N/A

Chapter 2

  I looked up at the person holding the gun, the dim light and sleep blurring my vision. I couldn't make out much beyond the fact that she was a woman, and she was young. I could faintly make out her clothes, which were worn and grimy, with rips and stains in several places. Her gun... I didn't know much about guns, but it looked like a standard issue 9mm. She stood about 5 feet away, and had the gun trained at my head. She looked at me, and said.

  "I'm only gonna say this once, so listen close. Who are you, and how did you get here? And what do you know about what's going on?" Her voice was odd sounding... Like she was sick. It was a bit deeper than I had expected.

  "I don't know who I am, or how I got here. And I know even less about you as to what's going on. The only thing I can really remember is a name. I don't even know if it's mine." I was surprised by my own voice. Much calmer, and quieter than I expected.

  She looked at me for a few seconds, and sighed, slipping her gun in a holster I hadn't noticed. "Fantastic. You're telling the truth..." She stepped over to me, and held out her hand, saying "Well. You said you had a name you remembered?"

  I took her hand, and she pulled me to my feet, effortlessly. She was way stronger than she looked. And now that I was on level with her, I could make out more features about her. She was rather attractive, with hair that was blond, short and spiky, and stunning eyes. They were a bright green color, so bright, they almost glowed in the dark. She was also rather short, and a bit on the thin side.

  I looked around at our surroundings, and answered her question. "Yeah. I don't know if it's my name though... It's Ludo. Now... Would you mind telling me what's going on?"

  She looked at me, and shook her head. "Honestly... I don't know much myself. But... In case you didn't notice... The city's been overrun with zombies."

  "What? Zombies? Are you fucking kidding me? What the hell happened?!"

  "I don't know... All I know is, it's spread through contact, and through the air. It's a mutated virus of some sort. Some people, like you and me, are immune to the airborne kind... But everyone falls to the contact strain. Without fail."

  "That's... That's..... That's just fucking ridiculous!"

  She turns, and looks at me. "Ridiculous or not, it's what's happening... And you aren't going to survive by yourself out there. You'll need help." She holds her right hand out, and flashes me what might be a smile. "Lupa, here to help."

  I smile, and take her hand, shaking it. "It's nice to meet you, Lupa. So... What's the plan?"

  "Well... I've sort of made a temporary base here, on the top floor. I've cleared out as many as I could, but some places are too crowded, so I just seal them off. I guess... I think I'll show you around."

  "Alright, sounds like a plan... And how long has this... Outbreak, been going on?"

  She started to walk off towards a set of doors beside the elevators. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a flashlight, turning it on. "I'd say... About three months? I'm not sure though."

  I follow her, seeing that she's taking the stairs, and notice her walking kinda... Odd. She had a slight limp in her left leg, and I could hear a bit of strain in her voice. "Hey... Are you hurt, or something?"

  She turns and looks at me, and I see a small patch of blood around her knee. "Yeah, I fell last week trying to get downstairs. I must have knocked open the scab. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, alright? It's not your concern, and it wont affect our chances of surviving. Now come on." She continues to walk up the stairs, making an even harder attempt at not limping.

  If I had to guess... I'd say that the hotel was about 25 floors up. The stairwell was kind of bland looking, except for occasional blood splatters and smears. The floor was kind of slick with fresh blood, which did NOT feel good with bare feet. We made it about 12 floors up, and I saw that the door to the landing was closed and chained.

  I pointed it out to Lupa, and asked "What's this? Is this one of those places that's crowded with zombies, that you mentioned?"

  She looks at the door, and nods. I notice her face is paler than normal, and the stain on her knee is getting bigger, spreading up to her thigh, and down to her shin. I cussed under my breath, and stepped over to her. "Look. You can't be walking like this. Are there any medical supplies in this building?"

  She doesn't say anything. She just nods slowly, and points to the top floor. I pick her up, putting one arm under her legs, and the other across her back, and start to carry her up the stairs.

  "Hang on... I'll get you some help..."

  I started to jog up the stairs, pacing myself to avoid getting worn out. I kept looking at her face, and I kept worrying about how pale she was. This wasn't normal... I had no idea what was wrong. All I knew was, she didn't get this last week. It had happened recently. Very recently. I managed to make it to the top of the stairwell, and I kicked the door open.

  "Lupa... Which room Lupa? I need to know. You're bleeding, a lot." It was true. Blood had started to trickle down my hands, and onto the floor.

  She groans, and whispers "2509. Turn right. End of hall."

  I started to run down the hall, counting numbers on the doors, stopping when I reached it. I slipped my hand to the knob, and open it. I slipped inside, and quickly looked around. I was in a hall, with a living room right in front of me. I walked in, and saw a bed in a room to my right. I quickly ran in, and set her down gently. I then turned back and looked for the bathroom, hoping to find some sort of medical supplies there.

  As I walked over, I heard a sound from the hall... Like one of the moans I heard last night. I quickly ran, and slammed the door shut, locking the door. I stepped back, and ran to the bathroom, looking everywhere in it. In the cabinet, on the sink, by the shower, and I finally found a basic medical kit under the sink. There wasn't much in there, just some antibiotics, some peroxide, and sterile wrap, as well as medical tape.

  I quickly moved the stuff to the bedroom, and looked at her knee. There was a small tear in the pants she was wearing, but... I couldn't work through them. I frowned, and looked at her. She was nearly unconcious... I hated what I was about to do, but, I didn't see any other way. I sighed, and muttered "I'm sorry..." under my breath.

  I quickly unbuckled her pants, and gently pulled them off of her, keeping my eyes trained on the ceiling. When I finally managed to get them off, I looked at her wound, examining it closer. I was shocked by what I found.

  "Lupa... What the hell happened to you? How... How did this happen?"

  * Woot woot! There ya go, chapter 2. As always, let me know what you think. Leave hate mail, support, suggestions, love letters, whatever. I'll make an attempt at reading them all, and taking all suggestions into consideration. Thanks for your time.*