The changing of Winter | ✔

|03| - Symptoms

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《Southern California - October 15, 2020》

"I Like Joy," Jesse said to me as we walked back to the elevator for a trip to the second floor. "Unfortunate name, though."

I gave a small laugh, I hope Jesse would become my friend, too. The nurse's office was in the same long hallway as most of the classrooms. The waiting room was packed. There was even a boy, about six, whose eyeball had fallen out in a first-grade circle time. The kids in the classroom were still looking at it. Next to him sat a teenage girl around my age whose teeth had suddenly sharpened overnight. She'd accedently bitten her tongue. Three other kids had gashes that were oozing thick goopy blood.

In the corner, I spotted a teacher. She was young, blonde, and very pretty. I noticed that her legs were locked straight, forcing her to lean against the wall like a wooden plank.

"Mine were like that," I said. "But they got better."

She smiled at me encouragingly. "I've been like this for a week," the woman replied. "My knees won't bend, no matter how hard I try."

I shivered and looked around the room, I wonder if this was my future. Would Brett wannat talk to me if I had to carry my eyeball around witu me in a little plastic baggie? And would Chiara wanna hang-out with me if I had razor-sharp teeth? What if I can never play soccer again?

As if he knew what I was thinking, Jesse leaned over and whispered, "Transformation happens very, very slowly. Bit by bit. It takes centuries to become a full zombie." He said slowly.

Was that supposed to make me feel better??

"Centuries?" I gasped.

"You're immortal now," he told me. "Didn't anyone tell you that?"

I thought back to the things I already knew about zombies. I don't recall Danny mentioning that I'd live forever. It wasn't on the websites I looked at either. Would I be fifteen years old forever? With no real friends at my new boarding school?

That didn't sound so good ..

"That's not going to happen!" I said. "I'm not going to be immortal, because Mr. Jones and his researchers are looking for a cure. I'll be home in a few weeks, maybe a month." I said getting irritated.

Jesse got a distant look in those glassy eyes and said, "Sure, Winter. You'll be going home soon." He said looking down.

"Hang on, Jesse. How long have you---" I began to ask but was interrupted by the nurse calling my name.

I guess my questions will just have to wait ..

I gave Jesse one long last stare, then went into the examination room with Nurse Karen.

The nurse was a fully transformed zombie. No question about that. Her green eyes were glued open, and her cheeks were sunken. I tried not to stare at the double row of shark-sharp teeth that gleamed at me.

Everyone at the school had the disease, but it was like Jesse said---there were different stages of transformation.

The nurse had me do a few jumping-Jacks and some squats. Then she had me read a page from a collage textbook out loud and answer some questions.

I felt like I did okay. I moaned and groaned between every paragraph, but otherwise I read the text just fine. It was about cars, and since my dad was a car salesman, I had an advantage and answered the questions easily.