The Grave: A Zombie Novel by Russ Watts Read Free Book Online

started by the infection once the body has died, and thereby enabling the body capable of seeking out food sources in order to replenish itself. Tests were briefly carried out on those subjects and the neural pathways in the brain showed no indication of life. So how do they move? How do they use their senses to find prey? All attempts at communication with the test subjects failed. They were, and still are, a mystery: a dead end.
    The Deathless effectively are rotting bodies and they can ingest only raw meat. They also take in water, preferably infected water it seems. The Aqua-Gene 119 chemical is like a drug to them. They cannot defecate or urinate, so it was surmised that whilst they appear dead on the outside, they are getting enough nutrients and minerals from the raw meat and water to sustain their bodies. The more they eat, the less they rot. Experts have testified that this infection almost acts like a retardation; reducing the mental power of anyone infected by Aqua-Gene 119. Instead of evolving, they are devolving. The Deathless are more akin to a prehistoric caveman, a primordial state of being, than a modern, civil human being. They show no sign of intellect or reasoning. They grunt and groan, but can’t communicate with living humans. They live with a constant need to eat. Raw meat of any kind is palatable to them, yet they cannot stomach anything else. They do not eat their own kind for their meat is already putrid, rotten and maggot-infested. Living humans are ideal.
    Therefore, these people now live in a forbidden zone where access is for highly ranked military officers only on official duties and a brave consort of scientists. They actually live on the island, buried away deep in a hidden bunker, surrounded by an impenetrable barrier, working desperately on a cure; trying to find something that will reverse the process and bring these diseased dead souls back to a more modern human state. The hope and aim is for one day to reintegrate these people back into society. I suspect it is too late for that. Nevertheless, a cure should be found. We cannot throw our arms up in the air and say, ‘Oh well, life goes on.’ For many millions, it never will again.
    T hese scientists are living in terrible danger, but their work is so important to the future of the world that they are willing to put their lives on the line. Such is the secrecy and security put around them that we might never learn the names of these people. Whoever they are, I salute them. Reliable sources have informed me that a helicopter frequently lands on the rooftop of this secretive complex and offloads supplies: boxes and crates of food, clean water, and essential equipment for the scientists. Indications are that they are quite safe. The US Embassy is believed to be the access point for this bunker. It is secure, well maintained, and able to withstand any terrorist attack. Wherever they are, God bless you. Our nation respects and believes in you.
    The Grave has been left unchecked for three years now and the ecology of the country will start to change and evolve. Without cultivation, wildlife will grow and the vegetation will flourish. We may see a very radical change to the land. Much of Te Ika-a-Maui has already begun to revert to its more natural, tropical vegetation that existed before, if reports are to be believed. Animal life, I’m sure will spread its wings far and wide. The sheep and cattle, so vital to men living there before, will die out. They are too domesticated to survive in the wild. Cattle’s stomachs will explode and nearly all bovine life will die within days or weeks of being abandoned. Some sheep might still roam free, but the majority will be dead by the time I write this report. Thirty million sheep carcasses will provide enough meat for the Deathless to live on for months if not years. Infected lakes and water supplies will mean they can live much longer than humans can. For how long, nobody truly knows yet.
    As for the