own door. He
spoke, deepening his voice, “Why only this project? I’m sure the director, our boss , would love
for us to the job we were hired to do.”
“What is that, exactly?” she said, darting her eyes towards him in one quick glance.
He cleared his throat. “Protecting the
people within our district. Not here, in Middletown.”
She smiled a tight-lipped grin. “The director doesn’t mind. We are protecting people.
Technically.”
He sucked his lips in, making a clicking
noise as he released them. “How so? By giving
them a type of immunity ?”
“Yes,” she said, swiftly.
Her honeyed tone rang with ease in his ears. He
felt she honestly believed that she was doing
good, Samaritan-like work. But, he doubted her
motives, if any at all. What does she gain from
all of this? He fought to ask, but the question
remained thick in his mind.
“What about Director Jones? What does he
have to say about this severe involvement in this
project?”
“He was the one that suggested it to go through.
He loved the idea.”
•••
Back at the lab, Marcel fiddled swiftly throughout his notes. Attempting to determine if there
was indeed a way to reverse the effects of the
CBH experiment.
With Calista hollering in the background, his focus would never fail to derail from
the problem at hand. “Shhh, I know. I will find
a way to get the pain to stop.”
He hoped Emily isn’t having to deal
with this same issue. There was no doubt in his
mind that she would soon have to get a cage for
him as well.
Down the hall, Nick sat in Emily’s silver
lab chair. He tapped his foot against the tile
causing a repetitive clicking noise that appeared
to make Emily become irate. He noticed her
scrunched nose and scowl, stopping his notion
of short patience.
“So, uh, about Lucy. Do you think she
will, well, you know?”
“What? Be okay?” Emily shook her
head to his nodding. “You say nothing to me, on
our way up here, but you are able to ask about
your girlfriend ?” a twinge flickered in her heart
at the thought of them together.
“Answer me,” he demanded.
She tossed her hair back into a low bun,
twisting the curls into a neat mess. “Honestly, I
don’t think so.”
“She could be like me. Whatever I am.
Isn’t that how most diseases happen? You
spread them around.”
Emily scoffed at his lack of belief in her
intellectuality. “Yes, but I am not entirely sure
what you are suffering from. Besides, you decapitated her. I have never seen someone survive that.”
He scanned the room, examining the
plaques and awards that were scrawled across
the wall behind her desk. “This is your lab slash
office? Couldn’t have them separate?”
“Yeah, I know. I want them separate,
but the University’s funding is tight at the moment.”
“Ah.”
She grabbed a needle from her desk,
and inched her way towards him. “I’m going to
draw some blood for Doctor Johnston.”
He chuckled.
Emily snapped her gaze up to his.
“What?”
He rubbed his mouth, shaking his head.
“Nothing,” he said, concealing his smile.
She placed the sharp tip against his
cooled skin, and then pressed down. A crack
echoed through the air, signaling the breakage
of the steel. “Shit.”
Her eyes drew up to his, as she sensed
his gaze down upon her. “You knew?”
He paused, before answering, to catch
his breath. “Yeah.”
“Hmmm,” she hummed through her
lips. She couldn’t help but assume the worst.
She raised an eyebrow, taunting him with assumptions.
“What?” he asked. “It’s not… I didn’t
find out doing that . Okay? If that is what you are
thinking.”
Her bangs waved against her warmed
cheeks. “Fine. But, no.”
“Then what?” he inquired.
“Nothing.” she satirized, plucking a hair
from his scalp.
The force of her strength surprised him.
Yet, he did not flinch. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” she grinned, turning to
the microscope on the desk behind her.
Nick sighed, pulling his gaze away from
her back. His eyes drew to a picture on her
spoke, deepening his voice, “Why only this project? I’m sure the director, our boss , would love
for us to the job we were hired to do.”
“What is that, exactly?” she said, darting her eyes towards him in one quick glance.
He cleared his throat. “Protecting the
people within our district. Not here, in Middletown.”
She smiled a tight-lipped grin. “The director doesn’t mind. We are protecting people.
Technically.”
He sucked his lips in, making a clicking
noise as he released them. “How so? By giving
them a type of immunity ?”
“Yes,” she said, swiftly.
Her honeyed tone rang with ease in his ears. He
felt she honestly believed that she was doing
good, Samaritan-like work. But, he doubted her
motives, if any at all. What does she gain from
all of this? He fought to ask, but the question
remained thick in his mind.
“What about Director Jones? What does he
have to say about this severe involvement in this
project?”
“He was the one that suggested it to go through.
He loved the idea.”
•••
Back at the lab, Marcel fiddled swiftly throughout his notes. Attempting to determine if there
was indeed a way to reverse the effects of the
CBH experiment.
With Calista hollering in the background, his focus would never fail to derail from
the problem at hand. “Shhh, I know. I will find
a way to get the pain to stop.”
He hoped Emily isn’t having to deal
with this same issue. There was no doubt in his
mind that she would soon have to get a cage for
him as well.
Down the hall, Nick sat in Emily’s silver
lab chair. He tapped his foot against the tile
causing a repetitive clicking noise that appeared
to make Emily become irate. He noticed her
scrunched nose and scowl, stopping his notion
of short patience.
“So, uh, about Lucy. Do you think she
will, well, you know?”
“What? Be okay?” Emily shook her
head to his nodding. “You say nothing to me, on
our way up here, but you are able to ask about
your girlfriend ?” a twinge flickered in her heart
at the thought of them together.
“Answer me,” he demanded.
She tossed her hair back into a low bun,
twisting the curls into a neat mess. “Honestly, I
don’t think so.”
“She could be like me. Whatever I am.
Isn’t that how most diseases happen? You
spread them around.”
Emily scoffed at his lack of belief in her
intellectuality. “Yes, but I am not entirely sure
what you are suffering from. Besides, you decapitated her. I have never seen someone survive that.”
He scanned the room, examining the
plaques and awards that were scrawled across
the wall behind her desk. “This is your lab slash
office? Couldn’t have them separate?”
“Yeah, I know. I want them separate,
but the University’s funding is tight at the moment.”
“Ah.”
She grabbed a needle from her desk,
and inched her way towards him. “I’m going to
draw some blood for Doctor Johnston.”
He chuckled.
Emily snapped her gaze up to his.
“What?”
He rubbed his mouth, shaking his head.
“Nothing,” he said, concealing his smile.
She placed the sharp tip against his
cooled skin, and then pressed down. A crack
echoed through the air, signaling the breakage
of the steel. “Shit.”
Her eyes drew up to his, as she sensed
his gaze down upon her. “You knew?”
He paused, before answering, to catch
his breath. “Yeah.”
“Hmmm,” she hummed through her
lips. She couldn’t help but assume the worst.
She raised an eyebrow, taunting him with assumptions.
“What?” he asked. “It’s not… I didn’t
find out doing that . Okay? If that is what you are
thinking.”
Her bangs waved against her warmed
cheeks. “Fine. But, no.”
“Then what?” he inquired.
“Nothing.” she satirized, plucking a hair
from his scalp.
The force of her strength surprised him.
Yet, he did not flinch. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” she grinned, turning to
the microscope on the desk behind her.
Nick sighed, pulling his gaze away from
her back. His eyes drew to a picture on her
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