Still breathing | Original story

Chapter Thirty Three: Mutation

Word count: 2054

I watched the vial float up into the sky, twirling around and around. The star reflected off it and made the contents gleam like glitter. Condensation filled the glass and hid the shine, oxygen mixing with the powder. It began to bubble over and foam splurged to the top. I reflectively ducked down and hid my face in my arms, my hands clasped firmly over my ears as I waited for the explosion. The explosion that never came.
After a few moments of nothingness past, I pulled my hands away and began to straighten up, my heart thumping in my ears and my adrenaline wearing away.
In a matter of seconds, I heard the last speck of hope I had left shatter on the ground. I looked down over the roofs ledge but couldn't see into the dark abyss below. All I knew was that there was no chemicals in the air, no explosion, no vial. Maybe I had done something wrong?
A sound erupted behind me. My heart thumped out of my chest, my body surged forward so I was pressed up against the cold brick. The sound kept coming, loud and abrupt. Yet slow at the same time.
I turned around hesitantly and there stood Archie, slowly applauding my effort. That was when it sunk it, it was a fake.
"That was a test," he told me as he dropped his hands to his side, he stood in front of a floodlight and his body became just a shadow. I could imagine his smirk, the gleam in his eyes. "I must say you failed miserably." The shadow shook his head. He moved forward slowly, his shoes tapping on the floor. His face became visible; half light and half dark.
"I don't know what you mean," I spoke stubbornly, trying to not feel intimidated. My body shook with ripples of fear as he threw his head back and chuckled.
"That-" he started as he walked closer so I could clearly see him, the gleam was there, just as I had imagined. Maybe even darker. "-is precious," he spat, the laughter completely leaving his system. He gripped my arm so tightly I thought my skin would break and spray blood on the already horror like scene. I gasped and stumbled back, only a step, as far as he would let me.
"Did you really think this would work?" His grasp got tighter, his fingers pinching into my skin. "How stupid do you think I am?"
"Ow stop. Please," I cried out pathetically as tears threatened to burst out. He laughed bitterly and released me with such force that I lost my balance and fell to the floor, jutting my shoulder on the wall behind.
I rubbed my painful arm, only to hiss and flinch away as fabric rubbed against my raw skin.
"I wanted loyalty," he said, looking down at me. "I would've given you everything if I had your loyalty." I didn't speak, I just stared up at him. "The anti-virus was a setup and now... hmm, I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He stroked his chin and looked upward at the sky. There was my chance; I kicked my leg forward to scoop his and pulled at it. I wanted his body to fall but he was one step ahead.
As soon as my foot lifted up, he pressed his shoe hard into it. A shock of pain ran up my nerves. He held it there for a second "See. No trust," he whispered.
"You're one to talk," I muttered, pushing the words out through my pained breathing.
"Now now young lady," he began and released my foot, I pulled it away in an instant. Resisting the urge to rub at it or check for bruising, all I could do was watch him. "I know exactly what to do with you," his words were laced with anger. A lump grew in my throat and I couldn't flush it down.
He pulled out a remote from his pocket and walked away.
"There's a reason I said high place."
"You expected me to go to the roof?" I said as I pushed myself up off the ground and gripped the wall to keep myself steady. It was all part of his plan and I had fallen for it.
"Ding ding ding. Correct," he laughed.
"What's my prize?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, he turned to face me and walked backwards as gracefully as he walked forwards.
"A corpse." I snorted - as if they scared me, I'm immune. Did he forget? "You see the vaccine put the virus in you which my creations can sense when close. As long as you pretend to not be human, they leave you. But what would happen if a mutation caused a corpse to kill anything - undead or not?" My eyes widened.

Archie was heading towards a shed that looked more like an air raid shelter from world war one. He knocked on it a few times and an almighty roar rumbled through the air and echoed in the distance.
My feet controlled me as I made a B-line for the exit. I reached the door and a shadow emerged from the corridor. It was one of his workers, I couldn't tell which one. I stopped and held my breath like I was sure he wouldn't see me, but I was covered in light so of course, he had. He shoved me hard and I tumbled backwards.
One step,
two step,
three step,
fall.
I looked up but the face still stayed unknown, my body shook all over. Archie walked over to me, looking down at my crumpled up body. I leant up on my elbows just as he bent down. The creature was thumping away at the door of the shed, I could hear every crack and scratch.
"I think this means we're breaking up," Archie smirked at me. I shook my head and couldn't help myself to laugh.
"More like we're being torn apart." The laughter helped me cover my fear, the words made the whole thing almost humorous. Then, the infected hit the door again and my body recoiled away, Archie became serious.
"We could've made such a great team... pity." He straightened up and turned away from me.
"We still could," I said, my voice close on begging as he abandoned me. I didn't want to show my weakness to him but it was so easy to, he was the one who had seen me at my lowest and maybe there was still something good left inside him. He stopped for a second like he was considering it. I hoped that I wouldn't be food for that mutated creature.
"I don't give second chances," he told me without even turning to face me. Then he flicked the remote up and pressed a button. I heard metal grinding and looked to see the door of the shed opening slowly. I looked back to the door and saw Archie being sucked up into the dark corridor. As the worker began to close the door I jumped up and fell against it, but it was too late. I heard a lock slide into place. My hands battered relentlessly against it but it was no use.
Just then I heard a sound so loud I was afraid my ear drums would burst. Metal grinding against stone, claws scratching against metal. I turned to look at the shed but it was almost completely demolished, the door lay on the floor and debris from the roof was crumbling down.
The creature was massive, its flesh ballooning up so it's entire form seemed swollen. It stamped forwards, its feet making the ground rumble. I couldn't tell whether it was male or female, it was just one big genderless blob of pus and disease.
Its eyes were a raw yellow shade and I could almost see it grinning as it looked me up and down. I was merely the prey and I knew that the infected were one thing to defeat but that was ten times the size and gave me ten times the fear. I tried to hide in the shadows but it already knew I was there, it began to sniff the air and it locked onto me again.
It charged. I had expected it to be slow due to its weight but it was quick on its feet and I wondered if it would beat my own speed.
I jumped out of the way at the last second, my heart hammering in my chest. I felt like it would implode at any second. My breathing was uneven as I ran to the other side of the roof. The infected close on my tail. I didn't even have a weapon! I began to panic, the only way out was through the locked door or to fall to my death by jumping off the building - which sounded better than being torn apart by the giant chasing me.
I kept running, I felt the beast close to me. Its heat burning into my back, I made a quick turn and got to the shed in time to pick up a brick from the floor. I scratched my hand between the pavement and the brick but barely noticed as I continued to run around like I was in one giant game of tag. Except if I got caught I wouldn't just be 'it'.
The brick felt heavy in my hand, it was hard to carry it and run at the same time. Both hands were occupied so my body was no longer slicing through the air, the infected was catching up, I could hear its snarls getting closer to me by the second. I took in a deep breath, did one last sharp turn before I quickly stopped and spun around. It was running straight for me, I grabbed the brick so tightly I felt it tear into skin. I brought It up and swung as hard as I could, it collided with the infected's face. The edges crumbled on impact. I stood there shocked as the infected didn't react much at my attempt to kill him, he just snarled angrily. I backed away way too slowly and the infected went to grab for me.

I was going to die. Lily, I'm sorry I can't help you, I thought. I didn't know where it had come from, so many things were rushing through my head, Caleb, be safe, you're a smart kid. You- My thoughts rapidly changed to something else, a technique I had learnt from a little kid that cheats in football. I ducked out of the way, spun on my heels and caught the infected's leg with my foot. I hooked it, using its confused state and weight against it. It fell to the floor with one strong yank, my foot thumped in pain and heat. The infected was dazed long enough for me to get the earlier brick from the floor and aim it better. It began to get up when it smashed the brick against the creature so hard it fell back down with a loud outburst of breath. I got the brick again and repeatedly shoved it into the infected's skull. Blood dripped onto the brick but I wasn't sure if it was from my own battered hand holding onto the sharp edges or from the infected itself. I didn't care too much either. I just kept hitting it. Each time the infected would attempt to get back up.
I cried out and ground my teeth. With one final blow, the brick stuck into rotten brain and the infected lay still. I fell back, my body hit the cold floor. I was breathing heavily from exhaustion. The euphoria of beating the creature didn't last long and I became tired and felt every twinge of pain travelling around my body.
My hand was a bloody mess, I went to get the fringe out of my eyes when I saw the dark blood run down my arm and drip onto the floor like spitting rain. My hand began to tremble. I was shaking all over. But I was alive. Everything I was feeling was because I was alive! I had made it and I had never felt so relieved by pain in my life.