The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 10

When I arrived, four faces were at the door watching. Marissa was out of sight with the kids somewhere. No zombies had come back yet, although that didn't surprise me.

I parked it on the road in front of the store and turned it off. I pocketed the keys and got out of the truck. I slowly approached the door of the grocery store. My sunglasses were back on. Hank and Ben held their ground by the door while Nicky watched almost eagerly from further back. Tom had backed up with my approach and was well off to the side now.

I paused in front of the glass doors as I looked at those watching me. "Did I scare you guys shitless or are you still willing to put up with me?" They would have no problem hearing me with just two old glass doors separating us.

Hank slowly pushed the door open. I put out my hand to hold it open and slowly walked in. I was being cautious, lest they try to kill me with an ambush. Nicky came forward with a grin, "So, what is the casualty count?"

I somehow doubted that she believed the story that the guys gave her. I chuckled, "There is one less elk in the forest, but that is about it."

For them, the room would be almost pitch black since it was well past midnight, but I could see them perfectly. She came forward fearlessly, almost eagerly, "Can I see your eyes? Ben kept claiming that they were glowing red. I think he needs his vision checked."

I had kind of expected this. With a sigh I reached up and took my glasses off. I kept my eyes at a faint glow, but didn't alter their red color. She blinked in shock, "Wow. That is so cool. How come they were brown yesterday?"

I gave her a confused look, how could she accept this so easily? Most humans put as much distance between themselves and me as possible. "I can control the color and glow to a certain extent."

Ben turned on a small flashlight and pointed it at the ceiling to allow them to see easier. The small amount of light it emitted was uncomfortable, but tolerable. At least he didn't point it at me, which was a good thing. Having a light pointed at me flared up my temper in a fashion that little else could.

Nicky's excitement only climbed as she bombarded me with questions, "How long have you been a zombie? How come you can talk and the others can't? Are you always grouchy because you are a zombie? I have a hard time believing you are a zombie considering you haven't tried to eat us yet."

I watched her until she had to pause for breath. My red eyes didn't bother her in the least. "I turned about a week after the zombies first appeared. I can talk because I am still in control. Yes, the irritability is common in all zombies. I don't attack humans mindlessly because I am in control. For me to actually eat human blood or flesh would reduce me to a mindless zombie."

I restrained my irritation at the bombardment of questions and kept my answers as patient as I could. They had let me in after all, so they didn't expect me to lunge for their throats. I knew that knowledge often dissipated fears so my answers should calm them a bit.

The others looked surprised at my answers, but Nicky was already rattling off more questions, "How come you are in control while the others are all deranged morons? Yeah, I wouldn't eat Ben either. Insanity is contagious and considering how that bathroom stunk after he was in it, he'd give you food poisoning. How come you had to go out so badly? If I got bitten by a zombie, how do I remain in control too?"

This could be a long night. I was so full from the elk that even the powerful smell of seven humans barely bothered me. That was a good side effect as far as I was concerned.

"The regular zombies have no chance of retaining their sanity. They are insane by default. For the other types of zombies, as long as you can avoid human blood, human flesh, or any raw meat you can remain in control. Many don't realize the dangers and when you first come to after turning you crave raw meat and blood."