Chapter Thirteen

In the morning, Dr. Richards comes for us in the living quarters. Todd and Reese are back in front of the TV playing some snowboarding game that actually looks pretty entertaining, and the rest of us are enjoying some warm breakfast on the couches. He hangs in the doorway for a minute, just observing us as if we were mice in one of his experiments. He doesn’t speak until Ryder clears his throat.

“I need a specimen,” he says. “I believe I’m ready to begin trials using what I have left of my first batch of the serum. So I need you all to go outside and find me the best specimen you can. Preferably one with all of its appendages intact, otherwise my results won’t be of much use. I’d eventually like to test my serum on one of the more decomposed ones—one that won’t survive if it changes back—just for the sake of my curiosity.”

Ryder grimaces, and the rest of us aren’t feeling too pleasant about his attitude either. This dude is seriously creepy. Even the way he talks about these specimens—with a fire in his eyes and a spring in his step—is very off-putting. It makes me want to go take a hot shower and burn everything he’s ever touched. Not for the first time, I really wish our miracle scientist was a completely different person. I’d take just about anyone over him.

“Not all of us are going,” Aaron says, much to the surprise of Dr. Richards. “Some of us are going to stay in here.”

“You don’t trust me?” Dr. Richards asks.

“It’s not that,” Ryder lies. “If something goes wrong out there, you’d be back to square one. This way, if something happens, you still have a second group of us to help you.”

Dr. Richards nods his head as he thinks. “I understand. That’s very smart,” he says, as if he’s amazed that Ryder isn’t dumber than a box of rocks like he thought he was. I feel offended on Ryder’s behalf, and I see the rest of our group bristle just a bit as they catch what Dr. Richards is implying.

“So, who will be staying and who will be going?” he asks, surveying our members. “Surely those two girls are not going to be involved,” he says, eyeing Daisy and Naomi. “They’re not qualified for a job of this magnitude.” I clamp a hand down on Naomi’s shoulder to keep her from exploding at the implication she can’t take care of herself. “After all, they were both half dead when you arrived.”

“Aaron, Todd, and Madison will be handling this,” Ryder says, pointing to each of them since we all doubt Dr. Richards has taken the time to learn our names. “That way, if something happens, you still have me, Reese, and Sam to help you. The six of us are more than capable, even split up.”

Dr. Richards looks at the three of them as if he’s sizing up their potential. “Very well. Come with me; I’ll lead you to the front exit, and when I open the gates, you’ll fetch me the best specimen you can get for me.”

“And how are we supposed to catch them? With our bare hands?” Todd asks with a sneer. Madison elbows him, but he ignores her.

“I’ll be lending you some equipment for your excursion. We have everything you should need. How you choose to do this is up to you, as long as I get my specimen. But be warned, if I deem the situation to be hazardous to my work here, I will not open that gate again. Make sure you’re free from any stragglers or you’ll be stuck out there.”

Todd glares, but thankfully he keeps his mouth shut. We all discussed this possibility earlier, and begged him to keep his mouth shut if it came up. He knows that Ryder and I will be in the control room with Dr. Richards, and we won’t leave them outside that fence no matter what happens. I know it must kill Todd to remain silent when Dr. Richard just threatened to let them all die if things go wrong, but he understands there’s a bigger picture here, just like the rest of us all do.

“We want to watch, to make sure nothing goes wrong,” I say, stepping forward. “We’ll stay out of the way, but I can’t let my cousin and friends out there without being able to watch over them.”

Dr. Richards’ face screws up until he looks like he just sucked on a lemon that didn’t agree with him, but he doesn’t refuse. Maybe he understands just like we do that this agreement between us works both ways, and we have things that he needs as well. If so, that might make things more comfortable for us during our stay here. As long as he thinks that we have things to offer him, we should be okay, even if he is mad as a hatter.

Reese stays behind in the living quarters with Naomi to watch over Daisy in the event something does go wrong. If Dr. Richards wants to mistakenly believe that Naomi is useless, we’ll let him go ahead and think that. She can be kind of like our ace in the hole that we can bring out if we need to. But I’m hoping things with Dr. Richards don’t turn too sour.

We follow Dr. Richards down the main hallway until we get to the front exit, and I try to memorize the path in case we need to make a run for it, or come to the rescue of Madison, Aaron, and Todd. I’m sure that Ryder had it memorized from the moment we walked through it the first time, but I want to have that knowledge for myself as well. I hate thinking that anything bad might happen to Ryder, but I can’t deny the possibility that it could happen. It would be a foolish thing to think, and I haven’t survived this long by being foolish…

There’s a stack of gear by the door, and he allows them to sift through it, choosing what they think will work best to complete their goals. I see Todd grab a long metal pole with a wire loop on the end, the perfect thing to snag a zombie by the neck and lead him anywhere we need to take him. Madison grabs another pole, ignoring a box of netting and some rubber rain boots. I’m not sure what use Dr. Richards thought those would have, but I guess anything can be of use if you think hard enough.

Aaron takes out his weapon and checks it over while Madison and Todd prepare themselves mentally. I can see how nervous the two of them are, and I don’t blame them. Willingly going outside a safe zone and putting yourself in danger is not something any of us look forward to, but sometimes it’s necessary.

Ignoring Dr. Richards, I head for the front exit and give Madison a big hug. She’s careful not to hit me with the pole while she squeezes me back. “Be careful out there,” I say.

“Be careful in here,” she whispers back.

Dr. Richards clears his throat, and I let go of her, hopefully not for the last time. Without a word, he turns and disappears back down the hallway, and Ryder and I follow after him, glaring at his back the whole way. If he can sense our hostility towards him, he doesn’t show it, but I’m sure not much escapes a man as intelligent as him. He probably knows we all detest him, especially after our emotionally charged conversation about the government yesterday.

He brings us to a new room, one we haven’t been in before. The entire far wall is covered in monitor screens, and there’s a console beneath it that is covered in switches and buttons. Surprisingly, there’s still live footage on every single screen, except for the one in the very top left corner, which is black and unresponsive. Dr. Richards takes a seat in the chair at the center of the console, and he pull a microphone in close.

“Head out to the fence, and I’ll open it for you when you arrive. Try not to waste any time.”

I narrow my eyes at the back of his head, but he keeps his attention fixed solely on the screens in front of him. Turning my attention to them, I see our group leaving the front door and vanishing from the screen. Dr. Richards points out their current screen, and I see footage of the entire front yard leading up to the gate. They stop and catch their breath before Aaron gives a thumbs up to the camera attached to the gate.

I watch carefully to see which button Dr. Richards uses to open the gate, just in case we have to overpower him and open it ourselves. It’s a small gray button in the corner of a control panel, and a green light begins to blink rapidly after he presses it. Ryder and I trade glances before returning to the screen. The gate opens, and the group rushes out, searching for the nearest zombie that will do.

Thankfully there aren’t many out there for them to choose from, but I’m afraid that the noise of the gate opening and closing will attract many more to the area. They need to get in there and deal with five or six currently out there and then get out before anything bad happens.

I examine all of the zombies on the screen, and immediately deduce that two are unacceptable for Dr. Richards. One is missing an arm, and the other’s throat has been ripped out, maybe by another zombie, or possibly a wild animal. Another one has what looks like a broken ankle, but that doesn’t necessarily rule it out. It might actually make it the best one to choose, at least from our standpoint, as it will be less of a threat to us since its movements are more sluggish.

Aaron immediately takes out the zombie nearest to them. It’s the one with the shredded throat and he knows it won’t do us any good. Madison jabs at another with the butt of her pole, knocking it to the ground. Todd stomps on its head with his heavy, thick-soled boots. Two more well placed stomps and its head bursts open like a watermelon, and he shakes some brain matter off of his boots while Aaron covers him.

There are only three left, but my eyes keep flitting to the edge of the trees, where I expect to find several more pouring out of the trees. But none arrive, and Aaron sets his sights on one near the back. He raises his weapon and fires, taking out the one with the missing arm, leaving only two left. Madison and Todd circle the one in back while Aaron clubs the final one with his gun, knocking it to the ground. He bashes its skull in until it stops moving.

He goes to offer Madison and Todd backup, but it’s clear they don’t need it. Todd is luring the zombie towards him, putting its back to Madison. She comes up behind it and loops the wire around its neck, tightening it as far as she can. If it were a normal, living creature, its air supply would be cut off and it would choke to death before it was any use. But since zombies don’t need to breathe to keep going, all it does is anchor him in place and keep him from getting within biting range.

Two lone zombies come out of the trees, attracted by either the gate or the gunshots, and the group hurries back to the fence. Aaron gives another thumbs up to the camera, and Dr. Richards pushes the gray button. The gate slides open, and Todd acts as bait, luring the zombie toward the lab while Madison guides it along from behind. Aaron remains a few yards behind them, acting as a lookout in case the zombies coming out of the trees put on a burst on a burst of speed and need to be put down.

But the gate closes behind them, and the group is safe and sound behind the fence. Their mission went off without a hitch, and I let out a heavy sigh of relief. I’ve unknowingly been clenching the control panel so hard my fingers ache, and I let go of it with a chuckle. Ryder pulls me close, comforting me. “What now?” he asks over my shoulders.

“We’ll take it down to my lab, and I’ll begin the testing phase. All of you are welcome to watch the experiment,” he says, though it sounds like it kills him to offer. “I suppose you’d all like to see what happens just as much as me. After all, this is going to be the scientific breakthrough of the century.”

Ryder and I glance at each other, and I can tell that he’s starting to get creeped out by Dr. Richards’ attitude again. I don’t blame him. He’s sliding out of his uppity behavior and back into creepy doctor mode. It’s obvious he’s relishing the thought of getting near one of these things, and that’s not normal behavior. There’s no telling what this man is capable of. I just hope he’s not all talk and can actually give us the results we’ve been so desperate for.

*****

We meet Aaron, Madison, and Todd near the main exit. The zombie is struggling against Madison’s hold on it, but it’s clear he’s not going anywhere. We all keep our distance, but Dr. Richards gets right up close and personal with it, studying it from head to toe while it gnashes its teeth, reaching for him. I think about warning him to step back, but he’s not going to listen even if I waste my breath.

He finishes his assessment and nods. “He’ll do. Follow me,” he says, turning and walking away.

We let Todd and Madison lead the way, keeping a safe distance back. As we head down to the lab, I try to calm myself down. We haven’t even begun the testing phase yet, but already my heart is racing in my chest and my palms are starting to sweat. What happens in the next few days is going to shape the future of the human race, and we all get to be a part of it. Not only that, but we’re going to be one of the driving forces behind it. It’s crazy to think about, but Dr. Richards’ name might not be the only one going down in the history books…

Don’t get ahead of yourself, I think. There are still plenty of things that might go wrong. What if this cure doesn’t work? What if we fail to spread it? What if it has unintended side effects?

That last thought surprises me. I’ve been so focused on finding the cure, I haven’t even stopped to consider if it might do some harm as well as good. Every kind of medicine has possible side effects that range from bothersome to deadly, even aspirin. What kind of possible side effects could something of this magnitude have? Are we going to wipe out the zombies only to replace it with something far worse?

I’ll have to talk to Ryder about this later. This is going to worry me.

We reach the lab, and Carter points to a long, metal examination table. I see leather straps and buckles along the edges, and my stomach tightens just a bit. I know this man isn’t human anymore, but now that I know for sure there’s a chance he might be human again someday, I can’t help but feeling guilty about our treatment of them. They’re mindless killers who won’t hesitate to rip out our throats, but I can’t stop thinking about the person they might be underneath all of that.

Dr. Richards instructs us on how to safely strap him down onto the table, but it’s easier said than done. Madison tightens the wire on her pole as tight as it will go, dragging his head backwards while Todd and Aaron each grab an arm. Ryder and Reese grab a leg, and together they lift him up onto the table. Once he hits the metal, he begins to struggle. His arm slips out of Todd’s grasp and it swipes at Aaron’s face. He jerks back out of its reach, letting the other arm slip through his grasp.

Both arms reach up for Madison and grab a fistful of her hair. She screams as it begins to drag her face down closer to his mouth. Running to her side, I drive my elbow into its forearm, cracking it. Todd recovers and grabs the other arm, freeing Madison from its grasp. She grabs the pole again and brings it down using her entire weight, forcing his head to slam back against the metal table and keeping him immobilized.

Dr. Richards buckles the straps around the zombie’s legs, and Ryder and Reese both help Aaron and Todd hold down the zombie’s chest. As soon as the final buckle is fastened, we all step back away from the table, gasping for air. Madison has tears in her eyes, and Todd and I try to comfort her while she regains her composure. It’s been awhile since she’s had that close of a call and it’s obviously shaken her. She steps into Todd’s open arms and he holds her, stroking her hair just like Ryder would do for me.

We all gather around, checking to make sure Madison is okay. When she finally calms down, we go back to studying the zombie fastened to the table. Dr. Richards hasn’t taken his eyes off his new subject, and my hands clench angrily at my sides. “My cousin almost just got her face eaten off, and you don’t even care!” I shout, startling him.

He fiddles with his glasses, looking unbothered. “I warned you this would not be easy,” he says. “You didn’t have to help me.”

“A little gratitude would be nice,” Naomi says, sounding as angry as I feel. “You need us just as much as we need you. If it weren’t for us, you wouldn’t have this subject to test your shit on. How about you try caring about something other than your damn research?”

Dr. Richards scoffs, and I see Reese lunge for him. Ryder grabs him around the shoulders, holding him in place. Reese fights his brother’s grip, but Ryder is bigger and stronger even after his injury, and Reese can do nothing but swear at Dr. Richards from a distance while he watches with an almost amused expression on his face. “Perhaps you all should leave,” he says. “I need peace and quiet to do my work, and you’ll just be in the way.”

“Reese, come on,” Ryder says, pulling at him.

Reese struggles for another minute, but finally gives in when he sees us all pleading with him to calm down. He takes a deep breath, and Ryder holds on for another minute before finally letting go. Reese turns and leaves, stomping away before he loses his temper again and does something really stupid. I can see him shaking his head, and I think I hear him hit the wall as he leaves, but I can’t be sure.

Naomi and Daisy both get to their feet. “We’ll go after him,” she says to Ryder. “You guys stay and watch if he’ll let you.”

They both glare at Dr. Richards as they leave, and I don’t blame any of them for their hatred of him. He’s a terrible human being, and it’s obvious from his reaction just now that he doesn’t care if any of us give our lives for him. His research is the only thing that matters to him, which makes us expendable. He might even be happy to see a few of us go. It would be less people he’d have to interact with, and I can tell that he’s not a fan of human interaction.

Dr. Richards doesn’t tell us to leave again, so we all try to calm down and settle in before he begins the test. We all gather around when he’s finally ready to begin. There’s a small mobile tray with an array of tools on them, and I try not to think about all of the horrors they’ve all been used for in the past. The only thing I focus on is the syringe in the center of the tray, lying on a sterile napkin of some kind.

The needle is surprisingly thick, nearly the width of a pencil. It looks like it could crack through bone easily and reach anything hidden beneath. Inside the syringe is a black liquid, and it looks thick like syrup or molasses. Wearing a pair of gloves, Dr. Richards picks up the syringe and looks at me. “When I push the plunger down and the liquid is all gone, start that timer and then set it back down. I want to time how long it takes to see any reactions.”

My mouth goes dry as I pick up the timer. This is it…

Dr. Richards places a firm hand on the chest of the zombie, holding it in place. His other hand grips the syringe and hovers above the heart. Dr. Richards doesn’t show many emotions, but I think I see a hint of nervousness. It’s in the firm set of his mouth, the tired look in his eyes, and the deep lines on his face. He’s been waiting for this moment even more than we have, and now that it’s finally here, he’s suddenly having doubts.

He looks at me, and I ready the timer in my hand. With no more hesitation, he stabs the zombie in the chest, and the needle easily sinks deep into the flesh to hit the heart beneath. I flinch at the sight of it, but as the plunger is pushed down and liquid all disappears, I hit the start button on the timer. I place it back on the mobile tray without taking my eyes off of the zombie strapped to the table in front of me.

The zombie stops moving, and for a second I worry that we’ve killed it and will have to try again. But Dr. Richards doesn’t look concerned, and begins taking notes calmly. The zombie doesn’t do anything other than twitch, and I find myself feeling a little bit let down. This is quite possibly one of the most important moments in history, and nothing seems to be happening. I’ve been expecting immediate results, something tangible that proves to us that we made the right decision in risking our lives to come up here. But there’s nothing except for a decomposing corpse on a metal slab and a douchebag furiously taking notes while ignoring us.

This isn’t how I thought it would be, and I can tell the others are feeling the same way right now. I feel almost cheated after all we risked to be here right now. Strangely enough, I feel like crying, whether from joy or severe disappointment I’m not entirely sure yet. I just know the tears are coming, and I’m a little embarrassed that they are. So I turn and bury my face in Ryder’s chest, and he wraps his arms around me tightly, shielding me from the corpse on the table that’s still a corpse.

“How long do you think it’ll take for the serum to start working?” Aaron asks.

“Hard to say,” Dr. Richards says, not looking up from his notes. “It could be fifteen minutes or it could be weeks or longer. That’s if it even works. I will be keeping a close eye on him over the next few days, and I will let you know if there is anything else you can do to help.”

It’s an obvious dismissal. Even though a part of me wants to stay and watch what happens, I’m sure it will take a little while to get started. And I’m not too keen on the idea of being around Dr. Richards any more than I have to. He creeps me out, and his blatant lack of disregard for our lives makes me want to punch him in the face. If we stay, I might just be tempted to try it. The only thing that’s keeping me from trying right now is knowing that Ryder can stop me like a brick wall.

And he’s watching me, waiting to make sure I don’t lose my temper and do something stupid. I think I have a pretty good handle on my temper when it comes to normal situations, but things like this—where my friends and their safety are involved—tend to make me very angry. He might not blame me if I do take a swing at Dr. Richards, but then Madison won’t be happy if Reese and I get all of us kicked out of here before we can help.

So I let the moment pass, and we all exit the lab with one last look at the man on the table. He’s our hope for a better future, and it would be foolish of me to mess things up for us now.