"How long does she have- until it starts?" My dad asked Marco.
"Seven days." Marco told my dad.
"Seven days until what? What are you talking about?" I asked them.
●●
It's begun.
The mutation has started to affect my body and there was absolutely nothing that I could do about it.
I wish Luke was here. He'd know what was wrong with me and how to make it more bearable for me.
I haven't told anyone that I got bit by a rotter. I haven't told them that I'm immune to the infection either. Because I had no idea how they would take it.
I stood under the shower. The water trickling down my pale skin. My ice cold skin. I stepped out from under the shower before wrapping a towel around my body.
I pulled a black crop top over my head before pairing it with some army-print cargo pants.
I shrugged a jacket on before making my way downstairs. I went inside the living room and DeAndre's head shot up.
Oliver pulled the duck tape from his mouth and he inhaled a deep breath. Ronan stood in the doorway. He was quietly watching the scene that played off in front of him. He seemed amused by it.
Cooper and Ellie's eyes followed me as I grabbed a chair and planted it in front of DeAndre.
He frowned at me as I sat down in front of him. "Have we met before?" He curiously asked me. "I'm sorry you just seem so familiar." He added then a light frown rested on his forehead.
"No. We haven't." I blankly stated.
"Then who are you and what are you guys doing here?" He wildly asked me.
"We could ask you the same question, don't you think?"
"No. That's bullshit. I used to come here all the time. I know the owners of this farm and that's not you." He uttered before looking at each of us.
"Who are the owners of this farm?" I curiously asked him before leaning forward in my chair.
Oliver took the safety off his gun before aiming the weapon at DeAndre's head. He gulped down nervously before licking his lips.
"Luke King and Michael Welch. Why? What's it to you?" He asked me.
"How did you know them?"
"I was the previous owner of this farm. I sold my property to them and then they turned it into ground zero of the zombie apocalypse. That's how I know them? I'm sorry why is this information relevant?" He curiously wanted to know.
"Because I'm Michael's daughter. And you are going to tell me everything that you know about this virus." I blankly stated.
"That's where I know you from. Michael showed me your picture once." DeAndre told me. "And you- you're his kid too. You're the one who went to jail for murder, right?" He looked up at Oliver.
"Wait, so you're saying that Dr. Luke King worked here with Dr. Michael Welch?" Cooper asked DeAndre in confusion.
"Yes, Luke King. He's tall, he's got blue eyes, dark hair." DeAndre described Luke and Cooper decided to walk it off by nervously pacing across the room, the floorboards cracking under his feet.
"Why would Luke lie to us about that?" Ellie asked me in confusion. "I mean when you asked him if he'd seen your dad, he said that he hadn't seen Michael in almost a year."
"The were trying to cover up their shit. That's why." DeAndre answered Ellie's question.
"And this farm? Don't you guys think it's suspicious that we found this specific farm?" Cooper asked us.
"My dad gave me the address back in the city. I had to lead you guys here without telling you that this place belonged to my dad. You know, since he's not the most trusted guy in the world at the moment." Oliver tried to explain himself.
"So you led us here without knowing if this was part of some elaborate scheme? What if this was all part of Marco's plan? Clearly your dad can't be trusted." Ellie went off on Oliver so I got up from the chair I was sitting on.
"See, that right there, is the exact reason why I didn't tell you guys shit." Oliver angrily told Ellie.
"Yeah we need to leave." She blankly stated.
"And go where?" Ronan calmly asked her before confidently emerging from the shadows. "Untie him." He told Oliver.
"No, Ellie's right. Do you really think untying this guy would benefit us? What if he kills us in our sleep? I mean we don't know this guy." Cooper wildly asked Ronan and DeAndre scoffed at his words.
"Man, fuck you." He told Cooper, immediately taking offense.
"He won't kill us in our sleep." Ronan calmly told Cooper. "Untie him," he looked over at Oliver.
"As you wish." Oliver muttered under his breath before untying DeAndre. Once he was done the rope dropped to the floor and DeAndre rised from his chair.
"I guess I'll get going then." He uttered before trying to leave the room.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that." I told him and he stopped in his tracks.
"Start talking." I demanded and Oliver showed him his gun. DeAndre clenched his jaw before sitting down on a chair again.
"What do you want to know?" He asked me.
"Why did you come here, DeAndre? And where did all those medical reports in your car come from?"
"Wait- how do you know my name? Did you go through my shit?" He angrily asked me.
"You gave us no other choice. You fainted. I did what I had to do to get answers." I pointedly stated.
"I used to work for the CDC." DeAndre finally confessed.
"So you lied to us before?" Cooper asked him in anger.
"No. That is how I met Luke and Michael. It was only later that I found out about what they were doing here." DeAndre explained and we all huddled up around him.
"I knew that Michael and Luke were virologists. That's what convinced me to sell my farm to them in the first place. We immediately clicked with each other. Until Michael told me about a serum that he had created."
"The 'NecroVive' serum," I chipped in and DeAndre nodded at me.
"Yes! The NecroVive serum was originally designed by your dad to grant 'immortality' by preventing cellular decay. However, something went horribly wrong, turning 'NecroVive' into the 'NecroVirus', reanimating the dead instead." DeAndre told us.
"I've been studying the virus for a short while. I only started looking into it after the outbreak happened. I don't know much about the NecroVirus but I know enough to be certain that finding a cure for this is almost impossible." He explained.
"Holy shit." Cooper uttered in shock.
"So we're all doomed?" Ellie scoffed in disbelief.
"Not necessarily." DeAndre told her and my interest was immediately sparked.
"Meaning?" I asked him.
"I'll tell you what, kid. If you give me shelter, food, and swear not to kill me- I can find all the answers that you're looking for." DeAndre said before looking at me. He expectantly looked over at Ronan, waiting for an answer.
"That sounds like a deal to me." Ronan said while looking into my eyes.
"Then it's settled." DeAndre uttered with a broad smile on his face. "Holy shit! For a minute there I thought you guys were really gonna kill me." He told us in relief.
"Alright, let's get to work." Ronan told us before leaving the living room.
"Come on, Doc. We've got some repairs to do around the farm. Once we're done with that, we can get back into your research," Oliver told DeAndre before they walked outside together.
"I've got a garden to tend to." Cooper muttered under his breath.
"And I need to be alone." Ellie blankly uttered before I could ask then she stormed out of the house.
I hope DeAndre's presence will do more good than bad.