Lockdown Nation Read online

Sam sucked in a breath and pursed his lips. He flipped through the copy of the security protocols of the island they found in Hershey’s computer. “ANNUS security might have some strong walls but they weren’t impregnable. To put it simply, they left their backdoor open and allowed me to have admin-level access to the controls. But for this…”

  “Can’t you get through the backdoor again?” Mandy nudged Sam in the elbow.

  “It’s not as simple. First off, the island used an intranet security system that isn’t connected to the global net.” Sam looked up at Vaxine. “Well, if Hershey joined the Cranax coalition, she would have access to it.”

  Vaxine shook her head. “She wasn’t. She thought Ronin suspected her at that stage.”

  “So no way getting into the island without getting our asses busted,” sighed Axon.

  Sam shrugged at me. “To be fair, we don’t even know if Ronin was still himself now.”

  My stomach churned at the thought of Ronin turning into an Infected. The silence stretched across the room, turning the air into a vacuum.

  “So if you don’t save him, what do you do?” All heads turned to Botty. “You just give up and go back to living our lives like nothing ever happened? And watch the world crumble knowing you could’ve done something about it. The pandemic isn’t going to stop because you give up. Ronin is your last hope now.”

  Botty sounded like Hershey.

  Mandy frowned. “That ain’t artificial intelligence. That’s some artificial wisdom there.”

  Vaxine nodded at Axon. “Botty is right. We can’t give up. Even if we stand on our last legs, we’ll fight till our last breath.”

  Axon straightened himself. “You’re right. There must be a reason why we’re entrusted with the information we’ve got.”

  Mandy shrugged and held her hands up. “It’s great to be all positive and confident but how are we gonna get to the island? It’s not like we can take a bus or something.”

  Vaxine and I turned to Axon in sync.

  “I might be able to send Wifey to service…” He narrowed his eyes at Vaxine. “As long as you don’t destroy my shit again.”

  Vaxine shrugged.

  Sam and Mandy traded confused looks.

  ☣☣☣☣☣☣

  The marine mechanic remained open during the pandemic. While Axon took his boat to repair, the rest stayed back at Hershey’s lab to prep for the upcoming adventure. Though the first time the lab had been filled with people, the air hung still and quiet as if nobody’s home. Everybody busied themselves with their tasks.

  Sam worked on Hershey’s computer to mine any information he could. So we’d left him alone while Mandy and I collected all our Zappers and Genex and gave them a zap.

  “When this shit’s over I’m gonna list this as my internship experience since I’m unpaid and all I’m getting are risky exposures.” Mandy unplugged the fully charged Zapper, wiped it, and plugged in another one to charge.

  “That’s a good idea.” I looked through the database again but found nothing. Ronin’s state of life remained in the dark.

  Mandy glanced over my shoulder and jutted her chin behind me. When I turned around, Vaxine clad in her lab coat and gestured at me.

  “I hope she isn’t making me clean the lab,” I muttered to Mandy and followed Vaxine to the lab. Once suited up, I sat at the bench with her when she pulled out a tablet. My old tablet Hershey had confiscated when I left. Vaxine thrust it into my palms.

  “Remember the night at the Underlab when you stole Project Cranax data? It’s still on the tablet. The sequence to the anti-Cranax gene and the protocols are still in it. It’ll come in handy one day,” said Vaxine.

  “Why? What do you mean?”

  Vaxine sighed. “The tablet has always belonged to you. It’s time it returns to its rightful owner.”

  I shook my head. “What about the data? They don’t belong to me.”

  “It’s a risky business. Axon and I got the protocol but if something should happen to us…” Vaxine looked away. “And we don’t know if we could survive this pandemic. This Cranax virus. If anything should happen to us, at least you can carry on the legacy.”

  My stomach twisted at the idea of being the sole guardian of the gene in case things went south. Vaxine did what she had to though I wished we wouldn’t come to that. Even if I couldn’t replicate the anti-Cranax gene, at least I could find someone to help.

  “Here, this may come in handy too.” Vaxine slid my ID into my palm. I looked at the photo of me taken during my freshman year. It’d been so long. I looked up and Vaxine’s eyes interlocked with mine. “Look, Roxy. I’m sorry for dragging you into this. It has never crossed my mind it would end up this way.”

  “It’s okay.” I stared at the tablet in my hand. The same one I’d used since the first day at CU. I thought I’d never see it again since I left the Community but somehow it had found its way back to me. Was this a sign? “So…how was Dr. Hershey like before you know, she got infected?”

  Vaxine frowned. “You were with her then.”

  “She hadn’t turned then?”

  Vaxine shook her head. “She has always been herself before the kidnap. But things changed after she came back. She was a different person then.” That meant Hershey chose to experiment on Vaxine at her own will. A tinge of sorry hinted in her voice when she spoke of Hershey, instead of anger or resentment.

  “You’re not angry at her? For doing this to you?”

  Vaxine sniggered. “She’s dead now. Nothing I can do about it. Sometimes we have to be the bigger person, cut our losses, and move on.” I didn’t know how Vaxine did it, I couldn’t bring myself to be the bigger person. To be fair, I only stood at five feet five.

  “So how was it like…to be an Infected? To be controlled by the virus?”

  Vaxine leaned back against the bench. “It’s a strange feeling. I remember most things that have happened. Like I’m trapped in a body that’s controlled by someone else. Sometimes I didn’t want to do a certain thing but something in my head took command and did it involuntarily. Sometimes things that were supposed to be wrong felt right to do.”

  “That doesn’t sound scary at all,” I muttered. “Were you worried for your life?”

  “Thinking back, it did sound very scary and I wouldn’t do it for a million dollars. At that time, I can’t say I felt anything. No fear, no anger. No nothing. Just a husk of a person.”

  “Just like me then.” I sighed quietly.

  “What?” Vaxine frowned.

  “Nothing.” Now that I thought of it, Vaxine became robotic. Even Botty had displayed more human emotions than her at times. “So what’s your plan after this?”

  “Find another lab. Restart a new life in research. That is if we all could survive this zombie apocalypse. What about you?”

  I sighed. “Find my parents.”

  Vaxine’s face melted into a look of sympathy. “I’m so sorry about your parents.”

  I shrugged. “It’s okay.” I didn’t want to think about them and fall into the abyss of depression at the moment.

  “Guys, Wifey is back online!” Axon walked into the lab, twirling his keys around his finger. “We shall get ready to get down.”

  I traded looks with Vaxine, sucked in a breath, and we followed Axon out of the lab. At the pantry, Mandy and Sam dropped their chatters and turned in our direction. The collection of Zappers and Genex laid out on the bench.

  “These puppies have been fully charged,” said Mandy.

  Vaxine picked up a pair of Zappers, checked them, and shoved them into the back pocket of her jeans. She traded her lab coat for a denim jacket, her stilettos for ankle boots. Even her fashion taste changed since she recovered from Cranax. “And the gene guns have been reloaded with the anti-Cranax genes. Enough for a hundred or so shots. Use them wisely.”

  My thoughts went back to the conversation with Vaxine in the lab.

  “You okay?” Sam nudge
d me in the arm and passed me my Zappers.

  I smiled and pocketed the Zappers. The rest followed suit, checking their weapons to make sure they were ready for our mission. Once armed, I pulled out my tablet and synced with the old one―no point carrying two tablets. The sync completed, I stared at both, debating which to keep. In the end, I picked the old one, shoved it into my backpack, and tossed the new one into the incinerator.

  Axon fixed the collar of his leather jacket and looked at us in turn. “We ready?”

  “As always,” said Vaxine.

  ☣☣☣☣☣☣

  The mechanic did a great job with Wifey. The engine hummed delicately as the boat glided through the glassy wobbles of the ocean. The fresh breath of the sea caressed my face and carried my thoughts away to Whiteshore, my safe haven where I’d been dreaming of returning to once this came to an end.

  Sam took Axon’s side at the wheel. With the tablet in his hand, he helped navigate the way. Mandy and Vaxine sat at the rear of the boat, overlooking the horizon. The breeze ruffled their hair and clothes. They looked in deep thoughts, probably contemplating our fate.

  There was a sense of déjà vu to be on Wifey again. The last time I stood on this spot, it had been with Derrick and we were infiltrating the Oceana Research Facility. Now, our numbers had increased, and we were en route to this isolated island.

  The afternoon sun baked our skin. If we got nothing out of this expedition, at least we’d get a nice tan. My thoughts went adrift with the waters, the sudden decelerating of the boat broke my reverie. Vaxine and Mandy had snapped into attention and we were staring at the island about a few miles ahead.

  The cerulean sky became one with the sea. Overgrown with greens, the only hint of civilization on the island had been the ancient building swallowed up by moss and trees. A couple of palm trees bent towards the ocean and swayed along with the rhythm of the wind. The sight looked hauntingly serene.

  As we closed the shoreline, I reached for my Zappers.

  We were less than a mile away but no sight of sentry guns, guards, or even Infected. No sign of life. The boat moored but we stood still as the air. Only our eyes moved, glancing in all directions to seek hints of what happened.

  “What happened to the sentry guns?” Sam said beneath his breath.

  “Maybe they’re disguised as coconuts?” Mandy gestured at the palms, citing what happened back in ANNUS.

  “Are we even in the right place?” Vaxine frowned.

  Sam glanced between the GPS on the tablet and the boat. “I’m positive we’re in the right place. What if these aren’t even coordinates and we’re overthinking the whole thing?”

  Axon pursed his lips. “As much as I’m disappointed, I just blew my bank on the repairs and am not sure when will my next paycheck come in. Since we’re not getting anywhere, we should leave here as soon as possible.”

  My heart sank with disappointment. The last hope of rescuing Ronin and seeing my parents again shattered within seconds. “No…it can’t be wrong,” I muttered to myself and jumped out of the boat. The water ran deeper than it looked, it reached my hips. My feet sank into the uneven sand. I staggered back and held onto the hull for support.

  “Roxy!” Sam cried out and held my hand. “What are you thinking?”

  “I must go and have a look.” I pointed at the building.

  “That’s not a good idea,” remarked Sam.

  “It looks like an abandoned building,” said Vaxine. “I doubt we’ll find much in there. Sam might be right we’re overthinking. We should leave now.”

  “And the last thing we want is to disturb a nest of Infected in there.” Axon set the return route on the GPS.

  “No, we’re already here. What if they’re trapped inside there? I’ll go alone if I have to.” I got out of the water and squeezed it out of my clothes.

  While the rest traded looks, Sam hopped out of the boat and joined my side. “I’m in.”

  “Me too.” Mandy took my other side and clapped me on the shoulder. “You’d better be right about this.”

  Vaxine rolled her eyes and pulled the keys from the ignition. “She’s got a point.”

  “Wait!” cried Axon.

  Vaxine jumped into the water. She turned around and whipped out her Zapper. “You’re coming with us?”

  Axon rolled her eyes with a grunt. “Next time, we’re all chipping in for the repair cost.”

  Vaxine shrugged. “Maybe you can claim from the grant.”

  Sam pulled out his tablet when the group headed towards the facility. “Strange. I can’t pick up any signal from this entire island. As if they have zero security networks.”

  “Or they’re hidden so well you can’t even detect it,” added Vaxine.

  They were speaking in riddles and I had no idea what that meant but it didn’t sound pleasant. I didn’t want to dwell on it and focused on reading my surroundings. We followed the small path through the forest leading up to the wrought-iron gate of the facility. Over the gate, the sign read ‘ETERNAL GARDENS ASYLUM’.

  I gulped at the sight of the gate. The old building loomed over us and exuded a certain dark presence. The chill picked up and raised goosebumps on my arms. I wrapped my arms around myself.

  “I don’t like the look of this, the aura, the smell, everything about this.” Mandy retreated into the group.

  Sam looked up from his tablet. “This used to be a quarantine island.”

  “What?” I frowned. “You mean it’s gonna be a Cranax quarantine island.”

  “No, long before Cranax. I’m talking about centuries ago. This island housed the plague victims exiled to quarantine here. Conspiracy theories claim these victims have been experimented and tormented by their caretakers.”

  Mandy nodded. “I’d buy that.”

  Axon arched his brow. “I can see why they’d choose this place to quarantine the Infected. They had all the facilities from the previous use, all they need is a fresh lick of paint and everything is all set. They even have the pit ready for the bodies.” He pointed at the gouged ground next to the asylum.

  “Knock it off!” Vaxine smacked him on the back. “We’re not here to fool around―”

  “Wait!” cried Sam. “If this was a quarantine island, are we at risk of being infected? I’m not talking about Cranax. I mean, what if we caught the plague?”

  “You can’t catch the plague from the dead unless you decide to make out with the corpse. If anything, the verdict would be the rodents that dwell here. Anyway, are we still looking for Ronin or we’re calling it off?” asked Vaxine to no one in particular.

  I stepped forward though the fear shook me inside. It didn’t make sense at all to trespass an abandoned asylum to find someone, but did anything even make sense anymore? “Let’s go.”

  Vaxine took the lead. The rest tagged along without protest. Wielding a Zapper in each hand, she pushed the gate with her foot, and it creaked open. Shocked by the noise, a flock of crows took flight off the trees, casting a black shadow upon us.

  “That’s a good sign,” remarked Mandy.

  “No time for superstitions,” said Vaxine.

  I tightened my grip on the Zappers and took Vaxine’s rear. The musty odor emanating from the building thickened in the air and scorched my lungs. The walls looked even more disgusting and streaked with bloodstains and scratch marks close-up. I didn’t even want to think about what happened here.

  We were approaching the rusty and dented metal door to the facility when it suddenly flung open. Clothes ruffled; Zappers blurred in the air. The next second, all stun guns were aimed at the figure ahead.

  A woman. Whether or not an Infected, it’s another question. She wore a purple blouse and black pencil skirt that had seen better days. She waved a Zapper around at us in turn. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

  “The plague victims wouldn’t have survived for so long,” Mandy whispered to me.

  “Wait!” Axon su
ddenly hollered and stepped forth. He lowered his Zapper. “Dr. Assunta? It’s me, Axon.”

  The woman’s eyes widened. She put down her Zapper. “Axon? What are you doing here? Wait!” She raised her Zapper again when Axon moved closer. “How do I know if you’re not an Infected?”

  “How do we know if you’re not one?” said Vaxine.

  Assunta glared at her.

  I groped for my Sequencer Gun when another male voice hollered from behind the woman. “Assunta! They’re friendlies!” She turned around to the source of sound.

  I whipped out the Sequencer Gun and shot at her neck. She cried out and raised her Zapper at me, but Sam acted faster. He shot her with his Zapper. The clear ray shot through the air and hit her on the chest, paralyzing her.