Two Alive, стр. 57
“Yeah, and what’s that mean doc?”
The doctor looked up from his instrument annoyed. “It means the virus is mutating. Adapting perhaps? Those fast-moving infected people are still early on in the contagion process. You can see the LRS-10 hasn’t completely wasted them away. This one still has defining muscles and is still physically fit. But many in the hive out back were further along with the infection and they still were able to move around quickly, even with great injuries or muscle dystrophy.”
Burrows just stared at the doctor, looking as though he was trying to read the subtitles to what Manson was saying.
The scientist sighed and gave the soldier a sly smile. “It’s just interesting. That’s all. I’m sure I can learn about the infection and perhaps find a means to slow it down. It’s the first step in my treating the virus and finding a cure.”
The door behind Burrows opened and Ben came walking in. Manson threw himself backwards in his chair and went wheeling back into the stall and he quickly closed the door. The scientist stood up from his chair and brushed himself off.
“Dr. Manson.” Ben said, standing timidly at the entrance.
This makeshift laboratory that Manson had constructed was strangely put together and had a weird vibe. There were books stacked and piled in the corner, microscopes and slide kits arranged on the counter and countless beakers and burners and tongs and goggles and disinfectant and flasks and other science equipment that was available in the store. If the mad scientist couldn’t find anything, he made do with substitutes.
“Yes Benjamin?” Manson flushed the toilet and exited the stall, closing the door quickly. He pulled the rubber gloves from his hands and went to wash up at the sink.
“We need you to go to the front entrance of the store.”
“Hm. Why is that?” The scientist looked irritated, rolling his eyes at the idea of leaving his lab.
“Well, Bates went outside and… he may have been infected.”
“Shit.” Burrows lowered his head.
Manson put back on his glasses and looked elated. “Did he get bit? Has he turned yet? How is he?” The scientist rushed across the room.
Ben had to back up when Manson got right in his face. “Uh… the boys killed him. But it didn’t look like he had turned yet.” Ben stepped back again to give himself more room to breathe. “We need you to find out if he was really infected or not.”
“Fuck, Bates’ is dead?” Burrows shook his head, finding it hard to come to grips with the news.
“Damn it! They killed him?” Manson threw his hands up, his anger making him more animated than usual. Then he quickly regained his composure, feeling the eyes in the room on him. “That’s fine. The sample may still be intact, and I can compare it with my latest specimen.”
“Huh?” Ben looked around the rest room and when he and Burrows met eyes, the soldier looked away. “What’s going on…?” He said, trailing off and feeling the weird vibe of the room grow deeper.
Manson snatched up a heavy leather bag from the fold-out table near the diaper changing station. “Let’s hurry before the host kills off the specimen.” Putting the bag under his arm, the scientist shoved Ben out the bathroom.
Burrows followed, but Manson told the soldier to stay and make sure no one entered his lab. The scientist hurried towards the entrance to the store with Ben jogging after him through the aisles.
At the front entrance of the store, a small crowd was starting to form as more and more voices shouted out, asking the soldiers who were waiting there what was going on. With dozens of questions being thrown at them, Rico and Bryant, were overwhelmed just trying to calm everyone down.
“We heard gun shots!” a voice cried out.
“What’s going on?” another asked.
Bryant held his hands up with a nervous smile on his face. “Please. Everyone just relax. It’s nothing to be concerned with.”
“What’s happening out there? Is it those freaks?” The old man, Clint, had stepped out in front of the crowd and rubbed at his eye patch.
“Look, there’s nothing to worry about.” Rico wasn’t prepared to handle this mob. “Captain Baker is…” He stopped when a loud banging at the shutter door called his attention. Rico went to the entrance and looked through the peep hole and saw the captain and his men. “Oh, thank god.”
After working to get the shutters open and getting everyone inside, Baker and his men were met with a barrage of questions. People were trying to get a look outside through the boarded-up windows, but none of them were satisfied with what they could see. The survivors in the store mobbed the two new faces, Antonio and Miles, who were entering the Costco behind the soldiers. When questions started being thrown at Captain Baker, he didn’t even attempt to try explaining the situation. Antonio, however, was only too thrilled to answer any questions he heard being called out.
“What happened? Did you go out there to take out those freaks?” A woman shouted out.
“Naw, they wasn’t freaks. They was a hive.” Antonio pointed over his shoulder with a cocky grin. “It was like a hundred of them! They turned into a madhouse too! But we took care of it! We got rid of all them ugly ass strikers for you.”
“Yeah, yeah!” Miles was nodding his head and jumping around as he flexed his small muscles. “We did it! We did it! We got rid of the hive!”
Antonio began to strut, boasting about their accomplishment. “It wasn’t nothin’. We took care of them for y’all and Mr. Captain Baker helped us with his men. They did they thing. But y’all lucky me and my brother showed