Chapter Two

Still momentarily stunned, I stared at the figure before me, waiting to see any sign of life. It was another human mutated by the virus. It lay immobile on the floor me and in my near trance state, I noted its physical appearance. The mutant lay covered in old working coveralls that were now transformed into rags due. The figure was clearly masculine and seemed about six feet in height. It also reeked of a fetid odor and I felt the impulse to gag immediately. However I wasn't sure it was dead or alive, so I decided to retreat back slowly while facing forward so I could watch for any sudden movements the figure before me might make.

I took a deep breath and moved backwards, one feet at a time. My heart was racing with fear as I didn't know what to expect. The human-turned-monster could be capable of anything and though I had gotten rid of some of them in the past, I had never faced one this close. Still retreating away from the mutant, I was unaware of the direction my feet were going, I just did anything to get away from my current location. I received a dreadful shock when my right leg bumped into the can of corns I had placed behind me. In that split second, multiple things occurred. I realized myself and snapped out from my dream state, also staggering back and landing against an erect shelf. The shelf gave way under my weight and also probably from years of disuse and wear and I found myself flat on the ground.

The falling shelf also fell against some other nearby shelves and furniture began to fall like a pack of dominoes. The noise generated was deafening especially as I was in a dead town with no other source of sound. Muttering a silent prayer, I raised my face to look at the mutant and through the dust and debris around me, I could see its silhouette on the wall and it was moving. I tried to stand up, but I discovered that I had sprained my ankle.

Shit, And here I was thinking I was under some kind of spree of good luck, I thought to myself.

I mustered all the strength I had left and using the wall besides me as a leverage, I was able to stand up slowly. However, I looked up to find the mutant on its feet, staring at me with uncertainty. I knew I was screwed and I tried to search around for my rifle. The mutant moved hesitatingly forward and my eyes glanced around the floor in a frenzy. After seconds of visual searching, I finally found the rifle along with my backpack, but the only problem was that it was in the hands of the creature in front of me.

With no other option, I found myself running towards the door as adrenaline surged through my bloodstream. My ankle still hurt so my steps were uneven and my leg felt like it was on fire. I heard a guttural growl behind me and I found the mutant running behind me. I dived towards the exit door, pushing it open and before I could move ten meters away from the store, I tripped for the second time today.

Really bad timing here, Damn I can't believe that after everything, I'm about to be turned into a monster, I cursed as I fell on the floor outside the store.

I tried to turn but I felt tremendous pain, so I knew that there was no escaping any longer. The mutant halted in front of me and I was able to see its face clearly. It had dark hair that ran down the sides of its face in plaits that were probably caused from negligence and lack of care. Its protruding veins stood against its purple colored skin and fluid dribbled from its mouth. It still held my rifle, as if trying to discern what to make of it and for a split second, I wondered if it actually had a sense of reasoning. However, I quickly drove the thought away from my mind as I doubted its possibility.

The mutant growled again and launched itself towards me. I knew that any form of physical contact could be a possibility of contracting the virus, so I waited for the last possible second and shifted away. It landed in the space that I had just been and turned to look at me. A look appeared on its face that suggested it was processing and analyzing the situation which got me wondering again if these creatures were actually intelligent. But before I could make any more assumptions, I heard three loud shots and I looked at the mutant before me, as I noticed blood oozing out from three holes in its face.

It wailed loudly and tried to stand up with evident difficulty. As it stood up again, it flailed it arms and ran around carelessly. I moved again away from it, as far as I could to prevent any form of fluids from making contact with me. Then another shot rang out and the mutant stopped its irregular motion. It seemed frozen in time and in a few moments it was down, lying against the floor again.

I looked around, trying to ascertain the situation and also assure myself of my security. The gunshots guaranteed that I wasn't alone here and I tried moving again. Looking at the creature, I discovered it was dead and I was glad that one of my problems was over. The other problem was finding out where those shots came from and why I was still alive.