Ryan

"Get in!" Dr. Miller shouted as the aircraft's cargo ramp began to close. Logan and I sprinted for the plane, and Miller's security detail fired off at the zombies behind us.

We'd barely made it in when the head security director yelled, "Close it now!" His entire body tensed as he focused on something behind us.

A roar echoed through the air, and Logan and I turned. A massive guy stood in the doorway, his mouth open, his eyes bloodshot, and his clothes tattered.

He looked absolutely pissed.

His eyes were zoned in on Dr. Miller despite the screaming going on around him. I backed into plane, my heart racing in my chest. If they didn't close the ramp fast enough we were all dead.

Shots were being fired at him, but they didn't seem to make a difference. They skimmed his arms, and I stared at the guards to see why they weren't making headshots. One was shaking too much, and the other was barely breathing right- he looked like he was going to hyperventilate. The rest seemed to focus on the others that were attracted to the sound of the loud engine.

I couldn't hear the orders being yelled with my focus being on the giant and the constant pounding in my ears. I watched every step he made as he began jogging. Logan followed my lead and moved further into the plane as a line of guards stood in front of Dr. Miller.

The doors barely shut in time, and he pounded on them. My hearing seemed to return as the head security guard shouted, "Get us out of here!" He pounded on the cockpit doors with his fist.

"What the fuck was that?" Logan cried, his eyes wide as he stared at the now closed ramp.

"Who the fuck was that?" I corrected, still staring at the ramp. He wasn't like those others, his eyes were on Miller and he was on his own mission.

"Patient zero." Dr. Miller responded out of breath, barely making it to the bench to sit on.

"What's wrong with him? Why was he so big?" Logan struggled to find air between his words.

"He was given LRP5." She heaved, as she clutched her knees.

"What the hell does that do? Make you invincible?" Logan retorted. I was glad Logan had the voice to ask the questions, because I was too busy blinking at the damn ramp as it vibrated everytime the giant banged on it.

"It helps increase bone mass. The chemo was making him weak, so we had to give him something." Dr. Miller shook her head, her eyes distant like she was thinking of a memory far off. There was no doubt she knew more about them.

"How much of this were you involved in?" I watched her carefully as I felt the plane begin to roll.

She turned to me, before glancing at her security detail, "It wasn't supposed to be like this." Her eyes started to water, and her jaw tightened, "I was trying to cure cancer."

"You've got any more of those things? The big ones?" The head security guard glared at her. She shook her head.

"Tell us what you've noticed. Since you seem to have worked so closely, you've got to have some information." The head security guard sat backwards on a metal chair he pulled out.

Dr. Miller glanced around at us, her voice came out shaky, "They've got short attention spans... and- and they're hungry all the time. Whatever's moving or makes sound becomes their food because they can only focus on one thing at a time."

"How were you trying to cure cancer?"

"I started with myostatin, it only slows the cell growth, so I had to find something to get rid of the tumors. I found a few viruses to reduce cell count, but they were too strong. The virus tore down the six neuronal layers of the neocortex no matter the size of the dosage."

"This goes to the brain?" Logan asked.

"Yes, it has a way of finding direct paths to the human brain." Dr. Miller avoided our gazes.

How the hell did she get away with this?

"Is it transmittable through the air?"

"No- I mean, I don't think so. I haven't really studied the effects. We used rats since they're predisposed to a high number of tumors. We gave it to them in pills. They'd just get really high, and then they'd crash. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that boxes went missing from the warehouse."

My eyes met hers as my thoughts raced, "H.I.I.P.E. Do you know what that stands for?"

Dr. Miller's face shot to mine in recognition, "Hypoactivity in identified parietal expressions. That's the pill. How do you know?"

"It was being handed out in New York City on New Years like some type of ecstasy," My jaw locked, "I have a couple of friends who took it."

"Well, you better fucking warn them." The head security guy shot to me before turning to speak to his guys.

Shit. Mel was with Chloe. I scrambled for my phone, to call Mel or my parents. Chloe had taken it and she was already crashing.

The phone rang and cut immediately after. Dammit. No signal. "Fuck." I grunted as I pounded my fist on the floor.

"Dude, relax." Logan watched me like I was ready to jump him.

"No. Chloe took some and Mel's been taking care of her. I have to warn her." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Who's Mel?" Dr. Miller whispered to Logan, but I heard.

"His girlfriend."

I didn't bother correcting Logan. I was too pissed. Just thinking about my parents and Mel being in danger made me frustrated. I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I couldn't even tell her. My breathing ramped up and nausea rolled over me.

I scrunched my eyes shut as I thought of other solutions.

"Why were they fast?" Logan asked.

"Their adrenal and thyroid glands are- are jacked up too. The adrenal glands keep them running on basically no energy, because of thyroid issues which are coming from the hypothalamus. He doesn't know when he's full, and his metabolism is basically out the window."

"Can you dumb this stuff down?" Logan shook his head annoyed.

"They have no logic because the virus is eating away at it. This also means all the regulators in their bodies are gone. They don't ever feel full and they don't feel tired."

"Does anyone have a satellite phone?" I called out, all conversations breaking off to turn to me.

"Sorry, kid." The security guard shook his head before returning to his conversation.

"At least tell me there's some type of cure." Logan muttered.

Dr. Miller lowered her voice, "I had antibodies to stop the virus, but it was nothing compared to the virus. The infected are only looking for fuel to stabilize their cell count again."

"What do you mean?" Logan asked as I attempted to get a message out to Mel.

"They need food to create more blood cells and repair the damage. The fastest way to give him an advantage over the virus was a transfusion."

Definitely shorter than the rest, but I might add to it later to bulk it up.

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