Infected

Eight Years Earlier

September 1, 2054

The white glare of the television screen reflected off her daughter's face, doe-like eyes glued to the chaos on the news. 

"The United States government has now declared a state of emergency. Citizens are warned to stay in their homes, and to not approach anyone with symptoms of this widely spreading virus, such as loss of pupils, greying skin, and an abnormal amount of animal aggression." 

Behind the reporter, pictures and graphics flashed of MRIs showing the infection spreading to the brain, showed a small child growling from one side of a broken window. It showed the piles of cars trying to escape the cities in any route possible 

She looked out the window, cars began to screech to stops as the neighbors scrambled to escape the terror that was unfolding within minutes. 

It had been in the news over the past few days. Most reporters claiming it was a form of Zika, while FEX news blamed the homeless population. It started in the cities, then came crawling, and limping, to the suburbs. 

Old Ms. Flanner next door was the first neighbor to be infected. She came stumbling to the front door late in the night, growling and muttering like a rabid raccoon. 

Then it was Donny, her husband's best friend, his hair peeling off of his scalp like ice cream on a hot day. 

"Mom, what's going on?" Her daughter reached for her mother. 

Behind her, the glass back door began to rattle, as a hoard of shuffling Infected came, hunger for her. 

"Let's go baby, we need to go." The mother scooped her daughter in her arms, pushing her face into her chest so she wouldn't have to see the family dog half-eaten on the front porch. 

The car was already gone, stolen by a faceless stranger. 

So the mother ran, and ran. 

Her daughter's legs dangled lankly over her mother's hips, slightly too tall to be carried like a child. 

"Don't look, lovie." She whispered to her daughter, her own legs carrying them further and further into the tree line. She looked behind her, as the hoard seemed to fall farther behind her. 

But she didn't stop, she didn't stop until she reached the river. 

She set her daughter on the ground, panting as her hands hit her knees. It was oddly quiet now, the inhuman screeches a faint reminder of the danger nearby. 

She looked back at her daughter, whose eyes were bulged with fear, mouth open about to scream. 

And then the mother felt teeth hit her neck, tearing in. She was only able to utter one last word to her little girl. 

"Run." 

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Hello my lovelies! Damn, it's been a long time since I've written here. A lot has happened in my life in the last few years, and I just want to apologize for disappearing. Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with me, to everyone who rereads my stories. 

This is my first time writing a post-apocalyptic novel, so please bear with me. I'm going to be updating at least once a week from now on, but I wanted to give you guys a little teaser/prologue before we really get into the story.