Into The Unknown

Chapter 18

The rain outside had finally died down, but the sight of Leo's body lying on the muddy ground was burnt deep in Alisha's mind. The others were probably focussed on the tragedy of it all, but Alisha had a separate concern.

The virus didn't work like that.

The virus didn't kill Freaks.

Why did he die? It couldn't have been the rain... Otherwise we'd all be dying...

Alisha waited, giving the others time to fall asleep, before she hurried to the boy's body, carrying a body bag in her arms. Alisha kind of hated that she had instinctively packed a body bag. She was careful carrying his small body to the lab, and quiet, too, scared she'd wake up Amari, who she was sure would be upset with her actions. But she couldn't let the burning question in her mind go unanswered. Alisha could not stifle her curiosity.

She laid him on a metal bench and began to examine his corpse. She wore gloves and a mask to protect herself, just in case the virus strain was contagious. She took a blood test, which quickly confirmed her suspicions- it wasn't the rain. It was something in his bloodstream. She continued to investigate, she was invested now.

And yet...

While exploring the NEXUS base, Alisha had come across an old bottle of red wine. She had it beside her now, taking the occasional sip while she worked away in the lab. Gabriel probably would have told her off for drinking while she worked, but he wasn't there. Over time she came to rely on alcohol, as if it were the cure to her own mental virus, to kill the parasite eating her piece by piece.

In a way, it was.

Alisha worked through the night, the bags under her eyes inflating like balloons. Absorbed in her work, Alisha didn't even notice as the night turned to midnight. She was almost done with another blood sample, before a tired Amari shuffled into the lab, wrapped in a thin blanket. Even though Alisha was aware of Amari's presence, in her drunken stupor she didn't even think to explain herself.

Amari slowly looked over at Leo's corpse and fell against the wall behind her. She covered her mouth, muffling her cries, the blanket slipping off her shoulders. It was only then that Alisha realized she should elaborate.

"Amari... I was just uh-"

"Why is he here? Why did you bring him inside? What are you doing to him!" Tears fell down Amari's face, her eyes red and puffy. Combined with the ridiculous cap on her head, she looked almost like a child.

"Amari, I had to see his cause of death. It wasn't the rain," Alisha explained.

Amari took some deep breaths, her blanket finally slipping to the cold tiles beneath her. "H-how?"

"There's some chemical inside his body, something I've never seen before. It looks like the virus," Alisha continued.

"The virus can't kill Freaks..." Amari reminded her.

Well no shit Sherlock. That's the problem.

Alisha nodded. "That's what I'm worried about. Someone made a new strain of the virus that targets Freaks," Alisha removed her mask. "It can't kill humans."

Amari covered her mouth with one hand, another tear falling down her face. "Someone tried to kill him?" she spoke softly, her voice muffled.

"Not just tried, they succeeded," Alisha caught her tongue, watching Amari's eyes grow sadder. "...I'm sorry, Amari."

It was then Amari finally bawled her eyes out. Alisha thought to give her a hug, but she barely knew the girl. Amari, still sniffing and wiping away her tears, reached out to grab a medical mask on the table nearby.