by Max Lockwood
“Fine,” Bethany said, turning on her heel. “I think they’re upstairs.”
Elaina gave her a small smile before turning toward the stairwell and taking off down the corridor. Bethany reluctantly jogged behind her, keeping a close eye on the other rooms, just in case.
Bethany nearly ran into Elaina for the second time that night as she was watching their backs. Elaina had suddenly stopped short of the staircase.
“What?” Bethany asked.
“Do you see what I’m seeing?” Elaina asked, pointing toward the front door.
Bethany froze. Outside, she could see a man staring back at her through the window with sunken eyes. In fact, his entire face looked like a skull with a thin layer of skin stretched over it. His eyes glowed white and his skin was covered in sores.
Bethany mentally slapped her palm to her face for not getting out sooner. Although, depending on the number of Infected and their location outside the school, she might not have fared any better alone.
“Let’s quietly go upstairs and search for the others,” Elaina breathed. “They’re in the dormant state right now. If we’re quiet enough, they might not act. It’s fairly dark in here, so I don’t know if they can see us.”
Elaina took a couple of steps before tripping over the severed arm of a soldier. She fell to the floor with a crash, waking the Infected up immediately.
Elaina and Bethany leapt up the stairs, skipping two at a time. The mob of Infected pushed against the glass of the front door with such force that it shattered. The Infected climbed over the broken glass, unperturbed by the sharp shards piercing their disintegrating skin, and followed the girls.
“Alec,” Elaina cried softly as she ran down the hall. “Where are you?”
She felt completely hopeless. After talking to Dr. Martinez, Elaina realized that though they were violently captured, the organization that was holding them prisoner didn’t mean them any harm. In fact, Elaina believed that they were one of the rare organizations that was actually capable of making a difference in the midst of the epidemic. If the Infected would have ambushed while the soldiers were still alive, then they would have been protected and they could return to their normal lives once testing was complete.
Now, with no protection, a crazy woman on the loose, and a whole mess of infected people on their tail, the odds were not in their favor. For a second, she thought about giving up and letting the Infected take her when she heard Alec’s voice at the end of the hall.
Chapter Twenty-One
Upon closer inspection, Alec was not in good shape. He had been sedated so heavily during his procedure to remove the bullet that he was having trouble making his limbs work the way he wanted them to. He tried to stand, but his knees buckled, nearly sending him to the floor. Luckily, Melissa was there to sit him back down on the bed.
“Are you in any pain?” she asked him, looking at his heavily bandaged shoulder.
“Not really,” he mumbled. “I can’t really feel my arm. I was injected with something before the bullet was cut out of me.”
“That’s good,” Melissa said, remembering the agonizing pain of her own shoulder wound. The drugs she was given to ease the pain made her feel sick but didn’t completely remove the pain.
“I don’t know if it is,” Alec said worriedly. “I don’t have enough sensation to use my arm. I’m afraid I’m worthless if we have to escape.”
Melissa looked at Samantha. “I don’t think that will be an issue now. I don’t think there’s anyone left to fight, thanks to her.”
“Oh,” Alec said, struggling to put a sock back on with one hand. “I don’t know about the others here, but the doctor was a decent guy. He was an army medic who was displaced once the epidemic began. He was brought here to take care of the soldiers who occasionally got injured while carrying out their tasks. I never heard what their tasks entailed, though. Apparently, there were other scientists working on this floor. I wonder if they got out okay.”
Melissa looked down as she helped Alec put on his socks and shoes. She hoped he wouldn’t be too shocked by what he saw once they left the school.
“Be prepared for some really bad stuff,” she said, pulling his good arm through his jacket. “It’s gruesome out there.”
Samantha giggled to herself. Melissa shot her a disgusted look.
“There’s something seriously wrong with her,” Alec noted. “I wonder if there’s some sort of medication she should be on.”
“Nah, she’s not sick,” Bobby Dean said. “She’s an asshole of the highest variety. Some people are born bad and some learn to be bad. I think she’s a combination of both. Don’t make excuses for her. She knows exactly what she did.”
“I don’t know,” Melissa said as she propped Alec back on his feet. “Just look at her. If she went to trial, I’m sure a jury would find her insane.”
Samantha smirked at this statement.
“Only because the average person can’t understand this level of evil. No one wants to believe that there are people capable of doing such a thing. The Infected—those guys have an excuse. This one doesn’t.”
Melissa supported Alec as he took a few practice steps around the room to warm up his legs. He moved slowly at first but was eventually able to walk with a little help. After a few laps, he collapsed back on the bed, exhausted.
“I think I’m ready to go,” he said, looking toward Bobby Dean and Melissa.
“Give it a minute,” Melissa said, handing him a bottle of water. “I don’t want to take you out of here if you’re not ready.”
“Okay,” Alec said reluctantly. “I’m really glad you guys are okay. I was pretty worried.”
“Me too,” Melissa said.
“Isn’t this sweet?” Samantha interrupted. “You’re all one big, happy family. It’s going to be so sad for you when it ends.”
“Shut up,” Bobby Dean growled.
“This one is a little rough around the edges, isn’t he?” Samantha laughed, looking at Bobby Dean. “I bet you’re a lot of fun. I’d like to cut you open to see how you work.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Alec said. “She’s obviously trying to get a rise out of you.”
“You’re no fun,” she mock-pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. “I should have silenced you when I had the chance. You know, what I do is much more humane than what the others do. Would you rather have it end in an instant or have to suffer as you’re clawed and bitten to death? Even worse, would you rather have your brain instantly severed from your spinal cord or slowly lose your mind before becoming a monster yourself? I think the choice is easy.”
The others turned so they wouldn’t have to face her. No one wanted her to have the satisfaction of a listening audience. Nevertheless, she continued.
“It’s going to happen someday. You might survive this one, but tomorrow, they’ll come for you. You’ll get a little nibble and the next thing you know, you’ll start to feel funny. You won’t remember who you are or why you’re so angry all the time. You’ll lean over to give your beloved a little peck on the cheek. You’ll pull back and wonder why you have a chunk of their flesh in your mouth. By that time, it won’t matter. You’ve lost your mind and eaten your friends. Sad, isn’t it? Is that what you want for your future?”
“We’ve made it this far, haven’t we?” Bobby Dean scoffed. “We’re in a better spot than you are right now.”
“Yes, but that will change,” she said seriously. “I’m immune to the virus. I can’t get sick.”
“Bullshit,” Bobby Dean said. “You’re just using that as an excuse to get away with murder.”
“I am one of the most evolved in our species. My body is impenetrable and cannot be tainted. When others fall, I will rise. It is my duty to quickly remove the weak so the strong can thrive. I’m simply pulling the weeds so the flowers can grow. It’s not hard to understand, yet no one seems to understand my mission.”
“Because you’re crazy,” Bobby Dean answered.
“
Is it crazy to want to rise from the ashes, stronger and better than ever? Is it crazy to end the suffering of the inferior? You are all so weak, so feeble-minded. You can’t see what’s in front of your own face. You are fools and will die as such. If you had any foresight into how horrible your deaths will feel, then you would untie me and let me execute you.”
“I understand why everyone is looking for her,” Melissa said to the two men. “I’d want to go out of my way to shut her up, too.”
“You think you know so much about the new world,” Samantha continued. “I’ve seen intelligent people run terrible experiments on others. I’ve witnessed the bloodshed of innocent people. It’s ghastly.”
“It’s your own doing,” Bobby Dean yelled. “You’ve been killing innocent people.”
Samantha laughed. “You people are not innocent. By trying to live, you’re actively making the virus harder to stop. Eventually, you’ll get sick and then you’ll spread the sickness around. It would be more productive for you to lie down and cease to exist. I think it’s hilarious how righteous you think you are. You’ve killed, too. You killed soldiers and leaders. You’ve killed parents and children. You’ve killed old men and little girls.”
“Right,” Alec said, clenching his teeth. “I think I’m ready to go.”
He braced himself against the bed railings and pulled himself to his feet. If he didn’t leave, he would start playing Samantha’s game. He didn’t want to give her any satisfaction of knowing that she was grating away at his nerves.
“Are you sure?” Melissa asked, a look of concern on her face.
“I’m fine,” he said, showing her a forced smile to prove his point. “I’d feel a lot better if I knew where Elaina was.”
“At the very least,” Samantha yelled. “Protect the special ones. Lay down your life for the betterment of our world.”
Bobby Dean took off his shoe and pulled off a sock. As he wadded it in preparation to shove in Samantha’s mouth, they heard a crash coming from the first floor.
Samantha started giggling maniacally. “The time has come sooner than we thought! Oh, I’m so glad I’ll be able to watch. Untie my arms and I’ll help you defeat them.”
“Shut up,” the other three yelled in unison. Footsteps rang out down the hall. Melissa froze. She assumed that everyone was already dead. She could hear a woman’s voice but couldn’t make out what it was saying.
“Elaina?” Alec called. “Is that you?”
He walked toward the door, peeking his head around the corner. He saw two figures running toward him. His heart leapt when he realized that the girls had survived. He opened his arms for Elaina to run into, but she dodged him and slammed the door behind them all.
“More friends!” Samantha said gleefully.
“Get her out of here,” Bethany ordered. “The Infected are coming.”
“Let me play,” she offered.
Bobby Dean opened the cupboard under the sink. After sizing her up, he picked up the restrained woman and shoved her in the space, then shut the doors behind her. He could still hear her muffled shrieking but it was easier to ignore if he couldn’t see her.
“Lainey, what’s going on?” Alec asked, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I was so worried.”
“I was too,” she said. “I still am,” she corrected. “What do we have for weapons?”
They all looked at each other, hoping someone would have the firepower they needed.
“There are a few scalpels on the supply tray,” Alec offered. Bobby Dean scooped them up as if they were darts.
“We have this thing,” Melissa said, wielding the blood-soaked machete.
“That’s it?” Bethany scoffed.
“Maybe you can find a gun on a soldier,” Melissa suggested.
“No time,” Elaina replied. “They’re coming for us.”
“What if we’re really quiet?” Alec asked. “Maybe they won’t find us. They might go into dormant mode.”
Bodies began to run into the closed door. It shuddered with every blow, the lock threatening to break under the force of the Infected.
The five closed their mouths in hopes that they could send the Infected into dormancy. It seemed to be working. Bethany slumped down on the floor, completely beside herself but relieved that the thumping had stopped.
Then, Samantha let out a high-pitched shriek, so ear-piercing that anyone within the school could hear. The pounding against the door started again, sending splinters flying.
Finally, the lock broke open and Infected poured into the room in droves. Alec pushed over the hospital bed and slid it toward the doorway. This tripped up several Infected before they discovered that they could climb over the hurdle.
Melissa swung the machete, hardly breaking skin as she nervously struck the intruders. Bethany wrenched the weapon away from her and took over and cleanly severed the throats of three individuals making their way toward Elaina. She was shocked at how naturally the motion came as Infected crumpled to the floor.
Elaina dislodged a metal bar from the hospital bed and started swinging it at the heads of the Infected. She contacted a few skulls, producing horrific cracks as their heads broke open. They were slowly thinning the herd, but more seemed to appear from around the corner with every kill.
Bobby Dean grinned as he threw his handful of scalpels, one by one. With great accuracy, he pierced an Infected’s eye, leading the way for Elaina to finish him off with her weapon. Silver blades whizzed through the air, sticking into disintegrating skin much like the steak knives stuck to the barn door. With each hit on his targets, he let out a whoop of joy. His practice had paid off.
But when he was left without a weapon, he scrambled to the back counter to find something useful. He grabbed a couple of metal bedpans and made his way back to the front lines, bashing the skulls of anyone who came within a foot of his friends.
As he lunged forward, Bobby Dean lost his balance, allowing himself to be grabbed by one of the Infected. He screamed as he was pulled beyond the barrier. Spotting this, Melissa jumped over bodies and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him back to safety. They collapsed in a heap at the back of the room.
“Thanks, babe,” he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder and a toothy grin before going back into the melee.
The five continued to fight, exhausting all of the resources they had. At one point, Elaina began to fill syringes with sedatives, delivering potent doses to any body she could reach. This seemed to slow the Infected down to the point where they were easier to kill. Bethany continued to swing the machete, channeling Samantha’s killing prowess as she worked through the crowd.
Eventually, the last staggering bodies were obliterated, allowing the survivors to finally rest. Still on edge, Bethany leaned against the doorway, ready to blast through any latecomers.
Elaina found her way to Alec’s arms as he sat on the edge of the toppled bed. He held onto her, relieved that they were both still intact.
Bobby Dean squatted on the floor next to Melissa. As they panted from exhaustion, they exchanged smiles and put their disagreement behind them. He kissed her on the cheek and she rested her head on his shoulder.
Samantha mumbled to herself from inside the cupboard, but the others were having such an adrenaline rush that they didn’t mind. Her nonsensical words were just part of the noise.
Alec grabbed a jug of distilled water and found several paper cups in a cupboard. He distributed the drinks, as if he were pouring a bottle of celebratory champagne. Even Bethany sat down for a minute and rested, though she continued to look on edge.
Bobby Dean was making a crude joke about wanting to feed Samantha to the Infected when he looked down at his arm. Underneath a torn sleeve, bite marks were visible. The wound was bleeding slightly and already showing signs of contamination.
“What’s up?” Melissa asked as he stopped talking mid-sentence.
He wordlessly looked back down at his arm, the smile falling off his face.
�
�I–I must have been bitten when they tried to drag me away,” he said softly. “I guess I didn’t notice it at the time—there was so much going on.”
The others looked at him in complete horror. Melissa felt the room spinning around her as she tried to make sense of his words. He was being clear, but the message didn’t stick in Melissa’s brain. It couldn’t be possible. He couldn’t have been infected.
“Oh, no,” a childish voice said from inside the cupboard. “Did someone get a nasty nibble?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Melissa’s brother fell ill, she dutifully watched over him, making him as comfortable as possible. His symptoms progressed quickly. One afternoon after coming home from the library, she found him lying facedown in a puddle of his own vomit. She helped him to the bath, washed his sheets, and tucked him back into bed with everything he could possibly need.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said, embarrassed that his sister had to wash him off in the tub.
“I do,” she said through a surgical mask, holding a washcloth in a gloved hand. “I’ll always be with you.”
“Until the end?” he said dryly. “I’d rather you go. It’s not worth it for you to get sick, too.”
After tucking him under the clean sheets, he repeated the same sentiment.
“It’s not worth it, believe me. I’ve heard about what happens to people with this disease. I think I’ve come to terms with it.”
“How?” she asked, trying not to cry. To show weakness in front of her brother would be mortifying.
“It’s inevitable. Don’t be stupid. Do you know where Mom keeps Grandpa’s old gun?”
Melissa nodded.