Dead Corona 1

by Eric Gene

  Dead Corona

  Book 1

  By

  Eric Gene

  Copyright © 2020 – Eric Gene

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying or otherwise without prior written consent of the copyright owner. Reviewers may quote passages or excerpt for reviews.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 - The Beginning

  Chapter 2 - Revelation

  Chapter 3 - Infected

  Chapter 4 - Loyalties

  Chapter 5 - Double Crossed

  Chapter 1

  The Beginning

  A man of average build, most likely in his early thirties stirs. His eyes are closed and his breath, slow. His body is eerily still, you can hardly catch the rose and fall of his chest as he let out silent wisps of air, breathing.

  But his eye lids, they betray his statue like composure. They're fluttering. Slowly at first, maybe once or twice in a minute.

  The fluttering increases. His ears tilt a little outward.

  Snap!

  Jason eyes pop open. First comes the confused furrowing of his brow, then it's wiped almost instantly. Jerking upright, he darts his head to the right and to the left, peering into the expanse of darkness around him. It's one of those starless nights, and he could hardly see his hand reaching instinctly for a bundle beside him.

  Unfurling the bundle he'd laid hands on, a rifle falls to his laps.

  "Peter..." he called ever so quietly. A body much smaller than his stirred in response.

  "We have to move. There are birdies heading this way, not too far from us" he said, raising a finger to his lips as the younger male jerks to full consciousness.

  ~~~

  It is the year 2025. Something around March. It's roughly been five years since the discovery of the novel strain of the corona virus. The SARS-CoV 2.0 it was called.

  Although it had been touted to be "the bringer of the end", it never really brought the end. Heck, it hardly lasted up to six months before fading off into nonexistence.

  But it certainly did something.

  In its first three months, it had shut down everything. Every single outdoor activity had been suspended. Stores, offices, party spots, entire nations had been forced into lockdown since its arrival.

  Peddlers of fake news had a field time causing panic which didn't take long to become full blown chaos. Man had reacted just like any other animal when locked into a tight corner. First is always the panic. The fight or flight instinct kicked in, and everybody took the easiest route - flight.

  It had seemed like a pretty easy plan to stock up food for the months that were to come. But when there are close to 10 billion people all over, shortage was bound to happen.

  Greed was a primal instinct, and it preyed on virtually everyone - even the hardcore moralists. Despite the world governments' tricks to regulate purchase, many had more than enough in cash and in savings to buy more than enough resources.

  First was the toilet paper. Retail stores all over the world ran out of supplies. When it got to purchasing directly from the manufacturers, there was hardly anything left.

  The sanitizers were next in line. Although their prices jumped beyond reason, they were snuffed out all the same.

  But there was something else that was swiftly running out too. Something quite unreasonable at the time. Guns.

  Americans were stocking up their private weapon's cache, and the dealers were more than happy to help.

  But the guns were for what?

  Flight mode was waning, and there was still no sign of the virus fading. Panic had begun taking on the face of chaos. It was time to fight.

  The first victim had been a middle aged fatso who had bought entire store supplies just to resell at monstrous prices. His house had been raided in the middle of the night. His whole basement that had been filled with supplies, had been emptied of every life saving resource it had.

  The culprits had donned doll faces and recorded the act as they emptied all he had into a delivery van they'd parked outside his home.

  A gunshot had taken the last few seconds of their video.

  Allowing the internet to do its thing, the video had gone viral straight through the victim's mobile. Those who had tried to track the IP address of the upload, had met a dead end when they saw the phone belonged to the victim who laid in his armchair, cold.

  It had been uploaded with an eerie message in the title - Beware The Doll Faces, We're Coming For You.

  Allow a man to do as he pleases, and you just may realize you've unleashed a monster. Gangs took the cue, even ordinary folks who had no gym experience talk less of fighting history preyed on one another. Gradually, it had gone from a fight against the novel corona virus, to a fight against humans who would either steal your supplies or forcefully rob you of them. Your life might be cut short even before the virus hit.

  World governments were in a state of panic just like their citizens. The police forces were much too frightened by the virus to handle the chaos that was unravelling fast. People were dying not just from the virus, but from human attacks.

  The fourth and fifth months had been the worst as more people died from attacks than from the viruses. It had gotten so bad that makeshift hospitals suffered attacks. Rather than waste resources on those bound for death, it seemed much easier to kill them off and divert the resources to more living and breathing humans.

  But that only made the virus spread faster.

  As though nature had finally taught its most pesky creation the lesson it needed, a vaccine was found. The first few patients who had risked their lives to test the vaccine, had been cured in a matter of 5 days.

  The breakthrough had been celebrated world wide, and mass production had swung into full gear. Within a month, the peace undone by a virus had begun resurfacing. The attacks on hospitals and elderlies ceased, and so did the attacks on homes and retail stores.

  Never had the world witnessed so much obedience to a doctor's dosage in all its history. Those who overdosed on it suffered deadly seizures, slumping in their homes as consequences of disobedience.

  There was hardly a problem of taking lesser than the prescribed dosage. No one wanted to die.

  But just as the world was getting back on its feet, the year threw one more virus that tipped the scale for the years following.

  Ever since the rise of the second virus, things had gone deeper south than ever imagined. An unreal scourge was about to rock the whole earth.

  ~~~

  Peter who was a younger male in his early twenties, jerked up and hurriedly grabbed a bundle that laid beside his makeshift bed. Pulling out his gun, he's about to cock it when Jason stops him.

  "Don't be stupid, you'll give up our location... Listen" he whispered, cupping his ears.

  A faint sound of gravel being stepped on could be heard by both men. The slow uncoordinated sounds of footsteps were unmistakable, a band of zombies were heading their way.

  "Pack up, I'd say we've got about 10 minutes before they're much too close to avoid" Jason said hurriedly and swung into action. Folding up his thick blanket, he stashes it swiftly into a big bag that contained other essentials. Peter does the same and is about to hoist up the bag when Jason cuts him short.

  "You'll need your strength"

  "Now, let's move" he said as he swung the bag unto his shoulder. The duo had been travelling for days on foot. Their destination was a haven two counties away from their previous haven. Theirs had been compromised, and it was only a miracle that they'd escaped without getting infected.

  "Do you think we'll ever get through this" Peter asked, breaking the silence. The
y'd been walking for close to 20 minutes without a word. Luckily they'd not only put enough gap between them and the band they'd heard, they'd not encountered any since they moved.

  "I don't really know, just trying to live each day as it comes" Jason replied, adjusting the bag's straps on his shoulder.

  "Yeah... You know I was a fan of zombie movies back then... Seemed like fun to watch, and I never really thought it could happen in real life. I mean, heck what are the odds right"

  "I know the feeling. Now we're stuck in the worst kind of fairytale, running for our lives and hoping we're not eaten nor infected" Jason added sourly.

  "It does seem pretty easy though" Peter said with an uneasy chuckle.

  "I mean, you only have to aim for their heads... Their legs to buy you time to either run or leave a hole in their forehead, right?" he asked, looking expectantly at Jason. Jason stopped abruptly and stared.

  "Wha... What is it?" Peter asked looking from left to right. He wasn't sure if Jason had picked up on the sounds of another band of zombies.

  "You think it's funny huh Peter?" Jason said without sparing him a glance.

  "It's like a movie huh... They're slow, and you're fast, you only have to aim. Is that it Peter?" he asked, turning to Peter. He had a scowl on.

  Peter's throat bobbed uneasily as he gulped .

  "You saw what it was like back at the haven. You think all that blood and ripping people open with their teeth is funny?"

  "Heck, you nearly got infected Peter! Is that funny?!" Jason asked, flailing his hands. He tried hard to restrain his voice from rising.

  "I'm sorry man, I... I didn't think..."

  "No you didn't. It's been five freaking years, and you think you can just throw in a little humor."

  "You really should think before you throw another" Jason whispered coldly, and sauntered forward. Peter tagged quietly along, scolding himself in silence.

  ~~~

  In December 2019, Wuhan China unraveled its first case of the corona virus. Although it had seemed like a hoax, it took the world by surprise claiming lives in thousands, and infecting many more in tens of thousands. Fast forward to July when things had begun dying down, the hantavirus, better known as the SARS-CoV 2.1 virus gave China another hit.

  Although there had been a report in the later days of March about a man dying of the new virus and infecting about thirty others, it had been swept under by the rave of the moment - the world was still battling with the corona virus, and could hardly divert resources to the new threat.

  Unfortunately, the delay turned to be the China's greatest undoing. Left unchecked, the virus mutated and began spreading through birds. Humans were no longer the sole carriers, and that spelled doom for the rest of the world seeing as there was no way to restrict the migration of birds.

  Unlike the corona virus which brought death by fever and blocking airways, this took more time in the body and remained undetected. It had only one symptom; the iris looked wider and darker. For those with lighter shades of iris, it was much easier to tell. But for the majority, those with darker shades, there was really no difference.

  The lone symptom, coupled with almost no detectable health challenge, it had seemed reasonable to ignore the threat whilst the corona virus was being battled. But just as the virus took ample time to mutate, it took time to mutate its host likewise.

  A full month of hosting a virus turned living breathing humans into mindless, skin defective humans with only one instinct - feed to survive.

  First it would seem like a surge in appetite. Draining bottles of beer and voraciously munching on meat and whatever kind of delicacy seemed normal. Especially in parts of China where exotic animals were a regular item on the menu.

  But after the surge in appetite, came the skin infection. Rashes would begin sprouting, and that was easily discarded as the skin's reaction to the merciless sun. It was after all, mid summer when it all started.

  The itching from the rashes would seem normal at first. But after three days of scratching to no avail, that's when the real panic begins. Dementia.

  It had happened under the glaring sun, in a typical market teeming with people. A woman who had been nicely dressed in a loose cream colored rose patterned gown, had let out a shriek. Those who had passed by her might have noticed her discomfort with the way she twitched every second. But like any others in the market, they could hardly care.

  It wasn't until she screamed and fell to the floor writhing and violently scratching, that people realized something was wrong with her. Onlookers brought out their phone to give the internet a live feed of China's latest mad woman. Others looked on, wondering what it was that had befallen her.

  But none moved an inch. Everyone had suffered the scare of the corona virus, and definitely didn't wish to draw near.

  What they didn't realize then was that, her kicking up dust and scratching had sent particles of her infection into the air. And they who hung around were prone to being infected, it was all a matter of one full month before they too showed symptoms.

  Two weeks passed without any new story, and the woman had been discarded as someone with a bad case of mental illness. The last update about her rumored that she most likely had been self medicating until it got out of her control.

  That seemed plausible as two new cases sprang up. One was a full grown man who after an episode of writhing, tried violently to jump out of a moving train. The second was another man who's wife had phoned a hospital concerning her husband's itching turned violence. The neighbors could hardly be bothered; after all every couple has its episodes of madness.

  The numbers gradually increased from three to twelve cases with the same pattern. First is the shriek, then the writhing and the itching, then violence either towards themselves or passers by who tried to restrain them.

  The internet rumors took over, touting a new kind of virus that dealt mental damage. Although they were close to the truth, none could say for sure, what it was.

  Another bout of self distancing protocol was set in motion to avoid repeating the horrors of the first pandemic. It had taught them grave lessons.

  As expected, the Chinese government issued a statement concerning the victims of dementia. It was just a bad case of stress based trauma, and they - the victims, were under proper care. There was nothing to worry about.

  ~~~

  The rays of the sun grated heavily on Peter's eyelids. It was way past morning, and much to his surprise neither he nor Jason had woken up. Blame it on fatigue from the midnight trekking.

  Turning to his side, he saw Jason sprawled on the floor, clutching tightly to his rifle. Neither had spoken since his last joke turned sour. His gut still churned at the reaction he'd gotten from Jason.

  The duo were not even related. They'd just become traveling companions who escaped the infestation of their last haven. Peter had made it to the Haven's emergency exit when a birdie as they liked to call them, jumped him. It had been a fleeting moment of pushing hard against a heavy bloodstained monster, trying hard to sink its teeth into his neck. Jason had used the leg of a broken chair to set him free. One powerful swing had sent the zombie flying sideways. It was enough to get Peter out of the bind.

  Both men had been walking ever since. For two weeks, they had been on the move, avoiding bands of zombies as much as they could. The rifles they had, had been picked off dead bodies, and was still very much efficient. As for ammo, robbing of abandoned stores was no more a crime.

  Jason was the bigger of the two. A body builder most likely, but he seemed much more like the thoughtful kind. He seemed like someone who had most likely worked part-time to fund his schooling before the virus took over.

  Peter on the other hand, was just a regular high schooler who never got to go to college. The virus had struck before he could graduate.

  Although he wasn't much of a nerd, his constant talks made it seem like he was. He could handle himself in fight, and that counted for something above the nerd level.

&n
bsp; He was grateful to Jason for saving his life a few times since their escape. Zombies nearly always seemed to jump him out of nowhere.

  "We should see the outpost later today" Jason said with a yawn. Peter who had been lost in thoughts, nearly jumped out of his skin, his gun slipped.

  "Woah, easy..." Jason said with his hands raised. Peter's reaction had taken him by surprise, and he knew a little twitch could turn to a fatal friendly fire.

  "Yeah, sorry man. Didn't know you'd woken up" Peter replied, sweeping his hands across his face in a bid to reduce the surge in his heart rate.

  "So you were saying?"

  "The outpost to the next haven? We should be there by sundown"

  "Err won't that be risky? We might be mistaken as birdies" Peter asked, his fear was visible. All the days of walking, they'd made camp in trees. It had only been on few occasions, that they'd made camp on the ground.

  Once the sun began to dim, it was really difficult telling friend from foe. He had nearly shot Jason once when the latter had gone to scout the area surrounding their camp. Peter who had been left behind to build a fire, had switched to fight mode when he heard twigs snap. It wasn't until Jason called out to him that he relaxed his grip on his gun.

  Now they were to get to an outpost by sundown. It didn't seem like a bright idea to him, and Jason understood why.

  "Hmmm, if we find sizeable trees around the outpost, we can stay put till sunrise" Jason said thoughtfully. He wasn't sure of the outpost's surrounding trees, and there was bound to be zombie activity around the outpost. The bands they'd dodged on their way, told him much.

  "I've only got one round of ammunition locked and loaded... Can hardly say we've got food for tonight" Peter replied, looking into the big bag that housed their supplies.

  "Well, we better get going... Hopefully, we'll make it before sundown" Jason said matter-of-factly. He'd packed up his own bag, taken a swig from their water bottle, and was ready to go.

  Both young men walked in silence, Peter knew better than to drain his strength talking, and for that Jason was glad. There was no room for breaks until they got to the outpost.