Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Serum ❯ Serum ( Chapter 1 )

“Did you find it yet, Lewis?”

“Not yet.” The table before us was buried in paper. Trying to find the one we needed with only the dim blue illumination of dual EXIT signs was turning out to be an impossible task. I felt the shakes coming on again. We had to find that paper and get out - fast.

“Shh! Someone's coming!” We froze. Lewis grabbed a jittering sheet I'd forgotten about out of my hand with a glare. The footsteps outside the door grew louder. They stopped in front of the door, blocking the light coming in under it. Finally the feet moved on again. I didn't exhale until five counts after I heard the last step.

“We…we gotta g-go now!” I fumbled through my sack, my uncontrollable hands knocking it half-empty before Lewis came over the help me. He found the needle and I tried to hold my arm out steady. “Sh-shoot me!” It took only moments for the drug to empty into my bloodstream, washing over my nerves and relaxing the muscles. I could almost feel it washing over every cell in my body. I braced myself for the second wave.

“You OK?” Lewis was putting the bag back together.

“Yeah. Let's go. Just take everything - we'll find it later. Hurry!”

We started shoving all the papers into the sack. The one we needed was in that mess somewhere! We heard footsteps in the hall outside again as we crammed the last sheet in. They were in front of the door now. I closed my eyes to concentrate on the teleport when the second wave hit me. Nerve endings explode in hellfire, every inch of me in agony. “Lewis!” He grabbed my shoulder to begin the `port as I started vomiting. The door opens, but we're gone before I can see a face. It must have been interesting seeing it fall from thin air.

 

 

 

I awoke sometime later. It's dark. My mouth still tasted like vomit and my body was coming out of another episode. I'm lying on a couch and I can hear voices to the left. Why doesn't someone turn a light on? Oh…my eyes are just closed. Let'em stay closed; maybe they'll ignore me longer. The boss was berating someone. Her secretary, I think. I stopped paying attention and soon drifted back to unconsciousness.

 

 

 

I next awake to the sound of Lewis pleading with our boss.

“They couldn't have seen who we were. It was dark and we were gone before the door was even opened entirely.”

“But they still saw you! The one thing to be avoided at all costs! You betrayed my trust in you!”

“It's…not Lewis's fault.” My voice had become dry and raspy. The secretary brought me a cup of water and helped me up. “I couldn't do the `port. He wasn't expecting…to have to do it.”

“And why'd you bring back all that extra crap! You were to find one document - not a thousand!”

“There were too many to sort through, so we had to bring it all back here to look. It was too active there.” Lewis was trying to placate her, but it never works. Not with our boss.

“Did you find it?” I asked.

“Yes, but now they know we're on to them! How could you be so stupid!” I saw her grab something off the desk. No! Not again so soon!

She showed me the needle before jamming it into my arm - the syringe was filled to nearly double my normal dose! “NO! Not that much! Please, no!” I tried to pull away but I was too slow, too weak. She held my arm in an iron grip, emptying the coldness into my blood. My body relaxed in the grip of the drug, but my mind cried in anticipation. I didn't have to wait long this time - the fire raced across my nerves in the wake of the cold. I wanted to scream! I felt my muscles clenching as the flames attacked me. Embers settled in my stomach and I felt the gore rising. I turned away from the boss just in time.

“You're cleaning that up.” She signaled everyone out of the room, leaving me in my agony alone.

 

 

 

 

 

A few days later the boss, Lewis, Old Man Sol and I went out on collection. A gravel path wound up a field toward a shallow mound with a shed built into the side of it. The others waited there, in the light. Inside a short tunnel twisted around so that in just a few steps, you felt alone in the darkness. Only a few steps farther and you came upon the crawlspace. It was more like a nine-foot long brick tunnel inside the larger tunnel, just wide enough for me to climb through. I pulled back the reed mat that served as a door to start crawling - but I can't. The Others had filled in the sides, leaving just about a one-foot gap through it. I watched their shadows dancing in the firelight on their side, wondering how they had done it. Then the view is blocked and I jumped back in surprise and fear of…the stone jug. One of Them was pushing it through the hole. I could feel its eyes on me as I emptied the jug into my bucket. I pushed the jug back inside and turned to leave when I heard a soft cackling. I turned back to the hole to see the reed mat disappearing inside and made a grab back for it.

“It is not yet time…” The cackling faded out earshot and the dancing shadows vanished from my view.

When I got back to the shed I told the boss about the mat and crawlspace. She was predictably furious and stalked down the tunnel to see for herself. `

“They can't do that!” She pulled herself as far into the crawlspace as far as it would let her. “We command that you -!” Long hands reached out from the other side and grabbed her wrists.

“This place is not for you!”

I think she would have run back out in terror if I weren't there. Instead she just glared at me as we left. “This had better not be your fault. You know what'll happen if they get out…”

Back in the shed, Lewis and Sol were ready to leave. Sol'd already claimed the collections bucket. I flashed him a grateful smile and we headed down the road again.

We walked for a while in silence, until we hit the 21st foot marker. As soon as my foot crossed the line the shakes came back. I fell to my knees and then the boss grabbed my arm. I barely noticed the injection. The spasms stopped for a moment, then came flaring back with the burning nerves. Sol tried to hold my head off the stones, but I think I just mashed his hand a few times.

“S-stay… awa-way damnit!”

I had my longest bout with the shakes that afternoon. When it was over, Sol pulled me into his lap like he used to when I was little. Lewis knelt next to us.

“Why is she doing this to you? Tell her you want to stop it!”

They knew I'd volunteered to take the drug. But I couldn't tell them why. That is a secret only my sister and I can know.

“Don't…worry about it…Lou.

“I'll be dead…in a few weeks any-y way.”