No Time To Bleed

I wasn’t so sure how I ended up in bed and asleep that night. All I remember were the dragging whispers of conversations and muffled footsteps. Then I woke up midnight with a killer headache and a musty hotel room. Brown wallpaper was all around. And I was alone; a bare flashlight leaned up and on the dresser to partially illuminate the room.

My bat lay on the ground along with a pair of ill-fitting clothes on a thin comforter chair. I tested the water in the bathroom then, brought the flashlight in. The complimentary soaps melded together in the scolding heat that took my skin, but I felt no burn. All the black gunk and sweat slid down my skin and into the drain. My mind was as clear as a blanketed winter.

The shower was over after a long while and I changed. I pressed my ear against the motel door.
No groans were outside. No zombies. I peeled open the door and after a small visual test. I went outside.

The air smelled clean. The sky had to be a dark, dark chalky gray fused with clouds that didn’t match. Everything was dead silent. I just breathed in the mist of the air.

“Did you sleep okay?”

I just leaned in further against the rail. “I think so.”

Just talking to someone else felt like bringing the tears back, the crashing reality of the situation.

“How are you feeling?” Cece asked.

I swallowed. “Tell me about the virus. I wanna know.”

The bandana had tied around her neck. Her hair was back in its usual cropped and styled fashion.

She came next to me. “The virus started as a defense mechanism against the aging process. Cosmetic companies were trying to find the magic cure to aging.”

“Lexicon ended up creating the serum and they began to test on babies.”

Babies, it sounded absolutely ridiculous. Babies were the exact opposite of the epitome of aging.

“They began the injections years ago and they thought it would work because in a controlled area, things were great. Their subjects grew long and strong and they gave birth to even healthier offspring.” She sighed. “Like me…”

So that’s what Cece had meant when she said she’d escaped.

“The virus began when DNA genes started to react against the serum in the blood stream. It took decades for the first case to outbreak. But, luckily that happened in a Lexicon lab. Over a week ago, it happened in our town.”

I tried to force bits and pieces of what I’d known about the virus into my head. It changed human psychology and led to carnivorous behavior. And it had spread to various concentrated parts of the world.

“They call it the Rogue Virus after a codename they used to identify their experiments.”

Rogue, ironically named I might add.

“Do they know how many people have it? How many are immune?”

She shook her head. “They always tried to keep track of who was in their system, but they got lazy and it got too difficult. I was one of the few who slipped through the cracks.”

That was why they were tracking Ryant and Max. Some people had to be immune to the virus at some point if they lived with it in their systems for so long.

I sighed. “This is all just one huge cover up. Total bullshit. I knew the world should’ve went to socialism.”

She laughed. “God, that’d be worse.”

I chose not to argue with her. This was the most we’d ever talked without arguing or bringing death threats to one another.

“And you might wanna talk to your little boy toy, Alex? He carried you up here like you were some angel. Clarissa had to practically kick his ass to get him out your room.”

I shook my head, giggling. “You must be lying. That’s never Alex.”

She smirked. “I saw the way he went Commando out there, saving you and crap. He’s a guy that cares.”

I shook my head even more. Romance was the least of the things on my mind right now.

“I don’t have time for that stuff. Gotta find Ryant and… stuff.”

“You’ve been talking about this Ryant guy for a long time. Are you sure you don’t want him instead?”

That got me to laugh. “Oh no! Nothing like that! It’s weird. He’s just the first friend I’ve made in a while.”

She seemed satisfied with that at least. “Well, girlie, we’re all heading off to bed. Big things happened today and we all need some rest. Go to sleep, stick to your bat, and keep your eyes peeled.”

Cece strutted off to her room and I returned to mine as well. I guess another full good night’s sleep could do me well. I sure as hell needed it.