The Light Side of Death

Chapter one

Past

Scientists were working on a miracle cure that could possibly destroy any terminal illness known to man. They have tested the new drug on rats and chimps but not on humans. This would be the first human trial thus far. Thousands of terminal ill people are waiting in line for their one shot to being free of their chains linking them with death. The line of people took eight weeks to fulfill. Within two days all those people got even sicker than what they were. Scientists said it was a normal reaction of the drug.

The drug attacks the ailing cells and destroys it by eating through it and regenerating the dead cells the illness have destroyed. The so called miracle was supposed to work within two days but instead of killing the illnesses it killed the people and turned them into mindless flesh-eating zombies. What took a year to complete and save us killed human kind in six months. People turned on their own friends and families and turned them into zombies. The streets was chaos, it was like living in hell for the survivors. Neither scientists nor the army officials could stop the death spreading in the darkness of this evil. Every day was a constant threat.

Present

It is dark and very quiet in this big city. There are no lights, no cars driving around and no people around. Our home is like a ghost planet. The few of us that weren't infected live in fear at night and day. Within six months all seven continents were removed from all life.

The virus regenerated the cells of the dead and now the undead haunts the streets desperate to quench their most basic need. They hunt the survivors to feed.

The virus was supposed to be a cure for cancer and every other life threatening natural illness you can imagine. We call it regencell.

If the undead bites you once, you die within forty eight hours and turn into one of them. I on the other hand have been infected but lived to see another day. The virus changed me into something else.

Somehow it made me stronger, almost superhuman. We found a way to give it to all the survivors without killing them.

We used my own blood to come up with an antivirus for those who are infected and not dead yet. It turns out that our blood group is immune to the effects of regencell. We call ourselves the a-negs.

I am a twenty nine year old female and lost my whole family to the virus. I have my family's blood on my own hands. At one time i thought that i was the only survivor. I saved all the others from being eaten alive. I always go out on my own to check for more survivors.

I was walking along the street, my dual pistols in its holsters and grenades clipped on my belt, my shotgun and my sniper rifle slung over my shoulders and my hunting knife stuck in my ankle holster. I wore my usual loose hanging blue denim and hiking boots with my torn almost see-through red t-shirt.

I heard a car crashing and screaming from the north about ten blocks ahead of me. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me. The buildings flashed past me in a blink of an eye. My blood was pumping through my veins. I could feel the heat of adrenalin surge from my core. I could hear a woman screaming and the undead growling. I could hear rushed footsteps coming my way from around the corner of the street.

I stood still listening, lit a smoke and then a slender woman about my age, height and size ran into my arms with fear in her eyes. She had shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. She wore tight blue jeans with a loose hanging t-shirt with takies on her feet.

'Calm down miss. You are safe now.' I said trying to keep her still in my arms.

She relaxed and looked into my eyes when she heard my voice.

'They are after me, they want to eat me.' She said in a voice trembling with fear.

I pushed her behind me and peeked around the corner. The zombies were chasing her down the street. I took one grenade from my belt pulled the pin and through the grenade in the zombie's direction. I pinned the woman against the wall and covered her with my body. The grenade flew through the air landing in the middle of the croud and blew most of them to bits.

'We have to run.' I said grabbing her hand, dragging her along to my safe house.

'Where are you taking me?' She asked trying to keep up with me.

'I'm taking you somewhere safe.' I said looking behind us.

A few zombies that survived the blast from the grenade were catching up with us. She looked back shocked.

'Keep running girl.' I told her grabbing my pistols from my sides.

'Don't worry, I'm running.' The woman said running even faster.

I stopped and turned around to face the zombies chasing us. I shot a few of them between the eyes making them fall to the ground totally lifeless. I turned around and caught up to the woman grabbing her hand and dragging her around the next corner with me. I ran into a building lifting a big steel door and dropping the door closed behind us.

'We're safe in here.' I said looking at her in admiration.

'Thank you for saving my life back there.' She said trying to catch her breath.

'No problem. What were you doing out there by yourself?' I asked walking past her up the stairs.

'I was looking for someone that i know lives in this area.' She said following me up the stairs.

'Oh, who is that? I could be able to help you. I know everyone that's left alive.' I said looking back at her.

We reached the top of the stairs and walked through a door leading to a penthouse on the very last floor. As i let the woman in i locked the door and slid a steel door closed and locked the latches.

'I am looking for a person named Charlie. I was told that this person can help me with a problem we have.' The woman said looking around at my place.

I went to the balcony, swiped my rifle from my back and stood on one knee.

I looked through the scope for the last few zombies that were chasing us. I saw them outside my place banging on the big steel door and shot each one of them between the eyes. The last bullet seemed to go in slow motion when it left the barrel. I watched it cut through the air like a knife, penetrating the last zombie in the left eye digging its way through the back of the skull into the ground. The zombie flopped backwards onto its back like a rag doll.

'Well, you just found Charlie. What's this problem you have?' I said sticking my hand out towards her in greeting.

'You are Charlie? I am sorry but i was expecting someone a bit more... Brute, no offence of course.' She said looking me up and down shaking my hand.

'Yeah well, what you see is what you get and... None taken of course. So who are you if i may ask?' I said as i just smiled at the woman.

'Oh sorry, my name is Angela.' She said returning a smile.

That moment we shook hands i felt a spark between us. We looked into each other's eyes for what seemed to be an eternity. It felt like i was swimming in her eyes.

'You look like you could use a good meal Angela, how long have you been traveling?' I asked as i released her hand and walked towards the kitchen.

'Please, i could eat a horse. I have been traveling for about a week now looking for you.' She said taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Digging in the cupboards i found two tins of spaghetti and meatballs and opened the tins. I emptied the contents into a pan on the gas stove to heat up the food. I dished it into two plates and sat at the table. We sat in silence eating our meal before she explained her situation to me.

'Where i come from the zombies seemed to have gotten smarter. They kidnapped my family. I think they are being controlled by a scientist that lives in the hospital. He has been doing something to the few survivors. The problem is that the kidnapped people don't come back alive. He mutates them in some way. A friend of yours sent me here to find you before he was taken too. His name is Johnny.' Angela said as i made us some coffee.

'Oh Johnny, what have you gotten yourself into this time? I can say that i believe you because i noticed a change in zombies here as well. There is a whole group of us that are immune to the virus. I am infected but instead of killing me, the virus made me stronger, super speed, super strength and i use more of my brain than normal. All my senses are stronger than normal. My body somehow moulded the virus to its own advantage.' I said handing her a cup of coffee.

'You are infected?' She asked me surprised, with her mouth gaping open.

'Don't worry girl, i don't bite. As you can see, i eat what you eat and i talk.' I told her pointing to the empty tins.

She then stood up taking my hands in her own looking deep into my green eyes.

'Will you please help us?' She asked me with a tear welling up in her eyes.

'Sure i will help you. We can leave tomorrow. I need to gather some supplies first.' I said to her.

Angela through her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a hug. I put my hands on her waist; i didn't know what to do at that moment. She released her arms and brought them down slowly to my chest looking into my eyes then she moved away from me blushing.

'I'm sorry, i get carried away sometimes.' She said lowering her face so i wouldn't see her face as red as my t-shirt.

'It's alright girl.' I said grabbing my weapons.

'Where are you going now?' She asked me looking at the weapons.

'I'm going shopping for the trip.' I said walking to the balcony looking over the railing for any trouble.

'So you are just going to leave me here?' She asked looking very fragile at that moment.

'You will be safe here. Okay well, how are you with guns?' I asked her.

'I'm a crack shot with any weapon, my grandfather taught me to shoot.' She said looking at me with her hands on her waist.

'Okay then, take these.' I said handing her my pistols in their holsters strapped on a belt.

I walked over to my closet and came out with two small machine guns and strapped it in my shoulder holster over my shoulders. I walked to the door and slid the steel door open. Angela walked past me through the door with a smile. I slid the door closed again and followed her down the stairs to the big steel door.

I then slid a small eye height slide open and looked through it. There was nothing in site. The zombies that i shot earlier were still lying on the ground lifeless. The smell of death and rot lingered in the air. I bent down and lifted the big steel door.

********************

Angela was standing next to Charlie by the door admiring her muscles as she lifted the door without breaking a sweat. Angela could feel a familiar tingle inside of her as she walked past Charlie underneath the door. She felt the same tingle when they shook hands earlier and when she hugged Charlie out of excitement.

For some reason she was attracted to this woman that she doesn't even know at all, she just meat Charlie an hour ago. Could she be falling for Charlie? She asked herself blushing crimson.

Angela thought back to her husband she had lost to the virus. She still loves him, even though he was a beater and tried to eat her.

********************

I stood there watching Angela think to herself while looking around in all directions with her hands on both pistols. She was ready for anything. Angela looked like a woman that lost everyone she had loved. She has a wedding ring on her left hand and a locket around her neck. Angela also looked like she was getting a bit weak.

I dropped the steel door lifting one right next to it. I walked in and started a vehicle. It is a hummer that the army used. I found it abandoned next to a road and turned it into an armoured vehicle fit for killing zombies.

I drove the vehicle out of its hiding place and stopped to close the door. When i got back in Angela was already in the passenger seat. As we drove along we asked each other all sorts of questions to get to know each other better.

'So you married?' I asked Angela.

She looked at me then at the ring on her finger. Her face suddenly turned sad.

'I used to be.' She said looking out the three inch thick windows.

'What happened to him?' I asked her.

'He tried to eat me after a night out with the men two days after he was bitten. He said it was nothing, that some old lady bit him.' Angela now looked at me with great sadness in her eyes as she told me the story.

Past

Bill got home drunk as usual then sat in his chair while waiting for his dinner. Angela went to the kitchen to heat up his dinner. When Angela turned around in the kitchen with his dinner in her hands he was behind her grabbing at her with his hands. At first she thought he was in one of his bad moods again then she saw the look on his face. He was pale and had a blank look on his face. He was dead but walking.

Angela watched the news that afternoon and then just in case put a hammer were she could get to it easily. He tried to bite her then she grabbed at the hammer and smashed his head in. Her five and a half year old daughter was up stairs sleeping through all the commotion. Before morning broke Angela had cleaned up the mess and removed the body from the house into the back of the car in the garage. Angela just told her daughter that her father never came back home the night before.

Present

'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open old wounds.' I said with regret and sorrow in my voice.

'No it's alright. He beat me to a pulp every night after drinking so honestly i was happy to get rid of him.' Angela smiled lightly at me.

'So what is your story, why are you alone Charlie?' She asked me.

'I killed my whole family bashing their heads in with a baseball bat. ' I told her driving slowly through the zombies crowding the streets.

Angela looked at me as if i was crazy. I took a deep breath then remembered back to that day.

Past

My family were all out for the day. I wasn't feeling well so i stayed at home. They never saw the news that morning so they didn't know about the outbreak. When i got up the next morning the house was quiet. I went down stairs from my room and walked into the kitchen to find them all dead on the floor. My instincts kicked in then i backed off away from them.

I grabbed the baseball bat from the closet and walked through the house. I found nothing and when i got back to the kitchen they all stood there dripping of blood. My brother came at me first then bit me. I killed my brother and my father and step mother. My birth mother died when my brother and i was very young.

Present

I parked the vehicle in a parking lot outside a supermarket. There weren't a lot of zombies around. Most of them didn't even notice us when we stopped.

'After that you started to notice the changes in you.' Angela said opening the door without looking if the coast was clear.

'Yes it was. Since then i have been trying to save as many people as i could, using my abilities.' I said to her walking around the vehicle.

Just as i came around the corner of the vehicle i grabbed my shotgun and shot a zombie straight into a wall. It was inches away from Angela sitting inside the vehicle with her one foot hanging out the door.

Angela heard the blast and almost snapped her neck sticking her head out of the vehicle.

'Damn that was close. Thank you Charlie.' She said as she got out and looked at the zombie and the splatter of lumpy old blood on the wall.

'My pleasure, can you please be a little more careful next time?' I said grabbing a shopping trolley.

Angela followed me into the supermarket walking slowly through the zombies standing around the parking lot. We were both being very careful collecting stuff we needed from the shelves. I could hear dragging sounds down one of the isles.

'Get this stuff to the hummer quickly.' I said pushing the trolley and Angela toward the door.

'We stick together; i am not leaving you in here alone.' She spat back at me.

'I'm not staying here alone. That is one thing i am not going to fight now.' I said looking behind us.

Angela looked behind her and saw a huge zombie dragging a sledge hammer. She shoved the stuff in the back of the hummer and got in the front. This zombie is very slow so i decided to run to the cigarette counter and get me some smokes and matches. Angela was in the driver seat keeping the engine running.

I grabbed smokes and matches and headed for the door. Angela reversed the hummer to the door. The zombie stood right in front of me lifting the sledge hammer into the air.

There wasn't much space to pass on the side of the zombie so i slid through in between its legs and summer salted to my feet behind it. The back door of the hummer was open.

I dove into the back of the hummer slamming the door behind me. The zombie swung its hammer and missed me by an inch. Just as we drove off we looked back at the zombie with its hammer. We spun away spewing dirt into the zombie's eyes.

Its hammer hit the floor creating a whole the size of its own head. I stopped at a gas station and looked at Angela. We stared at each other for a moment then started laughing. We were laughing out of pure rush running through our veins. I got out and kept watch while Angela filled the tank and a few drums with diesel.

We went back to my place and settled in for the night. I sealed all the windows and doors for our safety. Angela walked with me while i did my rounds through the building.

As we walked through the dark hallways Angela held onto my right arm.

'Angela, could you please loosen your grip on my arm? I'm going to need it.' I asked her smiling.

'Sorry Charlie, after everything that's happened I'm a bit paranoid.' She answered me while letting go of my arm.

We took our time walking through the building back to my flat after i started the generator. I enjoyed listening to the silence of the place except for the growling of the generator. We talked about everything that happened to us in our lives so far.

We got back into the penthouse locking the door behind us. I made us dinner, got a bottle of wine out the pantry and put the heater on. The penthouse got very cold at night.

'You can take my bed after dinner; i will sleep on the couch.' I said to Angela drinking down the last sip of wine in my glass.

'I don't want to be a bother; i don't mind sleeping on the couch.' Angela said pushing half of her food aside.

'What's wrong Angela; you aren't eating much?' I asked as i left my own food.

'I'm just worried and tired of fighting all the time.' Angela said standing up and walking over to the couch.

I sat at the table for a moment then stood up from my seat grabbing the wine bottle and sat next to her on the couch. I poured us each another glass of wine and put the bottle on the floor.

'I'm just as tired and worried about all this. I actually find myself thinking sometimes about how everything would have turned out if they didn't invent Regencell.' I said taking a sip of my wine.

'I have been through a lot in my life but that is nothing compared to this. I wish there was a way we could get rid of the zombies once and for all.' Angela said taking a sip of her wine.

'There is a way. I have been working on something using my blood; a cure if you could call it that. The only problem is that i don't think the zombies will survive it. The people that are alive might just be the only hope left for our planet.' I said to Angela.

'What job were you doing before this outbreak Charlie? You seem to know quite a lot about this virus.' Angela asked me looking at me. I looked at her then crossed my legs onto the couch.

'I am one of the scientists that worked on this drug. Before they made it public i found something in the drug that proved that it was not ready to be administered. They didn't listen to me. Before all this happened they fired me and since then i have been working on a new one to protect the survivors. I tested it and it worked like a charm.' I said looking away from her in shame. Angela grasped my chin with her right hand and turned my face toward her.