Element Z

Chapter 8: North Dakota

Waking up from an uneasy sleep to the knocking at the door I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door to see Zach. "I know you're upset with me but we are about to be landing in North Dakota, how'd you sleep?" Rubbing my eyes I walked past Zach and to the table where Ethan sat across from the CEO. "Morning, uh Jake was it? Ethan here told me about your work at our facility with touring the interns even though you were just covering the shift. That's impressive." I smiled softly looking out the window watching as the Helicopter landed on the ground. "Well, thanks for the acknowledgement. But I care more about information, so tell me. What do you plan to do once you leave this Helicopter?"

Walking out with the three of us behind him the CEO was approached by the President of The United States and a group of guards with guns as they separated us from the CEO. "It's alright, they're with me." He said as he turned around to face us. "We are going to save the world, Jake." As the guards let go of us we followed behind as the President and CEO conversated. "So how is the state of California? Did you take the Governor out?" The CEO laughed as we made our way inside an office building. "Well unfortunately for you Mr. President, I was unable to take out your opponent. However with the virus spreading faster than anticipated, the state was overrun when we left." 

I don't know what overtook me, but the amount of rage in my body finding out the President was behind this trigged my instinct to fight. Kicking him in the leg and punching the CEO in the face out of anger I yelled. "YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU BOTH WERE BEHIND THIS? I THOUGHT MAYBE THE BOMBING IN CALIFORNIA WAS AN OVER STEP BUT THAT IS SO TINY IN COMPARISON TO YOUR MASSACRE OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY!" Zach wrapped his arms underneath mine pulling me away, preventing me from taking any other hit on the two. "Jake, calm down or you will get us ki-" Cutting him off I stared the President down, I wanted to kill him then and there. "NO, IT'S NOT JUST THIS COUNTRY. THE WORLD WILL SUFFER BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS AND FOR WHAT? TO SAVE YOUR SKIN? YOU'RE A MONSTER!"

Laughing like a maniac as the soldiers pointed their guns at us, The President stared me back in the eyes as he put his hand out towards the soldiers. "No, keep them alive. I want them to tag along and see." The President looked up at Zach and Ethan and before walking into a room he told them. "Keep your friend on a leash, or else I won't hesitate to have you all executed." As we waited to be let in Zach looked me in the eyes. "Look I know you're angry, but you have got to control it if we are going to live to see the other side of this. Do you understand?" At first I was silent, but then I slowly broke into laughter as I looked over at Ethan who seemed upset over the whole situation just as I was. Looking back at Zach with tears in my eyes I shouted out. "WHY THE HELL SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU? I BET THE FACT THAT THIS VIRUS OUTBREAK WAS ON PURPOSE DOESN'T EVEN PHASE YOU SEEING AS YOU ARE ONE OF THEIR HAND PICKED TO GET A LUXURY ESCAPE AS THE WORLD DIES!"

His words struck me and for whatever reason I just couldn't respond to him. If the President and CEO of Element was behind this whole ordeal, then was me being chosen with a few other people to get cured so we could save the world a lie? How could we save the world if the people behind it were the most powerful people on the planet? I sighed as we got called into the room and I walked in last behind Jake wondering if my immunity from the virus was also a lie, there was no way of knowing. If we couldn't save the world then my only concern would be Jake from this point forward.

Showing us around the President looked me in the eyes. "Earlier you called us monsters, I feel that is too harsh. Look at us as the grim reaper, we are doing our jobs. But instead of taking people's lives when it's their times, we are helping the world's overpopulation problem." Biting my tongue I held back the urge to curse his existence and scold him. "Saving the world from overpopulation, huh? Well I'm sure once this is over the people will be happy to re-elect the guy who saved us from overpopulation....by murdering the world. You will never clean your hands from their blood, I hope you know th-" Ethan slapped me hard and I felt nothing but shock as I began to question his motive. "Please excuse my ignorant friend, I believe your cause is noble as someone who studied the rising world population. While I disagree with your method, I believe the human race will benefit greatly from this!"

Betrayal was the only thing I could feel as I looked over noticing Zach also shocked at Ethan's words, maybe Zach really was on my side but I had no time to think as the President's happiness to have at least one of us on his side led him to turn on the tv. "I'm happy to hear that, now then. Have you wondered how the virus actually works?" Sitting beside the CEO and looking at the tv, the President hit play and a video began. However what caught my attention was Ethan snooping through a desk, if I thought Ethan was hard to understand before then he was definitely difficult to understand now. Maybe he was on our side, was he lying to the President? What is he looking for, he knows if we get caught that we will be killed. Whatever his motives were, they'd better be worth it.

As he swiped some paper and put it in his pocket, Ethan came back to the table and sat down with us as the video playing on the tv showed an infected devouring another human. I wanted to look away so badly, the screams of that innocent person was gut wrenching. Nothing was more horrifying though than when about three minutes later his decaying corpse rose and his eyes were a void like black. His body was dripping that black liquid that all infected have, he had become one with them. Yet even then I don't know what was more horrifying, what we just watched or the fact that the President and CEO seemed excited over what they had just witnessed.

As the lights came on the doors opened and in came soldiers as they handcuffed us, Zach and Ethan looked at the President confused but I never trusted him for one second. "What's going on, Sir?" Ethan asked sounding like some kiss ass employee trying to get on the boss's good side. Turning around with the grin of a psychopath the President stood up. "Well you see, knowing that you three oppose me or well two and you being on their team. We can't have you leaving here alive. So you'll fight some infected! Hey if you win and don't turn, maybe we'll let you escape!" As I went to shout I was blown away to see Zach scream out instead. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS. HELLSPAWN, I WILL KILL YOU. YOU HEAR ME 'MR PRESIDENT', ONCE WE GET OUT OF THERE I WILL KILL YOU!"

His laughter is a moment in my life I will never forget, it was the laughter of a man who had gone mad. No, it was the laughter of someone who had been fucked up in the head all their life. We were given no time to respond as the President ordered his men to knock us unconscious, Zach and Ethan's bodies dropped to the floor but before I was knocked out the President looked me in the eyes. "You may find this all to be bad, but I find it all rather amusing. Maybe one day you will see my point of view, if you live to see it that is." Looking at Zach's body on the ground, I felt a tear drop on my face as the President laughed and his men knocked me out.