AM13 Outbreak Shorts

Quarantine - Five

"We need to scan these patients, to see how the poison is affecting them." I actually tremble as I made this demand to a woman I've never seen before. All I know about her is that her name's Victoria, and she's one of the people who barks their demands at us.

I had to actually suck up to Dave for a little while this morning to get this information. It was horrible, I'm not good at that sort of thing. I even attempted a little bit of flirting but it didn't go down well. He's definitely suspicious of me now.

Never mind, at least I got what I needed for now.

"Why would we do that? Time is of the essence here." Victoria doesn't even bother to lift her eyes off the paperwork on the desk in front of her. She's one of those very stark-looking women, with severe back hair pulled back into a bun, and eyes so dark I fear they might pierce right through me. As a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman who could really only be described as 'cutesy', I'm very intimidated.

"If this ever got out, there would be trouble."

I suck in sharply as she finally deems me worthy to look at. Damn those eyes, they actually hurt. "How would it get out?"

"Oh no, I don't mean anything by my statement." I can feel my cheeks heating up with embarrassment. I don't think I'm doing a very good job of holding it together despite the strict pep talk I gave myself outside. "I just think that there might come a time where we need to explain our decisions, and if that's the case then we want all the evidence we can supporting us." My brain buzzes, the words get confused in my brain but I keep on talking, hoping that I'm making at least some sense. "If we can prove that we did this in the most humane way possible, then family members will be...will be okay with it."

I'm floundering, I need to get out.

"Hmmm..." Victoria sits further back in her chair and she taps her fingers together. "You know what, you might be onto something." She blows out a big breath of air while I cling so tightly to the chair my knuckles turn white. I feel she might be about to say yes, but I don't want to get my hopes up too high, just in case. "Okay, look. Maybe just pick a select sample today and scan those. I don't want to use too may resources on this, and I certainly don't want it to take up too much time. The official Lockdown quarantine date will be sorted soon and we need to be sorted for it."

Oh, thank God!

"Yes, of course. I promise I'll do it quickly and efficiently." I jump up from my chair, scared that if I let myself say anymore I'll end up talking myself out of it. "Thank you, Victoria."

Yes! Now I can definitely do this.

***

I feel weirdly nervous as I tug the images out my bag the moment I get home. It's been really challenging to keep my stolen pictures a secret all day long, I've been so paranoid that it's made me act suspiciously, but now I've done it.

Now, I can actually look through them and work out what I'm seeing. Not that I really know.

I lay the pictures across my living room floor and I stare at them all in turn. It's easy to see the size of the brain activity shrinking, I can witness the damage to the bodies progressing, now I need to pull out all my books to work out what any of it leads to...