Page 91 of Grave Danger

“So, what is it?” Dave asked. “This drug. What was it intended to do?”

“It was intended to regenerate living tissue,” Llewelyn said, then smiled sadly and shrugged. “I guess it worked.”

“But the bodies it affected were embalmed,” Oliver said, looking between Sam and Llewelyn. “Technically, they weren’t living tissue.”

“Right, good observation.” Llewelyn squinted as he looked at Oliver. “You were here the last time, weren’t you? The reporter?”

“Yeah, I was here,” Oliver said. “But I’m not a reporter anymore.”

“Still acts like one,” Dave said, receiving a backhanded smack on the chest from Oliver.

“We’ve discovered the drug interacts in an unusual way with embalming fluid. The integration of the drug with embalming fluid changes the chemical makeup and increases its potency within a host.” Llewelyn shook his head. “It also changes the drug’s intention. Instead of regenerating tissue, it first destroys it, then reanimates the infected cells to begin the process all over again.”

A beeping started, and Sam touched the face of his watch to silence it. He picked up a new syringe from a different tray and approached Cody. After delivering the injection directly into the bite once again, he set the syringe aside and tapped at his watch.

“Injection two is complete,” Sam stated.

“It will take until the fifth injection before we see some improvements,” Llewelyn said.

Demetrius looked up at the clock and was surprised to see it was five thirty. Where had the day gone? Oh, right, slogging through a thunderstorm bloated creek escaping a horde of the living dead.

“So what happened inside the lab here?” Demetrius asked. “How did you and the others become infected?”

“We heard about the unusual sightings and went to the woods to check things out,” Llewelyn said. “We captured one of the original infected and brought him into the lab. I believe he had been the mayor of your town. Anyway, we weren’t as prepared as we thought for how determined and mobile he would be. He got loose and bit several of the team members, including myself. It spread from there.”

“So, it can be transferred from the resurrected infected to a living person?” Oliver asked. “Even if that first person is embalmed?”

Llewelyn nodded. “Yes. And it spreads more rapidly when it has living tissue to work with.”

“You need to get this antidote to the hospital,” Agatha said. “There are people dying. People we all care about. Someone I care a lot about.” Tears made her voice shake, and Agatha swiped them off her face. “You have to make this right.”

“We will, Aggie. I swear it.” Llewelyn smiled and placed a hand against the wall. “I’m very glad you’ve found someone.”

The beeping again, and Demetrius watched Sam administer the third injection. His adrenaline was dipping, allowing exhaustion to creep in and take its place. He wondered if anyone would mind if he climbed onto the table beside Cody and closed his eyes as well?

Demetrius held Cody’s hand against his chest as he studied his handsome face. Much too pale and really dirty, and a bruise had formed on his jaw where Phil Wolek’s brother had punched him, but dear God, he was still so very handsome. So familiar. Two more injections to go before they’d see any kind of result.

It was going to be the longest wait of his life.

Muffled shouting erupted in the hallway. Oliver and Dave stood closest to the door, and they moved away from it to flank Demetrius. Dave took up a protective position next to Cody and across from Demetrius, while Oliver stood back a bit from the head of the table.

“We’re secure in here,” Sam said. Demetrius thought it sounded like he was trying to reassure himself as well as them.

The shouting intensified, and through the window in the door, Demetrius saw several people run past.

“Sounds like things are getting a little hairy,” Dave said, looking at Sam. “Any plans to make a larger batch of that antidote?”

“That’s what I’ve been working on,” Llewelyn said as he moved back to the laptop within his enclosure. “Making sure we get the measurements correct for larger batches.”

A hand slapped against the window. It slid away, leaving behind a smear of blood. Demetrius’s stomach knotted at the sight, and a web of tingles spread across his scalp.

“How secure is that door?” Oliver asked.

“It’s got a biometric lock.” Sam raised a hand and turned it to show the underside of his wrist. “All employees have been implanted with access and personal identification markers.”

“That sounds… invasive,” Agatha said.

“It’s about the size of a grain of rice,” Sam said. “Pretty much painless. It holds an employee’s identification and the level of access. It’s how I was able to access this lab so easily when you arrived.”