Ayesha POV
Is this it? Is this payback for all my sins?
But instead of a crushing bite, a hand grabbed and shook my arm. Mrs. Paola's face was in front of me, holding a broken chair leg. The zombie that was about to get me was on the ground.
"Keep yourself together, Ms. This is not the time you dazed off," she said seriously, pulling me to a corner of the library. She checked around, making sure it was safe.
"Stand up straight, I need to check something," she said. I followed, confused.
"W-what's going on? What are you looking for?" She was checking my whole body, lifting my skirt, checking my legs like she was searching for something.
"I'm checking if you got bitten or scratched. You're not worth saving if you did."
"Why?"
"Keep your voice down, don't be too loud, or we'll attract them," she whispered, nodding toward the zombies.
In a short time, I observed those...what youngsters call it?"
If I wasn't so scared, I'd laugh at her phrasing. "It's z-zombie...zombie," I answered.
"Yahh, those things. When they bite or scratch others, they turn like them. So you gotta avoid getting scratched or bitten. Understand?" She looked me straight in the eye, and I saw the sincerity there.
Huh, why is it just me? She should be telling that to herself too. Hello!! we're two people here .
"And as I observed how they infect. I also saw their weaknesses and strengths," Mrs. Paola said, coughing slightly, alarming me. What's happening to her? Not because of her age, right? She looks strong, but I'm still worried.
When I touched her, I was shocked – she was burning up. "Mrs. Paola, you have a fever," I said, alarmed, but she raised her hands, signaling me to be quiet.
"Listen to me first, this is very essential for your survival...you hear me?" Why does it always have to be me? We're in this together, aren't we?
"Their strength is they have strong communication with their companions and they have keen hearing, so you can't make any noise."
She suddenly vomited blood, and I panicked. "Mrs. Paola, you shouldn't talk too much, it's getting worse!"
But instead of shutting up, she glared at me. "This brat, told you to be quiet," she said, wiping her mouth, annoyed. What do I do with this stubborn old lady?
"And their weakness is they are blind – they can't see unless you let them hear and track their current position by their ears."
"Like...bats?" I asked.
She looked at me confused but brushed it off. "Yah, like echolocation. They can track down prey by sound and echo."
Woah, woah, I'm turning into a freak – why do I know that?
"S-So don't m-make any l-loud—*cough*cough*" She kept coughing, hugging herself like she was freezing. "Mrs. Paola, you shouldn't talk anymore, it's getting worse," I said, trying to help her sit, but she pushed me away.
"Th-There's something I haven't told you," she said, rubbing her arms. I noticed steam coming out of her mouth – like the carbs you see when you breathe in cold air.
"Y-You observed me from the start, right?" She kept coughing, her voice shaking. Why do I feel like something's off?
"T-this is the s-symptoms."
"Symptoms? Symptoms of what? Symptoms of your illness? Do you have a—" My heart started racing. I didn't like what I was seeing.
"I've got bitten." Her eyes looked at me with fear. She showed me her bitten hand – I didn't see it before.
What? She got bitten? S-So that means s-she's turning into a z-zombie? I unconsciously stepped back. My heart was filled with fear.
"Y-You.....Y-You..." I covered my mouth.
"Right..... I'm turning into one of them. Hahahahaha," she laughed, but it wasn't happy – it was full of despair, fear, and anxiousness.
"C-Can you help me. Take the picture in my pocket."
I just looked at her, unsure if I should follow her words or leave her. Because any moment now, she'll turn into a zombie...
"I k-know you w-were scared b-but please j-just this one h-help me" – those trembling voices, teary eyes, and this awful atmosphere made me feel suffocated and guilty at the same time.
She just helped me, and this is how I repay her? B-but what if she turns into a zombie and bites me? AAAAIYSST!! I shook off those thoughts. I hurriedly touched her pouch and took out the picture.
"H-Here" – when she tried to take it, she coughed blood again and again. She couldn't control it, and her eyes started to change, making me step back.
I-I saw that...in the video Cess showed me – that's the last step of turning into a zombie.
S-So that video was true? I'd been thinking maybe it was just coincidence, but it turns out it's real. It's not just a joke – it's a warning.
"G-Get out of here, I feel something's happening to me. Leave b-before *cough*cough* Arggghhhhh"
Watching her, I slowly stepped back until that step back became running...I'm running until I couldn't hear her painful transformation. My eyes filled with tears; my heart was pumping too fast.
"W-why is it like this? W-why didn't I do anything" – I ran and ran with no destination. W-why? Why did people suddenly turn like this?
That thing should be in movies, only in imagination, only in someone else's dream – why is it real? H-How should I s-survive this???