▪ Chapter Five ▪

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Oh my God! He had stopped breathing! I grasped Jason's arm tight and shook it trying to get his attention

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Oh my God! He had stopped breathing! I grasped Jason's arm tight and shook it trying to get his attention.

"He... he's not... breathing... Jason." I managed to get out between my hysterical sobs.

"What?! Oh fuck!" He placed me on the bed beside him, moving me out of his arms so he could get up. He ran his fingers through his hair, almost ripping the strands out from frustration. It was unusual to see him panic as he was always so calm and collected. He clearly had no idea what to do. I watched distraught, hardly able to move, as he paced back and forth. Eventually he stopped his fast strides and walked over to Alec's motionless body. Gingerly, he pressed his index and middle finger against the underside of my boyfriend's wrist, as he checked for any sign of life. Seemingly finding none, he dropped Alec's arm and turned back to me with a horrified expression on his face.

"He hasn't got a pulse Hayley." He said solemnly, "I think... I think he's gone." He stammered out, shocked. I sat still, stunned and immobilized. My mind remained blank, refusing to process what Jason had told me, trying to pretend that Alec was still alive just to prevent myself from breaking down further. I stared ahead, my eyes glazed over, straight at my dead boyfriend.

Jason stepped in the way, effectively blocking him from my view, and placed his hands on both sides of my shoulders.

"You don't want to see him Hayles. Not like this." He told me softly. I just simply nodded, still in my catatonic stupor. I let him gently pull me off the bed and guide me out of my room. As soon as he closed the door behind us I leaned on the hallway wall and slumped to the ground, my head in my hands. Jason knelt beside me, shrugging an arm around my shoulder.

"You'll be okay Hayley. It'll take some time, but you'll be okay." He said quickly, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than me.

"I'll call a... an ambulance... or something." He stuttered. I watched, blurrily, as he dialed the emergency number into his phone and lifted it to his ear, beginning to pace again. I heard the faint beep signalled by an unsuccesful call, followed by an automated voice. It robotically droned on that there was nothing they could do right now as all the phone lines were busy and to call back in a minute. Jason, defeatedly, dropped the phone from his ear and sagged against the wall before dialling again. This time someone immediately answered. Before Jason had a chance to speak the frantic voice on the other end did.

"Hello?!" She sounded scared. "I'm sorry but I can't help you. There... there's nobody left. They're all gone."

"What do you me—" Jason was cut off as she continued.

"Listen, have you heard the news? About the virus? Stay away from anybody who's sick. They said the disease was fatal, but the sick... they die. They die, but then... they, they come back. But they're not alive. They aren't human." Both me and Jason hung off every word, convinced by her fearful tone. "They... they've killed all of the paramedics. They... they... ate... them." She stopped, sounding disgusted before continuing.

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