Infection Series (Book 1): Preservation

by Nelson, S. L.

  “My God! Is that smell coming from the doors?” the woman asked.

  Veronica didn’t think it was, there was a staleness to the odor of the people on the other side. This smell was fresh, acrid, which meant they had to move out of the theater now. “We need to get out of here. The front doors are not an option.” Veronica looked over and caught Bethann’s eye, pointed her fingers toward the floor wiggled her index and middle finger. This was their sign for ‘it’s time to get out of here’. Bethann bent down to speak to Charlie and the boys.

  “Cody! Thomas is sick, I think he passed out.” Karen called in a panicked voice.

  Cody and Cindy only passed two rows before Thomas lurched out of the chair and grabbed Karen’s face biting her nose clean off. Karen screamed in pain, pushing Thomas with clawed hands, at scratching his face and neck. Martin jumped out of his chair to help but his movement was interrupted by the flow of bile from his mouth and his immediate fall to the floor. Cody watched as Thomas moved from Karen to Tim, the youngest member of their group, and sank his teeth into Tim’s bicep.

  “Karen!” Cindy yelled, tears running down her face. “Hold on Karen, I’m coming!”

  Cody grabbed on to Cindy before she could move closer to her best friend. He knew that there was no way to help any one of them.

  “Jake! Time to go!” Cody yelled out.

  Jake heard Cody’s voice, without hesitation, he kicked open the emergency door and moved out into the light of the day followed by Lucas and Caleb. The couple ran along the side isle, passed the man grabbing and biting, hoping to get around them and out the door. They would have made it if Martin hadn’t awoke, hurling a screech and jumping onto the back of the man, making all three of them fall to the floor in a flurry of hands, legs, and teeth.

  Chapter 10

  Cody and Cindy followed the couple but quickly detoured when Martin leaped on the man’s back. Cody pushed Cindy in front of him, guiding her down a row two aisles away from the tangled mess on the floor. They were a few seats in when Karen lunged over the rows in an effort to grab onto Cindy. The action caused Cindy to scream and fall back onto Cody to avoid being scratched by Karen’s sharp nails. Luckily, Karen’s foot was caught between two seats, allowing Cody and Cindy to pass without harm. Cody and Cindy reached the outer aisle, passing a couple and reaching the exit door. Cindy passed through but Cody turned to find Veronica.

  Bethann watched as the man with the gun kicked open the door and raced out. “Veronica, hurry up, we need to get the hell out of here!” Bethann pushed Matt and Colby toward the door, “Stay together, get to the door, and find one of those men. DO NOT go anywhere without me, do you understand?”

  Veronica could hear the screams of the couple as Martin tore into them. With her heart pounding, she reached Bethann just as she was shoving the boys toward the outside aisle toward the door.

  “Come on Charlie, time to leave.” Veronica pulled Charlie out of the chair, looping is right arm around her shoulders and took a good grip on his belt.

  “I’ve got you too, Charlie.” Bethann said as she pulled his left arm up and around her neck.

  “You girls gotta let me down, I’m too heavy.” Charlie breathed, “We won’t make it.”

  Charlie was not a small man. Several years of fresh popcorn and movie theater candy took a toll on his weight.

  “We are not leaving you behind Charlie,” Bethann admonished.

  “Hush now Charlie and concentrate on helping us all get out of here.” Veronica responded, keeping an eye on the changing people.

  Veronica and Bethann rounded the row of chairs leading down to the exit door when she spotted Ian and his date just standing there, frozen in place by the massacre that was taking place just feet from them.

  “Jesus, what a moron.” Veronica grumbled under her breath. “Ian, damn it Ian, run!” She yelled but he did not react to her voice. His date turned to look at her, seeing the look in Veronica’s face pushed her into action and she scooted around Ian and ran for the door. Veronica reach Ian in seconds and kicked him in the hip, “RUN!” she screamed at him. The combination of physical force and the pitch of her voice jolted him into action and he sprinted down the aisle.

  Unfortunately, the same action caught the attention of Thomas and he started running down the row of chairs, directly into the path of Bethann, Charlie, and Veronica.

  Cody’s heart raced as he watched Thomas react to Veronica yelling at that imbecile of an ex. Veronica got him moving but she and her friend were struggling with the weight of Charlie. Cody reached for his gun and aimed at Thomas, lining up his shot, he pulled the trigger, only to hear the click of an empty chamber.

  “Please girls, save yourselves!” Charlie wheezed in fear, “Just get yourselves out!”

  Veronica saw the creature moving fast toward them and pulled her pistol from behind her. She tugged on Bethann to make her stop then took a step forward, angled her body toward the creature, pulled up the gun and fired one shot. Her bullet hit him in the head and dropped him flat. Unfortunately, the crack of gunfire caught the attention of the remaining creatures.

  “Go! Go!” Veronica shouted, hauling Charlie by his belt.

  “Jesus, Veronica, that was close! I thought we were done.” Bethann replied with a ghost of a smile.

  Veronica couldn’t help but smile back. The rapid beat of her heart was proof of how close that creature had come to knocking them all down. A few more feet to the exit and they would be out. Veronica watched as those things bumped off chairs, clawed at the cushions, and winced at the sharp screech of disappointment at their inability to reach them. Thankfully, the creatures are not very good with blockages; most of them are stuck between seats, unable to figure out how to change direction to leave the aisle.

  With one last heave, Veronica and Bethann pulled Charlie across the threshold, hoping they find safety outside of the building.

  Chapter 11

  Cody slammed the door shut behind the three as they hustled through. He leaned up against the door, unsure of whether or not they would eventually find their way and push through.

  “Caleb, Lucas! Can you roll that dumpster over here to block the door?” Cody asked as he watched the girls lean Charlie up against the back of the building. He watched the trio, making sure that they were all right, amazed that those little girls were able to haul Charlie out and save themselves from an attack.

  “The police officers are gone.” Jake called as he walked up to Veronica and Bethann with a 9mm Glock in his hand.

  “Have you seen two young boys?” Bethann asked at the same time Veronica inquired, “What do you mean, they’re gone, they left?”

  “No, the cars are still there, lights flashing but the officers are gone. Found this on the ground next to one of the driver doors.” Jake held up the gun, releasing the clip to check the number of bullets. “Full mag. Poor guy didn’t even get a chance to get a shot off.” Jack sad sadly.

  Jack checked the safety then tucked the gun into the waistband at the small of his back, “The boys are with Caleb and Lucas. I’m Jake.” Stepping up to Charlie, Jake put a hand on his shoulder, “How’s it going Charlie?”

  Charlie was positioned against the theater wall, “I’m hanging in there. My ankle is feeling better, must have just twisted it when I tripped over that broom.” Charlie nodded his head at Veronica and Bethann, “Those two saved my life, carried me out of there. I’d be one of those things if they didn’t.”

  Jake looked back at the two girls with a renewed interest, “Nice to meet you both.” He shook Bethann’s hand, winking at her before he let go.

  “You were at the exit door with two other guys, thanks for making sure our way was clear.” Bethann replied, “I am going to check on the boys. We need some kind of plan to get somewhere safe.” Bethann walked away, turning back to sneak a peek at Jake only to catch him watching her walk away.

  “Bethann, call your mom. Tell her what we saw and find out what she knows. Tell her not to come out her
.” Veronica received a nod of understanding and pulled out her cell phone, dialing as she walked toward the two young boys.

  Veronica pulled her cell from her back pocket and stood next to Jake, taking stock of the situation. She started to dial her dad when she noticed Cody walking her way. She couldn’t help admiring the way he walked and the smile that started to spread across his face as he watched her walk toward him. She liked knowing that he liked what he saw. When his smile started to fade, she became a bit concerned. Before Veronica could comment, she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

  On instinct, Veronica grabbed the hand, twisting it at the wrist while stepping away from the body. She then swept her foot out, tripping the person, laying them flat on the stomach with their arm up in the air behind them and a firm lock on the wrist.

  “Ronnie! Ronnie! STOP! It’s just me, Ian!” he panted, wincing at the pain that was radiating from his wrist to his shoulder.

  Veronica’s irritation must have been evident because she held onto him a bit longer than she should have, “I have told you several times, do not call me Ronnie.” Veronica let go of his arm, leaving him on the ground.

  “What is wrong with you,” he responded, rubbing at his sore wrist, “Is this because I broke up with you today?” Ian accused, “Why can’t you act like a girl?” he spit out, pushing himself off the ground.

  Bethann walked up snickering, “What? Like you, standing in the aisle, waiting for those things to eat you and your date?”

  Ian blushed at the embarrassing reminder, “We were just about to leave when she kicked me.” He sneered back. “By the way, thanks Veronica for the limp and the bruise that I am sure to have because of you.”

  “A woman who can shoot and take a man down.” Cody exclaimed once he reached the trio “Be still my heart, I think I’m in love!”

  Veronica could feel Bethann elbow her but she didn’t want to encourage her behavior. She didn’t have to look at Bethann to see her clown like grin at the teasing she was getting from Cody.

  Nobody noticed the woman walk up to the group amid the scuffle, “Excuse me, Ian? Did you say you just broke up with her, today?” Veronica immediately recognized her as Ian’s date, the woman continued, “We’ve been going out three weeks. You said we were exclusive.”

  Ian’s date was a petite brunette with pretty brown eyes that were mad as hell at the moment. Ian didn’t respond to the revelation but turned accusing eyes toward Veronica. Following Ian’s gaze, she turned to Veronica.

  “What the heck happened in there? Is this some kind of drug thing?” Dana stared at each person.

  Veronica couldn’t help but like the girl, “We don’t know what it is. It does look like it is contagious; we need to stay clear of anyone that acts like those people in there.”

  “Hi, I’m Bethann. That’s Veronica, Jake, and Cody,” Each person offering a weak wave.

  “Hello, I am sorry to meet you this way. I’m Dana,” she said to the group, “Jake, thank you for getting us out from behind the snack counter.” Her sincerity was thick in her words. Dana then turned to Veronica and Bethann, “Thank you both for getting us out of the theater.” Turning back toward Ian she said, “Kiss my ass, we’re done.” Without further explanation, Dana turned to go sit with Matt, Colby, and Lucas.

  Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “Wait a minute, you were dating this creep and he dumped you!” The astonished look on his face was not hard to decipher. Unfortunately, Ian was not too quick and did not notice the disbelief was in favor of Veronica.

  “Can you blame me,” Ian crowed, “She is nothing like a real woman should be. She was always showing off and taking control of every activity we ever did together.” He stood there waiting for the men to agree with him. All he got was a whispered ‘dumbass’ and a ‘what a loser’ for his explanation.

  Veronica stood there looking at Ian as if he had three heads. She could not figure out why she did not see this side of his personality. Was she so desperate for a relationship that she looked right past it? Plus, she had no idea that he was seeing someone else, exclusive my ass.

  “Well Ian, all I can do is thank you for seeing the truth and setting me free,” Veronica responded with a smile, finally letting go of the pity she felt at being dumped. Thankful that she could close that chapter of her life, she turned toward Cody just in time to see the advancement of a fresh batch of bloodied people.

  “DAD!” both Matt and Colby yelled at the same time. They both sprang to their feet, ready to run toward their father. They did not get very far with Dana and Lucas holding on the each of the boys. They struggled against their grips, begging to be let go.

  It was Colby who stopped struggling first, reaching a hand out to calm Matt, “Look Matt, it’s not dad anymore.” The grief in his voice was heartbreaking.

  Matt continued to struggle, shaking his head back and forth, “NO COLBY! He just needs help. Look, he...” The rest of the sentence died on Matt’s lips as fear replaced sadness.

  Veronica immediately recognized the two couples that had left the movie theater when the screaming started.

  “My God, they look...torn.” Bethann whispered

  The sight of them was disturbing. Torn, is the only way to describe the state of their bodies. Muscle was hanging off bones. Bellies were pulled open, the skin ragged from the force. Several of them were missing eyes. Veronica could hear the sound of the boys whimpering behind her and could only guess that the middle-aged man with the missing arm and knee bend at an impossible angle was their dad. The other two were women that must have been out for a run. By the looks of their bloodied clothing, they could not outrun their attackers.

  The commotion with Ian must have been just loud enough to attract this small group of sick people. Veronica just couldn’t understand how a person so torn apart could still be moving. They aren’t just sick. They looked like death walking. Veronica shook her head at the thought, that is impossible. Stuff like that only happens in books and movies.

  “Veronica, I think we better leave now.” Bethann reached out to pull on Veronica’s shirtsleeve in an attempt to gain her attention without further alerting the people shambling their way.

  Veronica started to nod her head in agreement, too afraid to look away. Their progress was slow but she did not want to take any chances. She started to walk slowly back with Bethann on her right and Cody to her left. They made it few feet before Cody reached out and grabbed Veronica by the hand.

  Veronica looked at Cody and reached a hand out to halt Bethann. She could see Cody’s whole body tense and fear shot through her. She followed his line of sight and felt the breath rush from her body.

  The last of the mangled mess to come around the corner of the movie theater was a police officer and from what she could see, his only injury was a bloodied hand.

  “Jesus, Veronica, this is bad. He’s fresh, RUN!” Cody tightened his grip on Veronicas hand and pulled her along with Bethann in tow, hollering out to the rest of the group to run, as the creature bellowed out an inhuman screech.

  Veronica threw a glance behind her shoulder to gauge the distance between them, the view behind her made her stomach drop.

  It looked like a horde of....Zombies.

  Chapter 12

  “Doctor Hollowman? It’s Samuel, Peter isn’t home. We even picked the lock, nobody’s there. What should we do?” Dr. Hollowman held the phone to her ear and hung her head. Without Peter, they would not be able to fix this mess. “Can you and Dennis wait outside? Maybe he will be back soon. While you’re waiting, call the hospitals and clinics to see if anyone fitting Peter’s description has been admitted.” She hung up the phone as Dr. Allen burst into her office.

  “What is so important that you had to drag me into this office without explanation?” Dr. Allan demanded.

  Dr. Hollowman was irritated with his snotty attitude but she was not going to take pleasure in knocking him down with the actions of his lab technician.

  “Are you aware of the
fact that Peter was working here as a spy?” Dr. Hollowman could see the surprise and then anger in his eyes.

  “Peter would never behave in such a manner. He is a good, hardworking, important member of my team.” Dr. Allan pointed a finger at Dr. Hollowman, “I will be reporting you to the board. You can say goodbye to your job.”

  Dr. Allen was known for his intimidating tactics, especially toward females, she was having none of it tonight. She stared at him, silently she turned Peter’s laptop around, displaying Peter’s personal journal.

  “What? What is this?” Dr. Allen questioned.

  “It’s Peter’s, start reading” was Dr. Hollowman’s reply.

  It took Dr. Allen a moment to process what he was looking at. Realization hit and he folded into a chair, disappointment replacing his anger.

  “That’s not even the worst of it,” Dr. Hollowman pushed away from her desk and stood up, “Please, follow me.”

  They were fifteen feet from the entrance to the lab where the Chimpanzee is held when Dr. Allan commented on the atrocious smell.

  “Peter altered our experiment. He injected one of mice with the bacterial strain that we found in the plant in Bolivia. The mice had the TH12 enzyme in their system which resulted in an uncontrollable, an unfathomable reaction the created a chain of infection.” Dr. Hollowman explained as they crossed the threshold to the lab. She pointed toward the Chimpanzee, “The Chimpanzee was bitten by one of those infected mice and he turned into that.”

  Dr. Allan stared at the chimp in the cage, unsure of what he was looking at. He started to walk toward the cage. He was speechless; the creature in the cage barely resembled a Chimpanzee. The creature had black eyes, his teeth had become jagged shards, and the gums were swollen and bleeding. Patches of hair were missing from his body and the diaper lay shredded in the corner of the cage. His examination of the creature brought him within arms distance. The creature just stood silently at the cage. It was hard to tell if the Chimpanzee could see, the black covering the whole eye.