Virulence Immune

~ Chapter Sixteen ~

Once the infected had moved along in search of the gun shot's point of origin, Perri and Max secured the way back to the apartment building.

It took them till nightfall to cover the broken, glass front of the grocery store with blanket covered shelves.

By the time they'd returned to the other survivors, the group had, had a sufficient amount of time to rest and were at least a tad more keen to travel.

It was near pitch black outside and not a bad time to make their move.

While many noted the obvious sickness befalling Max, both Gavin and Skeet were glad to see Perri return safely.

One person above all others had not taken their eyes off of Max.

Holloway.

Perri noticed his ever-focused gaze examining every detail, and since they'd gotten back to the group, Holloway had even taken to scribbling in a notepad as well.

Seeing as Perri and Max were familiar with the way forward, Carter had the pair lead the group.

They managed to travel through the set path with no trouble and reached the passage in the wall in one piece.

With the sheer darkness, their plan for safe progression was to walk as slowly and as quietly as humanly possible.

At a distance, the group, doing their best zombie shuffle, would—with any luck—look like a small band of infected if they were spotted by the dead.

When the infected aren't resting or hunting, they shamble along. Kind of like a person who just got out of bed and was still half asleep.

The group barely made a sound as they shuffled along. They weren't but a few blocks from their destination.

"Psst." Someone by the left flank drew the attention of the group before whispering, "Zombie."

"Where?" Whispered another.

"About five-hundred-meters to our left. There's a silhouette by the—"

"I see it." Whispered Carter. "Everyone just keep moving. It hasn't taken any notice of us yet."

The group continued their silent shuffling and most tried to refrain from glancing in the direction of that silhouette.

"You know," Started one of the men to that someone by the left flank, "they're not zombies."

"What?"

"The infected. They, technically, aren't zombies." The man answered.

"Oh, here we go. I've gotta hear this." Another survivor snickered.

Many members of the group were pretending not to listen to the hushed conversation as the man continued.

"Zombies are slow and dumb. The infected aren't either of those things." Stated the man.

"They aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed either."

"No. But, they've changed. They're getting smarter."

Perri's brows drew together when she heard what the man had said. "What?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Haven't you noticed? Haven't any of you noticed?" The man asked as he scanned the faced of his fellow survivors. Only questioning eyes and confusion peered back.

"A zombie, in its broadest sense, is a person who has lost their sense of self-awareness and identity, and cares only of the consumption of any living human in proximity. No matter what the circumstances, or what the cost is." The man explained. "I mean sure, these people either died or got bit and one way or another they turned into these undead cannibals. But, they aren't zombies. They aren't slow, mindless brain seekers... they're just different. And they're changing."

"What do you mean they're changing?" Perri asked the question before she even realized she'd opened her mouth.

"They're—"

The man was cut off mid speech when he accidentally walked into the person in front of him.

They'd stopped and were staring in the direction of the silhouette.

Soon, the rest of the group came to a stop as well to gaze in the same direction.

The silhouette was unmoving.

They could only assume it was facing their direction.

Most likely trying to make sense out of what the group was. If they were dead or alive. Friend or foe. Predator or prey.

The hushed whispering of the group's discussion had probably drawn its attention to them.

"Let's not linger. Just shut up and keep moving." Carter told the group.

Pretending to be a zombie wasn't as easy as they'd thought it would be.

Skeet squeezed Perri's hand and stuck to her side like glue.

Without their arguing, silence had befallen them once more. Even the smallest of sounds was made tenfold. Especially, Max's smothered coughing and wheezing.

A sharp gasp broke the silence.

Someone had dared to look back at the infected.

It was gone.