Disease

My heart is pounding so loud that I can hear it beating. I looked at Aspen with wide eyes as he gestured to me to stay quiet. There one of the sick people is scratching and baring his teeth at the window trying to make his way inside when obviously he couldn’t. It feels like his minimal sense of logic is not working right now. And what was even more disturbing— actually scratch that horrifying— is that his flesh is peeling off of his body and there are patches of what remains of his hair in his skull. He looks like a walking rotten body.

“W-What?” I asked whispering, “W-Why does he look like that?”

“They didn’t look like that the last time we were here.” Aspen replied.

“When did rotting in the human body start?”

“Not sure.”

“Do you think he is...”

“Dead?” Aspen then returned his gaze to the sick person, “He looks like he is but he isn’t.”

“Do you think that’s part of the sickness?”

Aspen and I locked eyes again as he said, “Well fungus was the one they were researching and fungus eat dead flesh.”

“And somehow they still were able to control human’s brain?”

Aspen didn’t reply immediately as if he was deep in thought, “I think?”

“This is serious science fiction stuff. All of this shouldn’t be real.”

“But it is.” I sighed as we stayed there quiet only hearing the scratching and the growling of the sick man outside, “We should go. There might be more of them here. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.”

I chewed on my lip well knowing what he was referring to. The day he and the others returned from their trip this car was covered in blood and they didn’t have to explain what they did and why it turned that way. I just nodded at Aspen as he restarted the car and we continued on our journey.

A few minutes later the houses are now replaced by an open road again. This time instead of trees I see fields of grass. I didn’t notice it at first but on the horizon, I noticed an isolated building that looked like a factory. It is surrounded by diamond fences that have a dirt road path where what looks like a warehouse is.

“I’m not sure if we’ll find anything here.” Aspen said as if he was telling me not to hope too much as he slowed down the car and we parked in front of the gate. There aren’t any signs that people are there. “Most of the research is in the main building and that’s in a different state. But it’s worth the shot.”

“Have you been here before?” I asked as he nodded.

“A few times just checking the place. I didn’t memorize the whole area but I can still remember where some of the offices are.”

“Okay. At least that’s something.”

He nodded, “I’ll try to open the gate. You stay here and lock the door and be the lookout.”

“Okay.”

Aspen leaned to my side and opened the glove compartment. There I saw a gun and I immediately swallowed the bile slowly forming in my throat. He tinkered with the gun a little before returning his gaze at me as if he noticed the change in my mood he furrowed his brows. He opened his mouth which I was sure he was about to ask a question but decided against it and just nodded at me and opened the car.

I blinked a few times until finally waking up from my trance and leaning to his side of the car pressing the lock. Aspen looked around holding his gun as if he was waiting for something to come out from the field. I watched him as he strides towards the gate only looking away briefly to look at the fields for any signs of danger.

Aspen returned for a few seconds as I leaned to his seat and unlocked the car but he gestured for me to stop and pointed at the back of the car muttering bolt cutters as I nodded. I moved my gaze to the back of the car waiting for him to get to the back so that I could unlock it. I took a quick glance to the side, sighing as I didn’t see anything amiss. Aspen finally knocked as I pressed unlock. He unzips one of the bags that we brought full of tools and took the cutters and closed the back and I locked the car again.

Everything went smoothly when he finally unlocked the gate and slid back inside the car and drove closer to the building. I looked at the white structure just observing it, noticing how it was oddly too clean.

“This place doesn’t look like it was affected by the disease unlike the houses that look abandoned and broken. The gates are even closed which only means it must’ve started somewhere else.” I said breaking the silence.

“Possibly. But where do you think everyone is?”

I shrug, “What are the working hours of your company?”

“Not sure here in the warehouse because it’s different in the main city but I think it’s just the same.”

“Odd. If it happened in the middle of the week there should’ve been people here and the gates shouldn’t be locked.”

“Are you suggesting this place was closed when it all happened?”

I nodded, “Yeah. Does your company work on Sunday’s?”

“Deliveries are on Sunday since more people are out. But the main company is the same as any other. We worked on weekdays and weekends off.”

“So, this didn’t happen last two Sundays ago since the main company doesn’t have any work and the warehouses are busy but this is closed.”

“No. But I think we are close on Wednesdays here.”

“I was attacked last two Fridays ago. Given that it has to kick in for 24 hours before it goes into effect and that’s Thursday but there aren’t any reports about the incident during that time. So, let’s say that it needs to be spread by a host so that it would take some time before it is passed down to more people. Does that mean it started Wednesday the same day that there are no employees here?”

“Possibly. But we can’t be sure.”

Aspen parked the car outside of the delivery parking area which is closed. We checked the vicinity to see any of the sick people around but when we were sure that it’s just the two of us we got out of the car, Aspen with his gun while I hold the cutter. Aspen broke the locks and I became a lookout. Moments later he rolled the steel door up as we made our way inside. The whole place is dark and the only light that we have is coming from the door. I took out my flashlight and used it to see. There is a stack of boxes everywhere and in the far end there is a door.

“Let’s go.” Aspen said as I followed behind him.

I can feel my heart beating in my throat because of how nervous I am as we walked farther away to the natural light and made our way towards the dark corridors. Aspen was quiet the whole time as he looked around observing. There isn’t anything out of place. As if nothing happened.

“How about the utility workers and security guards. They should be here, right? Even not during working hours. Do you think they just left?” I asked as we got up a flight of steel stairs towards a corridor full of doors which I assume are different offices.

“Assuming that they’ve been waiting for the person for the next shift and they didn’t arrive I think they just head back home. After all, it’s been almost 2 weeks if we are still sticking with the Wednesday theory.”

Aspen stopped in front of a door that had the words SECURITY painted on it. Aspen jiggled the door but it was locked so he gestured for me to step back and used the bolt cutter to strike the door knob as it creaked open. We stepped inside and it was pitch black. Aspen pressed the switch open and their different monitors welcomed us.

“Guard the door, I’ll try to turn this on and review the videos.”

I nodded and did what he asked. I watched the door as I heard shuffling behind me. I feel a bit relaxed knowing that I am not alone and Aspen is just a few feet away from me but looking at the darkness of the corridor outside made me feel uncomfortable and my skin crawled at the sight. I feel my legs shake as flashes of memories clouded my mind.

A corridor, the scent of metal in the air, and the eerie silence.

I didn’t know that I was already deep in thought until I felt someone grab my shoulder making me jump, surprised. Aspen looked at me with knitted brows but I can see in his eyes that he is full of worry.

“Are you okay? I’ve been calling you for a minute now.”

“I’m fine.” I said, trying to smile, “Did it work?”

Aspen nodded, “Yeah.”

“Okay. Let’s go and find out what happened then.”