A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 73

This group was fun to travel with. They were full of jokes and laughter, including us in the discussions. Some seemed to be around Diane's age, although most were in the 21 to 25 range. Diane was back to holding the reins of my horse, it realized that I wasn't strong enough to hold it back if it wanted to use its strength.

Zombies weren't as common out here as they had been in our travels. It was more remote. We did see some tracks, so we knew a few were around. One lady walked her horse beside Diane, "I don't mean any offense, but do you mind talking about whatever virus you have? Are you really immune to the zombie virus?"

Diane smiled politely, "Sure, I have no problems talking about it. According to all of Ninette's tests I am immune to the virus, but I hope that I do not have to put that to the test."

Most were under the impression that the virus was something that Diane had likely had for years, if not most of her life. None were aware that she had been bitten.

She nodded, "I have heard others saying that you run so much due to the virus somehow? I am not sure I understand that part."

Diane replied, "Yes, I have to stay pretty active or else it gets uncomfortable or even painful. Ummm... I suppose it is kind of like sickle cell anemia in a fashion, a slight stinging or burning sensation, but I get it if I don't move enough instead of doing too much."

She nodded in understanding, "Ah, I can see that. One of my cousins had sickle cell anemia. It caused him some problems that I hope you don't experience."

Diane shook her head, "Mostly just the restlessness and the occasional sleepless night."

One of the guys spoke up, "Being immune to zombies would make a huge difference. Has there been any progress in that area?"

Ninette pulled herself out of her thoughts and she shook her head, "Unfortunately not. The virus seems to have adapted to her immune system, but it doesn't seem to adapt to any blood or skin sample from anyone else. Usually it is easy to transmit viruses. That is why they are so successful, but apparently someone forgot to give this one that memo."

The guy was still quite interested, "So what is happening when you put the virus into a new sample?"

Ninette thought for a moment before responding, "In every test so far, it turns destructive as soon as it enters a new sample from someone else. This virus is not doing that with Diane for some reason."

Another guy with brown hair spoke up, "Are we talking about something like a cold virus that our body can beat off after a while or are talking about something that would kill us after a few months?"

Ninette shrugged, "It is really hard to say, the tests I run are small and limited to a small slide that I can observe. It is even harder to predict the outcome especially when you compare what I have done to how complex the human body is. Everyone is different as well. My rough guess is that the body would eventually fight it off, especially if it was just in a shallow wound. I am not sure what would happen with a direct injection to the bloodstream, it may kill the person. Either way it would be very painful since this virus seems to like targeting the nerve endings."

One of the ladies tilted her head, "Do you have any plans to try an injection with a volunteer?" She spoke like she was trying to hint something to Ninette.

Ninette's voice was cool and slightly reprimanding, "I have no desire to see anyone rolling around on the floor in agony, volunteer or not. Even just a drop of blood on undamaged skin can cause enough pain that you want to wipe it off after a while."

Ninette may have no problem taking blood or skin samples from Diane, but apparently she drew a firm line to causing pain that didn't serve a purpose or help with research. That was a good thing since Diane's blood would cause pain. Ninette had touched her silver blood once and had immediately regretted it. I didn't want to imagine how badly it would hurt if it got into a paper cut or someplace where you couldn't wipe it off.