Dead in Love

by Colby Van Wagoner

I walked back towards the house and decided that it was time to watch a few zombie movies, maybe do a little more research. Walking pass the deadfalls, I found a few infected had fallen inside and been killed. Nice work, Baxter. I walked back into the house and turned on the television, thank God for illegal satellite knowledge.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Reporters surrounded the Dugway facility as a PR director walked towards the press and began to speak, “The CDC and U.S. Army follow the guidelines, procedures and regulations that govern the operations of bio-containment facilities for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and other facilities. They intend to provide context for the history of operations at all bio-chemical facilities and for the operations of our facility.”

  “The term “bio-surety” refers collectively to systems and procedures used to safeguard biological select agents and toxins against leaks, theft, loss, diversion, or unauthorized access or use and to ensure that operations are conducted in a safe, secure and reliable manner.”

  “The bio-containment laboratories, in this facility, are designed to prevent the accidental release of pathogenic organisms during scientific research. They have failed and now require us to implement operations in order to correct this problem. There are four bio-safety levels of containment: BSL-1, BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4. These levels indicate increasing levels of containment and are inclusive, so all safety features found at BSL-1 are found at BSL-2. BSL-3 builds on BSL-2, BSL-4 and is the highest levels of bio-safety. These include all of the features required at lower levels, plus additional engineering controls such as filtration of all exhaust air.”

  “We have implemented the Bio-surety Program, which includes systems and procedures to properly safeguard against spreading pass the quarantine perimeter and to ensure that operations are conducted in a safe, secure and reliable manner for all the team members. High-efficiency particulate air filters in series, personal protective equipment, such as the one-piece encapsulated suit, SOPs such as special decontamination processes and administrative controls, training requirements and medical surveillance enhancements.”

  “The Army has been a leader in developing cutting-edge requirements for high and maximum containment laboratories and we must continue to enhance and enforce these operations, in order to prevent future incidents such as this one and the many others that have occurred in the past. As new containment laboratories have proliferated across the country in recent years, there has been a steady development of better facilities, increasingly robust bio-safety practices and procedures and a continuing cross-fertilization of new technologies.”

  “With this development has come a significant reduction in laboratory-acquired infections at this and at other bio-containment facilities. A ducted air ventilation system is required. This system must provide sustained directional airflow by drawing air into the laboratory from “clean” areas toward “potentially contaminated” areas. We are investigating the causes of the current situation and will have answers as soon as they are available.”

  “This is one example of the continuous improvements that have been made and need to be made in the design, construction and operation of containment facilities. Although this requirement was not in place in 2006, the new requirements in every facility will be designed to adhere to these and other guidelines set forth in the most current BMBL. The BMBL will also provide guidance on the performance of risk assessments and the selection of appropriate safeguards with experience, changes in research protocols, or the use of new agents.”

  “Another aspect of containment is the handling of wastes resulting from biological research. The committee reviewed current practices at the facility, as well as the plans for the growth of the facility. The bio-chemical collection, conveyance and treatment systems for the facility are segregated into two separate systems: one that serves to contain and treat what is for the most part domestic bio-chemicals generated on the base, and the other, which collects and treats all chemicals associated with research, including its animal research operations.”

  “While not explicitly stated research is autoclaved and/or infused with potent oxidizing chemicals and surfactants according to strict practices, prior to underground transmission through a recently rehabilitated, corrosion-resistant collection system. This process serves to disinfect the water by killing the organisms and deactivating the toxins.”

  “Right now it is too early in the containment and quarantine process to comment further on the search and rescue operations as they are in the early stages. I can assure the press and the public that the CDC and the U.S. Army have already started this process and the first operation was a success.”

  “We have eliminated and collected multiple samples of the infection and are now analyzing it further. Right now, that is all I can to you and will have more information as it arises and becomes available to me.” The press and public clamored towards the PR director yelling questions and comments, as the director rushed from the scene, into a military vehicle and back into the base.

  That was interesting, I thought, but now I need to get back to figuring out what to with Laylianna and maybe check on Marcel. I went into the basement to check on Laylianna, she was in a worse state than before the mailman incident. She was snarling and foam was coming from her mouth.

  I walked closer to her and she jumped from the couch, tackling me to the floor. She stopped, just as she looked down at my face and ran back to the couch. She was fine after eating the meat, but after she ate the mailman; her symptoms came back, even progressively got worse. I would need to stop at the small grocery store and try to see if the reserve power kept the meat fresh.

  I pulled a smaller television, sitting near the wall and plugged it in, turning on one of my all time favorite zombie movies, Night of the Living Dead. After the first credits and the appearance of the first zombie, Laylianna soon gained more interest in the movie and moved in closer to the television. She was fascinated with the movie and sat, watching the screen. I put the movie on repeat so it would continuously play. I was off to the grocery store to load up on more supermarket meat. If my experiment worked, I could keep Laylianna’s condition from worsening and maybe even see if my theory would reverse the infection.

  Leaving the house felt different this time, Laylianna was there, even though things were different now. The sun had passed below the mountains and the darkness of night would allow me to move undetected. Dressed in my fatigues and face paint, armed with my shotgun and Berretta, I moved silently down the road. The cover of the trees and bushes allowed me to become a shadow. Military helicopters were running continuous operations over the center of town, landing and taking off from various hot spots. The sound of the choppers could be heard, echoing throughout the valley. As I moved towards Marcel’s driveway, to check on his status, I caught several shadows moving across the road. I ducked down behind a car, waiting to see if I could identify if they were infected or not.

  After a few minutes, they had moved on. It looked as though they were coming from Marcel’s driveway, I hope he was alright. Entering his ranch and moving pass the blockades, it didn’t look good. There were shadows of stumbling figures wandering across the fields. Stealthily, I zigzagged through the corn and other crops, making my way up to the house and front door.

  To the right, on the deck off the front porch was the body of a tall man. I shined my light towards the body and identified it as Marcel, “Shit” I said under my breath. I picked up Marcel’s machete and strapped it to my belt, hoping that I could use it as well as Marcel did.

  I left the ranch and made my way towards town. The air was crisp and the moon was full, reflecting its blue light off bigger objects. The cars along the street were empty. Some of the cars had been scraped and dented, with some of the windshields smashed out. Looks like all these material things have become useless now. It would be detrimental to hoop inside and drive one, bringing unwanted danger from the sound of the engine, better move on. I reached th
e market and planted myself, next to a brand new SUV. I checked the door, it was unlocked so I opened it and climbed inside, the perfect cover to stake out the safety of the market. Better safe than sorry.

  The market’s parking lot was filled with cars, which would allow me some cover moving through it. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed three figures near the outer section of the parking lot. They appeared to be walking with steady motor skills and in the moonlight, I could make out the shapes of weapons strapped over their shoulders. There were two larger men and a younger boy.

  I left the SUV and waited near the back of the vehicle. The metal of the frame was cold to the touch and I watched as the group of men moved from the parking lot and into the darkness. It should be safe to get into the market from here. I could see dim lights just inside the back of the market, so the emergency power should still be operating.

  I double checked my weapons, making sure they were loaded. I pulled the slide back on my Berretta and could see the gold reflection of a bullet in the chamber. I knew my shotgun was loaded, since I checked that back at Marcel’s porch. It was time to make my way inside the supermarket. I left the cover of the SUV and moved slowly across the store parking lot, moving my eyes from left to right, scanning the perimeters of the store.

  Over to the left of the store, coming from the side was a group of shadows, obviously infected. I jumped behind a small Volkswagen, trying to keep out of sight. The group must have heard me, as their attention became focused on my position. Their movements became increasingly faster and more moved from the side of the store.

  I needed to create a distraction in order to get to the back of the store, without incident or getting wounded. I pulled a piece of material from my bag and dipped it in the gas tank, pulled it out and stuffed it back into the tank, lighting it with my flip-top lighter. The small flames grew into a larger flame, until it lit up the side of the car. I timed it perfectly, jumping up and waving my arms at the infected group coming towards me.

  Upon actually seeing me and giving away my position, the group’s speed increased and they were practically jogging at me now. I ran from the car, about 30 feet from the store, when the explosion lit up the sky, exploding into a large fireball and shooting into the night sky. The explosion took out the majority of the infected group, leaving the remaining bodies torn apart and in flames on the parking lot’s asphalt.

  From there, I made my way to the back of the store and opened the rear door, it was unlocked; however, there was a secured bolt latch that would indicate the store was not compromised. Inside the store, I looked at the isles, having a clear understanding of the layout; I could make my way to the back meat locker, load my bag and make it out without being noticed. I better hurry fast, since the explosion would attract unwanted attention from the infected and possibly the military. The military wouldn’t expect an infected zombie to have the skills to blow up a car or rig an explosion. I quickly rushed to the meat locker, opened the door and flipped on the light. Cold steam poured out of the freezer, and onto the floor of the market store room.

  There were stacks of boxes and rotten produce, the smell was overwhelming, leaving me the desire to get inside the freezer, load up and leave. I was in and out of the meat locker with plenty of food for myself and Laylianna.

  From inside a back office room, I heard a sharp voice, “Hey, just what do you think you're doing? Stealing from me?” A short, stout, little man came walking from the office, walking with a cane. That would only be Walter, the store owner; I wonder if he will recognize me or shoot me. “Walter? What are you still doing here?” I shined the flashlight up to my face, hopefully revealing my features and he would recognize me. “Baxter, is that you?”

  “Yes Walter. I thought you would be gone or at home or something, but why are you staying in the store?” Walter hobbled over to me, patting my shoulder and closing the meat locker, “Did you get what you needed? I don’t mind you getting a little something to eat during this crazy time.”

  “Sorry Walter, this is for me and a guest.” I looked down at the bag and then back up at Walter, who was smiling.

  “Like I said, take what you need. You have always shopped here and it’s probably time for me to give a little back.” He walked over to the office and turned, “Just lock the latch when you leave. I’ll be fine, you have to go now Baxter.” I knew the tone and what it most likely meant. So, I had better get moving besides, that explosion and the smoke had already attracted a large group of infected and the noise of choppers in the distance.

  I made it to the door, shut it and secured the latch on the door. I paused, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness and heard a shot fired from inside the store. Walter made his decision and chose his way out, on his own terms.

  The helicopters were now above the market and circling the parking lot, so I made my way through the back alley and into an open field, turning to watch the chaos. It was quite the scene, watching the choppers investigate my explosion, but what am I a pyromaniac? I had better things to do and needed to get back to Laylianna to carry out my experiment and feed her the meat. Walking back to the house was different now, than it was returning home, after my excursion with Marcel. Laylianna was there now and it gave me all the more reason to want to go home.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  When I arrived at the perimeter of my ranch, I saw that there were a group of four zombies near the front door. They were moving across the front lawn and around the back of the house. This presents a slight problem, since shooting them will bring more unwanted infected into my land. What to do?

  I ran to the opposite side of the ranch and planted myself next to the shed. Watching the zombies come around the house I watched them stumble and lurk towards the porch. I rushed through the door of the shed and began picking up various tools, I also had Marcel’s weapon of choice, the machete.

  Loaded with a medium size ax in one hand and my machete in the other, I walked slowly from the shed and in the direction of the zombies. As I closed in on their position, they recognized my approach and began coming towards me. Moaning and snarling as they crept forward, I raised the machete and swung it at the neck of the closest zombie. The blow crushed into the side of its neck, separating the head from the body, I see why Marcel chose the machete. Instantly, I swung the ax and chopped straight into the face of the second, splitting his face in two. Blood sprayed across the lawn and the body fell to the ground.

  The third and forth zombies paused in their approach and looked at the two bodies on the ground. They turned and began walking away from me, actually understanding what was taking place. Are they learning, do they still have comprehension? Everything the information online told me about zombie action and reaction was different than what these infected was doing.

  I reached down and pulled the ax from the face of the second zombie and smashed it into the back of the third zombie’s head, causing him to stumble forward and to the ground. He continued to struggle and crawl forward, so with one quick swipe, the machete landed directly on the back of the neck, splitting the head from the body. Quickly, I spun around and pulled another move, cutting into the last zombie’s legs with the machete. It was so sharp, the legs were cut at the knee, dropping the body to the dirt. The next move, the chop of the ax, took off the head of the last infected zombie in my yard.

  It seemed simple at first, yet now the hard part began, digging holes. I learned early on in my first army tour that disease can spread quickly if bodies are left out to rot and decay, so time to dig. First, I put the meat from the market inside and locked the fridge. Next, I returned the tools to the shed, hanging on to my new favorite weapon, the machete.

  Digging the holes took longer than expected, by the time I finished it was late in the evening. I returned to the home and checked on Laylianna, still sitting in front of the television, still watching the same movie as before I left. I changed the movie to Dawn of the Dead and returned upstairs for a quick shower. The water felt amazing, nothing l
ike a hot shower after shopping and chopping.

  That evening, I watched Day of the Dead upstairs, looking for small details in the movements and expressions of the zombie’s, but they were vacant looks and unmeaning facial expressions. Certainly, not the same as Laylianna’s and definitely not any comprehension or understanding in their eyes. As I sat with my attention peeled on the movie, a knock came at the door, “United States Military open the door.” There was another loud knock. I rushed to the door and opened it to find a group of armed soldiers, pointing their weapons inside. “Whoa, gentlemen lower your weapons. It’s only me and I’m not infected. The ranch is secure and I have not come in contact with any of the blood of the infected.” The men were looking inside, judging the security and answer I had given them.

  “I am Sergeant Dillon Powers, mind if we take a look around the land?” One of the soldiers replied. “Not at all sir. There are a few graves outback, from a group of four of the infected I took out earlier, but they were decapitated and disposed of properly.” The soldiers walked from the front door and split into two groups, searching the ranch and assessing their progress. I could hear their radio chatter as the main team leader corresponded with someone back and forth over his radio.

  One of the men stopped and raised his clenched fist in the air. The teams stopped and dropped to a defensive position. “Identify yourself!” The team leader yelled out. “Identify yourself, or we will fire!” The first two soldiers opened fire into a grove of trees. The figure of an infected zombie fell to the ground and the soldiers rushed forward, shining the lights on their weapons on the body.

  “All clear, bag the body and return it to the truck. We need to return it to the base for further study. The science team is waiting, so let’s get moving, you have your orders” The team leader called out, as the men began working to bag the body. He came back to the front of the house and saw that I had been watching, “Thanks Sergeant, now I don’t have to take care of another body.”