The Divide

Chapter 4

"Seriously kid...you have a death wish!" Packer yelled as he barged into the lab.

"I think we should at least give the humans a chance, you know?" I yelled back, as he got closer to me. I grabbed onto the samples I had, and made sure that Packer wouldn't accidentally bump anything.

"You were literally the only wolf in the room that was thinking that. Maybe you're like...a half-breed or something. I didn't know you were so sentimental about the humans," Packer joked, as he sat in the lab chair next to mine.

"One of my students is testing the vials as we speak," I said with a sigh. "Once we get evidence that the humans are suffering from the plague, I'll start preparing to cross the line. Once I have a couple of vials of antibiotic, I'll head out. We at least owe the humans a chance not to become extinct."

"You don't owe them anything, Thomas," Packer said, setting his paw onto my shoulder. "Don't you want to get rid of the people that killed your father?"

"The whole species didn't kill my father...one human did. Are we supposed to kill every single shark that swims in the ocean, just because one shark attacked a surfer?"

"Still afraid of sharks?" Packer asked with a smirk.

"Am not," I grumbled.

One of my students caught the corner of my eye, and I turned to see that a she-wolf was waving for me to come to her. I motioned for Packer to follow, as I met her at her desk. She was the one that was assigned with testing whether the humans were contracting the plague.

"Whatcha got?" I asked.

She excitedly replied. "Well...first off. I was able to prove that the humans are suffering from the bubonic plague. What puzzles me is how aggressive the little devil is being."

"What do you mean?" Packer asked.

"She means that compared to the same plague that terrorized Europe, this one is much stronger and more resistant," I answered.

"Not only that, but it's changed immensely. It's almost as if it were...created...and then dispersed," added the she-wolf. "It's not behaving like I imagined it would. To the average human, this kind of strain would be fatal."

"What...so we get guns, and the humans get bio-terrorism?" Packer asked with a tired chuckle. "What the hell kind of sick game is that?"

"That's not all," the she-wolf continued. "I dusted, and checked the vials you gave me for fingerprints. I can confirm without a doubt that the vials were in human hands before they were given to you."

"Whose?" I pressed.

"Robert McCoy," she answered. "And get this...he lives in the city. If he's still alive, when you cross the line, I would suggest having a little chat with him."

"I guess I will," I replied. "I'll head out tomorrow, then. The sooner the better."

"Tomorrow?! You can't be serious, Thomas. You don't even have a plan!" Packer exclaimed. "You're just going to waltz across the line, and hope you don't get shot?"

"No...I'm going to walk," I sneered.

"This isn't a joke. Your life isn't a something you can just flaunt in front of killers," Packer growled. "You need to pull your head out from under your tail, because you're not thinking clearly."

"This is a time-sensitive issue, Packer. If I spend more time here, then I'm just letting humans die for no reason. By the end of the day, I should have samples to take to the humans. Why wait? Plus, you know me, Packer. This is the first chance I have to interact with humans since the line was created," I explained.