Disease X

by Garrett Williams

  “It was simply a display of power for the soldiers. It will show them not to mess with us.” Danny stated in a calm tone while leaned back into the chair. “Besides, we got the people, isn’t that what matters?”

  “Yes, but what matters more than that is showing the world that we aren’t monsters.” Ashley said as she slumped back into her chair.

  “We have amazing powers, why don’t we just show people to not be afraid to use them?”

  “Because that little show you pulled at the checkpoint frightened everyone. Not everyone’s happy about being sick as much as you are.”

  “You’re sick too you know.”

  “I know, but I don’t make a spectacle out of it. Nor do I kill people with it.”

  “I normally don’t kill people either, but when it comes to the military we have to be ready. It’s like they say: they don’t negotiate with terrorists. Besides, I want them to know it’s me who’s hurting them.”

  “Why?”

  Danny sat silently after that. It was something he never wanted to share with any one, not even his girlfriend. He cared about Ashley, but he couldn’t tell her why, she wouldn’t understand. “Also why were you in there filing center?” Ashley asked, but he still remained silent. She just sighed and stood once again and walked over to the direction of the mirror.

  Attempting to change the topic, Danny asked, “Hey isn’t your birthday in a few days?” She instantly perked up and the memories came flooding back.

  “You know I don’t do birthdays, there’s too much work to be done.” She had never told Danny what had happened on her birthday, she had never told anyone, it was too painful.

  “We’ll have Merrick take over. There’s this place I think you would like.”

  “Danny…” She said as she turned around to face the dirty mirror. She could see her disfigured reflection in it. Danny stood and started toward her, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

  “You know I only force you to have fun because I care about you.” Ashley just gave a faint smile at this comment.

  She then frowned and said, “I just can’t. It’s complicated.”

  There was a small pause and then the door to the small office opened. There, beyond the door stood a man with black hair and dark blue eyes. He had a beard stretching from both ears to his chin. He had scratches on his hands and he wore a blue long sleeved denim shirt and black pants with brown boots. The man had walked in on this scene of emotion.

  “Oh,” he inched the door back and continued, “Is this a bad time?”

  “Kind of,” Danny said but Ashley said no and shrugged him off. The man walked back into the room and stood by the door with his hunting rifle on his back in a holster.

  “The POW’s have been calmed down. But they’re still not willing to help the cause. They just want to go home.” The man said with a slight southern twang.

  Ashley gave Danny one last dirty look and responded, “Alright, I’ll be out there in a sec Delsin.” Delsin nodded and left the room. “Our other units just got some new recruits; I want you to train with them.” Ashley said to Danny without looking at him and she started back to her desk.

  Danny walked to the door, turned around, smiled and said, “I haven’t forgotten about our little birthday talk, were not done yet.” Ashley just sighed and Danny left the room. Danny was in the middle of a long hallway with cracks in the walls and graffiti covering almost every inch of the old structure. He had turned left from the door with a Graphitized name next to it. The name read, “Ashley Martin” in an orange tint. At the end of the hallway, Danny opened a large metal door and sunshine fell on him, revealing the holes in his jacket and clothes. As he walked toward a large building across the street from him, he could see every infected performing their daily tasks and he could hear the buzzing chatter of the resistors alongside him.

  Delsin walked back up to him from behind and said, “I didn’t want to say this in front of Ashley but that little show you put on at time square, it burned through more than halve our supplies.”

  “How much are we talking?” Danny asked.

  “At least three-hundred assault rounds, one-hundred pistol rounds, and about a thousand machine gun rounds. That’s with all of the reinforcements we had to call.”

  “Merrick never was a good shot, so much for that eagle vision of his,” Danny said casually with his hands in his destroyed pockets as he continued walking.

  “Yeah, well let’s just say you’ve gotten very popular since then. They’ll want to do something to make the public feel safe. They’ll send people here.” Delsin said in a serious tone.

  “If they want a fight then I’ll give them one. But for right now I’ve got newbies to train,” He continued casually.

  Delsin grabbed his arm and stopped him. Danny turned around to face Delsin. “Look kid, it’s not just you in this you know. You’ve brought people here that don’t even want to be here now, and you’ve put the people and families here at risk too. Either we get some supplies soon and train these rookies with the time we have, or we just hand them back over to the government,” Delsin said with a scornful look on his face.

  Danny just threw off his hand and looked at him and said, “You’ve seen what I’m capable of. If they want them that bad, they’ll have to answer to me.” With that said he continued walking.

  “Don’t be a hero boy; you know what happens to them. You need us to help, but to help we need more food and ammunition and weapons.”

  Danny turned around one last time and said, “Thanks for the tip.” Then he continued. Delsin then gave the back of Danny a hateful look and walked in the opposite direction.

  Logan was still driving in his barrowed car back to the militia hide out. He hadn’t forgotten about the man he killed today. A transmission went into his ear and this time he heard Huntington’s voice. “How did it go?” He asked.

  “He’s dead.”

  “Ah, well I would have preferred you bring him back but a victory is a victory I suppose. You’ll get your funding as promised, but still tell no one. The public really won’t like the whole Militia Military affiliation.”

  “Hey, you said he was a fugitive. What was he wanted for?” Logan asked.

  “Other than being infected,” Huntington let slip, “He was wanted for gang affiliations within the quarantine zone.”

  “Which zone?”

  “He was in the Yellow Zone in Queens.”

  “Why do you ask?” Huntington added.

  “I…I had to kill him in front of his kid.”

  “He was probably using the kid as cover for getting out. There’s a good chance he just wanted to get his gang out to the general public.”

  “But his wife was there too.”

  “Even if they really were his family what do you care? You said you don’t have people to care for, and that you don’t want any. At least that’s what Mr. Gavin Freeman told me. Besides, It’s just business to you isn’t it?”

  Logan just drove silently, could his cover be blown? “Anyway,” Huntington continued, “You’ll get some better gear by tomorrow. In the meantime take a rest. You’ve earned it for today.” The transmission ended with that.

  III

  First Day

  Alex just sat there silently; listening to the loud engine of the jeep he’d been put in. He didn’t care which zone he would be placed in, he just cared about what would happen to him in there. There were stories of people that had gotten affiliated with gangs, that it was the only way to survive, but at the same time if you cross them it can be very dangerous. Of course, he couldn’t forget about the man he killed. He had tried to help Alex, but in a panic, Alex shot him. It was never supposed to happen.

  The people in the quarantine zone were either complete homicidal sociopaths or innocent people that had been mistakenly infected. Unfortunately, even the people who were innocent eventually realize their ability due to the many gangs, and also realize that this is the world as they know it now. In this worl
d that they live in, you kill so that you can survive. You use your power to defend yourself and to feed yourself, as the supply drops only occurred when it was a necessity. Whatever food an infected gathered was what they would have for the entire month. These factors alone change people, makes them cold. Alex could then hear a faint buzzing coming from a soldier’s earpiece, and a faint voice coming from it. The soldier that was driving spoke into his earpiece. The faint voice ceased after the soldier responded, “Yes sir.” Then the car made a hard turn and went through a sign on the road titled “Red”.

  “I just got the news kid. That guy that made Strawberry jam out of your jacket, he was a five on the GDR.”

  “He was a five?” Alex replied examining his grey jacket which now had a reddish brown tint on the torso.

  “He’s five stars on the Government Danger Rating. The higher the stars, the more security, and the more intensive treatment,” The soldier stated. Why a soldier would tell a child this was beyond Alex. Do they have any remorse for the infected at all?

  “Your stop’s coming up,” The soldier said as he passed through a checkpoint.

  Alex looked out past the soldier and through the jeeps windshield. It would not have been his first time seeing a quarantine zone. The zones were separated by three colors: green, yellow, and red. Green was for the passive aggressive infected; a one to two stars on the GDR. Yellow was for the more dangerous infected, such as typical murders and gangbangers, exclusively three stars. Red was for the infected that need attention twenty-four seven, including serial killers, assassins, and of course terrorists. It was for the four to five star infected. Alex first saw a quarantine zone when he was ten. He hadn’t forgotten that this was the world that he was born into.

  He saw the zone when he went on a community service trip with Mrs. Smith. It was the Yellow Zone. He hadn’t told Mrs. Smith about this, but he saw a man get murdered in there. He was handing out bibles to groups of small children in the zone. He heard a jeep come up to the gate that surrounds the entire zone. The fence itself had to be at least twenty-five miles long and seven feet tall, it also had barbed wire all over it with electric sparks coming from it. The gate opened for the jeep as the doors to the vehicle opened. Alex then saw a man with blonde hair and sneakers. He wore a baseball cap as well with a football jersey that had been painted over with a symbol, probably a gang symbol.

  The man exited through the door of the vehicle with hand cuffs on. The two soldiers in the jeep with him got out then and one of them undid the cuffs while the other one had a rifle pointed at him. The minute the cuffs were loose, the man punched the soldier in the face and misdirected the others rifle as it fired off at the sky. The man ran off across the bridge, trying to get to the other side of the ten mile structure. In a desperate attempt for freedom, the man ran as hard as he could before he got stopped by a soldier working the gate. The soldier grabbed him and slung him to the ground and put his foot on his head to keep him down. The soldier pulled out a syringe from his back pocket and in that same instance, injected him with the mysterious content. He got off the man and the man then began to groan and gestate on the ground. The man looked as though he had a seizure from the syringes contents and then laid there limp and lifeless. The image stuck with Alex to this day. But there is a difference between seeing someone’s life being taken and taking that life.

  The vehicle slowed to a stop as it approached the gates to one of the zones. Above the electric gates was a large metallic sign that had been repainted to say the word Red. The soldier put the vehicle in park and left the vehicle. He proceeded to Alex’s side of the jeep. The soldier slung open the door and grabbed Alex by the arm. He took off the handcuffs restricting Alex. Alex rubbed his wrists as they were sore from the cuffs. The soldier standing behind him poked him with the tip of his firearm, motioning him to move. Alex then walked forward, slowly and nervously, as the memories of the man came back to him. He reached the other side of the open gate as they slowly began to close and electrify once again. The gates had finally shut once again as the soldier on the other side lowered his weapon and gave Alex a serious look.

  “Welcome to your new home,” He stated, and returned to his vehicle and drove away. Alex turned around, terrified at the sight of ruined Manhattan. The buildings themselves had become a shadow of their former glory, filled with holes, shattered windows, and graffiti sprawling across the outside. Some buildings were tipped over and some of them were completely collapsed. Alex pulled his hood even further down and proceeded forward. The sun had begun to set. He would need to find shelter quickly.

  Danny stepped through the doors of a large room filled with a plethora of mechanical contraptions. The room had conveyer belts and several mechanical arms. As well as multiple boxes in the corners of the room and on those conveyer belts. In front of him, when he walked through the door, was a line of people, most likely all of them were infected. They looked at him as he walked by and to the front of the room with mixed expressions. Some looked with fear, others with intrigue, and still others with excitement. Danny, standing out in front of the large line of at least twenty people, examined them from his position and finally spoke. “I’m sure that some of you are confused or frightened, or even excited. Please allow me to elaborate.” Danny said in a much more serious tone than usual.

  “My name is Daniel, Daniel Levitz. I’ve been with my group since this all began, when I was seven to be precise. As of this day, I am your superior, your commander. You may refer to me as Dan or Danny, but that’s enough about me. Some of you may not like being here. That’s understandable. Some of you can’t wait to get started. It’s good to know that someone supports the cause. Speaking of which, our cause is to gain equal rights for both infected and healthy. You may find this similar to the emancipation proclamation. Some of you have no idea what I’m talking about, and some of you may think that were just criminals. After my display I don’t blame you for thinking that. The reason why I did that was because I have issues with the military, something you don’t want to get in my way with. Whether you choose to respect or fear me is up to you. I’m just here to teach you not to be afraid of yourselves,” Danny finished...

  Danny looked out at the new recruits, looking for a volunteer. He looked until he noticed something. He saw a small girl, hiding behind her mother in the line. He proceeded in her direction. Danny was in front of the mother, who appeared to grow more and more frightened as he approached her.

  “I need a volunteer,” Danny announced to the recruits but looked at the mother.

  The mother inhaled shakily and said, “Okay.”

  “Not you though,” Danny said. He then looked over the mother’s shoulder to see the little girl hugging her leg, as she knew he saw her. Danny crouched down slowly to get a better look at the girl. The mother quickly held her back by the chest. The small child could not have been older than four or five.

  “It’s okay,” Danny said to the protective mother. He held out his hand carefully and slowly. The little girl, even though she was scared, reached out slowly and shakily to Danny, whose stern eyes had turned into kind and thoughtful ones. The girl hand finally made contact with Danny’s and she slowly left her mother’s leg. The girl and Danny, hand in hand, walked over to the center again. This time, however, a box had been moved in front of them by the conveyer belts. The little girl, looking down with anxiety, released Danny’s hand and stood there. Danny crouched down beside her to face her directly.

  “You already know who I am, don’t you?” The girl just nervously nodded her head, she looked as though she was about to cry. Danny frowned and looked down at the ground in embarrassment.

  “You lit that soldiers head up like a candle,” The girl said quietly with her eyes closed. She was gripping her small white dress and slowly shuffling her pink sandals.

  “You’re right, I did,” Danny responded softly.

  “Why? They said that they were they were the good guys. That we needed help, before we became bad guys
,” The girl asked. Danny stopped and thought for a second about her question and responded.

  “What do bad guys love to do?” He asked the girl with a smile. The girl looked up at him in curiosity. “They love to lie. They love to trick people,” Danny said to the girl “Have I told you a single lie since we got here?” The girl only shrugged at this question. “We captured you so that we could save all of you from them. We also captured you to show you what kind of gifts you all have,” Danny said with a faint smile.

  “But good guys don’t kill,” The girl responded to him.

  “Your right, that’s why I’m not teaching you to kill, I’m teaching you to be a hero,” Danny replied.

  “Why did YOU kill them?” the girl asked.

  “I’m a different kind of hero. I make sure that they don’t come back.” Danny then pointed his finger to the box ahead of her. “See that box?” The girl nodded her head.

  “What’s your name?” Danny asked.

  “Elizabeth,” She replied.

  Danny then took her arm and raised it to the box. “Okay Elizabeth, I want you to show me what you’re made of,” Danny then said.

  “I don’t know how,” Elizabeth said.

  “Sure you do. Just focus,” Danny encouraged her.

  Elizabeth shut her eyes tight and tried to focus her whole being into her left arm that had been raised toward the box. She was unaware of it but Danny and the rest of the recruits noticed something happening around her hand. The area around her hand began to flicker and flicker until a strange blue aura around her hand began to glow brightly and ionic sparks began to flicker between her fingers until her hand was completely electrified. Danny quickly stood and stepped back from her. In that instant, Elizabeth opened her eyes and a long stream of electricity flowed from her hand into the box. The electricity ceased but the boxed had been lit ablaze and was singed. Elizabeth became excited and gave Danny a large smile, teeth showing. Danny simply smiled and gave her a thumb up. The recruits behind them then began to whisper and became encouraged.