“Sir, I have someone from the vaccine research group in Jeddah.”
“Patch them through,” Abdulrahman said at once. Fahad sipped on his coffee, sitting at the edge of the table. Listening.
A clicking sound was followed by, “Hello, sir. It’s Doctor Nura from the Medicine and Infectious Disease department.”
“Proceed.” He impatiently tapped the table.
“Our worse fear has come true. The virus might be airborne. On the other hand, we have confirmed that the virus can and is being transmitted not only through humans.”
Fahad looked at Abdulrahman and placed his mug on the table.
The door swung open, a man in a military uniform stepped in, saluting Abdulrahman. “Sir, there’s something you need to see.” His firm voice shot through the room.
“Can this wait?” Abdulrahman asked.
“Sir, it is urgent.”
“Doctor Nura, I have something that needs my attention. I will have to call you back.” He ended the call and addressed the uniform. “What is it?”
The man faced the monitor on the wall. The screen turned on, projecting another location in a facility in Dammam, Eastern Province. Rows of no less than fifty people in different military uniforms each had two monitors stacked on one another in front of them, with large coffee pots, and plastic wrappers left from food; they had been there for a long time. A large screen was displayed in front of them in the center. All the screens were broadcasting the same video. The live broadcast cut to a man in a navy uniform.
“Good afternoon, sir.” He saluted Abdulrahman and jumped right in, an urgency in his tone. “You have to see this.”
The screen split into two. One with the naval officer’s worried expression, and the other showed a black background with uneven lines that moved.
“What are we looking at?” Abdulrahman asked, unable to read the lines and shapes that appeared.
“One of our ships detected an unknown movement, so we mapped out the bottom of the ocean. There is something down there and whatever it is”—the naval officer swallowed hard—“sir, it’s moving.”
“A submarine?” Abdulrahman asked.
“Negative.”
“Since when?”
“It just showed up on our radar.”
“That did not answer my question.”
“We are not sure.” The naval officer stalled, staring at the camera lens. “The settings are on infrared, detecting anything with heat. We switched to a sonar scan as part of the extra measures and this showed up.”
“They are active on the ocean floor,” Fahad said.
“Yes. And whatever is down there, there are thousands of them.”
“That was our next plan,” Fahad said, “relying on natural barriers to keep this maintained.”
Abdulrahman kept quiet for a moment. The moment felt like a lifetime to Fahad and the other guy. He glanced at the black file sitting on his table. “Carry out phase Black Desert.”
Chapter 27
The world stopped spinning from where I sat. Everything went quiet. Sudden change was the worst change that could happen to anyone. All I heard was my heart rate slowing down. The pace matched how I perceived time. I sat there motionless in the middle of the blurry chaos. The air sucked out of my lungs, my limbs went soft and heavy. I was still. I squeezed my eyes shut. I opened my mouth to force air back in my lungs; breathing hurt. I licked my lower lip and tasted the bitter reality in my tears.
"Malak," I whispered, my hand on the door. Waiting, hoping. Noises grew louder behind me, voices talking, arguing. I drowned out the sounds, failing to understand the dialogue that was exchanged. I didn't recognize voices. A face appeared inches away from me. Rakan’s face. His lips moved but no meaning linked to his forgotten words.
"Sara! Sara!" His hands waved in front of me. "What happened?”
Background static intensified. Nothing but white noise. And me and him now. Malak gone.
"Sara," he repeated.
"Malak," I was able to say through dry lips, "she was… she's gone."
"She was bitten?" he asked.
Words protested; they did not leave my mouth. Nothing wanted to leave. I had already lost. I sat there staring at the door.
"Yes, she was bit," May’s voice penetrated the atmosphere. Malak was bitten. My sister was gone.
"When?" Rakan asked.
"What does it matter when?" Faisal said.
It’s all a bad dream. This is not happening. Malak is asleep.
"When was she bit?" Rakan asked with a firmer tone. His voice sounded closer to me. “Sara, please.”
"What?" I whispered. This was not real.
"How long has it been?" Rakan asked.
"I-I," I stuttered, trying to catch my breath. An hour? A day? A month? "A minute maybe," I said finally.
Rakan got up and gave way to some distance between himself and the door. I removed my hand from the door. He ran toward it, slamming into it with the side of his right arm and leg. The wooden door flung open from the first attempt.
"What are you doing?" Faisal screamed and darted toward him. He tried to stop Rakan by holding his arm. Rakan turned around and grabbed Faisal by his uniform, lifting him with one fist like he was lifting a pillow, his expression showing no force in lifting. He swung his arm and sent Faisal flying across the porch, hitting the solid ground.
"Sorry," Rakan said.
Faisal lay flat on the ground, confusion and worry on his face. I turned my attention to Rakan.
"What are you doing?" I said. I can’t see Malak dead, I can’t. "She was bitten by a zombie."
He didn’t reply. He walked past me. I looked across from me; May and Deema took a few steps closer but kept a safe space in between. Rakan walked into the house to Malak, who was lying on the floor a few steps away from the door. He placed two fingers under her ear, checking her vital signs.
"She's still alive," Rakan said and gently held her hand. He pulled it closer to his mouth. He threw a look my way, and his eyes transitioned from a deep gray to a metallic chrome. He revealed his immaculate, ivory teeth that were dangerously sharp. His teeth seemed to glow in the dark. He softly pulled her wrist closer to his mouth, and gently swung his head back then sank his razor teeth in her skin, biting her wrist.
"Rakan!" I screamed, charging in.
"Stay back," he commanded calmly. "Wait.” He rested her hand next to her on the floor and looked at her. He did not blink, not once.
"Rakan," I said, taking a step closer to them. "What—" I stopped mid-sentence when I saw Malak's hand twitch. "She's gonna turn," I whispered, horrified at the idea of seeing her like that.
"Stay back," Rakan said.
Malak moved her hand, then slowly opened her eyes. I took a step toward her, drawn to her, but a hand grabbed my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder. Deema.
"Wait," Deema said to me.
"Sara," I heard Malak and lost control of my actions. I jerked my shoulder loose from Deema’s grip and watched my legs march closer to her. I kneeled on the floor next to Rakan and looked at her face.
"What happened?" Malak asked.
"I…" I leaned closer to her and held her hand, "you were bitten.”
Faisal walked in with his gun aimed at Malak and Rakan.
“She’s fine,” Rakan said. “She won’t turn.”
"I don't understand," Malak said.
"You’re okay, you’re okay." I sat next to her and wrapped my arms hard around her. Even if she turned, I wanted to turn with her this time. I loosened my grip and slowly let go. I turned around and looked at Rakan. "What did you do?"
"I don't know," he said. Is she really okay, I thought? “Faisal, put that gun away.”
“You're jeopardizing everything, Rakan,” Faisal said.
“She is alright,” Rakan said.
Deema and May got closer.
"She will turn," Faisal said.
I turned back to Malak and hugged her tight, taking in her scent then released her on
ce more. Deema sat in front of Malak and examined her body, eyes and tongue.
"She looks fine," Deema said and placed her palm on Malak’s forehead. “You're running up a fever. Other than that, how do you feel?"
"Dizzy. Like something heavy fell on my head," Malak explained.
"You’re okay," I said, not sure what to believe, "you’re really okay.”
May walked up toward us, leaned down and hugged Malak, not holding back her tears. “I thought we lost you.”
“Faisal. Gun down.” He stood.
"But how about if she turns?" Faisal asked.
"She won't," Rakan said.
"How are you so sure?" Faisal asked.
“Because I didn’t,” Rakan said.
“What?” I said.
Faisal lowered his gun.
"I was bitten a couple of weeks ago," Rakan said. He rolled up his sleeve, exposing his forearm, revealing a bite mark. The mark was clear as daylight, the bruises left were as dark as night. "A thing bit me. But then dropped to the floor right after he bit me. He never got up again. I thought I would turn into those things, so I locked myself in the house. But I didn't. I got a fever and that was it. Ever since, I’ve been feeling stronger and faster.”
That could explain his super nonhuman strengths.
"You didn't think to mention this before?" Faisal asked, tension around his eyes as he took a step forward.
"You were bitten too," I said softly.
"Are you a vampire?" May asked and shrugged when Malak and I both looked at her.
"Are you saying you’re immune to this?" Deema asked.
"I don't know. I’m telling you what happened." He crossed his eyebrows, creating furrows in the forehead. His chrome eyes flickered.
"Your eyes," I said. That's why they changed," I realized and turned around, regarding May. Her metallic amber eyes looked more intense. They both went through an eye color transformation after they were bitten.
"You injected her with some kind of…uh…vaccine, but how did you know the right dose, route or time?" Deema asked.
"I didn't know it would work," he said. His foggy gray eyes darkened as he turned, looking straight at me. "But I had to do something.”
I helped Malak to her feet, fighting the urge to run to Rakan and fall in his arms, telling him that I was forever indebted. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. It seemed highly inappropriate. I guess a lifetime of culture and tradition were imbedded in me whether I agreed with it or not. Even while living out a zombie apocalypse. Malak stood balanced, and I stepped away, walking up to him and stood lost for words.
"I will never be able to thank you enough.” Tears dropped from my eyes. I did not know what words to let out to show my graduate. He dipped his head then smiled ever so gently. His eyes lit light gray once more.
"May's eyes," Malak realized.
A mild explosion followed, then a harsh crackling erupted.
"What is that?" May asked.
Faisal rushed out of the house before any of us. Rakan and Deema ran after him.
"Is everyone here suicidal?" May asked.
I looked back at Malak and squeezed her hand tight. "Can you walk?" I asked.
"Yeah. Yeah…" she replied, squeezing back. "I feel fine, better than fine, I feel great.”
"’Kay," I said, flooded with relief. "Let’s go."
We walked out to the porch of the main entrance and found them standing still, staring, heads up. The house next door was covered by a veil of darkness. Thick gray smoke billowed into the skies, swallowing the view whole by an angry flame, building up the momentum to cause an explosion that would leave nothing but debris behind. Even though we stood at a safe distance, I took a step back.
"A fire," May said, coming up behind me.
"We can’t stay here," Rakan said.
“Where will we go?" I asked.
"There are camp bases scattered all around the country, safe zones, and the closest one to us now is the base in Dhahran." Faisal checked his watch.
"Why are we not there right now?" May asked.
"A plane crashed right in the middle of it. The sound attracted too many of those things," Rakan explained, disappointed. "It's overrun with the dead now.”
"The planes." I took a deep breath. "It was all over the news. Where's the next closest base?"
"Sara," Rakan said, "we don't know if they are still operating. They are only letting a certain number of people into these bases."
"Do you mean they’re turning people away?" Malak asked.
"They only have a limited supply of food, not to mention space." Rakan looked at Malak, "They don't have the manpower or the weapons to take everyone in.”
"What?" Malak asked. "Where’s the army, the air force, the national guard? They can’t just leave us like this.”
"I served in the Land Forces, and we were torn apart in less than twenty-four hours. I can't imagine what a few more days and a lot more of them would do to us," Faisal said. "We have one of the highest military expenditures in the world, but an attack like this not only took us by surprise, but it struck us from the inside.”
May sighed and threw up both her hands, covering her face.
"Explain to me please what is going on?" Malak asked Faisal. "You need to tell us everything you know.”
"At first, it was nothing that anyone could recognize as a national threat.” Faisal swallowed hard. “Police discovered bodies. They were mutilated, parts of them missing, and the parts that remained were chewed badly. In the beginning, they assumed they were animal attacks, but later it was confirmed those bites they suffered were human bites. More and more bodies were found. It started in remote, deserted places, but then the attacks got closer to the cities.”
“We got a lot of those animal bite cases,” Deema said. “Why didn’t anyone warn us?”
"No one connected the dots till it was too late,” Faisal said.
“We heard rumors that there were mystery deaths in hospitals all over the country,” Deema said.
“It started here in the Eastern Province and spread out at an alarming rate all across the nation," Faisal said.
“Oh my God,” May said as she paced back and forth, giving me a headache.
“Are you alright?” Rakan asked May while he squinted his eyes, studying her movements.
“No,” she muttered, “of course not. There are people biting people. There is nowhere to go.”
“So you knew?” I asked Faisal.
“The police were taking care of it, but they realized that something was horribly wrong. They handed the strange cases over to us," Faisal said.
"And?" Malak said impatiently.
"We sent out over three full crews and completely lost touch with them. Before I knew it, the whole Saudi military was called in. The air force, navy, air defense, the national guard, and paramilitary forces, all personnel, soldiers and tribal levies were called in for active duty. Even the Mukhabarat, the military intelligence service, were pulled in. It was a full-scale attack, and we were hitting it with everything we had, but then silence.”
The house next door glowed in a florescent orange border. The sound of crackling and popping grew louder, angrier. It sent a rush through my spine, and I suddenly felt cold.
"I was sent on a mission to control riots between tribes, that was all that was said to me by my superiors. Upon arrival to the set location, it became clear that we were sent to our deaths.” Faisal dropped his gaze. “I managed to get out of there soon after the outbreak was officially announced.”
“So, this is happening all over the country?” I asked.
“Makkah and AL-Medina are fenced off. Both under full quarantine. No one goes out, no one gets in," Faisal said. "The rest of the cities are falling as we speak.”
"That leaves us with what now? What are our options? I asked.
"Jubail city," Rakan said. “It's an hour drive.”
Jubail was an industrial city sixty kilometers away from our current location.
"We should check the radio," Malak said. “There might be some updates.”
"Do you think the safe zone is still there?" May asked.
"Nothing is guaranteed," Rakan said. "We have to try and get somewhere safe. This place is no longer safe.”
"We can't be on the road empty-handed. We need weapons," Faisal said.
"Rayan," Rakan said.
"Rayan." Faisal nodded.
“Rayan?” Malak asked.
Zombies In Saudi Arabia Page 20