I doubted I was going to make it. That didn’t bother me, what bothered me was I didn’t think the baby was going to make it either.
I was so scared. More scared than I had ever been. The zombies didn’t even make this level of fear course through my veins.
I prayed to myself. I prayed so hard, over, and over. I was begging for some kind of miracle.
I knew people were trying to help me. I knew Daniel was right next to me. But I couldn’t see or hear them. I was trapped in my own bubble.
Finally, after what felt like years of agony, the world went black. I had finally passed out from the pain.
Chapter 18
I woke up to a blinding light over my face. I covered my eyes, trying to adjust my vision.
I felt disoriented. I didn’t know how long I had been unconscious or where I was. My mouth was terribly dry, and I had a pounding headache.
I heard a door squeak as it opened. The sound made my head throb even more.
“Oh, you’re awake,” a young woman said and smiled. “How are you feeling?”
“Is the baby…” I began but couldn’t finish the question.
“You’re both fine. The cabin pressure got to you. We thought about an emergency C-section as soon as you landed but you’re both okay so we’re not going to do that yet. But we’re going to be monitoring you just in case. Rebecca was right, I really don’t think you’ll make it full term.”
I ran my hand over my stomach. I felt a kick against my hand but couldn’t feel it in my stomach.
“Why am I numb?” I asked realizing I couldn’t feel anything below my chest.
“Oh sorry, it was a shot we gave you for the pain. Nothing that will hurt the baby and it should wear off soon.”
I nodded; thankful we were okay.
The door opened and Daniel walked in the room. He smiled brightly at me. He still had dark circles under his eyes but looked like he had gotten some rest.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey,” He said, “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Don’t be too hard on her,” The young woman said and smiled. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
She left as Daniel pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down.
“How are you feeling?” He asked as he took my hand in his.
I shrugged, “Tired and confused. Where is Lasa?”
“With Phoebe. She was worried about you but fell asleep, so I didn’t want to wake her. It’s been a long day.”
“It’s been a long six months,” I countered. “You think this will ever end?”
He sighed heavily, “I wish I knew. We just have to keep fighting. Keep taking it day by day. And not lose faith.
I smiled weakly at him, “You’re a rock, you know that.”
He laughed a little, his smile lighting his face. “I hope I am for you.”
We sat together in silence. I felt myself drifting off. I was so tired. Before I went to sleep though I wanted to discuss something with Daniel.
“I’ve been thinking,” I began, “About what to name her.” I said as I rubbed my belly.
“Please don’t tell me it’s Zombirina?”
I laughed as his joke, “No, you dork.” I composed myself before continuing my train of thought. “I was thinking Jaime Catherine Bennett.”
Daniel smiled a sad smile since I was choosing to name her after our sisters. The one he lost and the one that I didn’t know if I still had.
“It’s perfect,” he said.
Chapter 19
I was on bed rest for a while but was allowed to move to another room in the hanger that was less like a hospital room after it was apparent both me and the baby were doing alright. I shared the room with Daniel and Lasa. I still had two daily checkups with the doctor though.
I didn’t see much of Phoebe as she was undergoing a ton of tests to see what had caused her not to turn. They had a hard time figuring it out. Daniel kept me informed on the progress which wasn’t much.
When I finally saw Phoebe, she told me it was like they were so close to an answer yet still far away. But they were onto something with the repellent.
Phoebe was fascinated by the head of the team doing the research, Dr. Katou. Phoebe told me she was an amazing woman and a pure genius.
Phoebe’s blood was RH-Null which was the rarest in the world. Dr. Katou believed it may have been the key to why Phoebe didn’t turn. But applying it to a cure seemed impossible. Yet only a little was needed to make the repellent perfect.
The cure itself would need to be two-fold. The repellent would help fight off the hordes, but they needed something to stop the spread of the virus. That would be the first part of the cure. The second part would be something to destroy those that had turned.
The ones that had turned were dead. The doctor described it to Phoebe as those with the plague being like an active brain in a dead body. They didn’t need to breathe, which is why they could come through the water. They only needed to eat. She said it was like they were never full. They could eat any living thing that came into their path.
“Isn’t this something that will take years?” I asked Phoebe.
Phoebe shrugged, “I asked the same question. Dr. Katou just says we don’t have years to find it.”
By the Doctor’s estimation, more than 50% of humans had been wiped out. Without proper government, transportation or basic meds or food, she
