The Zombie Virus (Book 1) by Paul Hetzer Read Free Book Online

loaded mags for each as she and
Jeremy could carry down into the basement. I advised her to stay as
quiet as possible and keep armed at all times. I let her know that
those people were infected and highly contagious. The disease had
done something to their minds and that they would attack and kill
on sight.
    There was only one way down into the basement
from the main floor and no windows from which anyone could gain
entry. The pantry was down there, along with a bathroom, bedroom
and family room. It could be easily defended from anyone trying to
open the basement door and rush down the stairs— the fatal-funnel
as police refer to it. All of our food storage was down there and
plenty of bottled water, along with all of our ammo.
    In our camping gear was a Coleman stove that
they could use for cooking and a lantern for light in case power
was lost. She could hole up down there safely for however many days
it took me to get home. I thanked God she had just come off a three
day shift and was home today. My family was mostly together and as
safe as they could possibly be for now.
    She asked me how much longer I would be. I
told her to give me three days, after that I would leave to come
home no matter what. She understood what I was doing, although she
was also understandably very frightened. She was holding together
well. I told her I would call three times a day as long as the
landlines held out and if we were to lose contact to stay put and I
would get home.
    Jeremy wanted to hear my reassurances so she
put him on for a few minutes. Hearing his frightened voice sounding
so close while being so far away nearly broke my resolve. I told
him to be strong and take care of his mom until I got home.
    I hung up after telling him and Holly that I
loved them. There was a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach
again.
    When I entered my lab, I removed the samples
I had collected from the portable vacuum cooler and began the
continuing work of isolating the pathogens. Along with the samples
from this morning, it would paint a horrifying picture of what we
were up against.
    I was shocked when I looked at the monitor
from the isolation ward and found Sung growling and spitting,
trying to get free from his bonds, his muscles straining mightily
at the wide straps. It had only been an hour and a half since he
was infected. The second generation of the disease seemed to
devastate its new hosts’ system incredibly quickly. Sung had
skipped the comatose phase.
    Dr. Hanson still lay in a comatose state,
most likely due to the shock of blood loss. Pink drool spilled down
her cheek. I had no doubt she was now one of them.
    At two hours forty minutes since Dr. Rafik
had woken to his murderous rampage, the other comatose girl awoke,
displaying the now familiar symptoms. I panned the camera over to
her when I heard the added chorus of her growls.
    I watched in morbid fascination while she
struggled violently to get free from the bonds and then like a
trapped animal began gnawing at her bicep, as if releasing her arm
would free her entire body. My stomach turned queasy at the sight
of her tearing chunks of her own flesh free from her arm. She
screamed in agony then bent her head down and continued to tear
more bloody flesh loose in savage bites.
    She was making a cooing noise from the pain,
pausing briefly like she wasn’t sure what was causing the intense
self-inflicted misery, then she would continue gnawing at
herself.
    Blood pulsed in spurts from an artery when
her teeth tore through it, covering her face in a red, dripping
mask. Her teeth could reach no further and she pulled savagely at
the bound arm. I could actually see the flesh starting to tear.
After a while her struggles became less violent and soon ceased
altogether and the pulsing blood slowed to a trickle.
    I had now witnessed two people dying
violently, and both would probably remain where they lay for
eternity, with no one to ever mourn them. I knew this was probably
just a drop in the