Inhale

Chapter 3 - Unfavorable Events

Suffocating silence filled the waiting room. Besides the ticks and tocks that resounded in the area, silence was the only sound that reached my ears. It did nothing to comfort me. Awkwardly twiddling my thumbs, I sat next to a stressed man. To distract myself from the tension emitting from my neighbor, I scanned my surroundings. To my despair, there was nothing interesting in this blank space besides unmatched pots, tattered couches, and suspiciously clean tables. To be honest, I would do anything but talk to the man next to me. Sitting next to me was Luckas Vail, otherwise known as Luke.

Luke is an attractive man with short, dirty blonde, messy hair and striking chocolate brown eyes. He is the personification of a military man: strict, courageous, overbearing, and more than 'a little' active. His wardrobe consists of black, fitted tank tops and loose, white denim shorts that come to just about his knees. It was the uniform of the corporation—or rather, brigade—that he belonged to. His shoes varied in color, but they are all broken in. Like Katherine, he is in the Alliance Liberation but due to his attitude and role, many people are scared shitless of him due to his status of sergeant. He typically has an irritated scowl on his face, unless he is with Katherine.

Katherine brings out the best in Luke, but that is strictly speaking from what I've seen and heard. Whenever he is with her, he emits this gentle, pleasant aura and acts kinder than usual. His pupils tend to dilate when he looks at her. In short, he's hopelessly in love with her, and it doesn't help that Katherine refuses to let their relationship become more than friends. One might say that he's in what you'd call 'the friend zone', but I would think that he'd say that they're only in denial.

I continued to twiddle my thumbs, trying to keep my mind off the man next to me. Talking to him always unnerved me—I never knew what to say. Especially now, since I was the only one to blame for all of this. Should I apologize? Katherine was reckless for me, so I should take responsibility. Then again, would a mere apology be enough? With my inability to talk to others linked with my lack of experience with this sort of situation, whatever I was going to say was bound to be inappropriate and intolerable. Then again, it's not like I'll be making his impression of me any worse. I should just let the scene play out as fate would have it. 

I turned to him, ready to blurt out what was on my mind, but before I could say a word, Dr. Beltran entered the room with the results plastered on his face. Reluctantly, Luckas and I stood. We watched him, waiting to hear the news, whether it was good or bad. With a downcast expression, he diverted his gaze from us.

"Mr. Adair and Mr. Vail, we are sorry to inform you," he murmured almost inaudibly. His body trembled as he spoke. My heart fell. Was she dead? Were we going to have to bury her body tomorrow as the rain fell, like in all those cheesy novels that I have read? "Katherine has contracted the X.Q Virus. We are sorry for your loss."

I was left dumbfounded. What is this 'X.Q virus'? I  looked at my neighbor, whose skin had become a ghastly white. He, too, was trembling—just like Dr. Beltran—and his pasty lips quivering and his pupils dilated. Not in total affection, but in fear. I watched as Dr. Beltran walked over to comfort him, only to be pushed away. Then, we were back to that mortifying silence until, finally—after a few seconds of unnerving silence—he spoke.

"When is confinement going to be put in action? When will visits be restricted?" Luke asked, his gaze not leaving the floor. "How long until..."

"Since her body is fit, she should have at least eight months before she succumbs to the disease." But he looked away. "However, she still needs to be monitored to ensure her safety. We're sorry, Mr. Vail, but we can't allow you to visit her. We can't make exceptions when others may be harmed." With one last glance, his footsteps began to resound in the room once more.