The Infected [1]

4.Bad News

We were allowed to go home after the incident. But the next day, a few other students who caught the cold started experiencing the seizures as well. The school nurse concluded that the flu shot had caused this. She informed that the possibility of the other students who was sneezing would experience the same thing and advised the rest of the students who didn't catch the cold to be alert as well. The reports of the seizures made the school to give us a week holiday to avoid anymore people getting sick.

I was pretty terrified to say the least. I would stay in my room watching YouTube or searching on google about this year's flu shot. Jeff would also stay in his room.

"Ash!",Jeff called.

"Coming!",I yelled back.

I turned off my laptop and went downstairs to find Jeff pacing back and forth. "What's wrong?",I asked, tilting my head.

He sneezed and answered,"More than twenty students are in the hospital due to the seizures. The horrible thing is that Paula and the others few students who had seizures earlier were quarantined b-because t-they sort o-of t-turned into z-z-zombies...",his voice quivered near the end.

I stood there in utter shock and fear. I started shaking and a sob escaped my lips. Jeff's face was pale and scared. He engulfed me in a hug and I sneezed. I buried my face into his chest as I wrapped my arms tightly around him.

"Shhh...it's going to be okay.",he whispered as he rubbed my back soothingly. I could definitely tell that he was very much as afraid as me. I looked up at him, my eyes red and puffy from crying.

"D-do you t-think t-t-that we'll end up like them too?",I managed to stutter out.

He sighed sighed and said,"I don't know."
Suddenly Jeff's phone rang and he reached into his pocket to grab it.
He answered it and listened attentively.
I removed my arms from him and went to grab a tissue.

I wiped my tears and sneezed again. I threw away the tears-covered tissue and went back to Jeff. He had finished his call and looked at me with a worried expression. "It's Jay, he's having the seizures."

The moment he uttered those words, my world crumbled and I was speechless. Jay was a very dear friend of mine, we were best friends for as long as I could remember. The thought of him turning into a zombie petrified me.

I crumbled to the ground and curled into a ball. Jeff went over to me and bent down. He picked me up and walked over to the couch. He laid me on it and sat next to me. I shut my eyes and tried to hold back tears but I couldn't.

Why out of all the people would it have to be him?

"Don't worry,I'm sure he'll be fine and so will the others. Now go to sleep.",I did so and let sleep overtake me. As the darkness grew, I felt Jeff carry me upstairs.