The Test

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I woke to Kade getting out of bed. He was careful, I had woken cause I list his warmth. Phil had wanted a run into the nearest town for supplies. Kade and David both said they were going to go. I wasn't allowed to go, as I was pregnant. They didn't want to risk the baby in case of an attack. I was worried. I sat up and he turned to me.

"I tried not to wake you." He said softly.

"It's okay. I wanted to watch you prepare. I will worry about you." I said.

"I understand. You still angry you can't go?"

"Not really, I told Phil I would help with his research today. That will keep me busy."

I stood and kissed him before we walked out of our room and down to the main floor. I watched as he and David grabbed weapons, bags, and keys to one of the military trucks. I watched them leave and turned to find Phil standing behind me.

"Ready?" He asked me.

"As ready as I will ever be. Which lab are we working in?" I asked him.

"For now this one. If I get a hit I will test it on a zombie in here. If we don't get a hit we can move upstairs."

"Okay."

I followed him into the lab. He handed me an apron, safety goggles, and a hair tie. I put it all on and waited for him to show me what I needed to do. He set me in front of a computer and asked me to go through the files on past cures and what worked with those and what didn't. I began reading and soon was absorbed in the work. I made notes from the after testing notes for him. He was working with chemicals behind me. After I finished with the notes I handed them all to him.

"I think we can test this on a zombie. Do you think you can help me get one?" He asked.

"Get one? What do you mean?" I asked.

"Yes get one. I take one from outside the fence and bring them in here, tie them up, and administer the cure."

"How will you know if it works?"

"One of a few things. They die, that's what generally should happen. They begin to act human like, they stop the moaning and the hunger. Or they fall asleep and wake up normal. Those last two are not very likely. These things die to become like this."

I just missed and followed him outside. He grabbed a pole and walked toward the gate. He waited until I caught up to him and he opened the gate. I waited inside as he closed the gate and walked toward the line zombie that was coming our direction. I watched him wrestle the rope attached to the pole around it's neck. He fought the zombie hard while forcing it in my direction. I opened the gate as he approached and closed it behind him. I followed him inside and back to the lab. We tied the snow to a table and he grabbed the cure he had and walked to the zombie again.

"I am going to inject the serum into it and we wait for an hour or two, taking notes on the changes we notice, if any. If this doesn't work, we kill it and take it put and burn it." He said as he injected the serum into the chest of the zombie. We sat in chairs next to the bed and watched as the zombie fought against the ropes to get to us. I was scared. I watched the ropes move and strain against the zombies body. There wasn't a change in the first half hour. I watched the ropes and saw one in the legs begin to fray and break. I pointed it out to Phil and notes the new strength to the notes. He watched the other ropes with me. One by one the ropes began to fray and break. Before we knew what was happening the zombie was loose and charging at us. I grabbed the first thing I could find and Jan it into the zombies head. It fell to the floor dead. I was so scared. Phil began to type our notes into the computer and then dragged the body out into the field and set it on fire. I heard the fence rattle and saw a group of zombies pushing at the fence. Phil didn't look worried. We went back inside and to the lab.

"If you have a cure for scratch victims, why not work with that to make it work for scratches and zombies?" I asked.

He sighed, "I want to do that, but I am afraid of changing the cure too much and making it not work with the scratches."

"I understand. Keep the formula for the scratches for scratches, and work with it for the zombies. Even if it changes you have one for scratch victims." I said.

He rubbed his chin, "I never thought of doing that. I can combine the two later on and make it work for all."

He began typing fast and I sat waiting. He worked like that for a while before he realized I was still there.

"Sorry, you just gave me an idea and I wanted to document it all." He said as he took off his gear.

I removed mine and said, "It's alright. I figured you wanted to write it down. Why do you think that serum made it stronger?"

He shrugged, "No clue. I don't know what could have made it stronger. I thought about it while I was burning the body, maybe that serum had something their bodies don't and that made them stronger."

"Are you going to tell the others?"

"No, I will tell them when I get a good batch and figure it all out. Don't worry."

"While I was going through your notes, I saw lists of countries with numbers. What was that for?"

"I've contacted them, or they have contacted me, those countries and the numbers stand for where other survivors are. As you saw, not many survivors in each country."

"I didn't know there were survivors other than us."

"How would you know? You don't have the capability of contacting other countries."

"Yeah, so have you given them the cure for scratch victims?"

"I've given them the formula and how to make it. I can't send the serum to them, no mailmen or anything now."

I chuckle, "I guess I forgot."

"It's normal to forget that our world has been taken over. The runners should be back soon. Let's see if they've arrived."

We walked from the lab and outside. The truck was just pulling in and I smiled. They made it back. As the doors opened, I saw blood on Kade. He looked sick. That was when I notices the scratch on his forearm. Phil ran forward and pulled Kade into the building and into the lab. He strapped him to the table and administered the serum.

"No medical conditions?" Phil asked Kade.

"None." Kade said with a wince.

"How long ago were you scratches?"

"Half hour, forty-five minutes." Said David as he came in, "He was walking back to the truck when a zombie came out from under a car and scratches him. I abandoned the rest of the supplies and got him back here as fast as I could."

"You did good, David. He hasn't started a fever. So we should be in the clear. I will stay with him. Jupiter, go get something to eat. You haven't eaten all day."

"I can't leave him. I will eat after I know he is in the clear." I said as I looked at him.

"Go, I'll be fine. Already feeling a little better." Kade said.

I nodded and left the lab with David. I didn't like leaving him alone but I couldn't do anything but wait. David led me up to our floor and into our kitchen. He made me a bowl of oatmeal and are some with me.

"He was worried he wouldn't see you again." David told me.

I smile, "I worried the whole time. Well when we weren't busy that is."

"Busy with what?"

"Testing a serum. It made the zombie stronger."

"I forgot that was today."

I smiled and finished my food. David always had a way of making me smile. After we both finished our food and cleaned our dishes, we walked back to the lab. Kade had his color back and he was talking, though he still seemed pained. He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Another hour or so and he should be fine, I will keep him with me tonight to monitor his stats and such." Said Phil. "He will be back with you tomorrow."

"That's good to hear. I worry." I said.

Kade smiled, "Go rest. Phil told me what all you've done today. You need your rest."

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