“Hurry the fuck up. It’s gonna bite me!” Tony cried. The zombie boy clung to him like a leech, its hands buried in his jacket. Sharp teeth nipped at the back of Tony’s neck, missing by less than an inch each time.
Tony was holding the kid back with only one arm; the other was trapped beneath him. He kicked with his legs and wiggled his way out from under the truck. Once in the clear, he twisted to the side and grabbed for the infected with both hands, frantic to keep it at a distance. The two struggled back and forth across the asphalt.
Alex gripped his sidearm and pulled it out. He tried to line up a shot, until he realized his mistake. If he pulled the trigger, the noise would draw the horde back. He didn’t dare use a gun.
He dropped the sidearm and grabbed for his knife instead. “I’ll have to come at you from the other side. Hold on, Tony.”
“I’m trying. Hurry up,” Tony shouted.
Alex rolled out from underneath the truck and shot to his feet. He was hampered by the lack of blood circulation in his veins, and his body refused to function correctly. He hobbled toward the struggling pair with the knife gripped in one hand. “I’m almost there.”
He rounded the corner and froze when sudden silence met his ears. Tony’s wide eyes were fixed on his, and his mouth was stretched open in a silent scream. The infected child had latched onto his throat like a piranha. It reared back with a chunk of flesh clenched between its teeth, and blood sprayed into the air.
Alex’s heart sank. I’m too late.
He ran closer and stabbed the zombie kid through the eye, thrusting the knife to the hilt. The infected stiffened in death, and he flung the corpse aside.
Alex whirled toward Tony, but one look was all it took. It was over for the man. A gaping tear in the side of his neck spurted arterial blood. It pumped out with each heartbeat, and death was imminent.
Even so, Alex refused to give up. He dropped to his knees and pressed both hands to the wound. Blood pushed out between his fingers, and Tony gasped for breath as he began to choke on the thick fluid.
“Hold on, Tony. Help is coming,” Alex cried, one hand reaching for the radio. He switched it on. “Officer Brown, come in. Over.”
“Officer Brown here. We saw what happened. We’re grabbing medical supplies and coming out. Over.”
“Copy that. Over.” Alex tossed the radio aside and tried to stem the flow of blood once more.
Suddenly, Tony reached up and grabbed Alex by the elbow. “Stop. It’s over. I’m done.”
“No, you can’t give up. We can still save you. We just have to patch up this wound and take you to Fort Detrick. There’s a cure, Tony. A cure.”
Tony shook his head, bloody froth bubbling from his lips. “Forget me, Alex. Go home. Go home to Amy.”
“No, don’t give up,” Alex pleaded.
Tony blew out one long breath, and his body went limp. His eyes stared up at the sky, and his facial muscles slackened in death.
“You can’t die,” Alex cried, shaking his head. He was suddenly reminded of all the people he’d lost. His parents, childhood friends, army chums, ex-girlfriends, teachers, bosses, distant cousins. All either dead or undead.
A steady hand descended onto Alex’s shoulder, and Officer Brown spoke in his ear. “Tony’s gone. Let him be.”
Alex shook his head. “It’s not fair. I could’ve saved him.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Officer Brown said, pulling him away from the body. “You did all you could.”
Molly moved closer and draped her jacket across Tony’s face. “Goodbye, Tony. You were a good man.”
Alex shook his head. “This isn’t right.”
“Such things are never right. Let him go to his family. He deserves that much,” Officer Brown said.
Alex slumped as the anger left him in a rush. “He told me about them.”
“He did? I’m surprised. He never spoke about them to anyone except me,” Officer Brown replied.
“It’s because of Amy,” Alex mumbled, his mind a haze. “He saw his daughter in her. Why didn’t he say so earlier? Why did he hate me?”
“He didn’t hate you. He envied you,” Officer Brown replied. “You had what he’d already lost. A family.”
Alex watched as Officer Brown made sure Tony wouldn’t reanimate before loading the body onto one of the trucks. The rest of the supplies went onto the empty trailer, and then they were on their way back to base.
“Here, take this,” Molly said, handing him a bunch of tissues. “For your hands.”
On autopilot, Alex took the tissues and wiped the blood from his skin. Some of it had already dried, and the stains wouldn’t come off. To him, it seemed fitting. It’s my fault he died. I should’ve moved faster. I should’ve tried harder.
Chapter 10 - Amy
Amy lay nestled on her side, both hands tucked between her knees. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn’t asleep despite the medicine Dr. Williams had prescribed. She was far too worried about Alex for the pills to take full effect. Instead, she drifted in a haze, daydreaming.
A knock on the door caused her to jerk upright. “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Simone. I’ve come to tell you that you’re brother is on his way back. Officer Brown radioed it through. No need for you to worry anymore,” Simone answered, her eyes sparkling.
“He’s coming back?” Amy cried. In a flash, she was off the bed, still fully dressed. The next moment, her feet were flying across the floor.
“Hey, wait for me!” Simone cried.
“Hurry up, slowpoke,” Amy replied, not slowing down.
She raced through the hospital toward the emergency ward exit. The doors were closed and watched over by an armed guard. He raised one hand to stop her and said. “No one is allowed outside during a lockdown, Miss.”
“Please, let me through. My brother is on his
