The Infected Rebellion

Chapter 4: The Lost Files

I was so determined to find those files. That boy, he was my mission's fuel. The light in his eyes that flickered out was probably the only thing keeping me going. I was still tired and sore, but I felt like I could manage. Room after room, hall after hall, I was steadfast in every door I unlocked and with every step I took. I was desperate to know that boy's name. I was desperate to learn my name. I was desperate to know why I was here.

When I had checked at least eight halls I stumbled upon a locked door. I guessed it was the room full of files. I pulled the keys out that I stole from the scrawny man. There was one that seemed to match the lock so, I opened the lock and swung the door open. Just my luck that it wasn't the right door. But this room was a kitchen. I began to raid the fridges and pantries. Not that there was much to take. I got two water bottles, a can of dried peaches, a box of crackers and some summer sausage. I sat down near the fridge and took a swig of my water and a bite of summer sausage. I sighed, honestly ready to give up hope. I scavenged around and found a duffel bag filled with a few more cans of dried fruits and an apple. I put all my food in there. I would need all the supplies later.

Suddenly, out of the clear blue, I heard footsteps. These footsteps were fast. I scrambled to my feet, trying to keep my balance. I wrapped the duffel bag around my arm and quickly picked up the gun. I peeped out the crack in the door to see an African American girl and an Indian boy running quickly down the hall. The girl faintly whispered, "I heard the files are this way."

The girl sprinted down the remainder of the hallway, while the boy had a hard time keeping up. In an instance, a door slammed, and they were gone. I quickly opened the door and chased after them. I was still careful to make sure they didn't hear me. I really couldn't trust anyone. I was careful with my pace until we found the door to the room of files. They opened it first and I slowly followed. When I entered the were already halfway down the hall to the huge room of files. The files were all divided by the alphabet and there were so many of them. It was obvious that there were way more human experiments than just me.

I headed over to the "B" files first since BA405. I guessed he would be one of the first files in there. I scanned the first two drawers of files and I found BA405 written on a file. It was one of the first ones too! I frantically opened the file and went through the paperwork. The first papers were just medical forms. I pushed them aside and went digging for his files. The last file was the test results and information about him as well as a headshot of him. Just what I needed. The files read:

Name: Jonah Harper

Age: 18

Sex: M

Assigned Number: BA405

Test work: The serum has been injected into his arm and he doesn't seem to be taking it well. It was injected near his lungs and his lungs have almost collapsed three times. He is barely living on the artificial oxygen we are giving him. He doesn't seem to be able to intake any of it. It's as if his immune system has shut down and it's causing him to get sick. His entire hospital inmates are already moved so we will leave him in there and see how he holds up. Only time will tell.

I was furious with what I was reading. They left Jonah for dead and he was separated from his family. All for some stupid lab experiment! And what serum? A serum that all the inmates were injected with? Maybe that would explain why I'm in so much pain. That serum could have injured me. At least I was alive. That was better than anything.

I stuffed the file into my duffel bag and without thinking I slammed the file cabinet shut.

I heard the girls voice again, "I heard a noise! Search around Daniel!"

Footsteps that were obviously Daniel's somehow quickly found me. I held the gun up in fright. He held his hands up as he shouted, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, darling!"

I wanted to shoot. I promised myself I wouldn't be a coward, but all I could do was drop the gun and run into his arms. I held him close. He didn't touch me, he sort of just giggled and exclaimed "Makayla! I found someone you might want to meet!" He touched my hair gently, stroking it softly.

I looked up from Daniel's shoulder to see a rather unfriendly face. Makayla, she had a snarky reaction to me. She rolled her eyes and sighed, removing my hands from around Daniel's waist. I stepped back, Daniel chuckling and snorting. I felt my face get all hot and sweaty.

"Sorry." I mumbled, twiddling my fingers around.

"It's fine." Daniel responded, "Sorry Makayla is making you feel bad. She usually is like this. It's pretty normal."

Makayla huffed and proceeded to take the file in my hand from me. "What file do we have here?" She snapped, "BA405 huh? I remember that kid. He was in the same hospital as me before they moved him after they injected him with some sort of untested serum."

I snatched the file back from her. "I don't want you touching that." I snapped back.

"Feisty much are we?" She replied, "Listen, kid, you can come with us, ok? No need to be scared. Or rude. I'm not a fucking monster, ok? I'm just a little rough around the edges."

Daniel nodded knowingly. "Still looking for your file?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am." I responded, "I need to find out who I am."

"Well we'll help you kid." Makayla chimed in, "Now let's see what your serial number is, shall we?" She examined my bracelet. "E589, eh? We'll find you your file, no problem!"

I knew these two were trustworthy. For the first time since I woke up from my hospital bed, I felt safe.