“And they did testing on you?”
I glanced at Keanu, who’d finished jamming the fireplace. “Yes, they did. And because they saw what I could do, they won’t stop until they have me back.”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Chopra shook his head. “I don’t understand. I saw what you did outside, but it seems there is more.”
“A lot more,” Keanu echoed. “I’ve seen it firsthand. What you saw outside is a small part of what she can do. She was holding back.”
“I guess we should be thankful that Abi is on our side.”
“Oh yeah. You don’t want to get on her bad side,” Finn added, giving me his adorable crooked grin.
“And before we go any further,” I used Finn’s shoulder as leverage to stand up. “I just want to let you all know that Finn and I won’t be returning to the bunker. Once we get out of here, we’ll be going on our own.”
“I figured as much.” Keanu’s sly smile made me smile. “Where are you headed?”
“North,” I lied. “To find a family member.”
“Do you know if this family member is alive?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we’ll need to survive here first.”
“Oh, we will,” I said.
“Did you see how many Arvies there were out there? More than I’ve ever seen,” one of the other soldiers replied. It was the younger voice I’d heard in the chopper.
Keanu turned to the boy. “That’s because this is your first mission, kid. And we don’t need to be reminded. We can hear them.” He laughed and shook his head. “By the way…Finn, Abi, these two are members of my new squad. Fisher and Malcolm.”
They each gave a nod of acknowledgement, and we nodded in return.
Fisher was the younger voice, and once I took in his face, I realized just how young. He couldn’t be any older than sixteen, tops. He was on the tall side, and thin with blonde hair and baby-blue eyes.
Malcolm appeared shy and reserved. He was about my height, heavyset, maybe eighteen, and had light brown hair and brown eyes. His eyes were averted, and I didn’t take offense. He was probably scared from the horror stories the government told about me.
Screams echoed down the chimney, and we all jumped as a loud crash reverberated through the rooms. We rushed to the doorway to see if the blockade was doing its job. Crimson dripped down the pipes, soaking the ground below. No Arvies would be getting through that opening, especially once they started piling up inside.
“One down,” Fisher cheered.
“Yeah, and a thousand to go,” Keanu huffed.
Fisher leaned against the wall, his eyes on me. “Are the stories true, about you and Finn? That he went out on a mission and his chopper went down, and you went out to find him?”
How could he have known about the story? “Yes,” I smiled.
“Is it true you found him because he left you clues that only you knew about?” He asked. His face was bright and so innocent looking.
I nodded and laughed, looking into Finn’s beautiful brown eyes.
“When I’d heard that Finn’s chopper went down, I demanded to go out on the rescue mission. When we arrived, it didn’t look like there were any survivors. Then, looking down at a dead Arvy near my feet, I found his first clue. That’s when I knew he was alive, and if I followed his clues, they would lead me directly to him.”
Finn squeezed me. “If she hadn’t come on that mission, I would be dead today. I was severely injured, and barely made it back to the bunker.”
“You died, right?” Fisher asked.
“I did,” Finn’s eyes went distant. “My heart stopped several times, but they were able to resuscitate me.” His eyes found mine. “It makes me have a deeper appreciation for life, every heartbeat, every moment. You never know when you could breathe your last breath.”
Fisher slowly shook his head back and forth. “Wow. That’s some story. I hope we get out of here alive so I can tell everyone I met you.” A smile widened on his lips, and his baby-blue eyes glistened as he looked between us.
Loud screams and pounding were coming not only from the chimney but outside the room.
“They’re inside,” Malcolm said, jumping to attention, checking his weapon.
“Shouldn’t we be finding a way out?” Dr. Chopra asked, his voice trembling.
“For now, we’re secure. But if you open that door, we’ll be lunch,” Keanu said, checking his ammo. The second chopper should be arriving any minute now. We’ll leave then.”
A shrill, high-pitched scream made Dr. Chopra jump. His hand whacked his belt, which carried a small black case. The case came loose and crashed to the ground. The lid popped open, and a vial rolled across the concrete floor, coming to a stop at Finn’s boot.
Finn bent and picked up the vial filled with a clear white liquid.
“What is this?” he asked, inspecting it.
“Be careful with that.” Dr. Chopra strode over and took the vial from his hand, gently placing it back into the black container.
“That better not be a freaking chemical agent,” Keanu growled.
Dr. Chopra snapped the box shut and shook his head. “No. The vial contains the first ARV-3 virus.”
“What? The anti-radiation vaccine?” I asked.
Dr. Chopra nodded. “Anti-radiation was a part of it—the part the government wanted people to believe it was for. But in actuality, the vial contains adenovirus recombinant DNA.”
Fisher scratched his head. “So ARV is not an abbreviation for anti-radiation vaccine like the government said it was?”
“No. ARV is short for Adenovirus Recombinant DNA Vector,” Dr. Chopra corrected.
“What does vector mean?” Fisher asked. I was glad he asked the questions, as I was wondering myself.
“Vector is simply the delivery method,” he explained.
Fisher nodded, his brow furrowed. “So what exactly was this vaccine supposed to do? Wasn’t it meant to repel the radiation in the body, so they could survive?”
“The recombinant adenovirus is the vector of choice for genomics research and has been found to deliver genes with one hundred percent efficiency, which is why we chose to work with it. The virus can be modified to carry new DNA information into a host cell. Our goal was to amend the weaker human DNA genes by strengthening them, and making them able to withstand the radioactive fallout, along with certain diseases, ultimately keeping the host alive.”
“Did you test it on humans?”
“No, we never tested humans until we were sure of the side effects. We used rats and monkeys during the early stages of testing,” he replied.
Keanu shook his head. “The hundreds of thousands of pissed-off mutants left topside would probably beg to differ. So, why did the first two vaccines fail? What happened to the animals that were injected?”
“The first batch of ARV was a complete failure. Within three days of being affected by doses of radiation, all test subjects were dead.”
“What kind of doses were you giving them?”
“High doses. The kind we were expecting during a nuclear fallout.”
“Whoa. That freaking sucks for them,” Keanu added. “And the second batch?”
“Yes, well, the second batch showed potential. The injected hosts survived large doses of radiation and lived ten times longer than the first, but in the end, they all ended up dying horrible deaths.”
“What would you define as horrible?” Keanu asked.
“They suffered from extreme hemophilia—internal bleeding. The bleeding was so severe, it caused damage to the host's joints, organs, and tissues; ultimately, leading to death.”
“Well, shit,” Keanu cursed. “So what was the difference between that second vaccine and the third one that was approved and mass distributed?”
“A lot. We started over and remodified the genes to carry the new, stronger DNA. During testing, two of the ten subjects died within a few days, which is common, as some hosts react differently than others. However, the re
maining eight subjects showed an even greater resistance to the radiation. There were no signs of hemophilia, and the only adverse effect was clouding in the eyes, which didn’t seem to affect their sight. We believed it was the body’s way of adjusting to its environment, of putting up a barrier against the radiation.
“We were well into the third week of testing when the government came to us. They had been warned of the solar flare and demanded we submit all results of the ARV-3 vaccine. Within hours of sending it, they approved the serum and sent the data to every available lab, where they created large quantities of the vaccine to be distributed. A week later, the solar flare hit Earth, knocking out the national power grid.”
“So they knew the flare was coming a week in advance?” Fisher squeaked.
Dr. Chopra took a seat on a dusty ledge. “Of course they knew.”
“Why didn’t they warn people?”
Keanu pulled a few more metal poles and shoved them up the chimney. “I’ll tell you why. Because they needed to get their shit together before the national grid shut down. They knew once they announced it, there would be mass hysteria. Which is exactly what happened.”
“He’s right.” Dr. Chopra nodded. “The world went mad—rioting, looting, murders, and suicides. It was as scary then as it is now. Maybe even more so.”
“But the vaccine worked. The people topside didn’t die,” Fisher noted.
“Yes, it made them resistant to radiation, but it also mutated them. With the proper time and testing, we could have had the full results. We eventually got them, a month late, but we were already secured in the bunker, and it was much too late to warn anyone.”
“What were your results?” I asked.
“The subjects became completely hairless, their skin thickened and became rough, and their eyes transformed, becoming completely white. They also became aggressive, showing signs of dementia. Eventually, they became violent to the point of cannibalism.”
“So, you knew the vaccine would create these violent mutants?” Fisher asked, his eyes wide.
“Yes and no. Up until that point, it hadn’t been tested on humans, so we didn’t know how the human DNA would react to the serum. But most of us assumed the fallout would destroy every living thing on the topside, including those injected. We had no idea they would survive those thirteen years. And I can’t imagine what they had to endure.”
But I knew all too well what they endured.
I spoke up, as I remembered what I saw in their minds. “They went through the most extreme hell on earth. An unending agony that wouldn’t cease. Many of them watched their loved ones die, or commit suicide, but there were those who suffered through the torment, mutating into something else. During mutation, their hatred toward those who survived underground grew.”
Dr. Chopra’s head dropped, and his shoulders slouched.
Malcolm looked up with a pained look. “You shot them up with an untested vaccine and left them topside to die. And the government wonders why they are pissed and want to murder us all?”
“I don’t blame them,” Dr. Chopra said. “But I wasn’t the one who approved this serum to be massively distributed. I would never send out something untested. I was just hired to work with a team of scientists to find a way to try and keep humanity alive—to survive until they could find shelter. We knew there would be casualties; we just never knew the serum would keep them alive through the fallout, causing their body to mutate.”
He patted his belt. “I just need to get these samples to the main lab in the bunker. These are the last of the original serum, and could be useful in creating a vaccine that will strengthen the survivors’ DNA, making them resistant to the mutant bites.”
“Screw that,” Keanu huffed. “After seeing what that shit did to those things up there, I refuse to be injected with anything the government approves.”
“Hey.” Fisher stood and walked toward the chimney. “I think I hear the chopper!”
“How the hell can you hear the chopper over the damn Arvy screams?” Keanu huffed.
“Because I can also hear gunfire.”
“I hear it too,” Malcolm said, stepping near Fisher.
Loud bangs nearly brought the door into the room down. The Arvies were outside. Keanu and Malcolm ran over and secured it as best they could, but the horde only hit harder and harder, knowing we were inside.
The chanting of death in my mind was growing, becoming unbearable. I dropped to the ground, hands covering my head.
“It’ll only be a matter of time before they get in,” Keanu yelled. “We need to find a way out of here.”
Finn glanced at me. “Go,” I said, my head spinning.
“I’ll be right back.” He leaned down kissing my forehead.
“How are we going to get on the roof?” Dr. Chopra asked, his face wrought with stress.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find a way,” Finn replied. “We always do.”
He ran toward a window at the opposite corner of the room, which was completely blocked off by boxes and pipes. Throwing and pushing things out of the way, Finn uncovered it in seconds. But he was having trouble opening it.
“Damn window is swollen shut.” He took the butt of his rifle and slammed it against the dirty window. It shattered, letting daylight stream in. Once he cleared the glass from the window, he leaned his head outside. His weapon quickly followed, along with a few rounds.
“I’m out. I need more ammo,” he called, pulling back into the room.
“I’ll get some,” Fisher said, running over to the weapons bag.
“Damn, they won’t give up,” Keanu said, pressing his back against the door with Malcom. It was being jostled so hard that their large bodies bounced off it.
“Revenge. It’s all they have. All they live for,” I said, feeling weaker by the minute.
The pain in my head was excruciating, like nails being drilled into my skull. And the noise. There was no way to shut off the damn noise.
“Oh my God, she’s bleeding,” Fisher said, his finger directed at my face.
I touched my nose, and when my finger pulled back, it was coated with crimson.
Finn cursed, running back toward me.
“It’s okay. I'm all right.” I pinched my nose with my shirt. “It happens when they’re close.”
“I have a beta blocker you can take,” Dr. Chopra offered. “I take them for anxiety. Maybe it will help you?”
“No way. She isn’t taking any more shit,” Finn snapped. “Those damn drugs are what did this to her.”
“That’s not entirely true,” I corrected. “I was having nosebleeds and headaches before they gave me the serum. It’s a side effect of my own freakish genetics.” I turned to Dr. Chopra. “What will the beta blockers do?”
He stepped toward me. “They mostly block the effects of stress hormones, things like increased heart rate or panic attacks.”
“Do you think that’s what I’m experiencing now? A panic attack?”
“No, and I don’t think this pill will take away the symptoms. But it might dull them.”
I stuck out my palm. “I’ll try it. If we don’t get out of here soon, my head will explode. I need all the help I can get.”
Dr. Chopra unzipped another pouch on his waist and brought out a small pill bottle. He pinched one pill with his fingers and dropped it into my open palm.
“Are there any side effects?” Finn asked, stopping my hand from reaching my mouth.
“The only side effect I’ve had is tiredness,” Dr. Chopra noted. “That is because the beta blocker will slow down the heart, making her fatigued or drowsy. She could also experience shortness of breath.”
“Being fatigued is the least of my worries,” I said. “I’ll try anything at this point.”
“Okay, fine. But we need to get you out of here,” Finn urged.
“Yeah,” Keanu replied. “We all need to get out of here.”
GUNFIRE ERUPTED OUTSIDE AS FINN ran back to the window. “Do you guys ha
ve any smoke grenades?” he asked.
“We should have one in the bag,” Keanu replied. “Fisher get him the red one. Quick.”
Fisher dumped the contents of the bag onto the ground and sifted through the pile until he found the smoke grenade. He tossed it over to Finn, who immediately pulled the pin and dropped it out the window.
“Why’d you drop it?” Keanu yelled.
“I wanted to signal the helicopter we were here. There’s a ledge about ten feet down. If we can get there, it’ll be easier for them to pick us up with the ladder.”
“Problem is, we used our only rope to get down here,” Keanu said, banging the back of his head against the door.
“It’s ten feet, at most. We can all jump. It’s no big deal,” Finn said.
“I have a bad knee,” Dr. Chopra noted.
“Then I’ll lower you down as far as I can. Let’s go, Doctor.”
Dr. Chopra quickly ambled over to Finn and listened to his instructions. Finn handed him a gun, which he refused at first, then placed in his pouch. Then, he exited the window, belly down and feet first. Finn grabbed hold of his wrists and lowered him down as far as possible. The muscles in Finn’s biceps were bulging, but his face didn’t show the strain of holding another man’s full body out the window.
I walked over to him and peeked out, watching Dr. Chopra come within five feet of the ground.
“I’m going to drop you now,” Finn said. “You can make it.”
“All right,” he replied.
Finn let go of his wrists, and he went crashing to the ledge below, landing on his side. He didn’t even try to land on his feet.
“Fisher you’re next,” Finn called out. Fisher finished throwing the rest of the weapons in the bag he’d dumped out, then ran over to the window.
“Leave the bag,” Keanu yelled. “I’ll take it.”
Fisher didn’t argue. He dropped the bag on the ground and slung his rifle over his shoulder. After a few quick instructions, Finn lowered him out the window and dropped him down to Dr. Chopra.
“Holy shit,” Fisher screamed, his eyes wide with fright.