by SJ Morris
“Wait, what? The infected saw you, smelled you, and left you alone, unscathed?”Asked Troy, as he looked around at the others in the room to be sure they were just as baffled as he was.
Of course, they were and truth be told, even after everything that had happened, so was I.
“Yes. He saw me through his milky white eyes, smelled me, and walked away. I decided to test my newfound ability, so I walked right up to him and shot him in the head. The noise attracted more infected, but I walked right up to them and killed them too. That’s when I met Kamil and Dana. I kept them safe by using myself to walk right out into the midst of the infected and kill them. Whatever that guy cut me with seems to have given me a form of the virus that’s just enough to make the other infected think I am one of them so that they leave me alone, but it doesn’t kill me. I hope, for all of our sakes, you can take my blood, Troy, analyze it, and create some sort of cure that makes everyone like me, but only if it doesn’t have any side effects. We need to test, test, and retest before we give this to anyone else. though. We need to be one-hundred percent sure of what it is, because I have no idea where, whatever it is, came from, but I have a map that might help us find some places and people that might know.”
After that, I was done talking for the day.
I was emotionally and physically spent.
I told Troy the map was in my pack, which was still in Chuck’s truck, but I would get it for him as soon as I could since he was chomping at the bit to examine the locations Liam and his team had marked.
Troy had been working on this virus since we were released from USAMRIID, years ago, so I was sure he had extensive research on potential labs and other locations that were doing work on the virus.
Understandably, he couldn’t wait to see if some of those locations were on the map.
For now, though, he was going to have to settle for analyzing the five vials of blood he took from me.
He wanted ten, but Nancy said I had been through too much to give the amount of blood he wanted. Nancy and Jasmine cleaned up wounds I didn’t even know I had and sent me to shower. Nancy came with me to make sure I didn’t pass out in the shower, and when I was all cleaned up, she wrapped my ribs extremely tight and sent me to bed.
Someone had brought my pack in and left its contents on my dresser. I assumed they threw the pack away, considering it was covered in infected blood and vomit, but the map was right on top. I asked Nancy to take it to Troy and she said she would, as long as I promised to stay in bed for the next few days, at least to let my ribs and other various injuries heal.
I agreed.
Allycia, Tyler, Lance, and Chris came in, just as Nancy was leaving. She gave them all the stink-eye and said something about letting me rest, as she left the room. They all took up comfortable spots in the room. Lance sat at the end of the bed, Allycia slid in carefully next to me, Tyler sat in the chair by the window, and Chris leaned against the doorjamb, with his arms crossed over his broad chest.
The kids told me about everything that was going on at the cabin, what they were doing to keep busy, or to try and help the rescue operation Chris and Tom lead, to try and find me. Allycia told me that Jake and his family had made it to the cabin safely. She expressed that they were so grateful that we risked our lives to save them. Allycia said Jake and his mom wanted to come and thank me personally, but she asked them to wait a few days until I was up and moving around better.
I told her I could be up and moving around just fine, I had been for days, but Dr. Baker made it very clear I was going to be in trouble if she found me out of bed.
I didn’t want to tell the kids just yet about my additional injury. They had already been through enough and I knew if they found out, they would go nuts worrying over me, and I really didn’t need that.
Chris was another story, though.
Lance had perimeter security detail with his friends, Tyler was going to monitor the cameras with Dan, and Allycia was going to get me something to eat, so I had Chris all to myself.
I was dreading this conversation, but I knew it was one that must be had.
I gave him the same quick highlight reel I gave Nancy, Jasmine, and Troy, but Chris didn’t react the same way as the others.
He wasn’t curious or intrigued. He actually refused to look at me and when I did catch a glimpse of his expression, I saw that he looked as if he was going to cry.
“Please tell me you are not going to cry. I don’t think I could take you crying.”I said.
“I’m sorry, Abby,”Chris said softly finally looking at me. He knelt on the floor, at the side of the bed, next to me, and took my face in his hands.
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t have words to explain how sorry I am that you had to go through all of that. Your safety being threatened at the hands of other men infuriates me and what’s worse, is that I could have prevented it and I didn’t. I let you go with us. None of this would have happened if you would have stayed here, Abby.”
“No, Chris. No. You don’t get to say that. Going was my choice and I made that very clear the day we left. You do not get to put this on yourself. There are sick assholes out there and no one can protect everyone from them all the time. If they didn’t get me out there, they would’ve found a way to get tous here and the outcome could have been much worse.”I grabbed his hands still cupping my face and looked up at him.“You can’t save everyone and neither can I. We have to try to make this place strong and help as many good people as we can, okay?”
My words must have stirred something in Chris because all at once, I was in his arms and he was hugging me softly. I had felt helpless enough, myself lately, after everything I had been through, but if he broke down, I was sure it would be the end of me.
Without thinking, I grabbed for his face and kissed him.
Quickly, though, I pulled back, to see what type of expression he was wearing, to gauge where this interaction was going, and in response, he kissed me, fiercely.
All of my emotions took over and I melted in his arms.
In the middle of mankind’s extinction event, I found something special, with someone who would die for me.
He showed me that many times over, in the last few months, and I assumed many more times, with each search party that he led, looking for me.
In that moment, I was almost grateful for everything that had happened to me in the last few days. If it had not been for all of it, I don’t think Chris or I would have ever found it in ourselves to act on the feelings we both knew we shared for one another.
I knew it was all out of respect for my late husband, who was his good friend, but it still hurt to think that his feelings for me were not strong enough to break through that.
Now, it was clear that his feelings for me were not the problem. He was worried about me, so he kept it to himself, not daring to put me in a situation where I had to decide between honoring the commitment I made to Jack all those years ago, and allowing what I felt for him to show.
The more I thought about it, the more it made me feel guilty, for letting Chris sit on his feelings for so long.
I knew there was something about him the first moment I saw him, but I was too scared of what everyone else would think; especially, what my kids would think.
However, these last few days and weeks had proved, more than anything, that our time on this planet was short.
Especially with this imminent threat to humanity, no one could imagine what would be just around the bend for them and everyone they love.
Therefore, I learned that I had to take every second possible, to show the ones I care for, just how much they meant to me.
From now on, I intended to make every second count.
Epilogue
It was a few weeks after Abby returned to the cabin and she seemed to be healthy and happy, even though I could only watch from afar.
I wasn’t too keen on she and Chris getting so close, but I guess I had to expect it. I’d been watching every day,
through my rifle’s scope since she returned.
I was so close to blowing my entire mission to go and look for her, but my superiors made it very clear they had eyes on me at all times and I was never to stray from the plan already in play.
It killed me, to know it ended up being Abby who was infected with Anti-Virus Strain 1015.
It wasn’t supposed to be her, but that’s what they get for using scumbags like Liam and his team to carry out that part of the mission.
I was relieved she seemed to be taking the treatment well and didn’t have any of the side effects the prior Anti-Virus strains had.
The effects the previous strains had on its hosts ranged from seizures to aneurysms, partial paralysis, comas, and death, but this time, they were certain they got the strain right. This time, it was going to work, or so, they said.
Thank God it did and thank God Liam and his team were all killed. or I would have done it myself and got in some serious shit for taking out an entire part of my team.
My superiors knew my connection to Abby and a lot of the people at the cabin, but I was well aware that they only cared about the results of the trials.
The world had gone to shit and to them, to the government, family meant nothing.
They only cared about being the first to create a successful anti-virus and making sure they were all safe to create a new world order, where they would be hailed as the men and women that healed the human race.
They would be the ones that saved us all from extinction.
Yeah, bullshit.
I bet they weren’t planning on telling the survivors they were more or less responsible for the outbreak in the first place.
German scientists were beating them to the cure so they sent my team in to steal the research and destroy the laboratory.
Little did they know, the lab they had us blow up was also the central power station to what they used as holding pens for the infected subjects they were using.
With the power out, the infected were free to roam and spread the virus like wildfire.
I knew in my gut, going back to my old military unit was a terrible idea, but they didn’t really give me a choice.
It was either, they kill me and my entire family in a way no one would ever suspect it was murder, or I go back.
So, I went back.
However, with everything that’s happened since I find myself questioning, more often than not, if death might have been a better choice.
The only thing that allows me to sleep at night is knowing this event would have happened with or without me.
At least, this way, I got to be sure my family was safe.
Well, except for the part where my wife became an unknowing test subject.
“Unit seven, this is unit one, please report to base for debriefing.”
Ugh, I just got out here and now they want me to come in, already.
Fuck that, I’ll tell them I was taking a leak and didn’t hear my radio.
“Unit seven, respond!”
“Unit Seven! Damn it, Jack, you know they chew me out if you aren’t back here in time.”
SJ Morris
SJ Morris was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on Elmendorf Airforce Base, but now resides in Hamilton, New Jersey, with her husband of twelve years, their two children, two dogs, and two guinea pigs.
SJ Morris has written short stories for as long as she can remember and is known as a masterful storyteller within her family and among her friends. However, it wasn’t until 2013 that she started to focus on writing her debut novel, Z-Strain.
When she is not writing, SJ Morris enjoys snuggling with her husband, playing with her children and their pets, hitting the gym, and whenever possible, lounging on the beach, completely immersed a good book.
Table of Contents
Z-Strain
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter26
Chapter 27
Epilogue
