--Phase 15 “The Broken One”--
[FLASHBACK]
“Allen! Hurry!” Dominique shouted his lungs as he kept shooting the zombies. He was preventing them from getting any closer to Allen, who was running toward the pipe. His struggle to cover Allen was not going as planned as a zombie hit Allen. Dominique rushed to the oncologist’s side, just to get blocked by more zombies.
“Damn you!” Allen’s curse echoed as Dominique realized he ran out of bullet. Few meters away, Dominique saw Allen kicked the zombie and pressed the bomb timer before throwing it to the pipe. Just when the machine made contact with the pipe, it exploded, causing a huge impact to anything or even anyone in the big round room. The storm of hot air locked in the room because the round shape and hit them over and over again till the water flooded, making them drown.
“Allen!” Dominique managed to swim up to the surface and shouted, yet, he got no answer. He could not help but to think Allen had burnt injuries because the oncologist would not have time to make a safe distance from the explosion.
More water pressed him down as he struggled to breath. Every turn the flood made his body hurt, whether being hit by the wall, ground, ceiling, or maybe some pipe. Dominique surfaced up a few times to get some air but he could not fight the flow. He thought he would be dead drowning but he was wrong. He hit the ground hard with his bare body as he realized he landed on higher ground. He moved fast as he climbed to higher places. At least, he was safe from the flood for now. He sighed in relief until he saw Allen’s body, lying lifeless on the cold ground.
“ALLEN!” Dominique screamed as he got to Allen’s side. He quickly examined the oncologist’s condition. The man got some burnt wound on his left shoulder and some bruises and cuts. Dominique shook Allen’s body over and over again till the man opened his eyes slowly.
“Allen! Are you okay?” Dominique asked as he only got a lifeless stare from Allen. That was when he realized Allen was as cold as ice and his face was so pale, like a living corpse, like zombies.
“Allen?” Dominique called again. His tone dropped. Allen did not move as the man suddenly indicated some pain by his trembling and face. He was dead worried and did not know what to do. It did not take long till Allen was in deep pain and screamed his lungs. He cried, scared as he held Allen’s palm. He felt his sanity left him as he tried anything to stop the pain. Then, he saw a door.
Dominique got Allen up, still screaming, as they entered the small maintenance room. He locked the door and eventually made the scream only visible to both of them in the room. Dominique could not risk encountering any more zombies. Crying and praying, he kept holding Allen as he begged the pain to go away. He had no idea how Allen could be like this. He tried to search for biting marks but he found none.
Frustrated, Dominique finally could not take it anymore. He got up, opened the door and let himself out of the nightmare. He cried as he still could hear Allen’s scream faintly from the other side of the door. He cried and cried, drowning in his barrier, trying to protect the sanity he had left. He curled up like a bowl, praying someone would be there till Kaien found him.
[END OF FLASHBACK]
“Allen just... Wouldn’t stop screaming in pain,” Dominique cried as Kaien pulled the younger one away and opened the door, got into the room. He spotted Allen was lying unconsciously on the floor, sweating all over his body.
“Allen! Please don’t turn to them, please tell me you’re okay!” Kaien called almost shouting as he got Allen up. He examined the heartbeat first. He was relieved there was still a heartbeat even though it was weak. Then the temperature was a bit cold but still normal. Judging from the time Allen exchanged his blood with Benji, Kaien knew it had been over an hour. Allen should be a zombie now, yet, the oncologist seemed to be a human being with a slow pulse.
“Allen?” Dominique dared to peek inside as he sighed in relief that Allen was not in pain anymore. He got inside the room as he locked the door, making sure the zombies would not find them. He asked Kaien whether Allen was okay or not but he got no answer. His curiosity kicked back as Dominique examined Allen closer, he realized the burnt wound almost healed magically.
“Kaien, there was a burn wound on Allen’s shoulder...” Dominique stated. ”But it looks better now. No, it’s far better than before!”
Kaien could not believe it at all. He checked Allen’s broken leg and found out that the bone somehow reconnected, like they had never been broken in the first place. There was only one explanation on Kaien’s mind and he certainly did not like the idea at all. Yet, he needed to make a decision or he would let Allen die. Well, he might also kill Allen by trying to save him but he chose to try rather than not doing anything.
“Dominique, get a bottle from my bag,” Kaien ordered as Dominique searched the bag and swore at the content of the bottle.
“Is this blood?” Dominique asked.
“Yes, Benji’s blood,” Kaien answered fast as he opened the bottle and made Allen drink the content till nothing was left. Dominique only watched in horror as he was frozen to do anything. It took him almost one minute to finally ask for an explanation.
“What’s going on?!” Dominique asked, almost shouting. Kaien took a deep breath before he got Allen up, leaning on his shoulder. He stared back at Dominique as the three of them divided the remaining space of the small room.
“I can only think of one explanation how Allen’s wound got better even though he’s affected,” Kaien explained. “For most people infected by S.M.V, they would be so weak and turn into a zombie in about one hour but Allen didn’t. He’s different from most people.” He looked at Dominique, unsure if he should tell him or not. “He’s like me… The virus makes us stronger and stronger without changing us into zombies.”
“We even have better sight, hearing, and more sensitivity to our surroundings than ever,” Kaien continued as Dominique listened without responding. “It’s like a magical power. That’s why I’m the only one that they sent in to save the survivor. Because I can never be infected so it will minimize the victim.”
“So, what are you, really, Kaien?” Dominique dared to ask.
“The broken one,” Kaien answered. His face was telling Dominique that he did not like to be called that even though Dominique secretly thought that was a cool name and suited him well. “Or you can call me the uninfected one.”
“So, Allen will turn like you?” Dominique asked as he demanded. “Just tell me, he’s going to be okay, right?”
Kaien paused as Dominique shivered. Even Dominique himself was unsure whether he was shivering because he was wet from almost drowning in the water before or he was afraid. One thing he knew was he could not wait more for the answer.
“I don’t know,” Kaien finally spoke. “The only risk we, a broken one, has is when we’re first bitten. We will be in so much pain and it’s up to our will and strength to overcome the pain. If we succeed, we live. If not, we die.”
“But Allen has overcome the pain, right?” Dominique referred to the nightmare he had before.
“That’s just part of it,” Kaien answered in a broken voice. “The real fight for him to survive is now...”
Dominique felt his heartbeats betrayed him as they kept going faster. Soon Allen, who was still unconscious, growled in pain, screaming again. Dominique curled like a ball, closing his ears once again. As Kaien, he did his best to keep holding Allen. The nightmare just would not leave them that fast, would it?