Alive?

by Melissa Woods

  Violet shook her head.

  He nodded. “Okay then, so we need to break out of this place. Soon.”

  The conversation didn’t take very long, seeing as none of them had the faintest idea how they could escape. They were all exhausted, and went to bed early that evening. Violet had been brought some clothes, so at least she was now decent, but she couldn’t sleep. She lay awake, eyes fixed on the ceiling, mind racing. They had all survived this long. Had survived through things that made nightmares feel like a walk in the park. They had to find a way out. She turned onto her side, coming face to face with Matt, who was in the next cot. His eyes were open, too, grey in the darkness.

  “Can’t sleep?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Me neither.”

  Violet kept her voice to a whisper, not wanting to wake up the others. “If they make a vaccine out of my blood, is that really a good thing?”

  Matt thought for a moment. “It would mean no more biters.”

  “Not really. It would mean more people like me; people who could turn at any moment. Isn’t that more dangerous than the ones you know about?”

  “I see what you mean.”

  “The survivors out there right now…They’re alive. They’re making lives for themselves. They don’t have to run out of the room if their friend gets a cut. I don’t want anyone to live like I do.”

  Matt looked at her curiously, so she continued. “I’m always afraid; I’m afraid that something will happen, and I’ll kill the people I care about. Food has no taste, and the only food I can enjoy means killing an innocent person.” She took a breath, realizing she might be about to cry, and not wanting to inflict that horror on Matt. First because she cried blood, and second because she was not an attractive crier. “This isn’t a life anyone should have.”

  Matt sat up and then moved over to her cot, pushing her gently aside so he could squeeze in, too. He put his arms around her, and she breathed in his familiar, comforting smell.

  “I’m glad you are the way you are,” he whispered. “If you weren’t, then you’d be dead.”

  “Well, or I’d be alive. I could’ve avoided being bitten altogether.”

  “We both know you were pretty much destined to get bitten on the first day.”

  Violet elbowed him gently, and he grinned. “Seriously, though, I’m just grateful you’re still here.”

  Oh no, we both know you can’t handle any kind of sentiment.

  This will go one of two ways: tears or a terrible joke.

  Joke. Joke. Please joke.

  Violet felt the tears on her cheeks.

  Oh crap.

  “Don’t cry,” Matt said gently.

  “I’m sorry, it’s really gross. I cry blood.”

  “Oh, really? I was just going to say you don’t strike me as an attractive crier.” Matt laughed again, then gently kissed the top of Violet’s head. “We’ll fix this. We’ll get out of here. Don’t worry. I won’t let them hurt you.”

  It’s not just them I’m worried about.

  The next morning, Violet was taken back into Doctor Ross’ office. She was strapped into a chair, which was at least an improvement from being strapped onto a bed. He sat across from her, elbows resting on the shiny desk, fingers together. It had been a while since she’d seen him without a surgical mask. His blue eyes didn’t appear quite so bright or welcoming anymore.

  “I have excellent news,” he began, “and I wanted to share it with you.”

  Why do I get the feeling this is going to be terrible, terrible news?

  The doctor grinned. “We have managed to synthesize some prototype vaccines from your blood. After some tests, we will be able to use them to prevent the spread of further infection.”

  “How?”

  “Well, to put it simply—we’re going to make it able to disperse in the air, then we’ll drop it.”

  Violet shook her head. “You shouldn’t do that; you’ll be infecting healthy people with the virus.”

  “It will prevent them from succumbing to the full infection. We believe with a few adaptations, we can stop any unwanted side effects.”

  “Unwanted side effects like eating people?” Violet asked sarcastically.

  Doctor Ross smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yes, like that. I thought you might like to see our first test?”

  “I don’t want to see what my blood does to some poor rats.”

  “Not rats,” the doctor answered, getting to his feet. The soldiers behind Violet stepped forward and untied her from the chair, but then bound her hands together. They pushed her from the room. She followed Doctor Ross, because she had no choice, toward the elevator and down to the bottom floor. They went down a long hallway toward a room at the back, which she had never been in before. As Violet entered, her breath immediately caught in her throat. In here, she could look through a window into the room next door. Sam was tied onto a hospital bed.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, spinning around to face Doctor Ross.

  “The virus doesn’t affect animals. All previous tests using mice and rats have provided no useful data. Your friend caused a lot of trouble. He killed several of my men when they caught him, which I’m sure he failed to mention to you. If he proves useful here, then I’ll be willing to let that go.” He pulled what Violet assumed he thought was a reassuring expression. It wasn’t. “We’re confident he will experience only minimal discomfort at most.”

  “Please,” Violet began, moving toward the doctor, but she was pulled back by the soldiers. “Please don’t do this.”

  “It’s already been done,” Doctor Ross replied, nodding over her shoulder. The soldiers forced her around in time to watch as a doctor inside the room with Sam pulled a syringe from his arm. Sam caught sight of Violet though the window. He was scared, she could see that, but he kept his expression set.

  Don’t panic. Maybe this will work? Maybe this is the thing that will save—

  But Violet couldn’t even finish reassuring herself. Moments later, Sam’s body was writhing on the bed. He seemed to be having some sort of fit, struggling against the restraints keeping him down. White foam flowed from his open mouth, which slowly became pink, and then red.

  “Someone help him,” Violet ordered, but she was ignored. Sam shook and thrashed for several minutes, all color draining from his face. His hair clung to his damp forehead, and his fingers curled up until his own nails cut through the skin of his hands. He was screaming. Then he stopped. He became as stiff as a board, eyes wide open. His breathing sped up, his chest moving in and out rapidly. He was like that for around thirty seconds, before he stopped breathing altogether. His body went limp. Violet cried out, slamming her tied hands against the glass, but it was no good. Even from here, she knew he was dead. Doctor Ross sighed, motioning through the window for the other doctor to check Sam. He felt for a pulse before shaking his head.

  “You killed him,” Violet choked.

  “Technically, you killed him,” Gobber retorted from the corner of the room, satisfaction thick in his voice. Violet hadn’t even realized he was there. Before she had a chance to even think of a response, she was interrupted by screaming.

  Violet jerked her head up, eyes widening. Sam was off the table. She had no idea how he had done it, but the heavy restraints were torn in half where he had broken free. His white skin seemed to have expanded, his muscles more prominent, straining against the surface. He grabbed the doctor, biting his neck and ripping out chunks of flesh. Blood and viscera escaped in all directions, and Sam continued to rip and claw at the man.

  “Get in there,” Doctor Ross ordered.

  “No, don’t,” Violet protested, but she still had one of the soldiers holding her back. She didn’t know why she protested. The real Sam was gone, but she still didn’t want them to kill him. What if a tiny part of him was still in there? What if he was like her? The other soldiers went into the room, immediately opening fire. Sam hit the floor.

/>   Violet watched, just for a moment, then slowly turned to face Doctor Ross. “I told you my blood is dangerous. Now he’s dead.”

  “We have three other variations of the vaccine.”

  Violet shook her head. “It won’t work. You need to—” Then it hit her…

  Three more vaccines, three more of her friends.

  “No,” she began, eyes widening. “No, please don’t.” But it didn’t matter. Violet was pulled away from the doctor, still screaming her pleas, back toward the elevator.

  Despite what she had just seen, Violet was taken back to her room where the others were waiting. She wondered if there had been a mix up; surely they wouldn’t want her telling them what had happened? Perhaps they didn’t care? They knew the prisoners had no way to escape. Maybe Doctor Ross thought it would be funny to spend their last few hours together knowing they were about to die? Either way, she was pushed inside, the door locked securely behind her. Toby was lying down on one of the cots, while Joe and Matt were sitting up and having some kind of debate.

  Joe shook his head. “I’m telling you, Superman is pretty much invincible.”

  “The amount of times he’s been defeated proves he’s not.”

  “Every time he’s been beaten it’s because there was kryptonite involved. It’s his only weakness.”

  Matt shrugged. “It just seems to me that there’s a hell of a lot of kryptonite available to anyone who wants to fight Superman. Is it literally just growing out of the ground?”

  “If you take kryptonite out of the equation, Superman is unbeatable.”

  “That’s not fair. That’s like saying if you take money out of the equation, you’re really rich.” Matt diverted his attention to Violet, the smile on his face flickering. “What’s wrong? Did they hurt you?”

  Violet shook her head, numb after what she had just seen. “Sam.” It was the only word she could say.

  “He’s been taken for some blood tests,” Joe said, getting to his feet.

  Violet shook her head. “No.”

  Matt and Joe came closer. Toby sat up, expression anxious.

  “What happened?” Matt asked.

  Violet shook her head again, unable to string a sentence together.

  “Is he…” Joe couldn’t finish. Violet nodded. He let out an angry growl, punching the large closet beside him. Matt put his arms around Violet.

  “They used my blood,” she said, her voice hollow. “They said it was supposed to be a vaccine, but it didn’t work. Sam died. Then he came back.”

  Joe swore loudly, punching the closet again. Toby lay back down, putting his hands over his face.

  “They have more,” Violet continued. “Three other variations.”

  “That’s a coincidence,” Matt muttered.

  Violet’s voice hitched, “Doctor Ross said they’re going to t-test them.”

  “When?” Toby asked, sitting up again.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “It’ll be soon,” Matt said. “We don’t have long.”

  “How are we going to get out?” Joe asked. He gestured to the window. “Even if we could open that thing, smash it somehow, the fall would kill us.” He sat down on the edge of one of the cots, his head in his hands.

  “We could fight?” Toby suggested.

  Joe shook his head. “We don’t have any weapons, and the soldiers are always armed. They’d kill us straight away. It’s not like we’re actually worth anything to them.”

  Suddenly, everything became clear to Violet.

  Doc said not to kill her. Didn’t say we can’t bruise her up a little.

  Doc said not to kill her.

  “I’m worth something to them.” The strength in Violet’s voice surprised her, but the plan was already forming in her head. “They can’t kill me; I’m too valuable. I’ve heard them say it.”

  Joe looked confused. “You don’t have a weapon.”

  “She does.” Matt ran a hand through his hair, eyes on Violet. “That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? To let yourself turn?”

  She nodded. “I’ll be strong, and they won’t expect it. I can probably kill a couple of them, or at least keep them distracted. Then you guys can get out.”

  Joe shook his head. “This is a terrible plan. You can’t be sure they won’t kill you.”

  Violet shrugged. “I’m worth more to them alive. They’ll do everything they can to keep me that way.”

  Matt didn’t look happy. “Okay, say that’s true…say we get out. What about you?”

  She didn’t have an answer, but Toby got up from his cot and made his way over. “If we get out, we can make a plan to free Violet. Right now, all three of us are maybe a few hours away from being killed…”

  Violet agreed. “And if you are, then you can’t help me. The most important thing is that you are all safe. Later, if it’s possible, you can try to come back for me.”

  “We will come back for you,” Matt insisted, and the other two nodded.

  Ok, now for the hard part.

  “How do we do it without me killing you?” she asked.

  Joe thought for a moment, then pointed to the large closet he’d been punching. “That thing’s pretty big. I think the three of us could fit in there, then get out again when the door’s open and you’re busy.”

  Busy eating people. Violet shuddered at the thought.

  “How do we get you to…” Toby trailed off.

  “A cut should do it,” she explained. “Just one of you, and nothing too deep. I only need to smell it, and then you have to get clear. I think we should leave it as late as possible, too.”

  Matt nodded. “We don’t want you to go back to normal before the door’s open.”

  “I was more thinking I don’t want to be hammering on that closet for too long. I might eventually get in.”

  The others were silent for a moment. Joe cleared his throat. “Well, that’s a cheerful thought, thanks.”

  “Who’s going to get cut?” Violet asked.

  “Me.”

  Of course it would have to be Matt.

  “Okay. How will you do it?”

  Matt searched the room for a moment before moving to the desk. He rifled through the drawers, then came out with a stapler. He opened it, pulled a single staple out, and flattened it until its shape resembled that of a sewing needle. There was a sound from outside; people were coming toward the room.

  Wait! We’re not ready!

  Violet’s mind was racing; she hadn’t even had time to say goodbye. What if the plan didn’t work? It was too late now. Matt gave her a reassuring smile before pushing the wire into his arm and forcing it forward several inches. The red liquid dripped out, and the beautiful smell was in the air. Violet felt herself becoming lightheaded.

  “Uhh, we might have a problem.”

  She turned to see what Joe was talking about, the room around her already beginning to spin. The closet was piled high with boxes and files. There wasn’t room for a single person to fit inside, let alone three.

  “Get them out,” Toby urged, glancing at Violet, who was now swaying slightly. Matt took hold of her, moving her head back to face him.

  “Violet, it’s okay,” he reassured. She could hear Joe and Toby ripping out the boxes from the closet, but it was getting harder and harder to concentrate now the smell was so strong. Matt’s green eyes locked with her grey ones, and he put his forehead against hers.

  “It’s okay, stay with me,” he said softly.

  “Hurry up,” she whispered, her voice slow and thick.

  Matt glanced over her shoulder where the sounds of Joe and Toby were fading away. She felt like she could hear her own heartbeat, as well as the sound of the blood leaving Matt’s hand. It was a steady, melodic drip. Was that a key in the door, too? Everything seemed to slow down. She watched almost absently as her right arm raised a little, reaching for Matt’s face. Her fingers curled toward his skin, a hiss escaping her throat.

  “It will be ok
ay.” His voice sounded so far away, and Violet was vaguely aware he was now working hard to hold her steady as she fought against him. He took one final look over her shoulder, and then there was the sound of a door opening. Matt kept hold of Violet, but spun her around, toward the door. She saw the soldiers.

  It is going to feed.

  When Violet woke up, she wasn’t in the room with her friends. She was in a different office. Slowly, her head pounding, she sat up. Her hair was wet and matted from lying in a pool of blood. Beside her was the body of a soldier. She didn’t recognize him, though that was probably because his head had been ripped clean off his shoulders and was nowhere to be seen. There was a bitter taste in Violet’s mouth, and she wiped her lips roughly with the back of her hand as she climbed to her feet.

  The office was trashed; there had been a struggle. Slowly, trying not to make a sound, she went into the hallway. The lights flickered on and off, and there was screaming coming from some of the other levels.

  Looks like I might’ve infected a few people.

  That was good. It meant she could try to escape while the doctors and soldiers fought the dead, though it also meant more danger for her friends. Instinctively, Violet headed for the room she’d shared with the others. The door was open, and she had to step over a mangled mess of limbs and blood to get inside. There were no bodies, though, which meant whatever was left of the soldiers were probably still walking around somewhere. Hopping over various organs and bits of fingers, she moved to the closet. The door was wide open, but there was no sign of Matt, Joe, or Toby.

  That’s good. It means they got out.

  You should get out, too.

  At some point in the struggle, the window had been smashed. Violet took a jagged piece of glass from the floor, then left the room. She moved toward the elevator and pressed the call button. It opened—empty other than the dismembered leg in the corner. She pressed the button for the ground floor. The elevator rumbled down, but it seemed to be faulty. It stopped at each level. On the first two, there were no people, just a mess of blood and general disarray.