Rough Road Ahead (In Progress)

Chapter 26

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            "Wait. Wait. So you think there is a cure and that these town people know it?" Brad said from his spot beside me. The doctor was eying me with suspicion.

            "So they tried to insert something behind your ear?" The doctor questioned. He was sitting at his desk looking at the blood samples over again. His eyes examining them closely.

            "I know how it sounds!" I yelled, flopping down onto the sofa beside the desk. It was old with worn out leather.

            "It sounds crazy, Iris, those people were crazy!" Brad yelled, standing over me. The doctor was behind him, his eyes flipping from the blood samples to the both of us.

            "There is no logical way that placing anything behind your ear could be a cure."    Brad sighed, "well, all I know is that I just want to go home. We can leave, right?" 

            "No. Not yet." The doctor protested, standing up quickly.

            "We are under consensual quarantine, and now that I know I am not sick, I want to leave! I don't want no tests done!" Brad yelled, "I've had enough, and I'm fucking leaving!" He moved his hands for effect, looking at me as if I would agree, as if I would back him up.

            "Come on Brad, a few more tests wont kill you." I protested, standing up and walking after him. He looked hurt.

            "I'm done. No more fucking needles for me!" He yelled, his feet moving forward towards the door. I walked after him, my hand out stretched, grabbing for his shoulder.

            "You two are our only hope at finding a cure." The doctor said suddenly, walking infront of Brad and standing next to the door. "You are the only people that have this abnormality, if we could do more tests we could sympathizes the immunity and give it to the rest of the population."

            Brad continued to walk forward, walking out the door and into the lab area           , "Brad!" I said again, following him, "Brad!" I repeated louder than the last time, but he ignored me once again, "how can you be so selfish!"  How could he be like this? Always putting himself before others. This was our job, we had moved this virus here, infected the population. It was our fault, all of this, the death, the chaos, the carnage. This was our job, we couldn't walk away. We had to fix this. I had to fix this.

            "Excuse me?" Brad turned, somehow that had gotten his attention, "how am I being selfish? I went into quarantine, I was stuck with needles, my worst fear, and I did all of it. All of this. Everything, for you." He stopped, hesitating before continuing, "that isn't selfish." For me? I questioned, but couldn't bring myself to revise my thoughts.

            "I can't force you." The doctor said, still standing in the door way of his office, "but truly, we need you. Both of you."

            Brad just kept walking. Not turning around. The other people in lab coats had been ignoring our argument, but now they were looking at us. All of us, their conversations ceasing as Brad began to head towards the door. Their beady eyes glaring him down.

            That was when I heard a small click, as if I button had been pushed and suddenly a siren started to go off, the sound growing louder and louder, penetrating my ears over and over, reminding me lustfully of Brad's heavy metal music. Home. "I'm sorry." The doctor said from his door frame, his hand on a big red button, "I really am."