Day Zero
Chapter 20

Day 87:

The next morning, Abigail woke up with swollen eyes and a sore throat. She had cried most of the night. She cried for Riley, she cried for Hunter, she cried for Marian, and she cried for everyone she had known at the WHO in D.C. She sat up and noticed the half full cup of tea that Mama Oilida had made for her to help her sleep around 3:00 that morning. The woman didn’t say much, just brought her the tea and said something softly about how it would help her sleep and ease her heart. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees as she stared at the blank wall across from her thoughts of last night running through her head.

The three of them stumbled into the Institute. Each one wide eyed and pale.They were greeted almost instantly by Fabiana. Who took in their appearance before grabbing Abigail and Strader and yanking them away from Riley.

“What the hell?” Strader had asked.

“He’s been bitten” Fabiana said.

“What?” Abigail demanded.

Then she noticed the blood that covered Riley’s left shoulder. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

“One of them bit me when I grabbed the keys” Riley managed to say.

At this point Benjamin and the others appeared behind Abigail.

“Ballocks” Benjamin managed to say when he noticed Riley’s arm.

Yumi, Helen, Dr. Kennedy, and Henry all exchanged weary glances.

“This can’t be happening” Abigail managed to whisper.

“We need to start looking for a cure immediately” Benjamin demanded.

“Give me the snakes and mice” Fabiana demanded.

Strader reached into his pack and produced the sleeping bag liner containing the snakes.

“James, help me” Fabiana demanded as she began to walk away.

James followed quickly as the two walked to the animal lab.

“Riley, we need to put you in isolation” Henry said sadly.

“But” Benjamin opened his mouth to argue only to be cut off by Yumi.

“He’s right. I’m sorry Riley” Yumi said.

Riley sighed and nodded.

“Follow me, we are going to put you in an observation/quarantine room” Dr. Kennedy said.

Riley was about to follow before Abigail wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She felt Riley tense as if he was going to change that instant but instead wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair. Abigail took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his firmly but quickly before she pulled away with tears in her eyes and backed away from him. Riley opened his mouth to say something but Benjamin had already wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Come on lad” he said softly.

A knock on her door broke Abigail from her thoughts. She saw Fabiana walk into the room. “The seven snakes that you came back with have been fed and will be milked by Mama Oilida in a few h-hours” the girl said.

A silence fell between them. Fabiana must have noticed her puffy eyes because she walked over and wrapped a reassuring arm around Abigail’s shoulders.“He is in the quarantine room in the North wing. He is still mentally with us, we have a couple more days to talk to him if you want” Fabiana said.

Abigail nodded “I don’t know if I can” she said softly.

“He would want to see you before he changes” she said softly.

Abigail sighed; she knew that the girl was right “What if this doesn’t work?” she asked.

“I don’t know” Fabiana answered.

“It takes up to ten days for this thing to show up… what if it takes that long for all the mice to change?” Abigail demanded

“There are twenty one mice including the few that we had left in the research lab, three for each species of snake, all we can do is hope.”

Abigail sighed.

“We are all going to observe him, to see what the symptoms look like first hand and to have him describe it all to us if he can.” Fabiana explained.

Abigail nodded slowly.

“Do you want to go get something to eat?” Fabiana asked softly.

Abigail shook her head. “I want to help, what can I do?” she asked.

“You and Strader need to get some rest. You are b-both emotionally and physically d-drained” Fabiana explained.

Abigail let out a yawn in response.

Fabiana laughed. “I will wake you up for dinner” she replied before standing up and walking slowly out the door.

Abigail sighed and lay back down on her bed. Her thoughts instantly went to Hunter who slammed the door behind them and sacrificed himself to save them. His heroism will be in vain because Riley is going to change into a monster she thought, she knew that the odds of this working were slim to none. Riley then popped into her mind. His smile with dimples and his coffee colored eyes. The way that he would always have to push his hair behind his ears whenever he was attempting to read something. He’s going to die soon she thought as more tears began to force their way out of her eyes. She closed them quickly and willing herself to sleep.

∆∆∆

Strader paced back and forth like a lion trapped in a cage. Hunter was dead, eaten before his eyes and Riley was in quarantine. “This shit has to end” he muttered to himself. He couldn’t sit still all he could do was think about Riley and Lance. How similar the two boys were. How he was already starting to view Riley as another Lance, he would never replace his son, but he was beginning to think that Riley would be fill at least a sliver of that void that was now in his heart. He had already gone to check on Riley, but when he arrived the kid was still asleep. As exhausted as Abigail who had yet to leave her room had been. Around six o clock he went to join the others for dinner, only none of them really had the stomach to eat anything. All of them started at the spaghetti and meatballs that Yumi had made for them.

Benjamin was absent, probably still sitting beside Riley’s cage. Talking to his protégé and just sitting and waiting. Strader would be joining him soon and from what he could tell so would Abigail.

Abigail was the first to leave the dinner table, taking her plate to the kitchen. It was James’s and Fabiana’s turn to do the dishes. She walked out the door and Strader quickly followed suit.

Benjamin was exactly where Strader expected him to be. The older man was leaning sitting in a chair next to the window and talking to the boy through the telephone.

Riley smiled when he saw Abigail and Strader.

Benjamin chuckled and Strader also found himself smiling at the way that Riley’s face lit up when he saw the pretty blonde girl approach.

“I should go see if there is any supper left” the man said standing up slowly from his chair and walking down the hallway.

Abigail smiled and indicated for Strader to take the phone first to talk to Riley. He put the receiver to his ear, unable to escape the thought that he was talking to a man in prison instead of in a hospital. “How are you holding up?” Strader asked.

“Well I slept most of the day. Helen came in and took a few blood samples. Hopefully they can figure this thing out” he said to the man.

Strader nodded. “Yeah, Abigail and I slept most of the day as well.”

“How is she holding up?” he asked.

Strader turned to look at Abigail who had politely walked further down the hallway to give him and Riley some privacy. “She is worried about you. We all are” Strader explained.

“I’m getting worried about me. Tomorrow I might be showing some symptoms” he said softly.

Strader felt a lump form in his throat. Similar to the one that had formed when Lance was killed. “You never know. Maybe the stupid rats will show some symptoms. Then we can work from there” Strader explained.

Riley laughed bitterly.

“Strader sighed sadly, “You never know, kid” he said trying his best to sound hopeful.

“How is Fabiana’s research going?” Riley inquired.

“Mama Oilida milked the snake for her and she just injected the mice with rabies and snake venom” Strader explained.

“I didn’t know that Mama Oilida could do that. There is a lot that crazy woman can do. Since you nerds keep playing scientist, she and I have gotten to know each other” Strader explained.

“Know or Know?” Riley asked with a laugh.

Strader fought back a blush and laughed. “Just know for now” he replied.

“For now?” Riley asked.

The kid is obviously trying to lighten the mood. This is a pretty grim situation. Strader thought. Strader simply chuckled. “Don’t worry kid we are going to figure something out,” Riley just nodded. “I’m going to get Abigail” he explained as he turned and waved the girl over.

Abigail came over as Strader and Riley said their goodbyes.

Abigail took the phone in her hands and smiled “Hey” she said forcing her voice to sound cheerful. Strader walked down the hallway, hearing Abigail’s laugh echo through the hallways.