Free Tonight The World Dies by Amber White Page B

could save the remainder of mankind. Even if we couldn’t cure the long-term infected, the results derived from your test could give everyone else the chance they need to start over.” Bobby said, sweat beading on his forehead.
    I was furious. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to think that you can just force me to take part in your little science project. To kill another human being by infecting them like that, I don’t know what’s more questionable: your morals or your sanity. And besides, there aren’t many people left here. You would be killing me for nothing.”
    “I wouldn’t be killing you. I would be infecting you with a disease that can be cured!” he said.
    “What proof do you have that it works?” Sully said.
    “I’ve been coming upstairs with more and more scratches lately.” Bobby said.
    “We’ve noticed.” Sully said.
    “I’ve been scratched by the infected. I injected myself with the serum each time, and I have yet to become fully infected.”
    “So you think it works as an inoculation. That doesn’t mean it’s also a cure.” I said.
    “If you would please, please put the gun down, I could show you some of the test results I have.”
    I lowered my gun “Don’t let him out of your sight. If he makes one wrong move, shoot him.” I said to Sully.
    Sully nodded. It’s generally frowned upon to promote the murdering of a fellow survivor and housemate, but in his case, I’ll make an exception.
    “Are you guys ok?” Billie’s voice floated down the staircase.
    “We’re fine. Bobby is just explaining what he’s been doing.” Sully called.
    Bobby stepped toward the work table and gently lifted a set of test tubes, setting them gingerly next to the microscope. He set to work, preparing two slides, dropping each with a different sample of blood and an added dye. He placed the first on the mechanical stage and focused it.
    “This is what non infected human blood looks like.” He said, indicating that I should look at it.
    I stepped forward and looked through the eyepiece. It showed a large group of pinkish blobs.
    “These are red blood cells under normal conditions.” He said.
    I stepped away from the table.
    He put the next slide up. “This is what infected blood looks like.”
    I looked down at it. The pink blobs from the previous slide were now littered with purple; many were bursting as I watched.
    “This blood sample was taken from that man.” He said, pointing to the zombie in the holding cell. It was no longer pounding against the glass, but it was still staring at us.
    I moved back again, and he removed the slide from the stage. He prepared another slide with infected blood, this time dropping a clear liquid onto it before adding the dye, sliding it onto the stage, and refocusing.
    “Now look.” He said.
    I obeyed. Though some of the cells were bursting, a group of clear cells were fighting their way through, slowly demolishing the purple blobs in their wake.
    “The clear substance you see is the serum. It’s eliminating the infection, leaving the remaining cells to regenerate.”
    “I still won’t let you do this to me.” I said. Sure, this was all fairly impressive, but I didn’t want to risk what could happen if it didn’t work the way he said it would.
    “You might consider it, for the sake of mankind and future generations.” Bobby said.
    “I might stick a fork in a toaster.” I said, raising my gun again. “I’m not letting you infect me, and that’s final. Come on Sully, we’re getting as far away from this psychopath as we possibly can.”
    We walked back up the stairs and into the entryway.
    “We’re leaving.” I told Billie and Dean.
    “No, you’re not.” Bobby said from behind me. I hadn’t heard him come up.
    I felt a sharp prick on my arm, a burning sensation spreading from it, quickly coursing through my body. Sparky, Steven, and Todd grabbed onto my friends, yanking their guns out of their hands. I was getting tired. Andy