Dead Rising

The Escape

Frank stood over Isabela, who had mixed the ingredients together and was now working on Carlito's laptop.
He held his hands together in a praying motion. He wasn't religious by any means, but he'd take any faith he could get at this point.

"So..." Frank began awkwardly. "This drug that stops the parasite growth..." he paused for a second before signing out of frustration. "Have you ever made it before? Or is it just a theory?" It was a fair question. He was nervous and staking his literal life on this drug. Who knew what could happen when he took it. Maybe it would hasten the infection? Maybe it would turn him into some super freak. Who knew? Hopefully Isabela did.

"When I was working in the medical lab, my brother asked me to research a method for suppressing the parasite. Of course, back then, we didn't extract the hormones directly. We synthesised them in the lab."

Frank scoffed. "So, he was protecting himself from his own terrorist scheme?" Frank asked. It angered him. Isabela sighed. "He wanted a way out, is that it?" He asked.

"I don't know!" Isabela snapped. Carlito was a bad man, but he was still her brother. She didn't want to look at him the way he was when he died. She wanted to remember the good times instead.

Frank looked at her, then away.

"I know he didn't bring the drug with him here. I have no idea what he intended to use it for." She said. Frank looked at her. "You think I'm just making excuses, but Carlito kept things from me." She said, looking back at the computer. Lamenting at what her beloved brother had become.

Frank knelt down beside Isabela, and changed his tome from hostile to calm.
"Even if this, uh... even if you do manage to this drug, it won't completely cure me... will it?"

Isabela looked at him in the eyes. He returned the favour. It was quiet. The silence was enough of an answer for Frank.

"I'm afraid not..." she said regretfully.
"When the effect wears off, the parasite will develop as it normally would, continuing the zombification process." She explained as she typed away on her computer.

Frank sighed in defeat. Was there any point to this? Prolonging the inevitable? It felt like a cruel joke.

"Fat lotta good that does me..."

Isabela looked at him.

He could see the disappointment in her eyes. She was trying her best. Working around the clock to keep him alive. He felt bad for his comment. He put a hand on her shoulder.
"Well... it's the only hope I've got now." He said, giving her a weak smile.
She could tell he still felt the same but appreciated his effort.

...................................................

With the equipment set and prepared to go, Frank sat down ready for his injection. "This is all I need as far as supplies are concerned. As for the queens, you have gotten more than enough. Well done."

Frank nodded. "Yeah, uh... listen. Just how long do you suppose your drug will prevent me from turning into a walking corpse?"

"During my research, I was never able to conduct proper clinical studies." She answered. "To a certain extent, the period of effectiveness depends on each patients physiology. It could be a year... maybe only a week. There's no way to tell for sure."

Frank stood up and chuckled. "Fantastic!" He said to himself. "So, I'll be a... walking zombie time bomb!"

Isabela's face changed. "A time bomb?"

Frank turned to her. "What?"

Isabela rushed back to the laptop.
"Once the drug development was complete, Carlito poured his energy into starting an NPO dedicated to helping war orphans." She began. "We had fifty doses of the drug prepared. Not long after that... the NPO managed to find homes for a large group of children. Want to guess how many?" She said, showing Frank the laptops screen.