Immunization

The next morning I was in the training room, in my gear and my helmet on. My swords were drawn and I held them gripping the handles tighter by each finger in patients. It was early morning when the sun had barely rose over the horizon. Minutes passed by, the clock ticked every minute; second. The sound echoed through my mind I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. 

Hours pass...

The location at which my safe house was, it was apart of a district that was made to keep the people that did survive the infection a safe place to stay. It wasn't the most happiest place in the world but it was something. The food was running low, and space was filling up from nomads we find on projects or missions on finding survivors or making sure groups of infected haven't formed beyond max. I found myself walking down the streets of the district with four men as soldiers trailing behind me, eyes watching me as I walk by homes, run down homes. Kids were poorly clothed and fed, they lived in filth and fear, fear of one day the walls protecting the area were to fall. 

This district had been standing for the past 14 years when my mother, a couple of army dogs, and I found it. We established this as a home for just us until we found survivors passing by or finding them in huts or in broken down cars. It got to the point where my home became a shelter for them, some left once back on their feet, but others chose to stay behind for the sake of their young. When the shelter grew beyond it's withholding compacity, my mother declared it a district and had men build a surrounding wall around the area. 

I watched the young-lings play with a crumpled piece of paper like ti was a ball knowing that eventually the male children would be taken in and be put as soldiers. The problem is though, not many births now which means in the future, the ones that guard the area will be no more. The females manufactured weapons and armor while making food, clothing, and being mothers. On occasion a woman would be rapped or be brought in at the age of 15 to be a mother. It was wrong in my eyes but these were times of dread and despair. 

I was on my way to the head building for the districts council to discuss further matters on growing infected territories or new main camps to become acquainted with. I walked with a haste pace with the four men following close to my back before I was stopped by a little girl running out in front of my trail. The mother quickly put her hands on the girl's shoulders and pulled her back for safety. The mother's face was apologetic and her eyes full of fear, purple bags formed under her eyes from lack of sleep or stress. All I could do was just walk past them and not feel a thing. 

Once we reached the inside of the Main Hall and into the council room, the meeting had begun and everyone took their seat. I stood next to my mother's chair with my arms behind my back. 

"Alright, we have a sighting on a new growing population to the south of us, though it's not of any real concern, we believe that we should send a small squad out to check it out." Governor, a man who claimed himself as leader of the district because he was one of the army dogs that founded this area with my mother.

"It's in out best interest that we should take caution. This district needs nothing more to fear other than what's on the outside of these walls."

"What about one of the main camps to the south, wouldn't they have already checked it out?" Captain J. Nash stated while flipping through papers.

"There's no way a camp that small would send out men to check on the new group of infecteds, by any luck, it's just a small pod of 5 infected at the most." General Samuel.

"We better make sure on our behalf to the south main camp, I'm sure they'd be in out debt if we were to insure their safety." Governor.

"True but what about that population growing to the East of this district? They've grown from 4 infected to 9 in only six days sir. Greene, what's the scanner pulling up?" General Samuel Trep.

"Uh, the scanner reads what you say and will estimate that there'll be roughly around five days until it's a serious threat to this district. Though it still remains a threat to the two camps near the group of infecteds. Our men are stationed there and are ready to defend sir." Greene answered quickly.

Captain J. Nash was still flipping through papers until he snapped his fingers looking at the Gov.

"What about project 201? Will that be ready?" Captain J. Nash.

"Well Greene, will it be ready in time?" Governor.

"Sir, we're running tests on multiple subjects right now. I can't give you an estimate." Greene.

"Well if the project isn't ready before oh let's say 48 hours, we'll send the troops along with Serene to deplete some of the infected from getting out of hand." Governor.

I could feel my mother didn't like this much, though she never like them putting my on missions because it stressed her out. She's watched after me all these years and can't let me go. 

"I'll have my men accompany her to the East and maybe send them to stay at the southern main camp to rid of the newly forming pack of infected." General Samuel Trep.

"Sir, the tests on subject 62 is a positive and my scientists are prepping him for a turn over in 5." Greene stated out of the blue, scrolling through the scanner with wide eyes.

"Great, this meeting is over. Greene take me to the lab so I may see the subject." Governor.

Everyone stood up and nodded to each other before dismissed, I followed my mother out of the room staying behind her as she quickly scurried down the hall. We entered the lab with the Governor close behind us, and in the room were charts, vials, rating, and bodies. Some human, some infected. In the center of the room were two tables, one with an infected on it; alive, and the other had a human. 

Tubes connected to the human from IV's and then infected was only strapped down. The human was male, no doubt a volunteer to this for money, but had a history of being worthless and instead of taking his own life, he donated his body to science. He was brain dead but his heart still functioned normally. 

"What's this Dr. Greene, elaborate to us why this is being shown." Governor motioned his hand towards the bodies on the tables with a quizzical brow.

"Yes, you see this man is brain dead but his hear ti s functioning normally. We extracted the venom from the infected and placed it in a syringe and injected it into this man's blood stream. At first there were signs it was bound to be negative but then the vitals proved otherwise." Greene explained while typing something into a computer.

I watched the fast moving doctors placing more tubes into the human and extracting blood from him. The Governor nodded to Dr. Greene as she spoke.

"The man's blood over powered the infected venom and there were no traces of it left in the blood stream." Greene looked at the Governor.

"Go on Dr." Governor.

"Sir, the subject was labeled at immune to the venom therefore the blood stream is normal and able to withstand the change." Greene said letting out a short breath at the end. 

"Sir, we've tested more, taking the blood from this man and injecting it into other's then injecting them with the venom... they were fine. Nothing happened, the venom was demolished by it and therefore, we have out cure." Greene finished saying with a little quirk at her lips for finding a cure.

"Dr. Greene I hope this has no effect on the people inhabiting this district, I promised them safety and if this is default results later on, your life will be on the line." Governor.

At his words I turned my head slowly to look at the Governor who seemed to return the stare back at me. I hope he knows that is anyone touches my mother, they'll be risking not only their lives, but everyone they know. 

The Governor walked out of the lab after scheduling himself up for the immunization leaving my mother and her fellow scientists, plus me, alone in the room with deported bodies. She worked on the human man, looking at his readings and pulse, it made me wonder if he was in fact immune to the venom of an infected, then why is his brain failing? What was this man's name? Where did he come from? 

 All the questions started to swarm my then it snapped, why am I think of this pathetic human? It's the last thing on this planet I would consider doing; caring for people. I got angry and stormed out of the lab, closing the door behind me before my mother could ask me what was wrong. I walked down the hall just before the exit I was stopped, someone had placed their hand on my shoulder; wrong move. I turned around quickly taking the hand from my shoulder and twisting it, placing my other hand on the person's neck. 

Once I realized it was Jake Corey, the younger brother of the Corey twins. I pulled off of him in an instant and backing away. I could feel his heart beat pulse through my head, the sound ringing in my ears but I tried not to focus on that. Giving him a content nod I allow him to speak.

"Serene, I-I'm sorry" Jake began, gasping for air still a little shaken up. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Gosh humans underestimate me -.-

"Listen Governor wanted me to inform you we leave tomorrow 0800." Jake Corey.

I heard him loud and clear, turning my back to him I walk out the exit door into the district. Looking to the right of me I could see a group of new army dogs bickering at each other, sharing smiles and grins, laughs and stern faces. The men were suppose to escort me to my safe house but I snuck around the corner unseen. I didn't need protection, I can take care of myself.

I walked down an alley way, men sitting at the tables talking, the women in the windows cleaning and singing, and the children playing. I could feel the stares on my back as I alked past them, they were silenced. I reached the other opening and looked both ways. To the left of me was a street leading back tot eh Main Hall and the the right of me there was a group of about 10 men talking. I turned my head to them as they stopped talking and looked back at me.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" A man had said once I turned my back and started walking the other way. 

I had stopped walking for a minute, then I continued walking. I could hear the footsteps behind me, noticing that they swarmed into a circle around me. Some of the men started to chuckle thinking they had me frightened others were bickering. I turned slowly around to face the man that had spoken to me, he seemed as if he was the leader of this little group so he stepped up and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"I asked you a question. Am I going to get an answer." The man obviously doesn't get me. 

"You see we've heard of you, you're the daughter to the infamous Doctor Greene. Now the story doesn't explain why you have to hide your features."

I saw his gesture with his head by cocking it to the right in a fluid motion and then I felt someone place their hands at the hem of my helmet and lift it slightly. 

Bending over and standing on my hands I lift my legs hitting the man behind me in the crouch causing him to cringe up. Spinning around using my legs again I kick him in the side of the face knocking him clean out. Standing up with my fists balled up as some of the men are taken back, they backed up a few feet. It took a few seconds for them to realize what had happened once they did, they all charged at me. I knew I couldn't kill them so I thought that maybe I could make them hurt themselves. Ducking in time so one guy flys over me, dodging a punch a punch as well so that it would smack the guy behind me. 

Grabbing the arm of another guy pulling him to me and using him as a shield to two kicks aimed for the gut, he fell down grasping his stomach afterwards. Seeing that defense wasn't going to last much longer, I switched to offence, punching a face of some guy making him stumble into another guy. By now I had 6 men on the floor in pain, I stood there strait looking between all four men awaiting their move. 

All of a sudden I felt hands grab my ankles, looking down real quick gave the four men enough time to charge. The distraction actually worked and I should have known not to look and turn my back on the enemy. Anger built up in me, heightening my senses and strengths; not good. Using my arm to block an elbow thrust I grab the guy;s hand twisting it breaking the bones in his wrist. I beat up 3 men and the last one ran away, he was out of there by the time I had finished off the second guy. As for the guy who grabbed my ankles, I shook off and broke his nose with my heel.

After I was done I cold hear a siren going off and getting closer, it must have been the guy that ran away to tell the Officials that I had killed his friends or something bad had gone down; so I disappeared. I ended up on a roof looking down at the Officials and the guys talking about how a person in a suit, dual blades, and a helmet had just came up to them and attacked them. 

I heard the entire story, just as the recorder in my helmet caught the entire thing; serves them right not to mess with me. This had got me to think about something, why am I working for the people I hate? It confused me, I felt urges to destroy this district like it was instinct, like it was my number one goal, like it was a barrier in the way. 

I walked down the streets and by this time I was thinking, I hadn't been paying any attention to time. As i reached the Main Hall I shoved past the guards stopping me to question me about the brutal attack I had done, quickly I just flicked a thumb drive to them and continued to my mother's office. 

I saw a long line leading to my mother's office of civilians against the walls with their children. As I reached the lab I was dumbfounded to see my mother injecting children and few adults with blood, in the back was the brain dead man with multiple tubes hooked up to him, life support on line in case of a code. It angered me beyond the point of being able to calm down. 

My mother had seen me turning my back to her and storming out before i did something stupid. I could feel her run after me, walking out of the building I stood at the top of the stairs with my arms crossed over looking the area. 

"Serene look this is helping us, it's a cure for us. It'll be better and we won't have to live in fear of them invading or attacking us and us turning into one of 'them'." My mother tried to invade my mind and let me know everything was going to be fine. 

But I felt it was wrong, in my gut. 

"Please understand what we are doing, we're helping others and inventing a new time, a new era." She sighed heavily before she had turned around and walked back into the Main Hall building.

I wasn't going to join her side, not this time. Everything they were doing was wrong, taking blood from someone like a blood bag. It won't be long before it all runs out and the people who are now immune from turning into an Infected. I was half, my secret side of me, was half infected but no one knows except my mother. I've been her little study rat for to long and now I was independent, knowing this unsettling feeling was never going to go away until I fix it.

I waited a while to see that the entire Main Hall was some what vacant except a few guards and scientists working on other ways to reverse the effect of the Infected's venom ot toxin. Sneaking in through an open roof panel I lifted one of the air vents and climbed in, crawling in small spaces was no concern to me. I was crawling until I spotted the room with the man, well blood donor. 

He was pale, dark circles formed under his eyes. His breathing was uneven; slow in fact. Kicking open the room vent so it dangled open I slid out and landed on the floor with a audible thud if you were in the room. Thank god that this room held no windows for it was the laboratory. I stopped when I turned my head slightly to look at his monitor, heart rate low, blood pressure low. I looked at the tubes leading from his arms and neck leading down to the filling blood bags in the carrier. Taking a moment to look around I found syringes composed of his blood. Curiosity won.

I found myself walking towards it and taking one then walking back over to him and pulling out all the tubes from him. I grabbed an empty syringe, pulling up my sleeve putting it to my arm, and drew my own blood. It was a thick black color, like it always will be' upsetting right?

Once it had filled up with my own blood I injected it into the tubes and stuck them back in him. I wanted to know if he was immune to my blood. If he was then he would die, problem solved since that was my original plan was to have him die and not supply people anymore, or if he were to survive then he would be a zombie. Finally arriving to my safe house, knowing my mother was asleep or in her office working out ideas, or whatever' that I would be able to go to my room without having to sneak past walls. 

I arrived in my room, in pitch darkness I closed the door letting no light past it. I needed to calm down. I removed my gear and placed them on the shelf along with all my weapons, taking the needle with the man's blood and hiding it in a slot in the wall where no one would find it. I needed to keep it safe, it should be my only way to become fully human. 

As I lay down on my stone bed, folding my hands on my flat stomach and looking up at nothing, I thought to myself.

"This is a new day, A new Era. Times will be different now, nothing will be the same ever again."