Apocalyptic Pathogen (Full Version)

Chapter 05: Death and Undeath

With bloodshot eyes, Wayne watched the monitors with the intensity of a cat crouched in front of a mouse hole. The life signals grew fainter and fainter as time crept past, and in within fifteen minutes, they stopped altogether. Wayne stared at the screens for a full minute, unblinking, until he shook himself slightly and switched on an audio recorder. He checked his watch.

"Time is 2:45 PM," he said. "All life signs halted approximately one minute ago. Expected revival within the next five minutes as reanimation occurs."

Wayne paused the recording as he watched Anna's remains through the clear partition of the containment door. Her skin was turning an ash gray in color, and although it was slow, he noticed slight lesions appearing, growing wider as time progressed and opening the skin to reveal muscle and bone underneath. He started recording again.

"Accelerated tissue decay noticed at 2:48 PM," he added to his report. "The cause of the rotting of the flesh during the start of the transformation is still unknown, as is the reason it stops and doesn't simply continue until the entire body is consumed. The following experiments will hopefully determine if the damage can be reversed when the disease is cured. Failing that, perhaps it might be possible to trigger the decay at a more substantial rate in order to cause a complete breakdown of the undead tissue, destroying them. Although the first option would be preferred, the second would still be a solution for the current state of our planet."

Wayne switched off the recorder again and dropped it heavily on the work table with an echoing clatter. He collapsed in his chair and rested his forehead in his palms, wondering what he was thinking. His work extended far beyond saving one person as finding a solution to the undead menace affected the entire world and what was left of humanity.  Although he knew the secondary option of eliminating the zombies had to be tried at some point, he lacked the resolve to test the procedure on Anna. He'd try everything to restore her first, but he considered how long he'd work on it before being forced to consider the alternative. His stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought.

Wayne looked up and was startled to find Anna standing up and staring at him with lifeless eyes. His movement caused her to react, slamming her head against the transparency twice before pounding on it with her fists.

Reaching toward his computer, Wayne typed a few commands, and Anna instantly calmed. With a one-way transparency active, she could no longer see him while he could still observe her. Because her prey was no longer visible, her attack reactions ceased. Wayne stood from his chair and walked over to stand beside the containment wall between them. He placed a hand on the partition, wanting to caress his wife's face.

Anna had been looking around aimlessly, but she suddenly turned and clawed at the glass where his hand was, causing Wayne to flinch back. The brief outburst subsided, and Anna returned to being docile.

Wayne waited while his heart returned to its normal rate of speed, all the while thinking about what had just happened. Theories formed in his mind about the possible causes and ways to test for the answers. He returned to his recorder.

"Test subject..." he began before changing it, "Anna shows signs of being able to detect me even through the one-way transparency. Further examination of this to follow."

Cautiously, Wayne placed his hand on the glass again, and the same reaction took place with Anna instantly zeroing in on the point of contact and attacking it in an attempt to reach him. The second he removed his hand, her behavior returned to its previous state. He tried a different location with the exact same result. No matter where he touched the glass, she seemed to know he was there.

Wayne left the lab and returned with a mop. Using the full length of the handle, he gently placed the cloth end of the mop against the glass, but there was no reaction. He moved the mop back and forth but still received no response. He thumped the end of the mop against the partition lightly, and Anna responded in her usual aggressive clawing at the glass. Wayne set the mop aside.

Taking a small flashlight from his pocket, he shined the light against the one-way transparency with no effect. Anna acted completely oblivious.

"She doesn't seem to react to movement or light from this side," he recorded. "However, non-human contact with the glass only generates a response when sound is created."

Wayne set down the recorder and clapped once. Anna's head whipped around, and she stood staring at the reflective partition between them for a time before seeming to relax. Wayne nodded as he recognized her ability to react to and be drawn by sounds, but it didn't explain her being able to detect his hand. Getting an idea, he went to the supply closet for a few items, returning a moment later with a measuring stick, matches, and a roll of tape.

He used the tape to secure a pair of matches to the end of the measuring stick. Lighting the matches with another one, he held them out toward the glass at the full reach of the stick and his arms. The flame didn't get close to the window before Anna was battering her fists against it, but when the burning matches did get near the glass, Anna withdrew.

"It would seem that while attracted to heat," he recorded after blowing out the matches, "Anna does seem to recognize the difference between body heat and fire. It's possible the undead can sense bodily warmth due to their own cold nature, also why they don't attack each other, but any heat of greater intensity repels them. Tomorrow, I'll test this directly."