Free The Zyne Project by Sara Brooke Page A

pulled Jennifer down too.  The women fought each other as the lack of oxygen began to create pressure in both of their chests.  Feeling desperation rise in her lungs, Rosa bit down hard on Jennifer’s hand, feeling muscles tear as she gripped down and pulled. 
    It did the trick.
    Jennifer let go of her arm, giving her enough momentum to kick out and connect with a knee.  That helped to loosen the grip of Jennifer’s other arm.  Rosa pulled away and rose to the surface, greedily sucking down oxygen.  She could feel Jennifer, even in her madness, try to surface and breathe, so she pushed down and held her under the water.
    Jennifer thrashed and fought, for what seemed like forever. But then the movement slowed, weakened, and finally stopped.  When Rosa stepped away, she watched as one of the nation’s most popular socialites floated away and remained submerged underwater while a small cloud of red seeped out from her bitten hand. 
    Shaking and terrified, Rosa stepped out of the pool and sat down on a lounge chair.  Watching the water drip down her head and splatter against the yellow-hued concrete, she could hear people running around outside.  Her plan to escape…foiled. 
    Standing up, she walked towards the hole she’d cut open. Rosa found a chair nearby and dragged it over so that it was positioned directly under the opening. She knew it would be better to draw attention to herself and try to make contact, as opposed to trying to cut a hole large enough for a possible escape.  From her experience she knew that she was likely to be shot if discovered trying to flee a quarantined zone.
    Stepping up on the chair, she shouted out, “Hello…can anyone hear me? It’s Rosa Rodriguez with the CDC.  I was a test subject and I’ve got some information!”
    Voice shouted in the distance.  She could hear car doors slam and heavy feet trample on concrete.  Muffled voices were in discussion and she was about to shout out again when a loud, amplified voice carried over to her. It sounded like it was reverberating through a megaphone.
    “Ma’am, please stay where you are.   Help is arriving shortly.  We need you to remain calm and wait for our instructions.”
    Rosa was pissed.  She knew the drill better than anyone.  The mediator on the other side of the tarp was trying to placate her as she’d seen a million times. Only most of the time, she was on the other side – in the real world, while the poor victims being quarantined were getting the same phony bullshit.
    She decided to try again.
    “Please, we need help immediately.  Several people are dead and we need medical supplies to help those of us who are still alive.  Please help us. I’m with the CDC.”
    “Ma’am, we heard you the first time. Please remain calm.  Help is on the way.”
    Rosa tried another tactic, “Dr. Johns asked me to communicate with you.  He needs some additional supplies to buffer the transfusion we’ve received.”
    This time, another voice responded, “Where is Dr. Johns?  Why isn’t he talking to us?”
    Rosa thought quickly of the best way to respond, “Dr. Johns is in the medical lab. He asked me to come out here and talk to you.”
    Silence…and then…
    “Ma’am, please have Dr. Johns come out here and speak to us.  And don’t try to further tamper with the protective film you see hanging over the building.  If you continue to destroy it, we’ll have to take additional measures.  It’s for your protection and ours.”
    Rosa wasn’t sure what to say.  She wanted to shriek and curse at them…calling them every horrible name imaginable. But the more logical side of her brain reminded her that losing her cool would only make the situation worse.  So, she calmly responded, “Got it.  I’ll bring back Dr. Johns so that you can speak to him directly.”
    As she stepped off the chair, the world swayed, causing her to fall back and sit for a moment.  Her head was pounding in pain and tears formed in the