Infection |Infected Book 1|

Chapter 9 (original version)

I watched Cody flip through the channels on the TV, trying to find some kind of connection. Some stations showed different color lines across the screen, and some were blacked out but there were two that caught my attention.

The first one made me jump out of my seat. It was a picture, continuously frozen on the screen. An infected man was running towards the camera, only a few feet away. His ears were missing and his jaw hung at a grotesque angle. Blood ran from his eyes and his teeth were bared, ready to bite into something.. or someone. My heart slowed down when I realized that it was on the TV and not in the cellar.

The second channel, seven words crossed the screen. May God have mercy on us all.

I'd had enough of sitting down. All I'd done was fidget in my seat. I stood up and put my hands on my hips.

"Well, I might not get to take a shower for a while so I'm going get on that," I said.

Cody turned around and looked at me for the first time in twenty minutes. "Okay, don't be too long though." He went back to flicking through channels. "I have a feeling something's going to come on."

I half-smiled at his psychic feeling and turned to walk to the bathroom. As I walked past the room Selma and Aundrea are staying in I heard Rich's southern twang trying to calm Selma down. I guess she wasn't taking leaving so well.

When I got to the bathroom door a figure jumped out from behind it making my blood pulse sky rocket.

"Whachu doin'?" Aundrea asked me, trying to hide her mischievous smile.

"Trying to get my breath back," I panted. "You really scared me there."

"Why is everyone so scared?" She put her hand on her hip. "Scared. Scared. Scared."

"You're not scared?" My voice had a little smile to it as I always have when I talk to kids.

"I'm not scared of anything!" I heard her foot stomp.

"Not even of the boogeyman,?" I wiggled my fingers out in front of her, making her giggle.

"He's not scary. I met him." She pointed her thumb to herself.

"She's honestly not scared of a single thing," Selma's voice sounded from behind me. I turned around and saw her walking towards the door. Her eyes were red from crying. "She's the bravest person I know." Her gaze turned to her daughter who was now standing next to her. "You weren't even scared when we were running from our home." I heard her voice get sad, as I knew home reminded her of her husband.

"I miss Daddy," Aundrea said looking down at her feet. "But I'm still not scared."

"Come on," Selma said placing her hand against her daughter's back. "Let's go pack up the few things we've brought." Aundrea gave me a small wave goodbye and they vanished into their room.

I took a thorough but quick shower. I had to be clean, but I needed to hurry.

I dried off my body and pulled on a pair of basketball shorts and blue T-Shirt I found in the cabinet. Unfortunately, I had to brush my hair with my fingers, and I ended up giving up and just pulled my messy blonde hair into a ponytail at the top of my head.

When I walked into the living room the bodies were gone and replaced by towels that lay where the pools of blood were. Rich sat in the recliner with his legs propped up and Cody sat on the couch. I saw him pat the spot next to him, motioning for me to sit. I plopped down on the couch and folded my legs under me, letting them touch his leg.

"So what's the plan?" I asked aloud, wondering if one was figured yet.

"Three blocks away there's a Walmart," Rich said fixing his eyes on me. "We can get everything we might need there. Food, clothes, medicine, maybe even camping gear."

"That's the first option," Cody said. He placed his hand on my leg spreading warmth through my veins. "We could get there and it be mobbed with infected; if so, then we go into houses."

"Are we just gonna run out the front door?" I was sounding skeptical. "What if they are everywhere?"

"My thought is that they've spread out," Rich said matter of factually. "The infection has most likely spread through to other states, maybe even the country or the world. We don't know for sure. But we do know one thing." He held up his pointer finger. "They need to eat, and they don't eat themselves, only people. This town is probably either all infected, dead, or hiding like us so they have to look elsewhere."

This made perfect sense and I realized Rich was a smart man. I felt bad for thinking that he might not have been, but I wouldn't have guessed so by his appearance. He still wore the bloody shirt with his scuffed up jeans he'd been wearing the day before.

"How do you think this all started?" I asked him.

"I have a theory of animal testing gone wrong," Rich replied, and then motioned with his hand to Cody. "But Cody thinks it might have been some kind of contamination in food or water. Either way sounds like it could be--"

His voice was cut off a buzz of static from the TV. We all three turned to look at the screen.

The buzzing stopped and a woman appeared standing in front of a field of tents. Medical tents, tarps, and camping tents spread across a mass field. In the distance I could see a tall fence with barbed wire at the top.

"This is Vivian Hoff speaking from a safe camp outside of Springfeild," the woman said. Her red hair blew in the wind. I could see army men and civilians walking behind her. "If there is anyone out there that can somehow make it here, we can take you in." She turned over her shoulder and pointed to the camp behind her. "We have blocked out infected and have a secure site for people in need."

All of our eyes widened in amazement. Rich mumbled "Well by god," and Cody's hand gripped my leg.

"We also have scientists and doctors who are working on a cure that has almost broken through," Vivian Hoff said with excitement. "There is a type of blood immune and toxic to the infection. B Positive blood can reverse the effect of the illness and hopefully bring our country back into sanity. Even though the rest of the world has quarantined us, we still thank you for the daily supplies airlifted to us."

"A cure?" Rich whispered, his voice in awe. "What type blood do you have Desi?"

"I—I don't know," I said sounding ridiculous.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rich almost sounded angry.

"I mean I don't know," I defended myself. "I've never needed to know it."

Rich raised his voice. "You're always supposed to know your--"

"Dad!" Cody yelled, cutting him off. "Shut up!"

Rich fell silent and looked back the TV. Vivian started speaking again.

"Unfortunately, we only have room for fifty more people. I'm sorry" She said, her eyes looking sad. "We hope to see you."

The TV went black.

"Well," Rich stood up. "What are we waiting for?" He turned to walk down the hall to get Selma and Aundrea.

Cody turned to look at me and grabbed my hand.

"Listen," he said and his gray eyes pierced into mine. "I know that we just met and don't really know each other but I won't let you die. As silly as this may sound in a time like this, I like you and I would be hurt if anything happened to you."

My heart thudded in my chest. "Thank you," I said feeling the same way about him. "I won't let you die either."

"Don't worry about me," He said giving me a weak smile. "Worry about keeping yourself alive."

Then he rested his hand on my cheek and kissed me.