Infectious

Begin Again

The cool, crisp air blows through my golden hair and clouds cover the fluorescent sun that strains to say hello. Christine hoists Arianne up into the truck and stabilizes her balance. I toss up the duffel bag filled with canned goods, pick up another bag, and throw it up again. Wallace hugs my mother goodbye and I shoot him a warning look. His face becomes rock solid as he climbs into the vehicle.

"Well, that's everything," Christine states as she pulls the last crate of weapons into the trunk. The engine sputters as Wallace turns the ignition.

"Bye guys," Arianne says as the truck begins to pull away. There is the jumbled sound of goodbyes and farewells as they take off towards the highway.

"So, what are we doing today?" I ask my mom. The mating call of birds echoes throughout the dense forest. My mother places her hand on the small of my back and begins to lead me inside.

"For starters, we can plant some fruits and vegetables, mow the lawn-" she begins to say.

"We don't have any gas to get it working, I already checked," Mike interrupts. The trees sway like dandelions in the breeze over the vast rolling hills.

"There's always the store. It's only gonna be takin' me about five minutes to get there," Marcus says in his heavy Scottish accent. He points in the direction of the store and his biceps tightly flex against the material of his sleeves.

"Or I could go," I offer. We all stop in front of the hatch that leads to our underground home.

"No," my mother says sternly.

"No one leaves, at least not until the others return with our people."

"Fine," I say in a passive aggressive tone. I'm really trying, I know how hard it is for my mum to live in a world like this and I just want to make her happy. I don't want to argue but being in control is like my second nature.

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I'm on my my hands and knees, digging away at the moist ground. I press a bulb into the dirt and cover it up, patting down the loose soil. Moving onto the next one, I push the hair away from my face with the heel of my hand.

"Here," Mia says, tossing a water bottle at me. I catch it and gratefully twist off the cap, gulping down the water. The cool liquid comes in contact with my dry, cracked lips and I've never felt more pleased. A few zombies repetitively smack into the barbed wire fence. I get up, drawing my knife out from my belt, and I make my way over to them. One has a pair of ski goggles that has 'Jay Peak Ski Resort' printed on the side. It's eyes are an oozing milky white and it's pupils are decaying. Saliva trails down its chin as its head wildly shakes at the smell of my human odour. I approach it and drive the knife through its forehead. The creature slumps against the fence and I push it back while withdrawing my weapon. Mia stabs the other one which crumples to the floor like a sheet. Spinning away from the gruesome scene, I head back to my task. The smell of rain enters my nose and I can sense the storm brewing from miles away. The first few drops splatter onto the ground, one taps my nose and I squint on instinct.

"We should head inside," I say. We pack up our things and climb down the rusty iron ladder into the house.

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She calls out to me and it's like every time I'm about to reach her she becomes farther away. Her aura flickers as though she's passing through the gateway of reality and fantasy. The girl finally stops. I tap her shoulder and she slowly turns around, revealing Martha's contorted face. I shriek and sprint the other way, tripping over a body. I land on the concrete ground of a building rooftop, my knees impacting with the hard surface. I search for what caused the mishap and my eyes land on a motionless body. I pull myself up, inching towards the person dressed head to toe in black. The stench of blood reaches my nose and I struggle not to scream as a pool of red liquid forms around the body. I tap the boys shoulder a couple of times to make sure he's completely dead. The face turns my way and I realize it's Riley. He crawls towards me and I scramble to get away.