บท 7: A Response
LUCAS
Twenty five people had died today, bringing the total amount of deaths from the new virus to fifty three. Majority of the people that died were the elderly members of the pack, but Lucas didn't care. They were still his people, and he was losing them.
He was currently in his study with his Beta, Ella, who was giving him a rundown of what happened while he was gone. His grip tightened on his phone as she told him the people that were now infected and those that had died. He knew them all, they had been his friends. They were the ones he often went to for advice.
He suddenly wheeled his arm backward and threw his phone forward as hard as he could. The phone went through the holographic clock in the middle of the room and hit the wall with a sharp sound that startled Ella before it clattered to the floor.
"Lucas," Ella muttered as he leaned against the glass table and rested his head in his hands.
His face was rigid and his jaw was clamped tight, teeth grinding. He was angry. The anger came like an impossible build up steam. It churned within, hungry for destruction and burning him on its way out like a deadly poison.
He was angry at the virus. He was angry at himself for not knowing the source of the virus. He was angry at the Barnes Institute of Medical Research for obviously not wanting to help. He was angry at Imani for not showing up and for not responding to his e-mails. He was angry because no one cared.
He grabbed the edge of the table with one hand and pulled it hard, yanking the fixtures out of place before overturning it. The air was immediately rent by the sound of the glass breaking into a thousand glittering fragments which were sharp enough to cut on contact.
Watching them shatter released just a fragment of the rage that Lucas currently felt. The anger in his eyes showed the scared man within, the man who was scared of losing it all.
"The scientist didn't come?" Ella asked as she stared at him. Her voice came out as a whisper, like she was scared of making him more angry than he was.
He let out a dry laugh and glanced at her. "What do you think?"
Her gaze fell to the floor and she nervously shifted her foot. "What are we going to do now?"
He didn't know how to answer that.
He wanted to go to the Barnes Institute of Medical Research to talk to Imani but he wasn't sure how she would react to that because there was definitely a reason for which she wasn't replying his e-mails.
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he walked over to the bar which curved into one corner of the room. The shelves by the wall were stocked with different types of alcoholic drinks.
At first, he had the bar installed for fun. It seemed like a classy thing to have. Then the virus hit his people and he found himself pouring a drink from one of the bottles every other day.
He pulled a half empty bottle and a glass from the shelf. Vinay Sanjana, his second Beta walked into the room after he poured himself a drink.
He swirled the amber liquid in the glass, breathing in a fragrance that only years in an oak barrel could achieve as he watched the hypnotizing gentle vortex in the glass.
He emptied the glass in one go, feeling the keen burn on his tongue and throat. The sour and vile taste turned down the volume on his thoughts as it nullified him, stealing away reality and replacing it with fantasy.
It was something he longed for nowadays. He lowered the glass to the table, letting it fall heavily.
"The scientist?" Vinay asked and Ella shook her head at him.
Vinay Sanjana had black wavy hair, olive skin tone and dark brown eyes while Ella Snow had flowing golden curls, ivory skin and piercing eyes of green.
"What the hell?" he threw Lucas a confused look. "Why? What the hell?"
"I don't know," Lucas muttered. It seemed like that was the only answer he had to all the questions thrown his way.
Lucas let his head loll back as he gathered his thoughts. He needed to provide answers.
He needed to address his people as he'd been avoiding them recently. He hadn't even gone to the medical centre in the middle of town to check on the people infected with the virus. He needed to go to the Barnes Institute of Medical Research.
When the virus showed up two months ago, the institute had been the first place he contacted before he contacted Imani. When he didn't get his desired response from the institute and Imani didn't respond, he contacted other research institutes and other scientists.
They didn't find anything. The virus was untraceable in the body and after two weeks of no results from their tests, they'd given up.
Few of his people were also scientists and they were still running tests but it didn't look like they'd be getting results anytime soon. So he began to try harder on getting Imani to help them.
Lucas' phone buzzed on the ground and Ella quickly went to get it. There was a web-like crack in the screen when she handed it to him.
'It's probably another reply from the Barnes Institute of Medical Research directing me to another person on their support team,' he thought as he tapped on the phone's screen to wake it.
'E-mail from Parisa Barnes; parisabarnes@bimr.int', the screen read and Lucas' eyes widened as he quickly opened the e-mail.
PARISA BARNES: Mr. Harrison, I'm sorry for the delay. It has come to my attention that you would like the services of our Institute. More specifically, the services of our top researcher, Imani Tallerico. We should discuss this over dinner tomorrow. Quik restaurant at Ingram avenue, 9PM. Don't be late.
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