by D. K Lake
I leaned against the side of the van.
“How's it going?” I asked.
Lane popped his head up from under the hood.
“I thought you'd be in bed by now.” Lane replied.
“I wondered where you were, that's all.”
“Here, use this.” Luke said, handing Lane some duct tape.
Duct tape? Would the van even run tomorrow?
I opened the side door to the van and climbed inside to have a look. Two seats up front, three in the middle and three in the back. I quietly slid the door shut and rested my head against the back of the seat, but it wasn't comfortable and I soon laid down with my legs tucked up on the seat. I closed my eyes, listening to Lane, Luke and Danny mumbling from under the hood. I got lost somewhere in-between that phase where you're not asleep but you nearly are. I knew I should really drag myself back inside the prison, but I couldn't be bothered... so I drifted some more and let sleep take over.
Chapter 4
Argon, Colorado,
Nick
“Nick!...Nick! Nick! Where are you?”
Nick looked up from his paperwork with tired eyes. “What is it, Ross?... I'm in here!” Nick called.
Ross swung around the door-frame, panting.
“What are you doing, Ross?”
“It's Miriam, she's on her way down.”
“What! I wasn't expecting her until tomorrow.” Nick panicked, trying to tidy his data sheets into an organized pile.
“This place is a mess! I haven't even typed up my research data from yesterday.” Nick fretted, knocking half his paperwork onto the floor. “Damn it.” Nick groaned.
Nick dropped to the floor and so did Ross, and they quickly gathered up the paper.
Someone cleared their throat behind them and they both tried to stand up at the same time and bumped heads.
“Oww!!” Ross said, rubbing his head.
“Miriam, I wasn't expecting you.” Nick said, taking the paperwork from Ross.
Miriam ignored him and looked at Ross.
“Ross, any reason why you're down here?” Miriam asked in a British accent.
“I was...um, just collecting...this.” Ross stuttered, quickly picking up the tray from the desk which had a half empty teacup and a plate of cookies on.
“I'll just...um..” Ross mumbled, stepping around Miriam and hurrying off down the corridor.
“I hadn't finished that.” Nick muttered, putting his paperwork back on the desk.
“So what do you have for me? Your note said you've had some interesting developments. I would like to see these developments.”
“I haven't had time to type up my report yet-”
“I don't want to see the report.”
“You don't?”
“No. I want to see test subject #220.”
“You want to see her?”
“What is wrong with you, Nick? Are you deaf?”
Nick shook his head.
“Well, are you going to show me or not?”
“Of course. This way.” Nick said, carefully walking around Miriam so not to touch her. She hated being touched. She believed the virus could be spread by touch alone. Nick didn't believe such nonsense, he had been researching the virus since the start and knew this to be untrue.
The virus started with the bats carrying the disease, and once it started to spread it was unstoppable, spread by saliva or blood. Once bitten the saliva would start to take effect and spread through the blood, for some it was slow, for others it was as fast as a speeding car, it took some in as little as a few days. It usually started with symptoms the same as a common cold which gradually turned into a stronger, more aggressive flu. In the end, the victim would grow weaker and weaker, disorientated, then they would slip into a deep sleep which could last from five minutes to twelve hours, then they would come back as one of them.
For others it took them quicker than a bolt of lighting, with seizures and dizziness, but most of those victims were older people and their bodies couldn't fight the virus and a lot of them died and never came back, only a few of the older ones came back, but they usually didn't last very long.
Nick walked to the end of the corridor, the walls were the color of vibrant sunflowers and the carpet was the color of shiny red apples. He stopped at the last door and waited for Miriam to catch up, she always wore stilettos, Nick didn't think he had ever seen her in anything else. Stilettos, pale legs that were as long as bean poles, black pencil skirt, a sheer, white button up blouse with a white bra on underneath. She occasionally mixed it up a bit and wore a sheer, pale blue blouse, but most days she was wearing white, and today was like most days. Her dark, curly, brunette hair was in a single french braid which hung just below her shoulders. Her make-up was minimum, simple, nothing special and she had brown eyes that soaked everything up, she never missed a single thing.
Nick never dressed up, he never left the place, he very rarely went up to the floor above and that was only when he was out of sugar, milk or coffee. His usual attire was brown slacks and a polo shirt. He preferred comfort over tight fitting shirts and smart pants. Just before Nick pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket he caught Miriam eyeing his slippers. He would have changed out of them if he'd been given more warning of her arrival but it was too late now, she would just have to get over his Simpsons slippers, Homer's face on each foot.
Nick turned the key and pushed the door open, the smell of disinfectant and cleaning products hit him like a strong gust of wind.
Miriam wrinkled her nose. “I hate that smell, it's so pungent.” she said, covering her nose.
It was one of the few places Nick knew he was safe from her, she rarely stepped foot inside the Lab.
Nick held out his arm inviting Miriam in and she hesitantly stepped inside.
The Laboratory had white walls and a white floor with speckled gray flecks in it. It took Nick a moment for his eyes to adjust to the brightness, it was so bright compared to the living quarters, it was like being blinded by headlights in the middle of the night.
Nick turned and locked the door behind him, and then he turned back and found Miriam helping herself to protective clothing from the cellophane packets. First, she covered her face, then she hopped on one foot while she placed foot coverings on her stiletto shoes, followed by disposable gloves. Nick only wore all of the disposable clothing when he was in his own Lab, down the corridor, experimenting, but today they weren't going to his Lab. Nick led the way and walked down the corridor, Miriam's stilettos rustled inside the protective covers and clip-clopped against the floor as she went. They walked past Chen's Lab, the door had been kept locked since he disappeared. Nick still hadn't plucked up enough courage to ask Miriam where Chen had gone. Nick had found out from Ross, that Chen had been sent over to the university, teaching and running more tests. But Nick and Ross both knew that if that was true then why was all of Chen's stuff still in his bedroom, back in the living quarters, seven doors down from Nick's office? The same went for Clifford, no word of his disappearance, his bedroom still left untouched. Nick turned left and walked down a different corridor, past more closed doors. They stopped at the end and Nick pulled out his keys again, he noticed Miriam twitch a little, she hated it in here, he could only remember her ever entering the Testing Zone once before and it was 'not a pleasant experience' was how she described it. Once inside, Nick locked the door again, much to Miriam's discomfort. She didn't like confined spaces. The corridor was lined with locked doors, each had a number, and each door had a glass window beside it, a viewing window.
“This way.” Nick said, leading the way.
He hadn't gone very far when he realized Miriam wasn't following him, she was standing in front of a window, watching.
Nick stopped and walked back to her side, and looked through the window.
“Owen, we administered the product three days after infection started to spread, but...”
“Another failed attempt, I do read the reports, Nick. And if I recall t
his is test subject #179. What is it still doing here?”
A loud thud on the window caused them both to jump back.
“Don't worry, he can't see us.” Nick assured Miriam.
The man thumped the glass, his crazy eyes darting in all directions, his head tipped to one side, listening, like a wild dog. He clawed the window and pressed his face up against the glass, baring his teeth, hungry for flesh.
“Ugh, I've seen enough.” Miriam said, turning her head away. “Where is it?” she asked, wanting to see the latest test subject.
Nick turned on his heel and started walking down the corridor. A loud, shrill scream came from one of the other rooms, thumping on the door came from another, and deep groans sounded all around, it was as if they sensed Nick and Miriam's presence, and soon enough the corridor was filled with noise as wild chaos erupted from behind each door. The noise continued, and with each step Nick sensed Miriam's hesitation, he was half expecting her to run back to the main door and beg him to let her back out. But she didn't and they walked all the way to the end, to the last door on the right.
Nick stopped in front of the door with the number 12. But there were no loud screams, no groans, no grunts or incoherent noises on the other side... just silence.
The blind on the window was down, and Miriam pulled the cord and lifted the blind. On the other side, there was a girl with long auburn hair, sitting on a chair with her back to them.
Nick unlocked the door, and Miriam reached out and grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“It's perfectly safe, come and see for yourself.”
Miriam turned her head and looked back at the girl sitting in the room, she wasn't moving, Miriam didn't even know if the girl was awake or asleep.
“I thought you wanted to see the latest test subject?”
“I did.. I do. But I didn't think we were going in.”
“It's fine. She won't hurt you.” Nick said as he twisted the door handle.
Nick walked in and left the door open for Miriam. She kept her eyes fixed on the girl as she reluctantly walked in. She hardly noticed the other items in the room, a neatly-made bed, a small sink in the corner next to a toilet, and a desk with a pot of pencils and drawings of animals, and an unopened book.
Nick walked around to the front of the girl and bent down level with her and smiled.
“It's okay, Miriam, she won't bite.”
Miriam didn't care much for Nick's humor. She slowly moved in front of the girl but stayed behind Nick. The girl, no older than sixteen, sat motionless in the chair. Her auburn hair hung over her pale face, covering her hazel eyes. She looked straight ahead, vacant, not aware of their presence.
Miriam bent down and looked into the girl's eyes, but the girl didn't acknowledge her.
Miriam straightened up and brushed her skirt down.
“What is this?” Miriam asked.
“This is Robin.”
Miriam gave Nick a warning look.
“What have I told you about naming them?”
“I didn't, she told me her name when she arrived.”
“And what have I told you about interacting with them? This is test subject #220, nothing else. But I'm not exactly sure why you thought this was so important? Is she...is she infected? Am I at risk?” Miriam asked, her eyes darting back to the girl.
“No, you're not at risk, but she was.”
“Was?”
“She came to us seven days into the infection and I used my latest product on her, and the results are very exciting.” Nick said, crossing his arms and looking at the girl.
“Exciting? Nick, you've managed to create another vegetable.”
“Yes, but this one isn't mute or blind.”
“So she speaks?”
“Not yet, but I think with a little time...”
“We are running out of time.”
Nick knew Miriam was getting impatient, she wanted a cure pronto, she was worried someone else would beat her to it. She was the main authority around the whole place and she wanted all the glory, to be able to go to Washington, D.C. and tell them she had found the cure, she didn't want anyone else to beat her to it.
“Yes, but this is an improvement. She's completely healthy, not a trace of the virus in her system.”
“She's a cabbage! Who is caring for her?” Miriam asked, eyeing the different tubes attached to the girl, one was a feeding tube, leading to a drip bag hanging up, and another tube was leading to a bag hanging by the girl's side which was full of urine.
Nick twiddled his thumbs.
“So instead of focusing on your work, you're caring for this.”
Miriam looked at the girl and waved her hand in front of her face.
“What do you want me to do with this information? I have a meeting in Washington, D.C. very soon, they want to see results, not brain-dead vegetables. This isn't good enough.” she snapped. “Try again.”
“That's what I have been doing non-stop, trying to create a cure to stop the virus, which I have succeeded in doing, it just needs a few tweaks.” Nick said, annoyed with Miriam for the way she had spoken to him.
“A few tweaks?” she repeated, not impressed.
Miriam let out a sigh and took a moment to think, crafting the right words.
“There are men and women working day and night to produce a cure, don't you want to be the one that cures the world?”
Instead of answering her, Nick said something else without thinking, “Miriam, where is Chen?”
Miriam's eyes narrowed into splits for a second before quickly returning to normal before she spoke.
“He's at the university, I thought his talents would be better suited teaching new students, he wasn't getting much work done down here. Anyway, we don't know how long this will drag out for, others have to learn to do what you guys do.”
“Don't you think it's strange that Chen didn't take any of his belongings? The same goes for Cliff.” Nick said, but regretted it as soon as he had said it. Miriam wasn't one to be messed with and answering back or doubting her would have repercussions.
“What exactly is it you are trying to imply? You know there are others up there that would love to have the chance to get their hands on all of this. Don't you know how lucky you are to be here, safe, well-fed?”
Nick's jaw went slack, even though he didn't like Miriam and didn't trust her, he never looked at it that way. To him, it had always felt like he was being held against his will, forced into the Lab.
“Don't question me or I'll have you reassigned.”
Nick gulped and wondered what reassigned really meant.
Miriam stopped in the doorway and turned back to look at Nick.
“Get rid of that.” she said, pointing at the girl. “There's no good in keeping them if they no longer serve a purpose. And while we're on the subject, why are you keeping live ones still?”
“I need them for my research, as I do Robin, she's very valuable.”
“Useless more like. How will she help your research?”
“I need to run some more tests, blood tests and-”
“Well, just fill a few blood bags and be done with her. Now, let me out of this place. I don't know how you can stand it down here with the constant screams and banging.”
Her heels clicked as she hurried back down the corridor. Nick let out a breath, patted Robin on the shoulder, pulled the door shut behind him and jogged down the corridor to where Miriam was impatiently tapping her foot. Nick fumbled with the keys and dropped them.
“Oh, do hurry up, Nick.”
Nick unlocked the door and Miriam shot out the door like a cannonball. She marched to the next door, stripped off all the protective clothing and discarded of it in the trash compartment in the wall. She ushered Nick along, he sped up and unlocked the next door and she hurried through. It took her all of two seconds to compose herself, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face and straightening her skirt, before she walked back to
his office and waited for him.
He rounded the corner and nearly bumped into her as she was already leaving again.
He quickly stepped back to give her space.
“I am leaving for Washington in two days. Your next batch of test subjects should arrive next week if there aren't any hang-ups. I expect you to have perfected this mishap by the time I return.”
Nick frowned, he was no miracle worker, Miriam expected too much from him, but he was afraid of the consequences if he didn't produce the right results. The more time Nick spent around Miriam, the more he realized she was the devil in disguise. She could be nice to him one minute when she thought he was getting close to a cure, and then the moment he had a setback she turned into a vile creature. Nick was actually scared for his life after the disappearance of his friends, Chen, and Cliff. Since their departure, he had been alone down in the Lab, apart from Ross, who liked to make up excuses to come and see him.
“Nick, did you hear me?”
“Hmm?”
“I said, you need to clear some of those rooms out before your next batch arrives. I will ask Steven to clean them out for-”
“No!” Nick said, a little too quickly in response.
Miriam raised an eyebrow.
“Steven makes too much mess when he clears them out, I can do it just fine on my own.”
Nick didn't want Steven going on some mad killing spree again, and slaughtering Robin in the process as well. It had happened before when Steven had been asked to clear out the rooms, he bludgeoned nearly all of the test subjects, even the ones he was specifically told not to, then Ross and Nick were left to clean up the mess. It was much easier to gas them and have Ross sort them out, he was discreet about it and didn't turn it into a bloody war game. Plus Nick had the only set of keys and he wasn't about to hand them over without a fight.
“If you say so.” Miriam said, before sauntering out of his office. “See you when I get back.” she called.
Nick slumped into his desk chair wondering if the next few weeks would be his last. He had to find a cure that didn't turn people into a catatonic state, which was all that seemed to be happening lately, but Robin was the first, real improvement in months. She was cured, but she couldn't even lift a finger. She had spent hours in her room drawing and reading, now she just sat in a chair staring off into space.
