Quarantine

Another grave

I couldn't believe it. I was the one that did it. I was the one that was all alone.
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That night I went to sleep early, and woke up early. Megan was still sleeping, one hand covering her left arm.

Please let it be something else.

I reached down carefully, not worried about getting hurt. I had kept my clothing on over night, and kept glancing at Megan's face. She remained still, her shoulders rising occasionally as she took a breath. Little beads of sweat had started to cover her face. The first sign of being infected.

I had set the bat down next to me, thinking that I wouldn't have to use it. The gun still rested inside of the vest, secured, and hidden from her view.

I gently grabbed her arm and lifted it up. She moved about, and I stopped cold. She couldn't wake up with me trying to look. She seemed content to her sleep, so I continued the slow process of moving her arm. Setting it on the floor I took a deep breath.

Now, for the hard part.

I lifted her left arm up, and slowly started working her long sleeve up her arm. She rustled again, but soon stopped. I didn't worry about her movements now as I realized that she must be slightly uncomfortable. 

Pulling the sleeve to her elbow I saw the first of three small hashes in her arm. Trailing from just below to the wrist. I closed my eyes, and felt sorrow wash over.

"Dammit." I whispered.

I let go of her arm, and it hit her lap. She woke up straight away, and looked me straight into my eyes. From her next expression I could tell that she knew that I knew. She was going to turn.

"No. You weren't supposed to see that!" She screamed, and pushed me backwards.

I fell down, unbalanced, and laid splayed across the floor for a moment. After standing up I saw Megan standing there with the baseball bat in her hands, her eyes filling with tears.

I put one hand up and said in a calming voice, "Come one Megan. Put the bat down. I'm not going to kill you."

The virus will...

She just shook her head, and said with a racking breath, "Yes you will. As soon as I set this bat down your going to kill me!"

She screamed the last part, and I flinched. She's going to attract any rotters in a five block radius if she keeps that up. She pointed the bat at me with a shaking hand.

"You just stay right there. Okay? I'm fine. See. I'm not one of them. I'm not going to turn." She said desperately.

We both knew it was a lie, but I just nodded. Then, she reached down and grabbed my back pack.

"What are you doing with my stuff?" I said worriedly.

"It's not yours anymore." She replied with a cracking voice.

I just shook my head again, and looked at her. I still had the gun hidden within the vest, and she couldn't know about it. I raised both hands up, and smiled, slowly backing up towards the wall.

"Well. Your not going to get very far without the keys to those handcuffs." As I said this I pulled them out, and walked over to a sink that had no drain plug.

She looked at me, and her face turned white. I dangled the keys right above it, daring her to try and take them. She then reached into the bag and pulled out the water. She slowly started unscrewing it, a smile creeping across her face. My smile dropped as she slowly poured it on the floor.

"Stop! Fine, I'll give you the keys. Don't waste anymore!" I complied with obvious strain in my voice.

I pulled the keys away from the sink and threw them in the ground as my left hand reached inside of the vest. Megan looked at me as she slowly walked towards the key, bat still in hand. My fingers found the gun, and I slowly pulled it out. With it still hidden inside the vest I waited until she bent down to pick it up.

"I'm so sorry." I said.

She looked up as I pulled the pistol out from the vest. The hammer came back, and I pulled the trigger. One ear ringing bang later, and Megan's body lay lifeless on the floor. Blood pooled from the single gunshot to the head.

I was aiming for the body... lucky I hit her.

I dashed to the front of the store and looked out. No rotters were around, but I was sure they would start to show up. If her yelling didn't bring them then the gunshot would.

I returned to the back and started grabbing all of my supplies. Storing everything back inside of my bag. I kept glancing at her lifeless body, and felt it wrong to leave her there. I reached over and pulled the bat out of her hand. Setting it next to my pack, I walked upfront to search for a blanket.

Finding one, I dragged it to the back, and started to wrap Megan's body in it. I had an easy time wrapping after I rolled her into the blanket. I searched around for a pen, and soon wrote a short letter to place on her grave.

It read: " The only one human I knew, or met during the quarantine. Sadly it was for a short time. She was infected, one of them had scratched her. She died quick. She died human.

Now Alone,
Ethan McAllister."

I placed the note, and looked outside. A group of rotters had showed up, but they just wandered around, unsure of where the sound came from. I unlocked the door and pushed it open, pack slapping against my back, and bat in hand.

All seven or eight turned towards me, and I brought the bat swinging upwards at the first one. It crumpled to the ground, and I quickly prepared for the rest. Moving with intent I avoided the first two easily before I hit, and killed the third one. Dodging, and avoiding their clingy hands I knocked another one over as I used the bat to push the next one away.

Don't die now. There's no reason to die... but there is. Megan.

I pushed trough the last two, and sprinted down the road. I turned left and kept running, not caring about the shambling masses of the undead all around. All I wanted to do was get somewhere safe. Somewhere I only knew.

I ran down the sidewalk, and used the totaled cars to my advantage. They blocked the rotters from grabbing me. I rounded a corner and had just started to pass an alley when a pair of hands came out, and wrapped around my shoulders pulling me inside.

A hand quickly went to my mouth, as I heard a series of rapid hushes. I looked up, seeing a man in a police uniform staring back at me. I nodded my head and he let go, ushering me down the alley as rotters started to get to close.

The alley was a dead end, but an open door awaited us. The man walked in, and waited for me to enter before closing the door.

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Well. That was a pretty exciting chapter. Will the strange man be helpful, or hurtful. Will Ethan be able to trust this man?

Find out in the next chapter...

Vote and comment please.