What Remains: Quarantine, page 16
They both walked across the room and into the break room, where Diasuke ran to the vending machine and slammed a button. He quickly tore open the package and devoured the food within. He watched his ordinarily well-mannered assistant who had worked in many professional settings, tear into a food package like a savage beast. Whatever had happened in the lab had changed the man.
After a few moments he tried to talk to him about it, “So... what happened in the lab?”
Diasuke stopped shoving food into his mouth and looked at him. The look in his assistant's eye was unsettling, and he almost regretted asking the question at all.
Diasuke swallowed the food in his mouth, “He was infected...he tried to bite me.”
He shook his head in understanding, “I know, but how did he get infected?”
Diasuke seemed to zone out, and he stared at him.
“Diasuke, hey stay with me,” he said worriedly.
He put out his hand to shake him gently, but as he placed his hand on Diasuke's shoulder, he seemed to snap back to reality. Diasuke reacted quickly, snapping back and shoving his arm away.
“Are you ok?” He asked Diasuke, “We don't have to talk about right now.”
“I... just... it happened so fast. I remember leaving to take a short break; I was gone for about five minutes. By the time I was back...he wasn't himself anymore... I remember that earlier when we had first started working he had accidentally knocked one of the samples onto the ground; he cleaned it up. I guess he must have punctured his suit got himself infected. He didn't say anything to me if he did, just that he was feeling tired and weak. I just figured it was because he was tired,” Diasuke said crying.
He continued, “W-when I came back in he was laying on the ground, and I rushed over to help him. I thought he had passed out from exhaustion. At first, he didn't respond and then opened his eyes. His eyes...”
Dr. Fumio prompted Diasuke to continue, “What about his eyes?”
Diasuke turned and locked his stare on Dr. Fumio, “His eyes filled with blood, and they were red. There was so much that it started to flow out of his eyes. And then he started to get up, and I was stunned. I couldn't believe what I was seeing; it couldn't be real. I was stunned, my body didn't want to react.”
Diasuke stopped and began to breathe heavily, as if he was fighting to keep breathing, “He stood up and just stared at me, I kept asking if he was ok for some stupid reason. He started to move towards me slowly. It was like he was drunk; his balance was off. But then....then he found it, and he came at me, faster than I anticipated. My reflexes kicked in, and I grabbed one of the metal trays and swung at his head.”
Dr. Fumio interrupted him, “Is that when you escaped?”
Diasuke shook his head, “No. I cracked his faceplate, it shattered, and he fell into the counter. He quickly got up and came at me again; he had me trapped. He was standing in between me and the door. I backed up and grabbed the microscope on the counter and hurled it at him. He went down to the ground, and I used that as my moment of opportunity to get past him.”
Diasuke was breathing even heavier than before, “As I tried to move past him, he grabbed me and pulled me down to him. I punched and kicked to get away, but his strength was almost inhuman. He ripped my suit, and I began to panic, knowing that I was exposed along with my leg. But when my suit ripped I was able to get away from him. I ran over to the door and began to enter the code for it to open, but my hands were sweaty, and my mind was racing. He got to me faster than I expected, and he grabbed my arm right when I entered the code correctly.”
“He didn't get into the decontamination room with you, did he?” Asked Dr. Fumio, with a worried tone.
Again, Diasuke shook his head, “He almost bit my arm, but I was able to pull away and open the door. He tried to follow me, grabbing onto the door. We both pulled on the door, but he was stronger. I used the door and slammed it into him. It sent him reeling back, and that's when I slammed it close.”
Diasuke took several deep breaths not done, “The decontamination room was sealed from the other side, and that's why I couldn't get out. The sensors must have picked up something. I was trapped in there for hours, the entire time he was banging on the door. I was sure that he would eventually make it through the door with as much pounding he did.”
Dr. Fumio listened intently and realized that was the end of Diasuke's story.
“Well Diasuke, we are safe now. The government will be here any time now to free us. You did nothing wrong and were brave enough to make it out of that lab alive “Dr. Fumio said patting Diasuke on the back.
Diasuke cried into his palms, “I was at his wedding, I went to the movies with him... and now he's infected. Worse he's dead; there isn't a cure. He was my friend, and he tried to kill me.”
Chapter 9
Dr. Fumio read the messages he had received, while away at the lab. It was getting bad outside; Dr. Akio noted that they had been told that some high-value government officials were joining them in the bunker where they were. He said he felt like the pressure was on giving that the people who were in charge of the project would be right beside him.
Dr. Fumio didn't envy him one bit, after all, those government officials would probably be in the way. He was more worried about the other note, which said that it was getting bad outside.
He quickly messaged Dr. Akio, what is defined as bad outside?
After a minute, a little ding was heard indicating a reply.
They are running scared here. The incident they told us about the virus outbreak wasn't cleaned up as they thought. They have reports of infected popping up all over the place. They have fully mobilized the army in response. They think with that much action it should be suppressed.
Dr. Fumio felt a sinking feeling in his stomach that told him that there was going to be a lot of casualties. With the full support of the nation's military, they should be able to contain it. He was sure the man on the other end of the phone would have called him and let me know if things were so severe as to lead to a total collapse. He had his faith that things would be ok.
✽ ✽ ✽
He stared at the terminal again begging, and willing, it to come to life with a message saying that everything was ok. It remained an empty vessel, and he started wondering how entertaining he would find the scientific journals that were neatly displayed behind his desk. Maybe if he was lucky, he could discover a clue to help them with the virus. He swiveled his chair, finding Diasuke behind him leaning against the wall.
Diasuke seemed to be doing better after he told his story to Dr. Fumio as if speaking about it made it less of a nightmare. He was, at least, responsive now, and not catatonic.
“Diasuke, do you want to help me sort through all these research journals? Maybe if we are lucky we can find something similar, or, at least, relating to our project,” Dr. Fumio said with an insistent tone.
Diasuke replied without looking, “Sure. It's not like we have anything else better to do.”
Together they began to search through all the research journals Dr. Fumio had collected over the years. They first worked on separating the journals out by reference. Some journals were nowhere near close to what they were dealing with, so they tossed them aside. However, their stack of relatable research was growing just as big.
After sorting them all out, which took almost two hours to do, they began the long, tedious task of reading all of the journals in the relatable stack. It was, at least, passing the time. Dr. Fumio had read most of the journals before, but he couldn't remember most of them. He sat at his desk, flipping page after page.
He felt as though he was back in his days at the school flipping through reports from his students, reading pages of topics he already knew. Back then he would make sure to have lots of coffee prepared, ready for his long night of grading. Reminiscing the feeling he decided to relive it.
“Diasuke, I'm going to make us some coffee, do you want some?”
Diasuke shook his head, and Dr. Fumio replied, “Alright, well don't come to me when you are tired.”
He went across the room, opening his office door, and began to walk to the break room. As he did, he looked at the glass looking into the lab. Inside he could still see his former assistant staring through the glass. It gave him the creeps, watching his infected assistant standing, but not moving.
He continued the further and went into the break room. He went to the cabinet, finding a full supply of coffee just waiting to be brewed and enjoyed. He started brewing a pot and began the hunt for his mug. He hadn't been keeping tabs on it since the incident, but he found it. He gave it a quick rinse in the sink and waited for the coffee to brew.
The aroma hit his nostrils and invigorated him. He couldn't wait to taste it; he drank his coffee black. He filled his cup once it was done and walked back to his office. Just the smell was enough to make him feel more alert than he had since they started the strict sleeping schedule.
He returned to looking through the journals. After he cleared his tenth one, he started to feel burnt out, but there was nothing else to do. Several hours had passed, and the clock on his wall said it was 11. He had forgotten whether or not it was 11 in the morning or at night. He had no way of knowing.
With no windows or any other way to tell what time of day, it was, and he figured it was nighttime. He assumed he was correct because Diasuke had fallen asleep. He was too awake from the coffee, so he continued looking through the journals.
After several more hours, he finally began to feel the caffeine wearing off, and eventually fell asleep on his desk.
Chapter 10
He awoke to complete darkness. Everything around him was dark, and even with his natural night vision, he could only barely make out his desk in front of him. Panicking he felt around on his desk, hoping to find something to help him light up the room. He found his desk lamp and pressed the power button; nothing happened.
“Diasuke,” He called out quietly.
“Dr. Fumio?” Diasuke asked in reply.
“What happened? What happened to the lights?” He asked worriedly.
“I don't know, I woke up and everything was dark, I think the power went out. I thought that maybe you had left the room, I didn't hear you,” Diasuke replied just as worried.
“I'm still here. We need to figure out if we can get the power back on, and quietly. Do you have a flashlight with you?”
“No,” Diasuke said quietly.
Dr. Fumio thought hard about where he kept a flashlight and remembered that he kept one in the drawer of the cabinet behind him. He carefully turned around and felt out for the top of the cabinet. He finally felt the cold wood and began running his fingers down to find the bottom drawer.
He found the handle and pulled it open. He couldn't see the inside of the drawer, but he felt blindly inside for what he was looking for. Finally finding it, he clicked it on, and blinded himself, aiming it upwards at his face. He was glad to have the light. Anything was better than complete and utter darkness.
He waved the light around the room to make sure everything was still where it had been before. He found Diasuke cowering in the corner of this office. Standing up, he moved towards him.
“Diasuke, if the power is out that means the seals on the door won't hold. We need to go make sure the doors are still closed and make sure he hasn't left the lab,” Dr. Fumio explained.
“NO!” Exclaimed Diasuke, “I won't go out there!”
“The likelihood that he found out how to open the doors is minimal. He’s probably still trapped in the lab,” Dr. Fumio said reassuringly, “I'll protect you don't worry.”
Diasuke stared at him for several seconds, before nodding slowly. He stood up and walked over to Dr. Fumio, who stood next to the door.
Dr. Fumio looked at Diasuke with a worried face, “Here take my hand. I can lead us both through the darkness.”
Diasuke grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. Dr. Fumio reached for the handle and slowly turned it, allowing it's weight to swing back towards him naturally. He stopped it and poked his head and the flashlight through the crack. He swiveled his head across the entire room; nothing looked out of place to him.
He opened the door further and stood at the frame. He began to lead them towards the lab; making sure he was vigilant. The light from the flashlight beamed upon what both of their worst fears were. The door to the lab had been opened, and not just cracked open, but wide open.
He could feel his heart racing as the fear and adrenaline started to kick in. He quickly led them to the glass and shined the light throughout the lab. All he saw was the messy interior, but no infected assistant.
Dr. Fumio pulled Diasuke closer and whispered to him, “He's not in the lab. That means he's somewhere in here with us.”
He carefully flashed the light across the room hoping to see nothing there. As if to answer him they both heard a crash come from the break room. He froze and after waiting a few eerily quiet seconds, he shined the light towards the break room door. He couldn't see anything from where they were, however.
Diasuke latched onto his arm and whispered, “We need to get out of here, we aren't safe if he is free...”
Dr. Fumio whispered back, “Maybe since the power is out, the main door wouldn’t seal like the ones in the lab aren't either!”
“But we have to get past him to get to the door,” Diasuke said feebly.
“We just have to be very quiet, and we can hug the wall by my office,” Dr. Fumio said trying to reassure both of them.
He led them again, this time making sure they didn't run into or step on anything. Taking careful steps, they made it halfway, directly across from the break room. They didn't stop to look inside, knowing what they would find lurking. Quietly they inched closer and closer to the main door.
Eventually, they made it, and Dr. Fumio felt around to door for any gap in the door. He couldn't feel any, but it opened outwards anyway.
He leaned in to whisper to Diasuke, “We will have to push together. The door will be hefty. We have to do it fast because it will be loud.”
Diasuke didn't reply, but he knew that he would help because it was their only way out. He put his hands on the cold metal and began to push. A small grunt came out as Diasuke also added his strength. The door fought their attempt and didn't move.
Behind them, they heard a low moan and shuffling. Together they both turned and looked, Dr. Fumio shining his light. It was his infected assistant; he had heard them trying to push the door.
Chapter 11
His infected assistant had found them. Knowing they only had a short window of opportunity left to try to get the door open, he pushed against the door using his back instead of his arms. Diasuke did the same, and after pushing as hard as they could, they both heard the soft release of the pressure that had been holding the door in place.
A soft hissing noise filled the room as the pressurized air escaped, and clanking sound of the internal gears of the door started to move. They both pushed harder willing the door to move faster. The infected assistant was moving ever closer, and soon he would catch up to them. Dr. Fumio went through the door first and tried pulling Diasuke with him.
Diasuke tripped and fell, and attempted to get up, instead, he ended up crawling back to get out of the way of the door. He wasn't fast enough as the infected assistant fell on top of Diasuke. He began to tear into Diasuke, blood and gore spilling everywhere, Diasuke's shrill scream filled his ears. Dr. Fumio froze behind the door, his path blocked by his infected assistant.
The only way past him was to close the door to the lab and creep past. He carefully and as slowly as possibly pushed against the door, and felt it easily start gliding back. Once he had a wide enough gap, he slid by his infected assistant, who was still busy tearing into Diasuke. Once he was through the door and no longer holding it open, it closed with a heavy thud.
It was enough to grab the attention of his infected assistant who turned and looked at him and began to stand up. Dr. Fumio started to run, finding himself at the familiar stairs that he took to get to the ground floor. However, once he reached the landing, he could hear moaning coming from down below. His instincts ushered to run up the stairs, and he obeyed.
He didn't stop running until he reached the roof access door, and even then, he only stayed long enough to shove the door open. He sprinted out onto the roof, stopping once he reached the edge. The door behind him slammed closed bringing his sense back. Listening, he finally heard a noise, other than the dull white noise of an insulated lab.
It was like hearing for the first time, and it frightened him. The noises he heard were not friendly, welcoming ones. Loud popping and cracking sound, occasionally followed by a loud far off thud, enveloped him. The noises came from every direction in a clash of destruction.
Before him, the city he once called home was under siege. Fires had erupted throughout the city; steady streams of smoke billowed out of buildings. The area around the hospital had succumbed to darkness, much like his lab had been. However, in a couple of spots, he could see the radiant light from the city blocks that still had power.
It was terrible, much worse than what he thought it would be. The city had become a war zone, the living trying to stave off the infection. By the look of it, the virus was winning. He thought of Dr. Akio, who told him the government thought it was going to be bad, and for once they were one hundred percent correct.
He stayed in that very spot for what seemed hours, just staring. He was a single being spectating annihilation from afar. As society collapsed before him, he was helpless and alone. He had never felt such a feeling before, and it was crippling.
A scream from the street below caused him to look away from the carnage. He looked over the edge of the building, and in the darkness, he could see movement. He finally realized that he needed to get on the move as well. He needed to find the government, somewhere safe.
