Omega Virus (Book 1): Surviving the Horror

by Mendonca, D. Manuel

  Omega Virus:

  Surviving the Horror

  Copyright © 2014 by Createspace and Archer Inc.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For all other uses please contact

  Brayker2001@gmail.com

  Printed in the United States of America First Printing 2014

  ISBN-13: 978-1497305489

  ISBN-10: 1497305489 014

  Archer Inc.

  This book is dedicated to Lenny.

  My friend. You gave me advice when I needed it most, and helped give me a reason to never give up. Especially when it came to my dreams.

  In three words I can sum up everything I learned about life… it will go on”

  -Robert Frost

  October 25th, 2036 - Chinese scientist Xi Ming has a breakthrough in modern medicine. He creates a new type of medicine that effectively kills the human body, leaving the brain alive making surgeries more effective. He calls this new medicine, the Omega serum.

  February 9th 2037- Thanks to the Omega serum 70% of surgeries, once thought impossible, have become simple procedures. Many patients once again become hopeful.

  March 26th, 2037 - North Korea kidnaps Dr. Xi Ming forcing him to mutate the Omega serum. Effectively turning it into a weapon of mass destruction. He does so against his will before being executed. The North Koreans load the virus into six highly technical missiles. Each missile is aimed at the American capital and each of their closest allies, as North Korea demands loyalty from their enemies.

  April 6th 2037 - The United States government, conjoined with other world leaders, agree that they will not bow down to terrorist activities. North Korea does not respond kindly to their rejection, firing off each of their warheads.

  April 7th, 2037 - At 9:04 A.M. Eastern Time, the first missile falls in Washington D.C. President Kevin Quinn calls for immediate action as the newly mutated Omega Serum begins to spread out of the missile, causing thousands of casualties within the first hour. The first of the American retaliation Missiles land in the capital of Pyongyang, North Korea. By 3:15 P.M. Eastern Time, North Korea is wiped off the map.

  April 8th2037 - The Omega Virus, as it has become to be known, has spread throughout the world wiping out 90% of the world’s population. Spreading of the virus is done through the air. The virus spreads quickly through the lungs, causing the victim’s to die horribly. Animals are not immune to the Virus, causing them to drop dead, their meat becoming instantly rotted from the inside. Survivors have dubbed the fateful day as Armageddon, many banding together to stay alive. Plants become the only form of life, immune to the horrible effects. Food and water have become scarce. Many supplies have been ravaged, as the less than seven million survivors begin to panic.

  April 15th 2037 - The Omega virus begins to mutate further, causing the neural receptors in the brain to start functioning again. Basic motor skills return, movement is slow, and the brain has limited abilities. The host body can walk and smell but not much more. Survivors call them zombies, as they seek out sanctuary from the undead monstrosities.

  CHAPTER 1

  JUNE 13th,

  2037

  I am one of the survivors. My name is Damian. I have managed to stay alive even through the heartache of watching my friends and family die a slow and painful death, as the virus spreads through their bodies. The sounds of their screams, their lungs slowly deteriorating as the air is forcibly expelled out of them. But that wasn’t enough, I watched as each one of them, my mother, sister, wife… each one gradually reanimating. Images of them clawing at me, trying to bite into my flesh, they haunt my dreams. And the scar on my left arm won’t let me forget.

  But I also can’t forget that I am one of the lucky ones, no matter who I had to kill, or what I had to do, I made it out alive. I was found by the people I consider my new family, the ones who have helped protect me, have had my back, and have suffered the same kinds of emotional pain that I have. I can still remember the day I was found alone in the streets.

  The first one to find me huddled alone in the streets was Connor. Connor is a male in his early 30s, with dark tan skin. He also had the tougher attitude of the bunch. The one to enforce the rules and keep us in line, even if he kept mostly to himself. We look at him as our Del facto leader, his strength and guidance have kept our morale as high as possible. The next person I met was Kennedy. Connor sent me to see her when he brought me back to their safe house. Kennedy was a few years younger than the rest of us. Her skin is a light tan, and she has medium length auburn hair that caught my attention right away. She had been studying medicine before the Omega Virus destroyed the world. She looked me over, checking my vitals, and motor functions. It seems this group had a very strict set of rules to keep them alive, seems to be working so far. Once I met Kennedy’s approval, I’m introduced to the last member of their team, Penelope. Penelope is shy, she can barely look me in the eyes when we first meet, and I just get a halfhearted wave. She looks young, not as young as Kennedy but young. The only mark of age on her body is a scratch mark on her left cheek. The red mark is clearly visible on her pale white skin, she covers it with her hand when she catches me looking at it.

  “We found her a few weeks ago,” Connor explains to me as Penelope walks off to the other room. “She was surrounded by a group of three monsters. Her screams caught our attention, unfortunately we got there after her brother had been ripped apart.”

  I can’t help but think of how intense his voice was. I’ve seen these things attack and yet somehow when he describes it, it always just sounds so much worse.

  “That’s terrible,” I manage to squeak out, I can’t remember my throat ever being dry and hurting to talk.

  “How long have you been on the road?” Connor asks, again sternly.

  “About two days,” I reply, not knowing for sure. The last couple of months had been nothing but a blur, “maybe three.”

  “Well, you are a very lucky man,” Connor lets out a hearty laugh, “most are unable to survive one night on their own.”

  “I have a will to live,” I offered him a half smile.

  My words are meaningless. In all honesty I had almost wished I had died with my family. Those feelings haven’t changed much. I still remember the fear in each of their eyes. But I couldn’t blame them, in fact I think it is one of the reasons we were able to trust each other as fast as we did, we were all scared.

  They taught me about the type of Zombie that roamed the streets. They weren’t the same kinds of creatures that I remember reading about, or watching movies of. They were crafty. Bullets didn’t work, it merely stunned them. It didn’t stop us from carrying handguns though, sometimes it wasn’t about the kill it was just about managing a way out. Fire does work effectively, it’s just hard to control. The flames do deter Zombies slightly, keeping them back a safe distance. But the most effective way they had found to kill a Zombie was to decapitate it. Removing the head completely is the only way to stop the undead beast in its tracks. Connor, Kennedy, and Penelope each carry Machetes but I remained unarmed. Instead I have been using whatever is around sharp enough to severe their heads. That was until we searched through a local flea market in search of any kind of provisions. Connor found a long range C.B. radio, but the inside was wrecked, wires sliced throughout, making it all but useless. He put the radio inside his backpack with the intentions of fixing it. His biggest goal was to find as many friendly survivors as possible, hoping
to keep our numbers strong. But something special caught my eye. The sunlight that day was strong, and I remember the gleam that bounced off an item in a box, sending the light beam at me. My curiosity got the better of me and I went to check it out. I reached down into the box, a red braided handle felt well in my hand as I pulled out the katana. The blade reflected the sunlight back onto the others, who stared at me as I examined the sword. I looked deeper in the box and found the matching red scabbard and sheathed the blade.

  “Wow,” Kennedy gasped.

  “That thing is serious,” Connor chuckled.

  “Good,” I replied walking over to the rest of the group, “Maybe it will help me do some serious damage.”

  A noise was heard right after I spoke, almost as if I had tempted fate. Connor drew his machete from his back as he directed the girls to watch behind him. Kennedy and Penelope had their handguns drawn in case it wasn’t Zombies, but marauders. I pulled the blade out of the scabbard and looked back at Connor for instructions. He pointed to his eyes and then into the direction the noise came from. I sighed as I slowly made my way toward the noise. I used the blade of the katana to move a few boxes around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I turned back toward the others shrugging my shoulders.

  “Maybe it was just the wind,” Penelope said, her voice almost a whisper.

  “We’re never that lucky,” Connor reminded.

  I look again, seeing nothing but a pile of junk laying on the floor. I shrug at the group again before putting the blade back in the scabbard. I heard a hissing noise come from behind the table. I turned back just as a gray and white cat jumped out from the junk pile. The cat dug its claws deep into my chest. I fought hard to pull the hissing cat off of my body. Its eyes were green and glazed over when I looked down at the undead cat. I could feel clumps of fur rip out from the cat’s body, as I pulled as hard as I could. I look down again and see the cat wriggling on its back, gray and white fur wrapped in my hands with bits of flesh stuck to the ends of each of the clumps. I kick the cat as hard as I can in Connor’s direction, the cat jumps back onto its feet, showing the missing pieces of skin on its back. Connor swings his machete down strongly removing the cats head from its body. My chest still burning from the scratch marks. I dropped down hard as Kennedy came over and soothed the burning and wiped up the blood dripping from each of the marks.

  CHAPTER 2

  AUGUST 15TH,

  2037

  I don’t even know why I continue to keep this journal. I fear that it will only become a record of the extinction of the human race. Months have passed, our small group has done what it can to survive. It is becoming harder to find fresh water to drink. The virus has continued to mutate, contaminating any fresh water deposit. Kennedy hypothesizes that our bodies are immune to the virus and that our bodies would adapt to this “infected water”, but the rest of us refuse to take that risk. By now most stores we rummage are already bare, or the food inside has begun to decay. The only organic source of food we can find are edible plants. Kennedy carries a book showing plants and roots we can eat. The pictures inside are starting to become warn and faded, but it has helped keep us alive these last few months.

  “These roots are terrible,” Connor complains as he takes a small bite of his found dinner.

  “I’m sorry, I did the best I could,” Kennedy apologized.

  “Don’t be sorry. Connor is just being a grump,” Penelope apologized. Penelope had really begun to open up the last few months. I think she is starting to trust us more.

  I laugh, but I kind of agree with Connor, these roots are terrible. But I guess we have it better than any other survivors. That is if there are any left. The last few months the only humans we have seen have been infected. I often look at my hands and wonder if the virus is somehow inside me, slowly killing me. Those kinds of thoughts have been floating around in my head since I watched my loved ones die. What makes us special? Ugh, these thoughts sometimes seem worse than facing off against a zombie.

  We have begun sleeping in pairs, the nights don’t seem as long this way. We’ve also begun to make it a point to change safe houses every couple of days, or as soon as zombies seem to find us. Whatever comes first it seems. It’s amazing how many non-perishable foods we have been able to find since we started becoming more mobile. We’ve been at this place for a few days now, all the rations have been cleared out from the pantry and cupboards. Tomorrow we search for another habitable location. We have been lucky the last few nights, at least this house came with a fire place in the living room.

  The warmth from the fire place feels good on my skin, even on this hot New England, summer night. It’s more like a comforting feeling. I can see out the broken living room window from where I am sitting. The sun is starting to set outside, I can see the once clear blue sky has now become a soft orange color.

  “It’s almost beautiful outside,” Penelope says, pressing her back against the wall and sliding down beside me.

  “What?” I ask, my mind still lost inside my journal.

  “Outside, the sun setting. It’s almost beautiful, that is if you can get your mind past the living dead that continue to try to kill us,” She says matter-of-factly.

  “That’s a big thing to try and forget,” I say in almost a whisper.

  “I agree,” Penelope smiles, “but this sunset helps slightly.”

  I look outside again, the sky is slightly hypnotizing. I almost make out a rainbow of colors making up the sky. Pinks and reds mix in with the orange. Green tree tops obstruct the view slightly, and the top branches looking like they are reaching up toward the sky. Then I hear a screech from a wild bird and just like that I am sucked back into reality. I watch as the random bird flaps around violently, screeching as another bird attacks it. The two bird’s claw and bite at each other until both of them fall out of the sky, presumably dead. Seems like quite a metaphor, human kind was flying high, only to be doomed by one of their own. We deserve this. As long as human kind has existed we have found a way to kill ourselves.

  “Who’s taking first watch?” Connor asks, pulling me out of my deep thought.

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep anytime soon,” I say.

  “I’ll stay up with him,” Penelope chimes in.

  “That’s good, because I am exhausted,” Connor says with a big yawn.

  I pack up my journal and pull out my hand gun. First shift is always brutal. I check my clip, it’s still full. I can’t even remember the last time I fired off a shot. Connor curls up on the floor in front of the fire place, giving Kennedy access to the old brown sofa. It doesn’t take long before we hear Connor snoring. The sun has just set fully, there are a few street lights on outside, most have burned out but the ones that remain on give us a clear view of what is coming up and down the streets. I stop Penelope from doing the inspection, a night time job that we have grown accustomed to doing as a precaution. It seems silly but Connor and I have tried to protect the girls from as much danger as possible. I nod my head toward Penelope and then towards the door. She nods back in agreement and I place my hand on the door knob, grasping it tightly. I pull the door open and stand behind it, Penelope points her gun at the empty doorway before nodding her head. I slip out the front door, the warm august breeze sends slight shivers up my spine. I pull my hands toward my chest finding it hard to take a full breath. Ever since the release of the Omega Virus, and the information that it is spread through the air, I’ve developed a slight phobia of the air. It sounds crazy, even in my own head, but it’s hard not to think of what the next breeze could be carrying our way. I check the exterior of the house, while Penelope stands in the doorway watching my back. From the porch I can see down the road. Even with most of the street lights off, I can see the block of abandoned houses. There are no lights coming from any of the houses, instead each house seems to radiate pain. My heart drops as empathy starts to kick in. Thoughts of families suffering as some watched their loved ones die, only to come back to “life”
and attack them.

  I’m starting to over think this. I’m thinking so much that I didn’t even realize Penelope calling out to me.

  “Yeah?” I ask

  “Are you ok? You kind of spaced out there a moment,” She asked. Worry filled her voice.

  “Sorry,” I reply, “just having problems wrapping my head around this whole ‘end of world thing’ still.”

  “I get that. It’s almost like no matter how much time passes, things will just never feel the same,” her voice trails off as she finishes her sentence. I can see her eyes dazing out as she stares down the road.

  I close my eyes momentarily, listening to the sounds of silence around us.

  “We should get back inside,” She says.

  I slowly open my eyes and nod before following Penelope back into the house. Connor and Kennedy are both passed out asleep. Connor is on his back now, his arms and legs sprawled out loud snoring sounds rumble out from his mouth occasionally. Kennedy is curled up in the fetal position on the couch, her back turned to us but her sleep pattern is noticeable. Her legs twitch and spasm every couple of minutes. Penelope and I rest up on the other side of the room, our backs firmly against the wall. Another one of our rules, we always keep our back to the wall so that we know exactly what is behind us.

  I pull my journal back out of my bag and begin writing again. Penelope pulls out a worn out book ‘Dealing with the unexpected’ before she slides on a slightly damaged pair of reading glasses. Pieces of tape are wrapped around several areas of the frame. One of the metal ear pieces are bent slightly upward. She pushes one of the lenses back into place before placing them lopsidedly on her face. Her nose twitches as she works to center them better on her face, but they continue to slide down her face causing her to sigh before taking them off and placing them back into her bag.