J. Knoll - Zoe, Undead

Halstead nodded in slight motions and confirmed, "That was the good news. Now you're about to hit me with the bad news."

"Afraid so," Doctor Kavorski confirmed. Looking to the medical technician, he asked, "Would you mind looking in on the incubators?"

The tech nodded and left the room.

"Out with it," the Colonel ordered.

Rachel drew a long breath, then she turned her eyes down to her hands and reported, "We discovered that the zombosis virus she has is reversing her autism. That's kind of a blessing since there really is no cure for that condition and she will end up mentally and emotionally being a normal girl, but it will come at a high price."

"How so?" Colonel Halstead demanded.

Doctor Kavorski answered, "Once her brain is what we would consider normal, once it works like a normal functioning brain, she will be vulnerable to what the virus does to the brain right after infection, and she is already infected."

The Colonel vented a hard breath through his nose and looked away. He stared across the room in silence for a moment, then he grumbled, "How long?"

"Maybe a week," Doctor Caswell replied. "Could be a little longer, we don't know for sure. As soon as the last symptoms of her Asperger's Syndrome are gone, it will only be a matter of hours, then she'll become what the others are. She'll need to be observed at all times and we'll have to watch for signs that she's…" She loosed a broken breath and finished, "That she's becoming one of them."

Colonel Halstead was quiet for another moment and just stared down at the file before him. With a little nod, he finally, softly said, "Okay. Okay. This stays in this room for now. Nobody is to be informed unless I clear them, and for God's sake do not tell the girl about this. She has enough on her mind. I'll keep her in so that she can be observed, and I want you two to keep working on that vaccine. Do whatever it takes and work as fast as you can. Caswell, you're to stay in the hospital. That new team has a medic that we can send out and they tell me he knows what he's doing."

With a nod, Rachel confirmed, "Eric. I trust he can do the job in the field."

"Good," the Colonel said almost absently. "While we still have time with her, get that vaccine figured out." His brow tensed as he turned those hard eyes on them in turn. "And if you can figure out how to help her, then do it! That's your secondary priority. Got it?"

"Understood," Doctor Kavorski assured. "I have a couple of working theories. It's just a matter of putting them to use."

"Theories?" Halstead questioned.

With a nod, Kavorski elaborated, "Just theories, mind you, and just based upon observations. We always see the zombies move in the morning and in the evening, but not usually after dark or in the heat of the day. That new team that came in from Texas told me much the same thing. In fact, they told me that zombies that got caught out in the heat of the day often fell and died. We know they can't see well in the dark so their movements stop after sunset in areas that are not artificially illuminated."

"I heard one of them say that most of the zombies in Texas were wiped out," Doctor Caswell interjected. "I heard similar reports from people coming in from Arizona, New Mexico… Areas where it is really hot are those that seemed to get under control first."

"People can still be infected," Doctor Kavorski added, "but the virus does not seem to do well in a high temperature environment. That's why we're having such a problem here as well as north of here. In fact, one of the first things the virus does when it infects a victim is it shuts off the body's metabolism."

Halstead nodded. "That's why we don't pick them up on infrared. They don't put off body heat."

"That would be why," Kavorski confirmed. "I don't know how useful all of this is, but it's something to go on. When we find ourselves in communication with the outside again we'll share what we have and see what others have been able to determine." He turned his eyes down and shook his head. "With winter coming we could have a real problem coming with it. The zombies will be able to move around all day, and that will accelerate how fast they spread."

"Then we'd better work like hell before that happens," the Colonel informed. He loosed another deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "Just make sure we take care of what we have here, and see about doing something that will help Zoe out. We need to keep her on our side as long as we can."

"Agreed," Doctor Caswell confirmed.

CHAPTER 12

Three days later things at the hospital were relatively quiet. The team from San Antonio embarked on daily seek and destroy missions that always turned into supply runs for whatever they could find. Fresh troops were shuttled to the power plant daily, as well as the water treatment center. Making sure the zombies did not find the hospital was a priority and barricades were erected in a two block radius to redirect them should they wander that way, and it seemed to be working.

Zoe was kept under the watchful eye of one of the doctors or someone they trusted with her at all times. They noticed that she was afflicted with periodic headaches, but a little aspirin seemed to be the best cure for that. She also seemed to lose interest in the childish endeavors that she had come to be known for. Cartoon watching gave way to more advanced things. She spent as much time with Zachary as she could and there were rumors circulating that they were becoming more than friends, though with Zoe under such watchful eyes, any developing relationship would surely have been better observed. She also spent more time with Morgan, and a more open and bubbly personality began to emerge. The person Zoe was becoming was a girl that everyone was growing to love, but the doctors and Colonel could only see her evolving personality with a certain sense of dread. She was half zombie, and they expected the other half to succumb to what she was at any time.

A decision had to be made, and it was time for precautions to be taken.

Without being told why, Zoe was moved to a smaller room in the ICU where she could be closely monitored at night, and where she would be closer to the rooms the doctors stayed in.

On outings, she had collected quite a collection of clothing and shoes, and these she carried in a single big armload to the small, windowless room where she angrily dropped them on the small chest that had been moved in there for her. Setting her hands on her hips, she stared down at her belongings, and as she heard Doctor Caswell enter with a few more of her things, including her teddy bear, she grumbled, "I don't see why I have to move. Morgan and I are getting along really well and there's no reason to move me." She looked around the room, her temper boiling up as she asked with very harsh words, "Can I at least get a TV in here?"

"Next thing on my list," Rachel assured as she set the bear on the bed. "I need you to get changed into a gown real quick. We have a couple of things to do before bed."

Zoe vented a hard breath and shook her head. "You've been testing me for stuff all day! I just want to go to sleep!"

Doctor Caswell just stared down at the bear for a moment, then she turned to the door and said, "I'll give you a moment to get changed, then we should talk."

Watching with defiant eyes as the Doctor left the room, she set her jaw and finally reached for the hospital gown that Caswell had left on the bed for her. "This is bogus," she grumbled as she angrily pulled her shirt off.

Rachel returned a few moments later, this time with a couple of soldiers with her, and both soldiers were armed with pistols on their hips.

Looking nervously to the soldiers, Zoe backed up a step and demanded, "What's going on here? What are you doing?"

"Just get into bed," Doctor Caswell ordered as gently as she could. "I'll explain everything in a moment."