Infected

Chapter 6

The outside of the facility was different then I remember when I came here. They had the fence around it repaired and they had put up an extra wall around to insure protection. They took away my sling in case someone of more importance should need it. Fortunately, I didn't need it anymore. One of the military troops walked up to us.

"Charlie? Owen? What are you guys doing out here already? You aren't supposed to patrol 'til later." One of them says. Charlie is too distraught to speak.

Owen speaks up, "we got kicked out."

"Kicked out?" The guy asked, "how do you get kicked out?"

Before Owen could answer I say, "you listen to your dumbass friend that asks you to risk your butt to save theirs, that's how! I'm infected and instead of dealing with it myself, I ask Charlie to help. I knew he could get in trouble but I let him do it anyway." I start crying. "I should die! I deserve it." I fall to the ground and cry some more.

"Get away from them and get back to work!" The man who yelled at us says from the entrance and then he goes back inside. The troop walks off, they all seem sad to be loosing Charlie and Owen. Because of me, they're loosing them. I should die. I begin to wonder when I'll start turning. Who will have to kill me once I do? It's been an hour already at least.

Te'Aysha gets up off of the ground. "Yeah, we all screwed up. We ain't gon' survive sittin' here being sad 'bout it. Lets get our asses movin' and do what we got to. Live." This woman might just keep us all alive. Well, keep Charlie and Owen alive, at least. We get up and start walking. It's late summer but it's still hot. We are all pouring sweat before we know it.

I should've started changing already, I thought. The facility's people have our cars so we don't get to use them. We will have to travel on foot. I pull my family's picture out of my pocket and look at it while we walk. I nearly ran into a tree so I put it back.

One of the people from the troop runs up behind us and was out of breath. She hands us all a knife and some matches. Before we get a chance to thank her, she was gone. I wonder if she will get in trouble if they find out she helped us. I'd hate to be the reason for another person getting kicked out or whatever her punishment may be.

"You guys, I can't tell you how sorry I am for bringing you all to this. I don't know how long I have left, so I just wanted to make sure you knew." I tell them.

Charlie finally speaks for the first time since we left the facility, "we knew that we could have gotten caught. We were willing to take that risk for you."

"You knew that you would kicked out?" I asked with doubt. He doesn't say anything. "I didn't think so." I said.

"Alright, we have to find shelter. There's no way in hell we can sleep at night if we don't." Owen says.

"What do you suggest?" Te'Aysha asked.

"That we find an abandoned building that will be easy to protect and fast. The thing is, is we need to find one like, in the middle of nowhere. That'll lessen the chance of running into infected." He says.

"Lets get looking then." Te'Aysha says. I can tell that the others know I should be changing any minute now because they're staying out of my reach and they keep looking at me. I start crying, the fact that I know I will be gone soon is terrifying. I don't know what to do or think.

Owen leans down next to Charlie's ear and whispers something to him. They both look over their shoulders back at me.

I get worried, does it look like I'm changing? "What? What is it?" I asked.

"Why haven't you changed yet?" Charlie blurts out.

"Why? Can't wait to get rid of me? Can't say that I blame you." I say.

Charlie shakes his head, "you should've already." He stated. "It's been two hours. Do you feel weird or anything?"

I shrug my shoulders, "I feel pretty normal except emotionally and mentally." No dah. Charlie grabs me and hugs me. I was taken so by surprise and realized how long it's been since I had had a hug. I started crying. I don't know why, I just do.

"Why are you hugging me?" I asked sobbing.

"This is probably my last chance to do it so, yeah." He says and then releases me. His face was red. "Why are you crying?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"I don't know. I guess just everything. I really screwed you guys over." I say. It wasn't the whole truth but it wasn't a lie. No one denies that I made all of this happen, because its true. They're out here because of me and now I'm going to die while they have to suffer for me.

About ten minutes later we run across a little shack in the woods. How convenient. We walk in the front door with caution.

Te'Aysha calls out, "anyone in here?" Then we hear a groan and ready our knives, we know what's about to happen. Stumbling into the room is an infected. I was terrified. I started to hyperventilate and stood frozen with terror. Te'Aysha surprises us and runs straight at it and stabs it in the head before it had even snapped at her. We were thoroughly impressed. I went up to its body and gasped when I saw who it was.

It was the girl who warned me about the bathroom water infecting people. I remember now where I had seen her, before that incident, I mean. She was the one that ran out of my room. What was she doing in there? The others noticed me staring at this dead girl's face.

"You okay?" Te'Aysha asked. I nodded. I can't help feeling like there was something significant about that girl.

"We need to search this place for stuff," Charlie said. We found two flashlights, three lighters, a box of granola bars,a gallon of water, and pillows and blankets from the single bed. We piled up furniture in front of the front door and the two windows.

"Alright, something's not right here." Owen said crossing his arms and looking at me. Te'Aysha, Charlie and I looked at him confused.

"What?" I asked.

"There's no way your infected." He said.

"The woman said that everyone that used the water got infected. I did. I have to be, don't I?" I asked unsure.

"Well, sure." He pauses. "Unless you lied." Did he really just say that?

"Are you out of your mind? Why would I lie about that?" I asked. "There's always a reason for people to lie. You might have for attention. Or maybe you did to get me and Charlie in trouble." He said, getting angry.

"Are you kidding me right now? What's wrong with you, Owen?" I asked, couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You did! Didn't you? You little bitch! Are you happy? You got what you wanted! Look at where me and Charlie are now!" He yelled.

Charlie grabbed Owen's shoulders, "Owen, you need to calm down. You're not making any sense." Owen shoved Charlie away and Charlie instinctively punched Owen in the jaw, knocking Owen out immediately. He examined his knuckles and they were bleeding.

"Sorry about that. He's just upset about what's going on. He didn't mean any of that." Charlie told us.

"He was right about one thing though: you should have changed already. I don't know how you haven't."

" I don't either," I say, "I don't even feel any different."

"You literally have to be immune to it." Charlie said. "If you don't change within the next hour, that's the conclusion." I was in shock, could I be immune to the infection?