Mᴜᴛᴀɴᴛ Aᴘᴏᴄᴀʟʏᴘsᴇ 5: Bʟᴀᴄᴋ Mᴀsᴋs ❪✓❫

43 || 𝐄𝐋𝐊

𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝗼𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

No one understood why so many people were turning. How were they turning, though? Even two of the human mutants turned. As soon as the infected began troubling the group, Leo and his brothers began shooting anyone who was contaminated. People began scattering on the Ohio Turnpike, avoiding as much as the attack.

Leonardo aimed his gun at the brother who was eating his sister alive and had no choice but to end her suffering, too. "Ugh..." He groaned.

Three kids screamed aloud when they turned on their families and Mikey was the one to kill those infected kids. He had to remind himself that it was a monster controlling that body, not a human. But these children who became Runners dropped like flies and lay flat on the ground,

There are so many Runners and Walkers rising from Leo's group and they were killed quickly until there was only a certain number of people left in the group. Of course, anyone who was still alive grieved the loss of the people who turned and attacked them. Leo's hand shook as he held the gun, skimming his brothers and group. "I... I don't understand." He says softly.

"Why did they turn? Were they bit?" Zayn asked.

Don shakes his head. "They couldn't have. They were fine earlier today." He crouched to one of the bodies, getting a closer look.

Clementine came up to one of the dead children, not finding any bites or scratches on her skin. Then, she thought about the possible ways someone could become infected besides getting bit or making contact with spores. And when she thought long and hard for about a minute while her friends conversed, she remembered. "Damn..." She stood up and says. "Guys, the badger jerky. Who shot it yesterday?"

Leonardo glances at Duke. He's the one who killed it. "Uh..." Duke mumbled. "I did."

"Was that badger... bit or scratched?" Clementine asked him quietly.

Duke shrugged, yet nervous. "I-I dunno! There was a wound on its shoulder that looked-- Oh..." He realized.

"Sh*t." Clem whispered.

"The virus was in the meat." Don sighed. "How could we be so irresponsible?"

Why didn't some of the mutants turn? They ate some of the jerkies.

Since mutants are more likely to be healthier than humans, they have an immune system that should withstand whatever sickness they come in contact with. But it must be survival of the fittest in this situation. Most of the mutants ate that jerky and nothing was wrong with them. Leo guessed this was a way of seeing who was stronger toward the infection. Whoever died, had a weak immune system.

The humans who ate the jerky died because their bodies are just not made for this horrible outbreak.

He didn't want to appear careless toward the people who died. So to help those grieving over their loved ones, Leo helped bury the dead before paying respects and continuing the walk with three hundred-some mutants and people. Most of the humans are gone and there are only about sixty people of them left.

****

It seemed that Ranger was right when it came to traveling. If there were too many rest stops then Leo wouldn't be able to get his group to Chicago before the snow hit. It's the month of October and they on a huge break. There was no shelter for miles and that meant people were doing what they can to stay warm in the fall weather winds.

Indiana wasn't all bad, but it was beautiful here. The colors of the trees changed into some warm shades of orange, yellow, and red. The winds stung the faces of many, numbing up their skin and getting red cheeks that burned.