The Boy

Chapter Eight : Recovery

Chapter Eight : Recovery

Ethan sat against the wall, blankets draped over his shoulders, the mattress under him dark with blood stains. It had been two days since the savage attack at the library, For the whole first day Ava had only left his side to get food and painkillers from the grocery next door, she had sat on a chair reading a book from the library. Now she was gone, she had left some time ago this time to find a chemist, the tears in his arm were deep and signs of infection were starting to appear. She had reasoned with him that he would need antibiotics if he didn't want to die and reluctantly he agreed that she could go salvage some. Now he sat here regretting that decision, she wasn't back yet and he was in no shape to look for her. He cursed himself for letting her go out on such a dangerous endeavor. The streets had a lot more wandering dead now, they roamed endlessly looking for food. When they found nothing living they ate whatever they could, Ethan had watched one earlier in the garden bed across the car park eating roses off the bushes. Another one stood against the shop window eating the dead flesh from its own arm. The ones who did find food became towering monstrosities of muscle, twisting their form and making them even more inhuman. He had seen them patrolling the street from the sanctuary of the shop while waiting for Ava's return. He drank the last of the Gatorade that Ava had left for him resisting the urge to throw his blankets off, instead sweltering with fever, followed by cold sweats. As night fell outside he fell into a nightmare filled sleep.

His body ached but he couldn't stop, a large black dog chased him and every turn he made was met with the giant black beast. It's multiple eyes stared him down, when it opened its jaws, the rows of teeth were accompanied with more rows behind them and more behind those. He ran again his legs pounding and throbbing with every step, his lungs threatening to burst, ahead of him he could see the road and he made it out into the street. A parade filled the road, he stopped as floats and marching bands paraded past down the street. The people lined the street everywhere filling every available spot trying to get a clear view of the proceedings. The joy of seeing people was short lived as he realized the people were all dead, the street full of corpses and the smell infiltrated his sinuses. Suddenly all at once they held their arms out to the passing float, moving as they did so to occupy the road, sweeping him with them as they went. A large shadow moved above him causing him to look up at a giant balloon, it was black and had many eyes, turning in the breeze it billowed out and opened up and the white teeth, row upon row began their decent towards him. As he looked back at the woman on the float she turned enough for him to realize it was Ava and as the black monster above them consumed them both he screamed.

He awoke in the dark covered in sweat, blankets strewn across the mattress, somewhere in the darkness of the room, something moved. His heart raced as he struggled to make out where in the room he was, everything seemed unfamiliar and he couldn't remember which way he was facing. A light was coming from under the door and he used it to get his bearings. He was just starting to make out the inside of the room when a light started to glow and a figure came over holding a lantern.

"The powers out" Said Ava's voice softly, his heart leapt but the feeling of his dream lingered and made him feel a strange dread about everything.

"What's happening?" He asked trying to get a bearing on the situation now.

"Your still not well." Ava sat down on the mattress near him and looked at his arm in the soft light.

"I've got the antibiotics for you. But you need to take it with some food." She explained patiently.

"What happened?" He asked concerned.

Ava swabbed his wounds with iodine as she spoke. "For now I'll get you something to eat and get the antibiotics into you, then we will talk" Ethan was still kind of confused when she got up and left to get the medicine. Daylight streamed in as she opened the door, taking advantage of the extra light he got up to use the toilet, when he returned she had everything ready. As he ate a breakfast of cold baked beans, she explained to him how she had saved him.