Rain - A Zombie Apocalypse Story -

*Extended Ending* Part Three

Extended Ending

Part Three

The Cure

Alan's P.O.V

"Mel?" The word was almost whispered.

She was standing unmoving behind Melissa, fists clenched, clothed in a jumpsuit as dark as the hair that hung down the sides of her face. There was no denying that it was her, but her eyes were as lifeless as that of the infected.

"Oh, this is quite the reunion, isn't it?" Melissa smiled sweetly, her gaze flicking between Mel and I.

"What did you do to her?" I growled, pulling my own gun out and aiming it at Melissa.

"You'd know if you bothered to stick around," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Cut the shit, Melissa! What the fuck did you do to her!" The words were expelled with such force that they practically tore at my throat on the way out.

Melissa just smiled at me, sadistically, as if taking pleasure in all the pain she was causing. "It was perfect timing really. I was about to shut everything down and leave the facility when your helicopter just so happened to crash." She threw her thumb out and gestured behind her to Melody. "I found her body on the fringes of the jungle and figured it would be such a waste of a corpse to just leave her there. So I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."

She unfolded her arms and sauntered over to where Melody stood, her black heels clacking against the floor and echoing around the otherwise silent room. Then, almost like they were old friends, Melissa threw her arm over Melody's shoulders and pinched her cheek.

"I infected her with a new, more advanced strain of the virus. One that allows for more control. She's practically my little puppet now." She stared up at Melody, who was standing as still as a statue, with adoration. "As you can see, I'm pleased to announce that it worked marvelously. She'll do whatever I tell her," Melissa said, her gaze now angling back towards Carl and I.

My entire body felt weak. Even though she was standing before me, and I couldn't deny anything Melissa had said, I still struggled to take it all in.

"Melody?" I called.

There was no recognition, no response to the sound of my voice. Only a blank stare that wasn't focused on anything in particular.

"Mel, it's us," Carl said. "You rescued me from the school, remember?"

"I'd save your breath if I were you, the only voice she responds to is mine," Melissa said, almost smug, that awful smile still stretching her lips.

I refused to accept any of it. After everything that had happened. Everything we'd been through. I wasn't going to let it end this way. The gears in my mind began turning, working fervently to think of an idea.

This could still work out, I thought. I can fix this, I know I can.

I can still save her.

Melissa might have said that there wasn't a cure, but what reasons did I have to believe anything she said? Carl was right, if the virus originated here, which it did, then if a cure exists, it'll be somewhere down here too.