Where Is Your Loyalty Now? (Prologue)

[Natalie Anderson]

Natalie Anderson

I'll make up words that I keep
Letting nothing go to anyone at all
Where is your loyalty now
When all the cards have been left on the table?

“Well, I just arrived at the office now and then I’m going to head home and go to bed..i’ve had a long day..” she said with a gentle yawn. Natalie was speaking to her mother, she always checked in when she’d been travelling some distances because her mother panicked “Yes I remember, I’m supposed to come see you at the weekend..yes I’ll bring the fruit loaf..” she laughed slightly. Natalie walked out of parking lot and took the elevator to the first floor. She had her phone pressed against her ear. The elevator pinged, the doors opened and the once beaming smile she had worn had now diminished into nothingness. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth slightly ajar.

Her mother called down the phone, she could hear the muffled sound but couldn’t make out the words “Uh..i’ll call you back..” she whispered as she quickly hung up. Natalie slowly stepped out of the elevator, her eyes surveyed the area. The place was a wreck. The reception area was in total disarray, with chairs over turned, the computer had been thrown across the room and there were blood smears on the walls and floor. Something screamed at her to run but she had to stay here, she wanted to know what had happened.

Slowly she walked across the lobby and toward where the offices were, she took the long corridor that led by all the office doors. She could hear yelling and screaming, bangs and crashes. Natalie took out her phone again ready to call the cops. There was a thud, she turned fast and almost jumped out of her skin. Johnny, one of the revenue guys was leaning against the doorframe, taking deep breaths. She rushed to him “Oh my god..what happened?!” she asked him as she grabbed a hold of him trying her best to support him on his feet. Johnny was injured, he was bleeding from the side of his neck, the crimson stained the collar of his shirt and the front where it’d dribbled down.

Johnny gripped at his neck. She eyed him carefully with concern. He breathed deep before speaking, his tone was shaky “We made a mistake...the..the..product..it’s defective..” he breathed “..That guy they used, the one who..who..had the reactions. He got out..he went crazy and bit Jill then ripped Eric apart, I tried to stop him..he bit me..” he told her. He was in total shock and as was she. Her face dropped slightly, so that’s what the wound was. Who the fuck went around biting people?

“Tom said the prison called, the other inmates had started reacting too. The product isn’t safe..we were wrong and now people are buying it..Nat, you should see the figures..they’re huge....if this has happened in testing..then that means..that..” he stopped, he’d broken down now in tears. He was absolutely distraught. Natalie nodded and tried her best to comfort him “I know..i know, it’s okay..i’m gonna get you outta here..” informed Natalie, she tried to help him too his feet but he shook his head. Johnny grabbed at her arm “No..” Johnny replied desperately.

He looked her dead in the eyes the colour was draining from his face “You have to go without me..” Natalie opened her mouth to speak and he cut her off “..He bit me Nat..just like he bit Jill..” she already knew that part so why was he telling her again. She looked slightly confused “..I think it’s contagious..whatever..he has now..cause, he bit Jill and she...she started attacking the others, like he did..like i..i might..” he whispered. He’d clearly accepted the possible fate; she could see it in his eyes. She found herself welling up; it was a horrible thing to known about that you may not have made then next few moments.

Natalie dropped her head, she felt shameful. How could she have been so stupid? She had known after the presales the truth behind this product, behind the testing and effects that came with. She shouldn’t have trusted it. Johnny took a deep breath and she allocated her eyes on him again. He nodded toward the door “Go..there’s a helicopter on the roof..your dad..he’ll be there..” he told her gently. He bore a smile. She gripped his hand tight and gave a light nod before slowly getting to her feet. She walked toward the door “Nat?” Johnny called softly. She turned to look over her shoulder at him “Would you close the door behind you?” he asked her. A strange request but his last and she had to do it, she felt obliged too.

Nat nodded and stepped out closing the door behind her. As soon as she heard it shut she could hear him screaming in agony. She scrunched her eyes tight the tears releasing and streaking her cheeks. Taking a deep breath she wiped her eyes with her sleeve and headed back to the lift. She pressed the button, the lift opened and she screamed falling backward. There was one of the workers slumped in a heap with his throat ripped out. She crashed to the floor and scrambled backward her eyes never moving from the body that greeted her, until she heard a noise to her side.

Natalie narrowed her eyes and there he was, Johnny standing in the corridor, eyes burning against her. She knew what was going on; he’d warned her in advance, Jill attacked those people after being bit, he’d been bit..it made sense now. She jumped to her feet and heard him growl furiously, she ran across the lobby toward the elevator. She heard his feet banging against the floor as he rushed toward her. She pressed the button frantically pleading aloud for the doors to close “Come on! Come one!” she screamed. Johnny was getting nearer now; he was almost inside the lifts when the doors closed.

The doors closed against his neck which jammed the lift and stopped it from moving. She continued to press the button trying to get the doors to stay closed; they began to move slightly open but with each pressed closed again. Johnny got his arm in and began swiping at her; he was going crazy now, chomping and growling like a fucking rabid animal. She looked at him; he was completely dead behind the eyes. She grit her teeth and let go of the button, the doors open releasing him and as they did she punched him in the face knocking him back out the doors.

“Sorry Johnny..” Natalie said sadly as she pressed the button and closed the doors. The elevator went up, she took a deep breath. What if there were more like him now, how would she protect herself. Natalie looked around the lift. The worker was still slumped in a heap, this one was dead, it was very clear. She began to slowly search his pockets, grimacing at the very means of doing so. She found some keys. She eyed them and side “Good for gouging eyes ou.t..fuck sake..” she tossed them aside. The elevator doors pinged and she turned to look over her shoulder. She was on the roof as the doors opened.

She could hear the noise of the copper and stepped out the elevator, her father was standing on the edge helping other people in. She yelled for him and began to make her way over. Her dad narrowed his eyes on her and a horrified expression covered his face, he held his hand up indicating for her to stop “No darling..stay back..” Patrick pleaded. She stopped “..I’m not staying here..” she told him stepping forward again and he pleaded once more “Darling you’re injured..you can’t board..i’m sorry..you have to stay here..” Natalie stifled a nervous laugh “What?..no..i’m not this isn’t my blood..” she informed him stepping forward again “This is Johnny’s I found him..i’m not hurt. I’m not..infected..i’m not..” she assured him as best as she could but he wasn’t convinced.

“I’m sorry..” he whispered and slowly tore his eyes from her nodding to the pilot. Her eyes widened in horror, she knew what he was doing now, he was fucking leaving her “No!” she screamed and ran toward the helicopter but it was no use. It rose off the ground, the wind pushing her back at little. She stopped seeing it take off...without her.

She was left behind here, to..save herself. She didn’t know what to do but her starter point would be to get the fuck out of this place as soon as possible.