All Chapters of Till The End Of The World : Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

~Elsa~ “Harper, we have a problem.” Chief Decker’s voice cut through the laboratory before I had even set down my bag. The emergency phone was still pressed to his ear. Behind him, the red warning light above the sample hatch blinked against the glass. I stopped at the threshold. “What happened?” “An ambulance is bringing in a patient from the eastern checkpoint. High fever, confusion, bleeding from the nose. The field team says two others collapsed before they could get him out.” Decker lowered the phone. “We need a viral DNA extraction as soon as the sample reaches us. The patient has been placed in isolation while the hospital waits for a preliminary result to guide precautions.” The words should have made me focus. Viral DNA extraction was my work. I could spend an entire night tracing a sequence, comparing a result, asking what a mutation meant and what it didn’t. This assay could screen for a known outbreak marker; it could not identify every possible pathogen or explain th

~Elsa~ By the time the first extraction finished, the hospital had stopped pretending this was an ordinary shift. A security guard stood at the laboratory entrance. The phones rang without pause. Sara had been pulled back to the emergency ward, where the patient from the eastern checkpoint was being kept apart from the other patients. Decker had sent two staff members to check the rest of the incoming records. Christian Loren had gone to headquarters, or so he said. The result was not an answer. It was a warning: the sample contained viral material consistent with the outbreak marker we had been asked to check. We could not tell from that one test how dangerous it was, how it spread, or whether the patient’s symptoms came from it. I wrote those limits in bold on the report. Decker read it over my shoulder. “You know they’ll want a yes or no.” “Then they can want one. We don’t have one.” He gave me a tired smile. “Your father would have said the same thing.” The mention of Dad c

~Elsa~ The hospital doors shut behind us, and the order to stand down followed us into the parking lot. It came through Christian’s radio again, clipped and calm. “General Loren, confirm your location. Do not proceed east.” He didn’t answer. He looked at the vehicles, then at me. “Before we leave, tell me what you need.” The question stopped me more effectively than another command would have. “A list of everyone going. A clean transfer record for the sealed container, even if it stays here. And a clear answer about what I’m responsible for once we reach the checkpoint.” “You’re responsible for observations and any samples Decker authorizes you to handle. You can refuse any task that isn’t safe or within your expertise.” Christian glanced at the radio. “I’m responsible for the route and the team. If the risk changes, I tell you before I make the call.” “That sounds reasonable.” “It should have been my first answer.” His voice was quieter than I expected. It didn’t eras