Blood of the Martyrs

Chapter 2: A Party to Die For

"What are we going to do?" Combeferre asked frantically. "If the virus is spreading-"

"Well, first off-" Enjolras walked over to Jehan and slapped him across the face. Jehan sat up with a yelp. "-we will not panic."

Courfeyrac wrapped his arm around Jehan's shoulders. "What the hell?! What was that for?"

Enjolras ignored him. "Joly, where are your medical masks?"

He did not even have to ask if he had any; everyone knew Joly kept a box of earloop face masks in his room. Joly opened a drawer under his desk and pulled out a box of masks.

Enjolras snatched the box from Joly and passed them around to his friends. "These should help if the virus is airborne, right?"

Combeferre and Joly nodded as they slipped the masks onto their faces.

"But what are we going to do?" Courfeyrac asked.

"I do not want to go back down there with that lunatic," Jehan said. He was shaking in Courfeyrac's arms.

"Fine, I'll go," Enjolras said with determination and courage. No one offered to go with him: Joly and Combeferre were afraid of the virus, Jehan was frightened by the crazy man, and Courfeyrac was comforting Jehan.

Enjolras slipped the mask over his nose and mouth and around his ears. "I'll be back," his muffled voice said. He took a deep breath and opened the bedroom door. Enjolras looked both ways through the hallway when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder and saw Combeferre who gave him a reassuring nod. The two of them walked down the hallway and creeped down the stairs. Moaning was heard from downstairs.

"What are we going to do?" Combeferre whispered.

The bloody man was walking around aimlessly, bumping into the wall and table and chairs.

"We could try restraining him," Enjolras suggested.

"I take his left arm, you take his right?"

Enjolras nodded in agreement. They took steps forward and lunged for the man. When he saw them, he moaned and opened up his mouth, showing bloody and rotting teeth. Enjolras was too slow, so Combeferre went ahead and pinned both of his arms to the wall with ease, his tall stature and muscles aiding in the process.

"Calm down!" Combeferre told the bloody man. The man was snapping his teeth at Combeferre.

"Combeferre, be careful! He's out of control!" Enjolras warned him. Enjolras grabbed the man's right arm from Combeferre and kept it pinned against the wall. Combeferre put his now-free arm across the man's chest to hold him against the wall better.

Combeferre made weird, puzzled face. "That's strange..."

"What is it?"

Combeferre put two fingers to the man's wrist. His eyes widened.

"What?"

"He-he doesn't have a pulse," Combeferre said, astonished. "That would mean that he's-he's dead."

"What are you talking about?" Enjolras asked. That was completely absurd. "Does he look dead to you?"

Both of them looked at the man squirming under them. He was very mobile for a dead person.

"Other than the fact that he is very much animated, yes," Combeferre answered. "His skin is extremely pale from lack of oxygen, his eyes are gray and unassuming, some of his flesh is already rotting along with his teeth."

"But that's impossible!"

"Highly unlikely, yes. Impossible, no. The human body is very complex, and so was that virus Joly sampled. It is very possible that the virus is capable of reanimating a corpse."