Infection |Infected Book 1|

Chapter 14 (original version)

When the four infected jumped out of the dark room, I gasped in horror. One was a little girl a little taller than Aundrea, with blood-stained blonde hair. She was the first one to run at us. Cody swung his bat into her face, making her death quick. My eyes stayed locked on the little girl's body laying on the floor, even when I heard Cody's bat make contact with another head.

I glanced up just in time to see an infected man running at me only a few feet away. I struck with my chair leg in front of me and watched as the nail pierced the man's throat. Blood squirted onto my cheek and I yanked the chair  leg out of the man, causing him to fall to the ground. I held the leg over my head and swung it down onto the man's head with all of my strength.

Then we heard the glass-shattering scream. I turned my head frantically to see Selma in the arm's of an infected woman, who was tearing at her shoulder. Aundrea was slowly backing up against the wall, shaking her head back and forth, trying to shake herself out of a bad dream. Rich plunged his knife into the back of the woman, who lifted her blood-soaked mouth to the ceiling and screamed. When Rich removed his knife she fell to the ground with a thud.

All of us stared at Selma and her shoulder, which was almost nothing but bone.

“Kill me,” Selma whispered. “We all know what will happen.”

“Selma, no,” I pleaded taking a step towards her. “It may not be the end. What type blood do you have?” I crossed my fingers and hoped she would say B Positive, then she would be immune.

“Aundrea and I are both O Negative,” Selma said with defeat in her voice.

“What about Aundrea?” Cody asked, his eyes were glossy , as were mine.

“Please take care of her,” Selma's voice cracked. She turned her head to look at her daughter who was standing against the wall with her face in her hands. “Aundrea, look at me.” Aundrea lifted her head; tears running down her angelic face. They locked eyes, silently crying to eachother, and whispered their goodbyes.

I couldn't help it. I cried with them. I saw tears run down Cody's cheeks, though his face never made an expression. Durbin was sitting on the ground with his head between his legs, looking down at the floor. Rich wiped his eyes and walked towards Selma holding the shotgun.

“Yall get out of here,” He said, without turning his head to look at us. “I'll be outside in a second.”

I walked over to Aundrea, who had slouched down to the ground, crying uncontrollably. I picked her up off of the ground and held her to my chest. Aundrea kicked and screamed and punched my back.

“MOMMY!” She screamed as we walked through the front doors. “MOMMY, NO! I'M SCARED!”

Aundrea reached up and yanked my hair, causing me to scream and drop her. She stood up and ran back towards the door. The shotgun banged making Aundrea stop as she got to the door.

“Mommy..” She whispered as she collapsed to the ground. “Why'd you have to go?” She asked as tears filled her voice again. Cody walked over to her and picked her up, letting her rest her head on his shoulder as she cried.

I heard a cough, and turned my head to see Durbin leaning against a hood of a car. Rage pulsed through my veins at the sight of him.

“You!” I pointed my finger at him and ran towards him. “You miserable piece of shit!” My fist made contact with his cheekbone, making him squeal. I shook my hand as it throbbed with pain. “This is all your fault!” I set the pain aside and gave him an uppercut to the jaw sending Durbin flying back onto the hood of the car. He wasn't even fighting back.

“That's enough,” Rich's southern twang interrupted my next attack.

“What!?” I screeched at him as my hands flew in the air. “Have you gone mental Rich?” I motioned to Durbin. “Selma would still be alive if it wasn't for him and his drunken ass!”

“Yes,” Rich said. “You're right. But he's out of liquor now.”

“Are you seriously sticking up for this man?” I took a step towards Rich eying him carefully. “Kill him!” I yelled through my teeth.

“I'm not killin' nobody who don't need to be killed,” Rich said with the shotgun dangling from his fingers.

“You just killed Selma, who was a good mother,” My fists clenched at my sides. “And you're telling me that you're gonna, let the man who killed her, live?”

“Yes mam'” Rich said.

“Rich,” I said more quietly, but still with a raw tone. “This man took your woman,” Rich's eyes widened. “He tore apart your family, fought your son, and just did something that almost got us all killed and you're okay with that?”

“I know you don't agree with my choice, but you had a choice too and you didn't kill him.”

“That was before he killed Selma,” I retorted back.

“I didn't kill her,” Durbin said with a new tone to his voice, regret and guilt. “I didn't want her to die.” He looked at Aundrea who was still crying into Cody's shoulder. “I didn't think there would be infected in there. Why would they be in a room like that?”

“Maybe that's what the big X was there for you dumbass,” I yelled at Durbin. The whole incident seemed to had sobered Durbin up, who was looking at me intently. “Don't even look at me,” I said fiercely. “You disgust me.” I turned in the direction of Cody and Aundrea who were now sitting on the curb talking. “And you,” I said to Rich as I walked by him. “I still think you're a coward.”

Rich laughed deeply as I made my way to Cody and Aundrea. They both looked up at me when I walked up to them. Aundrea's face was red from crying and Cody had his arm wrapped around her. He looked to me for help.

“So, Mommy's gone?” Aundrea whimpered.

I squatted down in front of her taking her hands in mine. “Yes, sweetie, Mommy's gone but she's not gone in here,” I said tenderly pointing to her heart. “Mommy needs you to be the strong girl that you are.” Aundrea let out a sob and nodded her head.

“I will,” She said wiping her fresh tears away. “For Mommy.” She stood up and wrapped her arms around me. I hugged her back and stroked her hair that had fallen lose from her pigtails.

“Come here Aundrea,” Rich called from a few yards away. “I have something for you.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a Snicker's making Aundrea smile weakly. She drug her feet over to Rich and snatched the candy from his hands, tearing through the wrapper.

“Desi,” Cody said, grabbing my arm and spinning me around. “Are you okay?” He looked deeply into my eyes, trying to find the answer. I looked away, grinding my teeth.

Truth is, I didn't know if I was okay. In the past few days I've become an angry violent person. I winced as my hand continued to throb with pain from punching Durbin. I'd never felt so many emotions in such little time; terror, anger, hurt, pain. I glanced back into the eyes of Cody, and was reminded of another emotion. Love.

“Yes,” I whispered truthfully. “I'm okay now.” I took a deep breath and puffed out a gust of air, trying to be rid of my rage. When Cody's arms wrapped around me my body relaxed, folding into him. Then I blacked out.