if he had hoped or even known that she would ask that but had refused to assume without her invite. Shuffling on the bed, he rolled her onto her side, cocooning her within his arms as he reached over her body and held her wrists, caressing the bruises with soft, soothing strokes of his thumbs. Rae closed her eyes and fell into a deeper sleep than she’d had in a long time.

  ***

  Raelynn woke for the first time in years, with a contented warmth inside her. The sun dimly lit the room but Nix no longer lay next to her. She got up, the cold air hitting her bare legs despite the sun shining in through the curtains. Rae opened them up, glancing outside that was steaming with frost. Winter in Iowa was the one thing about the place she hadn’t missed. Leaving the room, she walked through the abandoned living area to the kitchen finding Nix making food. This would be the first morning without Jake in over eight months.

  “Coffee?” Nix asked already pouring her a cup, knowing her answer because he knew her. Waking without the shrill scream of her child was the first thing that put her back in the tense mood she’d held all of yesterday but coming to the kitchen, having someone ask her if she wanted coffee and already making breakfast, threw her off more. Nodding silently, Rae didn't know what to say, she also didn't want to open her mouth because she couldn't trust her voice with the tears already building up in her chest, the feeling bursting in the pits of her throat. Don't cry.

  With pancakes placed in front of her along with a cup of coffee, she couldn't help but smile a wobbly smile and force her emotion away from the surface. Rae began to eat and drink while Nix sat across from her, consuming his own breakfast.

  “I’ve already jumped through the shower so it’s free for you to use, then we’ll pack up our stuff so we can leave before midday.” He told her and between mouthfuls of food Raelynn nodded to show that she was paying atten
tion to what he had to say. Finishing her plate again, left Nix with the same wide green eyes as the night before. He was right though, Raelynn had never normally eaten a full plate, only since she had been pregnant had she been able to easily demolish whatever food was in front of her and she wasn’t going to admit to Nix, that it was probably because she had some version of the drug inside her. Raelynn placed her dishes in the sink and thanked Nix before heading off to shower. She was being quiet, maybe too quiet and she removed herself quickly from Nix’s company in case he started asking questions that she was actively trying to avoid answering. She had just begun showering when she heard a shrill screeching, even through the pelting sounds of water against her skin. Rae’s stomach burst with dread at the sound, she switched the shower off, wrapped her body in a towel then darted to the living room. She moved over to where she found Phoenix staring out the window with eyes wide, the expression becoming a somewhat permanent feature on his handsome face. Shaking her head, Raelynn looked out the window to see what had enlarged his eyes this time and watched the horror scene that took place in the street she had walked down only yesterday.

  A scrawny, pale man with dry-as-straw hair, ran out of the brick home three houses down, screeching, his mouth bubbling with froth. It was a known drug spot, selling and consuming. Why hadn't I thought about that before? Rae scolded herself, hating that she had let herself get distracted. The man’s eyes were white as he ran at incredible speed towards the woman who was innocently jogging with her dog. Seeing him run at the woman with a gnashing jaw and flailing arms, Raelynn put a hand over her mouth to contain a threatening scream. She had seen this behaviour before. In the video of failed test subjects. The drug was already out and not successful. Rae couldn’t tear her eyes away from the infected man, her blood freezing as he jumped an unnatural distance, latching on to the running woman. She screamed at the attack before his teeth sliced through the flesh of her neck, aggressively tearing out a chunk, silencing her ear-splitting cries. The woman collapsed to the ground convulsing beneath the monster atop her, blood spurting over the street. Ducking down under the window and leaning against the wall, both Raelynn and Nix stared wide-eyed at each other. Rae graciously accepted the expression as completely founded in this particular situation as the fear in his eyes was mirrored in hers.