Dead Frontier/Issue 27

This is Issue #27 of Dead Frontier by Walkerbait22, titled Discover. This is the third issue in Volume 5.

Issue 27 - Discover
“Fleetwood, Hannah. Born May 4, 1986. Caucasian. Five foot four. One hundred and nineteen pounds. Brown hair. Green eyes.” Dr. Choi recites all this information while looking down at his clipboard. He looks up from his clipboard and smiles at Hannah, who sits on the hospital bed. “Subject zero zero six.”

Choi pulls a stool from under the desk and sets it in front of Hannah. He sits down. “This is all true?” he asks.

“Yes,” Hannah says softly.

“There’s nothing to be scared of, Ms. Fleetwood.” He smiles again, but it looks forced. “I just have some questions to ask you.” Hannah just stares at him. “Would you mind describing your past interactions with any infected?”

“Why am I here?” Hannah asks flatly.

“You’ll be informed about why you were captured at another time. For now, I need you to answer any questions I ask.”

“I won’t answer any questions until you tell me where I am and what you’re doing with me and my friends.”

Choi’s artificial smile fades. “I was going to break the news to you later, but okay. You and your friends are in an underground medical facility in Chicago, run by the military. Me and a team of scientists are working on creating a vaccine or a cure for the infection. We captured you and your friends because, frankly, we are in need of test subjects.

“You subjects will be used for various reasons, and many of those reasons will not be pleasant." Choi gives her a cold stare as her eyes begin to water. "Is that a good enough explanation for you?"

Hannah nods her head while she cries silently. "Good," Choi says, once again plastering on his smile. "Back to the questions."

A young man in a lab coat runs around frantically. He stops a scientist in the hallway. "Have you seen Dr. Stowe?"

"Um, yes," the male scientist says, giving him a quizzical look. "She's in Reese's office."

The young man speeds down to Reese's office and knocks on the door. He bounces up and down on his feet as he waits anxiously. After a few seconds the general comes to the door. "What."

"I need to speak to Dr. Stowe right away, sir."

"Whatever you need to tell her, you can tell me."

Dr. Stowe rises from the chair in Reese's office and comes to the door. Reese moves out of the way. "What is it, Wiggins?"

"You need to see this," Wiggins says.

"I'll be back soon, David," Dr. Stowe says to General Reese. She exits the office and walks down the hallway with Wiggins, trying to keep up with his pace.

"I just got done testing the blood samples, and holy. Shit," Wiggins says. "Maybe I did something wrong because they can't be right."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Stowe asks. He leads her into a large, bright room where computers line the walls and there is a large countertop in the middle covered with different scientific equipment.

Wiggins rushes to a large computer and frantically types and clicks the mouse. A screen comes up, and it lists blood test results for each of the ten subjects.

Stowe blinks a few times, not sure if she's seeing right. But then Wiggins confirms her fears. "They're all infected," he says.

"But they weren't showing any symptoms..." Stowe says.

"It's weird. But, I was thinking, and it sounds a little crazy, but...maybe we're infected, too? A-and not just us, but everyone. The entire population could have somehow contracted the virus."

"But...but that doesn't make any sense! If we all supposedly have the disease, then why are we not walking corpses?" Stowe is astonished, and getting more confused by the second by these revelations.

"I was thinking," Wiggins says, "either the virus very slowly attacks our system and eventually we all succumb to it. Or we can live perfectly fine with the virus until, somehow, we die. As long as our brain isn't injured during our death, the virus causes us to come back...but as an infected. But, I have no evidence for these claims. They're just theories."

"This knocks out all possibilities of manufacturing a vaccine," Stowe says.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we can't find a cure."

"Every single person in this facility needs to take a blood test immediately. If what you're saying is true, that we're all infected, we'll start testing your theories soon as possible."

That night, every scientist and soldier has their blood tested for the virus. Dr. Stowe sits by her computer, waiting for Wiggins to send her a portion of the results. Suddenly, she gets an alert on her screen and clicks it.

Wiggins has sent her the results of twenty people in the facility, most who have not had any contact with the infected, including her. Every single person has tested positive for the virus, which they have taken to calling TWD-1.

Stowe opens up her email and types in Dr. Choi's address. She types:

James,

I need two subjects in the lab immediately. Bring me 002 and 010. I'll explain later.

She presses send and a few minutes later, Choi responds:

OK.

Stowe rushes to the elevator and presses floor three, where the laboratory is located. She hurries down the hall and pushes open the double doors to the large lab. She waits for Choi to bring in the subjects.

Choi opens the door to Melody's room. He has two large, stone faced soldiers behind him. "Daley, please take zero-zero-two to the lab," Choi says.

Daley enters the room and grabs Melody by the wrists. "Put me down you giant fuck!"

"Please, Ms. Adams. Calm down. You'll be fine."

"W-why are you taking me to the 'lab?'"

"You'll find out. Daley, get her out of here." Melody screams as Daley drags her our of the room and out the corridor.

Mercer jumps up from the bed in his room when he hears screaming. His eyes are bloodshot from crying about his grandmother. "Melody?!" The screaming gets louder as Daley drags her farther along the corridor.

"Mercer, they're taking m--" Melody starts before Mercer hears a loud slap. He bangs at the door but only hears the soldier's footsteps as he proceeds down the corridor with Melody.

Choi walks further down the corridor and opens the door to Wanda's room. "Harris, please take subject zero-one-zero to the lab."

Wanda suddenly falls to her knees, sobbing. "Please, tell me where my daughter is? Is she okay?"

Choi sighs. "Hannah is fine, Ms. Fleetwood. She's staying in another corridor. Harris, take her please."

"Why are you taking me?" she asks as Harris grabs her.

Choi decides not to answer the question. She'll find out soon enough. Harris drags Wanda out of the room as she screams in terror.

Previous/Next Issues
Previous: Issue 26 - See You Soon                                                                       Next: Issue 28 - Gone Too Far