The War for Survival (Survivors #2)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The director hands me my keys to the room that now belongs to me. The sanctuary is an underground bunker, meant to hold thousands and thousands of people to live in for however long needed.

"There's just one condition. You can't join the army until you create the vaccine. Is that understood?" The Director hands me the vaccine file.

"Its a deal." I smile and grab my things.

"Alec is the leader of the soldiers. And although, I make the decision if you specifically are in and not him, you do have to do as he says too. Now that you know how it works around here, Alec will escort you to your room and give you a breif tour."

"Alec will what?" Alec protests in annoyance.

"That's an order." The director motions for us to get going with it and we do so.

I follow Alec to my room and he uses the key to unlock it. I look around and drop my bags. I grab the bag with all my files in it and turn towards him. "Where's the lab?"

"You don't want to eat or rest before starting?"

"No time. I have to finish this so I can fight."

"You're a determined one," he sighs. "This way." He leads me to the west wing on the first floor of the bunker. At the end of the hall is the labratory. "Just so you know. Infirmary is in the East wing on the first floor. Cafeteria in wing C on the 2nd floor. And you already know your rooms on the 3rd floor so I think my job is done here."

"Thank you." I place the bag on the table in the lab and he leaves. There's a few tables in the lab, a desk in the corner, and cabinents full of equipment and chemicals on the walls. There's a freezer and a fridge for certain things that need to be kept cold.

I roll the glass dry erase board in the middle of the room and grab my files. I immedietly get to work on this vaccine, writing out the formulas on the board. But there's always something missing every time and I can't figure out what it is.

I roll the second board over and continue the formula on it after I use up the first one. Its such a long process of writing down everything from the files, that I end up filling up the white dry erase boards that are attached to the wall and extrends across the room.

5 hours must have gone by before I get about all of what I have, written on all the boards.

I grab my laptop and books out, searching up anything that can be useful. "What is it!" Sighing, I drop my head on the table.

"Find that vaccine yet?" I lift my head up to see Alec in the doorway, watching me.

I groan and drop it back to the table. "Something's missing and I can't find it.."

"You've been busy," I lift my head to see him looking at everything on the boards. "What is all of this?"

"The different strains of the disease thats all combined together to create the vampire disease. And formulas of what exactly I need to try and make a vaccine. Or a cure.." Sighing, I look back at my notes.

"Is that even possible? A cure?" He leans over the desk, looking at my research.

"Its not impossible. I just can't do it alone."

"Who said you're alone? You have your sources remember?" He mocks me from earlier and I glare at him.

"Yes, a bunch of soldiers but none of which have a high enough IQ or could barely fathom a single one of these formulas. I need an actual scientist. Not a dumb jock."

"You're the one who wants to join the dumb jocks so bad." He glares at my offensive term, but it doesn't even bother me.

"I want to rid this world of the plague that was forced upon us. I can't just stay locked away in my room and wait, watching the world go to shit more and more each day. If I can't cure them, then there's only one thing left. I want to dispose of those rabid animals and bring our world back." Sighing, I look at my work. "Wait.. That's it!" I jump from my chair and snatch my book as I run to the white board. I flip through the pages until I find my answer.

"What is it?"

"Shh!"

"Did you just s--"

"I said shh! Мужчины. Никогда не знаешь, когда стоять и просто выглядеть красиво и заткнуться." 'Men. Never know when to stand there and look pretty and just shut up.'

"Ты думаешь, я красивая?" 'You think I'm pretty?' He laughs and crosses his arms over his chest.

I roll my eyes and wave him off. Damn Russians.

I mutter words to myself as I write the rest of my formula in. "Beta-propiolactone combined with neomycin sulfate..combined with the strain of the disease itself, strain PM-1503-3M.." I write out the rest of the formula and jump up, dropping my book and facing him. "I got it!!!!"

"Wait, you got the vaccine?? You?? Of all people.. holy shit I never believed it.. You really did it?!" He runs over and looks at the formula.

"I did! Now I just have to make it and test it!" I run and grab a microscope, and all the equipment I need. I get the viles from my bag of some of the ingredients I've already produced.

"Wait, who's going to be the test subject?"

"We'll worry about that later. Go let the director know I'm making the vaccine right now." I smile and he runs from the room. I tie my hair up and get to work.

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It took hours before I finally perfected the serum and recorded every step of it. Now I know exactly what to do.

The director and Alec join me as soon as I alert them that its done. I hold the long syringe in my hand and stare at the liquid inside. I finally did it.. Holy shit I finally did it!

"How do we test it?" The director enters with Alec close behind.

"Hello to you too." Sighing, I look at them and then at the syringe. "I have to inject someone and they have to be bitten. But first before they can be bitten, they have to be monitored for 24 hours to make sure they don't die, or turn, or reject it."

"So you're saying it could still fail?" Alec looks from the syringe then back at me.

"Well there's no garuntee until after I test it."

"I'll do it," Alec begins rolling up his sleeve and holding his arm out.

"No, you're the leader. Your soldiers need you. And," I turn to the director. "You're the director, we all need you too. It can't be someone important."

The director looks at the both of us. "Then who?"

I look at him and then at Alec. "No one needs me. I'm not important. It has to be me."

"What? No, your the one making the vaccine, without you we have nothing." Alec tries to take the large syringe from me but I pull it away.

"No. I will not let someone die because of my failure. You will still have your army to fight with. And if it kills me.." I pull out my phone amd slide it across the table to them. "All my sources. Their under a specific folder in there. Expand your army and win this war. Vaccine or no vaccine. You'll win."

"Erika--"

Before anyone can protest further, I stab the syringe in my arm and inject the serum.