Eves of the Outbreak

by Lilith Assisi

  -Judy

  Chapter 2

  Judy finally shut her laptop, her hands still shaking as she did so. She had to blink hard several times to clear her vision as she looked up at the clock: 5:07AM. Meaning she had spent the last fourteen hours scouring through volumes of research that were not meant for her eyes. Research that wasn’t supposed to exist, and in her opinion was not wasn’t meant for anyone’s eyes.

  Mark had called her at least four times between leaving and 10:00PM. She had ignored them all.

  Walking slowly towards the coffee pot, she trembled with fear as her mind raced through the possibilities of what to do. Should she tell anyone of the horrors she had just watched or pretend she never saw it? Who would she tell? Could others in the lab already know about this? She was often the last to learn any bit of gossip or social information, but this was different. It seemed doubtful that anyone other than Lin and his direct superiors knew about this.

  Thinking of the closest relative she had in the area, Judy picked up her phone and dialed the number that she called most often from her apartment. The constant ringing suggested that voicemail would pick up soon.

  “Hello?” asked a gruff voice.

  “Ge-ge, I need your help. I’ve, well, I don’t know how to explain. But I need to get back to the states jinji qingkaung. I’ve discovered something here at shiyanshi that needs to be stopped,” Judy was jumbling her words up a bit, reverting back to Mandarin here and there. It was a common habit of hers when she was stressed. .

  Judy and her brother had both adopted English names, but Judy commonly used the more affectionate Mandarin term for older brother hen talking to Greg privately.

  “Judy? Why are you calling me so early? What’s going on?” She could hear Gregory’s alertness and concern rush in to his voice as he processed what she said.

  “Look, I can’t explain it all now, but I have come across some information at work, that is, well, zhui zhui,” she said. The word meant exactly what it sounded like, unsettling. “Not only is it illegal, but bu daode (unethical), and well…I think we need to take this information to the authorities. They need to be stopped,” Judy said as slowly and calmly as she could.

  “You are not making any sense. What are you talking about? What authorities? Who needs to be stopped? Shouldn’t you go to your boss about these problems?” Greg asked.

  “No. I think management knows. They might be responsible. And I know I’m not supposed to know. I know I sound crazy, but I can explain more later. But right now I just need to get off this island and back to the states as soon as possible,” she pleaded.

  She was lucky to have a brother like Greg for so many reasons. Who else could call their brother in the middle of the night and have him come and personally escort her off the Philippines?

  Gregory was retired from the U.S. Navy. With a Masters in engineering and his knowledge of what the Army and Navy wanted, he had made it big after serving his time with his military start up company in Denver, Colorado. The company specialized in making state of the art night vision gear and other night-time operational equipment. The military was his biggest client, but there were lots of rich people with strange hobbies that also purchased his company’s products.

  At forty-five years of age Greg lived an envied life by those pining for early retirement. Most recently he had been visiting Taiwan, exploring towns where their parents had grown up. He travelled most places in his small private jet, the Maverick SMARTJet. Judy knew if he hustled he could be at the local airstrip nearby in two hours.

  “Sis, no offense, but what the hell is going on? Are you finally having a mid-life crisis? Why don’t you get some sleep and call me back if you still want me to swing by for a visit later this afternoon?” Greg said, trying to sound sympathetic and calming at the same time.

  “Gregory, listen to me. I have spent the last twelve hours reviewing information. I need you to trust me. This is serious,” Judy felt tears brimming her eyes again. “Please, please, PLEASE understand how important this is. You won’t regret this. I will owe you forever, but please come to the airstrip here! Now! I need to get out of here jinkuai,” Judy exclaimed.

  “OK. Fine. But you have to give me an hour to get up and moving. I can probably be there in three hours,” Greg answered.

  “Thank you! Ge-ge, thank you! Thank you!” Judy hushed through the phone as she felt the first sensation of relief wash over her. “I love you. I will head over there soon. And DO NOT TELL ANYONE what I told you this morning. If people can commit this sort of research, they can’t be trusted. Do not tell anyone about our conversation. I will explain on the plane.”

  “Damn straight, you have a hell of a lot of explaining to do on the plane,” Greg clicked off.

  Judy stared down at her phone, clutching it tightly to her chest before setting it on the bed. She began rummaging through her closet to find her largest suitcase and started stuffing it with anything important she could find in her small studio apartment.

  Twenty minutes later, backpack and suitcase in hand, she turned to survey the apartment before heading to her car. Sitting behind the steering wheel she realized it was only 5:30. No one would be expected at work for two hours, and her brother would not be arriving during that time frame either. Thinking about work, she found herself thinking of Mark. Mark had texted and called her several times the night before asking if she was OK and why she had bailed from work so suddenly. In one message he even offered to drop off some chicken noodle soup. She had not responded to any of the text or voicemail messages. But Mark was her best friend and she owed it to him to let him know what she had found out. He might also be the best person she had to confide in. With that thought she turned the key in the ignition and headed towards Chen and Mark’s apartment.

  The question was would Mark join her in her flight to the states after she told him what she had discovered? And her arrival would wake Chen, so she had to decide if she was going to share the information with him as well. Yes, she would. Chen was a decent guy even though she was not interested in him the way he was interested in her. But this information was terrifying, and anyone she considered her friend had to be made privy to it. The thought of the three of them working together to stop this comforted her, providing the thought that strength in numbers would make this all easier.

  She pulled out of her driveway and headed towards the other side of town, away from the airstrip.

  Chapter 3

  Judy cut the engine and looked up at the front door to Chen’s house that he had bought when he first arrived. He had more local ties than the others at Viratech and was comfortable living outside of the village’s center and so had bought a whole house for himself shortly after starting at the new job. The house was simple and looked like ninety-percent of the houses in the area: white stucco walls with a Spanish tile roof and simple shuttered windows. The entire property was surrounded with a tall fence that had large metal spikes on top of it to discourage burglars. Though the abode would have been considered simple in the states, many locals thought of the house here as equivalent to a mansion.

  It was a three-bedroom house that Chen could easily afford on his own, but both he and Mark appreciated each other’s company.

  There were quite a few palm trees and unmanaged grass bushes in the front yard. A dirt path lead from the front door to the road, which was also dirt being this far from the town center.

  The gate separating the driveway from the road was wide open, making the height and spikes obsolete. Looking up at the front of the house, Judy noticed the front door was also ajar.

  Judy let out an involuntary gasp as a dog’s figure suddenly appeared and ran in to the yard from the front door. It appeared to be one of the typical feral dogs that lived in many Philippine neighborhoods, short and brown with a wolf like face, curled tail, and patches of missing fur from a likely infestation with mange. Dogs in the Philippines were rarely pets, though many people took a liking to them and kept their numbers high by provi
ding scraps and other trash for them to feed on. Without proper vaccinations and veterinary care, the populations commonly got out of hand, and diseases like rabies and distemper were not uncommon in these dogs despite being mostly eradicated in first world countries.

  Every nerve in Judy’s body was on fire, urging her to turn the car back on, to run and hide, to get to the airport. But she had to see for herself. She came here to protect her friends, and now they appeared to actually be in danger. She owed it to them to see that they were safe. Judy slowly climbed out of her vehicle, grabbing her phone and activating the flashlight application. It felt awkward holding the phone that way and she wished she had a real flashlight. That would have been something her brother would have been prepared for. He was always prepared, and always had the right equipment with him in case of an emergency. Of course, until now, Judy had never really experienced a true emergency.

  She crept up towards the front door and glanced inside the house.

  “Mark? Mark? Chen? It’s Judy. Are you up?” She crossed the threshold and turned away from the staircase, heading towards the living room to her right and the kitchen in the back of the house. Their TV was playing, though the volume was low. She flicked it off while tuning her ears to any noises. The more concerning thing to her was that the TV was here, making the possibility of this break in being from the usual local burglars highly unlikely.

  “Mark? Chen? You guys here?” She tried not to shout but spoke clearly, continuing on towards the kitchen. The refrigerator door was open and a bottle of orange juice was spilled on the floor in front of it. She heard a creak of the floorboards above her.

  RUN shouted Judy’s brain. Instead she slowly closed the fridge and picked up the bottle, placing it on the counter. She kept her eyes on the entryway she had just passed through as she walked to the backdoor. She reached out and tried the knob. It was locked.

  Judy headed toward the front of the house, turning to head up the stairs. Her footsteps were noiseless, and she silently thanked Chen for purchasing this lush carpet for his house. Everyone else had made fun of him since it was likely to get muddied with the wet weather on the islands, but Judy was grateful for it in this moment. It kept her approach soundless.

  Goose bumps traveled up her arms. The blood in her ears was pounding, making it hard to hear her breathing over the rushing noise of her heartbeat. She could not figure out why she was heading upstairs. She never thought of herself as brave or adventurous, just as a smart hard worker. But thus far she felt it was her duty to find Chen and Mark if she could.

  As she glanced in to the first guest bedroom she saw nothing different from her last visit there. Judy had crashed on that bed after having a little too much champagne that night.

  The bathroom was likewise open and empty, though the light had been left on. She was grateful. The light softened the heavy aura of fear present upstairs, and was a better light than her phone’s screen.

  “Mark?” Judy asked hesitantly as she reached his bedroom. She knocked on the door. She startled as a loud thud sounded behind her. It was coming from down the hall. She heard a softer thud, sounds of rapid movement, and a soft whine.

  She quickly turned her phone and faced it down the hallway, but couldn’t see anything.

  “Chen, is that you in there? Chen, the door was open. Are you ok?”

  Judy held her phone out in one hand as she eased the bedroom door open. A sudden movement in the corner caught her eyes and she screamed briefly when something brushed against her leg.

  Barely registering the movement before it had rounded her leg, Judy turned to watch another feral dog as it ran down the stairs toward the open door. She started breathing rapidly and took a moment before realizing she was hyperventilating. Focusing on her breathing and sensing more movement in the corner of her eye, Judy tried to stay calm and turned back to the bedroom.

  An involuntary whimper escaped Judy’s lips as her eyes took in the grotesque scene in front of her.

  Chen was face up on the white bed sheets, now stained in red from the massive wound covered in congealed blood under his chin. His lifeless eyes looked up towards her in the doorway. A wound that nearly severed head from body was gaping on the sheet, exposing tendons and torn vessels. Against her instincts, Judy stepped in closer.

  A low growl sounded from the corner, startling her once again. Another feral mutt was in the corner, its lips reddened from Chen’s blood. The dog bared its teeth as it whined when her eyes connected to its, then moved back in to the corner, alternating between growling and whining.

  “Shoo!” Judy shouted at it as she moved further into the bedroom. She waved her arms and scared the dog back out and down the stairs where it had come from.

  Judy returned her gaze to Chen, and knew that despite the chew marks left by the dogs those wounds were post mortem. Feral dogs in the area were known to break in to houses to raid trash or other food stores, but attacks on humans were rare except in the cases of rabies, which was not completely eradicated from the island. The chances that a pack of rabid dogs would have the smarts to hunt and attack someone in their home was beyond impossible. The wounds Chen suffered were inflicted by a human to be certain, and the dogs then might have been encouraged to enter the house in an attempt to cover up the crime.

  As she realized this, her mind wandered back to Mark, and without any more thought she turned and ran back to Mark’s bedroom. Bracing her mind for whatever images might lie before her, Judy thrust the door open without hesitation.

  The room before her was in shambles. The lamp was broken, the sheets astray, and the entire contents of a small desk under the window was strewn about the room.

  Still, the most important thing that Judy noticed was that Mark was nowhere to be seen. A wave of relief passed over Judy, thankful not to have witnessed her friend’s corpse. But where was Mark? Had he escaped?

  After finishing inspecting the rest of the house, Judy rushed back to her car as she dialed Mark on her phone. The signal went straight to voicemail. She hung up and tried again with the same result.

  Next she tried a text message. Judy took a few moments as she sat down in her car. Eventually she typed out: WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU OK? CALL ME IMMEDIATELY.

  Judy looked back up at their house. Who had done this? Why?

  Judy’s logic had already disproven the possibility that the dogs were responsible. There were many robberies by locals in the area, but with the TV and other furniture left behind that did not make scene either. Serial killers were virtually unheard of in third world Asia.

  Though Judy’s logic could easily exclude various potentials, she conveniently ignored the possibility that this had to do with what she discovered at the lab today. The thought was there, nagging at the back of her brain. But acknowledging it might mean that she to was in mortal danger.

  Judy jumped as her phone, still in her hand, vibrated. The feeling of relief and elation that Mark was responding to her was quickly replaced by an even stronger feeling of shock and fear.

  URGENT CRISIS AT THE LAB, WE NEED YOU HERE NOW TO HELP CHEN. It was an unlisted number.

  She stared at the message for what felt like hours but was more likely seconds. Time was moving very slowly.

  In all her time with the lab there had never been an urgent crisis, let along one before business hours, when the only staff in the building consisted of security, cleaning crews, and the occasional overzealous scientist that found themselves on a roll.

  What did they mean by “TO HELP CHEN?” He was dead in his bed across the street from where she sat. Had they tried him and he hadn’t answered, so now they were reaching out to her? Was this a trap?

  And why use an unlisted number? Who could this be? Though her mind avoided accepting it, the only plausible explanation was that they knew she had taken the files. Maybe they had even first thought it was Chen who had committed the theft, since he shared their lab. Now he lay murdered in his own home. Judy needed to figure out where to hide until Grego
ry could fly her away. And she needed to find Mark and make sure he did not meet Chen’s fate.

  She found herself back behind the wheel of her car, racing along unknown side streets when her phone vibrated again, this time continuously. Ignoring it, the phone snapped over to voicemail, only to start ringing again twenty seconds later.

  After she had made it a couple blocks away the curiosity of who this was overtook her fear. Hoping that her random location would keep her safe for no, she pulled over and answered the phone.

  She took a deep breath, trying to grasp all the calmness she could as she answered the phone. She also figured she should try to sound groggy, pretend that she was just waking up.

  “Hello?” she muttered, sounding more nervous and giddy than groggy.

  “Judy, we’ve had an emergency, a containment issue at the lab. Chen can’t get it under control. We need you to come in now to help with the issue,” said the man on the other end. She recognized his voice easily, with its tell tale South African accent. Though he rarely came down in to the lab, his voice and mug were very identifiable. It was her boss, Mr. David Dickinson.

  In the past she had always found the voice and accent quite felicitous, but right now the din sent shivers down her spine, as did the silence thereafter.

  Not knowing exactly what to say next, Judy decided to improvise.

  “What happened? Can you tell me more?”

  “You know I don’t understand all your mumbo-jumbo laboratory speak, I just know that there’s a leak in one of the nitrogen freezing rooms and if we don’t get it under control all data and samples in that room will be destroyed. It’s in sector seven, and I’m calling everyone in that has samples there to help. Chen said your latest viral strains are in there,” he stated curtly.

  “Mr. Dickinson, I am so sorry. I, I don’t think I can, um, make it in. Family emergency. My mother sick. My brother is meeting me at airport soon, and we will have to go back to the states to help her.” It seemed like her best option, feeding her boss the only lie that came to her head. If someone who knew her well was listening in they would have been able to tell she was stressed, as that stress often led to a more broken English..