Chapter 6

Dr. Chase pointed at an x-ray report as Tessa, Dr. Anya and a few other experts paid attention to his theory.

“The fractures in the skull of this 25 years old woman runs longer than that of the 60 years old woman. This should mean the more fertile a female is, the more chronic the pathogen will be to the nervous system.”

Dr. Anya narrowed her eyes on it, “Does this mean we have to reduce the dose of the drugs we give them? We were simply thinking about slowing down the spread of the disease in the system, we didn’t think about giving out different measurements in dosages.”

He brought out another two X-ray files. “This is the report of the 25 years old woman before we came into the fortress, the dose administered indeed reduced the spread, but that of the 60 years old seemed to have quickened.”

“These can also be noticed in their nerve and brain stem.”

Tessa frowned, “Adverse effect. Thank you, Dr. Chase.” She turned to Anya. “How much miligram should be reduced from the current dose?”

“0.5 miligram,” Dr. Chase responded, “I already worked on this over the night.”

Tessa stared at him for a while, then a light smile graced her face. “It’s good to have you here, Dr. Chase.”

Dr. Chase nodded once, accepting her comment.

{Mission accomplished – priority asset stable. Alert – a stampede is approaching the fortress boarders}

A siren blasted in the fortress as warning red lights started blinking.

Dr. Anya panicked, “Whst is happening?” She scanned the fortress trying to figure out what went wrong.

The Intercom rang and Tessa answered it immediately.

“Madam Tessa, there are a whole lot of infected trying to break through the protective border. What are we going to do?”

 Tessa’s gaze remained stuck to the ground as she raked her head for a solution. She had prepared everything except military to protect the fortress.

No matter how vast the fortress looked, it couldn’t still accommodate so many people.

Dr. Chase walked up from behind. “I have a friend in the military, he can be of help. Should I ring him up?”

Tessa looked up, “Yes.” She accepted immediately. 

What was there to think about again? They needed all the capable hands they could get.

A screeching sound suddenly echoed and a voice followed.

“Not only did she steal assets, she locks her kids away, leaving them to die out in the open. Look how they’ve become. Tessa, you are such a bitter woman.” Vanessa’s voice echoed through a loudspeaker.

“Connect to the outdoor cameras.” Tessa ordered and soon three big screens came on, showing the large crowd that had gathered in different angles.

The Whitmores stood in front with Vanessa standing on top of a car, speaking to the crowd.

Tessa frowned lightly as she stared at the two teenage children; Cassie and Grayson Whitmore, she had been a step mother to for six years. 

This was her first time of seeing them so tattered and sickly.

No matter how bad the outbreak has been, Mark and Helen will certainly never leave them looking like that. They had always held themselves with high prestige; prioritising appearance without caring for the cost.

Even now, Mark and Vanessa were extravagantly dressed; showing they weren’t at all suffering.

What game was the Whitmores playing this time?

Dr. Anya was pissed. “Is that woman stupid? She must have been suffering from the disease before it was diagnosed since she keeps saying nonsense after nonsense. What does she mean by stealing assets? If Mark is so capable why doesn’t he go and create a new company from scratch?” 

“The kids never even appreciated your efforts after all these years you took care of them. Respect wasn’t even something they gave you so what does she mean by abandoning the kids?” 

Tessa sneered coldly, “If I tell you they gathered these people for a stampede will you believe me?” 

Dr. Anya’s mouth fell open, “What?”

Tessa pointed towards the screen. “More than half of the people here are males. They don’t look like they are here for help but to cause trouble.”

Mark spoke up this time, “We know you have a cure already and that is why you have locked yourself up inside. Are you hoping to be a capitalist and squeeze everyone dry till there is nothing left?”

“Mother has been ill for the past days and you never called or even visited. Look at Cassie, she is just 16 years old and has a full life ahead of her can you really sit back and watch her die?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd with them started hollering as they pushed further with more violence.

“What kind of a daughter are you? You have enough space in there, why can’t you let us in? Your mother in law is really cursed to have a person like you as her daughter.”

“You are such a despicable woman! It is no wonder you have no kids of your own. Indeed, nothing is better than have ones own biological mother.”

“Yes, look how she came out to defend her kids and seek help for them and her mother-in-law, not even mentioning her own health.”

The noise was too much and the infected inside the fortress were starting to roll on their beds in discomfort.

Dr. Chase’s face scrunched up in anger, “What nonsense are they saying?” he turned to Tessa.

Tessa’s face remained unchanged as she watched their drama like it had nothing to do with her. “How many minutes away is your military friend?”

“About that… he wants to cut a deal with you.”

Tessa faced him, “What does he want in exchange for his security and logistics?” 

“Medical priority for his team and family.”

She took a deep breath in and out. “Done.”

Dr. Anya was a bit surprised by her quick resolute. “Don’t you want to know how many they are? Even if the fortress is this big, we need to be strategic about admitting people.”

Tessa remained firm. “He and his team are military personnel so they are low maintenance but have high capability. With the crowd outside, it is very obvious that Mark will try all he can to infiltrate the fortress. If not today, then tomorrow or next. Regardless, we need them as much as they need us.”

“Let him know that he must arrive first then family can be admitted into the fortress based on those who are either medically critical or beneficial to our course.” She stated.

She turned back to the screen in time to see Vanessa pass the speaker to Cassie.

Cassie’s voice was light as she spoke. “Mother Tessa, please open the fortress for us. Grandma is very sick and my mother seems to be doing bad also. Even I feel very sick. I haven’t even eaten for days because of this. Please open up for us, we are your family too. Can you really bare to see me die?”

Her shoulders suddenly started trembling as tears fell from her eyes, “I don’t want to go crazy and die.” She cried out.

Vanessa hugged her, holding back her own tears. “Oh my baby, you won’t die. Mother Tessa is certainly going to open the door for us. Right, Tessa?” 

Tessa’s hands trembled lightly as she stared at Cassie’s innocent face.