Virus 16, A Reason To Hate It Out There

My First Book Thingy

"I hate it out here," mumbled Jack.

He was walking home from the lake, the hot, dry, scared earth beneath his feet crumbling and spewing up dust. The two buckets full to the brim with water over his shoulders made the journey back to civilisation painstakingly slow, the sun was already beginning to set. It was easier on the way here, thought Jack; I could probably stay in the boat house till morning. Although it would have been safer Jack new that his parents needed the water to cook dinner and his stomach had been rumbling since he started the walk to the lake. He continued to walk, hoping to make it back before the sun disappeared below the far off horizon.

Night was a dangerous time on this alien planet. To stray outside of your home was like sentencing yourself to death. The infected were altered human beings, they made the mistake of removing there masks too early. They appeared to be dead at first, but at night the rose to their feet and started walking towards the first settlers. None of them survived. The second fleet of settlers figured out that daylight sent the infected into hiding and they landed their transport ships during daylight hours to avoid a confrontation. The infected looked almost exactly like humans except for their massive dilated pupils.

The blazing sun was starting to slip below the horizon and a bitter dread was beginning to rise inside Jack. Hastily looking for somewhere to spend the night Jack stumbled on a rock, or what he thought was a rock at first, when he took a closer look he realised it was the butt of an old pulse rifle, the kind that were once banned for being so hazardous, as the had a tendency to destroy everything in front of them when fired. He grasped the weapon and wrestled the deeply buried gun out of the ground. Standing up, he spotted a dome shape not too far ahead of him. He recognised what it was instantly, the air dome was abandoned but was still in working condition. He rushed towards it knowing it might be the only shelter he might find for a while.

Throwing open the door Jack stepped inside. He hit the large red button on the cold metal wall of the dome which closed the door behind him and filled the small room with fresh air. The room was bathed in green light and the second door opened. Jack removed his mask. A sigh of relief escaped him as he walked into the structure that stood in the center of the dome. His relief turned to horror when he stepped inside. He could barely stop himself from screaming in terror. Two bodies lay on the floor torn apart. Limbs where missing from the bodies and blood stained everything, the reeking stench of death filled the room and made Jack feel sick. He stepped back outside of the room and slammed the door behind him.

The image of the two men was imprinted in his head. The only thought going through his mind was what did this to them? He even forgot the danger he was in. That was until the first thud against the mirrored glass pulled him from his dark thoughts. The infected where swarming around the dome. A few were beating against the glass, more joined in until the only sounds Jack could hear was the deafening pound of fists against glass and the rapid beating of his heart. "The glass won't break," Jack whispered trying to reassure himself. The hours felt like years, time seemed to stand still. More of the infected were swarming towards the dome. The seemed endless. If the glass broke Jack would have to fight them of or escape with only a pulse rifle against a seemingly endless sea of moving bodies. If the glass broke Jack knew he was doomed.

The glass held. Jacks hopes began to rise, he checked his watch. Only one hour till the sun would peek above the horizon and send the infected into hiding. Then he could make it back home with the water his parents desperately needed to survive in the barren land. A huge cracking split the air. Jack's hopes plummeted only to be filled with fear and a longing to be safe at his home. The infected heard it too they began to pound the glass more violently, sending small shards falling to the ground from the large gash in the glass. If the dome broke the fresh air inside would kill off the closest of the horde but the rest would still have to be dealt with if he was going to escape. Jack slipped on his mask and flicked a switch on the pulse rifle.

A sound from the structure behind him made him gasp. A deformed creature dragged itself toward him with its arms. A large trail of blood followed along behind it. Jack aimed the gun at the deformed being and pulled the trigger. The sound was astonishing, louder than anything he had ever heard. The creature was sprawled at the back of the room it had just emerged from. The sheer force of the gun surprised him. Maybe making my way out of here won't be as hard as I thought, he thought.

The glass split again, making the dome shudder. Jack checked his watch again, twelve more minutes till sunrise. It wouldn't take much more to shatter the glass and twelve minutes was more than enough time for the crowd of infected to break it. The glass shuddered again. Many large cracks broke off from the first one. A few more hits and it would collapse and there was still ten minutes till dawn. Shards of glass showered the ground and Jack. An ear-splitting groan filled the air. A large part of glass slipped from the roof and shattered into thousands of tiny crystals in front of Jack. The rest of the dome fell shortly afterwards.

The closest infected dropped to the ground instantly. Jack let off a few shots at the infected in front of him clearing a path to run through. The others quickly rushed after him eager to get the first taste of human blood. Bodies swarmed in front of Jack blocking his exit. He fired at the line of creatures blocking him and ran forward again. A hand grasped his shoulder firmly bring Jack to an abrupt halt he face the creature and shot it sending it flying backwards, knocking over other infected as it went. He turned around a gain only to have a hand claw at his face leaving a ragged cut on his skin. Pain engulfed his face, an unbearable, burning pain. Scarlet droplets of blood fell from his skin, staining the ground bellow him. He kicked out hard and scored the infected's knee, crippling it. He aimed the rifle at it and fired. He was free to continue forward. Jack flashed a quick look at his watch. Three minutes and he was safe. The second it took for him to check the time was all the time the one of the creatures needed to grab Jack's leg and trip him. He fell to the ground with a hard thud and winced in pain as he heard his rib crack. He fired shots on the infected around him giving him time to get to his feet. Every breath sent a fresh stab of pain through his chest. He stumbled forward firing at the infected in his way.

The first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. The infected stumbled and clawed at their eyes, screeching in pain. The light was too much for their eyes to handle. They dug at the ground, blindly trying to make a shelter for themselves. Jack started his walk home still carrying the buckets of water, their lids sealed tightly to prevent a spill.

The trek home was long; he had to stop every so often to rest and catch his breath. His chest was a constant, throbbing pain and slowed him down. It was midday by the time he spotted the domes. He stumbled towards them. People were heading out. Some of them stared at Jack as he made his way past them. Someone called out to him and asked if he was okay or needed help. Jack didn't answer. He continued to walk to his family's dome, only when he had poured the water into the filtering system would he stop and rest.

He walked through the door and hit the button on the wall. The rooms lighting went green, the door in front of him opened and Jack stepped inside. He walked to the back of the house inside the dome and tipped the buckets contents inside the filter tank. Then his vision blurred and he collapsed on the ground.

Jack woke in his bed, his mother looking over him with a worried expression painted on her face.

"What happened to you?" She fretted. "You look half dead!"

"I'll tell you later," Jack answered simply. "First I need to have something to eat."

He walked into the kitchen to find a meal on the table. He sat down and finished it in a few famished mouthfuls. Walking back to his room, Jack noticed the pain in his chest more subtle now. He fell on his bed and instantly fell asleep.

Waking to the bright sun pouring through his window, Jack got out of bed and headed for the door, picking up the buckets as he left he set out to collect more water.