Brie's eyes widened as she gazed upon her new "room". It consisted of a bed with a thin mattress and white duvet, a wooden wardrobe and a TV. It had a small window that showed the view of the outside. The sun was torching it's way into the room, still as bright and burning as when they arrived.
Clay stood behind her, squinting through the blinding rays. "This is pretty neat." She smiled, trying to be enthusiastic. As disappointed as she was, she was being given shelter and safety for free. She noticed a door at the back of the room. She went forward to open it and found a bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. There was a clean white towel hanging on to the a rack beside the shower too.
"A shower!" She grinned, remembering the sweat and grime she'd picked up from the long car journey in the sun.
Clay shuffled in his place awkwardly, then simply closed the door and left. "Oh." Brie blinked. He left in a rush. She walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, pulling off her clothes and stepping into the shower.
It was warm and soft on her skin, draining away all the stress of the day. She let out a big sigh and sat down, letting the water run down her. After a while, she stood and stepped out, wrapping the towel around her and walking into her room.
She found her door open, and there was a pile of clean clothes on her bed. A little note rested on top.
"I picked out some clothes for you since you were in the shower. - Clay"
She chuckled, closing her door and pulling on the clean clothes. It was a simple grey t-shirt and comfortable black joggers. "That's so much better." She sighed in relief.
How long had it been? She decided to go check on Adam and Akame. She stepped outside into the bare hallway, her shoes echoing on the stone floor. The air was oddly chilly, despite the heatwave. She walked quickly, racking her brain to remember how to get there, before freezing to a stop as she heard a female voice scream.
She quickly composed herself, running forward to find the source of the scream. To her horror, she reached the laboratory in seconds, to find Jane on the floor. Adam stood over her with clenched fists and blood running down his face. Jane turned to Brie, gasping for air.
"No, you need to leave! He's dangerous!" She yelled out as Adam raised his foot and stomped down on her chest.
"Shut up, human." His voice didn't sound like his. His eyes were wide, a red tint shining with angst. Jane gagged and cried out. Brie jolted forward and shoved him away.
"What do you think you're doing? She's helping you!" She yelled furiously, her head raging in denial. He can't be turning. He won't become a zombie.
He let out a snarl. "How dare you touch me." He scoffed and backed away from Brie. Blood ran from his nose, trickling down his lips and dripping off his chin.
"Jane, are you okay? What happened?" Brie desperately spat out her questions, feeling her heart tighten with fear.
"The infection is taking over his body. He needs to be contained." Jane stumbled onto her feet and pulled a walkie-talkie out of her pocket. "I need someone in the lab as soon as possible! Adam has turned violent, it's taking over him."
Brie stared at Adam, a silence overthrowing the room.
"Adam-"
"I'm not Adam. He's gone." Adam scowled, spitting blood. Minutes passed before the tense atmosphere broke. Two men burst into the room. Brie turned to see Clay and Nick. They had uniforms on now, with thick padded protection and chains in their hands. They instantly got to work, pushing Adam to the ground, wrapping the chains around him and putting a muzzle on his face.
Adam just sat there. He wasn't fighting back anymore. Brie noticed his eyes rolling back and his body falling limp.
"Please don't hurt him." Brie begged, watching as he was carried away quickly and the lab was left in silence once again. She heard a faint meow at her feet. Akame clawed at her trousers. She lifted the small cat up and looked at her face. Her red, irritated eyes were squinted closed.
"I treated Akame. She was much easier to treat as her body needed less fluids. Her eyes should go back to normal in a few days" Jane sighed. Brie turned to her with wide eyes.
"Treated? You have a cure?" She watched as Jane gulped and looked down at her shoes.
"Well, sort of. It works sometimes, sometimes it doesn't. I don't know why it's so unreliable. We're working on it." She stuttered and jumped as Brie stepped towards her.
"So he can be saved?" She glared at her, her eyes wide with hope. She held Akame in her arms, who was tense at the sudden energy.
"Possibly." Jane looked down, her blonde hair covering her face. She looked ashamed. "I should've done something sooner, I feel terrible." Her voice begun to wobble before she turned and ran out the door.
"Jane- wait!" Brie helplessly called after her, to no avail. "Oh no..."