The Becoming: Revelations by Jessica Meigs Page A

He started to change as Derek tried to explain.
    “ The pathogen. The one we’ve been testing on all of you,” Derek said. He pulled a pair of scissors from his lab coat pocket and snagged Brandt’s wrist, snipping the medical bracelet from it. “It’s gotten out, Michael. And it’s bad.”
    Brandt was instantly alert. “How bad?”
    “ All over the city bad,” Derek said. “It’s mutated. It’s spreading like mad and making people go insane. People are killing people everywhere. It started three days ago.”
    “ My sister?” Brandt asked. “Where is my sister? Is she okay?”
    “ I don’t … I don’t think so,” Derek admitted. “Emory is gone. It was sealed off by the military two days ago in an attempt to contain the spread. Everyone on campus … they’re gone.”
    “ Jesus.” Brandt sank down onto the bed, feeling like the wind had been knocked from his lungs. Olivia, gone? He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He stared emptily at the wall for a long moment before drawing in a breath and asking, “So what does this have to do with me?” He put the boots on as he spoke. They fit well, he noticed as he laced them up. He wiggled his feet inside and discovered that the boots were perfectly snug and comfortable.
    “ It’s got everything to do with you,” Derek said. “The government has ordered a stop to the testing. They want it shut down.”
    “ Okay, so shut it down,” Brandt said.
    “ We can’t just ‘shut it down,’ Michael. You don’t understand.” Derek closed his eyes. “It’s not that easy. All of you pose a significant danger to everyone else out there. You have potentially unstable versions of the pathogen in your systems. No one knows what will happen if you’re exposed to the mutated version out there. You’re not supposed to be allowed to leave.” He blew out a breath. “Shutting the program down is a euphemism. They’re killing them all. They’re killing us all.”
    Brandt’s head jerked up, seemingly of its own accord. He looked at the doctor, who stood before him with his shoulders slumped in defeat. “All of us?” he repeated. “Even …”
    “ Doctors, nurses, scientists, lab techs, everyone who has been potentially exposed to the original pathogens,” Derek explained. He grabbed Brandt’s arm again and removed the heparin lock from the inside of his elbow with a smoothness born of many years of practice. A speck of blood dotted Brandt’s forearm, and Derek wiped it away with the edge of his coat. “But we’re not going to let them take everyone. We’ve got to get you out of here.”
    “ Why me?” Brandt asked. “Why not the others too?”
    “ Because by the time we finish in here, they’ll all likely be dead,” Derek said. He shook his head slowly. “What a waste.” He dipped his hand into his lab coat pocket again and pulled out a Beretta M9, handing it and a sheathed KA-BAR knife to Brandt. “Take these. You’ll need them. First opportunity you get, you grab whatever additional weapons you can find. Now get out of here.”
    “ What about you?” Brandt persisted.
    “ I’ll be fine. Go.” Derek shoved Brandt toward the door and moved to unlock it. “Oh, and Michael? Don’t get killed, okay? You might be needed one day.”
    Brandt’s eyes snapped open.

Chapter 8
     
    Cade woke to the sound of Brandt vomiting. This wasn’t anything new; she’d been awakened by the sound at least three times in the three days she’d been awake after her long illness. It was worrisome, and the first time, she’d gone to the bathroom door to make sure he was okay and had gotten it slammed in her face for her troubles. After that, Cade didn’t bother getting out of bed.
    He’d be fine, she assured herself as she shifted onto her back. The healing wound in her side let out a pang of protest at the movement. She squinted at the watch on her wrist, just barely deciphering the hour hand pointing to the three, and pressed the heels of her hands to her