Still breathing | Original story

Chapter Thirty Two: Anti-virus

Word count: 2465

Each room was grand, the ceilings high and our tapping feet echoed through the rooms. Dust layered the computer screens in the next room. Through the fuzz, I could make out screen shots of a girl with brunette hair, me, and a young boy, Caleb. I felt a pang in my heart and just wanted to leave and find him but my feet were not being cooperative. I just kept on following Archie through the building, that hadn't been cleaned in a while, as he talked about it like it was the best operating building ever. He was talking like there were workers everywhere , but there had been more people in my old group.
The further we walked into the room, the darker it seemed to get. I forced myself forward despite the fear of where Archie could be leading me, despite what could be lurking in the darkness.
Another room; it was well-lit by a massive TV screen, it almost felt like a cinema. The screen was blank, though. The white of the screen was the only light. It illuminated the vials of gold liquid covering every surface in the room. I couldn't help but notice one vial of green liquid and a powder version lay out of place amongst them.
"What is this?" I questioned.
"The virus." I nodded, it wasn't really a surprise to hear it. It was more of a surprise to actually see it. "But I suppose you already knew that." He smiled egotistically at me and I swallowed a lump in my throat. His gaze never left mine as my eyes scanned the room again. Being greeted by the same green vials.
"What's the green stuff?" I finally asked as Archie looked down to fiddle with his sleeves.
"The antidote," he said casually, not looking up. Maybe that was what I needed to save England, to stop a mad teenage boy taking over! I just needed to gain his trust, sneak in and BOOM! Salvation. Not that it would be that easy.
"You have it here?" Archie sighed and finally glanced up.
"How else was I to get people like Kevin and Kyle to work for me? They wouldn't be here now if not for it." I nodded and bit down on my lip so hard that I tasted a metallic substance in my mouth.
"Clever," was all I could say as my mind was working out how to gain his trust. I walked into the room absent-mindedly, tracing my fingers against the surfaces that held the poison. I stopped at the powder and asked as casually as I could, "why two different forms?"
"The liquid is drunk and kills off the virus." He didn't sound suspicious so I decided to push on.
"But any previous cell damage stays?" I remembered Kevin's black arm, how the infection had already taken over and was left a zombified mess.
"Precisely." I could hear the smile in Archie's voice and looked over at him.
"And the powder?" I cocked my head to one side.
"The same, except it isn't drunk. You go to a high point-" He suddenly stopped himself and I was sure he had figured out what I was doing. My pulse quickened and heat rose in my body but I tried not to give myself away. Archie shook his head with a chuckle. "Sorry, I don't want to bore you."
"Please go on," I said, maybe a little too eagerly. Archie raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm intrigued," I added
"Okay if you insist," I smiled at him and nodded. "You have to throw it up in in the air where the oxygen will mix, causing it to explode from the glass shell and fall in a great distance. It has the ability to flow around the county if you get to some place tall enough."
I thought about the building, it was tall. It could maybe save someone, it could be the start of what I was looking for! It could be it. I just had to be sneaky and climb to the roof in order to throw it up. Let it kill the infected. Archie's little army of cannibal soldiers would be destroyed. But I have the virus inside me, don't I? Isn't a vaccine just a weakened version of the virus? Would I die too?
"Anyway," Archie said, not realising what I was planning, "it's time for you to rest. We have a lot of planning to do tomorrow."
"Are you sure I'm up to this?" I asked as I joined him at the door. He placed his hand on it and grinned down at me.
"Positive," he whispered and leant down to kiss me. I nearly backed away, before I realised I had to keep up the facade. If he was ever to trust me I had to do it! Without a moment's pause, I kissed him back and it wasn't like the first time. My head was whirling, my stomach contents were nearly coming up my throat. I felt sick. He made me feel physically sick. What had my life come to? It took all the will inside me to smile at him when we broke away, he pushed the door open finally and led me to my room where I could have some peace and quiet. Not that I would, no way! I needed to get my plan into motion before something happened to Lily.