Recovery (Amnesia Sequel)

Research

No way in hell will I allow Chris to turn. If I survive this like Kat survived her infection, I can't live and have him die. I would give my life for him. I go to my room and sit on the floor, thinking. My fingers run over the sore part of my neck from where Chris had a grip. I haven't turned yet, and it's been a few days. My fever is already gone, and I'm experiencing little anger. But Chris however, is not as lucky. Why? I ask myself. What's different?

I think about Naoto and what he said to me a few days before his horrific death. He told me it's possible people have immunity. Kat is already an example of this. But what makes her, and possibly me, immune? I remember he mentioned age in the discussion. Like people above their thirties were more likely to turn. But is age really the factor? James was already turning, and he's our age. My father is also turning, I know that. It's quite obvious, but no one knows this or will even believe it. So what's the difference?

Sunflower nuzzles up to me, her big dog eyes staring at me. She pants, her breath smelly. She's very thin, yet still full of energy. Her tail wags as I begin to pet her. "Hi, girl." Sunflower licks my cheek in greeting. The hot, wet lick sends shivers down my spine.  "You know, it's the end of the world, and you could be the last damn dog on this planet, but I still hate dog kisses." I push her away gently, just enough to put space between her tongue and my face. Soon enough she gets the point and lays down next to me, her golden head in my lap.

I stroke her fur as I begin to think about what the hell I should do. 

Then it hits me. This is a school. There's a library. 

"Research time!" I stand up and wobbly walk out into the hall. There's guards at the school entrance down the hall watching. I turn the corner, Sunflower right on my tail. Luckily no one follows after me. 

Soon enough I find the library. It's a large room containing tons of shelves holding books. I go to the medical section and look for anything I could possibly find that can help. The first one to catch my attention is a small textbook specifically on rabies. I remember when I had just woken up from my coma and the letter my father had written for me talked of the virus, and how it was related to something like rabies.

I sit at a table and start reading.

I wonder if anyone is trying to find a cure still. Or if anyone has. If so, there's no way it could be passed on. In this world, there is no more social media to spread such information across wide scales. I don't know if anyone's even attempted the rabies vaccine on an infected. 

With more and more research, this virus that has swept the planet seems to be a horribly worse form of rabies. The biting that starts it all, the transferring of the virus through saliva to the blood stream. The fever, the agitation, hallucinations, and confusion are all symptoms that I've seen everyone who was bit go through. Todd, Brenda, James, my dad, Chris . . .

"Naoto, if only you were alive," I say under my breath. Sorrow eats away at me as I sit thinking about him, what he knew, what he could have done. He was such an intelligent man. He could've helped find a cure. But I know after Mia, he wouldn't have been himself. He would've been an infected, a body who's soulless. Mia was his life. And Chris, in all honesty, is mine. He's been here by my side through this entire journey. And even though still can't recall half of it, he's been there just about my whole life. If he dies, it's my fault. I have to do everything I can to prevent it.

I take the textbook and hurry out of the library. I need to talk to Melissa about this. I don't know what kind of background she has in medicine but I know she's a nurse. If she can help me figure out how to stop this, we can save Chris's life. 

* * *

I find Melissa in the nurses office. She's standing over Tessa, who's been barely hanging on. I'm surprised she's still alive. Kat has been at her side every minute. She looks like a mess, like she's in a trance. It's bad enough her father, Lenny, died. Now she has to watch her mother suffer from three stab wounds. The Slashers, the stupid fucking Slashers. They killed a quarter of our group. And they're still out there. Shayla, Mia, Naoto, all dead. Tessa nothing but a body lying on the bed. 

Melissa realizes I'm standing at the doorway and hurries over to me. "Are you okay, dear?"

"I'm fine," I say. "I really need your help."

"With what?" she asks.

"A cure."

Melissa looks at me, squinting in confusion. "A cure?"

I show her the textbook. "I've been reading about rabies. This infection is like the rabies virus mutated. All similar symptoms. I know the treatment for it isn't a cure. It says once it starts there's no fixing it. But if we could find a way to do this, we can try to make a cure."

Melissa puts her hand on my shoulder and sighs. "I know you want to help Chris, but by the time we could figure it out, it could be too late. We can try the best we can to reverse his fever, but he's infected. He was bit. He sat overnight with that going through his bloodstream."

"So did I," I say. "I'm still standing."

"Somehow you weren't infected like he is. Like everyone else. I've only seen this once. This little boy had been bitten. He started a fever and all, but we cooled him off and were able to stop his fever from rising. He didn't turn for weeks."

"What happened to him?"

She turns away and mutters under her breath, "Some stupid people who call themselves 'the slashers'."

I freeze. "You guys had a run in with them?"

She turns back to me. "You know them?"

"They killed three of our group," I say. "When did this happen?"

"Oh, a while ago. We weren't here. I don't think they know this place exists. And I hope it can stay that way." She takes a sip of her water bottle and sits down in her chair. "They introduced themselves as that and this woman, this horrible woman, lead them all. She killed half of my group. My friends. The poor little boy. They don't all use knives, but they sure as hell killed everyone with them."

"They killed the little boy?" I ask.

She nods without looking up. "They killed his mother. He kept screaming and screaming. Crying for his mom, crying for her to wake up. He was becoming a threat to all of us by being so loud. He'd attract tons of the dead. She didn't kill him, but she ordered it to happen. And a man immediately grabbed the boy and slit his throat, just as they did to his mother."

My stomach becomes mush. I feel as if I'm going to puke. The visual is painted in my mind. And then it just keeps me thinking of Mia. How her body slumped and the blood poured. I can see Naoto trying to scoop the blood in his hands. Crying, sobbing, broken. 

I can't imagine how many lives they've taken. 

"The little boy was a sweetheart. He survived the impossible, just to be taken away in front of us. Like that." 

I look over to Tessa, who's pale body is motionless. Kat has started to shake her, eyes worried. "Mom?" she says. Her word a whisper. Then it grows louder. "Mom? Mom, come on. Open your eyes, mom."

Melissa hurries over and checks Tessa's pulse. She takes a second to process it, then gently drops her hand. 

Kat is becoming hysterical. "Mom, wake up. Please wake up. Mom!"

Melissa puts her hand on Kat's. "She's no longer suffering."

Kat smacks her away. "We can still save her!"

I watch as Kat attempts CPR. She tries but fails. Snot and tears run down her face. She starts to shake her roughly. "Mom, no! You can't do this to me. You can't fucking do this." 

I turn around and walk out the door. 

Another one gone. 

How many more of us have to die? How many of us have to die from not the dead, but the living?

I keep walking down the hall, away from the sobs. I walk to the library which is silent, peaceful. I sit down and grab a notebook that was on the table. I grab more books and lay them out in front of me. 

My father may be too far from saving, just like James, but I'm not allowing this to happen to Chris. Not him. 

I lean over the notebook, clean page and pencil in hand. Time to kick this virus's ass. Time to kick the devil out of his high throne. Time for research.