I knocked on the door. No answer. Hmm. Knock, knock. Okay, she’s not in there. To the laboratory it is. “Ah, Lucinda,” I bit my lip when a cracked the door open.
She snapped her head up, “What do you want?” I thought I’d never seen such an angrier face.
“Look, Lucy, I’m sorry-”
“Don’t call me that!” she barked, “and I don’t want to hear it.” She peered into the microscope lens. “First you kill my husband, and now my project will be late!” her foot stomped on the black tile.
“He got infected! I knew I should’ve let Josh do it! How did I not know you were going to hold it against me?” I pointed at her. “I did what I had to do.”
“Steven wasn’t even fully turned yet! I was producing a medicine to slow it down, but you had to come along and ruin everything!” she trembled with anger.
“He would’ve turned eventually,” I pleaded. “I didn’t come here to fight you-”
“I don’t care, and-and, what’s that on your wrist?!” she shook her head. My right hand automatically cupped over my wrist. She marched over to me and grabbed my arm with unnecessary force. “What is this?” she jabbed a finger at my bloody hand. “Is it…a bite?” she released my arm and backed up slowly. “Oh,” she chuckled.”
“It’s not what you think, Lucinda,” my jaw tightened.
“Clearly it is!” she jabbed a finger at me.
“Will you let me explain for a minute?”
She pulled out her double-edged sword form its case. “You got one minute before your head started rolling.”
“Ahem. Well, I prefer you not holding a sword against my neck.”
She still lain it on my shoulder, and gripped it with two hands.
“Or not. Remember how I accidently bumped into you?” I arched my eyebrows.
“A hour ago? How could I forget?” she flicked one of her dirty blond ponytails behind her.
“Just before that, I let my childhood friend into the base. Turns out, she was secretly infected. She might’ve been trying to protect her sister though…”
“Go on.” She ordered.
“A while later, she turned, and of course, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I got chomped on. I happened to run into you and both of our vials shattered. Then I fainted on top of the pile of medicine. I awoke, uninfected.” I sighed.
“So…you’re saying my decelerator worked?” she pulled her sword slightly back.
“Combined with mine. My ointment killed both the virus and blood cells, but yours protected the cells form dying.” My eyes rolled to the ceiling.
“Then give me your medication,” she placed the weapon back near my neck.
“As if!” I sputtered.
“I have the sword, so give me it!”
“And I have the gun, so drop it!” a voice chimed.
I spun around, away from Lucy. “Meaghan!”
She giggled. “Now, Lucinda, I don’t want to use this.”
Angrily, she slid her sword into its sleeve. “My medicine is on the table,” she said sourly and handed us both nasty looks before exiting.
“I don’t know why she has so much hate for me,” Meg placed her pistol into a pocket in the bag she never leaves behind.
“Because you’re my friend.” I sneered.
