Infected

                They’re not dead, they’re just infected. The virus that started it all wasn’t killer, or at least it hadn’t become killer yet. From what it seemed, people were getting sick and then turning, something that starts out like a flu but becomes much more deadly to those who’re not contaminated. Something drives them to eat us. – Something blocks out the part of their brain that tells them that everyone around them is human. – Something makes them blood thirsty.

                Soho was swarming with the parasites, grudgingly they walked along the never ending streets, no destination in sight. My goal was to get onto the ferry, it was one of the safest places since they couldn’t swim— at least I hope to god they can’t swim. Most of the states had become infected, even if there were places that weren’t I wouldn’t know about them. All of the zombies were becoming bored of the city they’d picked over.

                In all of those television shows and books where they have zombie apocalypses they always make them seem like ignorant flies. But they were smarter than that—they were so much smarter than that. They  were extremely sensitive, they could hear you breathe, they could smell that you’re alive, they could feel your heart beat. They knew you were alive or dead, and they knew how to kill you.

                But in the seven months this has been going on I hadn’t found another healthy human to hide with, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was the last clean person in Soho. Quietly I sat on top of a hotel, watching them wander the streets. Out of the whole mess I saw a dog, he was obviously tainted but I still felt a twinge of pain. When this all started my dog got sick right away, he bit my dad and left the apartment. A few days later my dad had become sick.

                The dog tripped and fell, without thinking I got up and ran down the fire escape. Something had possessed me to help him. Carefully I walked out onto the street, going slowly so they wouldn’t notice me. Once I reached the dog I bent down and picked his arm up, a shard of glass was stuck in his paw. Gently I pulled it out and wrapped his paw up in a white bandage. His tail wagged slowly but happily, he was definitely infected.

                He put his paw up on my leg, reaching up toward me.

                “No,” I said, thinking he was going to bite.

                His ears went back and he sat on the ground, cautiously I scratched his head, hoping his intentions were kind. A zombie noticed and an outbreak happened, one of them saw me moving faster than any of them normally would. Quickly I pushed my way through the crowd, running down the street, abandoning the dog. Most of them tried to grab me, a few tried to bite me mid sprint but they all missed.

                I reached the building on the dock, getting through the first doors as fast as I could. Once I had passed through to a side street I had lost most of them, but I knew it wouldn’t be for long. I fumbled with my key at the lock, trying to wipe off the slime that had rubbed off from the zombies onto me. Finally I managed to calm down enough to open the door, once inside I took a deep breath and locked the door again. I had found the ferry a few months into this epidemic, none of the zombies had gotten in, and hopefully none of them ever would.

                After a minute or two of just standing in the main lobby, taking in that I was still alive, I saw the little puppy trot his way up the walkway. I laughed, not surprised that he had found me but surprised he had followed me. He barked when he got to the door, scratching the glass with his hurt paw.

                “Come here,” I opened the door, pulling him inside.

                He barked again, a smile plastered on his face.

                “Let’s go clean you up,” I smiled, picking him up and taking him into the bathroom.

                Once he got in the water all of this dirt and grime came off of him, as I scrubbed I realized that he might not actually be infected. His fur was much too long and  white with tan spots. I pulled him out of the water and set him on the ground, he shook the water off and bolted out of the bathroom, it was obvious he liked finally being clean. I walked into the newspaper store that sat towards the front of the lobby.            

                I found a box of cereal and a bottle of water, he had decided to follow me after running off.

                “Here you go,” I pulled the bag of cereal open, letting him eat.

                Quickly he gulped it down, happy to have some real food. Carefully I poured water into my hand for him to drink. He wasn’t infected at all. His tail wagged faster, happy to have found a companion.