A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 68

I had never realized that science was so boring. It was now past lunch and these two had been sitting here almost all morning simply talking. Diane was getting noticeably restless though.

Ninette must have noticed it too, "Looks like you are ready to stretch your legs. I have a thought, do you mind if I accompany you on horseback and occasionally take a small sample of blood? I am curious if the exercise changes the composition of your blood."

Diane made a bit of a face, but nodded anyways, "Sure."

I suspected that she was not looking forward to more needles. I didn't blame her either. I didn't want a bunch of needles poked into my skin. Besides, I had never seen any character in any Disney book or movie ever play with needles...

I followed them out to the stable. Ninette swiftly saddled a bay mare, "Laura can sit behind me if you want, and I will let you set your own pace. Here, put this on, it is a heart rate monitor that is worn on the upper arm. Let me grab a small control sample before we begin."

Ninette filled a tiny thumbnail sized vial of blood and mounted. Diane looked at me, she knew I was often very uncomfortable with people I didn't know well. Well, if Diane was putting up with needles, the least I could do would to try being brave around Ninette. I had a feeling that I would be seeing her a lot for the foreseeable future. I reassured Diane, "I can ride with her as long as you don't leave."

Diane seemed surprised, "No worries, I am not about to leave you behind."

I scrambled up behind Ninette before we followed Diane out of the palisade. Diane glanced over at Ninette, "That horse won't be able to keep up."

She replied, "Then we will just head over to the highway and you can run back and forth while we rest on the side of the road."

Diane nodded, "No offense, but I think it might be best if no one else learns that I was bitten by a zombie. Most people do not react well."

Ninette nodded thoughtfully, "You are correct. I think a better cover story is that we found a different virus in your blood, which also happens to be a type transmitted by fluids. We would have found it when you donated some blood and are trying to see if we can convince your body to create different antibodies in hopes that they may also be able to knock out the zombie virus. The side effects of this virus would be that your muscles stiffen easily and need a lot of exercise, which will explain all the running."

Seemed like a good cover story to me. People might be a bit uneasy about a different virus, but they were paranoid about the zombie virus. Diane seemed to find no fault or better excuse and didn't reply.

We headed towards the highway, Ninette could see the heart rate monitor from the saddle and occasionally jotted down numbers. We stopped occasionally for Ninette to fill another tiny blood vial. I wasn't particularly scared of needles, but I was really glad that I was not in Diane's shoes. The horse was sweating pretty good by the time we hit the highway and we had slowed so the horse could trot. Diane wasn't even breathing hard.

Ninette dismounted, "We will wait here to cool the horse off and let it graze a bit. If you could run back and forth on this road while staying within sight that would be great. I will wave you over occasionally for more blood samples."

I dismounted and sat on a rock while keeping an eye out for zombies. If Ninette was hoping to tire Diane out just by running, we could be here a while. Diane ran back and forth along the long stretch of visible road. Ninette occasionally waved her over to check the heart rate monitor and grab another sample of blood.

I really didn't like how many times Ninette stuck that needle into Diane's skin. It was starting to bother me since I knew Diane didn't like needles. It was weird to feel protective for someone who was older, larger, and stronger, but I was still concerned for her safety and well-being.