Our Undead (58 page)

Heather:
That should be good enough. I'll just put a Band-Aid over
it.

Paula:
Okay. Here's one.

Her assistant hands her one
of the large square Band-Aids found in the first-aid kit, opening
it for her first.

Heather:
Thanks.

She gets down on her left
knee, places the Band-Aid on the outside of her right ankle where
she has been bitten and gets back up.

Heather:
All right. I'm good. I'll guess I'll go back out there
now.

Paula:
Are
you sure? I was just about to go back when you came in. If you
want, you can take a break. We'll be fine. You got bitten. I think
people will understand.

Heather:
Maybe you're right. I don't wanna go back out there anyway.
I'll just sit in the kitchen for a… for…

Her sentence fades away
into a breathy whisper, and Heather the icing mixer's eyes roll up
into the back of her head. Her friend can do nothing but watch her
fall to the ground.

Paula:
Heather!! Oh, my God.

Paula runs out of the girl's washroom to find someone that
can help her help her passed out friend.

SECRETS REVELLED

Feleider:
These children are not allowed to be in
here!

Margaret:
Abe!

Margaret swings past
General Feleider on her crutches. He, as well as the rest of the
room's occupants, follow Margaret as she pushes her way through the
line that has been formed in front of Abe's suspended body. She
stops in front of him, having to look up at his figure.

Margaret:
What the hell are they doing to you?!

Gwen:
He's
fine. We've just been running a few tests, some of them
observational. We can get the best view of him this way, and.. for
our safety.

Margaret:
Well, I'm here. Can you let him down now?

Gwen:
Uh,
yes, Yes, okay.

Not wanting to upset
Margaret, Gwen agrees to let Abe down for the time being. She walks
to the controls to fulfill the girl's wishes. Feleider walks back
into the room, letting his curiosity get the better of
him.

Feleider:
Who is this girl? Girl, how do you know the name of this
man?

Margaret:
My name is Margaret. He's mine. My friend. I found
him.

Feleider:
Found him? He's not a lost puppy.

Gwen:
Actually, if a lost puppy can be caught and trained, then he
isn't much different from that.

Feleider:
Trained?
This infected man was
trained? By who? Surely, not this girl.

Margaret:
Yes, I did. Gwen, would you please let him
down?

Feleider:
How?!

Margaret:
You know, I'm getting really tired of answering that
question. Gwen,
please?

Enthralled by the
conversation, Gwen neglects to lower the bed so she can release
Abe. Frustrated by this girl's insolence, Feleider storms up to
Margaret in a very intimidating fashion, much like Sharp had done
to him earlier.

Feleider:
I command this base, and if I ask you a question, you'd damn
well better answer it.

His face is right in
Margaret's now, and she tries to back up, not out of fear, but only
because she doesn't like the man's hot face so close to her own.
She trips over her feet as she does this, a little unused to going
in reverse with her new crutches. Feleider keeps the pressure on
and follows her, but suddenly gets yanked away from the fumbling
girl.

She breathes a sigh of
relief when the man gets pulled out of her face and is thankful
that Sharp did that when he did. The super soldier holds Feleider
by the back of his collar, and the General stands there with his
arms slung in the air like a child being held back from a
fight.

Sharp:
That's all the information you'll get out of her before you
tell us what you know.

Feleider:
Put me down, you disrespectful brute! I swear to God, I'll
have you locked up for the rest of your natural born
life!

Sharp lets go of Feleider's
collar, and the man drops his arms, fixing his rumpled up collar at
the same time.

Feleider:
I told you already. I don't know what the
hell
you're
talking about. I don't know about a parasite. I'm not a doctor. It
is
your
job to know about those sort of things,
not
mine.

Gwen:
You
know more than you're letting on! You
and
Doctor
Alyster!

That name strikes a cord in
Billy's mine. He had just heard it earlier.

Billy:
Doctor Alyster…
Hey!
Earlier you said that Doctor Alyster would have a
formula ready before nightfall. Margaret and I heard you talking
with someone in the halls earlier today.
E-T-E-12.

Gwen:
What's E-T-E-12?

Billy:
I
don't know, but
he
does.

Billy points a finger at
the General.

Feleider:
Heh heh. Fine. You unrelenting irritants. It's not like it
matters anyhow. It's too late for you to do anything about
it.

Gwen:
About
what
, Feleider?

Sharp:
Spit it out!

Just then, the alert on
Feleider's communicator goes off. He takes it from his side and
receives the call.

Feleider:
He's
what?!
…. Why would he do that?…
They did?… I see… And what about the… I see… Bring it to me
quickly!

He shuts off the receiver,
puts it back to his side and tries to gather his thoughts. He was
just hit with some hefty news.

Feleider:
Heh, the crazy old man has had it.

Gwen:
General, talk to us!

Feleider:
Doctor Alyster. Yes… Doctor Alyster is a dead man and soon,
you all will be too.

Everyone surrounding
General Feleider remains silent and confused. They watch and wait
for him to continue, wondering what the hell he is talking about
now. As he gives them the news of their fate, he walks about the
room, passing each person by and gifting them each their own
personal boastful sneer.

Feleider:
This outbreak, as most of you would call it, was a failed
test. On this evening, there will be redemption. In moments, I will
be in possession of a formula; a perfected version of a microscopic
cybernetically modified parasite named E-TE12, or Eternity. When I
get this formula I will have it distributed worldwide.. to..
hospitals, doctors' offices… schools.

The pitch of his voice is
that of a dirty old man, and he truly is one under his pristine
uniform. At least , that's how Gwen sees it. Listening to him makes
the professor sick to her stomach. Even though she is now hearing
it for herself, it is still hard for her to believe that the evil
befalling the entire western USA is actually being caused by some
deeper, undisclosed organization; some secret society.

Erika and Billy walk
further into the room to join the rest and settle beside Kerrick in
the human circle that contains Feleider and Margaret in its center.
Kerrick still looks focused but relaxed, unlike Erika's other
partner who looks like an attack dog trying his best to be patient.
If Feleider says one wrong word or makes one wrong move, Sharp may
be liable to pounce. Erika just hopes her teammate can have more
restraint in this moment than he is known for.

Billy looks at Margaret,
who is also focused on Feleider and his monologue of victory.
Strange, he thinks she would be much less interested in what the
General has to say. Maybe she's finally developing some respect for
the details. He looks up at Abe, hanging on that metal slab behind
Margaret like a zombie Jesus. His undead friend is looking over and
past Margaret's head. He too, is paying attention to the General.
His dead eyes follow Feleider's taunting stride as it comes to an
end at a twelve o'clock position, directly opposing Abe's six
o'clock position in the circle.

Feleider:
When this happens, the world will be reconditioned into a
planet of super human slaves. Even young children and the fairest
of women will become deadly killers and workers for the new way. I
would tell you all to rejoice for the opportunity, for you all
would be taking part in The Conditioning, becoming first-class
versions of yourselves. If only, you were not all about to be
destroyed.

Kerrick:
Some of us already are first-class. It sounds like what
you're doing is cheating.

Feleider:
The ends justify the means. Soon you're little status as a
"special" man won't be so special. Everyone will share in the same
attributes that you and your team possess. The only difference is
that they will be completely under our control.

Kerrick:
You have a hard enough time keeping tabs on my team, how
could you possibly think that you can control an entire planet of
people, especially if they're like us?

Rohan:
The
parasite he speaks of is microscopic, but somehow they have been
infused with cybernetic potentials. Who knows what kind of computer
system they have connected to this thing? They might be able to
take any infected individual down at will.

Feleider:
Shut them down, reanimate them. All at the flick of a switch
and the pushing of a few buttons. We will be able to do whatever we
want. If anyone objects to our wishes, let them die by the hands of
their enslaved brothers on our command.

Gwen:
You
keep referring to an "us". Who else is in on this
plan?

Feleider:
That, you needn't concern yourself with. Just know that in a
matter of minutes, the world will be changed and will never be the
same again.

Sharp:
Why
in a matter of minutes? Why not, right now?

Feleider:
The formula, you idiot. I guess you're not as sharp as they
say. A special guest is bringing it to me as we
speak.

Gwen:
A
special guest?

As soon as the words leave
her lips, everyone's eyes are drawn to the laboratory entrance. The
sound of its doors separating startles them all out of their
conversation.

Feleider:
Ah, and here he is now.

<><><>

In the staff women's
washroom of the cafeteria in Block-D, Brent and Paula have sat
their fainted coworker, Heather, up against one of the washroom's
walls. Brent gently taps the side of Heather's face, trying to wake
her up.

Brent:
The
hell happened?

Paula:
I
swear, she was fine. We had cleaned off her bite, and she was going
to rest for a while in the kitchen… then she just fainted. We
didn't even make it out of the washroom.

Brent:
Damn. She's so pale. Help me bring her outside so someone can
take her to the Medical Centre.

Paula:
You
want to lift her?!

Brent:
Yea, just-

Brent gets up, but before
he gets a chance to instruct Paula on where to lift their coworker,
a breath escapes Heather's lips. Brent falls right back down to her
side.

Brent:
Heather?! Are you okay?

The girl still hasn't come
to entirely. Her eyes continue rolling to all corners of the room
and back into their sockets. Her mouth opens and shuts as well, as
if she is trying to say something but can't get enough oxygen
behind the words.

Paula:
Oh
my, God. What the hell is happening to her?!

A small light at the end of
the tunnel appears as Heather seems to become able to get some
words out. They are incomplete and staggered, but she sounds like
she is trying to say something that starts with an "M".

Paula:
Oh,
Heather. What are you trying to say?

The hopeful light is
instantly extinguished when instead of any coherent "M" words, a
jet stream of dark colored vomit spews from Heather's lips. Some of
the bile ends up on Brent and Paula, but Heather splashes most of
it on herself. She continues to vomit, regurgitating two more large
portions of puke all over herself. Brent and Paula are ready for
these two releases and back away to avoid getting any of the
disgusting fluid on them. Neither Brent nor Paula has ever smelt
throw up as putrid as this. One last faithful gush from their sick
coworker sends both Brent and Paula back and up to their
feet.