Dying Breath: Unveiling Secrets

Questionnaire

Everyone huddled in the lounge, waiting for the last of the patients to leave to go to their rooms. Salerno was still eating food. Maggy and Dr. Atkinson were tired but promised to be there. Danny and Robert were also there.

" So, everyone here has at least one question for you. Are you prepared?" Askova asked. Salerno nodded, still stuffing food in his mouth, " you have to answer all of our inquisitive, no questions asked." He nodded again.

" I guess I'll go first," Lindsay said, " okay, so who's the administrator?" Salerno looked up and finished chewing.

" Classified."

" Wha-,"

" No, it's fine. He answered," Askova commented. Everyone sighed. Askova had a notebook to write down answers in.

" Why shouldn't the East know?" Dave asked.

" Riots, departure, and other stuff. It would cause too much chaos. Plus, it would make America look bad." Everyone nodded.

" Is the CDC still doing research?" Askova asked.

" Yes. They are hidden somewhere, so they aren't just out in the open."

" Why doesn't the president know about this?" Derek asked.

" Even though the president is a shit bag, he still wouldn't agree to this. So he doesn't exactly know."

" Is there a cure?" Maggy asked.

" Nope. That's what the CDC is trying to figure out. They aren't even close." Maggy looked sad.

" Out of all names, why did you guys choose Z.O.M.B.I.E?" Danny asked.

" I don't know. They probably needed a catchy name, so they used that." Everyone nodded.

" How is stuff recorded and sent to the administrator?" Robert asked.

" Technology. But I will have to say classified." Robert glared at him and scoffed.

" Why will we be rewarded if we survive?" Willow asked.

" This is a very tough infection to survive, especially in two years. So they thought they needed to do something to help make up for all of the trouble for those who survived."

" Were certain people evacuated before the outbreak?" Ray asked.

" Yes. The president and government officials and their families. Some who heeded their warning evacuated America altogether, but most never survived since, you know, secrecy."

" Why two years?" asked Michaela.

" Well, a study needs multiple variables for their experiment, so they thought two years was enough to see how people would survive out here. They also needed enough data so, you know, two years."

" Is immunity a rare thing?" Dr. Atkinson asked, the last person to ask a question.

" Um, yeah. The CDC says people can't be immune to this because it's too strong. Research says so." Silence fell over them. They looked at Askova and back at Salerno. Salerno looked down eating.

" That's where you might be wrong," Lindsay commented.

" I'm never wrong." He looked up to see everyone staring at Askova, " what? Don't tell me-,"

" Yeah, I'm immune," Askova said. Salerno stared, mouth open full of food.

" Dude, close your mouth," Danny replied.

" How are you immune? Are you sure your immune?"

" Yeah. I was bitten about a week ago and nothing happened. I still feel the same." Askova waved her wrists in the air, showing all sides. Salerno looked at her arm, still wrapped around in bandage.

" And someone else is immune too," Lindsay said.

" WHO!?" Salerno was dumbfounded. The CDC was wrong. There are immune people.

" Um, a local doctor here. But she led a crowd of cannibals, and they seemed to listen to her. We call her half-bitten." Salerno got up.

" I need to tell the CDC about this. They are going to freak." Salerno ran out of the room. Everyone followed, with Askova grabbing her sword.

" He can't tell them," Askova grudged.

" Why? If they find out, then they could finally make a cure," Maggy protested.

" It's not like I'm Patient Zero," Askova turned around, running backward, " if they find out I'm immune, then they will take me away and poke at me like a lab rat. And I can't leave you guys."

" She can't leave me," Derek stated. Askova sighed and turned back around. Then all of a sudden, there was a huge crash. It sounded like an explosion. They all stopped simultaneously.

" What was that noise? Where did he go?" Robert asked. They all looked to their right to see that a patient accidentally tripped over a cart with multiple medical pieces of equipment. The equipment scattered everywhere, and the electrical cords caught on fire after an IV bag burst open.

" Everyone! Split up! You two put out the fire and help her up," Askova commanded. They all left to certain parts of the building to look for Salerno. Danny and Robert stayed back to extinguish the fire and then helped the patient up afterward. Askova and Derek were stuck together, not like they were complaining though.

" He ran towards the elevators. Maybe he left to a different floor to use a phone," Askova suggested.

" Just my thought," Derek retorted. Askova looked at him, and at the elevators. The glass windows were smashed open.

" How did we not hear that?"

" That sneaky bastard. He smashed the windows during the crash to not make any noise." They both ran carefully through the window and followed the trail of blood left by, who they assumed, Salerno. He was probably cut by the glass.

" Which floor did he go on?" Derek asked. Askova pressed the top floor button. There were blood marks all over the button. They waited for their arrival.