Authors: Chrissy Peebles
Tags: #teen, #Young Adult, #Horror, #zombie, #Adventure, #zombies
Chapter 25
Lucas, Nick, and I sat at a small table with an elderly man named Mr. Konath, who was ready to tell us what they’d learned so far from all of their testing. I nervously drummed my fingers on the table. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.
Mr. Konath held a folder full of notes and began to ruffle through them.
Lucas leaned back in the chair. “So…what’s the deal?”
“It’s complicated,” he said.
“We can handle it, Doc. Spill it,” Lucas said.
The man looked at all of us, then spoke in a confident manner. “We’d need more test subjects to verify all this, but for the time being, we do have some strong guesses as to what’s happening.”
“How does the cure work?” Nick asked.
The scientist went into a long, detailed explanation, using words I couldn’t even understand.
“Do you mind speaking English?” I said.
“The virus destroys, but the serum restores and rejuvenates with healing properties. Essentially, it fixes the damaged DNA.”
“One of my biggest fears is that Claire and Val will change into hybrids,” I said. “Will that eventually happen to everybody who takes the serum?”
He started to go into some deep, scientific explanation all over again, one I still couldn’t even begin to understand.
I help up my hand and motioned for him to stop. “Mister, you might as well be speaking zombie. We don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Oh sorry. Of course,” Mr. Konath said. “The serum has…uh, what do you call those zombies that can think and reason?”
“Hybrids,” Nick said.
“Very well. The serum seems to have a hybrid effect on those of a specific blood type.”
I tried to make sense of it, and I finally understood what he was trying to tell me. It was good news: Not everyone who took the serum would change into a hybrid.
Mr. Konath pushed his glasses up on his nose. “The reason Jackie has turned and Claire and Val haven’t is because they have a different blood type. Under the microscope, the virus is aggressive. When the serum is administered, the virus reacts differently according to the blood type of the host. Those with B+ blood will not benefit from the serum because the healing properties fail after a time, and the cells collapse. Each body is different, so it can happen sooner or later, depending on the host. The mind may stay sharp and clear, but the body will continue to decay as the virus takes over, and when the hunger kicks in, these hybrids will have no other choice but to behave like zombies, a more intelligent, highly dangerous variety.”
“So you’re saying it only happens to people with B+ blood?”
He nodded. “Val and Claire are, therefore, not susceptible.” He set down his folder. “As I said, we’d need to study this longer, with a broader sampling, but these are our findings thus far.”
“Val’s gonna be okay!” Lucas yelled, jumping up from his seat and giving high-fives to Nick and me.
My brother’s eyes welled up with tears as emotion consumed him, and he shot me the biggest grin I’d ever seen on his face.
It took everything in me not to start bawling myself. “She’s gonna be okay,” I said softly. “She really beat this thing.”
Nick’s voice was choked, and he couldn’t speak, so he only nodded.
I clapped his shoulder and smiled. “We did it, Nick. We saved Val.”
“We did, little brother,” he whispered. “It’s finally over…all the worry.”
Nick suddenly grabbed me in a huge bear hug, lifting me off the floor. When Lucas joined us, we shouted and embraced each other, laughing, screaming, and shouting like we’d just won the Super Bowl.
My brother’s face beamed. “I can’t wait to tell Val the awesome news.”
“This means Claire and Val can be released from lockup, right?” I asked.
“I’ll have to discuss it with the others,” Mr. Konath said. “Some might still be uneasy about it. I’m not sure they’ll allow it, even with these results.”
My brother simply smiled, thinking the same thing I was. If Claire and Val weren’t going to change, there was no point for us to stick around, to make them stay in those cages. We could go somewhere else, for more tests, to a place where our sister and friend wouldn’t be locked up. Nick was desperately homesick, and so was I. We wanted to know if our parents and Grams were okay. Deep in my heart, I was sure they’d escaped the horrors.
Even still, Mr. Konath’s word that Val and Claire might not be enough, and we had no way of knowing if the island would accept the bitten and presumably cured. My thoughts were to find my family and then relocate somewhere where we could all be happy. If the island refused to let Val, Claire, and Jackie on it, then we’d just go somewhere else. I knew my Grams and parents would gladly leave so we could all be together. Then I thought about the other piece to our difficult puzzle.
“What about Jackie? Can you cure her or not?” I said.
Mr. Konath cleared his throat. “We want to fix this problem as much as you do, Dean. Right now, the vaccine is capable of healing anyone other than people with B+ blood. This truly is a miracle, but we’ll have to screen everyone for blood type before administering the serum. What we’ve learned from Jackie is that B+ people cannot use it.”
I swallowed hard. “So a B+ person can never be cured?”
“We hope to find a cure one day for people of every blood type.”
“Can’t you try?” I asked.
“We are, but it will take more research and more time.”
I stood, emotion edging my voice. “Try harder.”
He grabbed his folder and stood to leave, but Nick suddenly got up and blocked the entrance.
“Yes, Nick?” Mr. Konath said. “Do you have another question?”
“You’ve been working on a cure all year with not much success, right?”
His gaze narrowed. “Yes, but—”
“Then we come along and do you this big favor, delivering a cure right into your hands.”
“Yes, but as I’ve explained, the cure isn’t perfect, and—”
“It’s perfect for anyone without B+ blood.”
He cocked a brow. “What are you getting at, Nick?”
“The rules have changed,” he said firmly.
“Excuse me?”
“Claire and Val are not susceptible to changing. You said so yourself. The cure worked for them, and I want them out of lockup, effective immediately.”
“As I said, some of the folks here might be a bit reluctant to—”
“A bit reluctant? Doc, this isn’t up for debate. I want my sister and Claire released now, or I’m gonna be a bit reluctant to walk out of here without busting a few heads. I’ll take my three vials and go before you can even blink.”
“You can’t do that. We’ve already used up the only vial you gave us. We need more.”
“Sucks to be you,” Nick said, sitting down and kicking his boots up on the table. “If I were you, I’d seriously give into my demands.”
“It’s blackmail.”
“Let the girls go,” Nick said firmly.
The man let out a long huff.
I couldn’t stifle a smile as Nick’s tough side kicked in full gear.
“Look, mister, we realize it might take time to cure Jackie,” Lucas said, “but that’s no reason to keep two innocent girls in jail.”
“You said yourself that they aren’t going to turn into hybrids,” I argued. “They’re not B+.”
“If they stay here, they have to be locked up,” he said. “As I told you, the serum needs to be studied more, and nothing is certain. These are only preliminary reports, and we cannot endanger our people here based on conjecture. I think you boys are getting carried away, getting your hopes up before you should, and—”
“There’s not much zombie activity in the neighborhood,” I said. “We’ll secure a house in the neighborhood and work with you on our terms.”
“I-I don’t know. I don’t have the authority to give the go-ahead on that. I’ll have to discuss it with the others before—”
Lucas crossed his arms. “Then you’d better run along and call a town meeting,” he said sternly. “And I suggest you hurry and get back at us. You’ve pretty much worn out our patience.”
Nick pointed to his wrist, as if he was wearing a watch. “Time’s tickin’, buddy. You’ve got thirty minutes, and we’re outta here. You’ve got yourself a couple of nice, secure holding cells there, and if you want to keep them that way, you might wanna release our girls voluntarily.” He pulled out his gun for dramatic effect. “I’m not afraid to bust somebody out of jail, by any means necessary.”
“Um…we’ll get back to you momentarily,” Mr. Konath rushed out the door.
“Woo-hoo!” Lucas said as soon as the scientist was gone.
“Way to play hardball, big brother,” I said.
“Little bro, that’s the only kinda ball I know how to play,” Nick said, then stuffed his gun in the back of his waistband and smiled victoriously, knowing we now had the upper hand.
Chapter 26
Nick paced as we waited for the scientist to return. He tried to hide the emotion in his eyes, but I knew how worried he was about Val and Claire being locked up. Finally, after a few minutes, he motioned for Lucas to follow him. “We’ll be right, back, Dean. You know waiting is not my style. Stay here in case he comes back.”
I had no idea what they were up to, but I assumed they were going to put pressure on until we got our way. Like my brother had said, hardball was the only game he knew how to play.
After Lucas and Nick left, Jonathon walked in. “May I please have a word with you?”
I motioned him in. “Sure. So…are you gonna let Val and Claire out or what?”
“I’m not here about that. Everyone is still talking.”
“Fine. Then why are you here?”
“I talked to Jackie, Val, and Claire back at the nursing home,” Jonathon said. “I stood guard with all of them at various times. They’re sweet girls, and I’m trying to fight for them.”
“Thanks, Jonathon. I know we’ve been a bit hard on you, but I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” I said.
“Dean, I know what you did for Steven and Rachel. My son takes foolish risks, especially when it comes to that girlfriend of his, and I have no doubt he’d be dead if you hadn’t gone with him on that secret rescue mission. He finally told me about it, about every close call. I owe you my life because you saved my kid, and I’m not about to give up on Jackie or Claire or your sister.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m specifically here about Jackie. I want you to know I’m going to do everything I can to help.”
“Good. I’m glad she’s not just a number to you. These other people, these so-called doctors, never met her before…well, they don’t know Jackie like we do. They only know the monster she’s become.” I bit my lip and looked away. “Sometimes I wonder if these people in their lab coats even care. She’s not just some random test subject, some monkey in a cage. She’s the most wonderful person in the world, and I’ll stop at nothing to get her back. I helped Steven because I understand that kind of love—the kind you’d do anything for.”
“I admire your dedication. Most people would’ve given up already.”
“I know I didn’t meet Jackie that long ago, but I feel like I’ve known her my entire life, and I’ll never give up on her. Tell me, Jonathon, do you know why the serum doesn’t work on people with her blood type?” I held up my hand. “And please don’t talk to me in all that scientific mumbo-jumbo.”
“Well, Dean, strands of DNA are made of nucleotide bases, A, T, G, and C. There can also be stretches of DNA strands called genes.”
“Genes. Got it.” I nodded.
He continued, “The serum has a healing property that fixes the entire cell from the inside out, but with Jackie’s blood type, the new changes don’t hold. Changes can start happening within a day. I can pinpoint the exact damaged sites under the microscope.” He shook his head. “Also, as far as that ability to summon zombies, we haven’t found any evidence of a psychic connection with the undead.”
“Then why do zombies seem to come from everywhere when Jackie’s awake?” I asked.
“I think she lets out some kind of a high-pitched sound no human can hear, sort of a like a dog whistle that zombies can detect from miles away.”
“But you saw how those hybrids were controlling the zombies back at the nursing home,” I said.
“I know, but it wasn’t psychic. The hybrids were calling them with that noise. Most of the attacks were done by hybrids, and the less intelligent zombies simply took advantage, like scavengers. The zombies that came after us in that water attack were hybrids, not regular zombies. Again, the regular zombies just happened to be there and took full advantage when they saw a meal.”
I didn’t feel like arguing with a scientist who seemed to know a little about what he was talking about, so I changed the subject. “You mentioned damaged sites. What’s up with that?”
“The serum seeped into Jackie’s DNA and messed with the base, the abasic site.”
“Sounds like some computer language from the eighties, way before Windows. What is it?”
He laughed. “It’s got nothing to do with computers,” he said. “It’s one of the most common forms of damage in a genetic blueprint. Most of the damage can be repaired by the serum, but in B+ blood, it leads to a genetic mutation. All the cells resort back to their prior state, but her mind is able to stay clear and focused.”