Bloodlines of Survival

Chapter 4: The Monster Within

The days blurred together in a haze of fear and survival. Outside their home, the world was unraveling at a terrifying pace. The virus spread like wildfire, turning cities into graveyards, and those graveyards into hunting grounds for the undead. Reports of violence and bloodshed flooded the news, the kind that no one could have imagined just a few weeks ago. The virus wasn't just killing people-it was transforming them into monsters, creatures driven by an insatiable hunger for human flesh.

Inside the Rennold home, Gwen's world was falling apart in a different way. The changes in her body were becoming harder to hide. At first, it had been the strange cravings, a heightened sense of smell, and a sharpness in her vision that made everything seem too vivid, too bright. But now, the symptoms were getting worse. Much worse.

It started with the pain-sharp, searing flashes of agony that radiated from her bones. Gwen had locked herself in the bathroom, biting down on a towel to muffle her screams as her body convulsed. She felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside, her muscles spasming uncontrollably as the virus took hold.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the blood-thick, dark streaks smeared across the bathroom floor. It took her a moment to realize it was hers, seeping from her nose, her mouth, and even her eyes.

Panic surged through her, but she forced herself to stay quiet. You can't let them hear you. You can't let them see this.

Gwen stumbled to the sink, gripping the edges so hard her knuckles turned white. She leaned over, spitting blood into the basin, the metallic taste sharp on her tongue. Her reflection stared back at her, twisted and distorted, her eyes bloodshot and wild. She barely recognized herself.

You have to keep it together. You have to fight this.

But as she tried to catch her breath, the cravings hit her again-stronger this time, more demanding. She doubled over, clutching her stomach as hunger clawed at her insides, a hunger so deep it felt like it would consume her. Gwen's thoughts grew hazy, the only clear thing in her mind was the overwhelming need to feed.

A knock at the door jolted her back to reality.

"Gwen? Are you okay in there?" Jamie's voice was muffled through the door, but she could hear the worry in it.

Gwen swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak. "I'm fine," she managed to choke out, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "Just... just give me a minute."

She waited until she heard his footsteps retreating before she turned back to the sink. The blood was already drying on her skin, leaving dark stains that she scrubbed at furiously, as it she could wash away the infection. But no matter how hard she tried, the hunger remained, gnawing at her like a living thing.

How long before I can't control it? How long before I hurt someone?

She pressed her hands to her temples, trying to focus, to think of a solution.
But all she could see was the image of her children's faces, their innocent eyes staring up at her, not knowing that their mother was slowly becoming a monster.

The next day, Gwen knew she had to take action. She couldn't wait for the virus to consume her completely. She had to find some way to control it, to stop the transformation before it was too late. With Jamie and the kids occupied, she slipped out of the house, covering her tracks as best she could.
The streets were eerily silent as she made her way to the nearest pharmacy.

The bodies were everywhere now-bloated, rotting corpses littering the sidewalks, their faces twisted in grotesque masks of agony. But worse than the dead were the ones who hadn't fully died.