We should never be afraid of foreigners; they should be afraid of us.
—American Gazette
It took longer for Andrew to walk back to the infirmary than he thought it would. He spent the time rehearsing what he was going to say to Dr. Drum. Now that he had made it here, he forgot everything he’d planned. Andrew swung the front door open and was surprised to see Dr. Drum sitting on a couch in the front room and Rex sitting next to her. Both of them stood up.
“Andrew,” she said. “You’re back. Do you feel all right?”
“Are you two alone here?” Andrew asked.
“I sent the technicians back to the group,” Katie said. “I thought I would keep Rex company.”
Andrew didn’t like that. He was giving Rex some freedom, but leaving him alone with the doctor wasn’t on his list.
“You shouldn’t be alone with her,” Andrew said.
“It’s better that I let her stay by herself in an empty building away from everyone else?” Rex asked.
“Wow,” Katie said. “You two have some strange ideas. I might be female, but remember, we’re not in America. I’m capable of anything either of you are. I don’t need someone to tell me what I can and cannot do.”
Rex’s face did not relax. Andrew kept his eyes glued to the large man.
“Is that what you came all the way out here for?” Katie asked. “To check on me?”
“No,” Andrew said. “Can we talk in private?”
“I was going up to my room anyway,” Rex said. “I never went to sleep today and I could really use some. Good night, Katie.”
Andrew cringed at the way he said her name. He couldn’t lose focus though. He did have a reason for coming here tonight.
“Please,” Katie said. “Sit down.”
Andrew walked over to the couch and had a seat.
“I want you to give me something,” Andrew said. “I was thinking . . . if drugs did this to me, maybe there’s something that can fix me. Reverse everything that happened.”
“Back up,” Katie said. “What makes you think you need fixing?”
“I’ve been having flashbacks,” Andrew said. “To my time with the militia.”
“What are you remembering?”
“They played noise, loud,” Andrew said. “Then they would check on me and inject me with medications, leave me a small piece of food for when I woke up, but I was always hungry. It felt like I never slept.”
“Sleep and food deprivation, manipulation of your senses,” Katie said. “I have to say it’s a good sign this is coming back to you.”
“No,” Andrew said. “It’s not. I feel like I’m slipping into another reality when it happens.”
“I was concerned you weren’t going to be able to form new long-term memories,” Katie said. “This is positive. If your old ones are coming back, that means your new ones aren’t in jeopardy.”
“Can’t you give me something to speed this up?” Andrew said.
“It’s a natural process,” Katie said.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Andrew said.
“What makes you think you will?”
“Just a feeling,” Andrew said. “I go back to that spot. I react like I wanted to then. If I’m alone with the wrong person I might attack . . .”
“The odds of that happening are slim to none.”
“But they still exist,” Andrew said. “Please, you must be able to give me something.”
“I want to tell you a story first,” she said.
Andrew was willing to listen to anything if she made the flashbacks stop.
“During the Great War, a lot of people lost their lives. North America was the only continent that didn’t see battles,” Katie said. “A lot of Americans died fighting, but the ones who made it home returned to a horrible surprise.”
“What?” Andrew asked.
“The same thing they saw overseas,” Katie said. “Death and destruction. The world was in ruins, so nobody paid much attention. They had their own countries to fix. Rumors fly around about what happened.”
“So nobody knows?” Andrew asked.
“I didn’t say that,” she said. “America was on the forefront of modern technology. They always have been; the refrigerator was an American invention, along with countless others. The brilliant minds left at home during the war were trying to create a superweapon. Do you know what biological warfare is?”
Andrew shook his head.
“Countries used to think about releasing a disease on their enemies, one that had no cure and would take out the whole population.”
“So America released one at home by accident?” Andrew asked.
“Even way back then the world knew this was too dangerous,” she said. “What if it spread and took out the whole planet? But all is fair in war, so America was trying to prepare for an attack like that. You know how people receive vaccines? Shots you probably got when you were young and some boosters along the way?”
Andrew nodded.
“It was that,” she said. “A single dose of medicine that wards off fevers, infections, viruses, and bacteria. You can still get sick, but nothing like people in the past were scared of. Back then the flu could kill you.”
The flu. Andrew was familiar with that term. The government had found a cure. Now most diseases were hereditary and didn’t strike until old age. If someone got an infection, all it took was some medicine to clear it up. Katie continued with the story.
“America developed a cure. One shot and biological warfare wouldn’t be a threat. It passed with flying colors. They sent it out to everyone who was at home first, in case America was attacked. People were lining up at clinics everywhere. But the scientists were under such pressure to do this quickly that the drug wasn’t well tested.
“Your leg got a scratch and the blood wouldn’t clot because of a drug in your system,” Katie said. “Now it’s a minor side effect, but before this medicine actually made blot clotting impossible. Anyone who had received a shot was in grave danger of bleeding to death even from minor injuries. There was no cure.”
“So what happened?” Andrew asked.
“People died,” Katie said. “Others went crazy with fear and locked themselves inside. Nobody wanted to have children because it meant a sure death for the mother. There was a fear the population would disappear. America would be no more.”
“How did they stop it?” Andrew asked.
“They didn’t,” Katie said. “All those affected were gone and it wasn’t communicable.
“The reason I wanted to tell you this story is because sometimes a quick fix isn’t the best answer,” Katie said. “If you want help getting through this, drugs aren’t a solution.”
“What is?” Andrew asked.
“Talking,” Katie said. “You can come see me and we can work through your memories together.”
“Why isn’t this happening to Carter?” Andrew asked.
“Maybe it is,” she said. “Did you try asking him?”
Andrew shook his head.
“People react to trauma in different ways,” Katie said. “But talking it through always helps. We can start tonight if you want.”
It was hard for Andrew to admit he wanted the doctor’s help, but that concern wasn’t as large as his fear that he risked hurting Mia. He nodded his head.
“Tell me everything that you can remember,” she said. “Once you get to a point where your head starts to ache and the noise comes back, we will stop. I promise, nothing bad will happen to you here.”
Andrew took a deep breath before starting in on his story.