Somewhere In The Middle

by Lucas Coon

  “Correct.” Darren responded.

  “Alright. You all know that the infection is caused by a parasite as well? It travels through the water system, hatches in your stomach, takes over by attaching to the spine...”

  “Yeah, we know that much.” Mitchell responded.

  “OK, so you aren't completely ignorant to the whole situation then. So, are you aware of the origins of the infection?” Andrei looked to Mitchell.

  “You just said it was a parasite.” Mitchell returned the imposing stare.

  “The origin of the parasite, I meant.” A pause. “No? No one knows? OK, then it's story time.” Andrei sat on the bench by the door. “King have a seat friend.”

  “Yes, sir.” King walked over and sat next to Andrei.

  “Over the past three years we've been under threat of attack from a number of countries overseas. Russia. Afghanistan. North Korea. There have even been internal talks of Germany being a threat, though unlikely. We've always attempted to stay ahead of the game though and have avoided any and all attacks that have attempted to cross the border.”

  “What does the threat of war have to do with this?” Mitchell understood that war was a big thing, but it didn't feel relevant.

  “I'm getting there.” Andrei snapped back at Mitchell. “Anyway, one of the biggest concerns was the use of chemical and biological warfare. We had done a number of things to protect our land, air and water from any chemical attack, but biological attacks--”

  “They're man-made aren't they? These parasites were created as an attack vector.” Mitchell unintentionally interrupted Andrei.

  “Way to ruin the surprise, Mitchell, I was going to get there!” Andrei laughed. “Your impatience is going to get you killed young man. You need to learn to enjoy life, enjoy your time. Jumping straight in with both feet leaves you vulnerable.” He continued his laugh.

  “How can a parasite be man-made though?” Mitchell wasn't finding the humor in Andrei's statements, nor was he really listening to them. “Is it completely unnatural or is it some sort of genetic modification?”

  “Cymothoa exigua, or the tongue-eating louse. They're nasty little bugs that are parasitic to certain fish. They usually enter through the gills and to attach the tongue, basically eating it and replacing the tongue altogether.” He moved his hands to indicate an amount of space near half an inch. “They get about this big in nature. However, whoever launched the attack found a way to genetically change them. They changed them to hatch in their host instead of entering through other means. They also somehow changed them from just eating and replacing the tongue to controlling the host through connection. It's actually quite amazing and we have no idea how they managed this level of modification. It must have taken forever to get it to do what they wanted and a number of tests that probably ended horribly for the subject. If I may say, it's a beautiful thought from a scientific perspective.”

  “But terrifying from a civilian one. Who did it?” Mitchell was intrigued. He assumed it was his natural instinct as a history buff.

  “That is what we don't know. If we did, I'm sure the military would be removing their name from the globe.” He chuckled. “However, since we don't know who it was and don't know who to attack, we're focusing on, what you could call, other efforts.”

  “Being a removal unit, I can only assume that you guys are designed to remove them from areas and normally by force. Is that what you're referring to?”

  “For the most part yes. We are removing them from areas so the rest of the military can move in and regain traction. That has resulted in the use of force.” Andrei seemed uncaring of his own statement.

  “You do realize that you're killing people, right? Living, breathing, conscious people.” Mitchell hated hearing that they were killing them.

  “As far as you know. Are you trying to tell me that you aren't guilty of the same thing?” Andrei looked at him intimidatingly. Mitchell looked away; he was guilty of it. It was something he didn't want to do, but it was necessary to survive. “Exactly. It's nothing to feel shame over Mitchell. It's all part of the game. You do what you must to live just long enough to die later. It's almost the definition of modern survival. It's why you kill them. It's why others want to kill you. Doing what you must for yourself; while it may seem selfish, it's the only way to survive in the end. I hate to tell you this, considering how selfless you like to pretend you are.” He stood up. “So, in the end, the parasite is a modified creature. It was released into our water supply in a number of major areas and it's been dominating ever since. There's your explanation. Are you satisfied?” It was silent for several moments. Mitchell wasn't sure if he was satisfied; there was no explicit statement of what the other efforts were, other than mass murder.

  “Why are the monsters mean then?” Lilly was the one to break the silence.

  “Because the bugs make them that way, my dear Lilly.” Andrei smiled at her.

  “We should get some bug spray. Bugs don't like bug spray.” She smiled back at him. Mitchell envied her innocence and lack of understanding. He wished he could be as ignorant as her; unknowing of what was happening, but not worrying about it. Andrei laughed at her comment.

  “Well, my dear, that's what we're working on! We're trying to figure out what kind of bug spray will work and how to get rid of the bugs that people have.” He almost sounded innocent with his statements. “We just have to figure out what will work and to do that we have to run tests. We have to determine what we have to do to get rid of the bugs, does that make sense dear?”

  “Uh huh!” She nodded in understanding. It was starting to become clear to Mitchell what their purpose was in all of this, but he wasn’t certain. He had his ideas.

  “Good. Now, would you guys like to take some time to get cleaned up?” Andrei motioned towards the front door. The group remained unmoved for a moment. “There are showers on this floor you know. You all look as if you could use it; not to be offensive of course.”

  “You just said that the water is crawling with the parasite and now you want us to cover ourselves in it?” Darren said what Mitchell was thinking; it was an odd offer.

  “Come now, we have our own water system that’s segregated from the main lines. It’s clean.” He laughed. “I understand that it may have seemed suspicious. King and I have been here for a while and will be until this whole thing is over; do you think we’re going to go without a shower that long? Please, I’m offering as a host. I know this is all confusing but I am human and I don’t want you all to be miserable.” Darren looked at Kayla, then over to Mitchell. Mitchell nodded as a confirmation. They were all suspicious of whether or not Andrei was being sincere and the possibility of it all being a trap, but there was no way out of it. While they were all suspicious, the thought of a warm shower was one that they all were longing for. Mitchell pulled himself up, this time with relative ease. He assumed that it must have been whatever was affecting him wearing off that was messing with him, mainly because he was feeling better now that some time had passed.

  “Good, everyone, come with us please.” Andrei stated this like they had a choice. They all knew that they didn't, if they didn't go they'd be killed. It was fairly black and white with this situation. They walked down the hall and around a corner to an area that was slightly better lit than the rest. There were two doors, each marked clearly.

  “Mitchell, Darren, you two go to the left. Ladies to the right.” Andrei stopped and motioned to the rooms. “King I want you to--”

  “With all respect doc, I don't know how I feel with my wife and daughter being vulnerable like that with two men, both willing to flex their muscles, standing right there. I think I'd like to wait it out until their done.” Darren once again stepped into the position of the hero. Andrei looked at him with a sense of disgust, but it also appeared to be understanding.

  “Fine. I understand your concern.” He pulled his key ring from his pocket and removed one from the hoop. He put it in the door and turned it, causing t
he lock to make a clicking noise. He attempted to open the door but the handle was stuck. He repeated his actions, but this time the door opened. “This is the key to this room.” He offered it to Kayla. She stared at it for a few moments, then took it and put it in her pocket. “That's the only key to this shower room. King doesn't have one and I don't have a spare. The ladies are free to lock the door after they enter and no one will be able to get in. Is that fair Darren?” Darren looked back at Kayla, she nodded at him in acceptance.

  “Fair enough.” Darren conceded his point. “Just can't be too careful nowadays.”

  “I know. It's fine.” Andrei smirked. “I won't hold that one against you. Anyways, please ladies; to the right. Men; to the left. You have thirty minutes, don't waste it.” He turned but paused to make another statement. “Oh, and ladies, if you take too long or try anything, we will have to put Darren down.” He laughed slightly as he motioned King “Now that we have an understanding, King, you are to stand guard...” He looked at Darren. “...at the end of the hall. You are not to approach the rooms unless you hear screaming, yelling, the general sound of death, or if I tell you to. I will return in half an hour. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.” King nodded back at the doctor. With that he walked back to the end of the hallway and took his position. Kayla, Lilly and Madison walked into the room on the right. Once Darren heard the sound of the door locking, he opened the door to the men's area and walked in. Mitchell followed. They each entered their own stalls of the four that were lined up on the wall. Mitchell looked around; there wasn't much in ways of comfort for his cleaning pleasures. To the left there was a bar of soap and to the right was what he only knew as a shower poof. He was certain they had an actual name, but it wasn't important, so he wasn't going to try to remember it. On the far side there was an area with a couple of towels. He hadn't been in many hospital style shower stalls, but, when it came to shower stalls, this was probably the best one he'd been in. He took his clothes and slung them over the wall above where the towels sat. He assumed that the location of the towels would be safe as it wouldn't be getting wet, otherwise he had lied to himself about the quality of this stall and the design was horrible. He turned the handle to the middle and watched the water burst from out of the shower head. He waited a moment for it to get to a comfortable temperature and stepped into the stream.

  Mitchell remained motionless in the water for a few moments. The heat being released as each drop slammed into his skin was pure bliss. The smell of the water was even something he could appreciate. He realized how much he took water for granted, which was weird to him. He assumed it was one of those 'don't know what you have until it's gone' moments and he truly appreciated having it again, even if it was temporary. He was certain that Andrei was making them comfortable because he was going to kill them. There was no reason for him to be nice to them, they were already his prisoners. He pulled the strings from here on, and he knew it. The entire group was well aware of this fact, but Mitchell wasn't sure if they all knew what it truly meant. He lowered his head and let the water rinse through his hair; another thing he didn't realize he would miss until it was something he couldn’t do.

  “We’re dead, aren’t we?” Darren’s voice came from the stall at the end. “That’s why he’s giving us what we want. He’s planning on killing us after all this is done. He’s going to poke us, prod us and then discard us like leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner.” While this was a proper analogy, it seemed oddly specific.

  “Thanksgiving?” Mitchell thought he’d ask. He wanted to avoid the conversation at hand.

  “Yeah, sorry. I’m really wanting turkey and stuffing, so the first thing that came to mind was Thanksgiving.” He chuckled slightly. “You know that wasn’t the important part of my statement, Mitch.”

  “I know.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t want to answer you though.”

  “Because I’m right.” Darren cut him off with a sharpened statement.

  “Yeah, probably. I really don’t know. He may have some plan for us and then discard us; or he may use us as subjects and turn us over to the military. Either way, it’s all over.” Mitchell felt a lump building in his stomach, this was something he didn’t want to think of.

  “I get that it’s over if he kills us, but, if he doesn’t, how is it over?” Darren’s voice was quiet but curious. Mitchell grabbed his soap and scrubbed it into the poof as best he could. He started to scrub his arms down vigorously. “Mitchell, answer me man!”

  “I don’t know what you’re wanting from me here, Darren.” The lump grew harder. “All of this was me trying to get to Aria. Finding and befriending all of you was great, but you knew from the beginning that I had my own motives. Andrei said it himself; I only pretend to be selfless. Sure, I got you guys out of your safe-zone and I got you here, but in the end; everything I did was for myself.” It was quiet for a few moments. Mitchell wasn’t sure why he had said that; it really didn’t answer Darren's questions. “You asked how it’s all over. Well, to be honest, I’m out of ideas. I’m here and Aria’s out there. After all we’ve been through, I’m back at the beginning, right back where I started. After the hell I’ve been through, the hell we’ve been through, we’ve gained nothing. I’ve gained nothing.”

  “Not to be sappy, but you’ve got us Mitchell. We’re all behind you, no matter what. If we die, then we die fighting. If we live, then we keep going, right?” Darren’s voice had a sense of worry behind it.

  “It’s over Darren, there’s nothing left to fight against and there’s nothing left to fight for. We’re at the mercy of our captors. I’m done with being hopeful and I’m done trying to get out of hell. That’s what this is; it’s our hell, our penance. Maybe not specifically yours or mine, but ours as a society. That power-struggle I was talking about earlier, that’s what this is. It’s our historical boiling point, everything that’s ever happened has led us to where we are now. We can’t change history. All we can do is be submissive to what happens, there’s nothing we can do to change what happened and we can’t fix what’s happening.” Mitchell finished scrubbing himself down and rinsed the soap off his skin. It may have been refreshing, but that happiness was coming to a quick end as it literally circled the drain. As he stared at the soapy water sliding into the metal grate on the floor he thought about what he had just said. Mitchell wanted nothing more than to be wrong, but, this time, he knew he was right. “I’m sorry Darren.”

  “It’s not over Mitchell.” The fear was replaced with the sound of anger. Mitchell realized that his speech had probably made Darren mad and he knew he should have joined the optimism. He wanted to, but he couldn’t lie to himself anymore.

  “Darren, seriously...”

  “No. It’s not over.” The angered tone rose from the ashes with a sense of certainty and courage. Mitchell assumed this to be the audacity of a damned fool. “It’s not over until I’m dead.”

  Chapter 20 – Red

  “What do you think, King?” Andrei looked at the computer monitor. He was eager when he saw the woman enter the hall, but now there were three people standing there. “Not only are there three test subjects, one of them has an anomaly. His tongue is abnormal, but he doesn’t appear infected.”

  “Would you like me to take care of them, sir?” King's voice was as monotone as ever.

  “There's three adults and, from what I can hear, there's two children as well. This is perfect. I thought we were alone here, but they came to us. Ha! There's a fourth adult! The more the merrier I always say!” He nudged King in the side. “This is our lucky day friend. We will get them, experiment and then we can go home. If we have something significant, they can't keep us in this exile.” He paused and looked over at King. “Did I ever tell you why I got assigned to this location?”

  “No sir.” King was focused on the monitor watching the people in the hallway.

  “They told me that I was insane, that what I was wanting to do was inhumane and that they would find a cure another
way.” He grimaced. “There is no other way.” They both stared at the new visitors for another moment.

  “Would you like me to take care of them, sir?” King asked his question a second time.

  “No, King. Violence isn't always necessary to get what we need.” He turned again to King. “I figured you would have learned that when your brother put that wound across your face.” He turned again to look at the group. “I can't imagine the sense of abandonment, getting shot by your own brother.”

  “I was just...following orders. I was told to eliminate all threats in the area. I was doing what I was--”

  “Yeah, I know the story. You went in, you killed everything in sight. You shot a dozen men, women and children that weren't infected.” He laughed. “It's not your fault. You were ordered to do something, you did it. Sacrifices have to be made to advance our cause King. That's what they were, sacrifices. They all had to die so you and I could live and continue to do our work.” He patted King on the shoulder. “And yes, that does include your brother. You're a good soldier and you've helped me more than you will ever know.” He smiled. It was an awkward smile that looked like it was forced.

  “Thank you, sir.” King smiled with one side of his mouth. It was a haphazard smile.

  “Of course.” He turned forward again. “Enough of that, we have to deal with the matters at hand. Before you got here, when we were still turning this into what we needed for a lab, I had a few things installed in case something like this happened. With the push of a single button...” He pressed a small green switch under the camera panel. When he pressed it, it remained depressed after he removed his finger. King and Andrei watched as the group began staggering and falling to the floor. After a few moments the switch popped back up with a loud click. King looked down at the switch. “Safety measure. I've been known to...overdo it, if you will. I had them put in an automatic stop.”