I chuckled, thinking how I was happier and calmer in the zpoc than I was in “normal” human society.
“What’s funny?” the nurse asked, turning slightly to look at me for a moment, but kept walking.
“Nothing,” I said, “just a random thought.”
<+>
The doctor wasn’t helpful. He asked me a bunch of questions, that I answered, but he wouldn’t answer any of my questions. He just kept telling me “you’ll find out tomorrow.” Apparently everything would be revealed to me the next day. The runaround was getting under my skin and I started to feel boxed in with all the bullshit. It amazed me how quickly my perspective of a sanctuary had turned into a prison.
I was taken to a large building that had sinks, toilets, and showers – obviously a bathroom area. I was instructed to take a shower and left to my own devices. Soap and shampoo was provided in each shower stall; I was given underwear, socks, a gray jumpsuit, and cheap canvas shoes to put on after I was clean.
The hot water felt amazing after my long, sweaty day; it eased my aching muscle and released some of my tension.
I headed outside with my dirty clothes, once I was showered and dressed again. A solider was waiting outside for me. He took the clothes I’d been wearing before my shower. I was glad I’d transferred my weapon list to my jumpsuit pocket.
“Follow me,” he said, and took off walking.
I followed him out into the night.
We arrived at a long tent and he announced, “This is your barracks. You’re assigned to bunk 43.” He nodded to a soldier standing off to the left of the tent and handed him my clothes; I assumed that meant they would be associated with my bunk number.
I opened my mouth to ask about Elaine, Tob, and Clay, but before I could make a sound, they both took off in opposite directions.
I entered the barracks through a heavy flap doorway. There were lights strung through the ceiling, down the middle, that allowed me to see where I was going, but they weren’t overly bright. Numbers were spray painted on the ground at the end of each cot that ran along both walls of the tent. Most of them were occupied with people of various ages, ethnic backgrounds, and of both genders. I tried not to be rude and stare at anyone, and walked until I found the number 43.
I was relieved when I looked up and saw Elaine waiting for me. She was in cot 42. I was tired and hadn’t been looking forward to having to go looking for her if I’d been lied to. She seemed relieved and happy to see me – she darted up off her cot to hug me tight. She had showered and changed into a gray jumpsuit as well, and I couldn’t help but notice she smelled really good.
“Where’s Tob?” I asked, trying to force myself to think about something other than Elaine. I looked at the beds around us – they all had strangers in them.
“They’re doing what you’d hoped they would,” she said, sitting back down on her cot. She motioned to the empty one next to hers.
I sat down and waited for her to continue. I didn’t have to wait long.
“They said he was very sick…something about dehydration and his internal organs,” she explained. “They said they were going to induce a comma, give him fluids through an IV, and feed him intravenously for a couple days. We’ll be allowed to visit him if we want – our names are on his visitor list.”
I nodded, pleased he was getting taken care of. “What did they do to you?”
“Weighed and measured me, and took blood,” she said. “You?”
“Same,” I said, and yawned. “Did they say when we’d see your dad?”
She shook her head. “They wouldn’t answer any of my questions – it was annoying.”
“Same,” I said, and snickered. “Did they say you’d find out tomorrow?”
“Yes,” she said with a grin. “I guess there’s nothing to do tonight but sleep. I’m tired, so I’m not too stressed about it.”
I yawned again. “Let’s get some rest and worry about everything in the morning.”
We laid down and let our exhaustion take us.
Chapter 15
I was awoken by a loud bell ringing close-by. I jumped up out of bed without being fully conscious.
“Easy, killer,” a familiar groggy, female voice said beside me.
“What? What’s going on?” I asked, blinked rapidly, and sat back down on the bed when I became dizzy. I realized the female was Elaine.
“Don’t know,” she said, sitting up and stretching. “I’m assuming it’s time to wake up and the bell is how they make sure we do it.”
A solider came into the barracks and started yelling, “Get your asses out of bed and get your breakfast. Then report to building B for your instruction.”
“Where’s building B?” I asked aloud. Slowly, the realization of what might be happening hit me. We were in a “barracks” without our family. I looked around and all the people in the barracks with us seemed to be able-bodied. We were being given orders. We were in a military controlled zone. We were being recruited, or rather force-recruited into some kind of military installment. I hoped I was wrong, but everything felt like I was right.
I wanted to grab Elaine’s hand and tell her we needed to run, to get out of here, but there was nowhere to go. Besides, we didn’t know where her dad was and she wouldn’t leave without him. Then there was Tob… He needed to be here for his health and there was no way we could take him with us if we just up and left.
A young man across the aisle must have heard me because he answered the question I asked no one in particular. “I know you’re new…but keep it down. They get mad when you ask questions out of turn. You can follow me after breakfast. They gave me a tour when I arrived yesterday.”
I nodded, stood again, and mumbled, “Thanks. I’m Chad, by the way.”
“Liam,” he said. “Are you ready to go to breakfast?”
“Yes,” Elaine said, and stood. “I’m Elaine.”
The young man smiled at her. “Nice to meet you. Let’s go eat.”
Elaine followed Liam and I followed her. For the first time in my life I felt jealous. I’d never liked a girl like I liked Elaine and I somehow felt betrayed by her niceness to Liam. And I wanted to punch him in the face for smiling at her. I had to keep reminding myself that nothing had actually happened – we’d introduced ourselves and accepted a new friend’s kindness and that was it. Add into that my belief we’d somehow been drafted against our will for something, and my stomach was rolling with nervous tension. I didn’t know if I could eat breakfast.
The not eating idea was quickly pushed aside as we stepped outside and the aroma of eggs and bacon wafted to my nose. My stomach decided to change its mind about food and started growling, begging to be fed.
The cafeteria area we entered was filled with military personnel. At least they were all dressed in military garb. The ages of the soldier-like people seemed to range from teen to middle-aged. At first the number of people in the area was overwhelming, as was the noise. But, as I stood in line with Liam and Elaine I forced myself to calm down and take in the details of my surroundings. There were maybe fifty men and women in uniforms. There were about fifteen of us who were in gray jumpsuits. The serving and working staff were in plain clothes. That was far less military personnel than I’d originally thought when we’d entered.
The line moved quickly and I sat with Liam and Elaine to eat. We didn’t talk because we were busy eating and because it was too loud to be heard clearly without shouting.
Just as I’d finished shoving the last of my heavenly tasting breakfast into my mouth another bell rang, loudly.
“Time for building B?” I hollered to Liam.
He nodded.
We dumped our trays and stacked them like we saw everyone else doing, and then we followed Liam outside to a building directly across from the hospital we’d been taken to the night before. If I remembered right, it had once been a fancy restaurant that my parent’s had liked to visit when they’d had date nights long ago.
The walk took a
couple minutes and I looked around at what was going on outside. Military personnel were everywhere – I didn’t see normally clothed people. I was betting we were in the military section. Again, everything was adding up to being drafted. I still didn’t like the idea. I hoped I’d find some answers in building B.
Once we reached the brick building with the large windows covered with plywood, we – those of us who weren’t in military garb – were separated from those who were and were directed to a different area of the building. We entered a stark room with rows of chairs; it reminded me of a classroom.
The fifteen of us sat down and waited. We looked around at each other in question, but no one spoke. There were ten teens and five adults. There were six females and nine males. As I looked at them, I couldn’t help but wonder why we were the ones who were immune to the zombie virus. I couldn’t figure out what was special about us that would make us the ones. There was a variety of ethnic backgrounds present, a variety of hair colors and complexions, and a variety of body types. Nothing seemed to make us match in any way. The only thing we seemed to have in common had landed us in this room together.
Everyone’s eyes went to the door when it opened. A middle-aged man entered. He was wearing a white lab coat that indicated he had something to do with medical stuff.
He addressed the room.
“I’m Dr. Franklin,” he said. “I’m going to tell you what’s going on and answer your questions the best I can. Commander Reese will be joining us in a few moments to help.
“You are all here because you have been bitten by a zombie and didn’t die and become one. You got sick for a few days, but fully recovered, still human. We call you ‘exceptions,’ because that’s what you are. You are exceptions to the rules that the rest of the population is susceptible to. You can survive when others can’t.”
He paused and took the time to look each of us in the eyes briefly before continuing.
“You are probably wondering why you are an exception. We don’t know the exact answer to that, but we’re working on it. The only thing we know right now is that the virus that causes the zombie changes responds differently to human systems that have an odd fluctuation in hormones. So, that means teens whose bodies are changing, pregnant women, and anyone with a hormone disorder, such as diabetes, for instance, have a better chance of not becoming a zombie when bitten.
“Once you’re bitten, even if your hormones even out later and you get bitten again, you’re still immune. Something of the virus is left in your system and becomes part of your DNA while you’re ill after the bite. Whatever that change is, it stays with you. Think of it as a vaccine against future infection.
“Does anyone have any questions?”
A blonde teen girl in the back corner of the room raised her hand. “What does diabetes have to do with hormones? I thought that was about blood sugar.”
The doctor smiled at her. “That’s a good question. What most people don’t realize is that insulin is a hormone. And inconsistent insulin levels are the basis of diabetes.”
I hadn’t realized that. I guess the hormone thing was as good of an explanation as any.
“Why are we here and not with our families?” an African American man asked, not even bothering to raise his hand.
“Commander Reese can answer that shortly,” Dr. Franklin said calmly, with a smile. “Does anyone else have a medical question for me?”
I raised my hand.
“Yes?” he said, looking at me.
“What happens if we get bitten by a zombie again? What will happen medically?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” he said, smiling and nodding. “The wound would be as if you were cut or punctured. You will need stitches or a bandage. You will not get sick like you did the first time.”
“So, what you’re saying is that the zombies aren’t a threat to us anymore?” Elaine asked.
“No, I’m not saying that,” Dr. Franklin said. “You can still be killed by them if they get you in a large group. They can eat you alive or you could bleed to death, you just won’t become one if you’re bitten.”
The door opened and a female officer walked in. She nodded at the doctor and then looked around the room.
“I’m Commander Reese and I’m here to explain why you’re here – I’m sure you’re curious by now,” she said.
All eyes turned to her. I could feel the tension in the room rise.
“Since you’re exceptions and immune to the zombie virus, we need you to be part of an elite team for the military. We need you to protect the surviving humans on the front line against the undead. We need you to go out and get supplies for survival. Most of all, we need you to protect humanity so we can re-civilize our broken society.”
Everyone stared at her and no one spoke.
“Does anyone have any questions?” she asked when no one said anything.
I raised my hand.
“Yes,” she said, pointing at me. “You.”
“What if we don’t want to do be in this elite team? What happens to us then?”
“You become a citizen,” she answered. “What that means is you will be given a job like cooking or cleaning, or anything else that needs done to keep life going for the people here.”
“What if we don’t want to do that either?” I asked.
She stared at me for a few moments before answering.
“You’re free to go, but you leave here with nothing more than the clothes on your back,” she said. “You might not think that’s fair.” She looked around the room at everyone. “But we’re operating under Martial Law since the crisis. That means, that when you entered this compound, you surrendered everything to us to use in the interest of protecting humanity. All your supplies will go for the greater good. All your weapons will go for the greater good. Everything and everyone will be used and work together for the greater good. No exceptions.”
The breakfast I’d just eaten turned to stone in my stomach and my blood ran cold. I became severely chilled. I felt like I was living in a nightmare. In truth, I was. This is the worst scenario I could have found myself in. This wasn’t safety. This was a prison, although I could leave…with nothing.
I didn’t like any of this. I wasn’t happy at all. I’d gotten meager answers about the medical aspects of why I’d survived a zombie bite and now I was being forced to choose between a life of servitude here or nothingness out in the world alone.
I was so lost in my own misery that I hadn’t noticed the room erupt in an uproar at the news. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was taking issue with the way things were being laid out on us.
“You’ll have until tomorrow to make your decision: join the citizens, be on the elite team, or walk,” Commander Reese announced loudly before she and Dr. Franklin left the room.
I felt numb…frozen inside at the choice I would have to make. All of the options had their upside and downside. I had to decide what I could live with. I didn’t know that I wanted to be a soldier at the age of sixteen… The only other option was going out into the world alone, because I knew Elaine wouldn’t go with me and leave her dad. I also knew I couldn’t take Tob with me.
If I stayed, it would kill my soul. If I left, it would be like losing my family all over again.
I was screwed either way.
Chapter 16
We were allowed to move around the compound freely that day. I stayed with Elaine. We found Clay and talked to him to see how he was doing and explained what we’d been told in building B. From the sounds of things, like I’d expected, Elaine was planning to stay and become part of the elite team. Clay seemed pleased with that, especially after finding out that Elaine would be immune to zombie bites for the rest of her life.
Then we went and visited Tob. He looked so frail lying in the bed at the hospital, but I was assured he was doing well. His vitals were good and his body was responding well to the fluid and nutrients. They said they would wake him up in a couple days.
Afte
r that, Elaine said she was tired and wanted to take a nap.
I walked her back to the barracks and then decided to explore on my own. I was tired too, but my mind and emotions were in overdrive. I didn’t know how I would make the choice I had to make.
I watched the people. They seemed to be happy and content, but they also seemed to be crammed together in a small space. And it seemed more and more people were coming in every day. It had only been a week or so since the zpoc had torn down the world and it was surprising this place had been erected so quickly and they were holding their own. Even as things were going, they couldn’t keep taking people in forever. The food supply would eventually run out, even if everyone brought supplies in with them and with the bulk food stores inside the compound. I’m sure the military had rationed food, but fresh food wouldn’t last without a viable supply. Eventually there would need to be farms to grow crops and raise animals. Life for this many people wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to be a pain in the ass struggle.
If I were on my own I would have to learn to live off the land on the fly. I would only survive through winter if I managed to build a stock of food and find a safe place to live. That’s considering zombies would be around every corner and there was always the possibility of hostile people that wanted to kill me and take everything I had built for themselves.
If I stayed here as a citizen, I would have to do a lot of grunt work. I would have to do jobs I didn’t want to do and forever be a nobody. I didn’t see any room for advancement. I would be a slave to the system for a long, long time, probably until I was in my fifties, because it would take years to get to the point where humanity would be comfortable enough to relax again.
Zpoc Exception Series (Book 1): Re-Civilize (Chad) Page 7
