CROSSFIRE; twd (1)

𝙤𝙣𝙚

CHAPTER ONE
"You've killed us"

In a biohazard suit, Jane and Jenner pass through an airlock into a laboratory. Jane opens a tissue sample labeled TS-19 but before she begins her experiment she looks to Jenner who looks very pale and sad. "Are you okay? We don't have to do this—" Jane speaks up. "It's what she wanted. I must do it for her..." Jenner say softly referring to his wife Candice who Jane knew really well due to them working together.

Candice died just a couple of days ago. She was bit and there was no helping her. She gathered a fever really fast and she started hallucinating but right before she took her last breath she told Jane and Jenner that she would donate her body to science so they could find a cure and she made them promise to never stop.

It was just the 3 of them for awhile because as soon as the outbreak happened many of there colleagues fled and never returned back. Jane never left because this was more her home anyway. Father left when she 12 and her mother died when she was younger, she didn't have anyone.

So when she hit high school she excelled in school had straight A's all four years of high school and was able to get a scholar ship into Yale and learn about her favorite thing. Science. Once she graduated college she ended with 4 degrees and became a virologist but she was younger than most of them so they treated her differently until she was able to prove herself except Jenner.

Jenner treated her like he would any other colleague and that's what she liked about him. He would always stick up for her when she was treated wrongly by other people they worked with. He would make them call her Dr everyday so they didn't treat her like a child.

Reaching for a beaker, Jenner accidentally knocks corrosive fluid on the tissue. Jane widens her eyes and backs away from the table "Jenner! You- no!" Jane shouts as she looks up at Jenner who looks more in shock than she does. An alarm sounds as Jenner and Jane rush to a decontamination chamber and disrobes.

Water falls down on Janes head and body and she scrubs her body vigorously having her back facing the large widow. "Alert status. Air qualifiers indicate corrosive fumes. All personnel must clear the room. Corrosive element is deemed poisonous if inhaled. All personnel clear. Full decontamination in effect" The computer voice says over the loud speaker making Jane turn around with her arms covering her upper body.

From the safety of the airlock, Jenner and Jane watch helplessly as the lab, and all of the remaining TS-19 samples, are engulfed in flames. Jane watches in complete shock as she rest her head on the window. Everything they worked on together to find this cure for the outbreak is gone. Burned. Candice died for nothing and Jane knew that now.

"Full decontamination complete" The computer voice says over the loud speaker and the water shuts off above her and Jane shakes her head. "This can't be happening" Jane mumbles.

Jane walks into the room with all the monitors and desk in it spotting Jenner sitting down drinking a bottle of wine. Jane had just gotten out of a proper shower and had her towel in hand shaking her hair out. Jane has seen Jenner like this before. All drunk and smelly. It was when Candice had died he never stopped drinking and she starting to think if he was sober when they were about to start the experiment in the lab.

"Jenner, come on that's like the 5th bottle of wine you've drank" Jane says tossing her towel on an empty chair and walking over to Jenner taking the bottle from him and screwing on the lid.

"The TS19 samples are gone. The tragedy of their loss cannot be overstat. They were our freshest samples by far. None of the other samples we gathered even came close. Those are necrotic, useless dead flesh.... I think tomorrow I'm gonna blow my brains out. I haven't decided. But tonight, I'm getting drunk" Jenner says with a chuckle after as he grabs the bottle of wine. Jane furrows her eyebrows and takes the bottle of wine away again. "Dr. Jenner that isn't funny!" Jane exclaims looking up at him.

"What! My wife is gone and so are all of the samples there's nothing left Dr. Monroe" Jenner shouts as he stumbles back but Jane sighs and grabs his arm holding him up as best as she can. Jenner leans over the desk and grabs the bottle of wine and shakes it around.

"how far do you think I can chuck this, huh? Pretty far I bet" Jenner jokes as he throws the bottle across the room making the glass shatter on the ground. Jane covers her ears as she takes deep breathes with her eyes closed.

"Oh! It's out of the stadium!" Jenner screams with his hands in the air and he jogs around in place. Jane shakes her head slowly uncovering her ears and opening her eyes to look a different Jenner. A Jenner she's never seen before but did she think people would come back from the dead and everything would still be the same? No she just knew this wasn't Jenner and Candice wouldn't want this for him.

"Jenner.. Candice wouldn't want this. I know what happened in the lab was a lot but we have to start over and try again because that's what we do. We have to fix things" Jane says and Jenner shakes his head. "No, No no we can't fix anything anymore. Then world has gone to shit and everything and everybody is... dead" Jenner says as he sits in his seat holding his head.

"There has to be someone out there" Jane says but she knew deep down there was no one. Who could live in a world like this? Who could live with dead people walking around? As Jane thought that Jenner's proximity alarm sounds. Stunned, they watch a group approach on the security monitor and Jane couldn't believe her eyes. She saw children and other adults.

"No" Jenner mumbles as he watches. "We have to let them in" Jane says and Jenner turns his head fast to face Jane. "We can't. I won't" Jenner says and Jane widens her eyes. "We have to look at them.. There's children. They deserve a home Jenner" Jane states pointing to the people
on the security camera.

Jenner shakes his head as he paces back and forth. Jane groans in annoyance as she takes Jenner seat and moves the camera to get a good look at the group. Jane notices that one man in a sheriff uniform notices and keeps his eyes on the camera intensely. Jane watches as the man bangs on the shutter doors and Jane sighs as she watches them.

"Jenner! We have to open it" Jane protest and Jenner scoffs. "We don't have to do anything. Jane.. we're all infected. It's in the air if we die. We come back. We get bit. We come back it's a never ending cycle and I won't have other people ruining what we have in here" Jenner states and Jane looks back at the camera and turns on the mic to hear what they have to say outside.

"Please help us. We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left. Keep your eyes open. If you don't let us in, you're killing us! Please!" The man pleads and Jane lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Jane watches as his people pull him back away from the headquarters but he doesn't stop he continues to beg and Jane turns around and looks at Jenner.

"We're already infected, Jenner. What's a little more?" Jane says as she slams her hand down on the button that opens the door to the CDC. As she has her hand on the button she stares at Jenner with relief that she could help someone in need. Give someone a roof over there head in this desperate time of need.

"You've killed us Dr. Monroe. I hope you know that" Jenner says as her looks to Jane in disappointment.

WORD COUNT: 1398