Affliction

by Daniels, Dottie

  I noticed I was always left alone to eat, which I was not entirely used to. Graham and I always ate dinner together at least four or five nights a week unless I picked up an extra shift like in the days before all hell broke loose when I was on the tail end of an eight-day stretch. Lately we’d always spend equal amounts of time between both of our places, especially whenever Darin or Chad was entertaining the ladies at their house. Graham was acting less and less like a bachelor, which was a great sign for our relationship. Sometimes he would come to my place for a couple days whenever he had a presentation or something important to work on. Either way I missed his regular conversation, I missed his touch and running my hands through his golden brown hair and looking into his brownish-green eyes. I was having a moment, I knew it, and within a few seconds food wasn’t the only thing I wanted to enjoy but both appetites grew colder thinking about the path that lay ahead for both of us. Wherever I was going so was he. I would make it happen.

  On an oddly pleasant note, it was nice to know that I was still able to feel some of the more human emotions. Heaven only knows I wanted to be with Graham right now and forever afterward. I stood up from the couch leaving the majority of my dinner on the plate and walked over to the window. Slight pains erupted in me all over as I looked out into the sunlight-restricted view of thick forest and wild vegetation that was at least as far as the window view. The sun had only minutes left in the day and there wasn’t much to see past all of the trees and the incoming darkness. I could only hope the dead ones wouldn’t be out wandering this far into nothingness. I didn’t know how far away from a large city this place was but it seemed it would take days for anyone to get here on foot. Who knows, according to the word I received, maybe tomorrow I’d get a chance to see just how far myself?

  The pain medication couldn’t have come any sooner as my comfort quickly decreased and I spent my last few minutes awake chatting with Louise about the facility’s location. She was now with me alone after one of the armed guards opened the door first, of course.

  “Princeton U is in Princeton, New Jersey, silly,” Louise chuckled a little.

  “That’s not what I meant. Where are we now?” I said lazily.

  “Oh, ha-ha! As you young folks say ‘my bad’, I’m sorry. We are just outside of Medford Lakes… New Jersey,” she said with a smile of satisfaction.

  I figured as much. I knew we weren’t far from my uncle’s place and judging from the apparent peace and quiet of the environment, we were well off the beaten path; otherwise like the dead ones, there’d be mobs of people trying to get in, overwhelming any safe location like I saw on TV and heard about. I was sure the armed men here could handle wanderers from both the alive and dead variety because they had the both the manpower and firepower. It would be a bloodbath on either side by now if we were within the city limits of Camden or Philadelphia across the way.

  “So does this mean you’re not afraid of me anymore?” I asked Louise, smiling without reserve.

  “It’s not you by any means…. I’m sure just like me, that you’ve seen the infection get to and take down people you love,” she replied. Quickly, it was beginning to take effort for her to restrain her emotion.

  “You’re right,” I said.

  “There’s no comparing anymore because the lists are too long for the dead and missing. There’s nothing but devastation on a human level. It’s––it’s not like a natural disaster where the biggest mess is damage to property where fatalities are isolated and the path of destruction is obvious. They can’t just dispatch help to the scene, fix it up and pray it never happens again,” Louise said.

  “I know, believe me I’m worried about more than just myself,” I told her with the deepest sincerity.

  “You can’t believe how it feels to have this vicious thing lingering in my veins. To not be dead from it is almost worse than actually dying. I feel suspended, you know, stuck between life and death, and in the meanwhile everyone who knows is afraid of me. They don’t mean to show it but whenever they walk in here I know they’re afraid of what they may find,” I said.

  “I’m sorry––I know it must be hard. You’re managing the best way you can,” Louise patted me on the shoulder like Mia did earlier.

  Aided by the effects of the drugs, I relaxed completely into the mattress of the bed. I wanted to be concerned about the impending travel plans, to worry about the safety of moving to any new location while everyone was in a total panic and the apparent collapse of every system we generally took for granted a short time ago. A quick glance on the wall confirmed eight o’clock.

  Before I knew it I was waking up to be poked again. Eleven thirty.

  And again, three and a half hours later. Three a.m.

  It was indeed clockwork. I thought Louise was long gone as perhaps a minute or two went by when I felt someone was watching me. I must’ve been out like a light because I didn’t feel the bed move against the weight. Once I opened my eyes, it took only a split second to distinguish the figure sitting by my knees on the side of the bed. It was nothing but silence as I sat up quickly and Graham gently gave me a hug and commented on how much healthier I looked. “Be careful,” I warned him. We embraced for a few seconds longer.

  “I’m not worried about that at all,” he said against my ear, giving my cheek a kiss.

  I was afraid I would accidentally give him the virus along with anyone else I got too close too. I figured it wouldn’t even take a substantial bite with broken skin and tissue like I experienced in order to get infected and though it wasn’t airborne I wasn’t about to take any chances. I looked past Graham to see who was here with him and was surprised to find he was here alone.

  “I told them I would be your nurse from now on,” Graham joked, before he told me out of nowhere Louise called his room and offered to try and sneak him to me. He then told me that Louise overheard security saying that there were a few glitches in the cameras for the inside and how they were trying to get it fixed but it was unlikely they’d be up again soon because instructions were to conserve power.

  “How are you?” I asked. I hugged him again. I wasn’t ready to tell him that I had literally died and been resuscitated, nor that I had begun to turn into a dead one and after almost attacking someone I was brought back then too. I only cared about him and how he’d been the last few days. A few things were clear after our quick catch-up; they kept him busy and away from me purposefully and there was no sign of either of my parents here. I was also shocked and curious when Graham said that one of the guys from security, whom I was sure was Davenport by description, seemed to take an interest in him and our relationship.

  “I don’t know what’s going on with him but he was definitely probing for something,” Graham specifically said.

  I would have to ponder more about Davenport’s motives later but in the meanwhile I had to tell Graham the more important news. “We’re leaving this place, hopefully tomorrow, for the Princeton University laboratory,” I said bluntly. I was about to explode waiting the second or two it took to for him to respond. I never really saw him get amped up about anything except Division I basketball where he, Chad, and Darin were pretty much super fans. I remember spending many hours with them in front of the fifty-one-inch plasma screen they all chipped in to buy. I searched his face, particularly his eyes as he looked down at the floor, thinking.

  “I figured they wouldn’t be able to do as much here,” he said undoubtedly.

  “I’m surprised. It seemed like they had everything,” I said.

  “To you and anyone else unfamiliar with scientific technology. I believe them when they said the equipment didn’t make it. Either way, you go, I go,” Graham said. His confidence put me at ease. I sure needed it too. He rested his hand on my thigh and smiled at me. He and I both knew how lucky we both were to have made it this far. In the past few days he helped them set up greenhouses on the roof and he reassured me they’d be okay without him because there were at least five other people with him at all
times helping out. It was nothing but lumber, nails and plastic sheeting and within three days they had two separate gardens on one roof and one on another building. Seeds were in all the same day. May was the perfect time as the danger of frost was minimal by this time. He was confident the full sun would bring them edible crops quickly. I looked into his eyes as he talked and occasionally his lips as they moved. Every movement of him made me smile and feel even warmer inside my heart. I believed at this point he was made for these kinds of moments when survival was questionable. He was not naturally rugged-looking like one of the men on the romance novels but his knowledge of agriculture and science combined oddly seemed more than enough to get everyone through. It would have to be enough to get us through.

  I told Graham there was no set time of departure, yet, but to be ready at a moment’s notice. I told him that Mia or Louise would give him any updates and that Dr. Chavan was going to make sure that I had enough antiviral with me to make it there and then some. How we got to the university was going to be another issue to be worked out. The door opened just then, startling us both. Graham tensing up for perhaps whatever but it was just Louise who said a quick, “It’s time to wrap this up, we gotta get you back to the other area.”

  It was me this time who reached out for him. I hugged him yet again, this time squeezing as hard as I could. Just like any other time, his hands felt great on my back. I took in deep breaths to help control my emotions, becoming sadder than ever at his necessary departure. I went through hell after the last time he left. He promised it would be much sooner the next time he’d see me and that I was all he would think about as usual, until then. He gave me another quick kiss, told me to be strong and went away with Louise who was in a hurry to get him back to his building.

  I no longer felt fatigued. I leaned on my good shoulder and spent at least an hour worrying about all the possible things that could go wrong, of which were plenty. What if Princeton didn’t live up to their claims they could help? What if they only wanted me so they could see for themselves how long I would live? My uncle was quite possibly all I had left for family, which took my thoughts down a different path and I was soon angered again by the apparent lies he told about my mom and dad being here. I’d rather spend any time left of my life looking for them and my brother for the sake of finding out if they were okay. My mind switched back to the equally challenging task of getting out of NGT. I’d try to convince everyone I cared about to come along. We could have a van full of people. Mia, Dr. Chavan, Louise, Ruben the janitor, along with Graham and I all had tickets to get out of here—paid in full as far as I was concerned. I knew in my heart however that the more people involved, the riskier it would be to get away safely and that was just getting out of the gates. Beyond that we would probably be in even more trouble.

  Chapter Twelve

  The morning started early. It was barely sunrise and six thirty at the same time when things got moving. After my mind and body decided they had about all of the rest they required under the excitement of the forthcoming events, I rolled out of bed to ready myself. I washed my face and did all of the usual grooming––putting my hair in a bun and brushing my teeth. From the window I could see the clouds pressed heavily together creating an oppressive and dense atmosphere that was filled with moisture ready to fall; you could smell it through the walls. A guard preceded Dr. Chavan and Mia again before they came into the room. Mia toted a small cart that had the usual supplies they needed however as soon as they both were inside and the door was closed, she pulled out a small black bag that reminded me of a carry-on bag for a plane ride.

  “We need to hide this in here until it’s time to go. You know what’s in here and you absolutely cannot leave here without it,” Mia instructed. The doctor was obviously distracted by something because he remained quiet. He stood by the cart, this time grabbing the tourniquet supplies and tubes for the usual blood draw.

  “What’s in there?” I asked Mia.

  “A week’s worth of antiviral, sixty doses, including a few for the university to use for replication. Everything is premeasured in syringes with needles. There are various pain medications in pill form, Vicodin, Percocet, and a broad-spectrum antibiotic all labeled separately along with first aid supplies. We were debating about putting in another port for you to make it easier but you’re a medic. You know what to do,” she said as a matter of fact.

  “Yeah, you might want to reconsider the port. Wouldn’t want to get an infection,” I said sarcastically.

  The doctor came over and put his stethoscope to my chest, which immediately cued our silence. Understandably, it took him longer to get a steady, countable heartbeat. He then used his penlight and flashed it quickly into my eyes.

  “The hemorrhaging around your irises has improved somewhat since the last time I checked––this is good,” he commented.

  This was all a part of a quick physical examination to be sure that I was “fit for travel,” which, under the circumstances, I found incredibly funny. We all laughed a little after I told him my thoughts. I doubt any of us wanted me to stay here any longer regardless but he said if I weren’t up to it, he’d postpone everything. It was obvious while he was testing me that some things were worse than any normal physical I had. It could’ve been due to me being bedridden for the last week or the effects of the virus and meds but I was noticeably weaker, off balance and more exhausted. I prayed that during my departure I didn’t have to run any long distance because it could certainly change my fate.

  “Of course I’d love to see you healthier when the time comes to leave here but that is a redundant statement under the circumstances. I am one hundred percent positive you will have a better chance there,” the doctor reiterated.

  “I think so too,” Mia added.

  They didn’t have to tell me––they had me at “better equipment.”

  “You guys are coming too, right? You two should be there with me. We all can go,” I begged.

  “As much as I’d like to, I feel a responsibility to my colleagues here. I can’t abandon them,” Dr. Chavan said.

  I already knew Mia wouldn’t leave him because if the situation were switched, I wouldn’t leave Graham either. I looked away not out of sadness, because I completely understood where they were coming from. I looked away to think about how Graham and I would make it out of here alone.

  “So what’s the plan? One of you pull the fire alarm while I duck out of the back door?” I said, wishing it would be that easy. I knew nothing about the layout of the property and I doubt there would be a car waiting for us with the keys inside. This was going to take work––calculations, knowledge and a lot of luck in our favor to get out of here. Making it all the way to Princeton would be a miracle.

  Dr. Chavan looked at Mia who started in on the instructions. She pulled out a folded sheet of paper that she unfolded and began to draw with her pen, blocks that were buildings. I could vaguely remember seeing the same thing from when I was transported to this building before. Luckily there was a back door to this place that was locked electronically, and the easiest way to get through she figured, was to actually get a hold of someone’s key card. She figured in the aftermath and questioning that would follow after my “successful departure” that it would be a good idea to have someone’s else card other than hers or the doctor’s.

  “We want to keep peace here afterward so they don’t need to know where you’ve gone, we’ll keep quiet about all of that,” she said.

  “Make sense to me. So you’ll sneak Graham over here to me again?” I said, asking her nervously.

  “That’s the plan after dark. When he shows up that’s the cue things are in motion,” she replied.

  She continued to draw a few other smaller boxes on the piece of paper. She drew a large X over the building signifying the one we were in. So far there were three large boxes and two smaller boxes. Mia told me that this was definitely not to scale but the two smaller buildings were on the opposite side of where we were. Th
e diagram of the boxes looked like a diamond-shaped square with our building being the southernmost building. The two smaller buildings, one of which was unfinished and used for storage, was nearby would be easier to go there versus the other building across from it. The main building, which I was in before and security’s main office was there. The second smallest building––the garage, was located farther north and east of the whole campus on the map, from the storage building and northwest from the main building. The trickiest part would be getting past the main building and through the gates, which were wrought iron and always had guards there.

  Instead of remaining focused on the difficult part of getting out, Mia continued on with giving directions to Princeton.

  “Assuming the interstate is not the best route we think it’ll be better following these directions. It’s only forty miles from here on a normal day but a couple extra miles to stay out of harm’s way seems reasonable to me,” she said.

  She whipped out another piece of paper with written instructions from here to the university’s science facilities, which were easy to read and understandable. From my line of work, I was used to following directions––especially my first year on the job. Since the ambulances had yet to be fitted with GPS that allows them to get from one location to another versus and for locating purposes I became really good at following mapped instructions.

  “This seems easy, I got it,” I said, after a moment of skimming through the purposefully neat handwriting.

  She told me that for simplicity, the keys to the vehicles in the garage hung on hooks, which corresponded to the numbered spots the vehicles were parked in. Around ten thirty the security personnel changes shift for the night. There were more of them, she said, but the priority lay in protecting the perimeter than the goings on within the buildings. It would be at that time she or Louise will announce my missing status to decrease the chance that they would shoot to kill instead of thinking we were complete strangers. Mia informed me that Davenport was reprimanded by my uncle for threatening to use deadly force in the hallway at the main building days ago. It was Dr. Strauss who gave him the tranquilizer gun under my uncle’s strict instructions to keep me alive.