The next days that followed our intruder incident were met with extreme skepticism.
Everyone laid low and kept quiet for fear that something else would go wrong. We scurried around the big brick building like mice afraid of being caught in a trap. We ate and rested for the most part - uneasy about doing anything more.
Cain kept Paul tied in the room for the past couple of days. Waiting it out - just to be sure that he wasn't infected. I had a general gist of how long it would take to turn. My father hadn't even been bitten but got fluid in his mouth and got the virus in a matter of hours.
But Paul never turned.
He was actually considerably healthy for someone who had been in a pretty bad car wreck. Though at first, I heard that Paul had a bad case of shivers at one point; they said it must have been because of his wet clothes. We hadn't let him change out of them before tying him up, for obvious reasons.
We concluded that he must have been truthful about his laceration being from the crash.
Cain had kept him tied up a little longer just to ensure he wasn't a danger to the group.
He must have passed Cain's friend or foe detector because Cain decided that we should let him out. I stayed away from the man and his room not wanting to see him. The group decided to tolerate him for a while. From what he said he was a doctor... an authority figure to some - namely Frank. He wouldn't shut up about what a good addition he would be to the group. And how nice it would be to have someone so 'intelligent and 'trustworthy'.
Ever since he learned that Paul was a doctor he started treating him like a saint. He was constantly visiting him in his room. I had no idea what they were even talking about in there. What could Frank in Paul have in common? Maybe it's that they were both creeps.
They were like two peas in a pod. Frank became chummy or defensive anytime someone mentioned the man. You would think Paul was Frank's son the way he went on about him.
The majority of us didn't trust Paul.
In fact, Will, Leo, and Beth were very vocal about their dislike of the man. But Cain decided that it would be best to give him a chance. That he was a person deserving of kindness just like any human. My only problem with that scenario is that I knew personally that Paul was shady. That night he knew I wasn't a Red but still tried to hurt me.
Just thinking about it gave me the shivers.
We all gathered together in the room that we'd been keeping Paul in. Cain was carefully cutting the duct tape off of Paul's body. The room smelled horrible, like ammonia and a pungent musty odor. From what I heard, finding a way for Paul to relieve himself turned out to be a very tricky situation. One that I didn't want to hear the details of.
When the last of the tape was pulled from Paul's ashy skin he stood on wobbly legs. A triumphant smile on his awkward face. He stretched his arms working out the kinks in his lower back and neck. The sharp snaps of his bones as he popped them grossed me out. I remembered what those very same arms felt like as they tried to restrain me.
Cain addressed him. "Look Paul if you're going to stay here..... We need to talk more. As a group."
"Agreed," he said mid-stretch.
We all gathered in the place that had become like a community center for us; the room with the cubicles. Many sat on the floor - Cain choosing to stand. Frank sat close beside Paul. The rest of us chose to sit far away from the two of them; like they were some nasty plague we didn't want to catch.
He had his pants leg up.
His leg looked puffy around the wound. It didn't really look... right? But then again I was no doctor. Cain talked about getting some antibiotics for Paul the next time we go on a supply run. He decided we should go on one soon because - our food stash was getting very low again.
Cain opened the floor up to Paul after giving us a rundown of the day's plan. He went and stood by the open glass window, gazing at the sky. Paul stood up and walked to the spot that Cain had just vacated. He gave us all his lopsided grin - his eyes seeming to flick a mile a minute as he looked over us.
He then introduced himself as our new "friend"... his words, not mine.
I knew Cain was trying his best to be cordial. I just felt awkward around the man. I found it hard to see the silver lining in the situation and the goodness of him. Frank was more than happy to do so - but I for one couldn't get behind Paul and all his so-called glory.
The Paul train was heading out of the station and Frank was the only one that seemed 100% on board. Chu–Chu!
"I was on my way to a 'safe zone' - if you will. It's the Water Lake Compound in Wingston. It has military and weapons there," he walked around as he spoke like he was giving a presentation.
"How do you know all this," pulling back the curtains on the window Cain gave him a questioning look.
"The radio. I heard the announcement on the radio. They usually start broadcasting at around ten. I've been listening to them for weeks now. They are secure and to my knowledge haven't had too many run-ins with the infected. They're still holding out strong." He looks around the room his right eye twitching. "They may even have a vaccine there -".
Cain cuts him off mid-sentence. "Hold on a vaccine? Let's be logical - as a doctor - you should know the chances of a working vaccine at this point are crazy - and dare I say useless. Vaccines aren't cures; they're meant to prevent... and so many people got it already that it's next to useless now."
"Can we even trust a vaccine that was made in like two weeks anyway," Dianna chimed in.
I agreed.
How can there already be a vaccine for a virus that hasn't even been around for long? Unless - unless the disease wasn't something new. I mean governments lie. And people tend to collectively not pay attention to things that aren't directly affecting them. Who's to say this virus isn't something old or cooked up in a lab somewhere?
Maybe the signs were there but no one paid attention to them.
"Wait... let's listen to the guy. This sounds feasible and like a dream come true." Frank was quick to defend Paul. He stood, walked over to Paul, and clapped a supportive hand on his shoulder. "This place sounds like a dream... an oasis. Think about it - there are actual healthy people there. And food... something we're running out of."
Cain walked away from the window. "Hold on now, let's check this radio station out first before we jump to any ideas."
We all nodded our heads in agreement.
The station was legit. The voice was automated and set on a loop. Paul claimed that sometimes actual people come on there talking. It said the information that Paul had claimed. That there were armed personnel, food, medical care, and shelter at the compound. And all people were welcome.
But Paul didn't seem too eager to leave and get back on his journey. It kind of seemed like he wanted us to go along with him although he didn't outright say it. He probably didn't want to go alone because there's safety in numbers... or maybe he needs supplies but isn't too keen on getting it himself.
It was hard to read him.
If this station and the safe zone were legit I was honestly happy.
That meant civilization still had a chance to bounce back from this. Like an ant whose colony was destroyed, we can build a new and stronger one.
We weren't out for the count.
Hope... an almost foreign feeling was back for me. Rekindled with the thought of life going back to normal. Burning brighter with the promise of a standing sector of civilization.
And for that - I was glad.
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Thanks for reading!!!
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The Days Are Tired (Book #1 of the Dark Skies series) - A Zombie story
HorrorHer one night of fun turned into a night of chaos. One that can't be contained and one that took everything from her. And now she must fight for what she has left. Especially when it seems that the whole world is determined to leave her with nothing...