Deep in the jungles of Colombia
The sound of an engine broke the quiet of the evening and caused Javier to turn his head.
“The doctor’s leaving early,” he said to Carlos, the young man who was on duty with him at the time. “It’s barely dusk.”
Javier knew that the doctor wasn’t the only one working in the lab at the moment but he was the only one there with a vehicle. Most of the other fifty or so employees walked to work from the local village, as did the two guards. There were a few biologists and a few other scientists and technical people that had been brought in, but they had housing above the lab and rarely left. It had been a stipulation of their work contracts, along with the promise never to disclose anything about the lab or the work being done there.
Carlos wiped sweat from his forehead and turned to look at the building that housed the laboratory. His automatic rifle was slung over his shoulder.
“Maybe he’s sick of this place,” the young man grinned, showing two missing teeth. “I would be. The guy must spend eighteen hours a day in there.”
The engine grew louder as it was revved, followed by the sound of squealing tires just before the Range Rover appeared from behind the laboratory. It turned to come down the dirt road toward the two guards, a cloud of dust bringing up the rear. The doctor, who rarely exceeded five miles an hour on the bumpy road, was moving fast.
“What the hell?” The older guard frowned, gripping his rifle a little tighter. The vehicle had to be going at least forty, maybe more.
As it got closer, the SUV began to fish-tail and both men jumped away from the road to avoid the vehicle as it raced past them. There was no sign of brake lights as the doctor approached the sharp turn that would take him to the village.
“He’s not going to make it,” Javier hissed, already taking off at a run.
His words proved true as the car lost control, spinning sideways before finally slamming into a tree. The crunch of metal was swallowed by the sounds of the jungle as brightly colored birds took flight and filled the air with their raucous cries.
When the guards reached the vehicle, the branches of the tree were still shaking from the impact, leaves fluttering down around them. The driver’s door was jammed shut and it took both men working together to finally force it open. For a moment there was no movement inside but within seconds the doctor began to struggle to free himself from the airbag.
As the two guards helped him out of the car and onto to his feet, they could see that he was sporting a nasty gash on his forehead, but other than that he did not seem to be injured. The doctor’s eyes were riveted on the lab as he began a tirade in his native Russian, his words incomprehensible to the Colombians, though the urgency was clear.
He is terrified, Javier thought, eyes moving to the building that could barely be seen through the thick trees.
“Are you all right?” he asked the doctor in Spanish, turning his attention back to the injured man.
The doctor shook his head, eyes still on the lab as he raised a shaking hand to touch the wound on his forehead.
“Hey, man, is that a bite?” Carlos asked, staring at another wound now visible on the doctor’s hand. The mark looked like it had been made from a human mouth, round and jagged where the flesh was torn.
“Yes, a bite,” the doctor said quietly, now speaking Spanish as well. His eyes never left the lab for a moment. “What has he done?”
The words came out an anguished whisper, making the hairs stand up on the back of Javier’s neck. He glanced at Carlos and when their eyes met he could see the same concern he felt.
“Did one of your patients decide he didn’t like being locked up in that dungeon?” Carlos asked, nervously. He glanced back at the ominous building, shuddering at the thought of spending one’s days behind those dreary walls. And while he’d never seen the patients, he’d heard stories.
Before the doctor could reply, there was a flash of color in the trees just outside the lab. Javier lifted his gun and watched. Probably just one of the workers, he thought, but the guards had to be ready for anything.
The doctor saw the movement too and began to back away, eyes wide.
“He has set them free,” he said, trembling with fear. “We are doomed.”
When the first of his patients came into full view, the doctor turned and ran.
~^*^~
Dead, but Not for Long 