The Rotting Flesh Book 1: Escatology
Chapter 24: All things fall apart

A burning sensation paralyzed Antonio’s foot. He had been wounded in battle before but it had never felt this agonizing. Even though they had managed to eliminate the target came at a cost, a cost only he knew. Informing anyone would mean the end of him. It was so pathetic how humans reacted to things they did not understand, so no one would keep his secret excerpt for himself. Only if help had arrived sooner.

“You good man?” Priscilla his duty partner asked noticing his limp

“The crush gave me a fracture, i checked with doc” he lied

Even though she was close to him, she couldn’t be trusted one bit. Her loyalty to Rugal was unquestionable. He thought up an idea to keep his distance from others at camp.

“What changed, you hate evening guard duties” commander Charles said

“Yes but with what happened yesterday i need to clear my mind“ he replied

“Okay but you’re going with Priscilla, I won’t take no for an answer. You exert too much work on yourself” concluded the commander

When it was time for him to shift he went to guard the water tank. He inspected it while hoping Priscilla wouldn’t come. The pain from the bite mark on his thigh felt like it was spreading. Breathing was becoming harder by the minute. All the antibiotics he was drinking were not helping.

“Ant hey, whats wrong?” Priscilla said getting onto the water tower

This odd behavior Antonio was portraying was unnatural. Of all the things he chose guard duty, something wasn’t right.

“I…Im fine” he fought to get those words out, his tongue was becoming numb

The sweating got worse and noticeable. Priscilla approached him with a completely different mindset so her guard was down.

“Ant” she said calmly

Ant had looked at his hands, they now had green veins, the same ones that had appeared around his bite wound on his thigh. He felt his face and they were there. It was too obvious to hide now the least he could do was say his final prayer before he lost his mind. Priscilla’s presence no longer mattered, all he wanted was to complete his prayer in peace so that it can secure him a place in heaven.

“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, he makes me….” he coughed out black stuff

“Ant, you’re not well” Priscilla said rushing to him and grabbing his shoulder

The moment she got that close her scent sent a strong urge to feed, rushing through his body.

“Run” he whispered as he felt his voice disappear

“What I can’t hear you clearly” she said bringing her head closer to his

He lost control of his body and sank his teeth into her throat. She screamed but her voice didn't go far as blood gushing from her voice box muffled everything. She struggled her final struggle which threw them both in the camp water tank. The force caused the lid to swing down and shut them inside.

Two days after the incident the two were reported missing and branded deserters. Instructions were given to other soldiers to kill them on sight. Aside from that the camp had its own problems, people were falling ill one by one with the same symptoms. The mass graves the military was creating for all the sick people they were secretly killing were becoming too many. The camp doctor eventually realized something shocking. The water being drunk was contaminated so he went to check it out and what he saw shook all the camp officials to the core. Priscilla and Antonio were still in there trying to pry out, they were no longer human. So all who were ill had to be killed and anyone else who had no come for treatment or else the camp would fall into chaos. Everyone who drank the water was infected.

People at camp had caught up on the soldiers’ lies and were no longer reporting sick because they feared for their lives. It was during the night when it all started, a sick woman who had hidden it from others began coughing out black blood and in a short while she attacked her friend and killed her. She started loitering around camp attacking anyone she saw so by the time others realized what was happening, zombies were everywhere. Chaos erupted as people ran for their lives. It was a mess because the person next to you might just turn without you knowing. The soldiers tried to calm the situation but it was too late. The fire from their flame throwers instead of taking out the zombies it caught on to the camp.

Seeing how die things had got the soldiers fled for their lives leaving the civilians to fight for themselves.

“Look, we were just following orders but by the look of things, even the military has fallen” a soldier said and threw her keys to her cell and ran

Rodrigas frantically searched for Tanya in all this chaos and finally found her. They fought their way out of there. The things people would do to survive. Some were already attacking each other even if they just suspected someone would turn into those flesh eating bastards. Rodrigas gave Tanya a gun to use incase things got too difficult. Shiva, Tanya and Rodrigas made it out of camp unharmed except for the cut Rodrigas had on his shoulder. Shiva noticed it and immediately turned on him. As they ran she stopped and pointed a gun at him stopping him in his tracks.

“What are you doing!?” Tanya yelled darting her eyes from one position to another in fear zombies might attack

“He got bit” she said corking the gun

“What this no it was the gate that scrapped me” Rodrigas tried to explain

“I saw it happen Shiva, stop this” Tanya begged but Shiva didn’t budge

“He’s a liability” she replied

As her finger slowly moved to the trigger she heard a clicking sound behind her. Tanya had corked her gun too.

“Put the fucken gun on the ground” she said her voice deeper

The look on her face was darker, Rodrigas could see by just looking that she wasn’t joking she would shoot.

“You’re choosing him over me?” Shiva said trying to confuse her but the response she gave shows her side

“I don’t know you”

Seeing how no one was on her side Shiva decided to end it all

“Well lets see what you do with a dea”

Her words were cut shot by a bullet destroying her throat from behind. Blood gushed out as she trembled with the gun in her hands. In the blink of an eye she was cold on the ground. Rodrigas stared in utter shock, he did not want things to get to this. She was too young to take a life it would haunt her for a very long time. He was so deep in his thoughts he did not see the zombie that was coming from behind. It pounced onto him and bit his shoulder

“Rodd nooo!!” Tanya screamed but it was too late another came followed by another one

They sunk their hands into his abdomen ripping out his intestines like it was nothing. Tanya froze in terror as she watched the only living person she had die right before her eyes. Before dying Rodrigas managed two words

“Te…amo run!” he used the last of his strength and life left his eyes

She just turned and ran.