Island of the Dead

Chapter Nine

June 6th 11:18 am

Mindy Barker sat curled up in the corner of a small storage room on the top floor of the Prescott Medical Center. Her eyes were red and puffy due to her crying. This entire trip had been a nightmare for her.

She had gotten assigned to this team to study a virus that plagued the island of Pacoi. Her being a med student fresh out of college, getting to be chosen to go on a mission for the government was extremely exciting.

She was assigned to go with one biologist, one microbiologist, one ecologist, and one pathologist. Along with them would be seven other people who would work as lab assistants and two soldiers for protection.

Even when she found out that the virus turned people to a feral state, she still wanted to go. It wasn't until she and the others were in a helicopter flying over the island that she realized the true horror of the virus.

May 19th 12:32 pm

Out of her window Mindy saw cars on fire and what looked like people attacking other people. She could hear quiet pings on her door.

"What is that?" She asked Chris Rier. Chris was one of the two soldiers that were assigned to go with Mindy and the other scientists to the island.

"Bullets." He replied calmly.

"Bullets? Why are people shooting at us?"

"Because when they see an army helicopter, they assume that it is there to give people supplies. So they want to shoot it down and take the supplies for themselves."

At the time Mindy could hardly believe how people would just try to take everything for themselves.

When they had landed on top of the Prescott Medical Center, Chris and the other soldier, Libby Warner, had ushered them out of the helicopter and toward the roof access. As the transport chopper begin to take off, the few people still in the city continued to take shots at it.

One lucky shot hit the pilot and the group of scientists had to watch in horror as the chopper they were on just moments before, went crashing into the streets below.

June 1st 6:01 am

A group of raiders, wanting to draw the scientists out, had broken down the doors to the medical center to let the infected inside.

Dr. Scott Jackson was the first one to be killed. They had heard noises outside their lab and, despite the others protests, he went to investigate.

Shortly after they heard his scream, Chris and Libby came from the back room they were using as a communication station. They shut the door and locked it, then proceeded to move the scientists into the communication room.

Unfortunately that room had already begun to fill up with infected, and the soldiers led the scientists right into a bloodbath.

By the time they made it out, the only doctors left were Dr. Samuel Calvin and Dr. Andrew Cottone. Besides Mindy, the only lab assistants that were left were Carl Hopkins and David Jones. The other doctors and lab assistants were dead along with Chris, who had stayed back to buy the others time.

Libby was able to get the survivors into the food storage room so they had enough food to last them. But it wasn't long before people broke down.

June 6th 11:18 am

David had begun to get stressed the third day and by now, if anyone talked to him he would immediately snap at them. Mindy tried not to talk to anyone. She thought Libby was mean, David had gone crazy, Carl just kept to himself, and the doctors were too busy trying to figure out what they had to do to finish their research.

"I got it!" Everyone looked at David. "I know what they want!"

"What are you talking about David?" Carl moved closer to his friend. Carl had known David since med school. They had shared classes and were excited when they found out that they were going on this this trip together.

"I know what they want." David got up and went to the door.

"David," Libby put her hand on her gun, "What are you doing?"

David ignored her, "I know what they want." David reached for the lock.

Libby pulled her gun out and pointed it at him. "Don't touch that."

"I know what they want." His voice was almost a whisper, as if he was talking to himself.

"What do they want." Carl walked to his friend to try to move him from the door.

"They want us to join them."

"That's crazy David." Carl crept closer, trying not to provoke him. David had clearly lost his mind and Carl wasn't sure what he was capable of.

David put his hand on the lock and begin to turn it when Libby shot his arm. Libby had been in the army for a few years and she was a really good shot. It was her marksman skills that got her the rank of Master sergeant and the opportunity to come on this trip. The bullet ripped through his forearm, breaking his radius bone and sending him into the wall.

"What the fuck Libby?!" Carl ran to help David stop the bleeding.

"I warned him." Libby holstered her gun and sat down next to the far wall.

Mindy began to cry again.