Chapter Seven
1111 Words
Coldness awakens him as a sudden shocking pain kicks to his brain, and he felt the pointy end of the needle bursting some cool liquid inside his head.
Nicholas opens his eyes in a flash, inside a lab, naked and next to him, there were line of boys situated like him in the metal beds. Strapped and unable to freed themselves from the incoming danger.
His eyes widens, looking over his arms and legs, yellowing with green lesions. He could even feel in his gums that his teeth have become sharper. His vision quite greenish with the likeliness from a snake.
"No!" His scream echoed around the whole freezing lab and was replied by a familiar voice.
"You can never stop the inevitable. It was already decided for you to become a zombie"
He turned his head and come face to face with his friend, Howard. He stood there in the other side of the mirror, he is not infected. He looked just like his normal self.
There were some men and women behind him, wearing lab gowns, talking and laughing about something as one of the man hold up a test tube.
Down the hall, he saw Angela with a taller guy, holding to a little girl and he couldn't understand it why she was in a different scene. She was running from something.
She was running from someone.
His vision then catch onto something else and saw in the corner, Takashi being guided inside one of the rooms, his face looked so scared that Nicholas wants to come for him.
He could not do it, but it did not end there.
Looking up, he spotted many tiny cameras capturing every moment of the subjects, though, his stare from it were disturbed by a male doctor appearing up on his side.
He's holding a syringe, the liquid inside is murky brown.
"Ready Patient Zero?"
His body were shaken up by someone and his eyes pop open to see Takashi and Howard's face looking down at him. It takes a moment for him to realised they were in the middle of the wide river. Over the curve of the boat, Zander stood up and handed him a water bottle while Rainier whisked his fishing equipment down the waters.
"You okay there?", Zander asked in concern as Nicholas drinks.
He nods, but hisnl friends could tell that he was not fine.
"You can go sleep once we're already at the safe house", Zander then go back to Rainier to tell what had happened.
Takashi bombarded him with questions. "What happen? Are you okay? What did you dream about? You were shouting no repeatedly"
He didn't answer at first, glancing at Howard and studied him, wondering if his dream was kind of a warning.
A warning that something sicker is coming.
"I dreamt that I'm not immune to the virus and you are"
And it kinds of make sense. Howard in already a month after he was bitten, is still sane and human.
Takashi and Howard frowned in unison. "What do you mean?", they both asked at the same time.
Nicholas stand up, facing the river as the soothing air greets his face and upon spotting some shadows moving into the trees on the river side, did he only turn to answer.
"Something sicker than the zombies is coming for us"
_______________________________________
The world ends. The world begins again. And that same world gives me someone to add in my burdens.
We had been running for already three hours nonstop, ignoring Aera's pleas for us to rest and making sure we put a thousand miles from those people if we could.
If they will find me, we knew we couldn't have a chance to escape them and if there is one, it's only death that will free us.
Only we had stopped when we run into someone. Another girl. This time, she's wearing a normal outfit and not a lab gown. She looks normal enough for me to think she is not with that girl who did turned into a zombie.
"What?", she asked, looking at me and Takumi then to the kid. "Damn. Why are you making a little family in this shitty world?"
Aera peeked from your back, now choosing to be carried in a piggy back position. "Hello stranger"
She smiled suddenly. "Hello kiddo. Who's your mommy and daddy?"
My face along Takumi both falls into embarassment at what she thinks of the both of us.
"Sorry but we're only...", I stopped, unable to say what's the score between me and him.
Before I can continue, the girl holds up her hand and gestured for the two of us to follow her. Since we have no place to go and seeing Aera is already restless on my back, I followed her with Takuki placing himself behind, just in case for our safety.
This night is like the first time when I met him. The full moon is up on the sky, his light guiding me to wherever this girl is leading us and I let myself take into the relaxing smell of the forest, the tunes of the insects mixing with the birds chirping their good nights on every living person.
For once, there is no zombie hisses and growls. For once, there is no gunshots.
For once, I think Takumi and I with Aera will be safe.
As I took in the place where the girl leads us, I knew then the safety I wish will come true. I think even Takumi thought the same as he moves closer to my side.
Aera jumped down from my back and runs towards the gate where the girl is waving us to follow inside the mansion, hidden deeply into the woods and with it's tall wired gates that could electrify any person or creature and security cameras working at all hours, this is truly the safe haven.
My words felt more right when we get inside and I see all the occupants were of our age. There were boys running to clean some weapons and in the far in right corner, there were girls training to shoot and three boys stood up from the table on the porch, a map of the city is spread out there but for now, their attention was to the new comers.
"Were you two running from them as well?", the one wearing a zebra printed bonnet asked and I know what is he directing at.
Those hunters who turned that girl a zombie and killed her at the same time.
"Yes, we are"
"Then we are on the same side. Welcome to the Force"
"Force?"
- Writer
