Godead

LXIII

Claude, Jake, and Caroline stood in silence, eyeing each other before traversing the dark, cold corridor. They moved through the shadows, the distant flicker of an overhead light the only thing illuminating their path. As they reached a hallway intersection, a tall zombie crept around the corner, stopping in front of them, its eery silhouette sending chills down their spines. It gave a low snarl, extending its arms as it began lunging toward them. Jake raised his rifle, firing a single shot into its skull. As the creature fell to the ground, Claude and Jake warily turned to Caroline.

"Which way?" Claude asked.

"This way," Caroline replied, leading them down the east hallway.

The three continued on, encountering several more zombies along the way. As the creatures neared, the three shot them dead before continuing. As the trio approached a metal door, Caroline stopped, peeking through a nearby glass window.

"...This is my father's lab. I used to play here when I was a kid. It still gives me the creeps just looking at it," Caroline said.

"It's dark in there. I wonder if he's still inside," Jake replied.

"Only one way to find out," Claude said. Caroline nodded, opening the door soon after.

The moment they walked inside, a man with a graying beard swiveled his chair around, pointing a small pistol at them from a desk at the end of the room.

"Don't move! Don't come any closer!" he yelled. Caroline froze in place, weakly frowning as she looked at the man through the darkness.

"...Father?!" she said, voice full of emotion. Doctor Reed paused, eyes widening as he slowly rose to his feet.

"...Caroline!" he said, lowering his weapon as he quickly approached the three.

"Father! It really is you! You're alive!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Oh, Caroline...!" Reed replied, the two tightly embracing moments later. As Claude and Jake smiled at the warm reunion, Reed released his daughter, looking the two of them over.

"Who are these gentlemen?" he asked.

"Oh, these are my friends Jake and Claude. They're alright," Caroline explained.

"Jake and Claude, eh?" Reed asked. "I suppose I must thank you for helping keep my daughter safe. You have my gratitude."

"Thank you, sir. It really was nothing, though," Jake replied.

"Yeah. Caroline shot a few zombies dead, as well. She can take care of herself," Claude added.

"I see. That's my little girl," Reed said, ruffling Caroline's hair as she awkwardly blushed.

Reed was a stout man, tall and husky with a white lab coat covering his body. He had thick square glasses and short black and gray hair, his demeanor as warm as it was friendly.

"Are you alright, father? How long have you been down here, anyhow?" Caroline asked, noticing his scruffy beard.

"Too long," Reed replied. "I've been stuck here since the troubles began several weeks ago. Recently, a caravan of strangers came by and ransacked the place. They took all the rations I'd been surviving on, leaving me with nothing but this old pistol. Since then, I've wanted to escape, but zombies are still around, and I only have two bullets left."

"I see. Well you don't have to worry about that, anymore. We killed the zombies lurking around, and that group of militia who looted the place are all dead," Claude explained. Reed looked to him in surprise.

"...All of them?" he asked.

"Yes. Debra said she and Abby killed them. Debra's a dangerous little girl with wings and antennae," Jake said.

"Ah, yes. A vector, I presume," Reed said.

"Vector?" Claude asked.

"Indeed," Reed replied, adjusting his glasses. "You see, as you may already know, a vector is any living organism that spreads infectious diseases. While I've been down here, I've been carrying out various experiments, performing research on just what the hell could be going on. While my resources are limited, I believe I've developed a hypothesis that could help explain the recent outbreak."

"Oh?" Claude asked.

"Yes," Reed replied. "You see, it is my belief that the cause of the zombies is a mutation of what's called the 'Paleface Virus'. It is a little know strain that was recently discovered, and for the most part seemed benign. However, upon closer inspection, it seems the virus has dramatically mutated in recent weeks. So much so, it can hardly be considered the same virus. I believe the mutation should now be referred to as the 'Vector Virus'."

"So this virus is what's causing all this?" Jake asked.

"That is correct," Reed said. "It appears to be transmitted through insects and microorganisms, though those with the rare AB-negative blood type have immunity to it. Extreme exposure to an organism with tainted cells can cause infection, however."

"...I see. So Hannah would have turned into a zombie after all," Claude said.

"Hannah?" Reed asked.

"Yeah. A friend of ours who's no longer with us," Claude replied.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that," Reed said.

"It's fine. I've seen so much death and suffering by now, I'm almost null to it," Claude said wearily.

"Claude...," Caroline said with concern.

"This virus...," Claude said. "why does it effect children differently? It seems to change adults into zombies and kids into highly powerful creatures." Reed gave a sigh.

"...That's a good question. One which I've struggled to answer," the scientist replied. "I can only speculate it has something to do with the difference in DNA structure. Adults have reached biological maturity whereas children have yet to fully develop. That may have something to do with—"

As Reed spoke, the air vent above loudly broke open. As the three looked up, the little nude girl from before suddenly leapt down, latching onto Jake's neck before taking a hard bite. As Jake hollered in pain, Claude froze, raising his gun at the girl. He pulled back the trigger, spraying blood across the room as the bullet entered the girl's temple. Her small, green body fell to the ground, twitching before coming to a stop in the darkness.

As she and Jake lay on the floor, Claude looked to the girl with a dreadful expression. As Caroline and her father watched in shock, Claude warily approached the motionless girl. As her face slowly came into view through the shadows, Claude's eyes went wide. Moments later, he sighed in relief.

It wasn't Misty.