Sanctuary by I. W. MacDonald

Author:I. W. MacDonald [MacDonald, I. W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Zombies
Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing
Published: 2019-10-13T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 35

SENT TO COVENTRY

Tuesday morning – US Viral Research Centre, GERMANY.

Berwick was feeling dizzy; the nurses had drained him again. His light-headedness wasn’t helped by his lack of sleep and the hum and glow of the fluorescent lights in his glass cage. All staff in the German facility were working around the clock, and he could be poked and prodded at any time, day or night.

‘When the nurse said she wanted a pint, Doc, I thought she was asking me out for a drink,’ Berwick quipped, still retaining his sense of humour despite the circumstances. He felt light-heartedness was needed now, more than ever. Not just for his benefit but for others, too. The increased tension in the facility was mounting.

Bachman had been stockpiling Berwick’s blood. He needed the maximum amount possible for his latest experiment, a blood transfusion on a colleague with stage one symptoms. It was one of the several shots in the dark he was taking.

A series of blood thinners were being tried. They had experimented with several types and various concentrations on stage two infected. Unfortunately, the negative consequences meant they had only managed to devise expensive and inefficient method of killing them. They used stage two victims as guinea pigs before risking it on patients who were still consciously aware. But despite their abject failure, Bachmann decided to go ahead anyway. His excuse was that maybe stage twos were too far gone to provide a positive result. It was another step along the road to earning the ‘Bachmann House of Horrors’ title.

Next, Bachmann had cottoned on to the idea that heat affected the virus. His theory stemmed from the reported reaction of second-stagers to fire. Again, he was speculating and acting out of desperation rather than from a methodical science-based approach, but what choice did he have? His people were dying. So, he had more ‘volunteers’ strapped to beds and hooked up to machines that were either heating or cooling the subject’s blood.

These options were now like missiles in the air, and all Bachmann could do was wait to see if any hit the target.

Their final effort was analysing the source of Berwick’s immunity. But Bachmann was still without any comparable antibodies to help speed up the process. This method still offered the highest chance of success but was a long-term option.

Bachmann had spent a lot of time with Berwick since his arrival. He appreciated his down-to-earth attitude and positive spirit, making him a good choice for a confidante. There were other advantages: he wasn’t doing anything else, and he wasn’t a member of staff. That option would see that person distracted from their vital work. Also, he was confident he’d get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth from the corporal.

Without giving any details, and treating the discussion as hypothetical, Bachmann outlined the conclusions of Wallace’s report to Berwick, ‘If we can’t stop it, what should I do?’ the doctor asked.

‘Well, if you’d let me speak about my situation first. I’m going to need a key and a gun.

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