Mortality

Chapter 14: Zarah

R11 was supposed to save us all, but the longer they waited, the more people died horrible and violent deaths. The government caved. Even if there wasn’t enough for everyone yet, waiting wasn’t going to help anything.

I agreed wholeheartedly that they needed to get this thing out to as many people as they could as quickly as possible. Some form of protection had to be better than nothing. Liam disagreed. Or at least he used to.

At first, he seemed as excited as everyone else, but as more and more journalists reported on the potential risks of a hastily concocted miracle drug, his opinion began to shift. We didn’t know yet what the long term effects of this drug were. All we knew was that those who were bitten after inoculation never showed any symptoms of the virus. That was more than enough for me.

He squeezes my hand, and we go back into the apartment for dinner. I try and stop myself from counting the minutes we have left and just enjoy our time together.

Three nights later, I wake up to the sound of knocking at my bedroom door. “Zarah, sweetie,” Noor says, her usually cheerful tone comes out sounding forced. “Can I come in?”

“Mmmhmm,” I mumble into my pillow while pulling my comforter up over my shoulders and snuggling deeper into my bed. It feels as if I just fell asleep and my mind is hazy.

The doorknob jiggles, but the door stays closed. I remember that I locked it before getting in bed and pull myself up. The reports on the news have been getting stranger and more gruesome by the day. Locking the door is the only way I can get any sleep without my aunt at home. She has been working late all week, as less and less people are going into the office. We still haven’t seen too many outbreaks in our part of the state, but no one is inclined to take chances.

Sliding the latch over, I open the door. Noor is still in her perfectly ironed blue suit, but her hair is disheveled and her makeup smeared. Her dark skin looks unusually pale, like she’s not only seen but done battle with a ghost.

“What’s wrong?” I ask at the same time as my eyes drift down. She’s holding a blood-soaked bandage against her forearm, and all at once my world falls apart. “Oh my God. What happened? Did you…” I can’t bring myself to finish the question, but her expression says it all. She’s been bitten.

“I stopped at the convenience store on the corner on my way home from work. There was no one behind the counter, but some poor soul had died near the back of the store by the freezer. He was just lying there.

“I tried to back out of the store quietly, but I didn’t want to risk turning my back to him. Just in case.” I nod supportively. “I must have knocked over a display on my way out. He was on me so quickly, sweetie. I couldn’t stop him.” Aunt Noor had been carrying a knife in her purse for weeks, hoping that it would be enough if she should be attacked. She hated the idea of having to hurt someone, so I didn’t ask her to relive how she managed to get away.

“I’m so sorry.” Tears are already streaming down my face as I lean in to hug her. Immediately, she takes a step back.

“Don’t come too close.”

“You still have time. At least a day.” It will never be enough. My mind can’t grasp the idea of losing my family all over again.

“We don’t know that. We don’t know anything. I only came back so that you wouldn’t have to wonder what happened to me. I’ve left everything you’ll need in the safe. Money and credit cards. And my gun.”

“Please, we need more time. Where will you even go?”

“To the hospital I guess. Or a police station.” She doesn’t need to tell me what will happen once she gets there. “We knew this could happen. Do you have everything you need?”

I nod mutely, my brain frantically searching for something I could say to convince her to stay. My lip quivers and I see my expression mirrored in my aunt’s face.

Less than ten minutes later, I close the door to the apartment behind her. I wait until she disappears down the stairwell before going back into the apartment. I have to lock the door behind me to stop myself from chasing after her. She took nothing with her except the clothes she was wearing and her jacket. We both know she won’t be coming back. I hold my breath to try and keep the growing sense of panic back.

I go back to my room and find my cell phone tucked away under my pillow. No messages, but I have several news alerts. It looks like Noor is nowhere near the only person that was infected tonight. All across the country vicious outbreaks are being reported.

I send Liam a text message, telling him what’s happened and asking what he thinks I should do. I can’t just stay here by myself, can I? What if things get worse and I have to leave? I don’t even know how to drive.

I sit down on the bed and stare at my phone, willing Liam to answer. We’ve both been sleeping with the volume turned up on our phones, just in case. But I know he can sleep through anything. I probably won’t hear from him for hours. It’s not like there’s anything he can do to help, anyway.

I sit in the living room on the floor with my knees up against my chest, sobbing so hard that I can’t catch my breath. She’s been gone nearly two hours now. That is more than enough time to find a police officer to put a bullet between your eyes. Every few minutes, I hear screaming from somewhere outside, but too quickly each scream is silenced, and I hug myself tighter.

I’ve left several messages on Liam’s phone already. I still haven’t heard back and am half convinced he’s dead too. Bad news is coming in from all over the world. Even he couldn’t sleep through this.

The reports out of California and Texas are the most horrifying. I hope that the rumors of people being attacked by the living are only that—rumors. This is like Cleveland all over again but on a much bigger scale.

I have the TV turned off now, but I can’t erase the images from my mind. It’s too much.

I sit up straight when I hear the harsh wail of a car alarm join the chorus of intermittent screams from outside of the building. I slowly stand up and walk over to the window, expecting to see an unimaginable hoard of infected coming right for me. You don’t live through something like this twice.

I’m going to die here, tonight. I know there is probably something I could be doing, but I don’t want to move. I don’t want to do this again. I’m done.

Then, for the second time that night, I hear someone knocking. Tap, tap, tap. This time it’s coming from the front door. Zombies don’t ask for permission to come inside, right? I know I’m being silly. Maybe Noor has decided to come back after all. Maybe she saw how bad things are out there and knew how much I’d need her.

My breath hitches as the knocking comes a second time, this time more frantically. “Zarah, please be okay. Just let me in!” a male voice pleads from the other side of the door. Definitely not Noor then. Still, I’d know that voice anywhere.

Liam.

I fling the door open.