The Serum

T H I R T Y.

"Lizzy, right?" I start slightly before turning to see the young doctor-Sierra, I think- smiling at me. It doesn't reach her eyes however. She's probably still reeling from Molly's sudden death.

"Yeah," I say cautiously. "That's me." 

"I wanted to ask you more about what you said about the serum. Did Bill really say that it was to reverse the transformation?"

"He did, but-wait, how do you know Bill?" From what I recall, I hadn't mentioned his name. Sierra laughs softly at my expression. 

"He's my grandfather." 

"Oh," I say, at loss for a better response. "You must miss him."

She gets a faraway look in her eyes, but it clears when she looks at me again.

"He's doing a good thing. Anyway, I would love to test the serum on Creepers if I could. It would save many lives." 

"It's nice to talk to someone who actually believes me." 

"Yes, well, my grandfather had dreams about reversing the mutation for years, so I'm not surprised he managed it. I'd like to run some evaluations, if that's all right with you." 

My anger and sadness lessens slightly and I give her a genuine smile. 

"It's more than alright." I say, shaking her hand. "It's wonderful."

I know it's silly to hope for something so based on ifs now but I still do. And as the days pass, I realize that the hope never really left.