10
Blood
Friday 10th April 1992
Since the appearance of an entity in her bedroom one night a few years ago, Ava had secured a new job at a biological research lab, like the being had suggested. The entity had referred to it being the right path and that it wasn’t charity, it was necessary. She preferred to carve her path independently, but her uncle had made such an enticing proposition, she couldn’t refuse.
For about a year now, she’d worked in a biological research lab, studying the genetic structure of a whole range of pernicious and destructive viruses such as Ebola, AIDS, and SARS, plus high level security biological agents and potential weapons of terrorism. It necessitated full biohazard suits at times, and security doors that could only be accessed by a code.
Due to her uncle’s connections, a highly significant long term contract lay on the horizon, working on a new and ambitious initiative. The Human Genome Project sought to identify all the estimated twenty to twenty five thousand genes in human DNA, and determine the sequences of the three billion chemical base pairs. Because she’d studied genetics, it almost seemed like she was tailor made for the project. However, it was business as usual at the lab.
The virus team were a decent bunch of people who all lived near the research lab, which was in Cambridgeshire. They often socialised after work, and had a dark sense of humour at times. Gary, the team’s newbie, had been the victim of a few practical jokes. Pretending to accidently release tuberculosis may sound childish, but it was the crew’s way of extending their welcome, and the humour took the edge off the seriousness of their research.
Ava tried to hide the fact she was the boss’s niece. Derek, the team leader, had shrugged it off as it made no difference to him, although some begrudged how easily she’d walked into the job at first. Thankfully, her easy going nature had won them over within a month, and they accepted her as part of the team. When Gary started at the lab, he became particularly interested in her connection to the boss, but she answered his questions succinctly and changed the subject.
Most significantly, the hallucinations had been subdued. She just wanted a normal life, although it soon became clear to Ava that would never happen. Friday the 10th of April changed that.
Ava and Gary were on the late shift, which involved clearing away and accounting for the viral samples, which lived in the secure refrigerators. As they tidied up, they discussed the virus and bacteria league table, which were the most destructive. New staff had to partake in what was, in essence, Bio-Science Top Trumps.
“I’d give AIDS the top score,” Ava said. “It doesn’t kill you but lets everything else do its dirty work. AIDS leaves you completely helpless against even the common cold.”
She keyed in the door code and they both entered the lobby area, where they put on their biohazard suits. They kitted up, including the head gear and the gloves, then keyed in the code for the storage room and entered. Once inside, they headed for the refrigerators and opened them up.
Gary begged to differ in the debate.
“There’s a little known bug called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, originally linked to the consumption of brains. It’s rare but fatal, dementia progresses very rapidly and there’s no treatment.”
“Well,” Ava countered, “the only people who could become infected are cannibals, and I don’t know many of those.”
“Unless you count the current animal feeding strategies in the farming industry. What are cattle really fed? If they consume brains in their feed and we eat the beef, there’s nothing to stop us contracting the disease.”
Ava returned the volley, giving it a little spin.
“True, but consider Black Death, a disease of squalor with the potential to decimate a population. Bubonic plague affects the lymph system, causing swellings known as buboes. Eventually, the infection overwhelms the nervous system, inducing neurological and psychological disorders. The septicaemic form attacks the bloodstream, producing a rash within hours and death within a day. Remember the nursery rhyme ‘ring o ring o roses, a pocket full of poesies, atishoo, atishoo, we all fall down’? The ring of roses referred to the rash and the sneezing to some of the symptoms. We all fall down, well, that’s obvious…”
“However, you need an infectious rodent population riddled with fleas, unless of course you want to unleash it as an act of terrorism. I think Ebola beats them all hands down,” Gary declared with confidence. “It starts with a fever, and joint and muscle aches, bit like the flu really but it clearly isn’t flu, it’s something far worse. Your throat gets sore, you feel weak, followed by diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach pains. Then your body starts to haemorrhage, you bleed out of the nose, mouth, and even your anus. Ebola dissolves your organs, literally eating you from the inside out. Can you imagine the horror of bleeding out of your eyes because your brain was liquefying?”
Ava shuddered at the thought of it.
“Very prolific in Africa today,” Gary added.
Gary took hold of a vial of Ebola from the fridge, and looked at it with a mixture of awe and dread.
“Nasty little bastard, isn’t it?” he said, keeping it in his hand. “There’s no approved vaccine or treatment for this baby. Sure, we’re experimenting, but we haven’t got the antidote yet. We wouldn’t want this to get out, would we?”
He gave the vial a little shake, in awe of its destructive power. After a moment of contemplation, he replaced the vial and began to count the samples of bubonic plague, while Ava counted the Ebola. In fact, she counted twice.
“Aren’t we supposed to have twenty one vials in this refrigerator?” she asked him, puzzled.
“Yes. Aren’t there twenty one in there?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Double check,” he insisted.
She pulled the rack further forward and found one hadn’t been replaced properly, it was lying down at the back, as if someone had been in a hurry. On checking the seal, she found no leakage and placed it securely in the rack.
“We got twenty one,” she confirmed.
They breathed a sigh of relief, closed up, de-suited, and locked up the lab for the weekend. They slipped on their jackets, Ava still attached to wearing the red silk scarf she’d mysteriously found a few years ago in her handbag, and they headed for their respective cars. Gary seemed to change his mind, and made his way over to her.
“Say,” he began, slightly nervous, “do you fancy grabbing a bite to eat?”
Was this a date or just a social invitation? His manner didn’t make it clear either way, and although she didn’t find him attractive, she did enjoy his company. What was the harm?
“Okay,” she agreed.
They found a reasonably priced Indian restaurant, chatting about work, music, and the team over a delicious Tikka Masala. Gary raised the subject of her uncle again, so she artfully deflected the topic of conversation to something less controversial. After the meal, she assumed they’d go their separate ways, but he surprised her again.
“Do you wanna pop back to mine for a coffee?” he suggested.
Ava seemed a little reticent, and lowered her eyes, unsure of his intentions.
“Just to be sociable,” he added, “no pressure, like. I live close to the lab, so you can easily return to your car.”
This sealed the deal for her, and she decided not to refuse an offer to extend her social life outside work.
Gary lived in a flat above a shop, located on the main road leading to the centre of town. It was furnished to a basic standard and looked like he couldn’t be bothered to settle in on a permanent basis. He had few possessions to his name, except for a good quality sound system and piles of CDs. On entering the room, he selected a CD, twiddled the volume dial, and checked the sound. He put the kettle on and made conversation from the kitchen, while she browsed his CD collection.
“Your music taste is very eclectic,” she said, loud enough for him to hear.
“Yeah, I guess, I take a little something from all the different people I meet. Sugar?”
“No thanks,” she called out.
Before long, he emerged from the kitchen with two mugs and they stood chatting next to the CD collection.
“My cousin adores music,” she said. “He plays the guitar and piano. One day, I might find his work in your collection!”
Gary seemed interested.
“Cousin? Would that be your uncle’s son?”
Gary’s obsession with her uncle returned to haunt the conversation. However, something else began to alarm her even more. She swayed suddenly on her feet, feeling quite dizzy. Gary fixed her with an unconcerned stare.
“I think I’m going to have to sit down,” she said, stumbling towards the sofa.
“Oh don’t worry,” Gary said. “That’ll just be the sedative I put in your coffee.”
“What?” Ava mumbled, feeling afraid.
“To ensure I can carry out what I’m going to do next. I need to incapacitate you.”
Oh my God, the team has recruited a nutcase. What’s he going to do, rape me? Kill me?
Ava felt a wave of dread wash over her. Her legs felt like jelly, her vision blurred, and her heart hammered in her chest.
Gary produced a syringe from a box near the CD collection and held it up, removing the stopper from the end of the needle. As he made his way towards her, she tried to head for the door in her drugged stupor, but fell over a box. Ava hit the floor and in her panic, she rolled onto her back. Gary stood over her.
“I’ve been planning this moment very carefully,” he said.
Finally, Ava spoke.
“What’s got into you? What have I ever done to you?”
“Nothing,” he replied. “It’s more a case of, what did your uncle do to my family? I can’t gain retribution by harming him due to lack of access, but I can get the next best thing. I know how precious you are to him, you’re the favourite. I mean, he gave you a job, and a flat, and a car. Most people would have to f*ck him to get those privileges. I came here to target him, but then I discovered your connection… My plan finally started to fall into place.”
“I’m…adopted,” she said, although her voice faltered.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is the love he feels for you, above all others. Why are you so special, Ava?”
She didn’t know. Her uncle had always been protective of her, right from the beginning, after she’d lost her parents…
Ava tried to escape by turning over onto her hands and knees, starting to crawl towards the door. Hopefully either she could either make it out, or he didn’t have the guts to go through with it.
Gary advanced towards her with the syringe. She reached the front door and struggled to her feet, legs weak and disobedient. It felt like a real effort to remain standing, but she couldn’t stay here.
I don’t want to be a pawn in his game, I don’t want to die.
I know I’ve accepted science as my God, but if there is a deity out there, please, help.
Ava gripped the handle and tried to yank the door open, legs wobbling beneath her and everything out of focus. However, Gary had locked it. She turned round and saw him standing there, face impassionate and cold.
“Please, don’t do this,” she pleaded.
Realising he had to do it quickly or not at all, he held his hand at her throat, pushed the red silk scarf aside and jabbed the needle into her neck. Fear as well as his strength pinned Ava against the door. She didn’t know what the hell he’d just introduced into her body.
Still holding her by the throat, he began to taunt her.
“Do you want to know what I’ve just given you?” he hissed in her face, teeth bared. “I’m going to tell you anyway, because I want you to feel terror at what’s going to happen next.”
Ava tried to turn her head away, but he forced her to look at him.
“My little gift to you is a shot of Ebola, so have fun. Basically, you’re f*cked, my dear. There’s no surviving this little bastard. My only regret is that I won’t see the grief on your uncle’s face.”
He dropped the syringe on the floor, pulled her out of the way and she fell to the floor. As the room spun, she heard a key turn in the lock and Gary made his escape, leaving the door ajar.
Ava lay on the floor of his flat, feeling a sense of mortality wash over her. She’d been infected with something you never ever wanted to come into contact with. The empty syringe lay on the floor only a few yards from her, and she could do nothing to stop the contamination from invading her body now.
No matter the severity of her situation, she needed to get help, which she wouldn’t find in here.
Ava dragged herself along the floor, inching towards the door. Heaving herself onto her hands and knees, she crawled through it, to the top of the stairs. Everything spun wildly, but nevertheless, she grabbed the rail and tried to haul her weak body to its feet. Shaking quite violently, she stumbled down the stairs, holding onto the rail for dear life.
In her weakened state, she missed her footing and to her horror, her legs completely surrendered. Ava tumbled down the stairs, feeling totally detached from the pain of the fall, and reality.
She lay at the bottom of the stairs in a crumpled heap, her life beginning to play as a movie. Ava saw the faces of her family and uncle. She heard Sam’s music, and the air around her seemed to swim with distorted images of angels and demons. She thought she saw that same angelic entity hover over her, but nothing made any real sense.
However, she didn’t want to die, even if her uncle’s adversaries had other plans. She didn’t want the Ebola to eat her flesh, or liquefy her brains. Ava wanted to survive.
Come on, one last effort to get help.
Haul your ass out of the door and onto the street.
Someone will find you.
This is not the end.
Ava crawled on her hands and knees to the bitter conclusion of her ordeal. She pulled on the handle of the outer door, and the cool night air hit her, revitalising her senses. Ava spilled onto the street, hearing traffic swoosh past. It had started to rain, and she heard car tyres cut through the wet on the roads.
Lying on her back, she felt the rain splash on her face, running into her eyes and her mouth. She stared at the sky, street lights blurring and clouds obscuring the stars. A quarter moon gazed down at her, as if a goddess watched over her.
Somebody…please, call an ambulance.
***
A whirlwind of activity…sirens…people jostling and bundling her into an ambulance…the lights of the hospital…doctors and nurses tending to her wounds. Everything seemed surreal, like a distorted film being viewed in a psychiatric institution.
She heard one of them identify the puncture mark on her neck. They took blood samples from her, and wheeled her into the x-ray department. It all felt like medical chaos, and with the drug still exerting its influence on her brain and body, she lay there helpless while they conducted their investigations.
Eventually, everything fell silent. The specialists and nurses disappeared, leaving her in a quarantined room. That same watchful quarter moon illuminated the area, its cool light filtering through the blinds at the window. She heard the faintest of voices murmuring in the distant corridors. Her room was clearly empty, yet why did she sense a presence in there with her?
“Hello?” she asked, almost in a whisper.
It seemed foolish to expect a reply, and she didn’t receive one. Ava wondered if it the angelic looking figure had visited her again.
“Your advice would be much appreciated at this time,” she added.
Ava swore she heard a slight shuffling, and glimpsed a faint shadow.
This is crazy. There’s no one here, especially now I’ve stopped the hallucinations. They’re not returning. It’s just the effects of the drug, that’s all.
She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping to sleep although she finally succumbed a few hours later, after running every worse case scenario through her mind.
***
In the morning, specialists in protective clothing took blood samples, although they never said a word. Ava kept enquiring…’what are you doing? Are my brains going to liquefy? Am I going to die?’ They gave her simple reassurance, yet no detail, maybe because they didn’t even know the answers to her questions.
The lack of pain in her body surprised her, and the absence of plaster casts. Perhaps they’d given her some really effective analgesics.
For fourteen days, doctors and nurses entered the room, took blood samples, and brought her food and drinks. Hospital meals weren’t exactly haute cuisine, but she had bigger things to worry about. The sense of isolation was soul destroying at times, but she often felt that presence in the room, which gave her an odd feeling of reassurance. Eventually, the tide turned.
Her specialist, Dr Jeremy DaSilva, entered the room, wearing minimal protection and he stood beside her with a smile on his face, revealing brilliant white teeth.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her.
Ava shrugged.
“All right, I guess, although I’m bored out of my mind.”
“Well, that’s to be expected.” He paused before continuing. “Have you noticed any fever, headache, joint or muscle aches?”
She stopped to think, albeit briefly then replied, “I’m okay at the moment.”
Dr DaSilva flashed his teeth in a brilliant smile again and said, “I’m glad you are feeling relatively all right, considering.”
After a pregnant pause, she asked the toughest question she’d ever had to pose. “Am I really infected with Ebola?”
The specialist began to take her pulse and replied.
“We’ve conducted a stringent screening programme with your blood sample, including the standard ELISA test but, so far, we can find no evidence of contamination.”
Ava frowned, unable to believe what he told her.
“Gary clearly delivered the content of the syringe into my bloodstream. I was attacked.”
He remained professional, yet exuded the typical doctor’s sympathy.
“The police are already dealing with the matter. Do you feel ready to be interviewed about what happened?”
“I guess so. My attacker escaped though … I don’t know where they’ll find him.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll locate him. We’ve already notified your next of kin. Your lab has been extremely helpful, and concerned too.”
The medical staff left her alone again. In her boredom, she switched on the TV but found nothing worth watching. Someone had supplied a newspaper, so she picked it up and read about the Los Angeles riots. A state of emergency had been declared, due to shops and vehicles being set on fire, motorists being dragged from their cars, and people being shot. She read the story carefully then proceeded to pore over every detail of the rest of the paper; major and minor news articles, the agony aunt section, and even the horoscopes.
A few hours later, the police arrived, a male and female detective in protective masks. She related the story of the attack and gave a detailed description of the assailant. They were concerned to hear of the incident, especially due to the nature of the biological agents involved, but when they realised the identity of the attacker, they were suspicious.
“He matches the description of a dead body we found a week ago,” the male officer said. “Looks like someone got to him before we could.”
Ava didn’t know whether to feel shocked or reassured by that news. Had he died because of what he did to her?
Due to her quarantined status, she couldn’t receive any visitors. She really wanted to see her parents, or anyone who could offer some solace, something she couldn’t get from the hospital staff or police. They took more samples from her arm, and Ava thought she’d need a blood transfusion by the time they’d finished, as they extracted so much of it.
Finally, two weeks later, the first visitors entered her room.
Caroline Kavanagh hugged her daughter with relief. She’d been beside herself with worry all month and looked tired. Like the police, she showed deep concern over the attack and had many questions for Ava. “I can’t understand why anyone would want to harm you,” she said.
“It wasn’t about me,” Ava revealed. “Gary wanted to get at your brother, not me.”
Caroline’s brow furrowed.
“The way he lives his life should not affect you,” she stated, her lips forming a thin line of disdain.
“I’m the boss’s niece,” she pointed out, “and the lab itself is a target, maybe this was just bound to happen one day.”
“I’m not going to let this go,” Caroline said, resting her fingers lightly on Ava’s arm.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m going to tell my brother exactly what I think, I don’t want you working at the lab anymore.”
“Mum, I like it there. This was just a unique occurrence. You know he’d never put me in harm’s way, not intentionally. Please, don’t say anything. You know he’ll freak.”
Caroline remained thin lipped, but she respected Ava’s wishes.
“I can’t help but blame him,” she explained.
“Look, I’d rather be under his care than anyone else’s. He’s helped me out so much through my life, don’t forget.”
Caroline sighed.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ava said, “I’m glad you came.”
Sam followed her parents, relieved to see she was okay.
“I knew you wouldn’t die,” he said, quite emotional.
He sat by her, and held her hand as they chatted about various things. His visit raised her morale, and she couldn’t wait to see him again.
The next day, Tom arrived, one of her work colleagues. He’d been trying to visit her all the time she’d been hospitalised. On entering the room, he expected to find a sick person, but got a pleasant surprise instead.
“Bloody hell,” he said. “You had us all worried, no one’s been able to get any information.”
“The only thing I’m dying of here is boredom,” she said. “I can’t wait to get back to work.” Then she added, “How’s things at the lab?”
“Well,” Tom began, “the police have been all over the lab, and Gary’s nowhere to be seen. Actually, he’s dead. What the f*ck happened?”
“He injected me with Ebola,” she explained, almost matter of fact.
Tom’s jaw dropped.
“And you’re still here?”
“Well, yes,” she said, unable to understand the reason.
“Jesus,” he muttered, “what have they said to you?”
“Well, nothing, but they haven’t told me I’m going to die.”
Tom looked at her with incredulity.
“You’re a bloody walking miracle.”
“What do you mean? I’m lucky, but I’m not a miracle.”
“Well, your specialist, DaSilva, told the lab you were fortunate because the contents of the syringe weren’t live.”
“I guess I am lucky then,” she said, grateful, but a little angry she hadn’t been told.
“Ava,” he said, “I’ve worked in that lab five years and I’ve never come across a duff batch in all my time there. Plus, when he gave us the news, I tested the other samples, they’re all live.”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
“I’m trying to tell you you’re a f*cking miracle. By now, you should be seriously ill, bleeding out of every orifice in your body, dead even. You know that disease has a high fatality rate.”
“Well, my flesh isn’t liquefying so the sample must have been spoiled for some reason.”
“Look, I eavesdropped the nurses who performed the blood tests. The test results did show evidence of infection. An enzyme conversion reaction took place, indicating the infection got into your bloodstream. The tests they did yesterday show specific antibodies in your bloodstream, proving your body responded to the infection. It wasn’t duff, your body fought off the disease.”
Ava tried to digest what he was saying.
“You mean, I have a natural immunity to…?”
Tom looked at her, realising the significance.
“They found antibodies for Ebola, the Zaire Strain. It should have killed you inside of a week. Do you know what this means?”
Ava found it hard to accept the truth.
Tom continued, “Your blood contains the secret to fighting one of the deadliest diseases in the world today. We’ve got to research it, find out why…confirm your immunity.”
Could it really be true? And was it no accident that she’d come to work at a biological research lab?
“Please, don’t say anything to the others, not even my uncle.”
Tom protested, “This is of major f*cking importance.”
“I know. We’re not even sure yet, Ebola doesn’t kill everybody. We can’t jump to conclusions. Our secret?”
He nodded reluctantly.
“Okay, our secret. We’ll work on it together in our own time. You’ll not regret this.”
She hoped he promised the truth, because if there was something special about her blood, her whole life would be turned upside down.