by Jessica Ward
The Professor then went on to try to understand Undead Pete’s behaviour when he was seen cowering in the corner, as if suffering from some sort of inner turmoil. Given what the Professor had learnt so far from the infected, his mindset changed, he refused to rule anything out.
We don’t know the exact reasons as to why Undead Pete behaved the way he did, but the Professor has a theory that the Virus had in his case, unlocked emotions such as fear, guilt and grief. The Professor went as far to say he could have even remembered something in life, and maybe he had a rare spark of humanity, which not all infected beings had access to.
He carried on explaining the sounds which came from the infected. He had no doubt in his mind that it was their way of communicating. As to what they were saying to each other remains a mystery however he does believe their intelligence was starting to compare to that of an animal with a far greater intelligence than the Hyenas he had first described. He described these new characteristics as similar to that of a Dolphin or Orca Whale, the way they were able to work as a team.
They used their resources and started to show signs of ambush, waiting for the most opportune moment to seek out their prey.
In terms of the recent advancements, the Professor was at a loss. We hadn’t been close enough to the infected to study their new physical attributes. In terms of the new fungus sprouting out from the faces, neck and chest, we were none the wiser. It was yet another mystery the undead presented us with.
I sat back as I took this new information in. For once, the Professor left me speechless.
“Does that answer your question?” The Professor asked.
I simply nodded back. I understood everything the Professor had presented me with, it left me with the feeling of dread. If one thing was for sure, the infected were advancing at an incredibly fast rate. What worried me was that soon, they could possess a greater intelligence than us. For our own survival we needed to be one step ahead of the game.
“I’ll take over now.” Ryan interrupted. “You guys get some rest" he finished.
I looked around me. The whole attic was quiet. I hadn’t even noticed that the TV had been switched off, along with the majority of the lights.
I looked back to the screens. I was so caught up in the Professors explanation I hadn’t once looked at them.
Everything seemed peaceful down below. The dead bodies laid dormant, already picked clean of the remaining flesh.
I got up as I left the console and made room for Ryan. I headed back to the living room where Jared and Sarah were once again, fast asleep.
I entered into the room where Duckface lay fast asleep. Leon, Andy and George shared the room. I cracked a smile as I saw Leon sleeping with one of the blades tucked firmly under his pillow. He was preparing for Duckface to turn. I didn’t blame him, I would have done the exact same thing.
I walked into the second bedroom where Lacey, Paul and Nick were sat up waiting for me. Lacey and Paul shared one bed as Nick and I shared the other in the far corner of the room.
“Are you ok?” Nick asked as I climbed into bed.
“Yeah I’m fine. Hey, the infected seem to be leaving.” I added.
“Good, means we can get out of here soon.” Lacey whispered.
We carried on talking for a little while longer before we all eventually drifted off to sleep.
For the first time in god knows how long, I started to dream.
It wasn't a personal dream, none of my family or friends were there, the world was back to normal, it was as if the outbreak never happened. Everyone I came across, I had never seen before in my life. It was about a man. He had a wife and a daughter. He was possessed by a demon of some sort. Half the time he was his normal self, but it was a little bit like the Hulk, he could feel himself changing.
At one point a catholic priest was there, trying to perform an exorcism. Well, when the priest threw holy water on him, his skin sizzled. Blood poured out from his hands as he revealed gaping holes in the palm of his hands. What was weirder still, there was a trigger word. Only when a certain word was spoken would he change into this demon. The trigger word was Guitar. When the man became possessed, an old couple also changed. I have no idea who they were, they were just there. They also became possessed by other demons, but they seemed to work for the man. They tried to attack the priest, but when I (I have no idea who I was or what my role in all this was) placed a rosary bead necklace on their forehead, they also sizzled and burnt. That's how I was able to keep them at bay.
It then went on and I was in a different scene. I was trying to escape from the two demons, which were right behind me. I had trapped them at the other side of a door, but they pushed their faces through the wood, as if the door was made of fabric. Suddenly I was outside; I had to cross a wooden bridge to get back to the man, who was his normal self again. Just as I was crossing the bridge, where water flowed underneath, a great white shark swam beneath me and pulled his head out the water trying to eat me.
It was then I woke up. My whole body was in sweats. I hadn’t had a nightmare in years, this one really shook me up. What was stranger still,is I felt the urge to check my hands, as they were tingling in the same place the holes in the man’s palms were.
I looked around the room, trying to get my bearings. It took me a few minutes to realise where I was. Nick, Paul and Lacey had already got up; they were nowhere to be seen. How I had slept so heavily I had no idea. I was usually a fairly light sleeper, well I was lately.
I got up and followed the voices. Duckface was still sound asleep. She looked pretty restless; she was tossing and turning as she struggled to find comfort. Her leg had ballooned up; it looked pretty painful. Her face was still fairly pale, well paler than usual. I thought the Professor may have been right, maybe she had some sort of bacterial infection. I left her to it and carried on into the living room.
Jared and Sarah had resorted to the morning cartoons I remembered fondly as a child. The Scooby Doo theme tune played throughout the attic as I noticed a mystery machine tin on the shelf. They had found yet another box set.
I carried on past the security console; the Professor was manning the console with a bowl of cereal at his side.
“Morning.” I announced groggily as I entered the kitchen.
Nick smiled as I entered the room. “Sleep well?” he asked.
“Kind of.” I muttered.
“Is Lola up yet?” Andy asked. He was going back to his old ways, tending to her every need. He was a good guy at the end of the day, as much as I didn’t agree with his life choices, he just wasn’t the type to sit back and let someone suffer, no matter whom they were and what they had done.
He certainly had a lot more compassion than I did. I was already way past caring as far as Duckface was concerned. Seeing her in pain didn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact, if anything I preferred it. I still held a grudge for all she had done in the past and that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon, as much as I tried.
Andy left to go check on her. I rolled my eyes when he was out of sight. Lacey followed suit.
“When is he going to learn?” she sighed.
“Hungry?” Paul asked.
I looked towards the kitchen counter. They had well and truly raided the pantry. Cereal boxes lined the counter along with a half opened tin of Spam, which Paul was currently attempting to fry.
Even though I usually turned my nose up at Spam, I had to admit the smell coming from that frying pan was rather nice. Even so, I had just woken up, and I was in no mood to eat.
“Professor?” Andy called from the bedroom.
“She doesn’t look too good.” Andy warned.
The Professor rushed over. We followed and stood around the living room. After a few short minutes, the Professor reappeared with a disconcerting look across his face.
“I was wrong.” he announced. “She’s infected.” he finished.
We looked to one another. It wasn’t what we wanted to hear.
�
�I knew it!” Lacey exclaimed.
“How long?” Ryan asked.
“A day or two, tops" the Professor sighed.
“Well, she’s not staying here.” Leon started. “It’s too dangerous.”
I was with Leon on this. We had to do what was best for the group. Throughout her whole life, she had never done anything productive or shown herself to be part of the team. As far as I was concerned she wouldn’t be missed.
“The way I see it, we have two choices. We either dispose of her now, before she becomes a threat or we lock her away downstairs and let nature run its course. Under no circumstances should she stay up here with the rest of us.” George spoke firmly.
“No, I’m not locking her away like some animal, and I’m certainly not going to be labelled a murderer.” Andy replied.
“She’s a human being for god sake; we can’t just cast her aside.” He finished.
“We don’t have a choice.” Ryan told him. “Would you rather her stay here and kill off one of us?” Ryan asked.
“No.” Andy replied. “But there must be another way.”
“Why don’t we ask her what she wants to do?” the Professor suggested.
“No. I’m not having that. After all she’s done. She lied to us all, if she’s infected now; there’s no chance her first bite is from the infected. I’ve had enough of her lies and her selfish ways.” I replied.
“Me too.” Lacey agreed.
“The girls are right. We all know her well enough to know if it was left to her she would stay here until the end, she doesn’t give a crap about the rest of us.” Leon said.
“I can still hear you, you know.” Duckface croaked from the bedroom.
“Let’s just test that theory of yours.” the Professor told Leon.
“Lola, what do you want to do?” He asked.
Chapter 26 - Another One Bites the Dust
“I’ll go” she responded.
We were all shocked by her response. In a way, what choice did she have? She had been found out and karma had well and truly turned round and bitten her in the arse.
“I’ll go too.” Andy replied.
“What? Why?” Nick asked.
“I’m not leaving her to die alone. We’ll go downstairs and I’ll lock us in the bedroom" he suggested.
“If you stay with her, you’ll die too.” Ryan told him.
“Not if I’m careful.” Andy replied.
I couldn’t believe my ears, this guy really was stupid, and he must have had a death wish. Still, we couldn’t stop him. He had clearly made his mind up.
“We’ll leave today.” Andy announced. “The infected have died down, as long as we’re quiet, we should be ok.” He finished.
That was that. I watched as Ryan and Leon checked the screens to make sure the coast was clear. Paul and Nick went over to the Pantry to get a pack of supplies for them. Lacey and I sat in the living room watching the commotion around us.
“So she’s going to die then?” Sarah asked us.
“Pretty much.” I responded. There was no use trying to sugar coat things. It is what it is, so they say.
Sarah simply shrugged. She didn’t have any fond memories of Duckface and neither did we. We weren’t exactly emotional about her departure, deep down she would have known this.
An hour or so later, we gathered around the loft hatch. We watched as Ryan and Leon cautiously lowered down the ladders.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Nick asked Andy.
Andy nodded. “Yeah mate, I’m sure.”
Nick pulled him in for a quick hug. “I’ll see you soon mate.” Nick said.
Andy turned to Paul. Paul had his arms folded and a stern look on his face.
“You know I think you’re an idiot, right?” Paul asked.
Andy nodded once more. “Yeah, I know.” Andy smiled weakly.
“Good.” Paul replied as he embraced him.
“Here, take this.” Leon handed Andy the walkie-talkie. “At the first sign of trouble, call us.” Leon told him.
“I will.” Andy agreed.
“You might want to take this as well.” Ryan said as he handed him Leon’s blade. “You might need it.” Ryan said sternly.
We all said our goodbyes as Andy descended the ladders. As soon as he got to the bottom he motioned to the Professor, who was helping Duckface to stand. Ryan and Leon lowered her down. None of us said a word to her. There was nothing to say.
As per usual Duckface had to get the last word in. “You know, you’ll all get what’s coming to you.” She warned.
I bit my tongue as we watched her hobble over to the closest bedroom. As they closed the door, we heard the lock click into place.
“I hope he knows what he’s doing" the Professor sighed.
We closed the loft hatch and retired to the living area. We were all sad to see Andy go. He had made a lot of bad choices lately, but this by far was the worst. He was without a doubt a loyal companion; it was too bad his loyalties lay with that she witch. I for one was glad to see the back of her. I felt no sadness, no compassion and no sympathy.
The whole group undoubtedly felt the same. It was something we never talked about again; I presume a lot of the members of the group were ashamed of their feelings. Ashamed that they could be so heartless.
But was it heartless? After all she had done. The way she felt no compassion for anyone other than herself, the way she would push any other human being under the bus so that she would have a chance to stay alive. I suppose it was her way of surviving. A fat lot of good it did her.
After a few minutes of silence, Jared flicked the TV back on. It seemed a bit anticlimactic, after one of our good friends departure, we could do nothing more than watch mindless cartoons. It was for the best; all we could do now was wait.
We left the walkie-talkie by the security console. We all agreed to keep it manned at all times, just in case.
Luckily, Andy and Duckface’s departure didn’t stir any of the remaining infected. There was only one or two now, dithering about on the drive. As far as we knew, the rest had left the confines of the house and gone off in search of their next meal.
The Professor took out the remaining cleaning supplies and thoroughly cleaned the whole attic. He wanted to make sure all traces of Duckface had gone; with her carrying the E Virus we could all be susceptible to infection. After spending over half the day cleaning, he finally took a seat back at the console.
“Is anyone there?” Andy’s voice called over the walkie-talkie.
“Yes, I’m here Andrew" the Professor responded.
“She’s still alive, but she’s getting weaker.” Andy reported.
“Ok. It sounds like it’s not going to be long now" the Professor advised.
My ears pricked up as I heard the Professor's voice from the other room. I was worried about Andy, if he had any sense he would get out whilst he could. But he had his mind set on staying with her until the end.
“What do we do after she’s turned?” I asked Ryan.
“I’m not sure yet. If the coast's clear, we’ll head back to the boats and escape whilst we can.” Ryan suggested.
“Can we not kill her once she’s turned?” Lacey asked.
“No point, unless she gets in our way.” Leon replied.
Leon was right. If we went out of our way to dispose of her in her infected state, and something went wrong, it would do more damage than it would good. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be the one to put her down for good. But some things just weren’t worth the risk.
"This is ridiculous, he needs to get out of there." Lacey urged.
"I know, but you know as well as I do he won't listen." I remarked.
There was nothing we could do. Andy was as stubborn as they come. Once he made his mind up, that was it. No one was going to sway his decision, no matter how big or small it was. Duckface well and truly had him wrapped around her little finger, even in her last moments.
It was getting late again,
we were well into our second day holed up in the attic. Day was yet again turning into night. After a restless night and a rather disturbing nightmare, I was already ready for bed. However, I felt obliged to stay up, and wait this whole fiasco out. None of us knew how long Duckface was going to last down there, or if Andy would be able to escape the grasp of her bony little infected fingers.
Our whole group waited up all night, waiting for her to turn. We stayed close to the walkie-talkie and listened out to the room beneath us. We sat in silence for hours. It was as if we were sitting in a hospital wing, waiting for a terminally ill patient to take their last breath. The hours ticked by, every second that passed seemed to be getting longer and longer.
As the morning came back around, we started to hear a crackle over the radio.
“Andy, are you there?” Ryan asked; he was speaking into the walkie-talkie.
Ryan pressed the walkie-talkie to his ear as he was met with nothing but static.
“Andy?” Ryan asked again.
Still nothing. The whole group had concerned looks plastering their faces.
The walkie-talkie clicked; a vague muffling sound could be heard before going back to static.
“Andy, Lola, can you read me?” Ryan urged.
“I think we’ve lost them" the Professor said stating the obvious.
Ryan placed the walkie-talkie back down on the coffee table. “I’m going down there.” He muttered.
“Are you sure?” George asked.
“I’ll go with you.” Leon offered.
I looked around the room. We didn’t look like the liveliest bunch. Paul and Nick were starting to look like Ren and Stimpy the bags under their eyes were that predominant. The rest of us weren’t looking much better.