Triumph Of The Infected

Eldin barged through the door to his house, carrying a limp woman in his arms. After bringing her from the outskirts of the village, his muscles threatened to give out. He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to put her down as soon as he passed through the entryway.

A figure leaned against one wall of the first room: Eldin’s older brother, Rig. He looked up as Eldin walked in.

“Another one?” Rig asked.

Eldin kept a table in the atrium. He passed Rig and made his way there before laying the woman down. Her feet dangled over one end of the table; it was a bit too small. Skylight fell onto her damp skin, illuminating large, blackish-green welts on her face and arms. Discolored blood dribbled out of her nostrils and down the sides of her mouth. She breathed raggedly, and every so often, she gave a wet cough that splattered more blood over her face and clothes.

Rig followed Eldin into the atrium and gazed at the woman. New welts were rapidly appearing next to old ones, spreading all over her body. Rig stood beside the table and gently ran his hand through the woman’s frizzy hair, coming up with a sizable tuft.

“You’re setting yourself up for disappointment, you know,” Rig said softly.

Eldin scurried about, collecting equipment and materials from other small tables in the room. He’d made the atrium his “operating room” of sorts. It contained the most natural light, and it was large enough for him to both work and store his tools.

The woman let out another bloody cough. Rig squinted and shielded his face with one hand.

Eldin returned, dragging a stool behind him. He stood across the table from Rig and deposited the stool. He placed several small vials, as well as a scalpel, on the stool's surface. He took a deep breath.

“I can save her,” he said.

Rig raised an eyebrow. “She’s in the final stage, Eldin.”

“Shut up,” Eldin said, picking up one of the corked vials.

Rig leaned his head forward. “Is that . . . ?” He narrowed his eyes. “Oh, you must be joking.”

“Shut up!” Eldin hissed. “Leave me alone. You’re not real.”

Rig scoffed and crossed his arms.

Eldin uncorked the vial. Inside was a murky, red liquid. The same color as the patient’s blood. He carefully slid his hand beneath the woman’s head and sat her up. Her eyes fluttered open. She squinted against the light.

“Where . . .” she said weakly.

“Don’t speak,” Eldin said. “You’re going to be all right. I’m a doctor.”

The woman’s eyes focused on Eldin. “A doctor?” she asked. “But . . . you’re–”

“I need you to drink this,” Eldin said, bringing the vial to her lips. “It will help.”

He tipped the vial upward. The liquid rushed inside the patient’s mouth. Before it could go down her throat, she coughed again, spraying the fluid back out. Rig snorted. Eldin cursed and backed away. The woman’s head dropped and thumped back onto the table, and she groaned.

Eldin fumbled for another vial.

“Please,” he said to her, trying to keep his voice calm. “I need you to drink this. Try not to cough.”

He paused as he picked up the second vial. He wondered, shouldn’t a medicine like this be administered differently? As Eldin thought about it, it made more sense to inject the contents of the vial into the patient’s bloodstream, rather than have her ingest it.

Eldin had broken his last syringe by accident a few days prior, but there was something else he could try. He took a scalpel in his hand.

“What are you planning to do with that?” Rig asked.

The veins Eldin had the easiest access to were the ones in the pit of the woman’s elbow. He grabbed her arm and held it still while he positioned the edge of the scalpel’s blade.

Rig’s eyes widened. “Hey, hey, hey now,” he said quickly, standing up straight.

Eldin scowled, retracted the scalpel, and lowered his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears.

“Go away,” he said. “You’re not real. Just go away.”

He opened his eyes and returned to his work without looking up. He made an incision in the vein. The woman didn’t protest. The final stage of the infection caused severe numbness throughout the body. Eldin could break her limbs and she wouldn’t feel a thing.

Eldin immediately put the scalpel down, uncorked the vial, and pressed the opening onto the cut. Some of the fluid leaked out and spilled down the woman’s forearm, mixing with her blood. Eldin pushed harder to keep the spilling to a minimum.

Eldin kept his eyes on the woman’s face and welts. She stared anxiously back at him. She moved her lips as if trying to speak, but no comprehensible words came out.

After holding his makeshift treatment system down for some time, Eldin didn’t notice any visible decrease in the spread of the discoloration. The spots continued to appear, working their way in all directions: down her limbs and up to her head.

Eldin needed to give her more. He grabbed some tape and strapped the vial in place, then moved to the woman’s other arm and repeated the same process.

As he finished taping the next vial, he realized that he couldn’t hear the woman’s breathing.

The welts had finished their expansion. The woman, covered completely from head to toe, stared through the opening in the ceiling, eyes like the translucent stones Eldin would find on the riverbank in the summer. Blank. Empty.

Upon noticing the woman’s passing, Eldin dropped to the floor and put his face in his hands. He stayed like that for a while.

Later, he buried the woman outside and marked her grave with a wooden plank. He didn’t know her name. He hadn’t thought to ask.

As he was about to head back, Eldin glanced at the four other wooden planks lined up beside the fifth. Some had names engraved on them, some didn’t. He turned away from them with a heavy heart.

He returned inside and heard coughs coming from another room. He perked up. Sellie was awake. Eldin eagerly retrieved a cup of water and some of the little food he had left, then went to her room.

Sellie laid still in bed. The darkness in the room hid the welts on her face. She’d been in the final stage since Eldin had found her, and yet, amazingly, she persisted. Still, she was forced to endure the harsh symptoms that came with her survival. She couldn’t move, could barely eat without throwing up, and always felt as if she were on fire.

Even so, she smiled warmly as she heard Eldin open the door.

“Good morning,” she said. “Is it morning? How long did I sleep this time?”

“It’s been about twenty hours,” Eldin said. “Do you feel any worse?”

Sellie sighed. “Hard to tell, as always. How do my spots look?”

Eldin stepped closer and examined Sellie’s face. He could estimate approximately how long she had left.

“I can’t see a noticeable change,” he said encouragingly. “I want to believe that’s a good thing.”

“Me, too,” Sellie said. “Now move, before you get sick.”

“How would I be able to feed you if I did?” Eldin asked.

He knelt and set the plate of food on the nightstand beside the bed, then brought his arm beneath Sellie’s back. He slowly propped her up and had her drink from the glass.

After she drank, she coughed and grimaced. “Swallowing is a lot more difficult than before.” She glanced at the food on the nightstand. “Won’t I just throw up again if I eat?”

“You haven’t eaten in days,” Eldin said. “I’m only giving you a little. It’s a risk, but I don’t like the thought of you with an empty stomach.”

“No,” Sellie insisted. “I don’t want to cause any more trouble for you. You eat. You could do more with the energy than I.”

“Come on now, don’t–”

“I’m not going to open my mouth.”

Eldin glared at her, and she smiled back. He gave in, taking a bite for himself.

“I heard you today,” Sellie said as Eldin was eating. “Someone new came?”

Eldin nodded.

“Did they survive?”

Eldin clenched his fork in his fist and shook his head.

Sellie looked up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, buddy,” she said quietly.

“It’s all right,” Eldin assured. “I’m going to keep trying. I had a new idea.” He nodded to himself. “I can do this. It’s only a matter of time before I figure out a cure.”

Sellie smiled. “I know you’ll do it. Then, I’ll be able to go home . . .”

Sellie was from a neighboring town that was preventing anyone else from entering to protect themselves from the infection. For now, she was unable to see her friends and family, presumably until the disease was no longer a threat.

Eldin stood.

“Wait,” Sellie said. “Talk for just a little longer.”

Eldin smiled sadly. “You should sleep,” he said.

“For the last week, I’ve been sleeping more than twice the amount a normal person needs every day,” Sellie said with a weak laugh. “It doesn't have to be long. Just let me be entertained for a bit.”

Eldin sighed and sat back down. “Is there anything, in particular, you’d like to hear about?”

“Your family,” Sellie said. You’ve mentioned your brother before, but you haven’t spoken much about him. I’ve been curious this whole time. What was he like?”

Eldin scratched his neck. “Rig, huh? He . . . he ran the house, so to speak,” he said. “Our father died when we were young, and he was determined to make up for his absence himself. Neither I nor our mother ever had the best initiative, so he took care of that for us.”

Sellie hummed pleasantly. “Don’t sell yourself short like that. I bet you’re more like your brother than you think.”

The corner of Eldin’s mouth twitched. “Maybe so.”

Sellie sighed. “I miss my family. I hope they’re all doing well.”

Eldin smiled again. “Me, too.” He stood. “You really should go to sleep.”

Sellie huffed. “That wasn’t much of a conversation at all. You barely said anything.”

Eldin ignored her protests and moved to the nightstand again. He opened the top drawer, where the narcotics were kept.

“Do you need any more blood samples?” Sellie asked.

Eldin had been taking blood from Sellie for almost as long as he’d found her. Once he’d realized that the infection was affecting her slower than everyone else, he’d deduced that it might be possible to create a treatment using her blood.

Eldin shook his head. “No, I think I have enough.”

He gave the narcotics to Sellie. She drifted off after a few seconds.

Rig spoke from behind Eldin. “It makes me feel good to know that you thought so highly of me,” he said.

Eldin paid no attention to him and headed out of the room. Rig followed.

“You listened to me all the time, back then,” Rig said. “What changed?”

“I don’t want to listen to you,” Eldin said. “I can’t listen to you.”

“Are you afraid?” Rig asked.

Eldin didn’t respond.

Rig shook his head. “You should’ve listened to me and spared yourself from all this pain.”

Eldin laughed harshly. “Don’t you dare. I would never, never, abandon anyone like you did.”

“But look where that got you.”

“At least I’m not a coward.”

Rig moved in close. Eldin resisted the urge to shrink beneath him.

“Yes, you are,” Rig said.

Eldin gave in and retreated a step.

“Fortunately, it’s not too late to change your mind,” Rig said. “You have plenty of knives in your ‘operating room.’ Or, if that’s not suited to you, I’m sure you can find the rope I used.”

Eldin growled and turned away. “Leave me alone, Rig.”

Rig didn’t speak or show himself for the rest of the day.

The next afternoon, Eldin was in the atrium, writing notes on various herbs he’d heard of. Anything he could use with Sellie’s blood to make a medicine against the infection would satisfy him.

While he was working, he heard something coming from outside.

“Hello? Is there anyone here?” someone was calling.

Eldin shot up and started toward the door, crashing it open.

Someone new had arrived. It was a man, perhaps in his early thirties. He didn’t appear to be affected by any strong symptoms, as most travelers were when Eldin found them.

The man was walking past Eldin’s house, a bag slung over his shoulder. He tensed at the sudden noise Eldin made, and he swung his head sideways. The two locked eyes and stared at each other. Eldin smiled.

“Hello,” Eldin said. “It’s always good to see another person.”

The man relaxed and chuckled. “Agreed,” he said. “Is there anyone else here?”

Eldin’s face fell. “No,” he said. “They’re all gone.”

The man sighed. “As expected, I suppose. Are you sick?”

Eldin shrugged. “It’d be a miracle if I weren’t, but I haven’t experienced any symptoms yet. And you?”

The man undid the top few buttons of his shirt, revealing his bare chest. Dark spots covered his skin.

“I figure I have a day or two left before I start entering the final stage,” he said.

Eldin couldn’t tear his eyes away from the spots. “Well . . . um . . . you’re free to come inside if you want. What’s your name?”

“Derrik. And while I appreciate your offer, I think I’ll have to decline. I don’t know if you should be around me, even if you‘re already infected.”

Eldin nodded solemnly. “Fair enough.”

“And your name is . . ?” Derrik asked, rebuttoning his shirt.

“Eldin.”

“Nice to meet you, kid. I think I’ll take up residence in this house over here, for now. I’m sure the owners won’t mind, right?” Derrik began walking toward the house next to Eldin’s.

“They couldn’t complain even if they wanted to,” Eldin said. “How long are you planning on staying?”

“I don’t know,” Derrik said. “I’ll have to think about it. I couldn’t say how fast my condition will worsen within the next few days. It might be worth it to simply pass through, but then again, it might not be.”

“If you’re staying,” Eldin said, “could I interest you in discussing more of the details of your disease?”

Derrik paused. “Why?”

“I’m a doctor,” Eldin said. “I’m trying to find a cure for the infection.”

“You’re a doctor?” Derrik asked.

Eldin nodded.

Derrik snorted. “You must be older than you look. Have you been at this for a while?”

“Since the infection first became prominent.”

Derrik cocked his head. “When you became a doctor or when you started looking for a cure?” he asked.

Eldin hesitated. “Looking for a cure,” he said.

“And how much progress have you made on that?”

Eldin averted his eyes. “Not much,” he admitted.

Derrik sighed again. “At least I didn’t get my hopes up,” he said. “Still, it seems you haven’t given up like most. I like that. Sure, I’ll do my best to help you out.”

Derrik came into Eldin’s house and looked around. He whistled when he saw the atrium.

Equipment was still scattered about and bloodstains were still on the table from Eldin’s last patient.

Derrik’s eyes fell on the table. “You’re not . . . um . . . that kind of doctor, are you?” he asked.

Eldin followed his gaze. “Oh! No, sorry about that. It’s hard to clean up all the messes that come through here. I’m not about to dissect you, or anything.”

Derrik pursed his lips. “Good to know.” He slid the bag off of his shoulders. “By the way, these might be useful to you.” He plopped the bag onto the table.

Eldin raised an eyebrow as Derrik opened the bag for him to examine. Eldin’s eyes widened. Inside were syringes, several treatments for other diseases, and other medical supplies.

“This is fantastic!” Eldin exclaimed. “Our village’s supplies were depleted in a matter of days after people started getting infected. How did you get your hands on these?”

Derrik grinned. “A lot of searching, and a lot of moving from place to place. And now that I’ve found someone who knows what to do with all of this, it was all worth it.”

Eldin returned the grin. “Let’s get started, then.”

Eldin reviewed the materials Derrik had delivered and brought out Sellie’s blood samples. Perhaps, if he could combine the blood with some of the treatments, he might achieve a favorable result? All he needed was a test subject.

Derrik volunteered himself.

“I’m going to die, anyway, aren’t I?” he said. “It might pay off to test your theories out.”

“First thing’s first, then,” Eldin said. He held up a vial in his fingers. “I’m going to inject this into you.”

“And that is . . ?” Derrik asked.

“It’s a sample I took from an infected woman. She’s been in the final stage for longer than anyone else. I think she might be somewhat resistant, so I’m trying to use her blood to make a cure, or at least a medicine.”

“‘Has been?’ She’s still alive?”

Eldin nodded. “She stays in the next room. I don’t like to disturb her too often, though. The more I let her rest, the better.”

Derrik furrowed his brow as he sat on the table. “I thought you said everyone was gone.”

“We’re the only two left,” Eldin said, filling the syringe.

“Ah. I see.” Derrik presented his arm for Eldin to inject.

After the first injection, they waited an hour or so to see if it had any effect on the development of welts or on Derrik’s well-being. Derrik began to feel a little sicker, but the infection didn’t slow its spread at all.

Next, Eldin tried mixing treatments with the blood. After several trials that took place over a day or so, no substantial change occurred.

“You’re grasping at straws,” Rig’s voice said.

“I don’t think it worked,” Eldin said after the sixth test.

“Which one?” Derrik asked.

“Any of them.”

Derrik sighed. “What’s next, then?”

“I had one idea,” Eldin said. “But it’s not my greatest.”

Derrik shrugged. “What did you have in mind?”

Eldin let out a puff of air. “I was thinking it might be possible to bleed out the disease.”

Derrik nodded slowly. “That seems relatively reasonable. How do you plan on doing that?”

“I figured I would just . . . you know . . . cut.”

Derrik blinked. “Oh.”

“Don’t worry,” Eldin said, holding his hands up. “We can wait until you reach the last stage. You won’t have to feel any pain.”

Derrik snorted and shook his head. “I’d honestly rather die than wait until then. This is a radical idea, but it’s just about all we have. Let’s do this. Right now.”

Eldin nodded reluctantly. “Lay on the table, then.”

Derrik did as he was told. Eldin reviewed the parts of the body that released the most blood when cut. As far as he knew, the wrists and the throat were the optimal locations. Eldin would go for the wrist.

Eldin picked up the scalpel and grabbed the base of Derrik’s forearm, but Derrik stopped him.

“Woah. Aren’t you supposed to tie something around my arm, first?” he asked.

Eldin blinked. “Oh, right. Sorry about that. Let me see if I can find a belt around here somewhere . . .”

Before Eldin could turn around, Derrik grabbed his arm and said, “Wait.”

Eldin glanced at him. “Yes?”

Derrik stared deeply into Eldin’s eyes for a long time, so long that Eldin began to feel uncomfortable.

“Is everything all right?” Eldin asked.

After a moment, Derrik said. “I’m fine. You know what? Forget the belt. Just go for it.”

“What? Are you sure?”

Derrik nodded. “Do it.”

Eldin was confused, but he obeyed and made the incision. Tainted blood began to pour into the bowl Eldin had placed.

“Remember to tell me if you think you’re losing too much,” Eldin said.

“Right,” Derrik said, closing his eyes.

“Hey, wait,” Elden said. “What are you doing?”

Derrik didn’t open his eyes. “It’s fine. I’ll tell you when you should stop the bleeding.”

Eldin scratched his head. “All right, then.”

Eldin sat still for minutes. After a while, he became worried and tapped Derrik. He didn’t respond. Eldin shook him. Derrik didn’t move a muscle. Eldin went rigid as he came to his realization.

Another wooden plank joined the line that night.

As Eldin stared at the graves, Rig appeared at his side.

“He was smart,” Rig said. “He knew the last few weeks of his life had been pointless.”

Eldin gritted his teeth. “Will you ever just leave me alone?”

“No. You’re my brother, Eldin. I’ll always be there for you.”

Eldin wanted to laugh at Rig again. “What a joke.”

Eldin blocked Rig out and went back to Sellie’s room. He needed to be next to her.

She was awake. She heard him enter and smiled.

Eldin shut the door behind him, then leaned his back against it. He slid to the floor.

“Hey, Sellie,” Eldin said quietly.

“Hi. What did you do today?” she asked.

“I . . .” Eldin choked on his words. “I didn’t . . .”

“Didn’t what?”

Eldin closed his mouth and reconsidered his words. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Everything is going to be fine. I made another step towards the cure today. It’ll be ready before you know it.”

“Oh!” Sellie exclaimed. Then she coughed and continued. “That’s wonderful. How much longer, do you think?”

“. . . I can’t say. But it will be here in time for you. I’m going to save you, Sellie. I’m going to save everyone.”

Sellie’s smile grew wider. “It makes me so happy to hear you being so optimistic,” she said. A tear fell along one side of her face.

Eldin clasped his hands together. “Yes. I can do this. I can do this.”

He leaned over and stared at the floor. He squeezed his hands tight. His eyes began to well up.

“. . . Sellie?”

“Yes?”

Eldin swallowed. “Can . . . can I do this?”

The room fell into silence.

“Sellie?” Eldin asked again.

No response.

Tears rolled down Eldin’s cheeks. “Sellie, are you there?” The droplets hit the floor.

Sellie wasn’t there.

“Please don’t leave me alone,” Eldin said through sobs. “I’m scared, Sellie. Don’t go. Please don’t go.”

The only thing on Sellie’s bed was a corpse that had died more than a week ago. Another one of Eldin’s failures.

“Sellie? Sellie?”

Sellie had never been there.

And deep down, Eldin had known that. But he continued to believe in her so that he could have someone to believe in him. Because if nobody believed in him, how could he believe in himself?

Eldin gripped his hair with both hands and repeated her name. He was all alone, again. The last to go. Why did he have to be last?

The last person to survive should have been a doctor. A doctor could’ve helped people. Eldin wasn’t a doctor. He was a boy, scared out of his mind. He didn’t know a thing about what he was doing. He was simply trying to find any way to cope, to hold onto what little optimism he could muster, all to keep himself from drowning into insanity.

As Eldin’s eyes finally ran dry, he began to cough violently. He covered his mouth with one hand until the fit was over. He moved his hand away and saw dark, greenish marks. His body began to shake.