Anubis

Chapter eleven - Second Dose

"You're going to be okay," I whisper, stroking a heavy hand through Kit's dark, sweaty locks. His quiet weeps fills around us momentarily before William sparks up optimistically. 

"We should go, before they come back," he wearily glances over his shoulder at the peering darkness, reflective eyes waiting. I help Kit into the car and slide into the seat beside him as everyone else piles into the car silently, but with high guards. Gale drives off from the station and we all look at it shrinking behind us. We could've have died there. 

I turn back around in my seat, enveloping Kit's still shocked frame. His crying has stopped but the track left from the tears remained, glinting as the headlights reflect off of the street signs. I slip my small hand into his large, shaky one, causing a forced smile to appear on his lips. It breaks my heart to see him this lost, knowing I can't do anything to help him. 

"Are there any motels or anything around here?" Henry asks with a yawn, covering his open mouth. Gale rubs his head as he glances at the map that's resting crimpled in Camerons hands. 

"No, it's a highway town so there's barely anything here," I gaze out of the window at the bare, dark roads, a few shops disappearing out of view before I'm met with more landscape. The bumpy hills look like an angry, black sea, splashing up beside us on the road. 

"There's a caravan park off road a bit though, it looks pretty isolated maybe we will get lucky and have it to ourselves," his tired eyes flicker to the mirror above the dash, sneakily checking up on Kit. Kit's too involved with his own thoughts as his head vibrates against the window. 

"Great, lets go there, I'm exhausted," Henry concludes, stretchig his stocky legs out towards me as he sits opposite me. William houses Sarah's head in his lap next to Henry as she rests, her bangs falling into her face while his head is back on the window. We take a swift turn onto a rocky road with dust clouding up behind our wheels as we make our way towards the retreat. 

We arrive at the lonely caravan park after another half an hour of driving. Before getting out straight away, we hold our breath in the van. 

"Flick on your highbeams," I murmur, poking my head between Cameron and Gale. Gale clicks them on and I exhale gently, not seeing any reflective zombie eyes in the rainforest around us. The car switches off and we exit the vehicle stiffly, our bags slumped over our shoulders. 

I hold Kit's hand again as we make our way towards the fire pit that's surrounded with signs, tables and a block of toilets. A long thin river flows behind the trees which can be heard gushing along the bank. I kneel down while Kit plants himself onto a chopped log, scraping the red tipped match along the side of the box, the small flame lighting up my face. I hastily throw it into the fire before standing again, shoving some pre cut wood into the growing fire. 

"Okay do we want beans, spaghetti or-" before Cameron can finish, Kit darts up and begins chasing after a deer that was hiding near the trees. I frown as his legs carry him quickly towards it, successfully cornering it against the sharp drop off of the river. He lunges through the air and pins it down onto the ground, snapping its neck instantly. Sarah and I cry out as he pulls it into the light of the fire while Cameron laughs loudly. 

"Or steak!" My eyes tear up as the limp mother dear is thrown onto the floor next to me, its tongue escaping from its mouth as its eyes stare widely. 

"Kit!" I stand up with disgust, shoving a finger into his chest. He growls loudly at me like an animal and I jolt, taking a seat back on the log, staring up at him. 

"Mate, what are you doing?" Cameron's demeanour changes abruptly as I look down at my hands, shocked. Kit doesn't reply, instead he takes a knife he had stored in his bag and plunges it into the side of the deer, its reflexes kicking in causing it to twitch. We all watch in horror as he disassembles the deer, throwing the flesh onto the rack above the fire. It sizzles as the blood drips off of it and into the coals. 

"This is fucking sick," Sarah cries, standing up and running back towards the van with a worried William chasing after her. I blink back the gloss in my eyes and watch Kit stand up, taking his shirt off to wipe the blood from his hands. 

"Oh Kit!" Henry exclaims from behind Kit, pointing at his back with a shaky hand. Kit looks at him then tries to look over his shoulder towards what Henry's pointing to. A large pulsing vein parasites from his back where he was biten, smaller veins branching off towards his lower back. I cover my mouth as Henry rummages through his vaccine bag nervously. 

"Man," Cameron shakes his head towards the floor once he pieces the information together, pinching the bridge of his nose. Getting over my fear of Kit, I stand up slowly, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder that isn't infected, rubbing the tanned skin. 

"Kit, you're sick," I whisper, gesturing towards the deer that's piled into the fire. He follows my gaze before looking back at me, his eyes turning solomn. His eyes are bloodshot and his breath smells like all of his teeth are rotting. Henry comes up behind him and quickly injects Kit with a needle, jumping back as Kit turns around and flies towards him. Before he can take another step, his eyes begin to hood then he falls onto the ground, cold. 

"I needed to knock him out," Henry says, pushing his glasses up his nose as he takes in Kit's relaxed frame. "I'm going to give him another dose of the vaccine so it can help fight the infection. I want to take another look at that," he points at the bite, "too." 

I wiped the lone tear that had managed to escape and took a seat back down on the log, watching patiently as Cameron and Gale lifted Kit onto a table they'd dragged over from nearby. Henry begins his inspection after giving a second dose of the vaccine, applying pressure to the vein. 

"It's most likely just the venom of the zombie fighting with Kit's immune system. It won't escalate any further after this dose." I close my eyes and put my fingers into my hair as Cameron makes his way over to me, giving Gale and Henry some space. He sits down on the log next to me. 

"Hey are you okay?" His voice is timid against the crackling fire as it shoots its scolding embers into the sky. I nod my head and sniffle, pushing my hair out of my face so I can appear nonchalant. 

"It's going to be fine, you heard the doctor," he smiles, staring at my face and hair in a weird way. I shift uncomfortably and cough, pinning my eyebrows up at the middle. 

"Yeah I know, thanks," he smiles nicely before looking back at the fire, allowing my heart to slow back down. Weird situations make me flustered.