The 50/50 Vaccine

Chapter 4

I was met at the door by a young man in a light blue lab coat, he walked me down a hallway, through a door to the stairs where we went down a level without a word. We stopped outside a door that had a small window with blinds over it, blocking out the room. He knocked three times on the door and waited for it to be opened from the inside. After a few minutes, the door opened he gestured for me to enter, then walked away. I entered the room and took a seat in the only chair in the room. As I looked around I noticed we were in some kind of doctor’s office.

“Please fill this information out as best as possible.” An older man in a green lab coat urged as he closed the door and handed me a clipboard. “It’ll provide information about your trial, and help further our understanding of the way the vaccine works with various participants. It’s mainly a brief medical and family medical history. Once you are done, I will draw some blood to help us with a baseline assessment of your immune system. The next step will be receiving the vaccine, but that is done in another area. Then we will test your blood to see how your immune system is working with the vaccine on a microorganism level by comparing it to these initial blood samples.” He explains.

I do what he asks, and fill out what I know. “I don’t know my family. I’ve been in foster care my whole life until I was 18. I have no idea who my family is,” I admit as I hand him back the clipboard. He takes the clipboard, makes a few notes on the pages I left blank then sets it aside.

“No worries, it’s just a helpful research tool. We’ve had a few people come through like you.” The man replies, “We’ll move on to the blood drawing, can you please sign this granting me permission to draw your blood to be used in this study?” He hands me another clipboard with a paper clipped to it. I signed it though it feels redundant as I just filled out consent to participate in this program upstairs.

He proceeds to take 6 vials of blood from me, then puts a small pad of gauze over the needle mark with a piece of medical tape and sends me on my way out another door where I meet another tending in light blue who walks me down a flight of stairs to a locker room where they have me change into a pair of yellow scrubs and put my belongings in a bag with my name on it. They are then locked up and I’m escorted down another flight of stairs to a lab where a lady in a white lab coat injects me with the vaccine wishing me the best of luck. I’m then escorted by a lady in pink scrubs down another three flights of stairs where I’m ushered enter a large space that looks like a jail through large metal black doors that she opened with a hand print scanner and a code. Inside she takes me to a storage area which she again accesses with her handprint and a code, grabs me essentials, and two spare scrubs. She then walks me to a room where I find a bunk bed and a desk in the room. Surprisingly there’s no toilet in the room as it really looks like a jailcell. “Bathrooms are located in the center of line on each side of the room. There’s three stalls in each, so a total of twelve toilets in this block. There are two shower stalls in each bathroom, which means there will be a sign up sheet to shower. By entering this program you agreed that you will not fight with others, minor disagreements are normal, but any physical altercations will result in the termination of eligibility for the reward money. Yes, we have had some people who didn’t abide by the rules. There is a cafeteria at the end of the block opposite of where we entered, it will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There will be only three options for each meal. You take it or leave it, though they frown on participants not eating. There are vending machines for snacks, and the bracelet you were given in the lab will allow you to access anything in the machines, as they want to monitor what you choose to eat. Yes, your meals will be monitored as you sign up for this. Your bunkmate is chosen at random in order of entry. You came in first, your bunkmate will be here by lights out at ten tonight. All newcomers coming in tomorrow will be located in another block, it’s how they keep everything in order here. Once the trial is over, I will be releasing you from the block and escorting you to your exit intakes. Please know that every time a failed trial occurs, your exit date is postponed. They allow one week of observation and failed trials that will not affect your exit date, but if a trial fails on the eighth or ninth day of the trial, then you will be here for an extra week. The release dates depend on a full week of successful trials. Good luck, and I’ll see you on your exit.”

“Wait, what if my bunkmate experiences a failed trial? Who do I tell?” I ask.

“You call out for help, and someone will come,” the lady answers. “They monitor everything, except the bathrooms, and bunk rooms. You’ll have to step out of your room to call for help, but someone will come.”

“Thank you,” I reply. She walks away, and I begin to set up the top bunk for myself. I hope my bunkmate will be okay with this, I just feel the top bunk is where I want to be for some reason. Once my bed is situated and I put my belongings in the small cubby hole in the wall next to the bed, I exit the room and begin to explore. This is my home for the next two weeks at least.

“Hey, you made it through,” Liz smiled. “I was hoping we’d end up in the same block. Can you believe all that paperwork?”

“They have to cover themselves legally, it’s understandable.”

“And that new document, that lawyer did not seem pleased about having us sign that,” Liz commented.

“The compensation is a good gesture as the company is receiving a lot of backlash from families and protestors about those who don’t survive.” I reason. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It’s all legal jargon for the protection of the company and these trials.”

“I’m just glad we are separated into a female cell and not a co-ed.”

“Like you said earlier, it keeps everyone safe.”

“Yeah, I was thinking about walking around and getting my barrings, were you doing the same?” Liz asked.

“Yeah, I have nothing else to do right now.” I shrug. Liz smiles and we begin walking around the block. It’s not much the size of a large indoor gym with about 20 rooms in total, six on either side on the first floor, then the remainder on the top floor some above the storage area and the cafeteria. Talk about making space for everything. There’s an extra room on each side of the first floor, one holds a television and some comfy chairs and the other is a small gym with workout equipment on it. Everything is so organized and elaborate here, I can’t believe this company still has money to give away. Opposite the storage room, is a pantry lined with shelves stocked with various supplies. Board games, decks of cards, coloring books, coloring utensils, art supplies, puzzles, books, anything and everything someone may be interested in. There are even baskets filled with balls of yarn with knitting needles, and crochet hooks on a shelf. Liz is buzzing about having access to crocheting materials, she’s talking about making some animals while she’s here.

By lunchtime, the cafeteria window is open and the top floor has one occupant in each room, meaning the next couple of women to enter our block will be our bunkmates. Liz will get a bunkmate before me as she entered before me, but I’ll be after her. I’m in the fourth room, and Liz is in the third room on the first floor, the bathroom separates our rooms, but mine is closest to the entry door.

I make my lunch selection and get stopped at the end of the buffet line by a lunch lady in a green apron who punches my selections into the computer and instructs me to scan the QR code on my bracelet for documentation. I do as I’m instructed and continue to a table, where I’m joined by Liz. “This place is so proficient and sophisticated. I can’t believe the systems, some said even the trash cans monitor what we throw away. And the toilets have a system where they analyze what enters them for waste.”

“What?” I look at her as if she’s speaking a foreign language. “I don’t think they go that far.”

“To enter the stall we need to scan our QR codes, and when we flush the computer tells you the quantity of your waste, either urine or feces,” Liz explained. “Someone just used the toilets and were talking about it. I can only imagine the showers now. I’m sure they monitor how much soap and water we use, for their data.”

“We signed up for this. We are test subjects the minute we sign the paperwork. Nothing surprises me anymore. The television viewing room and gym have the scanner on them as well, I’m sure that measures the amount of time we spend in each room. It’s probably a good idea to use the gym at least once a day for a bit and minimize the amount of television we watch. I don’t normally live like that, but for the sake of these tests, it’s not a bad idea.” I suggest.

“Yeah, good idea,” Liz nodded in agreement.

We finished our lunch and went our separate ways with various activities. Liz got her crocheting things, while I went to the gym. I spent half an hour using the various machines just to get used to them and understand how they work, then I found a book and returned to my room to read. The clock hanging above the door in my room said 1:30 pm when the door opened and a lady with long red hair braided down her back entered. Her green eyes scanned the room as if inspecting the conditions. When she noticed me on the top bunk she smiled. “I’m Alexis. You can call me Lexi.”

“I’m Mandy,” I answer.

“Short for anything or just Mandy?”

“Just Mandy,” I reply. “Is it okay that I took the top bunk? I can move if you’d prefer it.”

“Actually, I was hoping I’d get the bottom bunk, I’m not good with heights,” Lexi answers.

“Oh, good, then I’ll stay here.”

“Perfect, after dinner, maybe you could show me around,” Lexi requested. “I need a brief nap, it’s been a long day. I spent 12 hours in a car driving up here, then another hour on the shuttle to get in, followed by two hours in line in this heat. I’m surprised the shuttle even made it into the parking garage through that sea of protesters. Oye, not to mention those signs they held up.”

“It’s already that bad?” I was shocked to hear. It’s been a while since I’ve been down this area, but hearing about it makes my stomach flip-flop.

“Oh yeah, I was half expecting them to swarm the shuttle and cause damage or throw things at us in line with how much they were shouting. Why can’t people just mind their business? We know what’s at stake, but we also have reasons for making this decision. No one knows our lives or circumstances to pass judgment, yet they are out there protesting our choices. What happened to the prochoice, and bill of rights?”

“None of those exist for this. Prochoice is about abortions, and the Bill of Rights gives them the right to protest,” I point out. “I get where you're coming from, but this is the world we live in.”

“Are you a lawyer or something?”

“No, but my boyfriend is. We had several conversations over the years about various things and recently the protests and this company.”

“Is he doing the trials too?” Lexi asked.

“No, and to be honest, I’m not sure he’ll still be my boyfriend when I get out,” I admit. “Things were stressful lately due to me getting laid off and struggling financially. I don’t think our relationship is salvageable. The spark is gone, I don’t know, maybe he’ll want us to try again if I survive this, but at this point, I just put it on a shelf and walked away.”

“Sometimes it’s for the best. It sounds like things just fizzled out, which honestly is the best breakup in the world in my opinion. No cheating, no bitterness, just mutual understanding and respect. Give me a fizzled-out end to a relationship any day.” Lexi commented lying down on her bunk. “I hope we make it out of here together, I’m sure we’re all hoping that.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, returning my attention to my book. After finishing the chapter, I close my book and rest my eyes thinking sleep sounds like a good idea after staying up all night. Just a short nap is all I need.

*****************

“Hey, wake up,” someone says shaking my shoulder. I open my eyes and quickly remember where I am when I see Lexi straining to reach me by standing on her bunk.

“Wh… What?” I manage to sit up and yawn.

“They just called dinner, I figured you’d want to eat as they monitor everything from what I heard while wandering around a few minutes ago,” Lexi informed me jumping down and waiting for me.

“Thanks,” I murmur getting down from the top bunk and following her out to the dining hall.

“I would want someone to wake me if I was still napping, only paid it forward.” Lexi shrugged.

We lined up got our food, scanned our IDs, and found a seat at a table. It didn’t take long for Liz to join us and start talking to Lexi about everything she researched before coming here. Surprisingly, Lexi knows most of the same information as most of her family has already done the vaccine trials, and only one person out of ten hasn’t made it, she’s hoping she makes it out without failing the trial. It’s nice to have someone else entertaining Liz while we ate as she is a chatty person.

I was thankful when Liz finished eating and decided to wander around to chat with other people in the block. “She’s an interesting person,” Lexi commented once Liz left the table. “Have you two been friends for a while?”

“No, actually, she happened to be in line in front of me this morning and started talking to me. She’s nice, though very talkative. It’s comforting in a weird way,” I admit.

“I can see that. She’s informed and happy to share what she knows.” Lexi smiled. “Places like this are always nice to meet a friendly person, but at the same time you need to watch out how much you tell them if you don’t want them telling others.”

“I have nothing to hide, so that’s not hard for me,” I shrug. Lexi just smiles at me and continues eating her dinner. Now I’m worried she’s hiding something dangerous.

We finish dinner, and go about relaxing and settling in for the night as an announcement comes over a sound system I can’t locate. “Lights out in one hour, please be in your rooms by then.” Some people make their way to the bathrooms, while others clean up their projects that are out on the table. I grab my toothbrush and a washcloth to go get ready for bed. I brush my teeth and wash my face before using the toilet and going back into the room. I find a place to hang my washcloth to dry and climb up to the top bunk just as Lexi comes in. She puts her toothbrush away and settles in for the night.

“Here’s to hoping we make it through the night,” Lexi sighs just as the lights turn out. Great, now all I can think about is the idea of dying within 24 hours of receiving this vaccine.

“You’d have to say that just before lights out,” I grumble. Lexi just chuckled in her bed. After a while, I feel my eyes slowly closing.

******************************

“SOMEBODY HELP!” A girl’s voice screams causing me to sit up in bed looking around. I make out Lexi’s silhouette move to the door. She moves the curtain that covers our doorway aside and looks out. Light pours into the room causing me to squint my eyes.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Lexi closes the curtain again and returns to her bed. “Someone upstairs is having a seizure. The vaccine has claimed its first victim from this block.”

“How do you know?”

“Any medical issue counts as a failed trial here. Think about it, seizures are a disease in their own right. The scientists believe that the 50/50 vaccine can cure everything, except cancer, there for seizures are in that group.”

“Do you think she had epilepsy before coming in here?”

“I’m sure it’d be in her file, though if I recall, they put anyone with preexisting conditions in their own block as their trials are different.”

“In other words, she just probably had her first seizure that the vaccine caused.” I sigh realizing what Lexi was saying.

“Yes, but there is nothing we can do about it. The vaccine is already in our systems, all we can do is pray we survive.”

“I know, but it doesn’t make sleeping any easier knowing someone has already reacted within 24 hours.”

“When my cousin came in, someone in her trial reacted within an hour, so I’m surprised it took this long for the result,” Lexi explained.

“Well, the new report is that only 25% of trial volunteers actually die now.”

“25% of how many people? I guarantee you that in this block we’ll see at least half of everyone fail the trial. I pray it's not you or me, but we never know.” Lexi replied. “Honestly, I wouldn’t go off of those projected reports. They are trying to calm the protests down, so they are reporting good news.”

“In other words, fake news.”

“Pretty much.” I let this fact sink in. I never thought about that being the case before. It wouldn’t be the first time a company has lied about something to calm protests down. What would make Greenway Industries any different? I lay back on my bed trying to close my eyes again.