No Time To Bleed

“You mean Lion and my uncle's company started this whole thing?” I asked.

Alex nodded a bit stiffly. “They've been testing the blood of their employee's children for years. It's been a huge cover up for a while.”

“That's why your uncle and my brother have been teaming up the past few months.” Clarissa moved on. “Did you know that your aunt and uncle once had a baby?”

My insides froze. “What? No. When?”

“About a year or two ago, Megan Rushman was born in late December. 5 pounds and 3 ounces. She was 11 inches tall. Perfectly healthy.”

William went on with the topic as Clarissa handed me the birth certificate with a picture. It was a small picture of Uncle Trevor and Aunt Meg in a yellow nursery. The baby was wrapped in small blanket, a pink one with little balls of fuzz on it.

“What happened to the baby?”

“Lexicon secretly tested on Megan through months 2 and 5 of her life. On her six month, she was hospitalized for reasons beyond the medical staff's understanding. Lexicon paid off the hospital to withhold information.


5.7.2008
Megan has been found with genes that may be useful in our processing, but subject has neglected to medicine implemented.
Financial assets may be utilized.


“Oh my God, they killed the baby...” I gasped.

“And that same time, Uncle Trevor was given a large promotion in the company and he started his own research. Lexicon goes through the state hospitals to do these type of things and eventually their employees one by one began to find out. Tracking devices were as well placed in the subjects.”

I let the paper fall from my hands back into the folder.

“That's crazy. How could they just.... do all of that?”

Clarissa chuckled. “There's a lot about this world you don't know and a lot of people don't know either. That's why we need to find Ryant and Max. They're important to the cause.”

“Where was the last place you saw them?” William asked. By this point, Alex was still standing there, just staring at me.

Surprisingly, I felt no sting of tears in my eyes. Just an empty ragged hole in the pit of my chest.

“Ryant and me were at the school and I got into trouble. We were in the office when those things came, I took one down. More stuff happened. We escaped the school and zombies were chasing us. I tried to protect him. I really did.”

Horror crossed Alexander's green eyes. “Are you saying he's dead?”

I shook my head, looking down to my lap. “No. He ran off. We were getting away to hide in this house and he said he needed to find his brother. I tried to chase after him, but I was stopped. He could still be alive, I just don't know right now. I was trying to find him when you guys got me.”

Clarissa nodded, smiling. “That sounds like our Ryant. He's as nice as hell, but sometimes he's got one damn mind of his own.”

William laughed and Alex's expression didn't move a muscle.

“So, you think he's still alive?” I asked Clarissa.

For the first time, her smile was directed at me. “Jasmine, I know he's still alive. Him and his brother are fighters. We just gotta find them.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and regret. Stupid capitalist companies.