Don't Talk To Anyone | BOOK 2

thirty eight

Elle McBriar
May 20th, 1 year and 177 days since the first zombie report

For the next hour, we spent that time feeling our necks. And surely enough, we all had one. Even Riley.

Thank goodness Gage didn't have one.

"What do you think it is?" Was the main question. It wasn't a tumour, definitely not a pimple.

So what the hell is it?

"What if we cut into it." Penny coughed up. We all turned to her, "Are you insane?"

"Think about it, we wanna find out what it is, why not cut into it? If we all have it, it can't hurt to try." She shrugged.

"She has a point." Elaine said, "If this thing is dangerous or harmful to us in anyway, it's better to know now so we can eliminate the threat."

Eliminate the threat.

"She's right." I spoke up, "I'll do the incision, but who wants to volunteer?"

Nobody spoke. All heads turned to the ground, "For crying out loud." I mumbled, "Pussies."

Eliminate the threat.

I felt my bump again and must've pushed too hard because something started to ring into my ears.

I slapped my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut. God, please

make

it

stop.

It tingled my ears.

Once it finally stopped, I saw stars as I opened my eyes again, "What was that?" Alex asked, I shrugged, "Beats me. All I know is, this thing has to come out. Today."

* * *

Alex was our first test subject. Much to his dismay. I volunteered him for him.

He said it didn't hurt as bad as he thought it would, but it still stung.

Riley went next, and then the rest of them.

I will admit, it's quite gruesome pulling some pill-shaped, blood covered. buzzing contraption out of your friends.

All the veins and tissue was clinging to it, almost like it didn't want to let go.

If I'm being honest, I did cry when Megan was taking mine out, it hurt more than Alex said it did.

"Okay, is everyone bandaged?" I asked.

They rubbed their necks and groaned, "Good. Now, next order of business. Finding out what these things are!"

I examined them closely, peering with one eye shut.

They were turquoise, with black lines and single red dot at the end of it. It was flashing, so it had to be some sort of machine.

"Do you think it's like a tiny brain scanner?" Penny asked, "Or it could be like dog chip to scare away fleas."

Both ridiculous ideas, but both very much plausible.

"It's beeping and flashing so I don't think it's either. If it were a brain scanner we would feel it and if it were a dog chip to scare away fleas well, we'd feel it."

"Okay mr science guy, jeez." Elaine said, rolling her eyes at Alex.

We all stared at the tiny pill contraption until our eyes hurt.

"You know what, I'm gonna crash here. I don't have the strength to move." Paxton yawned, "Have you guys figured out the guest room?"

Megan pointed us to the room next to the bathroom and Paxton went inside, dragging me along with him.

I climbed into the bed, clothes on, shoes off, "What do you think it is?" I asked him tiredly, "I honestly couldn't tell you."

I frowned, "You don't think I'm crazy anymore right?"

He snorted, "I still think you're crazy, but it always leads to something, so at least it's a good crazy."

I don't know whether to be insulted or flattered by his comment so I brush it off.

"I wonder how it got into our necks though. And we all have it? And why doesn't Gage have it?"

He asked all these questions, it was too much for my brain.

I drifted off, not before faintly envisioning things I don't wanna see.

Mason... injections...

I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Like, my lungs were being squeezed and I needed to find the last breath of fresh air to survive.

Paxton shot up and held me in his arms, "What's going on? You haven't had a nightmare in weeks." He spoke, tiredly soothing me as I calmed myself down.

"I had a dream about Mason."

"Should I be concerned you're dreaming about other guys?"

"No, when I was in that car with him, he injected me with some liquid, and then I passed out." I said.

I could see the crease in Paxtons eyebrows, even in the dark.

"But the buzzing started before Mason and all that?" He questioned. I nodded, "I know. But it got more frequent after that."

He stayed quiet for a bit then he sighed, "Okay, can we talk about this in the morning babe? Please? I'm tired." He said mid yawn.

"You can go to sleep. I can't sleep."

I got out of bed despite his yells off protest. Instead, I went to the kitchen and switched on the light.

Sitting in the middle of the table was the little devices that were in our skin.

My hand went up to the bandage that was covering the skin and I felt it.

I sat down, staring at the device, blinking only once.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Penny sighed, sitting down on the opposite chair. I shook my head, "I had a nightmare."

"Me too. I can't stop thinking about what this is." She said, rubbing her eyes.

We'd outruled all the possibilities. So what the hell could it be?

"I'm gonna go to bathroom, stay here."

Heading into the bathroom, out-stretching my arms so I don't run into anything, I flick on the light.

My eyes widen in horror as I take a step back, re-reading the words written on the mirror.

Watch your back.

It was in big red bold letters.

And something tells me it's not lipstick...

Is this targeting me or someone else? It's no coincidence that this is in here? And that I happened to find it?

I've been find all sorts of cryptic notes.

But when did this get here? I used this bathroom before I went to bed and that wasn't there before.

Suddenly, a fear of dread washed over me as I exited the bathroom, staring up the dark stairs. The only light was filtering out from underneath the door in the kitchen.

I looked around, only seeing a few feet in front of me. Who knows what the hell is lurking in the shadows.

Pushing open the kitchen door, I'm relieved to see Penny still sitting at the table, "What are you doing?" I ask, she's poking the device with a knife.

"I'm trying to see if it's alive." What?

"Like, if it reacts to metal. If it's magnetic or something. I don't know." She shrugged, "Penny. I'm stuck. Like, genuinely stuck. I don't know what this thing is."

"Who the hell wrote that message on the bathroom window?"

* * *

hellllo

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