The Hollowing

Chapter 30

"We'll call these behavioral anomalies 'supraneural episodes'. There appears to be a relationship between glial cell consumption and intellect retention in the infected, but we need more data to determine cofactors."

"What the hell are we gonna do if these 'episodes' don't go away?"

"Pray, General, because only God could save us then."

–Dr Ava Sherman. Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. 2 Months After.

* * *

Oh God, she thought. Not Shannon too!

Leah brushed the sweat from her red, curled hair and did another lap around the restaurant, gripping the pistol she'd stolen with shaking hands. Her heart raced as more gunshots echoed. Where the hell was the government in all this? Reno was burning!

Another car crashed nearby, followed by another agonizing scream, and Leah buried her face in the burgundy scarf she'd been given. It was a gift from her mother after the engagement was official. Again, she wanted to cry. What happened to Greg was still too fresh.

Knocks hit the window. "Is anyone in there!?"

Leah ducked behind a booth. Please, just go away!

"We should keep moving," another decided, his tone hushed. "What if there's another of those things in there?"

Leah knelt an inch lower, praying that they'd leave them alone. Of course when the apocalypse hit, she'd end up trapped at work, wearing her fucking uniform, name tag and all. At least she'd been promoted to assistant manager before this mess. There was no way in or out of the restaurant without the keys they'd given her, and she'd strapped them right onto her name tag where they couldn't get lost.

"Let's just kick it in," the first looter said.

If they got in the restaurant... If they saw what had happened to Shannon...

"No!" Leah screamed as she stepped into the open. "Stay back!"

It was just a couple of guys her age. They threw their hands in the air at the sight of the gun.

"Please," one said. "We have to get off the street."

"You can't come in here," Leah decided, more firmly.

"We'll die if we stay out here. For the love of God, let us in! We won't hurt you, I swear."

His buddy suddenly turned away from both. His eyes widened, and he flicked his friend on the head. "Run!"

They broke into a sprint.

That terrible, heart-wrenching moan bellowed again. A sick man wandered into view, stumbling after the guys. Leah lunged into cover before she could be seen herself. The moaning dwindled.

This was too much. First Greg, then Lucy, then Ricardo. They had all been at the house just last night, trying to ride out the lockdown in style. And then they were gone. Like that! Only Shannon survived, but she'd been hurt too.

Leah took a deep breath and went for the storeroom. Her best friend lay where she'd been left.

Shannon looked so delicate. Her straight black hair was still tied in a bun, and her beautiful blue eyes were closed. With the rags wrapped around her injured face, there was no way to see the damage that'd occurred to her mouth, but it was bad.

Leah had warned Shannon not to help that woman. She'd told her that it was a bad idea, and that they didn't know if she'd be sick or not. But Shannon always was a stubborn soul, and had a habit of making the worst decisions during even the best of days. How many times had Leah bailed her out now?