Suzanne Robb - Contaminated - A Zombie Survival Novel

“There’s power up here?” Arthur asked puzzled.

“They used a different power grid for above ground. Stay here and help the girls. I’m going to go and check out the house,” Frank said.

Arthur waited at the top and used the time to slip a few of the flash drives and one of the samples into interior pockets, just in case. A hand grabbed his foot and he almost shrieked in fear until he realized it was Smith.

He grabbed her by the back of her suit and pulled, not really caring if it caused her any discomfort. “Where’s Selena?”

“How the hell should I know?” Smith snapped.

Arthur kept an eye on her as he shined his flashlight and called out, “Selena, you there?”

“Yeah, just give me a second. I’m a bit more out of shape than I realized,” she huffed.

A second later, Arthur helped her over the edge being as gentle as possible. Two gunshots erupted from inside the house and Arthur motioned the women underneath a worktable in the corner.

“Wait here,” he said.

Arthur walked to the door that he remembered exiting a short while ago, though it felt like an eternity. He pushed it open with the muzzle of his Sig and called out, “Frank, you in here?”

“Yeah, had to take care of a few ‘guards.’”

Arthur entered the living area and saw the bodies of two men on the floor. A third one between them had been ravaged, little of him left. The things picked his bones clean in some areas. Arthur looked away before he threw up when he spotted a trail of what could only be intestines leading to the mouth of one of the others Frank shot.

“Jesus, how many are infected?” Arthur asked.

Frank walked toward the window and responded with a tired sigh, “All of them.”

Arthur joined him and saw a terrifying sight in the yard, if you could call a secret compound that. Dozens of contaminated walking around aimlessly, some of them in uniform, others wore casual attire. The mix was too vast for any other conclusion than the surrounding area was also affected.

“There has to be a way out of here, keys to one of the cars in the driveway?” Arthur thought out loud.

“Sure and go where? Not to mention the masks are going to expire soon. Have a solution for that?”

Arthur kicked his brain into gear. The filter protected them, to change it they needed to take off the mask, remove the old filter, and insert a new one. “I’ll need a mask to practice with, but I might have a solution.”

Frank slapped the table. “Dammit, why didn’t I think of this? Look.” He walked toward where they kept the gear and picked up four packages. “Brand new MSA Advantage 1000, better than a new filter, check them out, I’ll get Smith and Selena.”

Arthur grabbed the masks and prepared them for switching. He unstrapped it and pretended to pull off the old one, then put on and re-strap the new one. These were a bit more complicated than the one he was wearing, and they would have to remove the portion of the suit covering their head. Forty-two seconds, give or take. He’d held his breath the entire time, but would that be enough? What if the microbes or whatever they were, got into his nose and the moment they breathed – infected.

Frank entered the room, trailed by the other two. Smith had a hopeful expression on her face. “Frank said you might have a way to fix the filter issue.”

Arthur nodded as he examined the items in his hand. How to ensure no one was infected, have them exhale, then shove tissue in their nostrils? Not likely to work. Get them into a contained room, like the bathroom and turn on the fan. That would eliminate some of the contaminants.

“I’m not entirely sure this will work, but considering we have less than ten minutes, beggars can’t be choosers and all that,” Arthur said as he grabbed the masks. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Seriously? At a time like this?” Smith said.

“Shut up, just trust me.” Arthur followed Frank, and when the four of them were in the small room, Arthur shut the door and flipped on the fan.

He took a deep breath and undid the straps. Frank caught the old mask as Arthur ripped it off and pulled the portion of the suit over his head down. He put the new mask on and Frank helped him with the straps.

“Okay, let’s see what happens. If no signs of infection kick in within two or three minutes, you can all do exactly as I did.”

Arthur picked up his old mask and threw it in the toilet. Anything to keep him occupied and hide the pure fear coursing through his veins at the thought of becoming one of the contaminated.

Three minutes passed and nothing happened, so the others followed Arthur’s lead. He watched carefully, and the fact that neither woman needed help with the intricate set of straps set him wondering again.

When they finished, Frank told Smith and Selena about the things outside.

Arthur pushed his way out of the bathroom. Suddenly the thought of everything that happened and about what awaited them was too much.

Frank felt much better. His new mask was free of the chunky dried vomit, but now the doc was having a meltdown. He took a breath and followed him. He knew the scientist was at his wit’s end, but hoped he’d hold up a bit longer. He found him in the kitchen staring into the back area.

Some of the things took notice of them and ambled toward the house. Frank knew they needed an escape plan, and fast, but he also wanted the doc back in the game. “Tough first day, huh?”

Arthur didn’t turn or acknowledge him.

“We have to be strong for them, you know.” Frank motioned toward the living room where Smith and Selena were getting changes of clothes for them and other supplies.

“How are we going to drink or eat anything when we have to keep these masks on all the time? What are we going to do when the entire world is infected and all that’s left is the four of us?” Arthur asked.

“We’ll figure something out. There has to be something to purify the air, or kill the infection so we can breathe. A sealed room of some kind,” Frank argued.

“Right, sealed up tight and impenetrable, just like a silo,” Arthur laughed.

“Look, I don’t have time for you to freak out right now. I’ll knock your ass out or you can be helpful, it’s your call,” Frank warned.

Arthur turned to him and for the first time, Frank saw the anguish in the scientist’s eyes.

“You think this is your fault, don’t you?” Frank asked.

“I have no way to prove that it isn’t. There was an explosion in my lab, and shortly after, people turned into…into…zombies.” Arthur slammed his fist on the table.

“Come on, zombies? Be serious,” Frank scoffed.

“You’ve been thinking it since you saw the first one. We watch movies and read about them, but including them in our reality is a hell of a lot harder to do than people realize. You know as well as I do those things are zombies, plain and simple, and I caused it,” Arthur said in a rushed voice.

“Listen, this whole thing was planned a long time ago. Whatever happened was someone else’s doing. Just move on and put that brain of yours to work and find us a solution to the immediate situation,” Frank said.

Arthur nodded, but stayed in the kitchen. Frank sighed and went into the nook where the surplus equipment was kept. The zombies outside were too close for comfort and he didn’t think the glass would hold back many if they gathered. Most of the stockpile was picked over by the others, but he was able to get a new pair of pants and clean shirt.

He went into one of the bedrooms to change and he heard someone enter behind him, causing his heart to pick up a beat. He glanced back to see Selena. She smiled at him. “Hey, how goes the supply hunting?” he asked, mentally slapping himself for sounding so lame.