C-Vac: C-Vac Series, #1

By Stephanie Henry

If someone told you they had a vaccine, medically proven to work and completely safe to take, that would both prevent and cure cancer of all types, would you take it? 
Briella was six years-old when her mother passed away from cancer. Five years later, C-Vac, the cancer vaccine, was announced. For most, it was considered a miracle. For others, like Briella’s dad, it was a suspicious hazard. Nonetheless, when people are offered a miracle, they’re not likely to pass it up. 
For eight years, cancer was simply a thing of the past. But once the side-effects of C-Vac start to emerge, Briella rapidly begins to understand that the world, as she knows it, will be forever changed. 
Now faced with new dangers she never thought possible, she’ll have to decide: hide away from anyone who could pose a threat or trust the one person she so desperately wants to let in?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephanie Henry
• Release date: Nov 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781518895005

Book preview

C-VAC

Copyright © 2015-2017 by Stephanie Henry.

Edited by Amy McNulty.

Cover designed by Molly Phipps at We Got You Covered.

Formatting by Key of Heart Designs.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distrusted, or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical reviews and certain other non-commercial permitted by copyright law.

This novel is fiction. That means all of its content including: characters, names, places, and brands, are products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictional matter. Any similarities to actual people, living or dead, places or events are purely accidental.

For the readers, the lovers of words, the ones who open a book and are transported into another world—Never lose that magic. Absorb the stories you read and let them forever be a part of you.

Hope is the physician of each misery.

—Irish Proverb

CHAPTER ONE

If someone told you they had a vaccine, medically proven to work and completely safe to take, that would both prevent and cure cancer of all types, would you take it?

It sounds too good to be true, right? But medical science is able to accomplish amazing things today. When C-Vac, the cancer vaccine, came out, there were a mix of opinions about it. Some people were thrilled beyond belief. Others, like my father, were skeptical. It’s been eight years since scientists in India first announced C-Vac. I remember the breaking news announcement interrupting my favorite TV show. One minute Austin Moon was singing, and the next there was a news reporter talking about a life-changing scientific discovery. Unlike my father, I don’t know much about medical terms, scientists, or anything of that sort. And I knew even less back then at eleven years old. I merely remember being upset that my show was cut in to. Then, after listening for a moment, I thought it was cool that they finally found a way to end cancer, a disease that changed my life forever, one that took its toll on my mother five years earlier. When I heard my father yelling at the living room TV downstairs, I was confused. I climbed down the stairs to see him pacing the room while the news reporters continued to talk.

This will be a life changer for everyone, I heard the correspondent say.

Dad? I interrupted.

He noticeably relaxed at the sound of my voice, turning down the volume on the television and giving me his attention. Yeah, Briella?

I heard you yelling. I don’t get it. Isn’t this a good thing? I motioned toward the reporters on the TV, my brows furrowed as the reporting went to a commercial break.

He sighed, an exasperated expression briefly flitting across his face. I’m not so sure. ‘Cancer’ is a term for a multitude of related diseases. I mean, how can they prevent all types of it in one single dose? Especially when they’re still not even sure what causes cancer to begin with! I just think they’re rushing this. They need to do more research. What are the side effects? They knew the whole world would jump on this. It’s a money-maker for the pharmaceutical companies! They can’t possibly know how this vaccine will affect everyone yet, he ranted, visibly upset. The worry lines that ran across his forehead deepened.

He noticed my stricken face and he paused, letting his shoulders sag and his expression soften considerably. I’m sure it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, honey. It isn’t something you need to be concerned with.

This was typical of my father. Since my mother passed, he’d had the reoccurring dilemma of wanting to be completely truthful with me, but also wanting to protect my childhood innocence.

They probably won’t start giving it to people right away anyway, he added but the lines on his forehead reappeared even though he tried to hide his concern.

But even I knew that was a lie. And sure enough, within the coming weeks, the vaccine was readily available and accessible at most physicians’ offices worldwide.

I was eleven years old when C-Vac was announced. I was twelve when I got the vaccination. Everything was great—better than great actually. People were more carefree, not worried that every little thing could cause cancer. No more watching loved ones suffer. No more chemotherapy treatments. No more grief, at least not at the hands of cancer. We had eight years of cancer-free living. It’s easy to forget in the span of eight years. For most of the world, cancer simply became a thing of the past. For eight years, C-Vac was considered an absolute miracle, the cure so many had prayed for. We had eight years full of peaceful bliss. Eight years before everything went to hell.

The first sign that things were taking a turn for the worse came from a 52-year-old man in China. Although he had gotten C-Vac when it first came out, he started to develop what doctors thought was a tumor. They had him undergo various tests and finally determined that he did not, in fact, have cancer. The tumor was benign. However, he died before ever being released from the hospital. People were in an uproar. They thought the doctors had lied and were hiding the fact that cancer had, indeed, resurfaced. There were conspiracy theories and blogs dedicated to uncovering the so-called truth, a truth none of us were prepared for. As it turned out, the doctors were hiding something, but it wasn’t cancer.

They were hiding the fact that they, themselves, killed that man—something that wouldn’t be told to the general public until months later. Evidently, the man became unhinged. First he was sick, then he was confused, then violent. The once sick and frail man somehow gained superhuman strength, according to everyone there who came into contact with him. It took a whole team of hospital staff to fight him off. In the midst of the struggle, one of the doctors had accidently snapped his neck in self-defense. By the time the next case surfaced, they found out that the accident was actually a blessing. They had no idea at the time how dangerous the man was.

The next case was a 31-year-old woman from the UK. She never noticed a tumor, but she did become sick. Then, just like with the other case, she became confused, violent, strong… But it didn’t stop there. It was as if something overtook her mind. She attacked her own daughter, who happened to be in the hospital room with her. Attacking someone you love is odd enough, but it was the way in which she attacked her that was the strangest part of it all. She focused in on a cut on her teenaged daughter’s arm and with not only superhuman strength, but also an unnatural speed, she ripped it open with her teeth. And she drank her blood. The doctors tried to restrain her, but the more she drank, the stronger she became. She drank until there was nothing left to drink, draining her own child dry. The doctors and nurses panicked. There’s a point where human nature outweighs professionalism. The hospital was a chaotic mess. No one knows where that woman went, but more cases like her surfaced. One after another, reports broke that people all over the world began getting sick. And in the exact same process, they eventually turned into what one could only assume are modern-day vampires.

At nineteen years old, that’s the world I now live in. A world full of vampires, or C-Vamps as we call them. A world in which I could easily turn into one myself at any time. Because just like the rest of them, I, too, got the C-Vac. My dad never got vaccinated, but I did. He was against me getting it, of course. He was skeptical about the vaccine from the very beginning. But the U.S. government made it a requirement for students to get the C-Vac in order to enter into the next grade level in any public school. Cancer isn’t catching, but just like wearing a seatbelt, the government can mandate anything they want as long as they convince people that it’s for their own good. My dad may be a doctor, but he’s also a single parent. Seven years of private school wasn’t an option, not even with his income.

With the next school year looming, I had no choice but to get the injection. I was nervous but the thought of never developing cancer was exciting. After losing my mother to the terrible disease I was eager to be free from the worry of one day developing it myself and possibly succumbing to it as she had. Little did I know when I got that shot, the thing promised to prevent that from happening, in turn could be the one thing to someday kill me or those I love.

With all of the C-Vamps around, you’d think we’d be living in a post-apocalyptic world. But surprisingly, the world functions just fine. Life goes on. Television shows still broadcast, although they’re limited now, not nearly the selection we had before C-Vamps took over a good portion of the population. Flights are still available, although security has heightened immeasurably and there’re two air marshals on every flight, watching and waiting for someone to turn. The world still functions, but it’s widely different. There are billboards and posters all over the whole world in various languages. They all read exactly the same:

"BEWARE OF C-VAMPS!

Warning signs of a C-Vamp include, but are not limited to: Shortness of breath, feverish, pale, sweaty, frail, confusion, disorientation, hostility, unnatural strength, bloodlust.

It is the law to report any & all suspected cases to the Centers for Disease Control’s hotline for C-Vamp cases: 1-888-778-8267.

Avoid suspected cases at all costs. Do NOT engage in confrontation.

However, if you are unable to avoid a C-Vamp, do not hesitate to defend yourself by any/all measures possible."

Yes, you read that last part right. The government is giving people permission to murder other people. I say people, but I guess they’re really not people anymore. Still, it’s hard to remember that when a C-Vamp takes on the face of someone you used to know, someone you used to love.

My best friend turned a few months back. We were at the mall when it happened. We were walking along, going from one store to another, trying to find cute summer outfits, as the weather was turning warmer. We were laughing and gossiping. We knew what had started happening in the world, but in that moment we were carefree teenage girls. We hadn’t seen the direct aftermath of the vaccine yet. We’d heard about it, sure. We’d have had to be living under a rock to not notice the world changing around us. There were already signs up in the mall, but we passed them without giving them much thought. We’d seen them before. Still, we had yet to experience the consequences of the C-Vac on any kind of personal level. Although it was constantly thrust in our faces, it still seemed so far away, not something that could ever happen to us. Nonetheless, it was a rare break, not thinking of the vaccine and everything it brought about. Maybe I was naïve, thinking I could forget about it for a while. But I did forget. For a brief moment in time, it was just me and my best friend shopping. A normal Sunday afternoon. And then she started feeling ill.

I need to sit down, she told me, hoarsely. Her familiar warm smile from merely seconds ago had vanished completely, replaced with a grimace.

Rachel? Are you all right? I could see the sweat starting to gather on her forehead. I thought she had food poisoning at first. We had ate at the Chinese restaurant in the food court earlier. She had the buffet. Maybe the food had been out too long.

She attempted to give me a smile, but it was so weak I almost missed it. Yeah. I just need a bench. Her words were breathy and I was afraid she was about to pass out. She was growing paler as the seconds ticked by.

We sat down for a moment and I could hear her trying to catch her breath. Her chest shuddered as she took a deep breath, and then another.

Should I call your mom? I was already digging through my purse thinking I may call my dad and ask him what he thought was wrong with her. I had my suspicions but chose to ignore the signs I suppose. I wanted to believe she was coming down with a bug.

No. Just… Where are we? She moved her head frantically, her dark hair swaying with the movement as she searched for something to pinpoint her whereabouts, clearly disoriented.

That’s when I knew. But still, I didn’t do anything. I should have sprung into action, but Rachel was my best friend. I couldn’t think straight. I wanted to help her, but wasn’t sure what I should do. I knew I was supposed to report her, but how could I? This was Rachel. The girl I had sleepovers with. The girl I could trust with anything. The one friend who I could talk to about my mom when I was afraid of forgetting her completely, because I was so young when she passed away. The girl I giggled to about boys and clothes and everything and nothing. My best friend.

We’re at the mall, Rach. Remember? I prompted, hoping I was wrong about what was happening to her. The warning signs posted all around were a serious reminder though.

Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I remember. Is it hot in here? I don’t really feel good, Bree. She fanned her hand across her face as though it would stop her from sweating profusely. I needed to act fast.

I know. Let’s see if we can get you out of here, I ordered more than I suggested.

I pulled her up off the bench, putting her arm around my shoulder to help support her standing. We started walking, but then suddenly, she pushed me down. She pushed me so hard, I fell back onto the bench. By then, people were looking.

I don’t need your help! she shouted, her eyebrows drawn in with anger. She was almost villainous, far removed from my sweet friend.

Shhh. Rachel, calm down. It’s all right. Please, be quiet, I begged her, as I looked around us, hoping no one would notice. I didn’t have a plan, but I knew that I wanted to try to get Rachel out of public. I’ll figure out a way to help her afterward. I could see a man reaching for something and I only hoped it was his phone and not a gun.

She shouted louder. No! Where are we? She still looked angry, but now she also looked scared. There was a vulnerability in her expression that demanded that I help her.

And I was determined to… until I saw something change in her eyes. They were no longer glossy, blue, and pleading. Instead, they stormed over, darkening with anger. And because I was too busy looking at her damn crazy eyes, I didn’t notice her lunge at me.

It happened in a blur. I was noticing something dark swirl in her eyes and then suddenly she was on top of me, trying to get her mouth close enough to bite my flesh. She was determined to have my blood. I was stunned but then I flinched and braced myself for it. I didn’t even try to fight her off. I just accepted that she was going to bite me and that she’d end up drinking my blood until I died. I squeezed my eyes closed tightly. Her teeth should have been making a gash in my neck. But I didn’t feel anything. I waited a few seconds before I opened my eyes slowly, but she wasn’t there. So I opened them wider and looked around to see what had happened. I stood quickly.

Some guy, around our age, must have tackled her to the ground. I saw him on top of her, pinning her to the ground with his body and then before anything else could register, I saw him snap her neck. I gasped loudly. If I had kept my eyes shut for one moment longer, I wouldn’t have had to witness that. Why did I open my eyes? I stood there in shock for a moment. Then I screamed.

She was dead. Gone. Never to be my confident again.

Shhh. It’s all right. You’re all right. You’re safe now.

I looked up at the guy who had killed my best friend. I stopped screaming, but I didn’t respond to him. I was still processing what had just happened. I was still stunned. I knew I was acting like an idiot, just standing there motionless, but it was all I could manage to do. I couldn’t find my voice to say anything. I couldn’t believe what had transpired within minutes. I had watched the news and heard the reports but seeing it and experiencing someone turn with your own eyes is something I could have never been prepared for.

Are you okay? the guy asked cautiously. I think he was scared I might scream again.

I blinked, forcing myself to take my eyes from my dead friend and concentrate on what this guy was saying to me. What? It was the only