The 50/50 Vaccine

Chapter 3

I made it to Greenway Industries at 3:30 in the morning. I’m exhausted from having been up all night and then hiking it here for the past hour and a half. I forgot that I’m used to driving the highway to get to this part of town, which I can’t walk down, so it took me a bit longer than I planned. The good news, there are only 5 people in line already, and the protesters are all still in bed. I sit down on the ground with a loud sigh.

“Nervous?” One lady asked me. She looks like the past few months have been harder on her than me.

“A bit, but who isn’t?” I respond not wanting to talk.

“Fair point, word is they keep you under 24-hour observation after you get the shot. Three square meals for the duration of quarantine, plus a decent setup for a place underground.”

“Underground?”

“Yeah, you didn’t hear? All the living quarters for the volunteers are underground. Probably for safety reasons.” The lady continued.

“Why’s the building so big then?”

“Offices and research labs are up there.” I nod trying to be kind but at the same time, I don’t want to be chatting. “Oh, my name’s Liz.”

“Mandy,” I smile shaking her outstretched hand.

“I had to do my full research before coming here. I wanted to know exactly what was going on and how it was going to be for observation. I need the money, but I wasn’t going in blind.” Liz explained. “They will draw blood before the shot, then once a week after the shot to monitor changes. It wasn’t disclosed what they are looking for, but it’s in their waiver they have you sign.”

“Good to know, thanks,” I reply. I cover my mouth as a yawn comes out. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep at all tonight.”

“I don’t blame you, neither have I. I’ve been here since 2 this morning. Figured if we are here early enough, we’ll get inside before the protesters begin to show up and heckle everyone in line.” Liz reasoned. Her brown hair is pulled back so tightly in an elastic I’m worried it’s going to peel off her skelp. Her brown eyes seem a bit bloodshot, and I hope mine don’t look the same.

“I had a similar thought,” I confessed. “I used to work in that building across the street until they closed down two months ago for safety reasons. I’ve been out of work since, hoping for a severance check that was promised but never followed through with.”

“That’s shitty. When you get the payout for the trial, you should go public with that. Help your coworkers out. The company should be held accountable.” Liz urged. “Nothing I hate more than companies who screw the little people.”

“Yeah.” I really want her to stop talking to me now.

“They put us in a room with a bunk bed, almost like a jail set up. Men are kept separate from women, and any LBGQ are kept together for safety. Just because people are coming in here voluntarily doesn’t mean the hate for differences have gone away. They have a questionnaire we need to fill out before the waiver specifying if we have any preferences. For those who hate a certain race or religion, they keep them completely isolated.” Liz explained.

“That’s a bit over the top.”

“All about safety.” Liz shrugged. “You share the bunk with one other person for the entire quarantine. I think they are hoping for a buddy system to form. Honestly, if someone hated Jewish people, I wouldn’t want them near me. My grandparents were h*******t survivors.”

“I’m just so tired of all the hate in the world. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

“It’s only going to get worse for us. Once we get the vaccine.”

“How would anyone know? Don’t they have security measures in place?” I press, suddenly curious about the information Liz knows.

“I’m not entirely sure, but I had a neighbor get the vaccine first and survive. Then two months ago, he was killed on the street with the anti-50/50 slogan painted on him.” Liz answered.

“The bank accounts. If someone who has been broke for a while suddenly gets that large amount of money transferred, it’s noticeable. Also, the way they spend.” The guy in front of Liz answered.

“That would be a major alert,” I nod understanding. It still doesn’t necessarily explain how they would know someone’s bank account balance, but it does sound more practical for discovery.

“There are so many variables in making this choice, dying seems so minor when compared to the rest.” Liz shrugged.

“I hear that,” I agree knowing that I came to the same conclusion yesterday. I cover my mouth as a yawn comes out.

“You seem tired,” Liz notes.

“I am, but I need to be here. I’ll sleep once I’m inside.” I explain. “There’s no point in sleeping here on the ground.”

“Fair point,” Liz commented looking around.

“We have some coffee up front, would you ladies like a cup?” The man in front of Liz offers. We both nod with a smile thankful for the offer of a warm caffeinated beverage. He hands us each a Styrofoam cup, “it’s not much, just instant coffee. Do you want sugar? No one brought cream though, sorry.”

“I’ll take some sugar,” I reply I’d prefer milk too, but I’ll settle for some sugar.

Thankfully, Liz fell silent as we drank our coffee in the line. By the time I finished my coffee the sun was peaking up in the distance washing the sky in a pretty pink glow, making me feel like it’s a good sign. “That’s so pretty.” Liz whispers looking at the sky herself. “Hard to think anything could go wrong after seeing such a beautiful scene.”

“I’m a realist,” I reply not wanting to jinx anything. We can take the pretty sunrise as a sign, but the reality is as soon as we get injected with this vaccine all bets are off. “This just means we only have an hour or so to change our minds.”

“Wow, that’s a bit dark,” Liz murmured. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“Nope, but no one should make this decision lightly as the worst risk is death,” I answer. “The moment we enter the building there is no turning back.”

“Actually, you can leave anytime until you sign the waiver agreeing to receive the vaccine,” Liz corrected. “As soon as you agree to all the terms in the contract and waive the responsibilities you agree to become their test subject. After that, they will study us.”

“Anything to help in the name of scientific advancement,” the man in front of Liz stated. “Once they figure out the leading causes of cancers, they can then devise a cure-all for cancer as well, but I’ll take just everything else. No more seasonal allergies, or the flu, or anything else that we get yearly.”

“You sound like a scientist,” I note.

“Nah, just have always been fascinated by science, though I never understand the numbers or compounds behind it. It’s only taken me this long to get here because it took forever to convince my wife that this would be good. Hopefully, our kids will have the benefits that are discovered here, and by the time they are adults this vaccine won’t be a 50/50 chance of surviving, it’ll be a guarantee.” The man seems so sure of himself. I’m guessing like everyone here in this line, he’s banking on going home as a 50/50 vaccine survivor and plans to use the money for his kids' futures. Part of me wants to question how he could take such a risk being a father and a husband, but I bite my tongue as he truly believes this will help further scientific discoveries for his kids' future.

“Here’s to hoping,” Liz smiled. I get the feeling she’s thinking like me about him taking such a risk being a parent but doesn’t want to say anything either.

“What time do the doors open?” I ask trying to change the subject.

“5 am, but they announce 6 am because they know that’s when the protesters will begin to show up. The police will arrive around 5:30 to start controlling the crowds of protesters.” Liz answered. “That’s what my neighbor told me when I asked him all the questions before he was killed.”

“Ever think your constant chatter was part of how he was identified as a recipient?” The man two people in front of her ask. I looked at the back of his head in disbelief, he’s so rude. Liz looks like she’s about to cry now. She’s annoying yes, but not hurting anyone, and to be honest I’m finding her information rather comforting strangely.

“No need to be an asshole,” The man in front of her snapped. “She did her research, no harm in that. Who asked you to make her feel like s**t about what happened to her neighbor? Besides, I doubt she asked him publically, and I’m sure he made it known more than by just talking to her about it.”

“I think we need to take a breath. Liz, thank you for the information, maybe we take a silent break for a bit as everyone here has to be tired and getting restless by the hour,” I suggest trying to defuse the situation. Liz just gives me a small smile and nods her head wiping her tears.

We remained silent until the doors opened letting us in 10 at a time. I was surprised to see so many people lining up behind me by 4 this morning. I entered right behind Liz followed by 4 others. We enter a room where they are playing a video the greeter referred to as the orientation film. It told us about the science behind the vaccine, the discoveries already found from the vaccine and volunteers before us, and how our contributions as volunteers will further their research in providing a more universal vaccine for the future to keep humans healthier and prolong lives.

After the orientation film, the greeter asked if anyone had changed their mind about the vaccine. When no one moved to leave, we were led down a hall into a waiting room where we entered one at a time to meet with an intake personnel. When my number was called, I went into the room and sat down across from a woman in a business suit with her dark brown hair pinned tightly to her head. She hands me a form that is a non-disclosure agreement. “What is this for?” I ask.

She makes an exasperated noise before answering. “You are not allowed to discuss what you see here with one on the outside. As soon as you sign all the paperwork, you will be legally obligated to abstain from telling anyone anything. You will more than likely see at least one person die in here during your trial, and you will not be allowed to tell anyone about it. By signing this you agree to that, and we can continue with the rest of the documentations that need to be signed.”

“Okay, why not just explain that before you hand it to us?”

“Because it’s writing within the document explaining what it’s about,” she answered. She’s not wrong, but it only covers the fact that we are not allowed to discuss anything outside the facility, not the reasoning behind the document. I’m not going to argue, so I just signed the paperwork. “Good, now that wasn’t so hard.”

“I just wanted to understand the reasoning behind the paperwork,” I defended.

“This is the contract, once you sign it, you agree to participate in the program and waive all legal responsibilities in case of your death. Upon signing this, you are locked into the program and will not be allowed to back out,” she explained handing me a six-page packet. “Take your time and read it through,” she urged.

I read it carefully and signed it. She handed me another piece of paper asking for banking information to send the $250,000 refund upon completion of the program. I filled it out and signed it hoping this was going to be my end game.

“Lastly, it’s our newest documentation,” She stated handing me another piece of paper. “If you have a specific person who you wish to designate as your next of kin to be notified of your death, please put their information here. Also, do you wish to leave them anything in case of your death, please write it all down on the back of the paper as it will go as your will. We also have to ask that you sign both sides of the paper and know that the next of kin will receive $25,000 to cover your funeral costs in case of your death.” Because I have no family, I write down Doug’s information. Hopefully, he’ll have the heart to at least cremate and bury me. I put it all down on the paper and told him to donate my belongings to the local housing for survivors of domestic abuse shelter. Once I signed the paperwork, the lady looked it over, gave me a surprised look but said nothing, clearly, she recognized Doug’s name. “Everything is in order here, please proceed out the door on the left and follow the tending to the next phase of the program.”