Devour: Death & Decay Book 1

by R. L. Blalock

  “Are you alright?” Corey turned towards her, worry written plainly across his face.

  Liv just nodded, still in shock. Corey walked around the bed and gently pulled Liv up.

  “Come on,” he said gently. “We don’t need to stay here.”

  “Wait!” Liv cried, suddenly panicked. “We can’t just leave him like this.”

  Corey cut her off. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. Just go tell Jen everything is alright, wash up, and hold Elli.” He gave her hand a gentle reassuring squeeze.

  “He changed so fast,” Liv whispered.

  “Go.” Corey gave her a gentle push towards the door.

  Day 3

  9:37 pm

  They had decided not to stay in Shawn’s home that night. The house itself had been an enormous biohazard with blood and infectious material littered everywhere. They quickly packed up what few things had been unpacked and moved to a house a few streets over. This house had been thankfully bare of any occupants.

  Now, they sat in the living room by the light of one small, dim lamp that created more shadows than light. Elli was already deep asleep on the couch, her tiny body taking up more space than what seemed possible. Liv sat on the floor, her back resting against the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest so her chin could rest on them. Jen had sprawled out on the floor while Corey sat perched on the edge of a reclining chair.

  For a long time, no one said anything. As hard as the last few days had been, this one had exacted the worst toll.

  “So,” Corey started, careful to keep his voice low, “what happened? With Shawn, I mean?”

  Liv looked up at him through the loose hair that had managed to free itself from her ponytail. “What happened was we watched someone die and there wasn’t a damn thing we could do about it,” she muttered darkly. “There is nothing we can do unless someone in a lab somewhere still has power and the proper equip and the right samples to figure something out.” Right then, the idea seemed like a long shot.

  Jen sighed. Even her bright mood had been dampened. “I’m sure someone, maybe even a lot of someones, are working on it.” It didn’t sound like she really believed her words.

  Liv shrugged.

  “What I meant is, what happened to Shawn? He seemed fine, at first.” Corey thought before he continued. “Then he just kind of…fell apart.”

  “Yeah.” Jen rolled over onto her stomach. “Why did he take so long to change?”

  Liv quickly held up her hands. “Slow down. I really don’t know”—she shook her head dismally—“much of anything about what happened.”

  “But weren’t you a nurse?” Corey asked.

  “No. I was just in the nursing program—and the beginning of it, at that.” Liv sighed. Maybe if she had been a full-fledged nurse she could have done more. “I’ve learned a lot about how the body works, how diseases work, and how diseases interfere with how the body works. Still, the best I can do is make guesses.”

  “Well then, what are your guesses?” Corey asked.

  Liv rubbed her eyes wearily. “Obviously, this is some kind of infection. It’s not drugs or people just acting crazy or rioting. This is some kind of disease.” Jen and Corey nodded in agreement.

  “That’s the only way that it could be transmissible, at least that I could think of,” Jen stated.

  “Exactly.” Liv nodded. “I think, if I remember right, we all saw something like that, even before Shawn. What happened to him just confirmed what we already knew.”

  Corey nodded slowly. “Why was he so slow to change? We saw a handful of people get attacked, but they were up in seconds. It didn’t take hours like it did with Shawn.”

  “There are a lot of factors that affect how each person’s body reacts to disease and how well a disease can infect someone: age, health, how physically fit they are, even race sometimes. But I don’t think that’s what helped Shawn live for so long.”

  “It was the bite location, wasn’t it?” Jen suddenly pushed herself up off the floor so she could sit.

  Liv thought about it for a moment and nodded. “I think so. When I saw someone change quickly, they were bitten on the neck. So they probably died pretty fast. I think…” The thoughts were swirling around like a storm in Liv’s mind. “I think that the change can only occur when the body dies, even if it’s just for a second.”

  “So they are zombies?” Jen seemed confused.

  Liv shook her head. “Not like the ones in the movies. I don’t think they’re actually dead. But maybe when a person’s heart stops and they stop breathing, just for a second, it allows the virus or parasite or whatever to take control of the host.”

  For a moment, the room fell silent. Jen’s voice was tentative when she finally spoke. “When Shawn was going through the change, why did those things happen? The memory loss? The way he talked towards the end?” She shuddered at the memory.

  Liv couldn’t blame her. What Shawn had said, nonsensical though it was, had been creepy. Almost like a cryptic prediction.

  “This is a little complicated, so stop me if I lose you.” Liv took a breath as she prepared to delve into the explanation. “You guys know what a brain looks like, right? A big snarled mass of wires.” Corey and Jen both nodded. “These twisted wires control almost everything, minus the necessary functions like breathing, which are controlled by a lower, more interior portion of the brain closer to the stem. Some of these knots control your arms and legs, but this portion”—she placed her palm over her forehead with her finger splayed back across her head—“is the frontal lobe. It controls behavior, rational thought, personality, and basically everything we think of as higher cognitive abilities. My guess is that the virus was destroying his frontal lobe along with a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which controls memory formation and recollection.”

  Jen covered her mouth with her hands.

  “It literally destroyed who he was,” Corey summarized grimly.

  Liv nodded. “While leaving intact the portions of the brain that control motor functions and other things that are necessary. It’s just a theory and to be quite honest, it sounds absolutely crazy.”

  “I don’t know if it sounds too crazy after watching it play out.” Corey ran his hands through his hair.

  “So the virus destroys the host’s identity and turns it into a big meat suit that it can use.” Jen’s voice was a disbelieving whisper.

  “Welcome to the zombie apocalypse, everyone.” Corey leaned back in the chair. “Courtesy of tiny tyrants you can’t even see.”

  “Do you think this is funny?” Jen snapped.

  “Hell no,” Corey snapped right back. “Everyone we knew and cared about is probably dead or a meat suit. Let’s be honest for a minute. What else would you call this? If it looks like a zombie, acts like a zombie, and smells like a zombie, then the damned thing is probably a zombie.”

  Jen flopped back down on the floor. “I don’t like that word. Zombie. It sounds so fake. So cheesy. Like it’s not real.”

  Liv nodded in agreement. “We have to call them something.”

  “What about people? I mean they are people still, aren’t they?” Jen looked uncomfortable.

  Liv shook her head slowly. “I really don’t think they are. They aren’t themselves anymore. And there won’t be any way to undo the damage. We can’t regrow brain cells. Chances are, even if we could cure the virus that’s causing this, they would probably just fall into a vegetative state or die from the wounds they’ve sustained.”

  Jen shook her head. “What are you saying?” she asked accusingly. Liv leaned back, shocked by the suddenly outburst. “That we should just give up on them? Pretend that they aren’t someone’s mother or brother or child? Just turn our backs on them? Kill them all?” Her nostrils flared with each breath. “If we do that, then we are no better than the Nazis.”

  “No.” Corey’s tone was hard. “Thinking of them as people could be dangerous. If we think of them like people, we might hesitate at a cri
tical moment. It could get us changed or killed.” He looked to Jen, who only glowered back at him. “I know it sounds cold-hearted, but we have to keep in the mindset that it’s us or them. I don’t think we can do that if we keep thinking about them as people. And I think it will be easier not to think of them as people if we call them something else.”

  “But they are people!” Jen insisted. “How can you not understand that?” Her eyes darted back and forth between Corey and Liv, hoping that one of them agreed with her. When neither spoke, her arms fell to her sides. Jen curled herself into a tight ball.

  “I…” The war raging inside Jen’s mind was plainly written across her face. “We can’t lose ourselves to this.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “If we do, there isn’t any reason why we should be saved.”

  “Jen, they are vicious. If they could get their hands on you, they’d rip you to shreds,” Corey said exasperatedly.

  “We don’t know that they can’t be cured.” The hard edge was back in her voice. As crazy as Jen sounded being sympathetic toward the infected, Liv found herself impressed by Jen’s resolve. And frightened. “Liv said it herself, she isn’t sure she’s right. Maybe she’s wrong. Maybe the virus, or whatever it is, works differently. Maybe someday we’ll be able to cure everyone who was infected.” There were tears in her eyes now. “These are people with families. With people who love and miss them. We can’t just treat them like they are already dead.”

  Suddenly, it dawned on Liv.

  Someone she loves is infected, Liv thought. It wasn’t a stretch. The disease was spreading quickly. Everyone was likely to have someone they loved infected or killed by it.

  This brought Liv to an uncomfortable thought. Who of her loved ones was infected? She didn’t know that anyone close to her had become infected, but surely someone was. Then who could it be? Her younger sister lived with her boyfriend and his family. Her older sister lived about an hour away with her husband and their three children. Her parents’ house would be directly in their path to Slag Stead. Her grandmother lived a few hours away in Illinois. Colin was out there somewhere.

  Who had fallen victim?

  Liv quickly shook her head. She could worry about them once she and Elli reached Slag Stead.

  “Jen, they are dangerous. You don’t think of a shark as a fish or a wolf as a puppy. If you are face to face with them, you think of them as threats and try to figure out how to keep from becoming a meal.” Liv pushed but didn’t want to push Jen too hard. “Maybe I am wrong. Maybe they can be saved. But until that happens, they are predators. If we want to survive, we need to acknowledge that.”

  Jen nodded slowly. “Alright.” She relaxed as she moved to sit cross-legged on the floor.

  Corey sighed, leaning back in the chair. “Back to the question to end all questions,” Corey continued. “What do we call them?”

  Silence fell over the room as everyone mulled over it.

  “What about the risen?” Liv asked.

  Corey sneered. “That makes them sound…I don’t know…angelic. Those things are not angels, and even if they are, I think I’d rather stay in hell. Thank you very much.”

  Silence once again enveloped the room.

  “Shawn called them freaks.” Jen offered. “It’s a little tactless but…” She shrugged.

  “I don’t think those things care about tact. All they seem to care about is killing.”

  “Not killing,” Liv said slowly. “They don’t really die or kill. They transform those they feed on.”

  “Ferals,” Jen said. “They act like animals. Biting and growling. We can call them ferals.”

  Liv and Corey nodded.

  “Ferals.” Liv rolled the word across her tongue. It sent a tingle down her spine as she said it.

  Day 3

  10:21 pm

  After the conversation died out, Liv was still too restless to sleep. There had to be something she could do. Something that could help them. She needed to do something, anything, to put her mind at ease.

  Liv deposited the messenger bag gently on the floor next to the couch. She had packed it hastily as they had escaped from the burning house.

  The contents towards the top of the bag were a jumbled mess. She had simply shoved them in and forced the bag closed. Carefully, she removed the items from the pack, placing them on the floor.

  Liv reached into the satchel and pulled out the square, black bulk of the handheld radio. Her heart fell. The time to contact Office Ward had come and gone. The thought of contacting him hadn’t even crossed her mind.

  Liv wondered how the officer and his small group had fared that day. If they had been able to escape. If they were even still alive.

  With a sigh, she set the radio aside. She could try tomorrow.

  Next to the handheld radio sat the small, hand-cranked emergency radio.

  “Hey, guys,” Liv whispered excitedly as she pulled it out and began to work the crank.

  Jen and Corey turned towards her.

  “I forgot I found this.” She flipped on the power switch and was greeted with static.

  “Won’t it wake her?” Jen nodded to Elli.

  “No.” Liv shook her head. “Not if we keep the volume low. She slept in the room with Colin and me before this. We liked to watch something mind-numbing before bed and that never bothered her.”

  Jen knelt down next to Liv and motioned for Corey to join them. Liv twisted the dial along the FM channels, searching for a voice. For a split second, the static broke and then resumed. Carefully, Liv turned the knob slowly backward.

  “…give up hope, folks.” Liv shuddered as the first few words echoed out of the device. “My time is almost up but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope for you. Hunker down. Stay quiet. Stay safe. You can get through this.” The male voice was shaky. “I think I have time for one more round of news and then I’ll go off the air. Things are going to get nasty here in a few minutes and nobody needs to hear that.” Liv, Corey, and Jen exchanged nervous glances before returning their attention to the small radio.

  “As I’ve said before, I cannot verify any of the information I am about to say. I’ll try to get the most reputable and updated news I can, but no promises.” There was a pause and Liv thought she could hear the faint clack of a keyboard.

  “The CDC’s webpage advises all citizens to stay indoors, close the blinds, lock your doors, and stay as quiet as possible. Do not attempt to aid anyone who seems ill or wounded. If a family member comes into contact with any infected person, quarantine them immediately. Do not—repeat, do not—attempt to aid them under any circumstance. Finally, drink only bottled water, as they cannot guarantee that the water tables haven’t been contaminated.” The voice let out a heavy sigh. A loud thud resonated in the background, making Liv jump.

  “Uh, gotta make this quick.” Liv gnawed on her lip. Why hadn’t they left yet? Why was this person still in the station if they were in danger?

  He can’t leave.

  “Reports of outbreaks have come in from New York, L.A., Denver, Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia…”

  “Oh god!” Jen’s hands flew to cover her mouth. “How has it spread so far?” Neither Corey nor Liv answered.

  “Nashville, and pretty much everywhere else around the United States. All air traffic across the globe was grounded roughly eight hours ago. However, since then reports of isolated infections have come out of Sydney, Beijing, and Paris.” Another heavy sigh. “Honestly, people, the reports are pretty grim. The National Guard has been activated across all fifty states and any active-duty troops stationed in the country have been deployed to try to contain the spread, but…I’ll let you decide for yourself how you think this is all going to end.”

  Another loud thud resonated in the background. When the newsman returned a moment later, his voice was quick and panicky. “Here are some quick survival skills. Aim for the head and damage the brain. Nothing else will kill them. Treat all bodily fluids as infectious. Blood and saliva. I haven’t found
out if a scratch can transmit the infection, but just err on the side of caution and don’t try to find out. Cover up as much as you can.”

  Several more thuds echoed in the background. “God damn it!” His breathing was heavy. “I’m going off the air. Good luck, folks. Anna, Mom, Dad, I love you. I hope—” A loud crash overtook his words and the radio waves filled with howls and snarls. And screaming. The man’s shrill screams filled the air. Jen clapped her hands over her ears in a futile attempt to block out the noise. From the couch, Elli sprung awake and began to wail. The noise suddenly cut out, leaving behind dead air.

  Liv dropped the radio and scooped Elli up in shaking arms.

  Day 3

  11:03 pm

  None of them had been able to fall asleep. Jen sat curled up in the reclining chair staring into space. The tears on her cheeks had dried, but her eyes were still glassy and wet. Corey had paced around the living room like a caged lion. Liv still held Elli on the couch, her fingers trailing across Elli’s soft skin and hair.

  “Guys!” Corey’s whisper was low and harsh. “Something is happening outside.” Corey stood at the front window, peering through the blinds. He was restless, like the rest of them, and acting as lookout gave him something to do.

  At Corey’s urgent whisper, Liv heart instantly began to thrum wildly. She gently disentangled herself from Elli on the couch and moved to stand with Corey and Jen at the window.

  “What’s happening?”

  Corey shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. It’s just strange.”

  “Strange? I think this whole scenario is strange,” Liv muttered as she stretched out her aching muscles.

  “Just take a look outside. You’ll see it.” Corey stepped back so Liv could peer through the blinds.

  Her eyes didn’t need to adjust to the darkness outside. They had turned off the small lamp after they had finished talking. The black and gray shapes outside the window were illuminated by moon and starlight.