Infectious

Chapter 9: Jax

Dried blood cracks along my skin's surface as I nervously pick at my fingers. I try my hardest not to blink, images of the infected person I killed are tattooed onto the backs of my eyelids. Is it considered murder if he was already pretty much dead? Didn't I honestly put him out of his misery? Albeit a bit of a brutal way with a baseball bat...

Barak begins his recollection of the evening, "My closing list isn't very long, only takes thirty minutes to complete. The final task turning the key on the front doors and locking them until morning's opening shift. As I pulled the key out a loud thud, over and over again, thumped on the glass directly in front of me. A fist print of blood was left in its wake. Shocked, I stood there not able to move, eyes wide, and barely breathing. One person turned into about thirty within seconds, slamming against the fragile doors. Lasting for what felt like hours, but was only a few minutes. One of them screamed they had a rock, raising the rock behind his shoulder, the guy just chucked it straight through the automatic doors. Whizzing past my left ear, grazing it, unfreezing me. " Sitting across from Barak, as he relives the night, I get the chance to take a good look at him. Not more than five foot seven and weighing in around 270 I'd say, he looked like your average everyday Joe. Hair black as the night surrounding us faded on the sides and floppy on top. Thin reading glasses perched at the end of his nose, one side cracked in a spider-webbed fashion. He was throwing his hands about in wild gestures, trying to show us how the events all unfolded before him. Insanely blue eyes widened with his theatrics.

"Everyone, or almost everyone, has lost their minds out there. I can only imagine how terrifying a crazed mob would have been." I shook my head bothered. "While they ran about stealing and breaking things, did any infected, people who appeared sick, walk through here?"

"So that's what you guys are calling them? Infected," Barak took a brief pause considering the name we've deemed them. "that seems fitting." His eyes begin to show a glint of fear as he recalls the evening he endured. "Yeah, most definitely an infected stumbled through those doors tonight. Specifically a young male, possibly thirteen or maybe fourteen years old, somewhat just appeared amongst the chaos towards the end of the crowd looting. Seeing him took me a minute to understand what stood before me. Neither one of my eyes could register the stunning sight. I had to take a double look, hoping that when I saw him for a second time he would be a normal young man. Possibly looking for goods to steal like the rest of them. No such luck, unfortunately." He takes a shaky breath trying to clearly calm himself.

"If it's too difficult to talk about, you don't need to." I try to assure him. "I think Kai and I could both attest to how traumatic an encounter with an infected can be." A small chuckle escapes from Kai. Her eyes immediately looked apologetic.

"Sorry, it's just that I think traumatic is an understatement." She half-shrugs.

Across from us, Barak nods his head. "You would be correct. Traumatic can't even begin to explain how it felt." He runs a hand through his hair. "I will do my best to tell you my nights' events, but please bare with me." Taking the deepest breath his lungs would allow before diving back into it, "I had no idea what was wrong with him at first. My blood turned cold as I let his image start to sink in. His jaw seemingly unhinged hung open, swaying slightly from side to side, as he spat black goo. Every breath he exhaled burned his clothes, burned his skin." Barak stops to swallow hard against the lump forming in his throat. Opening my mouth to try and comfort him, he raises his hand stopping me.

"Quite quickly red angry blisters appeared, his skin seemed to be peeling away from the muscle beneath. Not one inch of his body looked normal. Oddly resembled someone starting to peel a cucumber, but stopped halfway, so that the peels just sort of dangle." He was making a peeling motion along his arms trying to demonstrate for us. Kai and I visibly shudder with the image so clearly pictured for us. "His tattered navy blue t-shirt was splattered with drying maroon blood. I watched behind my counter as he stumbled over his feet, unbalanced wearing a single tennis shoe, towards another young man. Unsuspecting he rapidly stacked a cart full of nonperishables. The teen managed to come up behind him in a quiet manner. Digging his nails into the other guy's arm quicker than his fragile body should have allowed. First, he just stared at his fingers deep inside this poor guy's arm. Seeming to be lost in a trance, fighting a raging battle inside his mind. Meanwhile, the young man wailed in pain, screaming for one of the looky-loos to help. Thrashing about he tried hard to fight him off, but the teen had a strength comparable to superhuman abilities. Unable to free himself, the young man seemed to accept his fate as he stood there clutching a can of water chestnuts. Tears begin to fall in fear."

Fresh tears well in his eyes in front of us, "Only for a brief moment, I thought I saw a look of horror or confusion flash across the teen's face. Maybe he's realizing what a horrific act he has committed. Boy was I wrong. Before I could blink, the teen let the inner demons win his war. He sunk his teeth into the side of the man's throat, into his jugular vein. Whipping his head back and forth, tearing and shredding the skin, muscle, and blood vessels wide open. Blood gushed rapidly from the open wound. Splashing across the racks and people close enough. Similar to a child's water toy, you know? That sprinkler thing you hook a hose up to and let it swing around for them to jump through? Picture that, but a man's throat." Mike pauses to take a moment, gathering himself and swallowing hard against the imminent vomit. A few tears slip from his bottom eyelid. "Sorry..." He grumbles quickly wiping the tears away.

"No, there is absolutely no reason you should be apologizing Barak," Kai reassures him with a hand on his extended shin. "We can imagine and understand what you went through." She withdraws her hand when he tenses up at her touch. I notice her glance at me before continuing. "Jax and I had somewhat of a similar encounter ourselves a few times this evening. Unthinkable, unimaginable, unless you come across it. I am certain we will all have our 'first' infected face burned into our dreams and thoughts for some time. This..." Her voice cracks with emotion, " doesn't make much sense to me. I get it is the result of a virus, but to turn people into the walking dead... how?"

"It doesn't sit well with me either, nor does it make much sense. Watching as the young man was eaten alive in the middle of my market, felt like a horror movie of sorts. No one including myself didn't try to step in to stop the teen's brutal attack until it was too late. The man had lost too much blood and finally collapsed into a heap at the teen's feet. He stood above the man, head cocked to the side, salivating... It didn't take too much longer for my fingers to find old faithful," He taps his gun at his side," I shot him twice. One to his mid back first, but that appeared to have bothered him as much as a bug bite would have. Irritated, he spun around, eyes squinting at me confused. Without hesitation, I fired a second shot directly at his face. Immediately dropping to the floor like a sack of potatoes next to his victim he seemed to be officially dead. I thought it was over. Only a few moments after the teen fell dead, the young man partially torn to shreds started twitching." Lowering his head he slowly petted Ollie. "I didn't waste time shooting him, blew his brains completely out of his blood-drained pasty white head, ensured he couldn't do the kind of damage the kid had caused prior."

"I..." Jestering between Kai and me, "We're sorry you had to deal with that..." For once I'm at a loss for words. What we went through was horrifying, but his night? His night was one nasty twisted horror film.

"Anyways." He grits his teeth trying to get back up onto his feet. Ollie moves quickly getting out of his way. "What do we do now?"

"If it's alright with you, grab some supplies from your store and move on to a safer spot. Being in the middle of Orchard Hills we won't last long." Barak nods his head in agreement. " But before we make a run for it out of this hell hole, I need to find my brother... I haven't been able to reach him since all of this started." I feel the anxiety begin to eat away at my nervous system. "I can't leave him behind."

"We won't Jax. There is zero chance I would have it any other way." Kai locks her hand in with mine giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Are you guys...?" Barak raises his eyebrows questioning the sight before him.

"No!" We both rush to tell him how it's solely a friendship. Nothing more.

"Mmm. Sure." He kind of chuckles at our stumble. "Where do we begin looking for..."

"Drake."

"Ok, where would we find Drake?"

Scratching my head the only place I can think of would be the clinic. I look over at Kai who of course knew what I was thinking.

"The clinic." We say at the same time.

"Alright, lead the way then. Is it far?" Barak leans down for Old Faithful.

"From this place, it's somewhere around 3 miles." I watch as his eyes widen.

"That's a hike ain't it... Well, I will watch our backs." He pops two shells into the barrel and cocks it. With urgency, I scoop up all of the emptied merchandise on the floor back into the newly found satchel. Kai follows suit beside me.

"Let's go." I grab ahold of Ollie's leash leading the way out of the soon-to-be-forgotten store. Here we come, brother.