Chapter 22

I charged at Carrie. I cared not for the soldiers around. Kill me if they want, I will make this brat pay!

I pushed her on the floor and sat on her chest. I began punching her face left and right. I don't care if she's just a kid but learning it's her fault why our mother is in between life or death, I will not forgive her! I'll only give my forgiveness if mom return to us human!

Jarren stayed on his seat, frozen in place. He couldn't believe what he just heard. If there's anything better for him to do now is stay in his place. If he tries to stop me, God forgive me what I might end up doing to my brother.

Not long after, nearest soldiers swoop in to stop my rampage. Two adult male soldiers pulled me away. There were already two of them stopping me yet they're having difficulties holding me back. Another younger male soldier helped Carrie up who's dazed. Blood was exiting her nose, her lower lip popped and bleeding. Her cheeks swollen for the numerous unrestrained punches.

"Let me go! She's the reason my mom's bitten!" I roared.

"Boy, she's just a girl, calm down!"

"Calm down my ass! She's the reason why the captain is in the lab!"

The three soldiers froze upon learning that this girl who's in and out of consciousness, is the reason their captain is bitten. The two adult men lost their grip for a second and I took that second to free myself. I charged at Carrie again and punch her. She fell on the floor out cold. The soldiers snapped back and one of the adult soldiers pinned me on the ground.

"Sorry boy but you've gone way too far."

And then everything went black.

I opened my eyes, all I see was the white ceiling and painfully bright lights and the back of my head ached. I move my eyes around trying to make sense where I am. And then, I heard a familiar voice.

"Finally, you're awake."

That voice, I recalled it. It's the same voice that I heard from the walkie-talkie.

"I'm Lieutenant Jean O'Brien, I'm second in command here."

I turn to look at where the voice is coming from. Lieutenant Jean looked like he's not a Filipino at all. He was very tall and bulky, even bulkier than mom. His eyes were soft brown, maybe he's half Filipino?

"My soldiers reported to me, you hit a 13 year old girl out of consciousness."

I avoided his piercing gaze.

He sighed, "I understand where you're coming from, I understand your pain. But you have to remember, violence in here is strictly prohibited. Last night that I saved your butt from my soldiers, it should have been you who I sent in my office because of this rule but your action was justified. This time, even your anger is justified, hitting her wouldn't solve anything. All that you accomplished was disobey the law and give yourself a chance to be kicked out. Worse, you can be the reason the captain be stripped of her rank."

Me...be the reason to strip her of her rank?

"Our Bio Researchers(BR) will do everything to save your mother. The captain has saved more people than any other high ranked soldiers could ever hope for. Now she's giving us opportunity to save everyone by letting herself be studied."

Let herself be studied, he meant lab rat. I didn't respond to him. I don't like the idea of my mom, my saviour, being used as a test subject.

"You and your brother are free to visit the captain in the laboratory, I'll have the soldiers guarding the building take note of that. Just one thing, behave." said the lieutenant before standing up to leave.

Lieutenant Jean left the room. After him, Jarren peered in.

"Kuya," he called.

"Jarren?"

Jarren then came in with a plastic bag in hand. He raised it up to where I can see it.

"I got the steak," he softly smiled.

He pulled the table with wheels for patients, I guess I'm in a hospital or clinic. He served our lunch and I sat up. Together we ate.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"In the clinic, the nurse said you can leave as soon as you wake up."

"Hmm...ok." I said awkwardly. "How long was I out?"

"Not that long, less than an hour."

"Ok... this steak sure is good."

"Yeah."

We ate our lunch before I got up to leave the infirmary. We then head to the laboratory to visit mom. When we arrived, we saw mom seated on the floor with her bitten hand still cuffed. She was talking to Lieutenant Jean. The man looked at the door's way when it opened. When he sees us, he stood up from the floor. He smiled at us, I don't know about Jarren but I didn't bother looking at him. He left the observation area and the two of us walked in. We sat on the cold tiles with our legs crossed, not so different from mom's. Mom looked sleepless with her eyes having dark circles around them. She was no longer wearing her uniform, she's wearing a patient's long boring clothes.

"Hi mom," I smiled.

"Hi," she softly smiled.

"How are you feeling now, mom?" Jarren ask trying to mask his worry and sadness.

Mom adjusted her position by uncrossing her legs, "Just a little tired and mildly "unhappy" with Lieutenant O'Brien's report."

Chills run down my spine and my stomach churned.

"You hit a 13 year old girl. I didn't expect that you'd do such thing, I expected more from you, Nigel."

I avoided mom's eyes.

"Nigel, look at me," she said it almost pleadingly.

I look back at her, she looked sad.

"I know and understand why you did it but that doesn't mean I'll tolerate it. You shouldn't have done that."

"She's guilty for what happened to you mom!"

"Exactly, she's guilty. That girl's conscience is eating her from the inside!"

I froze when her voice got deeper yet louder.

"You judged her the instant you hear her confess, you didn't even know what happened." Mom sighed before continuing,"I'm at fault too."

"Mom? What do you mean?" asked Jarren.

Mom looked defeated. "My team and I were exploring a street not far from yours. It was crawling with zombies. There was one spot where those things are crowding a specific spot which is like a garage of sort. We cleared that spot and there we found a father and a girl. The father was bitten and he instructed his daughter to hide from him as he's almost fully turned. The man pleaded us to save the girl and have him shot before becoming a zombie. When I freed the girl from the room, she refused to come with us without her dad. She blocked our way and we couldn't shoot the man. When the man stopped moving, the girl kneeled down and shook him awake. But knowing what's coming, I tried to pry the girl off the corpse. She cried and wouldn't let go. Until the man sprung back to life and tried to attack the kid. I hadn't have enough time to draw any of my weapons, all I could do was step back and let the girl be killed or I try to block him and let myself be killed. I didn't really have time to think either, my body just moved on its own. I pulled the girl away and hold the thing's face. So stupid of me to directly hold his face with my exposed skin. That's how I got bitten."

Jarren and I were stunned. It's almost hard to believe what we just heard.