Extinct (AM13 Outbreak Series), page 9
I step clumsily up into my seat and watch Melody clamber across to hers, as Andy climbs into the driver’s chair. I notice that I’m starting to feel stronger already, as if the formula is already working. This can only be a good thing. It means myself, and everyone else that’s left, will survive. Plus, the faster I’m cured, the more useful I’ll be. Right now, my body is so messed up that I can just about hold myself upright. My arm is obviously the worst, but the other bumps and scrapes I endured are having their own impact.
As the helicopter rises noisily, I see Tom and the others cleverly making their escape. Not only will the sound attract all the infected roaming about on the island, but the remaining, hostile humans will be more than pissed off to see people leaving them behind—I know I would be. I just hope Tom gets to them all in time, stops more people from getting infected in all of the chaos, and manages to explain before they turn on him.
He’ll be okay, they all will. I have to keep believing that. I cannot lose hope now.
I watch the island disappear from view. I have no idea where it truly is, and it isn’t somewhere I recognise, even from this view. I just hope that I never ever have cause to go back there again. I can’t see why I ever would; I just hope it doesn’t become essential. Too much shit went down there, I lost too many people. It’s like a nightmare that I’m glad to be free of. As it vanishes, a massive weight lifts from my shoulders.
This is it. A fresh start.
***
Melody is slumped over, asleep by my side as the helicopter flies over the expanse of ocean. I look down at her, suddenly realising that I’ve actually seen her before all of this, that she was the girl often working in the food tent. I always thought that she must have been the daughter of someone in charge, now I realise she was Dr. Jones’s child and her working was probably some kind of fucked up punishment for him—to get him working quicker on the cure. From reading his book, and knowing what they did to his wife, it’s clear that they were willing to do anything to get the cure first—and then to not even give it to us. It was probably some sort of political tool more than anything else.
What bastards!
I try to control the emotions rolling around inside of me—rage, fear, and an odd sense of calm. I can almost feel the cure venturing through my insides, making its way into all of my organs one-by-one.
Tom did explain how the cure will work—that it’ll slow down the illness process, eventually halting it to a stop. He explained to me that is won’t be a speedy process, that I’ll just have to get on with the virus effects until it has finished working. But that doesn’t make it easy. It certainly doesn’t make it fair.
None of this should have happened to me!
I take some deep breaths to distract my brain once more. Nothing good can come from allowing my thoughts to go down that route. It happened, it’s been dealt with. I’ve been so much luckier than some. None of this should have happened to any of us. At least I won’t have to see it all the way through, eventually becoming a zombie.
Instead I study the map as Andy instructed me to do, and have another re-read through of Dr. Jones’s book. I will have it to give to this Michael alongside the vial of cure to see what he can ascertain from it all. His scientific brain is bound to pick up things I haven’t noticed. He will also understand things that are complete gobbledygook to me! For example, I have no idea what any of the following words mean:
The virus is evidently RNA, the capsid is impenetrable, protected by a further layer—or virion. It appears to be caused by Orthomyxoviruses, which is why the early symptoms reflect that of influenza.
But hopefully, that’ll just make instant sense to him.
I wonder what he’ll think when he reads the later parts of the book—the bits that talk about everything he went through personally while we were out of the UK, like all nightmare with his wife. I wonder if it’ll give him a glimpse into the awful life we’ve all been leading in that campsite. He’ll probably be grateful he made the choice not to follow orders, that he decided to stay behind. He would have likely only gone down the same route as Dr. Jones and it’s safe to say that didn’t begin or end well.
My brain automatically starts to recap over my own experience. I’m sure that upon meeting someone who didn’t come to the island, I’ll be asked to share my story and despite the fact that it only reignites the rage I’m attempting to squash, I try and organise my thoughts, I try and remember everything in the right order.
It gives me a little distraction from the throbbing pain in my arm, which has spread across my body, at any rate—especially when I reconsider that kiss…
***
After a while, this begins to give me a headache. There are too many variables and unknowns when it comes to knowing Tom’s feelings. I wish we could be in a position where he could just tell me, but unfortunately we’re in the middle of this damn zombie apocalypse and nothing is straight forward.
So I do something I haven’t done in a very long time. I work out my frustrations in another way—a way that I’ve always found comforting in the past. I write. I write until I begin to drift into a troubled slumber…
Undead Virus Series by Georgina Blake–Book 6. Title undecided–maybe ‘Infected’?
Liza couldn’t believe the sheer agony racing through her entire body. Of everything she’d known and assumed about the zombie virus, the intense pain it would cause had never even crossed her mind.
She glanced down at the oversized bite wound that was sitting nicely on her ankle and cursed herself once more for getting caught. How could she have been so stupid? After all that had happened to her, in all the ways that she’d changed and grown as a person, it had to end like this? It was so damn unfair.
One zombie, trapped under a tree, barely a threat, had been the one to kill her.
There was more heartache to this story, of course. Namely James. She couldn’t believe that she had only just met the perfect guy for her as she was about to lose her life. It was a bittersweet romance. More bitter than sweet now!
Not only was he strong, smart, and extremely capable, he was hot too. She loved the way his dark, shaggy hair hung in his eyes, she adored the way his piercing greyish blue eyes seemed to bore right into her soul. She even loved the way he’d always say “what?” instead of “pardon.” It was the silly things that made her like him, and the thought of their brief relationship coming to an end because of one small mistake was utterly devastating.
They’d only had enough time to kiss once. That wasn’t enough!
It had been one hell of a kiss too. Sweet, zealous, soft, and then hard in all the right places. It had ignited a passion within her that she’d almost forgotten was there. She’d locked it away the day the zombies had started roaming the streets, and she’d always assumed it was going to stay that way.
Oh no, the throbbing was intensifying. She curled over, collapsing to the ground, vomit flying from her mouth.
“Help me!” she cried out, knowing it was pointless because no one was there. “Please…”
She felt her eyes close, her brain trying to shut down to protect her from what was going on inside her body, but she refused to give in. She wasn’t going to lie down and allow the virus to take her in the way it had everyone else. She was stronger than that, and she was damn sure going to prove it until the very last second.
She forced herself to stand, even though it was dreadful to do so. She couldn’t put any weight on her ankle, there wasn’t enough of it left, but she didn’t let that stop her. She walked—or shuffled at any rate—wanting to find someone…anyone who might be able to help her.
Bones, aching.
Muscles, tender.
Brain, throbbing.
How much time had passed? She had no idea. All she could tell was that it was dark now. Her eyes were already being affected; she was really struggling to see. But it was all right because her nose and ears were working overtime to remedy that.
Suddenly she noticed a new scent in the air. She sniffed, trying to get a better grasp on what it was, but it was a smell she didn’t recognise.
She turned and moved in that direction, curious and wanting to know more. She tried to shout out in case it was someone who could look after her, but lack of use had caused her to lose her voice.
A silhouette appeared. Liza suspected it might be a human from its shape and stature and she became elated.
Food!
No, not food, friend.
That was nothing more than a terrible slip-up in her mind. It was something that she shouldn’t think anything more of…
“Liza?” a voice cried out, distracting her away from her confusing thoughts. It was one that she recognised well. “Liza, is that you? Oh my God, what happened to you?”
James.
She wanted to beg him to stay with her and help her, and scream at him to go, all at once. She was humiliated for him to see her in that way, but she was more concerned with his safety. She’d seen zombies maim and kill their own children! She knew that once she died and came back, she wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to him.
“Come on, let’s go back to camp.”
At those words, her feet stopped, dead still. It was one thought to harm someone she cared about, but she certainly couldn’t go back and risk them all. That would be unnecessary madness! If only she had her voice at her disposal, she could tell James why she couldn’t go with him.
He tugged at her arm, refusing to let her go. Then he said a sentence that almost stopped her heart forever. “No, Liza, you don’t understand. We’ve found someone who’s immune. We’ve found the cure!”
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
As we land, the first thing I notice is that the temperature in England is evidently colder to that on the island. I can feel the cool breeze on my cheeks as soon as I set foot on the grass and it feels really nice. In fact, the sensation is so lovely that I simply stand there for a few moments, letting it wash over me.
“Are you okay?” I hear Andy’s gruff voice break through my pleasure barrier and my mood instantly sinks.
I’d almost managed to forget he was here with Melody and me, and that he was going to have to accompany me to see this scientist. Much as I wouldn’t relish the idea of being left solely in charge of a child—and the cure for that matter—I don’t particularly want him here anyway.
“Um, yeah, I guess so.” I smile weakly; trying to pretend like all of this is totally okay.
“Tom said it was only a few miles away from here, but that we wouldn’t be able to get much closer.”
“Okay,” I answer, in a monotone voice.
“Are you going to be all right to walk?” His eyes travel up and down my body in a way that I don’t like. I hunch over, almost recoiling, wanting to get out of his sightline.
“I’ll be fine,” I lie, knowing that even if I won’t, I certainly won’t be turning to him for support.
I just have to get this over with. It won’t take forever. Then things can get back to normal. Then I can start to heal.
If I can convince myself that everything is going to be okay, then I might just be able to muddle through this.
“And you have the map and the book?”
“Yep.” I pull out a ratty piece of paper—the map—and the book to prove my point.
“So…erm, we should probably get going. I mean, that helicopter isn’t quiet and I’m not too sure about the safety of this area.” Andy is now looking everywhere but at me, trying to assess how safe we are here.
“Didn’t you work with Tom?” I ask, suddenly realising that I never bothered to ask Andy about his experience, even once. I don’t know why this is important now, but somehow it feels like it is to me.
“Sort of…not exactly. Not in the same team at any rate.”
My eyes flick around the field that we’re standing in, as if they’re expecting to see infected flying at us from every angle. I know that isn’t likely—after all, they’re extremely slow so chances are we’d have plenty of time to get away, plus they’re being killed off and Tom said that they’re dying out of their own accord anyway—but it won’t hurt to be extra careful.
“Come on.” I tug on Melody’s jacket, forcing her to run with me as we both try to keep up with Andy. Each step is beyond terrible, but my end goal of returning to normal and being important is getting me through it.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I eventually ask Andy, but get no response. I think at the moment he’s solely focused on getting us away from immediate danger.
***
I’m not sure how long we run for, but I find myself getting increasingly frustrated at this young girl for not being able to move as quickly as the adults. I know that it’s irrational, her legs are obviously short and she just can’t co-ordinate her body as well as we can, but I can’t help but think that she’s going to get one of us killed. I might sound awful—in fact, I’m sure that I do—but this is a vital mission and it’s all about survival. Having a child alongside us just seems to negate that.
I’m supposed to be important, I’m the girl with the cure and the special blood, yet somehow I’m the one left fucking babysitting! Even Andy’s seemingly leaving the legwork to me. It’s ridiculous. How are we supposed to do this as fast as everyone wants us to with added responsibilities? Why the hell didn’t Andy just leave her with Tom? She would have been much safer under his care. I know he said that she might be important too, but what if she isn’t? What if she does end up endangering us and it’s all for nothing?
As soon as we get far enough that Andy deems us to be safe, we stop to gather our bearings. I instantly pull out the map to check that we haven’t taken a wrong turn somewhere. Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure where we are. It’s a rural area, and we’re probably thousands of miles away from my home in London. I find that really sad. I was looking forward to actually getting back to my things, my bed, my home comforts. I thought that seeing them again was feasible. Now, it’s almost a pipe dream once more, I’m going to have to wait yet again.
“Can you pinpoint us?” Andy asks.
“What do we have to eat?” Melody interrupts pitifully.
I pull out one of the cans of food we brought with us to get us started, and distractedly pass one over to her. Resentment washes over me as I spot her screwing up her nose at the food out of the corner of my eye. I know she’s been through a lot, but right now she has the luxury of being looked after, of having things done for her. As irrational as I’m being, I don’t think she has the right to turn her nose up at she’s being offered. She doesn’t have any of the stress I do.
I’m probably not being fair, but I don’t feel in a very reasonable mood and the more time that passes, the more irritated I become.
“Oh for fuck's sake!” I murmur to myself. “I think we’ve gone the wrong way.”
I huff loudly and despondently. The more I look at the map, the clearer it is that we ran off in a completely idiotic direction—nowhere near where we are aiming to go. This is also unhelpful to my foul mood!
“Are you finished?” I look over at Melody. “Let’s get going!”
I stand up determinedly, just to notice her eyes rolling back in her head. She’s tired—absolutely exhausted. There is absolutely no point in trying to go anywhere, she just won’t make it.
“Georgie.” Andy uses that infuriating warning tone of his. “We can’t go right now. We need to find somewhere safe.”
“Okay, never mind.” I sigh. “Let’s find somewhere for us to sleep.”
The more I think about it, the more I realise that despite wanting to get everything done right away, a rest actually does sound amazing. I won’t say that out loud though, I don’t want Andy to see any weakness in me, or to know that I actually agree with him.
This would have all been so much easier if Tom was here instead of Andy!
***
As we move, Melody trudges behind me, now so slow that it’s bordering on stupid, and I get increasingly aggravated. How is this child so tired? All she did on the helicopter was sleep! This is a nightmare. I mean, I don’t know anything about children, but this just seems extreme. I know I’m tired, but at least I have an excuse.
Then I notice Andy picking her up to carry her. As relief passes through me, so does guilt. Why didn’t I think of that? Surely I should have some sort of maternal instinct that knows how to help children? Maybe the virus is to blame.
Although, would I even be able to carry her, when I’m in such a sorry state myself?
When we come across the first house—a lone farmhouse on a massive expanse of land—Andy suggests that we stay there. I’m in total agreement. After all, it isn’t very likely that we’re going to come across any objection or danger in there now, is it? With that in mind, I push the door open confidently, and luckily it isn’t misplaced. There isn’t anyone here.
Well, no one alive or infected at any rate.
“Just close your eyes and step over them,” I say, trying to sound kind as I guide Melody over the three dead, mushy bodies. All filled with bullet holes.
Suicide or the result of Tom’s mission? I guess we’ll never know.
A part of me wonders how we’ll sleep in here tonight with that stench and the flies humming around, but another part knows that there isn’t a chance in hell of us going anywhere else. I don’t think any of us could manage the journey.
We explore quickly—checking for safety and supplies in equal measure. Directly at the top of the stairs, we find a small child’s bedroom—all decorated with footballs and diggers—and without a second thought, Melody crashes into the bed and falls asleep almost instantly. I allow myself to slump down by the headboard and sigh deeply.
