Lockdown Nation

by Lim, Candice

  The rest followed suit. My eyes teared from the thickening stench when Sam shut the door behind us and jammed the ax between the door.

  With my tablet light, I scanned around the cubical barely fit seven people inside. The floor felt greasy and sticky against my soles.

  The mental images of the room’s past flitted through my head. The bodies of the Infected would be piled to the brim in the room, awaiting cremation. They would be on their final destination before their battle ended and they could be put to rest, much like us.

  “Now what?” Mandy asked, her voice muffled through her hand.

  “This door should lead us back to the crematorium.” I shone the light over the knob where Mandy worked on it.

  The footsteps and growls caught up. The rest huddled close around Mandy and I as the grating scratches on the door echoed through the space. “I can’t do this anymore!” cried the older man.

  “We’re getting out of here soon!” Carlisa clapped him on the shoulder when the woman rolled her eyes and collapsed on the ground. A gasp broke out from the crowd, who crouched next to the fainting woman.

  “Focus on the job,” I said to Mandy, who turned at the crowd.

  “I can’t take this anymore!” She muttered between her gasps, vomit spewing from her lips. The air thinned out. The mix of puke and rotting flesh scorched my lungs and whirled my head.

  I stared at the woman’s face, watching her pale into shades of white. I kept searching for signs of black veins, fearing she might turn. The mental images of my encounter with Tree Man flashed back into my head, catapulting me into a panic attack. It was hard to think straight when every mouthful of breath reeked of death.

  The fear swelled in me, growing larger and suffocating me. I was at wit’s end.

  “Screw this!” I spun around and kicked at the door. I underestimated my rage or overestimated the durability of the door. To my surprise, it flung open. A gust of cold fresh air blustered in.

  “Shoulda done that earlier,” remarked Mandy.

  I stepped out with her and drew mouthful after mouthful of fresh air trying to clear my head. My eyes met with the familiar walls of the crematorium. Despite the morbid activity that took place here, an instant relief washed over me.

  Ironic we thought the crematorium was the worst place here at first. Perhaps, something was trying to tell me how peaceful death could be when the world was in shambles.

  Carlisa helped the fainting woman out of the crypt which Sam sealed off after them.

  I shook off my sentiments and counted heads. As the flashback of what happened a few minutes ago swamped my thoughts, the icy daggers of fear I should’ve felt before pierced my bones. “Let’s get outta here.” I fought to steady my voice and urged myself to the door.

  24

  PEYTON

  “How on earth is this even possible?” The fury blazing through Peyton could burst his veins. He no longer bothered to conceal his emotions and let them run raw by his actions. He pounded on the conference table, stupefying the pair of ATP. “Why are there survivors in the black zone? I thought you combed that area before sealing it off completely?”

  Across the other end of the conference room, Cash and Ronin watched, their faces expressionless, still as the dead.

  “We—we have no idea how that happened, President Professor. We filtered through the entire area before. We couldn't possibly miss 127 survivors even if we tried,” said the ATP.

  “Oh, how many times have I underestimated your incapability!” The President’s voice boomed through the room. He was about to lash out at the ATP again when the knock at the door interrupted him. “Get in!”

  The door opened and another ATP entered. “In reason we trust, President Professor. We found this on the site.” He glanced at the two and placed a plastic bag with a Zapper in it in front of Peyton.

  Peyton picked it up to study. “Someone from the Community was there. I knew it. Something just didn’t add up.”

  Cash perked up with interest. “I know that one.”

  All eyes turned to Cash. She strutted towards Peyton and snatched the Zapper off him. Her lips quirked up into a sneer as she traced her long, manicured fingers across the scratched surface of the barrel. “It’s Roxy Riley.”

  Peyton’s face darkened at once. He snorted and cussed beneath his breath. “How did she manage to do that?”

  Cash breezed around the table and waved at the monitor to conjure a virtual keyboard. “Oh, my late sister in science, Dr. Jane Hershey had an anti-Cranax gene.”

  Peyton let out a barrage of cusses and slammed his fists on the desk.

  Cash clicked her tongue and scowled at the President. “Calm down. I’m trying to type.” The clicking of acrylics on wood rang through the air as she typed the IMEI code into the Zapper database. She tapped ‘Enter’ and the user profile populated on the screen.

  Cash arched her brow with interest when she clicked into the profile and found another linked Zapper. She clicked onto the other device and checked the location. “Oh, it looks like she’s in the city.” She looked at Peyton, who turned expectantly at the ATP.

  “Get rid of these pests immediately before they cause more troubles. We don’t need more problems when we’ve got a pandemic to take care of now,” said Peyton.

  The ATP exited the conference room.

  Peyton stared at Cash in awe. “How did you know about this?”

  Cash smirked. “I’m a researcher myself, President Professor.”

  25

  ROXY

  I closed the door to my apartment and propped against it. Never before so many people had gathered in here. Not like Mandy and I ever threw any parties. Yet it felt so empty and cold with only the basic furniture. Mandy and I had cleared out our belongings and had them delivered home.

  I glanced at the time on my tablet. One hour before the lockdown. One hour before the nation would come to a standstill. Nobody knew what Peyton had in store. All we could do was wait and see.

  The clock ticked over to a minute after 4 pm. Panic kicked in.

  “I need to go to the co-lab now!” All heads in the living room turned in my direction. I didn’t wait for approval or commentary. I made for the kitchen and retrieved the stock of the anti-Cranax gene. When I turned around, Mandy stood right in front of me.

  “You won’t make it. Lockdown Nation is commencing in an hour.” She grabbed my shoulders.

  “Yes, it’s only going to take me a half-hour.”

  “It’s a risk, Roxy. You only need a small hiccup to push you back.”

  “We ran out of ammo.”

  Sam chipped in. “Mandy’s right. We won’t make it.”

  I sighed, too tired to put on a fight. “You’re right. I won’t make it if I don’t make a move now.” I turned around and headed for the door.

  “Wait!” Mandy cried.

  My shoulders slumped as I turned around. “What?”

  “We’re coming with you.” Carlisa hopped off the sofa and joined the group.

  “No, you guys are staying. I’ll be fine.” I was closing the door when Mandy stopped it with her foot. She flung it open.

  “We’re in this together.”

  I bet they wanted to stall time but I didn’t fall for their trick. I turned around and brisk-walked down the hallway, with the group catching up behind me.

  No words were exchanged between us as we hopped into Sam’s car that sped into the city. As if the unsettling silence of the highway wasn’t eerie enough, the dark clouds loomed over us, warning of an imminent storm. The lightning split the sky, followed by a crisp thunder.

  “That’s a good sign,” I muttered to myself as the fat droplets of rain lashed at the windscreen. The pitter-patter drowned the radio I doubted anyone was listening to anyway.

  Sam’s eyes trained on the road. Mandy and Carlisa had drifted into their worlds. Even myself. Lulled by the rain, I didn’t realize we arrived until the car suddenly p
ulled up at the curb right in front of the co-lab. The inmates snapped out of reverie at once and sprang into action.

  The cold rain splatted on my face as I bolted through the glass double door. Not a shadow sighted at the common area, only the imprint on the beanbags reflected the shadow of the previously crowded place. Even the coffee shop had closed, the darkness consumed the vacant tables and chairs.

  “This is an amazing place!” Carlisa spun in circles feasting her eyes at the grandeur of the lab. “It’s so hipster I love it!”

  I wriggled myself dry and sped towards the information kiosk when the lady who greeted us before appeared from the lab area. “Hey, it’s great to see you back here but unfortunately we’re closing the co-lab early for the Lockdown Nation regime.”

  “Please…” I wheezed through my ragged breath. “It’s very important to me. I have to do this! It will only take half an hour!”

  Tameera, lacking a lab coat but not style, glanced at the rest who caught up and chewed her lip in hesitation. “Is it that important?” She arched a brow.

  The truth was at the tip of my tongue as I debated to spill it. I didn’t want to raise suspicions and panic but then it hit me. “That’s right! You’re Dr. Tameera. You are in the Community!”

  Tameera frowned at me, lost.

  The hope within me roared to life. I grabbed onto her arms. “Dr. Tameera, listen! There’s something important I need you to know!”

  Tameera glanced at the rest hesitantly. “Okay…”

  I sucked in a deep breath. “Look, the virus out there was the masterpiece of my late mentor, Dr. Jane Hershey. Before she died, she left us with the anti-Cranax gene that has so far proven the most effective way to cure the Infected. I need to—”

  “Blot my gel! Get your ass in the lab and start working!” Tameera cried out.

  A smile broke out on my face. “Thank you!” I turned around when she grabbed me by the arm.

  “I know we’re short of time but lab safety must be practiced at all times.” Tameera frowned at the rest who followed me into the lab. “Hmm.”

  History replayed itself. Throwing on my lab coat, I breezed past the vacant benches towards the vending machines with the rest following after me. I placed my orders while Mandy sanitized the workbench and apparata. Once I got the materials, I got to work, wasting no time. The others formed a circle around the bench.

  I pipetted the chemicals into each tube. No one said a word until I closed the lid of the last PCR tube and transferred them into the machine. The bubble of tension did not erupt when the machine timer ticked over.

  “28 minutes left.” I glanced at my tablet. Right on time. It should give us 15 minutes to speed back home. The time stretched. Every second stretched so long as if the 28 minute wait time was going to take a couple of hours.

  “So, what are you guys planning to do with the antidote?” I didn’t notice Tameera had been there.

  The rest turned to me.

  “The Council members mostly caught the virus by now.”

  Tameera’s face paled as her hand shot to cover her gawked mouth.

  “My seniors and Prof. Ronin, the only people who could stop this freakshow, are under their custody, life and death unknown. I want to go and rescue them.”

  Tameera buried her face in her palm. “But they’re still running the nation.”

  “Technically, they’re not,” said Mandy. “They got the stronger strain that took over their brains and is running the nation into the ground. That’s why we need to stop them before it’s too late.”

  “You mean…the virus is running the show now? How is it even possible? What is it trying to do?” gasped Tameera.

  “One way to find out.” Sam shrugged.

  Tameera straightened up with a serious face. “I’m in this. We’ll have to stop them.”

  The four of us traded wary looks. “It’s not a very wise idea.” Mandy’s breath hitched. “Peyton massacred the entire Cranax coalition. He’s ruthless. You don’t want to be involved in this.”

  “I’m a part of the Community.” Tameera slammed her fist on the bench. “You can’t expect me to sit around doing nothing after I’ve learned we are all going to die if we don’t stop Peyton!”

  “The reality is much more complex than you know,” I said. “The stronger Cranax strain Peyton got has no antidote. It can control the other Infected via telekinesis. What we’ve found out so far could probably be the tip of the iceberg.”

  Tameera chewed her lip and stared at me. “So what’s the plan? You going to save your friends and then what?”

  I shrugged. “We’ll see if they have any new information. Then, we’ll devise the next step from there.”

  “This is nuts.” Tameera wiped her hand down her face and rubbed her chin. “So what you guys got? Zappers? Gene guns? Are you guys sure you’re even supposed to touch those?”

  “We’ve got some Gene Blast left too,” said Sam.

  Tameera waved her hand. “I’ll see what I’ve got that might come in handy.” She spun around and entered through a ‘Staff Only’ door at the back of the lab.

  I plopped on the stool and glanced at the PCR machine. 15 minutes left.

  “Honestly, what’s our plan next?” Carlisa glanced back and said in a hushed voice, “What if we couldn't save your friends? What if they were, you know, dead? We need to come up with a contingency plan.” She arched her brow at the door where Tameera had disappeared into. “She’s in the Community. She’ll have a better idea than us.”

  “So did Assunta!” Mandy’s eyes threatened to burst out of her skull at any time. “Look what happened to her. She died. Because we told her shit.” Raw guilt dripped over her every word. “She would’ve been safe if we left her alone.”

  Carlisa rolled her eyes. “Okay, back to the question, what are we gonna do if we couldn't find your friends?”

  I drew a blank. “I don’t know, Carlisa. I don’t have a plan.”

  Carlisa sighed. “And what if your friends don’t have any idea too?”

  The advancing footsteps echoing through the lab walls turned heads. “What on earth…” muttered Mandy.

  My stomach dropped at the sight of the ATP marching in our direction. I sprang to my feet and glanced between the door at the back and the PCR machine. 5 minutes left on the timer. It was so close.

  I groped for the Zapper on my back pocket as the team huddled close. Mandy whipped out her Zapper and pointed at the ATP but they whipped out theirs. “Settle down. We don’t have to use violence…yet,” said the officer through his mask.

  Mandy pursed her lips and lowered her weapon.

  “What do you want?” I feigned calm.

  “Are you aware of the Lockdown Nation regime?”

  Sam glanced at his smartwatch. “Yeah, but you're 15 minutes early.”

  The ATP shared a knowing look. “You should know no one is permitted to stay in an industrial or business premise during the Lockdown Nation regime. Anyone guilty will face serious charges including imprisonment. Unless you’re living within a 5 km radius from here, which is the permitted traveling range, you can’t make it back home in time.”

  My eyes bounced between the PCR machine and the ATP. 50 seconds left. The timer ticked like my heart.

  “Oh, I believe my driving skill is better than that,” quipped Sam.

  “Seems like we have some lockdown flouters here,” snorted the ATP. The pair whipped out their Zappers and fired at us.

  My eyes widened with shock. Time warped and everything turned into slow-motion. I had no idea what came over me when I lurched forward, cuddled the PCR machine, and dropped behind the bench.

  The stun flew across the bench, the static stood my hairs on ends. The door where Tameera had disappeared into opened. “Blot my gel!” Tameera’s eyes widened at the ruckus and retreated, shutting the door where the beams hit.

  My heart leaped erratically as I cuddled tightly onto the PCR machin
e like it was some treasured possession while scrambling to come up with an idea of what to do now.

  “I can’t hold them back any longer,” whispered Mandy. She peeked up, fired few shots, then sank back under the bench.

  Sam’s eyes darted around the lab. “There’s no other way outta here!”

  The hologram suddenly bobbed up from the PCR machine, jolting my heart. “Blot my gel! The process is complete.”

  I gingerly placed the machine on the floor when I realized I forgot to get the self-freezing storage case. I muttered a cuss and glanced back at the vending machine. “Cover me! I need to get to the vending machine.” I whipped out my Zapper.