Outbreak

Chapter 19

Malachi

Ezran snatches the paper from Emmett and waves it in front of one of the doctor's faces aggressively.

"Can you stop the infection?" he asks severely. The doctor plucks it from his fingers and examines it, then offers it to an observing woman wearing a white lab coat. She takes it and, after a quick glance, says "I'll see what I can do. You," she points at Emmett. "Come with me." Emmett follows her as she walks quickly towards the door. When they disappears in the doorway, everyone turns back to Quinn, who's just lying on the table, eyes half-closed and breathing shallowly. 

Ezran rushes to his sister's side, grips her uninjured hand and closes his eyes, resting his head on their entwined hands as he whispers a silent prayer. The rest of us start towards her, but a doctor steps between us and them.

"I'm sorry," she says, and she really looks like she means it. "But only her family can be with her right now. The doctors need all the room we can get, and it's an extremely infectious disease. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room." 

We all stand there staring at her. Apart from Ezran, Quinn has no immediate family. We've all been through so much together that really... we're her family now. 

But she's right. 

I turn to the others. "Let's give them some space, guys." After a brief moment of hesitation, everyone else nods and follows me out into the cafeteria.

The cafeteria seats are empty, and the silence rings through the huge cavern as if a huge noise was just there a second ago. It seems the entire compound has been deserted, but I know that the inhabitants of this refuge are just cowering behind closed doors, holding their families close and whispering prayers... just like Ezran is.

Taylor fidgets with a bandage on her arm absently, while multiple feet are tapping impatiently on the ground. Michael is pacing, and Eric is just holding his head in his hands, muttering things frantically. 

"Not again. I can't lose one again. Please, not..." 

The group's anxiety pollutes the air like smoke, making it hard to breathe.

I plunk down in a spot next to Eric, rest my head on my arms, and slip into oblivion.

.     .     .     .     .

When I open my eyes, my cast is itching to the point where I'm wishing I could just rip it off and rub razors against it. I look at my watch, and notice that it's been an hour an a half since we sat down. 

I clumsily get up and pass Eric, who's asleep on the table, but still mumbling incoherently, and Michael, who's sitting next to Eric and staring at his own hands lying on the table, either in shock or simply tired, I don't know.

I limp over to the window and peer into the medbay. There are fewer doctors around Quinn; her skin is grayer, her breathing still shallow. She's not far away from becoming a full Earthbitten. I notice an armed guard sitting in a chair a few feet away from her; they must think it's going to happen soon. Ezran is sleeping in a chair next to her, his head on her bed with his hand still clutching hers like a vice. 

The sight makes my heart ache with the memory of our own sister's death.

Zoe.

Her name hits me with a wave of grief, and I almost double over with the pain the memory brings.

We were heading home from a grocery run. We weren't as cautious as we should have been, because it was a long day and everyone wasn't really focused. A horde of zombies noticed and then started chasing us, and Zoe wasn't as fast as we were. 

I hadn't noticed she was falling behind until I heard her scream. 

I looked back as I ran, only to see the horde overwhelming her, and then her dead body quickly rising to join the pursuit, now one of them.

I killed her that day.

I sigh and turn to head back to my seat when I hear screaming coming from the medbay. I whirl around to see Quinn thrashing on the hospital bed.

Ezran

My eyes fly open at the sound of my sister's frantic screams. 

I jump up too quickly, and sit down hard as dizziness makes black spots flicker in front of my vision. When they clear, I see the doctors are sprinting for the exit while Mal, Eric, Taylor and everyone else from our group runs in. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I scream after the doctors. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAVE HER!!" They ignore me as they run to the elevators and cram themselves in as fast as they can. I scream again in frustration and turn back to Quinn, who's still shrieking and thrashing. My hands shake as I frantically try to comfort her. 

"Quinn - Quinn, I'm here, just hold on, Emmett's almost got the cure--" 

The security guard raises his gun and releases the safety, but Eric yells and kicks the gun out of his hands. Before the guard can react, Eric's fist connects with his temple, and he's out like a light. Everyone stares at Eric, and his expression is hard as he speaks over Quinn's screams.

"I'm not letting it happen again." 

No one has to ask what he's talking about; we all remember.

Quinn's screaming is inhumane. Her wide eyes are clouded, and I try to grab her hand in an attempt to calm her down, but her leg catches me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I gasp and double over, and Michael grabs and drags me from the medbay. 

By the time I've caught my breath, everyone is standing outside the room.

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE HER?!" I shout wildly at no one in particular. "WE CAN STILL SAVE HER, WE--" I collapse in sobs on the floor, and a hand rubs my back as a voice whispers that it's too late.

Lenny and Max appear from an elevator with two more guards, and their expressions could not be more different. Lenny wears an expression of concern, while Max's face is contorted in fury.

I stand and breathe in a shaky breath before speaking. "I won't let you do it." Max's eyebrows shoot up in exasperation and he all but yells in frustration as he speaks. 

"You kids stupid?! That isn't your friend in there anymore, it's a zombie. A zombie that's threatening the survival of the human race. I'm not giving you any more time, we're killing it now." 

All our heads turn at the sound of a hollow pounding on the glass, and everyone jumps in horror at the sight of Quinn, eyes blank, throwing her head against the glass violently. Her blue irises almost match the yellowed whites of her eyes, and her skin is a nauseating gray. Her eyes are rolling up into her head, and her mouth is foaming slightly. I fight the rising bile - this isn't my sister.

I see a tiny crack form where the last blow landed, and dread fills me. 

"Everyone needs to leave now," Max says in a dangerous voice. "Unless I give the word that the zombie has been terminated, everyone is to stay in their--"

"WAIT!"