by Kat Stiles
“You okay, Liz?”
“I’m fine,” I lied. Between the dog park, the park and today, I’d had enough of lurking weirdos. “Are you done? Want to get back to the lab.”
“Sure.” She took a final sip of her drink. “Thanks for coming out with me. Wasn’t sure if you would. I know you usually pack a lunch.”
“No it was fun, I appreciate the invite. Tuna salad didn’t sound all that appetizing.” As strange as it was, I kind of understood what my mother was trying to tell me. I wasn’t quite ready for the club scene or a boyfriend but having a friend to talk to was an unexpected and nice surprise.
After the satisfaction of a good meal, I was able to focus better. I came up with a new hypothesis, a drug that would boost generation of white cells, to replicate the higher white blood cell count of subject A. So I spent the rest of the afternoon and the following week working on the formula, taking into account bat physiology. Subject B showed more and more debilitating symptoms of the virus, but held on, largely due to subject A helping to feed him. I remembered Ethan saying they had a strong sense of family, and it was heartwarming to see. If only humans cared about each other like that…
The media was still focused on the president’s infidelity, so I was able to stay under the radar with my project. There were even talks of impeachment. I didn’t worry about it, though, as we’d impeached so many presidents in the past, and they always amounted to nothing more than a scandalous footnote in history. It was nearly impossible to force a president out of office, no matter how much he misbehaved.
I was finally ready to test the formula, after the trials with the blood samples looked promising. Getting the dosage right was tricky, but I was able to get an idea based on my testing and the weight of the creature. I took a deep breath and exhaled. This is it, I thought, as I injected the serum into subject B.
At first, its vitals stayed the same. But then all at once they spiked off the charts high, as he frantically flew around the cage, crashing into the walls. He fell to the cage floor, his body twitching. His vitals came crashing down to critical levels. My stomach turned at seeing subject B become perfectly still, his heart rate flatlining.
I rested my head in my hand. What went wrong? Was it the dosage, the strain on his body? Did the formula activate a chain reaction within him? The blood tests all showed a recovery.
A week’s worth of work, with nothing to show for it. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but that would only give Frederick an excuse to smirk. I knew he was plotting to take over this project, and this was just the excuse he needed to step in.
I lifted my head back up and refocused. To know for sure what killed subject B would require an autopsy. I gently extracted the deceased bat from the cage and made a small incision near the head. Then I placed it upside down in a funnel atop a tall, slender beaker, to drain its blood. An analysis of the blood composition at death might provide some answers.
I cleaned up my stuff, vaguely aware that it was the end of the day and the week. Having the weekend to mull over that colossal failure filled me with a sense of dread. I know, I know, you learn more from failures than successes. But that little motivational nugget didn’t help me feel any better about it.
I dragged my feet to my normal desk, checking on my email before I left for the weekend. Though John’s desk was vacant, there was an email from a couple of hours ago with a single sentence: The president wants to meet on Monday.
Damn. As if today didn’t suck enough, now I had to justify keeping the project when it didn’t appear that I was making any major progress. I glanced over my screen at Frederick in the distance. He was whistling a happy little tune to himself, a great big smile on his face. He caught me staring and said, “I’ll be in the meeting on Monday. When the DESVID-2 project becomes mine.”
I groaned. More than anything, I just wanted to punch him in the face. But even if I’d had the raw desire to do it, I didn’t have the energy.
“I can’t wait to see what you’ve done on it. So I know what to avoid.”
“Have a nice weekend, Frederick,” I said. “Always nice to be graced with your infallible wisdom.”
He huffed on his way out.
Amy snickered from her desk. “What a piece of work…”
“Yeah. But he’s not wrong.”
“You’ll figure it out,” she said. “You’re so much smarter than he is. Your brain is on a totally different level.”
I smiled politely, which took an effort. “That’s nice of you to say, but I failed.”
“Did you really think you were going to find a cure in a week?” Amy folded her arms. “I mean you’re good, but that’s just not enough time.”
“I know. I wasn’t looking for a cure as much as a way to abate the virus, stop it from killing people.” I looked down. “I needed a win, to keep this project. I was hoping to have something positive to report, after a week’s worth of work.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Amy said, as she logged out of her computer and packed up her laptop. “You’re coming with me.”
“I am?” My mind raced to come up with excuses not to go, but without knowing exactly where she intended to take me, they wouldn’t be plausible. “Where?”
“Out,” she said. “A club or a bar, take your mind off this…setback.”
I turned away from her and rolled my eyes. The last thing in the world I needed was to feel like a piece of meat amongst a sea of dudes just wanting to get laid. “I don’t think so.”
“Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“I have to type up my report on my findings.” A classic scientist excuse that never went out of style.
“You can do that tomorrow. Or Sunday,” she said, in a tone that dared me to counter. I had a feeling she wouldn’t let this go.
“Well I have to walk my dog,” I said. Lame but true.
“Fine. We’ll go walk your dog and grab a bite to eat.” She stared at me, her arms crossed.
Although I didn’t want to go, I didn’t have the strength to argue. Plus I figured I could agree and just call her later saying I was sick. Or dead. “Okay, where do you want to meet?”
She snickered. “Nope, don’t think that’s going to work. If I let you out of my sight, you’re going to totally bail.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. Damn, she was too smart for her own good.
“See, I knew you were going to try it,” she said and laughed. “I’ll follow you home. Maybe we can find something cuter to wear in your closet.”
“What’s wrong with this blouse?” I asked.
“The fact that you call it a blouse. Looks like something my great aunt Hilda would wear.” She eyed my whole outfit. “Do you know you’re twenty-something? Because you certainly don’t dress like it.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I returned to the lab to check on the blood extraction. Amy followed me in. Suddenly my out became so obvious.
“I have to gather these blood samples now and refrigerate them,” I explained. “If I leave now, the composition will change and be useless. I don’t know when it’ll be done, and I need every drop of blood from this guy I can get.”
This time she narrowed her eyes at me. Then she let out an audible sigh. “Fine, don’t go. But seriously, you’re missing out.”
I knew she was just trying to be nice, but a night out was like the worst possible thing I could think of. Inebriated strangers, overpriced drinks, and loud techno wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time. Though to be fair, my idea of fun was PJs, a comfy chair, and a freshly printed 200-page journal on genetic mutations of mammals in the northern hemisphere.
“I appreciate the invite,” I said, which I truly meant. She was the only one at the lab who even bothered to try to talk to me. Scientists, as a general rule, tend to keep to themselves.
She smiled. “Promise me you’ll do something fun this weekend?”
I smiled back, thinking sleep would likely be the most fun I would have. “Ok, I’ll try.”
She wav
ed as she left, which I only caught out of the corner of my eye. I was back to my research, scouring through other studies done on bats. Their long history of mutation, in particular how it pertained to the genes associated with inflammation, could be a key to solving this riddle. I had to find something if I wanted to keep this project.
Hours had passed before I got enough blood from subject B, though I didn’t realize how late it was with the lab being underground. I yawned and glanced at the clock on my laptop. 11:00PM. My poor Thundarr dog. He had to be doing some kind of doggie pee pee dance.
I packed up my stuff and headed out, eager to get back to the apartment before my dog had an accident. The office and hallway leading out were too still for my comfort. Even as an introvert, I would’ve welcomed the activity, the normal sounds of other people. And the creep factor only got worse when I exited the building.
Outside, the crickets chirped and the sliver of a moon in the sky didn’t provide much light. The parking lot only had a couple of solar lights installed—it wasn’t meant to be used at night, especially on a Friday night. I wasn’t parked far; it was silly for me to be creeped out. I looked around and confirmed I was alone. I chuckled to myself, how ridiculous I was acting. But then I heard a rustling sound from a bush adorning the office building next to mine, no more than a couple hundred yards away. Was that an outline of a man?
Chapter 5
My breath caught in my throat. I had the worst feeling it wasn’t a random stranger. I sprinted to my car, afraid to look, to see that horrible smile again. I hit the key fob to unlock it and managed to get the door open. But before I could slip inside, a hand slammed the door shut.
“Lovely night, isn’t it?” The creepy dude from the park said, only inches away from me.
I backed away, trying to get some distance from that stalker.
“What are you d-doing here?” I stammered out, and then realized that was a stupid question. “Why are you following me?”
He laughed. “It would take too long to explain. And quite frankly, I’m running out of patience.” He grabbed my arm again, but this time, I was on my own. No big, lovable, Labrador to bail me out.
That wide smile surfaced, sending a chill down my spine. Somehow I knew I was in mortal danger with him. That I had to get away. I didn’t even think about it, I simply reacted. My body shifted and my knee made contact with his groin.
He doubled over, groaning. And I bolted. I was never more grateful that I settled on sensible shoes to wear in the workplace. The dress shoes on my feet were a slightly formal version of a sneaker, and I had no trouble running in them.
There weren’t a bunch of cars out at that hour, and the streets were laid out in a grid format. It was easy enough to zig zag down a couple of side roads and not simply run away in a straight line. I didn’t dare look back to see if the creepy dude followed. Somehow, I got the feeling he wouldn’t stop. I had to find someplace that was safe. I wasn’t that familiar with the streets, but I thought they all connected.
I discovered I was wrong.
I doubled back when I ran into a dead end, a street that ended in what appeared to be an old, brick apartment complex. I was nearly to the main street I’d come from, when I saw his grin first, like an evil version of the Cheshire Cat. Then the rest of him appeared into view as he walked in the center of the street, illuminated by an antiquated light post that flickered eerily.
There was no way I could fight him off now, he would be prepared. What am I going to do?
“You fight dirty,” he said, his brown eyes meeting mine. “I’ve always been a sucker for the feisty ones.”
I gulped. Maybe I could run past him. In my totally freaked out state, it was the only thing I could think of.
I faked to the left, then took a sharp turn to the right, sprinting next to the wall. I was almost past him—he made no movement to stop me, only stared, still grinning like a total creeper. But then I got the wind knocked out of me as he was suddenly on top of me, pinning me against the wall. How was he able to move so quickly?
One of his large hands held both of my wrists above my head. I tried to knee or kick him, but he pressed his body against mine, rendering me completely immobile.
“Now, I finally get to taste you…” he said, and then took a deep inhale through his nose. He opened his mouth, and his canines appeared larger and sharper than the rest of his teeth. Almost like…fangs. A forceful tilt of my head with his free hand rendered my line of sight negligible. I closed my eyes, helpless. A single tear rolled down my cheek, as I begged him to let me go.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” he assured, and then added, “…much.”
“Galen, you know this isn’t right,” another voice nearby said, a masculine voice. “Back off.”
The pressure of my attacker’s body against mine disappeared. I opened my eyes abruptly. Another man was there, grabbing my assailant.
Could it be? Was this new guy saving me?
I backed away from them slowly, hoping this new dude would continue to distract him.
“I found her, she’s mine!” Galen, aka creepy park dude shot back. “We’re not all satisfied with squirrels and dogs.”
“Is her blood worth dying over?” the other man said. This new guy had a presence. With his strong jawline and toned physique, it’s no wonder creepy dude was edging away.
And then his words sunk in. My blood? Squirrels and dogs? Was that really cosmetic dentistry again, like I saw with that Ethan character at the sanctuary? Or something else entirely? I shivered, fearful of the truth.
Galen narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t over.” His gaze met mine and I stopped breathing. A smile tugged at his lips, a veiled threat. And then he ran off.
“Who are you?” I asked the handsome stranger. He was closer now, and I could see his tussled brown hair and kind blue eyes. Unlike Galen, I didn’t feel like he was threat.
He took a measured breath, and his eyebrows scrunched together, as if he were struggling with something.
Before he had a chance to respond, a bright light shone down the alley, coming from the main street. I shielded my eyes from it, and when my vision finally adjusted, gorgeous rescuer dude was gone.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” The red and blue lights now swirled, and I realized it was a police officer addressing me.
“Yes, I am now.” I stepped out of the alley, and he walked around his car to meet me.
“I thought at first it was a couple of teenagers. You’d be surprised how often that happens. I’m Officer Jones. Uh, Edgar.” He extended a hand to shake.
“Liz,” I said, shaking his hand. I smiled, relieved he was there. He reached into his vehicle to turn off the floodlight, and without the burst of light I could see his features more clearly. I guessed he was in his late twenties/early thirties. His pale brown skin and hazel eyes made his ethnicity unclear, but his smile really struck me—it was the warmest smile I’d ever seen on a cop.
“It’s not safe to walk alone around here at night,” he said.
“Oh, no I wasn’t,” I replied, taking a deep breath in and exhaling. “Actually, I…” I wasn’t sure what to say. If I explained I had a stalker, it would just lead to more questions. Questions I didn’t have the answers to. “I guess I just got a little spooked out is all.” I scanned the streets and the alley behind me, to make sure creepy dude wasn’t waiting to grab me again.
“I thought I saw another person in that alley with you. Did you know him?”
“No. I mean, it was nothing.” I looked down, avoiding his eyes. If he was anything like the cops on TV, he’d know I was lying.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.
No. No I’m not. Afraid to even think about what nearly happened in the alley with a confirmed stalker that may or may not have had fangs… Nope, that’s as far from okay as it gets. “Well I could use a lift to my car, if that’s all right with you. I work at the office building on the corner of Pine and Starlight.”
“Oh, that’s only a few blocks from here. It would be my pleasure, hop in.”
“Thanks.” He opened the passenger door for me, and I got in. I looked around in awe at all the tech and knobs and everything else that comprised the dashboard and front control panels.
“First time in a cruiser, huh?”
I nodded as I buckled myself in.
“Hopefully this will be my last day in this beast.” He turned off his emergency lights and pulled out on the main road.
“I know it’s none of my business, but you seem a little young to retire…” I said.
He laughed. “No, I took the exam to become a detective. I find out the results tomorrow.”
“Oh, good luck.”
“Thank you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, ever since I was a child.”
I couldn’t imagine the horrors a beat cop would see, let alone a detective, in a big city like DC. My already questionable view of humanity would be obliterated.
“What is it you do?” he asked. “Please tell me you’re not one of the cat butthole app developers…”
I chuckled. “No, nothing with that kind of prestige. I’m a scientist.”
“How interesting.” I could tell from his tone he was being polite. The only thing that frightened people more than a science occupation was a math-related one.
We pulled into the parking lot and since my car was the only one there, he drove up next to it.
“Thank you again,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. It was nice to meet you, Liz.”
“You too, Edgar.” As soon as I exited his car, I walked around mine, making sure it was creeper-free. Then I peered inside, checking out the backseat and even the floorboards.
The passenger side window of the cruiser rolled down. “Are you sure you’re okay there?” Edgar said.
“Yeah, just gotta check the trunk,” I muttered, though it was probably too small for anyone to squeeze in it. Logic and paranoia aren’t exactly compatible. But after seeing those… teeth? I wasn’t taking any chances.