The Infected Trilogy

by Doris Qualls

  “I remember waking up one day in a white room, strapped to a table with an IV line in my arm. I struggled to be free when I realized I was strapped down to a bed and was quickly greeted with a person in a hazmat suit. They explained to me that I was infected with the virus and that I was given experimental drugs.

  “Over the course of the next few weeks I was fed more drugs and I began to get stronger and stronger. I missed my kids terribly and asked to see them. I was told that was not to happen as I was getting ready to be transferred to a facility where the others were being taken. I still have no idea who the others are but it’s my guess that it is other people who were treated for the same thing.

  “I managed to escape the day they were transferring me. I ran out the back door and never looked back.

  “Later, I am watching the news and I see that I am wanted for murder and embezzlement charges.

  “I never hurt anybody or stole any money. The government wants me back because they don’t want you people to know that there is a cure for the “Z” virus. I am a walking testimony to you today that there is a cure and they are withholding it from you.

  “That is the last thing the government wants you to know and that is why it is so important to the government for you to capture me and kill me. They don’t want you to pound their doors down looking for the cure for your loved ones. There is some conspiracy behind their actions and I will find out what it is.

  “Let me ask you today, why are they withholding such a valuable medicine? Why is it such a secret that such a drug even exists? Why would they go to the lengths they have to silence me? I promise to get to the bottom of this as long as I am alive.

  “Do yourselves and your loved ones a favor and begin to question the system. Try to get answers for yourselves.

  “I know there are many of you out there today that are watching this broadcast that have lost loved ones to the virus. Do it for them. Help me win this battle against those murderers!

  “Please stay tuned as I will be on the air again. I have a team that is preparing to find an answer for you,” Mom boldly stated to the world.

  “AND CUT!” Chris bellowed. He wanted to feel like a real director and in that moment I am sure he did.

  “Great job, mom!” I praised her. I was so proud of her for taking a stand even though it wasn’t favorable. She wanted to save the lives of more people than just her own.

  Everyone was so proud of her that we celebrated that night. We had an ice cream sandwich party courtesy of our local dollar store.

  CHAPTER 15

  BREANNE

  I was so proud of Aunt Brooke and her broadcast. She had some balls that was for sure. We kept a close eye on the news for the next few weeks to see if it had reached the public eye. It didn’t take long for the broadcast to catch on like wildfire. News stations across the country were airing her speech and riots were breaking out at ‘Z’ treatment centers. Aunt Brooke was a celebrity almost overnight.

  She started developing her next topic almost immediately. I knew this new project was giving her some kind of purpose with her newly given life. I know she wanted to take down the liars at the capital. Her goal was to uncover the entire conspiracy and we would do everything we could to help her with that.

  Today was a nice day, the weather was starting to cool a bit and there was a nice breeze outside. I was the couch potato monitor today although I often went between that and having the occasional make-out session with the love of my life. I played CNN nonstop and read. And that is when I heard the shocking news.

  “The Z virus is spreading like wildfire. We are getting reports of entire islands becoming infected with the virus. Here is a clip of what the world is now calling Zombie Island,” the blonde newscaster reported.

  The screen showed images of thousands of zombies taking over an entire island. It looked like images from a horror flick. Several shots were shown across every town on this island. Reports were showing that the entire island was infested with this bug.

  “Cayo Coco has now been deemed Zombie Island by officials. They are warning people to stay as far away from the island as possible or risk infection. If someone you know is on this island, stay away! Do not attempt to retrieve them! All entrance to the island is prohibited and anyone attempting to enter the island will be shot without notice.”

  I couldn’t believe my eyes. When the news caster said the words ‘Cayo Coco’ I could have cried. Gabby and Jose were living on that island. They went there for safety and ended up as one of those creatures. I found it to be kind of ironic. That just goes to show you that nobody is safe, anywhere.

  CHAPTER 16

  ZOE

  Gabby and Jose were zombies. Well, we didn’t officially know but there is no way they have survived on Zombie Island. Bre and I watched the news together for a half an hour making sure the government wasn’t going to address mom, when she entered the room.

  “Listen babe, I know it’s a long shot, but do you think that John Ombie guy would interview with me for my webcast?” She cautiously asked looking directly at me.

  “No, I don’t,” I answered with a guilty grin on my face. I turned to look at Bre and she was sitting there with a red face trying not to laugh.

  “Did I miss a joke? What is so funny?” Mom asked, curious of our behavior.

  Bre and I busted out in laughter that only made mom angry. She attempted to leave the room out of frustration when I called her back in the room.

  I composed myself and cautiously told her how I took John hostage to get a breathalyzer test for Maria.

  “ZOE MARIE! I DIDN’T RAISE YOU LIKE THAT!” She shouted in anger.

  “Aunt Brooke, listen, we didn’t do it to be mean. We needed to know where this guy lived. He is the creator of the infected clinics and I knew he could help Maria. We didn’t have any intentions on hurting him. I promise.”

  “I bet he knows more than he is letting on. You said he was one of the scientists, right? What if we could get him to confess to everything? What if he knows more? That is exactly what I need for my webcast,” she concluded with a look of curiosity on her face.

  “Mom, are you suggesting we try to get some answers out of him? He won’t give any without force. I am going to have to use desperate measures to get information out of him,” I stated.

  “I don’t feel right about it but we need answers. Do what you have to do just don’t harm the man ok? Go get me a story girls!” Mom gave us permission to do whatever we needed to do. I felt very excited in that moment and began to formulate a plan.

  Bre and I decided that her, Zeke, Brian and I would go to John’s house and try to get info from him. We needed him to confess on tape so we could get the edge we needed for the web show. Bre had no idea what I really planned to do.

  We had a quick lunch and packed up some items that we would need on our voyage. I packed my backpack full of what I said was camera equipment, but I added some rope, tape, lye and knives to the mix. The knives were just an added precaution; I didn’t plan to use them.

  The group and I drove over to John Ombie’s house and parked down the street a bit so he couldn’t see us approach the building. We were covered from head to toe due to needing protection from Zombies. As we exited the car, we cocked our guns and proceeded to his house with extreme caution. A few houses down I spotted a zombie. Great, I thought, he’s going to hear us coming. Zeke pointed his gun and shot the moaning zombie in the head with pin point accuracy.

  Brian attempted to knock on the door at John’s house. I quickly pulled his arm out of the way, moved him to the side and proceeded to kick the door down with one swift kick. The door didn’t come off the hinges but the lock broke and we were in.

  John sat in his recliner pale and confused. He quickly grabbed the shot gun at his side and before he could cock it, I kicked it out of his hand. I grabbed him up out of his chair by his shirt a
nd took him into the kitchen and proceeded to tie him up to a chair. Bre kept her gun on him the whole time and he knew fighting would not be in his best interest.

  After Zeke secured the door he joined us in the old man’s kitchen.

  “What is going on in here? I thought we were just getting information, not taking him hostage!” he asked judgmentally.

  “Just trust her, she knows what she is doing,” Brian replied.

  “Now listen, John. We know you have information and we need some of it. If you comply, nobody will get hurt. If you don’t the consequences could result in things you will wish had never happened,” I addressed him with an attitude.

  “It’s you girls again! Haven’t I helped you enough!” He angrily yelled.

  “John listen, we aren’t here to hurt you. We just need some information and my cousin here is worried you won’t give us what we need. Let’s just do this the easy way please?” Bre begged of him.

  I loved the fact that we were playing good cop, bad cop. We didn’t even agree in advance to it. It was just playing out that way. Zeke stood guard with his gun and Brian was in the corner of the room setting up the camera equipment which spurred questions from John.

  “What do you want from me little lady? You know they will kill me if I tell you everything. So either way I’m dead. But they will torture me so maybe a gun shot from one of you will be a better option for me,” John stated with a hint of defiance in his voice.

  “Oh that wouldn’t work honey! See what I have here in this bag?” I asked him. I unzipped my bag the rest of the way to reveal a bottle of lye.

  “Did you know that lye can hurt people in so many ways? I would hate to have to camp out here overnight and apply it to different areas of your body,” The sinister sound of my voice told him I was not joking. I would never hurt him like that but I needed him to believe my tough guy act.

  “Please John, just comply. I will personally guarantee protection for you and your wife if you tell us the whole story,” Bre promised him. She then proceeded to tell him about mom and what the government did to her.

  “So what do you want me to do? Confess to everything and you will hide me out in safety? How can you guarantee that I will be safe? What are you promising me exactly?” he asked.

  “We have a secure property that you can stay at,” Bre responded.

  “Well my wife isn’t here anymore so it would just be me,” he said grimly. “But I think I will have to pass on that.”

  Brian finished setting up the equipment and we would begin our interview.

  “Brian, I don’t want to be on camera so set it up to where it faces him only. Zeke, help John get his ID ready so he can show it to the camera when I ask him his name. Oh and drop your guns, I don’t think we are going to need them,” I quickly took the place as leader once again.

  “Let’s begin. What is your name?” I asked John.

  “John Ombie,” he replied then showed his license to the camera.

  “John can you give us a little history lesson on your life?”

  John was sweating bullets. He sat there nervously fiddling with his hands.

  “I am the co-creator of the “Z” Ombie virus. I was one of the scientists that were successful in mutating the aids virus. Our intentions were to mutate aids to find a cure. We didn’t know we were creating a much deadlier virus. Our intentions with it were pure. We ran several test runs and the last version was one that turned people into zombies,” he paused.

  “Our lab was centered in San Francisco. The building was close to the Golden gate bridge. My partner and I attempted to go to work one day but the bridge was closed. Over the next week we tried to go to work and couldn’t. Finally we took a ferry to the office and were met with guys armed and in suits. They asked us to leave as the building was being quarantined. We called for several weeks and could reach no one. Then one day I got a knock at my apartment there.”

  “It was my secretary. She was bruised and had dried blood on her skin from head to toe. She sat there in my living room and cried about what happened to her. She told me that men in suits broke into my office and stole the virus. They beat her so badly they thought they killed her but she survived because she played dead.”

  “She hid out in the woods until the bridge was reopened and had a cab take her to my place. Someone stole the virus from our lab! And who ever that was unleashed it on the public. This virus was intentionally let out. Whoever did it knew what they were doing.”

  “I was reassigned. I was told that there was a lab accident and the virus was spreading. I helped the government develop the “Z” clinics. They were supposed to help people but anyone who goes in doesn’t come out.”

  We sat there shocked and amazed at this man’s story. He was thought to be the blame of the worldwide destruction of human life but he had nothing to do with it. For some reason I believed him.

  “What are your thoughts on a cure? Brooke was healed in one of those clinics,” I asked him.

  “There is a cure,” he swallowed hard out of fear. “I created the cure.”

  “Well why haven’t you shared it? Why would you withhold it?” I bombarded him with questions.

  “I was told if the secret got out that I wouldn’t be alive to see another morning.”

  “Who told you this?”

  “My superior- The California Governor.”

  “The government knows you created a cure and they refuse to let the public know that they have one?”

  “Yes, I overheard the virus let out was an attempt at population control. The state could not afford welfare programs and social security anymore since the recession. They just didn’t think it would take off this much. They thought that the weak would die and the strong would gain immunity. They thought they could kill off about a quarter of the population at least.”

  “So this whole thing is an attempt at population control?” I asked with a shocked tone to my voice.

  “Yes it was. And now it has backfired on all of them. They told me to seal up my cure and share it with no one. I’m surprised they let me live. But I threatened them with a friend sending my information out all over the internet if something ever happened to me. The last thing they wanted was for my information to get out.”

  “John, thank you for being brave enough to share your story with us today. I know every living soul out there appreciates what you’ve told us today.”

  And that concluded our interview. I had no idea that we would gain that kind of information. I was shocked at what he had to say to us.

  I gave him a wad of cash and made sure to say thank you. It was the least I could do since he wouldn’t stay with us at the manor. He mentioned leaving to a friend in Nebraska, and I had hoped he would do just that.

  CHAPTER 17

  BREANNE

  We were able to get the interview with John. Zoe used means that I didn’t approve of at first but she got her information. I was surprised to learn that the government was indeed the ones behind the unleashing. I was also surprised that they were holding the cure and not allowing anyone to use it.

  The government wasn’t exactly trustworthy though. After they had instituted their government mandated health insurance in 2012, they demanded a chip be installed in every person. Many people were allergic to the fluid used in insertion. Tons of people died from anaphylactic shock and they weren’t sorry. They just cared about their own agenda.

  Many people were leery of them after that. Tons of people felt like they were getting their rights snatched from them. Officials were instituting laws that also went against our constitutional rights. The chip was also used with GPS to find people. Those of us that had private health insurance were able to keep from getting the implant. Rumors were going around that they would eventually make it mandatory for all people. I wasn’t sure about such a conspiracy theory but I knew that the government could
n’t be trusted.

  Brian helped her add the video to Aunt Brooke’s website and within 24 hours there were over a million hits. People were quickly becoming interested at the information presented to them. As for John, he had gone into hiding as he was sure the government would execute him. He sent us the following letter before he left:

  Dear little ladies,

  I am not upset at your for getting the information the way you had. I know that you are just trying to help people and I know that I wouldn’t have given you the information if you had just asked. I actually feel relieved that the cat is out of the bag and I think it is worth my life to let people know what is going on. I am going into hiding; I can’t say where but just know that I am safe in a secure property. If the government finds me here, it will surprise me. I know I am now doomed to a life of hiding but I am ok with that. Take care little ladies and keep up the good work!

  John Ombie

  I was torn about taking John hostage but I knew we had to do what was right and the right thing to do was to let the public know the truth. I was forever indebted to John; God bless is soul.

  Shortly after we aired the video, the government aired on CNN that Aunt Brooke was a terrorist and everything that she posted was a lie. We expected that in the least, although that didn’t stop people from going into an uproar. More riots broke out and people were getting shot trying to break into “Z” clinics.

  We had successfully stuck it to the government. And we had succeeded in letting the public know the truth. I know they became desperate about trying to find Aunt Brooke at this point but they wouldn’t be able to find her easily.

  Life at the manor wasn’t easy now. We had to keep constant watch over the property due to all of this. The guys were taking shifts watching the cameras and doing perimeter checks. Selena and I were taking care of household duties in order to relieve the security efforts since our security guards stopped showing up for work. Rudy was being a normal child except the fact that he had to be under constant supervision. Selena did a good job of checking on him often.