Wild Desperation

Chapter 69

                                                Kota

I was numb. When Sang had come in sobbing I felt my heart stop, but when she told me Jess had been bitten... I didn't know how to feel. Sang had been crying so much, none of us had ever seen her so upset, when she got sick and then passed out it didn't help our worries. Silas decided to carry her to the research lab, and after Uncle admantly agreed to let us have as much time off as we needed we solemnly made our way to the building. I didn't want to believe that it was true but when I walked in and saw them taking her vitals and setting up a quarantine in another room it hit me all at once, I was going to lose my little sister. 

"Oh, Jess." I choked out her name on a whisper as I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. "Kota it's going to be okay, we'll figure this out, now can you please stop strangling me?" Her voice was calm and relaxed, I gave her one last squeeze before releasing my death grip on my little sister. "Oh Jess, I'm so sorry." A sniffle drew my attention to where Sang was untangling herself from Silas's grip as she too came to hug my sister as she choked back her sobs. 

"Sang it's not your fault, it's not anyone's fault that I got bitten. They say they've got some tests running on possible cures we just have to focus on working on that right now." Jess was able to sooth our bird more than we'd been able to, it was a shot to the ego but it was nice to see them so close. "Right. Tell me what I can do to help." Sang had wiped her face of the tears as she looked from Jess to the research team intently. There was the determination we all loved about her, I could only hope it would be enough this time.

                                                            Sang

I was struggling not to fall apart again, seeing Jess hooked up to monitors and Arrow tied up and muzzled, I wanted to curl up and bawl my heart out. I knew we had to do everything we could to get them cured before it was too late, so in order to help keep myself sane before then I volunteered to help in any way I could. "Do you think you can tell Jay, Rocky and Will where I am?" Jess asked. "Absolutely. What else do you need?" I nodded my confirmation. "Some test subjects would be nice, live and dead ones if you can find them." Phillips stated and I agreed to do my best before rushing off.

 I went to Jay's cabin first and I knew by the looks on their faces that they knew something was wrong the moment I walked up without my four legged companion. "Jess needs you all at the research lab, immediately." I didn't even let them talk as I told them to get to the research lab and hurried off to my own cottage. I leashed Rosie to bring along with me as I went to set some live traps near Jade's old cottage, I figured it would be a good spot to catch some rats. Then I headed out to check my snares without Arrow it just didn't seem right. I quickly learned that when Rosie wanted to eat the meat it was healthy but she ignored the sick ones, I brought both back in separate bags. 

I dropped the healthy meat off at the kitchen before checking my live traps, and according to Rosie I'd caught 10 healthy rats. I got them all out and carefully shoved them into another cloth bag before resetting the traps for more. I dropped Rosie off back at the cottage with three healthy rabbits for the dogs to eat before heading to the research building. By the time I got back they had the quarantine room divided, half for Jess and half for Arrow. "Sick game is in this bag, live healthy rats in this one." I dropped both bags at Phillips feet as I nodded to Jay and his group by Jessica's side. I went to sit beside Arrow, I took his muzzle off despite the others protests as I gave him his rabbit dinner. 

"I love you big guy, you just hang in there for me okay." I whispered as I scratched at his ears before reluctantly putting the muzzle back on him, doing so made me want to cry, again. I followed Phillips back into the main part of the lab where they were doing the testing and things for the possible cure. "Don't worry little bird, we won't let them die without a fight." Foster stated firmly. "Phillips tell me the truth, how long do you think she has?" My question was a whisper as I watched them work. The blue vile or the advanced virus vile was being diluted by some clear solution as they injected a few rats with the green vile and left some without.

 Then they injected both the vaccinated and unvaccinated rats with the strongly diluted virus, the effect was immediate as all 6 rats died in seconds. "Well that doesn't look promising." Foster murmured. "We're going to need more rats." Brooks agreed. "Phillips how long do my pet and Jess have before they end up like those rats?" I gritted out. "They didn't get as strong of a dose of the virus with the squirrel as they would with a coyote but the virus does act faster on humans than it does on animals from what we've seen." Phillips said on a sigh. "Just tell me straight old man, how long do you think they've got?" I hissed out.

 "The wolf maybe 4 or 5 days before there's no helping him, Jess.... 3 days maybe 4 if she's really lucky." I felt my stomach sink even more and the older scientists words. "We can't lose them. I'll get you more rats just tell me what you need and I'll find some way to get it, all of you just need to focus on making this cure and saving both of them." I stated as they made out a list of what they needed. I told Owen what I'd be doing before taking the list and rushing off to set more traps and collect whatever else they needed. The only way to keep myself focused off the crushing guilt was to keep myself busy, and what better way to keep busy than working to save their lives.

                                                   Phillips

We ran a few more tests but none of them yielded good results for our two subjects in quarantine. "Keep working on this and be careful with the virus, we need to dilute it even more." I ordered out to the group, I needed to make a house call. I didn't bother knocking on the door to one of the older cottages, I just let myself in as the occupant stared back at me. "Phillips I've told you I don't want anything to do with..." I cut Jeffreys off with a scowl. "Jess and the new birds mutt had a run in with a sick squirrel horde in the orchards, they're going to die if we don't figure out a cure fast!" I stated roughly, I saw his pause in his shaking hands. "That has nothing to do with me." Jeffreys shrugged. 

"I don't care if you're wallowing about your dead wife and kids, they are gone Nick! You can't save them but if you get your d*** head out of your a** you might be able to help save Jess and who knows how many others!" I raged out, he scowled back at the mention of his first name. "I told you I'm not going near that d*** virus, now get out!" He shouted back. "Fine I'll leave, but at the very least look these over, please. Maybe you can make some sense out of them that we couldn't." I sigh as I drop a copy of the stack of notes on his desk before shaking my head at him and heading out. I had more work to do if we even had a sliver of a chance to save Jess and Arrow, and with them the rest of the world.