clean set waiting for me on the bench. Makara had snuck in without me realizing it.
I put on the clothes. They fit remarkably well. I guess she had checked me out, at least a little bit, to know what would fit me.
I went into the break room, where Makara and Samuel were already waiting. As soon as I sat, Samuel began his story.
“I escaped Lost Angel Headquarters using an underground tunnel. It was hard to pull myself from the rubble, but I managed it. Raine was dead, and you were gone, so I had nothing there.
“I tried to find you, Makara. I went to every settlement in southern California, but none of them had seen you. After a year I had to face the truth…you were gone.
“Finally, I settled in Oasis. Ohlan was Raine’s brother, so I thought it might go well for me there. This was far from the case. I was unhappy. Ohlan runs it like a cult. There have been…killings. I felt I could not escape. At least, not until I was presented with the opportunity.
“One day, a patrol from Bunker 114 came by, led by a man named Dr. Luken. A few times a year, Bunker 114 would make contact in order to trade supplies. Ohlan had me stay with him as he brokered a deal between Oasis and 114.
“After the meeting, I introduced myself to Luken, telling him about my escape from Bunker One. When he heard of my firsthand experience with the xenovirus, he told me of Bunker 114’s research into it. I expressed interest in helping with their efforts. Luken offered me a position, and I accepted.
“Ohlan was not happy to see me go, but it was exactly what I needed.
“Over the next year, I learned much about the xenovirus. While the basic structure of it is the same, there are various strains – each strain affecting a different species, from microbes to, now, human beings. New strains were always being discovered in the wild. I would often go out to collect samples – there was a Blight about ten miles north of us.
“I’ve noticed a pattern over the past year, however: the xenovirus was increasingly affecting more complex organisms. I knew from my experience at Bunker One that the xenovirus affected animals. However, I had never seen it here, in California.
“There were several connections we made – the bigger the Blight, the more complex its ecosystem. Bigger Blights are older, meaning the xenovirus has had more time to evolve and affect greater amounts of life forms. The infestation to the north was growing ever larger, until even the animals were becoming infected.
“We saw a great threat in this. Bunker 114, and even Oasis, would be in grave danger at current Blight expansion rates. Our research then switched focus from trying to understand the virus to trying to eradicate, or at least reverse it.
“As part of our research, we brought back a live rat specimen that was infected with the disease. Collecting one was difficult and dangerous, but ultimately successful. It was a nasty creature: hairless, pink, sticky skin, and totally white eyes. The turned rat was brought back to 114 and given into the care of a woman named Kari Wilson.”
Here Samuel paused, and gave a long sigh, as if dreading the part that came next.
“Dr. Wilson was a brilliant scientist, and my friend. One day, while transferring the rat to another cage, it escaped and bit her. We thought it was nothing at first. But then she became sick within hours. Apparently, whatever strain of the xenovirus that affected that rat could also affect humans. She left early that night to go to bed.
“That morning, she did not join us at breakfast. Me and someone else went to check on her in her room.” Samuel hesitated a moment before going on. “We knocked, but there was no answer. Finally, we opened the door. Kari was laying still, her face completely pale, her eyes open. I knew, without even feeling her pulse, that she was dead.
“We immediately quarantined her. We thought long about where to put her, but we eventually decided to cordon off an area in the labs that was not used often.
“Dr. Luken wanted to do an autopsy. I protested, but most of the other scientists wanted to know what happened.
“So she was there, in the operating room. I could tell she had visibly changed, even from that morning. All her hair had fallen out, and her face became deathly pale, revealing black veins beneath cadaverous skin.
“It became clear that she was not truly dead – her arms and legs began to twitch. There was hope that she might be saved.” He sighed. “Obviously, we were wrong.”
Samuel stopped talking. I thought he might go on, but what he had said so far had emotionally drained him. I wouldn’t be the one to push him on under those conditions.
Just when I thought he wouldn’t speak again, he willed himself to continue.
“What resulted was madness,” Samuel said. “They were able to restrain her, but she had fallen under the full influence of the virus. She was put in the holding cell, originally designed for prisoners. Dr. Luken told us that we were going to study the effects of the xenovirus on Dr. Wilson.”
Samuel shook his head. “Most agreed with him. I, and a few others, did not. I was the only one to leave. That is why I am the only one alive today. I went to Oasis, but kept everything to myself.
“Days later, Oasis received a distress call from 114. There were sounds of a struggle, and then silence.
“I knew what had happened, but Ohlan insisted on sending a team to investigate. Five other men and I were selected for the task.
“Even in the few days I had been away, the infestation had grown exponentially. Xenofungus covered the entire north face of Cold Mountain.
“The mission was a disaster. Kari ambushed us at the entrance of the cave. There, I got my first look at her. She had grown to twice her size, probably from having fed on the scientists who lived in 114. Whoever she had been was gone, now. Her face was twisted, grotesque, and she stank of death. Blood and flesh stained her mouth, where long, sharp teeth protruded. She had long claws, extending from elongated fingers. And those eyes – I will never forget those completely white eyes staring into me.
“I was only able to escape by running into the cave, toward the Bunker. There was another with me…but he did not get his mask on in time when we reached the area with the fungal spores. He was knocked out, and Kari dragged him away.
“I ran into the Bunker, right to the dorms. There was only one entrance and exit, so I sealed the door, and locked it tight.
“That was two weeks ago. I’ve been here ever since. The power still works, and there is enough food to last me months. I thought of leaving earlier, but I wanted to take the opportunity while I was here to learn more about what happened after I left.
“In the research database, I found Doctor Luken’s research notes – the first description, however brief, of the human xenovirus.
“The notes detailed Kari’s transformation from human to…something else. Infection, sickness, followed by a comatose state, then a reawakening brought about by a physical stimulus. It was noted, even after the transformation, that Kari would not move unless she there was something alive in the vicinity.
“Luken described pre-infection as Stage 0. Infection was stage 1. The coma was stage 2. And the final stage – stage 3 – was where Kari was no longer human.
“I will not go into the details of how this virus works on all its levels. I am only concerned with telling you its ultimate purpose. Like any virus, it is to self-replicate, and it accomplishes this by directing the host to attack all living things in sight. Live specimens were given to Kari, to feed upon. She ate them alive, and only grew stronger. Her biomass increased – not just her weight, but her skeletal structure, her muscles, her hunger.
“Eventually, it became too much. She was able to use her strength to break free from her cell. They should have killed her while they had the chance.”
I hadn’t said a word up to this point. It was hard not to be sick at what I heard.
“So that…thing…” Makara shook her head. “It’s still alive?”
Samuel nodded. “Yes, very much so. I don’t know exactly where she is. But she is most likely by the elevators. After all, that is probably where all the people ran.”
I tried not to focus on the picture that popped into my mind – Kari, gnawing on human flesh and bone in the darkness.
“But…how are we supposed to get out?” I asked. “Surely there must be a way.”
