Infectious

Chapter 2: Kai

"I'm not sure, no one knows why they were experimenting with the virus. Word started to spread amongst the labs earlier today about the break-in. No one knew what was in the vials, and I wanted to believe they could be harmless or mild. Maybe a simple cold virus? My gut told me I would be wrong. The man back there must have been showing symptoms from those missing vials. Either he came into contact with someone we call patient zero, the initial victim exposed to the contents of the vial, or he was the patient zero." He begins to pace back and forth, back and forth, "the lab where the vials were taken tends to create airborne and blood transferable diseases. Meaning it very easily spreads from one person to the next." His face becomes distorted with quick thinking as he continues to wear a path into the pavement, "do you remember years and years ago, when our elders and ancestors had been attacked by a virus called Ebola?" Jax stops dead in his tracks turning to me, a fire burning in his eyes. "Direct contact of blood or bodily fluids would transfer it to another person. Making it one of the deadliest infectious diseases. Mostly attacking West Africa at first. Then a few got a scare here in what used to be called America. Lately, scientists have been focusing on trying to predict what those types of diseases could mature and mutate into if something similar returned to the general population. I can't be sure which one it was they stole, but we can be certain it will be very, very deadly." Jax begins pacing up and down the now empty alleyway once more. Besides the footsteps bouncing off of the adjacent buildings, all you could hear was... nothing? What the Hell? I feel a fresh wave of terror flood back into my veins. Bile returns tickling the back of my throat.

"Jax..." he's too deep in thought to hear me, "Jax!" Still no response. I step in front of him and place my small hands on his broad shoulders. "Jax you need to focus. Look around. Do you see what I am seeing? This alleyway is only filled with the two of us when it should be bustling with tons of people. So, where are they? Jax?" He spins in a large circle finally taking in our surroundings.

"I've never seen anything like this... Kai, we need to get back to your house. Hopefully, your parents will know what to do." Our fingers interlace before we cautiously walk to the end of the alley. Glancing around the corner only eight people aimlessly walk in the street.

"I'm going to ask one of them what they may have seen. I'll be right back." I leave Jax at the wall and briskly walk up to an older woman stumbling down the sidewalk. "Hello, ma'am, may I ask you a-" at the sound of my voice she turns to face me at an achingly slow pace. It was almost comical how slow.

"Help me." It comes out in a cracking croak. Her brown eyes were becoming glossed over, and every blood vessel popped around what had to have been astonishing irises. A red-tinted drool slightly dribbles down her chin onto the collar of her faded green tank top. As the acid-filled drool worked its way down her chin, it was taking her ivory skin with it. Leaving it raw and bleeding. Her walk was hindered by one of her broken black high heels, the actual heel part snapped and dragged as she moved her dead-weight feet.

"I'm- I'm sorry." I stumble a few steps backward in my daze. The woman reaches her hand out to me, and boney fingers just barely graze my arm. I feel my heart shudder with yet another ache. I spin around quickly to get back to Jax in the alley. Leaving the confused and helpless woman to suffer alone. Guilt racks my body as I rush back to the shadows I emerged from moments ago.

"We have to hurry Jax! All of those people out there are infected. Every last one of them." I exclaim wide-eyed and out of breath as I come around the corner. "Jax..." he grips my elbows hard to keep me grounded, to keep me from spiraling out of control.

"All of them?" He steals his own glance, "are you sure? Of course, you are." Taking his hands back, he swipes them along his watch bringing up the holographic GPS. "We need to get back to our homes, pack the essentials, and then find this doctor I know. I have burning questions he should be able to answer. We need to leave the city as well and get somewhere less crowded. One of our houses should be fine for now, but if they've been affected by this virus in any way we won't be able to stay in them. There's this place off the grid, we can hold up there until we have a more solid plan if our homes are compromised. If need be, we can wait until nightfall to start the trek to the alternate safe place I have in mind. That would give us a better chance to get past any patrols remaining on guard of our city's barrier walls. Does that sound like a decent plan for now?" I weakly nod.