Story: Quicken, Question, Quantify

Chapter Five: Advance

"The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."

-C.S. Lewis, 1898-1963

July 13th, 1998 – Racoon City – Home of Albert Wesker:

The lack of light was an extreme in and of itself. There wasn't a sliver of anything in the black abyss outside those moments it used illumination as a method to torment me. Those things I saw were always so horrible I wasn't sure I even wanted to chance opening my eyes. I made the mistake of peeking only to see something I wanted, often the start of negative things – wanting. Inuyasha was there, he looked down at where I'd been crying on the ground, shaking his head. Then turned away toward where Kikyo stood.

"No…" I whispered. "Stop…"

I wanted to chase him, to keep him from going after the other woman but my knees refused to move. My body betrayed me as much as my voice, which refused to raise so my protests died on my lips as I reached toward him. "Please don't leave me alone."

The black curled around my outreached hand when I tried to touch him and I shocked awake, gripping at the warmth of a hand that had touched mine. Recognizing the nightmare for what it was, I pulled my hand back quickly. I glanced around, as my mind took a moment to catch up to where I was.

"I…sorry." I managed to catch up, embarrassed at the way Sunglasses was nearby, had taken my hand. What had I said or done? "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"You have every right to rest." He calmly answered, head canting slightly. "You were having a nightmare. You reached out, so I complied. Should I leave you at such times."

"No." I said a little too fast. "I mean, it's fine. I just was a little embarrassed."

I straightened my skirt down, it'd ridden up more than I'd like. I can't believe this was the way I was acting. He couldn't know what my nightmares entailed. He'd only been helping, and I'd ripped my hand away. At least he didn't seem to take it personally.

"I've put your other set of clothes in the washer, they should be movable to the dryer soon. Do you need more? Clothes, I mean." He asked and I resisted the urge to sigh. He kept doing so much for me…I felt bad for the many times I'd started to be paranoid.
"I can make it by with what I have." I answered.

"You are too humble." He stated. "I spend little of my money on myself. I would much rather help. If you give me a list of styles or sizes, you prefer I'll see if I can find you a few more pieces of suitable attire."

"You don't have to be nice." I answered, holding a pillow a bit closer to my chest. Rubbing my hand along the fabric where the chill seemed to still be around it. The lack of warmth after letting go…

"I don't have to do many things, yet here I am with a girl I met less than twenty-four hours ago that's taken over my bed." He commented. "Care to talk about what you were seeing to make you this nervous so long after waking?"

"I don't think I want to talk about it, it's a bit…fresh." I said, shuttering again when I thought about how I'd begged. Glad when an alarm drew his attention away from me toward the door.

"Right back." He promised before heading away after whatever the alarm was. I let out a sigh, groaning as I pushed the pillow over my face. I peeked over the edge of the fabric at my hand, touching the palm with my fingers. It was odd, that I'd really regretted pulling away in my waking disorientation. How sad was I that I regretted letting go? What was my problem? I didn't usually act this strange with people…but that nightmare…it'd been so real.

Considering it left me near tears, I'd felt so forfeit in that moment, discarded by the only thing I'd desired. That I would be left reaching forever for someone that was only destined to hold another. Then a hand had closed around mine. It had burnt in that short moment through the void that would have swallowed me whole. Then, I'd drawn back before I could realize what was happening. He hadn't known what he was doing…but all the same…the absence of a touch was just as strong as the moment.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. Was this just the drugs? None of this seemed very possible. Had I fallen in the well and died? Had the jewel killed me? I didn't think so. This would be too odd even for a fever dream. I didn't even really know this person. I'd let nothing more than a kind gesture make me consider it possible, for the tiniest fraction of a second, that perhaps I could find another hand to hold. There could be another…I didn't have to define myself by the half-demon I'd been obsessed with a quarter of my life.

"I wasn't sure what you liked when it came to Pizza, I made different quarters with different toppings." He offered as he returned from downstairs with plates in hand. The smell making my mouth water. He looked tough, and I got a strange sense from him…but could anyone that made me realize my life wasn't over if the half-demon wasn't in it be totally bad? I accepted the plate with meat, expecting my body could use the protein.

"Thank you. I'll have to make you something when I'm on my feet." I said, moving to sit to the side of the bed. I didn't want to get crumbs or stains on his fancy sheets. "I could make you a lunch one day."

"Oh, you enjoy cooking?" He sat on the bed as well, picking up his own slice.

"Sometimes it's nice. I like to cook for other people more than myself." I said, nodding at the pizza. "This is good. Thank you."

"It's simple but effective, you'll need to eat to recover." He stated. Probably more into quick and easy meals that weren't fast food by the look of him. "It would be good if that was faster, considering we appear to be facing monsters."

"Do you know anything more about them? They looked like zombies." I asked, I couldn't exactly bust out and ask if they'd ever heard of Sounga yet. He'd taken my other story well, but I'd been able to demonstrate my abilities. I couldn't just dive into demon swords being a thing.

"Our understanding is limited. The virus does seem to spread through contact, but it doesn't always infect new hosts." He explained. "Part of my job has been trying to investigate it but to also contain it as new cases continue to pop up around here."

I nodded. Was this a demon, if not a demon sword? Some powers we never heard about. I'd never thought much about demon's in my time, I guess I used to assume they hadn't survived, but what if they had?

Inuyasha wouldn't have lived long enough but demons like Sesshomaru could last hundreds or thousands of years according to what Jaken used to go on about involving his master. Could Naraku have somehow gotten here too? I had a whole chunk of missing time that I couldn't explain. I was certain I'd wished the jewel away, but was that fake? Or was this a punishment? Was this even my world?

"You've gotten lost in thought quite quickly." He pointed out and I was glad to still be chewing. Able to take a drink of water to cover up not knowing what to say.

"Just trying to figure out what it could be, or why someone would do this." It was truth enough.

"It's hard to know what goes on in the mind of someone that could orchestrate all this I'm glad you fell into our laps. You might make it possible for us to find some sort of answer. I'd say if that happens, any help I've given you is rather miniscule in comparison." He had finished his plate and I was still eating but he didn't rush me. I couldn't argue that me using my priestess abilities to stop a bunch of zombies probably did equate to rent, food, and a few clothes. It made me feel a bit better about accepting everything he'd offered.

"Do you have an idea where they are? More than the forest?" I asked.

"We're working on narrowing down several possibilities. The rural lands around the city are vast." He replied. "We also still have to police the city while doing our best to protect it. Our resources are limited given the sensitive nature of the information. Which reminds me, I must ask that you'll do your best to keep this confidential. You aren't an employee, but you understand the sort of panic it could cause." He asked seriously. I wasn't sure he could stop from talking about it if he liked - given how seriously American's took their freedoms. I nodded all the same.

"I will do my best to keep your secret. I agree it could be dangerous. Too many people might be idiots and want to search out these beasts for themselves." I had seen time and again in the feudal era how dangerous a mob mentality could be.

"I appreciate that." He said, offering a tiny smile with the words before holding his hands out for my empty plate. "More?"

"No, I'm fine…I don't always eat a ton…" I answered, realizing I'd eaten a lot again just then. "Can you tell me who else knows about this being a problem? If it's confidential I can assume there are others aware of the problem."

"There are, though we are trying to limit the information for the reasons I just listed." He explained, stacking the plates and getting up to take them downstairs. "Can I get you something else? A water or juice? I have coffee, but I don't keep soda in the house."

"Uh, water would be good." I said, a little unsure if he'd altered the topic on purpose. Then, maybe he wasn't supposed to talk about it. He'd said it was confidential and given he'd also explained it was something spreading like a virus I knew that could be worse than when we'd been dealing with Soun'ga. The sword had only been able to bring back the dead, not create more as it went. I groaned, turning on the tv, hoping for some sort of clue as to where I was. The weather popped up again, I smiled slightly since my host had told me he usually only watched this or the news.

"Here." He walked back in and offered me a glass of water. I accepted it, nodding to him lightly. Glancing down when his fingers brushed mine, the image of catching his hand flashing through my head. "Are you up to this? You seem bothered beyond your injury."

"There was a lot that happened before I ended up here." I said, not sure if I was ready to talk about details. "I'll do what I have to though, I can fight."

"As I've witnessed." He glanced to my bow and then back to me. "When we get to battle, you will still need to be careful; these creatures can be swiftly overwhelming."

"You've fought them a lot then?" I asked, hoping to get more details sometime.

"Enough to have seen how swiftly the virus spreads." He replied, still difficult to read. Couldn't he take those sunglasses off? "If you agree, I could take you to a local laboratory working on a cure, but even levels of the laboratory we've had to quarantine and close off completely after researchers were accidentally infected, so the entire floor was lost. There are so many on those levels that we've simply closed them because attempts to retake them only lost more troops."

"Oh…" I blinked at the sudden information. It was a lot more than before. It was a lot worse than I thought then. The town had looked normal enough, but if what he was saying was true then if one of these things made it all the way to the city thousands of people would die. "You think I could really help with a cure?"

"Your preliminary samples are coming back with positive results." He nodded to me. "I know you'd rather fight, but if we could create some form of vaccine then you would be helping much more."

I didn't want to become a test tube person, but it was a good point. If I could help cure this problem, I'd be saving much more people than if I just shot arrows at zombies. It would be better than just sitting here waiting to finish healing up too.

"All right, let's go." I said, his brows rising a bit above the glasses a rare show of emotion from the stoic Sunglasses. I really had to figure out his name again. I felt bad that I'd forgotten it… "I'd be more useful doing that than sitting here watching television. I want to help."

"If you insist." He shrugged lightly at my insistence and picked me up, again without warning. I gripped at his shirt to try and adjust to the change in gravity.

"Will you stop just picking me up?" I knew I hadn't kept my voice level. The slight smirk on his lips didn't make me feel better. "You do that on purpose."

"You stop looking so sad when I relocate you so suddenly." He replied, heading down the steps and back toward the garage. "I'll try to ask next time."

"Thanks." I said, knowing I'd gotten the blush back now that he was carrying me again. Did I always look that sad? Probably, I still felt it. Echoes of what I'd lost always bouncing around my head. Though I had to admit, it was nice that someone was looking out for me. That he hadn't immediately judged me for what I was…that he was so kind to me. He set me carefully down and I adjusted, reaching for the seat belt as I watched him walk from my side to the driver's side. He was difficult to read, but I felt comfortable with him. That was more than most of my friends as I'd spent time in the feudal era. Being able to be honest with a person in my time was odd, but I was happy all the same. I'd be able to help.

We left the garage and began down the road, he still didn't talk, and I was trying to remember what he'd said his name was. Officer W. Well, Captain W. I couldn't keep calling him Sunglasses or Hair Gel or I'd make the mistake of saying it to his face. That would be horrible. Why didn't the people here wear names on their chest? Wasn't that a standard for most law enforcement regardless of country? Was that just a thing on tv that wasn't real? Ugh, that would make this easier.

"Is there something on my face?" His tone was the usual serious, but that comment called attention to the fact I'd been staring at him. I looked back out at the trees we were traveling past.

"No, just thinking. Sorry." I apologized. "I didn't mean to stare."

"Thinking about me?" The smirk this time was self-satisfied, and I didn't know how to answer.

"No." I stated lamely, too quickly for it to have been the truth. "I was just thinking in general."

"Of?" He pressed, still pleased enough I could pick it out of his voice.

"The insanity of my life mostly." Which wasn't a lie. Everything was all up in the air. "I usually feel like I'm trying to keep myself from sinking but the entire world is made of quicksand."

"I can't speak toward your problems outside of Racoon City, but you have a few footholds here." He answered, eyes on the road. "If I can help you get home after you help us, I will."

"Thank you, that means a lot." I said honestly, resisting the urge to cry again. I'd felt alone for so long that everything he'd done was overwhelming. The jewel might not have broken me, but I was bent to hell. I knew I was cracked even if I wasn't shattered. I was still hoping to help, but doubtful I could do much after what happened before. Or if I did, would I even be allowed to leave? Would I be able to in good conscience walk away if I was the only cure? Was my reward for trying to save the world, always being the savior and never being the saved?

"We have a psychiatrist on staff at the station, if you would like to speak to someone about anything. She is one of the ones aware of what we are dealing with, she speaks with several of the officers that have knowledge of the virus." He commented, his voice not judgmental, just offering. I supposed if they were dealing with things like zombies the lady probably wouldn't judge what I could do. Could I talk to someone without them immediately thinking me crazy for the things I'd seen?

"Perhaps, I'd want to think about it more." I replied. I still wasn't sure if I wanted to trust anyone here that much. It'd been hard to agree to even come with him. We'd gotten further from town now, and it looked like any average day. We could have just been a couple people taking a drive in the forest given the bright light overhead. It was warm enough that he had the A/C blasting in the cab, but even more reason to be inside a vehicle to enjoy the view than outside.

He wasn't paying attention to me, still looking at the road. He was much taller than me, probably by a foot but I think Sesshomaru was a touch taller – though that could have been the fluffy thing he'd carried with him everywhere. His hair was also a bright blonde and slicked down neatly. How much hair gel did he use? It didn't look like the golden strands were capable of movement. He was well built; I hadn't spotted any signs of fat on his muscular body. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were, but his pale completion was like mine. His features were well defined, clear of blemishes, at least anywhere not covered by the Sunglasses.

I was a bit jealous of his Sunglasses, it was bright enough that I had to squint from time to time to see outside. A couple signs we passed put us closer to where I'd first appeared from what I could remember of that first night. I shivered at the reminder that as nice as the day appeared, there were monsters here. I wrapped my hand a bit more tightly around my bow and scanned the forest.

"They don't come out as often in the day, though they still will usually only when there are loud disturbances nearby." He stated, picking up on my nervousness quickly enough. "It should be fairly safe near the facility itself."

"I'll be less nervous when I don't have a bum leg." I replied, not wanting him to think I was weak. Perhaps I should have waited for this until I was better, I needed to start putting more thought into the moment instead of just making choices so quickly.

"I don't doubt you." He answered, he was always so precise. Even his longer answers often summarized what he seemed to mean overall. Was that just his age? He was older than me. I'd say mid thirties if I had to guess. Possibly a little younger or older. Despite all the things I've been through, I got the feeling he had a lot more experience than I. Was that only an impression? I was about to ask his age but then we turned a corner and almost immediately paused at a large gate.

I hadn't even seen a hint of this wall before he took the turn. The wall itself was nondescript, the sort of thing you might expect to see around a larger building or a private house. He paused at an intercom and typed in a few things, leaning out the window. I couldn't see the front of his face, but he took off his glasses just for a moment to scan his eyes. Then the gate opened, and we drove the car onto the path inside. Though the road here didn't look much different than the highway other than being smaller. He continued along, though I could tell we were gaining in elevation I wasn't sure where we were headed.

"This seems pretty serious for a police captain to be a part of." I figured the statement was question enough by itself.

"The S.T.A.R.S. teams are special forces; we aren't normal cops." He thankfully didn't sound offended by my blunt remark. "As one of the leaders involved, I've been given more access than most. Some of our members aren't yet aware of the issue as we want it so controlled."

"I see." I nodded at the explanation. "I wasn't trying to be rude."

"I didn't think so. It's a complicated situation and considering you thought I was a normal officer it's a fair conclusion." Did he ever get ruffled? He seemed so collected about all of this. It was so different than my friends and family.

We pulled up to a small building, it looked far too small to be a laboratory but there were two guard towers and lots of guards wandering around. Though the uniform was different than what the captain had on. The parking lot was much larger than the building with a couple dozen spots. Most of those empty. We pulled into one and he got out, I blushed in advance of him opening the door since I knew he would pick me up again. He hadn't even brought my crutches which I became aware of when he'd started to walk to my side. He opened the door and nodded to me.

"May I move you inside?" He did keep to his word that he'd ask but ugh, I didn't have a choice. I nodded and at least managed not to make some sort of noise as he lifted me, doing my best not to look at the people that had paused to look our way. Ugh, why hadn't I thought about my crutches? He carried me easily, another sign his thick arms were almost all muscle. He swept by several of the guards inside the small building and they didn't question him. He paused at an elevator, nodding to the girl nearby that was staring at us in surprise.

"P-4." Sunglasses said and she moved to click the button for him. He took me into the elevator when it opened. There were several buttons with various letter and number combinations and the girl that he'd spoken to pushed the corresponding button.

Was this all underground? The building here was just a way inside? That was different, it was very ominous. I didn't want to ask questions with someone else here. She kept glancing at us, looking at me and then the guy holding me before turning her attention back to the front of the elevator. She held the door open when the elevator finally opened but we'd gone quite a distance. I really wanted to walk on my own soon…we walked along another hall then entered another elevator. How many of these would we be on? This was awkward.

It was easy to become aware of the heat of his chest where I was being held. He wasn't even struggling despite the many minutes we'd ridden lifts or walked hallways. I knew I wasn't fat exactly, but I was heavy enough that it was weird he didn't even break a sweat.

"Is this her?" The question drew my attention when we exited what I think was the fourth elevator. A man in a lab coat with short hair and a five-o-clock shadow was walking up as we came out. He was grinning and I wanted to draw away at first. The girl that had led us here had left with the elevator.

"Birkin, could you try to remember a semblance of manners?" My carrier shook his head. "Forgive him, Miss Higurashi. He has been a researcher a long time, he forgets basic social interactions. This is Dr. Birkin."

"Yes, yes I am. Sorry." The man had winced slightly at the correction, then held a hand toward me. American's were weird but I held out a hand to shake it. "I'm just excited by the chance to push forward our research."

"I hope I can help." I said nervously, glad when he stopped shaking my arm animatedly and walked back down the hall. We followed, and I looked to Sunglasses with a frown, mouthing 'don't leave me here.'

He squeezed my shoulder where he held me, was that reassurance? I hoped so.

"So, we'll need a few more samples." The man in front of us stated, turning around to walk backwards a second. "I'd like to see how some of your blood interacts directly injected into a subject. We have some that were lost to us recently and that would give us a better idea if it could reverse the process."

"She's already given a lot of blood today." I felt another squeeze on my shoulder when he made the comment.

"It should be safe." The doctor remarked. "The samples I received weren't enough to cause damage. I'll make certain it's light and that we have refreshments brought out."

Yeah, this wasn't looking good already. I kind of wanted to leave…

"All tests are subject to her approval. She's here as a volunteer." My carrier remarked. Thank goodness at least he wasn't okay with the comments happening. "We couldn't make any progress without her, so it's up to her."

"If we wait, it'll be too far from the time of infection." The doctor said, frowning at me and stopping in the hallway, forcing the captain to do the same.

"Okay, a little I guess…" I relented at the idea. If I could save someone just by giving a bit more blood, was it okay for me to say no? The doctor looked relieved and continued toward what I expected was his original destination. We walked into a long room with several containers and metal beds separated by curtains. This place, something about it freaked me out. It felt wrong. Sick. Then…that might not be the doctor. I'd already been told that other floors had to be closed, if these things were all filled with miasma like the first ones I'd seen, how many were here to make me feel so wrong?

"You all right?" He put me down as he asked, and I shrugged.

"It feels wrong here." I said honestly. "A lot worse than the few I saw recently. How many people…"

I wasn't even sure how to say it, was it really death?

"A lot." He said, frowning at my comments. "If you aren't up to this, we…"

"No, it's fine." I assured again when he started to stop me. "If I can help, I want to help."

"All right…but I don't want it overdone." He stated as the doctor returned with supplies to draw blood.

"Yes, I know. I don't want to do harm." The doctor said, nodding to me again. "I'm sorry if I'm not always social, as Albert says, I tend to forget sometimes how to act with people."

Albert? Who was that? Was that the Captain's first name? The two were on a first name basis? I guess at least now I knew more. Albert W. I'd hear the rest of it eventually. I tensed a little as the doctor prepared the supplies, something about this I wasn't keen on. I blinked curiously at my other hand being picked up, then resisted the first urge to pull it away, instead squeezing it lightly. Appreciating the support, I offered a tentative smile since it did help me relax a little while the doctor worked. I let him get another needle into me, albeit the opposite arm this time. Never given blood twice in one day, this was another first for me.

"How old are you?" The doctor asked. I glanced from the captain to him.

"I'm nineteen." I answered, expecting the next series of questions. Largely he asked me medical questions and I did what I could to give honest answers. I'd always been healthy despite all the lies grandpa told about me. Mom and Souta had been the same way, Grandpa had even still been spry despite his age. I didn't really know where Dad was involved so I couldn't help with that side. I didn't offer names because I wasn't comfortable with that yet, but I knew if they looked me up, they could probably find me. Anymore, it was easy to find people. By the time he stopped I was starting to get a bit dizzy, glad that the captain said something to him. He closed the vein off, and I really hoped they wouldn't ask for more blood soon. I shook my head negatively when he asked if I felt well enough to stand.

"Nope. I'd rather not. Still dizzy." I explained.

"I'll put these away and get you something sweet." The doctor said, leaving me alone with the captain again.

"You should have mentioned it if you were getting dizzy." The captain sounded the most annoyed I'd heard him yet.

"I was just helping." I retorted, frowning when he shook my leg lightly. I'd started to dose off.

"No sleeping." He remarked, there was a frown on his face. "It's not helping if you make yourself sick."

"I just explained I don't really get sick much." I frowned back at him. This was when he was getting cross, of all times. "You are taking this too seriously."

"You aren't taking it seriously enough." He retorted. "I should have told Birkin no."

"It's not up to you." I scowled a little more, too tired to raise my voice. "I said it was okay, so it's up to me."

"Birkin means well, but he'll drain you dry if he thinks it will get him an answer." He shook his head at me, as though mildly disgusted. "You are being needlessly reckless; I assume because of whatever happened to you. I think if you want to keep helping, you will be required to speak with someone about your issues."

"I'm not being reckless, you heard him. This was a rare opportunity; it hopefully won't come up again anytime soon." I retorted; a bit more awake as we continued to argue. "If there's even a small chance me being dizzy or sick for a short period saves a life, it's worth it."

"That reinforces that you need to talk to someone." He stated, so much calmer than I was that it was annoying. "You act as if you aren't worth others. I've seen it before, the mentality is dangerous and unhealthy, particularly with what we are dealing with. If you aren't willing to get some help and talk to someone then I'll have you pulled from the project. Perhaps you'll do better if you contact your family."

I blinked at him, surprised at the sudden change. Was he serious? He'd acted so much like he'd support me until just now. I didn't know what to say. I did want to see my family, but I couldn't go back to them when there was a problem like this here, that wouldn't help them if this kept getting worse.

"I don't think you are being fair." I managed, a little hurt by what he was saying.

"Consider that yourself. If you have the sort of skill you do, if people here come to rely on it and you allow yourself to be killed because of things troubling you, that is unfair." His composure hadn't broken again, though I wished I could tell what he was feeling or thinking. "If you cannot discuss what's happened with you, it will be difficult to know where to place you without doubting your ability to handle the situation."

I didn't really like it, but it was logical enough. I supposed he had to worry about everyone as a Captain…and if I couldn't play ball then it was hard to be part of the team. I still didn't really want to talk to people though, what I'd been through was hard to just discuss. I had conditioned myself for years to be careful what I told others about my delves into the supernatural and here he wanted me to just go see a shrink for it.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked then. He'd already accepted me for who I was. He was thus far, the least creepy part of everything that I could remember after the battle with Naraku. I might be able to handle that.

"I'm not trained to deal with psychological problems, Miss Higurashi." He shook his head lightly. "I don't think I could help you as much as a professional. Why does it scare you this much?"

"There's a lot to what's happened in my life. I doubt most professionals have training to deal with supernatural events." I replied. "I've been worried about being put away for being crazy or being tested on for years. It's hard to just say 'oh yeah let's go ignore that' in a moment."

"A fair point." He pursed his lips just a bit, then nodded lightly. "I will ascent to you, at the very least, speaking to me. However, if anything you discuss becomes something, I feel needs the intervention of someone else, then we'll need to take that step."

"Okay." I agreed, I hated the idea of discussing my personal feelings and thoughts with anyone, but perhaps with this arrangement I could keep what I talked about limited. He wasn't exactly a chatty Kathy.

"And, no more giving Birkin samples unless I agree." He insisted, that seemed to be what was bothering him the most. I only nodded, a little lightheaded still after all the blood I'd given today. I was grateful that was as far as any demands went before the doctor returned with some fruit juice and cookies.

"Here we go, samples have been dropped off. Anette is working on them." He spoke to both of us, first me as he handed me the food and drink, then Albert. "Can I get your opinion on some of the data?"

"You all right here?" He faced me and I nodded to him. "No sleeping."

I nodded again, frowning after them. Why did he have to be so strict all of a sudden? Sheesh, I knew I wasn't supposed to just rest after giving blood. I nibbled at the stale cookies and sipped at the overly sugar filled juice looking around more. This room looked more like the hospital triage I'd been to than a laboratory researching dangerous data. Though there were a ton of supplies in the locked cabinets along the wall. There was a small bathroom nearby but otherwise the only other door lead back to the complex maze of hallways. Why was it built like this? Was it too keep any possible problems contained? Maybe. I imagined there had to be a reason.

I finished my snack quietly, not sure how to feel about all this. The sugar was already helping me feel a little bit better. I wasn't dizzy anymore and I was able to sit up and put my feet over the side of the bed. I'd agreed to come here, but this entire place set me on edge. I'd been warned about the virus causing these monsters, but I hadn't realized just how bad it would seem. I slipped slightly and had to grab myself on the table when I almost fell. I'd been shocked by the door slamming open and the captain stalking toward me. I stared and then my own eyes widened when the doctor came in and shot him in the back. Trying to reach forward where he fell toward the table, but he was still too far to grab. My eyes darting between him and the doctor stalking toward the fallen captain, holding out his gun up and shooting again before the scream came out.

End Chapter

Escalating quickly there…

-Aura

To my reviewers:

keotaka1 – Give it time. There will be lewd moments sooner or later. I'll warn in the opening before chapters start.