INFECTED

Chapter 20

"How about Angel and Kellie?"

"They, uh, they're doing fine, and they went with Troy." I was totally relieved after hearing those from Aaron but a scene of Kellie and Angel wounded by Micheal and Elio suddenly flashed in my head again making my smile turn upside down.

"Lei, what's wrong?" Aaron worriedly asked but I just looked down and I noticed that he has a wound on his right hand and I know that it is not just an ordinary wound.

I turned my gaze at him and he just stared at me with his puzzled look. "You're scratched," I said that made him look at his right hand.

He glanced back at me and took a deep sigh before talking. "Yesterday, where everyone was still sleeping, I sneaked out and went to the stockroom because I really want to see her again for the last time," he said as sadness clouded all over him and by 'her', I know that he's talking about Melissa.

"Melissa scratched your hand?" I asked and he just nodded and I can definitely tell that he's still in grief because of what happened, "please tell me you're not the one who killed her," I was waiting for an answer but he just looked down that made me cover my mouth in shock and a tear started to form on my eyes.

"I had to do it, I can't stand watching her suffering from an endless pain in which she wasn't in control of her body." I'm totally conflicted at what he had done. I mean, he's got a point but I promised Melissa about finding a cure. But now that she's dead, I don't know if I can still save her, no, there's no way of saving her now.

"But there's one thing that made me totally confused," he said staring at me with his serious look, "as Troy, Kevin, and Elio arrived at the stockroom yesterday, I hid on one of the large boxes inside because I know that they will get angry at me. But that's not my point, well, after they left I got out of the box and left a rose on Melissa's lap, I don't how but after I got out of the stockroom, I heard this weird noise and there I saw Melissa running towards the senior high building."

"Wait I thought you killed her, then why-"

"I know, that's what I'm trying to say."

"Maybe you were just hallucinating or something," I said trying to be logical but he just shook his head.

"I wasn't, you see, I followed her all the way to the senior high building and I found her at the garden beside it standing at the same spot where I had picked the rose that I left on her lap." He said but I just stared at him because I was totally confused.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked.

"I called out her name and slowly walked closer to her. And as I step on a twig, it made a sound that made Melissa turn her attention to me. I was definitely puzzled and horrified that time and I just stood there frozen at what I saw."

"What did you saw?"

"It was Melissa's face, red medium-sized petals were starting to develop on her pale face and there are thorny vines that were smudged in blood growing on the scratch wound on her right arm," he gave a vivid description that is totally implausible and sounds like he's uttering a sentence out of a fantasy book, "I know it's hard to believe but I saw it with my own eyes and right now, I am totally confused at what is real and what is not."

"Look, after this plague has started, I have seen numerous things that were too surreal and there's no reason for me not to believe you," I said that made him took a deep sigh.

First, that monster that we saw inside the senior high building with mushrooms growing on its face, then those monsters inside the principal's office with multiple arms, then that monster with spider arms on its back, and also that strange slimy purple thing that came out of Michael and Elio's body, then Aaron's story about Melissa growing petals and thorny vines on her body. What's next? Is there much more terrifying than those I've mentioned?