Infection

Chapter 2 - Strange Times

The day was finally at a close and I found myself taking the long trek to the train station home, joining the busy bodies of students swarming into the city.

"Seth."

I looked up, was someone calling me?

"SETH!"

I spotted ahead of ginger bobbing above the crowd waving my way. "Eve?" She stood to the side waiting, grinning ear to ear.

"You walking into town?"

"As always. Why, are you?"

"Yeah! Felt like a bit of shopping, care to join me?"

"Can't, got to catch the train home. How come you didn't get the bus into town?" I asked as we started walking.

"What's wrong with a girl wanting to walk? Plus the bus costs money!"

"Touché and nothing wrong with that, but what would your friends think," I said winking.

She rolled her eyes. "You leave them to me, nothing I can't deal with."

"Why, what have they been saying?"

"That I could do better..."

"We're not even..." My heart skipped a beat.

"I know right, they just don't get that a guy and girl can be friends!" She faltered slightly. "Wait... what the...?!"

Not but 3 feet in front of us, laid out against the wall was some sought of mutated cat, or at least it used to be. Its fur was in patches and its skin was roar. Both legs were at awkward angles and it was as if something had come along and mauled it!

"That's just disgusting, it looks fresh as well!" Eve exclaimed, stepping around the remains. Suddenly it twitched and Eve screamed, I would have laughed if I hadn't been so shocked myself. But then the cat turned and hissed, trying to get at Eve! I quickly grabbed her by the hand, lead her on. Not wanting to go any closer to that thing.

"You okay?" I asked, her hand slipping out of mine... almost reluctantly?

"What was that?!"

"Some weird mutated cat, who knows, don't worry about it."

"But its legs, they were all..."

"Just some banged up cat, someone's dog probably got to it."

"It looked just as sick as it did messed up though,"

"Who died and made you a vet!" I said with a laugh.

"I'm just saying, the poor thing."

"A second ago you were cursing it, now you're feeling sorry for it!"

"Wasn't the cats' fault for being all beaten up was it?

"You think it was infected with that virus?" I said more seriously.

"Maybe, it looked just as bad as the ones on the news..."

"Can a cat, even get whatever they're calling it?"

"Oh, I don't know, anyway you got a train to catch."

"And you've got some lonely shopping to do, don't stay out too late, it looks like rain!"

"Yes, I do, a few new tops I'm thinking, and I won't."

"Well then have fun and I'll see you tomorrow!

"You too."

We stopped for a quick hug before going our separate ways.

I was soon strolling into the station, skillfully weaving my way through the gentle flow of confused customers, looking for the correct platform. Haven taken the train home every day for the past year I was more than capable of finding where I was supposed to be. And by the looks of it, I was just in time! The single carriage was just pulling in as I joined the thick crowd of bodies rushing to be in front when the doors open. We didn't have to wait long. The single door soon slid open and we hastily flooded into the carriage trying to get the best seats. I managed to grab a window seat before an elderly lady sat down next to me, nodding politely.

Lying back in my chair I closed my eyes, relaxing, it had been a long weird day and I needed a break. Soon there came a roar from underneath me and I could feel the cart slowly pull out of the station, accelerating forward, the familiar sound of train tracks underfoot lulling me to sleep.

The train gently tilted sideways, my body pressing up against the glass as we rounded a bend, the squealing of the wheels breaking the rhythmic pita patter I knew so well and then suddenly I heard screaming coming from all around me. My eyes snapped open; I wasn't just pressed up against the window I was lying on it! Everything seemed to slow down as I witnessed bodies being flung out of seats like rag dolls, smashing into the other side of the carriage with an awful crack. I could see the ground swiftly coming up to meet the train out the corner of my eyes, the sound of metal scraping against the floor tearing at my ear drums and mixing with the screams of passengers, my own included and then it struck me. I was going to die. I tried to move from where I lay, to grab on to anything, but it was too late. All of a sudden I was ripped up from where I lay and hurled into... blackness.

*

"Hello, emergency service operator, which service do you require? Fire, police, or..."

"Send them all! Just send them all!"

"... Hello, my names Sarah, can you tell me where you are?"

"[Sobbing]... There's so much blood, it's everywhere! I..I..I can't move my legs!"

"Sir, what's your name?"

"...  John..."

"Hello John, my names Sarah, I want you to calm down and take deep breaths it's going to be okay, can you tell me what happened?."

"I don't know, I was on the train home and...[Distant explosion]...THERE'S A GUY ON FIRE, HELP, OH... [The phone goes dead]"

"Hello? John..."