Whimper Read Free Page A

with relief as the chilled air filling the hotel room poured out over us when we opened the door. Behind me, Brianna did the same. She pushed past me, pulling out a digital thermometer and scanning my forehead.
    “97.6 degrees. Haul your infected ass to the bathtub, Elliott. I’ll get the ice.”
    “We should probably do a round of injections too, just in case,” I said as I sat heavily on the edge of the bed. I dug in the mini fridge for my bottles and syringes, feeling my pulse pound in my ears as I bent over. I could slow down my metabolism for a while, long enough to let my body rest and get a bit of energy back. The ice would help lower my core temp and keep my brain from being affected by the virus. It would only hurt like a son of a bitch.
    Gritting my teeth, I found a vein in my forearm and jammed the needle home. The liquid scorched through my arm and up into my chest. Burning, tearing, it felt like I was being ripped to pieces. Agonizing fire spread through my limbs and blazed into my core. Brianna grabbed the syringe out of my hand and helped me to my feet, supporting my weight as I stumbled for the tub.
    I practically fell into the bathtub, smacking my head against the smooth tiles before plunging down into the ice. The ice water was bliss, cooling the effects of the medication that made me feel as if I was boiling, roasting from the inside out. Brianna poured more ice on top of me, my flesh shivering despite the fact that I couldn’t feel the cold. Darkness closed all around me, and only Brianna saved me from drowning in a tub of ice water as I lost consciousness and slipped below the surface.
    A torrent of air gushed into my lungs as I gulped in oxygen greedily. Hovering near the brink of death shouldn’t be beneficial for anyone. I’m sure that it’s taking a toll on my body in many ways, not to mention my psyche. But, I was living on borrowed time anyway and this was the best method I’d come up with to keep the virus from advancing. If I lost my mind then I couldn’t fight the disease, couldn’t fix the problem I’d helped create.
    “How are you?” Brianna asked quietly from the doorway. She’d removed my soaking clothes, drained most of the ice, and covered me with a thin blanket while I was unconscious. I’d be dead so many times over if it wasn’t for Brianna. It was unfair, putting her through so much. She should be in grad school herself, finishing her degree and having a good time. I never should have put her in this position.
    “I’m okay, I think. Thanks, Bri. How long was I out?” I shifted, shivering, and covered myself with the blanket as I shakily rose from the tub. She rushed forward to help me, but I waved her away.
    “It’s seven at night. You’ve been out for nearly twelve hours. I was about to give you an epinephrine injection to try to bring you out of it. Your breathing was really shallow this time.” Brianna’s voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes.
    “Hey, we’re almost there. I only need a few more samples. I know there’s a cure for this. I’m going to find it. You were right to bring us here, and this time we’re ahead of them.” I forced as much optimism into my voice as I could, for Brianna’s sake.
    “But will you make it? You have all these noble reasons for fighting this virus, but I’m only here because of you. You’re the only family I have left. I can’t lose you too.”
    I pulled her over and gave her a hug, clammy skin forgotten. “Hey, let’s go do something fun tonight, okay?” I felt a little guilty about having a hidden agenda, but knew Bri would enjoy going out tonight too.
    We got dressed for a night out, but I packed a satchel of supplies in case we’d need them. I had to find out if the virus strain released here was identical to mine, or if it had been manipulated. To do that, I needed a tissue or blood sample from someone who was infected. I wanted to be prepared if another infected subject showed up on campus.
    Psyched