Winner!
Third Place Sci-Fi Winner on The Dream Awards July 2020.
What would happen if one day you were infected with a virus that ate at your brain, your skin, and all your internal organ all while you were self-aware?
Would you still feel? Want to...
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Teal's lids fluttered open, to three pairs of eyes staring at her. She slowly looked at each one of them and shrunk back into the pillow, holding her head. She had no idea who they were, why they ogled over her, nor, where she was. In fear, she recoiled further into the mattress, vaguely remembering where she'd been last.
I've been caught by humans! Why?! Why has this happened to me?!
"Don't hurt me!" The rims of her eyes filled with tears. "Please!"
"Oh! Honey, no. We're the good guys." Gisela smiled reaching for Teal's fingers.
Shrinking back, Teal displayed undeniable, intense fear in her eyes and Gisela stopped the movement of her hand obviously coming to the conclusion she should not touch the human-looking zombie on the gurney.
Teal trembled.
"Teal, we are human, but we work with Marc." Art let his words sink in. "I'm his younger brother. This, is my girlfriend Gisela and Liz here, is just an immune, insane human who loves danger."
The three of them laughed and Liz playfully punched Art on the shoulder.
"What?!" She felt light-headed and cradled her head. "You're humans who work with Marc?" She closed her eyes processing the information. "And, you're, his brother?" Wide eye and still afraid, she thought she might die. "I didn't know he has a brother. He never-"
Now that she paid attention to his face, she saw the resemblance. The hair was the same texture as Marc's, yet, Art wore his longer. It covered his ears and was left in its natural, tree-trunk brownish color. His eyes were a brighter green, and he was wider at the shoulders.
"Do- do you all live on this side of the fence? Or the other?" She was baffled and obviously living under a rock.
"Z-town." Art gave her the same wink Marc did, the night they met. She noticed a slight resemblance in their mannerisms. "How do you think he gets stuff done during the day?" They all chuckled.
"Are you feeling OK?" Liz asked concerned. "You were shot and grazed in the arm. Plus, Kaya hit your head pretty hard. You, bled... a lot. You'll be Okay according to the doctor."
Teal turned her attention from Art to Liz's beautiful face. It was smooth and darker than the rest of the human faces in the room. There was black under both her lower eyelash lines, which made her eyes seem large and grey in color, like a cat's.
"Teal?" Liz addressed her again.
Slowly, Teal shook her head, but then looked at her arm and winced in pain, holding it. "Where, where's Marc?"
"He's going to be okay too."
"What happened to him?" Teal panicked.
"You're pretty special Teal, and not only because you-you bleed, but he walked in sunlight for you. That's what happened to him." Gisela interjected. "He carried you all the way to the van after you fainted."
