Necrocide

Chapter 19

Half an hour later, Aaron and Nika were on an elevator ride down to the Commons. Both of them were holding hands, a sign that a little bit of hope and happiness had restored itself within them. Their silence was still a reminder that things weren't as nice as they could've been, but it otherwise felt like nothing could ruin this moment.

Until they started speaking again.

"I don't mean to bring back any upsetting memories," Nika said, "but how do they test whether a person is infected?"

Goddamn it! Aaron thought. We were having such a great time a couple of minutes ago! And it probably could've been better if it weren't for Mr. Hecox's dumb celibacy advice and my infection getting in the way.

"Are you sure you want to know, love?" Aaron asked hesitantly. "Despite what they say, the methods aren't always humane."

"What do they do?"

Jeez, how long does one ride on a lift take? Aaron thought to himself.

"Well," Aaron explained, "it all depends on the citizen's status within Matheson. The more behaved they are, the less harmful the experiments will be. Normally they just take a few blood samples and study them. The results should be found in a couple of hours and the test subject will receive his or her punishment."

Nika looked frightened. "Sorry, too far," Aaron added. "But the criminals become part of the inhumane experiments. Since they say Deadmen can't feel pain, criminals are tortured and then have blood samples taken, and not in the clean way people usually have them."

Aaron started realizing he might've been giving too much detail when he noticed Nika's increasingly worried look. He quickly pulled her into his arms and attempted to lighten the moment. "But don't worry, love. Natalya will be just fine. They'll take a few blood samples and that's it. They won't hurt her."

"But what if she's infected?" Nika asked fearfully, not even looking at Aaron.

"Trust me. She's not infected. I should know."

Shit! Why did I say that?! Aaron gasped in horror on the inside. He got a little too close for comfort. He let go of Nika, now scared about what would happen to him.

"Makes sense," Nika replied. "You were in the DZI, so you would know what an infected person looks like."

That was close, Aaron thought to himself. I'm a little surprised she hasn't picked up on anything considering how smart she usually is.

The elevator doors opened up, revealing the Matheson Commons. Unlike the night before, the Commons' festive appearance was gone, instead replaced by the mundane, dilapidated safe haven everyone was used to. People were still mingling in groups around the area, but they looked bored and dreary.

"I just hope for her sake, they stick to getting blood samples the peaceful way," Nika said as she and Aaron exited the elevator. "He was clean and precise when he took yours last night."

Aaron's heart nearly stopped. "He did?"

"Yeah, he thought it would be safe for everyone. Your increased paleness made him suspicious since paleness is apparently a sign of turning."

"Uh...well—"

"And is it true you tried eating someone's hand?"

"I wasn't trying to eat it. We were playing some stupid game and I accidentally went too far."

Nika's eyebrow raised. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

"Nika, darling, I couldn't be better." Aaron forced himself to smile before giving her a reassuring kiss on her head. "Just outta curiosity, where did they take the blood samples?"