The Green Flu

Chapter 7 - Micheal

As soon as I was sure the creature that used to be my best friend was dead, I looked away. I didn't want to think about the fact that Will is dead, and I really didn't want to think that I killed him.

It wasn't him though, not really. It was whatever he had been turned into. Whatever that creature was, it started off being Will. I've never seen anything like it before in my life. The creature definitely wasn't human, but then what was it?

I dropped the bat on the floor, causing an audible thud. Then I glanced back at the creatures dead body, wondering what to do with it. It had a bloody gnash on its head where I hit it, but it wasn't anything too gross to look at. The blood was slowly rolling off its head and onto the floor.

I looked away once again because I just couldn't keep looking at him-or it, I mean it. Poor Will, I can't even imagine what it must have been like to become some sort of... dangerous creature. Before I could think more depressing thoughts, a spike of pain shot up my arm and it made me remember that I got hurt in the struggle. I walked off towards the bathroom that Will and I shared.

Once there, I took a look in the mirror at the scratches and saw that there wasn't too much blood. Which was good, because I wouldn't have known how to address such a wound anyway. That creature only left one bad cut and the rest were just little gashes. I guess a band-aid won't fix this up.

I bent down to the cabinet under the sink that has all of our medical supplies and found a roll of bandages. I also found some gauze pads, disinfectant wipes, and some medical tape. I quickly ran water over the cuts, and clenched my teeth at how much it stung. I dried it off and used some of the disinfectant wipes to get rid of any remaining germs, which stung even more. Then I rolled the bandages on and used the tape to keep it in place.

Once I had wrapped the cuts on my forearm up, I walked into my bedroom without allowing myself to even glance at Wills body. Why did the kitchen have to be in the middle of our apartment? I shut the door to my room and went straight to my closet. I had to find some clean clothes to get on. The bloody pajamas that I had on was just a grim reminder of Will.

Shaking my head, I tried to get the thought out of my mind. Distracting myself, I looked for some clothes. I grabbed a pair of sandy coloured cargo pants and a white T-shirt. I switched clothes and found a dark blue sweatshirt to pull on top. I don't go anywhere without a sweater.

Figuring I should get my arm checked out at the hospital, I pulled on the sweater and walked back to the kitchen to grab my keys. I had to step over Wills body, but my mind was still trying to ignore its existence. I grabbed them and put them in my pocket, then glanced back at the bat. I don't usually go walking around with a baseball bat, but I think I'll keep it close for today. I can't be the only one who has had to deal with these creatures, if there's even more of them.

I walked to the door without so much as a sideways glance back at Will, and I liked it that way. I didn't want the last memory of my friend to be of his body lying on the floor. With that in mind, I realized something and went over to Wills room. On the dresser beside the door, right where I knew it would be, was Will's necklace.

It was a simple necklace with a silver chain holding a gold oval with a cross in the middle. Along the sides were the words:

"Though I Walk Through The Valley of The Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil."

It's a quote from the Bible and Will used to wear it all the time. He takes it off to sleep and always leaves it here by the door so he doesn't forget it in the morning. I don't know when exactly he got it, but ever since I've known him he's worn it.

I picked up the little meaningful trinket and looked at it for a moment. Will was pretty religious and put a lot of effort into making sure he wore the necklace everyday. Now that he's gone and can't anymore, maybe I should do it. I placed the necklace on my head and gently pulled it down over my skull. Once I was satisfied that it wouldn't fall off or anything, I turned and left Will's room.

Leaving for real this time, I made sure I had my keys and clasped the necklace around my neck just to remind myself that it's there. I turned off the lights and shut the door, letting only a single tear roll down my face. I was never much of an emotional guy, but seeing your best friend become some horrible creature will take its toll on you. I wiped the tear away before anyone could see, then realized that no one was here.

The hall that our apartment was connected to wasn't usually overly busy to begin with, but it usually had someone wandering around. Whether it was the sweet old lady who lived across the hall or the punk teenager who lived with his mom three doors down. Now there was no one. When looking harder, I saw that the room at the end of the hall had its door knocked down.

I think there was a woman who lived there. I've never spoken to her, but I think Will has. She's pretty with her blond hair and brown eyes, but she always freaked me out a little. She always had a hard look on her face, like she knew something I didn't. And I knew not to mess with people like that. If you make a mistake with somebody like her, she'd never let you forget it.

Which is why her door being knocked down kind of worries me. She looked like she could protect herself and wouldn't let this happen. I started walking towards her apartment, moving cautiously. Considering how hard that creature in my apartment hit my door, the possibility that a creature had done this doesn't sound too wild.

Before I even reached her door, I could hear footsteps getting close. I didn't have much time to react, but I did manage to raise my baseball bat because I feared the worst, before the woman came striding into the hall.

She took a step back when she saw me, and gripped her backpack when she saw the bat.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down." She said, her tone different from any other time I've heard. I quickly lowered my weapon, I didn't want to seem threatening.

"You're Will's friend, right?" She asked. I nodded, wondering if I should tell her about Will right now.

"Are you infected?" That question raised an eyebrow from me.

"Infected?" I asked her, finally finding my voice.

"The Green Flu. It's been spreading for a couple of days now." Right, the flu they were talking about on the news. I guess I should've been paying attention to it.

"I think that flu is more dangerous than they say. Are you infected?" She repeated the question, making it obvious that the answer would be important. Without hesitating, I shook my head no.

"The Green Flu is very contagious. Do you know anyone who's been sick lately? Maybe acting differently?" She didn't directly ask if Will was sick, but I knew that that was the point of the question. I looked her in the eyes and gravely nodded.

"Will was very sick." I saw the concern in her eyes, maybe she and Will were closer than I thought. "He went to bed last night and today he...he just turned into some sort of..." I couldn't even think of the words to describe it.

"Animal? Beast? Creature?" The woman suggested. I nodded, but she already knew the answer. "This is not good. Did you come into contact with him? I mean, did he do anything that could spread the infection?" Oh crap! I groaned inwardly. The scratches.

"He scratched my arm..." I didn't need to finish before the woman started walking down the hallway to the stairs at the end.

"Come with me." She suggested. "I'm going to one of the medical stations that CEDA set up. You should come too, they can help you with those scratches." Having no better plan, I lifted my bat so it was easier to carrying and started to follow the woman.

"Okay, I'll go with you. But first, I'm Micheal. What's your name?"

"I'm Alexis." Alexis replied. "And good thinking with that bat. I'd bet that there's more of those creatures waiting around. And we'll have to end every one of them if we want to get to that CEDA station."