Kenneth's Gift

Anthony

Anthony was tasked with the responsibility of keeping Kenneth safe.  He was deaf, disfigured, and terrified of the child seeing his face.  He was bitten a year ago, but instead of losing his mind quickly, it happened gradually.  Disfigurements across his face began immediately.  He was ashamed to let the boy see his face.  He could not speak, he could not explain to the boy why he had to be locked away.  He was instructed when he took him to only disclose his location at his life’s end.  He was grateful that he could not hear the child’s cries. 

               Food began to become more and more scarce it was dangerous to scavenge, due to the beasts that roamed through out the surrounding woods.  These beasts, once human roamed throughout.  They first infected other humans, and then their food source.  Animals that were bitten became disfigured also.  Blood ran from the eyes, nose and ears of both once human, and beasts.  This was a sign of the infectious virus. It depleted red blood cells, and made animals and humans alike crave blood and raw tissue.   Those infected were ravenous. 

               The slumps in their back made them much slower.  The skin on their face sagged from lack of nutrition, even the youngest skin looked as though the skin was dead.  Anthony had done well to hide this from Kenneth; he knew most of his thoughts were irrational.  He was well instructed to keep the child safe at the beginning.  What Anthony failed to tell them when they chose him was he had experienced the hunger.  This hunger for flesh ate at him.  This is why he locked the child in the cell. He made his decision long ago; he knew the virus was in his body.  He saw the disfigurements, he cried tears of blood.  His ears and nose wept blood.  As the hunger became stronger, he would travel outside.  He searched for uninfected beasts to feed on.  Beasts already infected were of no use.  Their blood was tainted.  As his symptoms progressed, he visited the boy less and less.  Just entering the dungeon he could smell his flesh, this drove him insane.

               During the last days, he had managed to signal someone.  He hoped it was Daniel, but he could not be sure.  He felt as though he could no longer control himself.  Traveling into the woods searching for food was much different than taking humanities last hope.  He had hidden a tonic at the beginning.  It was meant to kill him when he could no longer control himself.  He decided to take it after he gave his position away.  He could no longer safely care for the child. 

               Though he feed the child, he was forced to mix the little meat he had left after hunting into a blend of vegetables.  He had grown vegetables for years.  He could no longer stomach vegetables, and it was getting harder and harder for him to let go of the meat that he craved.  What made it worst was the child’s scent.  He had a heighted level of smell since infected.  He could smell infection, and also the untainted.     

               He took his life in the hopes that someone would release the child, Preferably his brother.  In his last moments, he felt the pain.  This pain was from the lives he had taken, he should have taken his own life much earlier.  This was part of the virus, driving you mad with hunger.  He had taken so many lives but spared the one in the cell.  His breathing slowed as he sat in the chair, until he felt nothing.  

Daniel

               For what seemed like years he has waited, waited for a sign or anything from his brother Anthony.  He has seen what the virus does.  Anthony has shown opposition to the virus.  He is curious to how he had such strong resistance.  A few days ago he received it, the coordinates of the child.  Thankfully the child was not far.  As he looks at Kenneth, he reminisces on the memory of the child’s mother.  She was stubborn, and she would not listen well.  She was bitten in the beginning, as a nurse she was meant to heal but her efforts backfired. 

               Her name was Dana, and in the beginning of the plague she believed that there could be a cure.  She set out with her son taking precautions while caring for the sick.  She was on her way to the hospital with her son (the hospital had guaranteed her son a bed in return for her to return to work) she abruptly pulled her car over when she saw her.  It was a tiny girl around the age of 4 wandering in the darkness in nothing but her night gown; on the road of all places.  Dana had seen the blood tinged eyes of her patients, she recognized this little girl as ill.  Her intention was to take to the hospital to treat.  She exited her car, and rushed to hug the little girl.  The girl had the hunger, the hunger for blood and flesh.  She bit Kenneth’s mother on the neck.  The boy was afraid, he saw his mother lying on the pavement.  He rushed to check on her.  He saw the small figure, biting his mother’s neck.  He pulled the small child off of his mother only for him himself to be bitten on his arm.   

               Dana knew they lacked time.  The incubation period of 3 days is not long at all.  It was not enough time.  She had been working on a cure, though she was not sure if it would kill them or save them.  When she arrived at the hospital, there were people everywhere.  She heard screams of death as she snuck into the lab.  To her dismay most of her research had been destroyed.  Only one vial remained, untested.  She decided in that moment that her son must have the cure not herself.  She injected him and then they fled.  There was blood everywhere.  It was impossible to help those not infected.  

    Daniel was her friend, She trusted him.  She trusted that he could care for her and her child.  She explained to Daniel what had happened at the hospital.  He watched the mother and child for a couple of days and on the third, the little boy showed no signs of disease.  His mother however had become erratic. 

    She craved flesh, and still believed that she was human.  I began separating mother and son that day.  No amount of reasoning could help her.  Her mind was becoming psychotic with blood lust.   He knew that he could no longer comfort or reason with the woman he loved.  He had never met Kenneth until now.  It was the moment he had to.  This young child had not changed.  He had not experienced the blood tinged tears.

    Without warning, his brother Anthony at his request took Kenneth.  Daniel was left to deal with Dana on his own.  He had learned though, in this new world leather was his friend.  He could not bring himself to kill Dana.  The unfortunate part about this was, the child had to be hid now.  The infected sense of smell is heightened especially with their young.