What Remains (Book 3): Epidemic

by Barrett, Tyler

  Dr. Victoria appeared next to Kenji, “Any issues?”

  “None. She went in without a fight,” Kenji replied, visibly more at ease than before.

  “Good, over the next few days, we will start the analysis of her blood. Hopefully, we will find what we are looking for.”

  A cackle echoed softly from the wall next to Kenji, making him jump. The mechanical sound grew until it filled the hallway, coming from the intercom speaker used to talk to the person inside the containment room. Sometime since Dr. Victoria had arrived, Evans had moved from the cot to standing in the middle of the room. Her head still hung, hair covering her face.

  Kenji looked at Evans with disgusted, knowing that the other side of the woman was back. She stopped her evil, twisted laugh, to speak something, but it wasn’t audible.

  “What? We can’t hear what you are saying-” Dr. Victoria managed to get out before Evans sprinted at the wall that separated them.

  THUD. Evans ricocheted against the thick glass, sending Kenji and the others reeling back from the wall.

  “What the-” One of the scientists said.

  Evans laughed again, blood dripping from her nose. She used her hand to wipe the blood away from her mouth, laughing even deeper at the sight.

  “You want my blood! HAHA! I’ve got some for you right here,” Evans exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear.

  “What is wrong with her?” The scientist asked, backing away even further.

  Dr. Victoria seemed unphased by her disturbing behavior, “We think she has developed multiple personalities due to the infection. We know the Virus attacks the brain, so I believe it has manifested itself somehow.”

  Evans began to write with her own blood on the wall, smearing the crimson color.

  “Don’t let her get in your heads, this is the Virus attempting to frighten us,” Dr. Victoria said pointedly to the scientists.

  Evans finished writing, stepping back to admire her own work, before turning to look back at the others with a face of pride, “Do you like it?”

  Kenji held himself back, knowing that she was trying to get a rise of him and the others. She had written a single word on the wall, DEATH.

  “Stop!” Kenji yelled, his emotions getting the better of him, “I won’t let you do this again!”

  Evans laughed, “I enjoyed what I did earlier. You know what I’m talking about Kenji. The look you gave me as his blood sprayed out, gasping for air…It’s almost the one you have now, but just not as surprised. I wish I could see that face again…”

  One of the scientists jogged passed Kenji, and the other followed, “I am NOT going in there!”

  “Come on, let’s leave her in there until she’s back to normal,” Dr. Victoria said, walking past with a sense of urgency to her step.

  Kenji turned to leave but glanced back. He regretted it instantly, as Evans had forced her face against the wall, watching them leave. Her smiled gave him a feeling of dread, deeper than he had ever felt. Worse than the first time, he fought the Yokai.

  She had better be the key. All of this effort to save her…Is it worth it? If she ever gets out, I fear what she will do, what she can do.

  Chapter 32

  Leaving the lab building, Kenji found the rest of his team was in the cafeteria eating. After witnessing Evans’ dark side, he didn’t feel any sort of hunger at all. Walking up to their table, he took a seat beside King.

  “’Ey, grab a plate!”

  “No thank you, I am not hungry.”

  Muller almost choked on his food, taking too big of a bite and trying to talk at the same time, “Why not?!”

  “Nothing, just…Evans,” Kenji replied, looked down at the table.

  “Was she…you know, back to her other self?” Muller asked, face scrunched with worry.

  “Yes, she gave herself a bloody nose, so she could write on the walls with blood…”

  “What the ‘Ell!” King exclaimed, throwing down his fork, “Now, I don’t want to eat.”

  “Sorry,” Kenji stated, glancing up at King.

  “Not your fault, mate. It’s this situation. I don’t like ‘er being ‘ere. Not after what she did, ya know?”

  Muller set his own fork down, “None of us like it, but if she can be of any use, we need that more. I don’t know if you guys have heard the news beyond what I told you on the plane. China and Russia are now running into problems trying to maintain the flow of refugees; there are so many people. They can’t check them all for the infection. It looks like it’s beyond containment now.”

  “Looks like we better get some sleep then, aye? Prepare for the upcoming battles?”

  Kenji stood up, “I’m going to try and lay down. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  After tossing and turning for hours, Kenji was finally able to sleep, but uneasily. His dreams were filled with Evans attacking people, turning them in the process. It was a never-ending nightmare, constant death. He awoke around six in the morning, finding himself wide awake, but only barely. His body felt like he was moving through a vat of sludge, holding too much tension.

  Deciding to eat breakfast, after not eating for over twelve hours, his stomach was the only thing that felt normal. He grabbed a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and an orange, finding a spot near one of the TV’s that adorned the wall. Kenji had hoped it was on an international news station, covering the recent outbreak.

  The news anchor sat behind a desk, with no emotion on his face as he read about the millions of lives lost to the infection as it spread across the Korean peninsula. Occasionally images of the Chinese and Russian military setting up provisional camps along the border filled the screen. The sound was off on the TV, with the closed captioning running, but couldn’t keep up with the images.

  Kenji was annoyed by how slow the words came across the screen, wanting to know all the information. It didn’t take him long to realize that the news station didn’t know any more than he already did. He finished his eggs as the chair beside him scrapped across the floor, drawing his attention away from the screen.

  Muller sat down next to him, “You’re up early, couldn’t sleep?”

  Kenji shook his head as he took a bite of his bacon.

  “Yeah, me either, couldn’t get my brain to shut down. Kept thinking about everything going on.”

  He took a bite of his food, glancing up at the TV, making sure to swallow his food, “Wow, I guess they haven’t shared anything recent with the news.”

  Kenji covered his mouth, “What do you mean?”

  “The news, this is all stuff from last night. The military was already reporting small groups of infected reaching the border, this morning when I talked to Dr. Victoria. Nothing major yet, just a few here and there. Nothing like what we saw.”

  Kenji stared at the TV wondering, if by the end of the day, would there be a similarly outdated report on what was happening. Would at the end of the day there be a battle, the stand of the human race, the final barrier before the Virus escaped the peninsula, moving into mainland Asia.

  Muller finished his food, standing up to take his plate back, “See ya around, busy day ahead!”

  Kenji could feel the tension in the air, the sense of something major, incorporeal. Today fate held all the strings, and humanity was just a puppet in its play. Kenji felt that today would be marked in history books if the human race continued. He could feel deep in his core; today would be the beginning of Humanity's fight.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Dr. Victoria gulped her coffee, finishing her third one of the morning. She had managed to get two hours of sleep, spending several hours fighting to find staff that would be willing to work with the newly dubbed Evans, The Demon. The name seemed to spread like wildfire before she had even left the lab. She caught whispers of the title walking back to her office, hushed tones meant to make sure the name wouldn’t summon her.

  Evans was surely mentally broken; there was no doubt about that in Dr. Victoria's mind, but
she didn't like everyone on the campus calling Evans, The Demon. It only fueled the idea she was more than just a virus-crazed woman, no more than just a broken shell of her former self. It also made Dr. Victoria's job considerably harder.

  Finding staff willing to go toe to toe with “The Demon” in order to do her work in analyzing her blood, was nearly impossible. She got extremely lucky; however, finding two young scientists who were eager to move up in the world of virology.

  I'm sure the enormous upfront pay was also part of it. $50,000…that’s a lot of money.

  Dr. Victoria had sent a squad of soldiers to maintain security around the woman, offering those soldiers the additional pay as well.

  At least I now have a team willing to work. I’m sure I’ll be feeling the pressure soon to make something happen. Theoretically, though, we are months away from being able to produce anything.

  Dr. Victoria stood up, grabbing her coffee mug, needing to fill it once more. Before she could reach the door, her phone began to ring, muffled by her desk.

  Shit. It’s him, what does he want now?

  Setting her mug back down and reaching to unlock the drawer, she answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Good Morning, Dr. Victoria. You should really get some more sleep; two hours isn’t much. I need you in tip-top shape,” The man said.

  He knows how much I slept? It's like he's a stalker. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though.

  “What can I help you with?” Dr. Victoria replied with a sigh, flopping back into her chair.

  “A couple of things. First, how is the woman, or should I call her “The Demon”?”

  How does he know everything, literally everything?! Something as trivial as a nickname people have given Evans…

  “She is fine for the time being. Mentally unstable, but she is locked in a containment room in the lab. I just hired new staff to begin my work.”

  Dr. Victoria could see the man's smile even through his disembodied voice, “Good! That is the second thing. How long until you begin your study? I am very eager to see what results you bring me.”

  “I start the research in a couple hours when the new staff arrives,” She replied, shifting in her seat.

  I always feel like he’s watching me when we are on the phone…and I can tell he enjoys it.

  “Perfect, I will monitor your progress closely. Please focus as much manpower as you can on this, we must make progress on this. I want to begin human trials as soon as possible, finding a cure or vaccine is of utmost importance.”

  I bet you will, creep. Human trials, what kind of madman am I dealing with, where will he be getting people to test this on…best to not ask.

  “Anything else?” Dr. Victoria asked uncomfortably.

  “Always so hasty to end our conversations. There is one last thing. The UN will be sending a delegate from the US congressional committee tomorrow morning. The rule still stands, don't mention me or the phone. Act as if everything is normal, or else.”

  “Okay.”

  “Great, have a good day Dr. Victoria.”

  Always with the threats. I’m getting tired of living in fear, always being watched…maybe tomorrow, I can slip the congressman a note or show him some proof of all this. How though? Show him the phone? No, too risky. I wonder if there’s any mention of whoever that man is in that data on the hard drives from Japan. I’ll have to dive into that tonight.

  Chapter 33

  Kenji spent his day alongside Muller, helping direct their teams to help in whatever capacity they could. Three teams had been deployed, set to arrive in a few hours, to aid the Chinese and Russian soldiers deployed at the border to help with containment. Kenji doubted it would really do much, but at least trained soldiers were more useful than the other option.

  He had heard mutterings of the Russians wanting to nuke both Seoul and Pyongyang. While it wasn’t completely off the table, it wouldn’t completely stop the virus, just take out a huge chunk of Yokai. Muller had brought Kenji into the command room, the one opposite of Dr. Victoria's office, to see the firsthand reports of the situation. As the hours went by, the line held but grew strained as supplies dwindled, and soldiers grew tired.

  Over three-hundred thousand soldiers had been deployed along every road that led into North Korea, as well as patrolling the rivers that created much of the border. Kenji watched the live satellite feeds of troop movements and the hordes of bodies dragging themselves north. The military had already used several bombing runs against hordes of the infected, thinning out their numbers, taking some pressure off the soldiers. Kenji tried to keep track of everything going on, but it was a lot to manage.

  Since they were halfway around the world, all they could do to help is send information along to the military. Once their teams arrived, they would have a better picture of what was happening. Kenji felt slightly useless, trying to keep himself busy by walking amongst the intel officers, checking to see if there was any way his knowledge could be used.

  Early into the afternoon, he heard his name being called over the voices that filled the room. Glancing toward the back of the room, where the source originated, he spotted Dr. Victoria waving him over to her.

  He followed her out of the room, the office area silent compared to the craziness of the command room, “Kenji, I have a favor to ask.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “I'm going to the lab and would like to know if you can join me?” Dr. Victoria asked with a half-smile.

  “Sure, but I don’t know how much help I will be.”

  Dr. Victoria smiled wider, “Honestly, I just want you there. I have a new team of scientists coming in, and I want you there to help keep things calm. I think it will help if someone she knows is there.”

  Kenji took a deep sigh, “Okay. I'll do my best.”

  “Great, follow me!”

  Kenji walked behind her, mentally preparing himself in case it wasn’t truly Evans that they found in the lab. Whoever her second personality was, Kenji didn’t have any love for them.

  After arriving at the lab building, Kenji got in the elevator, praying that it was Evans. The doors opened to the lab, and Kenji briskly walked down the hallway, stopping before the glass wall into Evans’ room. She was lying on her cot, staring at the ceiling.

  “Evans?” Dr. Victoria asked sweetly.

  “Yes?” Evans said, lifting her torso up.

  “How are you feeling today?”

  “Fine. Just…bored, I guess.”

  Kenji couldn’t really tell which Evans they were talking to, but he didn’t feel alarmed like he normally did when the other version made herself known.

  “We can get you a couple of books later, will that help?”

  “Yes. It’s good to see you too, Kenji.”

  Kenji froze for a second, suddenly not expecting to have to converse with her, “Is it okay if we come in there with you?”

  “Yes. Don't worry, it’s me,” Evans stated.

  Kenji felt his shoulders drop a little, relieving some of the stress in his body.

  Dr. Victoria produced her security badge, stopping just before she swiped it, “Me and my team plan on beginning our tests today, which includes drawing blood, is that okay?”

  “If it will help cure me, or anyone else…yes!”

  Dr. Victoria swiped her card, opening the door with a hiss, “That’s the goal.”

  Kenji stepped into the room, “I’m glad you’re willing to help.”

  Evans nodded slightly, “I don’t like the other side of me any more than you do. I want to be me again. I want to be able to leave his room knowing I won’t hurt anyone.”

  Dr. Victoria turned to Kenji, “Do you think you can stay a minute with her, while I go grab the equipment to draw her blood?”

  Kenji nodded. As Dr. Victoria left, he noticed that Evans’ eyes never left her until she was out of the room, and the door had closed.

  “Kenji,” Evans spoke softly, “Please. I need you to promise me someth
ing!”

  Kenji raised an eyebrow, curious about what she wanted, “What do you want?”

  “I…I need you to kill me if they can’t use me to find a cure, or I get out of here. Please.”

  Kenji folded his arms across his chest, thinking about how to respond.

  “Please! I can’t take her doing something again! She…she just… wants the virus to be free.”

  Kenji’s thoughts turned to Kiyomi, asking, begging, him to make sure she didn’t turn into one of the Yokai. He had granted her last wish, but the action haunted him. Still, this was something he couldn’t take lightly. This was major. If she wasn’t the key to stopping the virus, she was a threat. Someone with the ability to turn anyone into a Yokai.

  “If it comes to that, I will,” Kenji replied.

  Dr. Victoria returned a moment later, pushing a small cart into the room, “I know it’s a lot, but I would like to take four vials.”

  Evans held out her arm, “Take as much as you need.”

  Dr. Victoria set up the blood draw, finding a vein, and began filling the vials. Evans stared at Kenji the whole time, never breaking eye contact. Knowing she meant what she had asked of him, her eyes still begging him to keep his word.

  Chapter 34

  Evans laid down on her cot, feeling a little light-headed after the blood draw. For all she cared, they could have taken every last drop. The only reason she hadn’t given up and ended it all was for the simple fact she still had hope. Even being a carrier, they could use her blood to better understand the virus, and if it helped, that’s all Evans could want for.

  Much like the day she was bitten, throwing herself at the horde of infected, she just wanted to help. She was a caring person, unlike her other half, having no qualms about the sacrifices made or had to make to help. Once her usefulness stopped, she hoped Kenji kept his promise to end her.