by Jesse Gagnon
Once the guards were relieved from their posts he entered the lab and found Jane talking to a group of lab workers. She pointed at the specimen and continued to talk with extreme enthusiasm. The workers seemed thrilled as well. Once Simon came into the sealed compartment via the airlock doors, he heard her voice.
“…and the virus latches on the cell, breaking down its immunities while developing its own. Oh, look who it is.” Jane finished and greeted Simon.
“Good morning everyone.” He spoke. They greeted him back.
“Do you want to see it?” Jane asked.
“Why else would I be here?” He responded with annoyance.
“Okay, you’re going to love this.” Jane beamed and beckoned Simon over to the monitor that displayed the specimen on the slide in great detail. “Do you see that cell?” She directed at a normal white blood cell taken from Giselle’s blood.
“I see it. So?”
“There is the Azrael white blood cell.” Jane gestured to another cell.
“We know they have separate blood cells. It’s the nature of the virus to cohabitate with the host’s blood cells.”
“True, but if you separate the normal white cells from the Azrael white cells…” Jane had a finely tuned machine with a small needle like separator isolate the blood cells on opposite sides of the slide. “…and introduce normal human blood…” She dropped a small droplet of blood in the middle of the slide. “…you will see two separate reactions.”
Simon moved closer to the monitor. The Azrael white blood cells ferociously attacked the cells and completely took over all of the white blood cells leaving nothing behind but Azrael cells. The cells that were not Azrael infected just mingled with the cells as if nothing was wrong.
“So, what am I seeing? Explain.” Simon asked.
“Back at the drug store I ran some tests and blood to blood contact didn’t inspire a reaction at all. This, however, is what happens when the saliva meets the cells but on a much smaller scale.”
“So what does this mean?”
“It kind of explains their evolving a bit. The longer that they are Azrael then the more normal cells slowly die off and the Azrael cells continue to thrive. However, in order for it to be completely contagious the normal human cells would all need to be dead.”
“How long would this take to happen?” Another scientist asked.
“I don’t know, like twenty years or so. It’s a slow process.”
“Is it reversible?” Simon asked.
“Unfortunately, the Azrael cells are far too aggressive and dominant. There is no cure, it would be impossible.” She admitted.
“I guess that’s something new.” Simon seemed less enthusiastic about it.
“Well, that’s not all. I gave you the bad news first.”
“What else?” He looked at her inquisitively.
“If I set up Giselle’s blood exactly the same way…” She disposed the original sample and used the machine to separate her cells again. “…and drop in blood infected with the Ebola virus, look at that!” She dropped the blood in and the Azrael virus cells coated the infected cells with an enzyme and the infection was drawn out and killed. The enzyme coating remained along with the normal human cell now uninfected with the Ebola virus. On the other side, the introduced Ebola cells quickly contaminated Giselle’s normal human cells.
“This…is amazing!” Simon exclaimed.
“I know right! It’s probably a big product of their survivability gene.”
“So we can cure diseases, people with diseases?”
“Well…”
“Well, what?”
“Separated in a lab on a small scale maybe. But to reproduce it in a living being could have a different result.”
“But it’s possible?”
“With lots of research and studies, maybe. And that’s a big maybe.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Watch…” She pointed at the screen. Five minutes later something happened.
“The enzyme coating eventually fades away and…” She paused to watch the reaction. “…the cells are infected and turned into Azrael cells.”
“Damn it. So it’s the enzyme coating. That’s the key?” Simon speculated.
“It is but it doesn’t exist long enough to fully study the components within it. Once it’s punctured the cell dies in every instant.” Jane admitted.
“I’m sure we can figure it out. Good job Dr. Barnett.” He started to walk away and then called her over. “Come with me.” She shook a couple of the other scientists’ hands and hurried over.
“Yes, Simon?”
“I need to talk to you in private.” Simon opened the air lock doors and she followed him out of the lab.
“Yes?” She asked.
“How did you gain access in here? I never authorized you to work in my lab.”
“I, uh, really needed to study Giselle’s blood. I didn’t have the equipment in the apartment you assigned me to do the work.” She stammered.
“Answer the question, Dr. Barnett.” He asked again a bit sterner.
“I told them that I left my badge inside by mistake when I left for a smoke break.”
“They believed you?”
“I’m charming Simon.”
“That’s Dr. Killbrook, Dr. Barnett.”
“Dr. Killbrook.” She corrected.
“You know I had to let them go for the day and ban them from working in this facility ever again for allowing you access in there.” He gestured towards the new guards at the desk.
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t tell me that. Tell the guards you screwed over. The red mark in their work profile and limited work options might keep them from getting a steady forty hours anywhere in the city.”
“Damn.”
“Your actions have consequences, Dr. Barnett. You can’t just do what you want. Haven’t you learned your lesson already? All of those people gone because of you.”
“I… I made a mistake.”
“We’re still bouncing back from your mistake.” Simon took great care in emphasizing the last word.
“It’s not like I’m the virus. I didn’t infect anyone. I’m not trying to kill anyone.”
“You’re right. It’s worse that you haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Figured what out Si… Dr. Killbrook.”
“That you are a brilliant scientist with amazing ideas but you just don’t follow the rules and in every case, someone gets hurt.”
“Uh… thank you?”
“Last chance.” Simon poked her on the left shoulder and walked away
“So can I still work here?” She asked. Simon paused.
“I’ll have your paperwork and authorization cleared by the morning. Don’t disappoint me, Dr. Barnett. Let me know when you have a crazy idea so we can establish all safety precautions ahead of time.” Simon explained, turned and walked away. Before he boarded the elevator he nodded at her. She smiled, turned to enter the lab and the guards barred her from entering.
“But…but. I was just in there.” She pleaded.
“In the morning Dr. Barnett. Let’s do it right this time.” Simon hollered over. He wore a devilish grin and entered the elevator. As the doors closed Simon witnessed Jane’s infuriated face while she resisted the guards’ orders. She yanked her arm away each time they grabbed at her.
By the time Simon made it back to his office just above his condo he was informed that Dr. Barnett had been successfully removed from the premise. He picked up some authorization documents from the filing cabinet and brought them to his desk in his office. He began the paperwork to allow Dr. Barnett access to the Azrael Studies Laboratory.
CHAPTER 24: THE DOG
A wild pack of dogs tore into an Azrael attempting to catch one. It looked severely malnourished and was crawling in the dirt. The largest of the dogs shook its jaws back and forth to tear off a piece of meat from its rear thigh muscle which kept it from catching the smal
ler matted mutt. Its breed was unidentifiable but it was obviously part Yorkshire terrier due to its small stature and propped ears. Eventually, it grasped the dog’s hind legs and dragged it into its salivating mouth. It yelped and was bitten into by the weak Azrael. Loud terrifying howls persisted for a minute and then stopped suddenly when it died from its injuries. The other three continued to tear into the Azrael but it ignored them as it consumed the poor dog to the bone.
Randall continued past with his small group and wondered what would become of the Azrael. Would it eventually eat every dog or would the dogs finish off the Azrael filling their own stomachs? He persisted on through the woods heading east towards the Alpha and Chicago. The suburbs revealed a place slowly being swallowed up by nature. Fences were either broken through or covered in vegetation. Windows and doors to homes were destroyed and anything of value had been taken. The vehicles were rusted with patches of paint barely showing as it faded into the corrosion. Humans no longer lived there. It was a graveyard of the past.
Bear’s injuries had healed up and he bore scars that revealed where the wounds were. Harry led the pack following the Alpha’s scent and tracks left behind. Up ahead a small cloud of black smoke climbed into the sky and dissipated just above the trees near a small structure. The aroma of sour cooked flesh carried into the breeze. Randall and the others caught up to Harry and hurried towards the scent. A skunk was on a stick burnt to a crisp. Patches of its fur was on the ground near the small fire. A hint of human remains escaped the one story house nearby. It was a small house that probably only had one bedroom in it. The front door was on the ground ten feet from the frame torn off the hinges. Randall entered first and found a horrific sight. Three bodies were hanging on the walls with bones jammed into their shoulder blades, holding them onto the walls. Each one of their necks was bitten and torn into. All of the meat had been stripped from them from the neck down. Only intestines lay on the ground beneath them. The largest of the three had his ribs broken off. Upon further investigation, the bones holding their bodies up were his rib bones driven through and pushed into the wall behind them. Flies danced in the air drawn to the slow decay. The buzz of their wings drowned out the atmosphere.
A weak whine broke through the buzz and alerted Randall. It came from the closet. A scratching noise dug at the bottom of the door followed by a bark. It was a dog. Randall walked over and opened the door. The dog charged out and sniffed the intestines on the floor. It started to eat the rubbery organs pulling it with its jaws and chewing on its gristle. Its ribs were visible and it looked as if it hadn’t eaten in a while. Randall lowered his posture and squatted. The dog pinned a piece of the intestines between its paws, stuck its butt up and fought with its meal. Randall petted the dog. It didn’t recoil back at all. Bear and the others walked in and scowled at the sight of the humans on the walls. They noticed Randall petting the dog. Harry sized it up to see if it would make a good meal. Randall looked up at them and shook his head, no. They walked outside leaving Randall inside with the dog. He stopped petting it and stood up. It managed to tear a few pieces of intestines into its throat and found its rhythm gnawing at it. Randall walked outside and Harry was eating the burnt skunk. The others were licking their lips too showing interest in the skunk. They needed to eat. Randall didn’t want to eat the dog. It was time for them to hunt.
Randall listened to the trees, the grass and condemned houses. He listened for movement. He smelled the air for something to eat. The feeding dog inside the house drowned out all attempts. He heard its tongue slapping its jaws and its teeth tearing the rubbery organ. He heard its heartbeat steadily thumping. Thump, thump…thump, thump.
Randall heard feet galloping in the grass in the distance. Hooves stomped the surface and gallivanted at a steady rhythm. It was a horse. He stood up tall and howled. The others grunted and sniffed the air. He sprinted towards the horse driven by hunger and drawn to the sound of its trot through the field beyond the house. After fifteen minutes of chasing the malnourished stag, they brought the beast down. Bear wrapped his massive arms around its neck and throat suffocating the horse. The five of them feasted for hours on it, consuming as much as their bellies could handle. Once the group was satisfied they lay on the ground and grabbed at their stomachs. A distant whine returned to Randall’s ear. He turned to see the dog lying down with its head on its paws inspecting the horse cadaver. Its tail was wagging and it lifted its left eyebrow looking at Randall and then looked back at the horse. It licked its chops and whined again. Randall grunted and waved his hand towards the horse while nodding, yes. The dog sat up, charged in and began to eat. It must have smelled the kill in the air.
Randall exhaled and looked towards the sky as he lay back on the ground. He watched the clouds pass by the blue sky. He could hear a distant rumble of a storm on its way towards them. He felt the breeze pick up and disturb the trees a hundred yards away. He sat up and nodded at Harry. He still had a big piece of meat in his cheek. Harry smiled and some of the juices squirted out. He chewed a bit and looked to the sky. He nodded at Randall, confirming the upcoming storm. Randall stood up and placed his left arm out as to invite Harry to continue the hunt for the Alpha. He agreed, stood up and sniffed the area. He found its scent quickly. It must have passed through there not long ago. Harry walked forward towards the east. The rest followed. Randall knew once the storm came that they would lose the scent and the trail all together. He hoped that he found the Alpha before that happened but the storm was moving in fast.
Fifteen minutes into the hunt the sky opened up and dropped buckets of rain down on them. The wind caused it to spear right into their faces as they moved towards the east. It struck them from the south and the wind gusts bent random trees to their limit. They sprung back wildly.
Ten minutes later the storm ended and the sun peeked its glowing face through the clouds revealing a rainbow that spanned across the sky. Harry studied Randall and shook his head. The trail was gone. A bark disturbed their silence and the dog from earlier had found them once more. It was following them.
The day was still young. Randall shrugged and just headed east in hopes that he would eventually find the Alpha again. Its unique hunting style was easy to pick out. The skyline of Chicago was up ahead and reminded Randall of the last time he was there.
A wonderful memory entered Randall’s thoughts but he immediately dismissed it. This is his life now. Remembering such things would only make him sad and weak. He had a new mission in life, a purpose beyond that of living a normal human life. He had a team that followed him in whatever he decided. They assisted him in locating Brooke and worked with him on it. Also, this dog seemed to follow him around. You pet a dog and they’ll love you for the moment. You give it some food and it will follow you for life.
CHAPTER 25: SAVING PETER
Jason thought of different solutions to save Peter from the barn. He tried to think of how he made bombs and flares out of household items. As he concentrated, the intricate details blurred into a garbled mess. He didn’t know the amount he needed of each ingredient to make bombs. Small mathematical details were gibberish to him. He attempted to write out ‘bomb’ on a chalk board that was in one of the kids’ bedroom. He couldn’t relay the information in writing. ‘Bomb’ turned into a triangle, some squiggly lines and a crooked 3. What the fuck? He thought of another word, ‘grenade’. He attempted to write it out. He wrote an arrow sign pointing up, a circle with a dot in the middle and a crooked lower case ‘g’. There is a ‘g’ in grenade. Progress? He tried to write it again and this time he wrote a square, a squiggle and the number 5 or it could be a ‘s’. This was going nowhere fast. He had to do something else. All this was doing was frustrating him. He scanned the kids’ room for something of use. He found a wind-up toy that made a lot of noise and moved… bingo.
Jason ran downstairs with the toy in hand.
“Whatcha gonna do with that Jason?” Karl asked.
He responded with a grunt and pointed towards the woo
ds.
“Oh, okay.” Karl appeared confused.
“What did he say?” Jordan asked.
“I don’t know. He grunted and pointed at the wall.” Karl admitted.
By this time Jason had already left and walked over to the barn. He wound up the toy as far as it would go, slid the 4-by-4 out of the way of the doors and tossed the toy into the woods. He ran behind the barn. He heard nothing. The toy didn’t make a sound and the doors remained closed. The children watched from the window in the room that they hid in.
“What’s the Jason zombie doing?” Jordan asked.
“He threw that toy way into the woods. I don’t even know where it went.” Cindy acknowledged with her face pressed against the window.
“He’s hiding behind the barn and he moved the wood from the door. He’s gonna let them out?” Karl asked.
“I think he’s trying to save Peter.” Cindy suggested.
“By throwing toys in the woods?” Jordan asked.
“I don’t know what that was for. Maybe he hated it or something.” Cindy speculated.
“Why?” Karl asked.
“I don’t know.” Cindy replied.
“Is he sad?” Jordan asked.
“He’s got a plan I guess.” Cindy suggested.
“Do you think Peter’s okay?” Jordan asked.
“Yes, he’s fine Jordan.” Cindy answered.
“Jason’s gonna save him.” Karl added.
Jason waited another minute and nothing happened. He decided to look for the toy and ran into the woods to look for it.
“He’s leaving us!” Jordan cried out. They hurried downstairs and gazed through the kitchen window.
“I don’t know. It looks like it don’t it?” Cindy wondered resituating herself on the counter as she peeked through the window.
