The Shine in Dead Eyes

Doubt

For AnnMarieThrush

Mitch fell asleep with the storm. Most of the people did in fact. The storm shelter was completely quiet. Jack was still awake though. And I could feel his eyes on me as Mitch put his head down to rest in my lap. I looked over at Jack. He made eye contact before quickly looking away.

"What's going on with me?" I whispered. Jack shifted uncomfortably. I saw his hand go towards the gun in it holster.

"I don't know. Your eyes are turning back to blue though." I picked the sunglasses up off the bench and looked in their reflection. My eyes looked bloodshot. But I could notice where the different colors were. The blue was on the outside. But right around my pupil, it was a different color exploding out like spikes.

"What's that other color?" I felt right underneath my eye. It was tender to the touch.

"Red." I dropped the glasses in surprise. Jack caught them before they could hit the ground.

"Red?" I looked at my own hands. I could see the swirled groves of my fingerprints and the dirt that was stuck between them. I could see the veins that were just underneath the surface of my skin. And I could see the blood pumping through. I heard my own heartbeat ringing in my ears....and Mitch's. And Jack's. But Jack's sounded more appealing to stop. I shook my head.

"Let go of my arm, Scott." I came back into reality. Jack had a gun to my head and I had his arm gripped painfully in my hand. I let go quickly.

"I'm sorry." I ran my fingers through my hair. These feelings were all new. I looked down at Mitch. My heart warmed at the sight of him sleeping so peacefully. I put my hand down on his head, his hair falling through my fingers. I heard the hammer of the gun click into place.

"Don't hurt him. He's our one hope."

"I wouldn't hurt him. It's different. I can hear everyone's heartbeat but his sounds different. His is....relaxing. And when I look at him I'm no longer confused. I just know I need to protect him and keep him safe from anything or anybody who might hurt him." Everything clicked in my mind. Jack's heart no longer needed to be stopped. He was here to protect Mitch too. I looked up at the older man. I looked into the barrel of the gun. I heard the hammer click back as the gun was returned to its home.

"Your eyes are blue, again. Fully blue." Jack looked over me as he said it. He came to sit on the bench next to me with a sigh. "I have an idea and I know Mitch might not like it."

"What is it?" We both checked to make sure Mitch was sleeping. "He's asleep." I answered confidently.

"I want you to get bit." I could feel everything in my body tensing.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's a theory. Because I'm guessing there was a little more that went on in the mall than Mitch told me. Like kissing and maybe something that usually happens on a bed." He became uncomfortable with that sentence. He was really like a father figure to Mitch. Jack cleared his throat. "I don't want to know about it. I want to see if there is some way that the cure may have been passed on to you."

"Though kissing?"

"Ah! Don't want to know." He covered his ears. After awhile, he removed his hands. "I just want to see what is going on. And I believe that you have been transferred the cure. A different cycle of the cure but a cure none the less."

"Why do you say different?" I asked. Jack rubbed his hands together.

"Because Mitch didn't have these side effects. His eyes didn't turn red and he wasn't able to hear people's heartbeats. As far as I can see, he's completely normal besides the fact that the bites scarred over his body. You're different."

After that conversation, Jack went to sleep. I could hear the storm was done. But I couldn't sleep. I didn't feel tired in any way. I felt constantly awake and alert. Like I could run a marathon. I looked over my arms. I watched the blood filter through my body by the slight pulsing of my veins. Did I have the cure? Or when we go out tomorrow, am I going to get bit and turn into one of the monsters that I can hear shuffling in old dance shoes? This isn't normal. There has to be something wrong with me. Something that I'm missing. I shouldn't be able to hear this well or see every minuscule detail. I should be normal.

"Scott?" I looked up at Mitch kneeling in front of me. He smiled at me, making eye contact. He could stand to look at me now. I frowned at that thought. "It's time to go. Jack wants us to move some debris." His hand slipped into mine. I let him guide me out of the shelter. The storm did a number on this place. There was scattered tree branches and zombie fillings everywhere. Mitch pulled me over to where Jack was.

"Ready?" The question was more so for me. I nodded slowly. Jack and I paired up to clean larger items while Mitch was stuck with another man I never got the name of. Jack took me aside after awhile. I noticed a zombie pinned to a tree. "This is the best I could find." The large branch that had the thing pinned was in the way of its mouth. I would have to move it. As I went to move the branch, I made eye contact with the creature....the person in front of me.

Clark Denla. Male. Thirty six. Wife. Kids. Dog. Home. Family. Teacher. Mistress. Young Mistress. Student.

I looked away from those milky white eyes to collect myself. I didn't like that feeling at all. I didn't like knowing what was going through their minds. This is not something that I should know. I shouldn't know that they still thing about who they once were. I shouldn't know that his daughter won every soccer game and he was never there to see it. I fell backwards, taking the branch pinning Clark with me. Now I was pinned.

"Scott!" I heard Mitch's voice. I looked around for Jack to help me but he was gone. Clark shambled passed me. Straight to Mitch. I struggled to get free. Mitch was cornered. He couldn't get bit again. What if this was the last bite to turn him? I pushed the branch off almost effortlessly and ran to get in front of Mitch. I looked into Clark's eyes.

Flesh. Hungry. Human.

Those words repeated as he continued to move forward. I put my arm up to protect me. Clark sunk his teeth into my forearm. There was no pain. I couldn't feel anything.

"Scott?!" Mitch kicked Clark from where he was latched onto my arm. I looked at the ring of where his teeth were once resting. "What were you thinking?!" I looked at Clark. There was a bullet lodged in his brain. Jack ran up to us. Mitch grabbed my arm.

"Well?" Jack asked. Mitch turned to him with an angry expression.

"What the fuck do you mean 'well'?! Did you put him up to this?!" Jack and Mitch continued to argue. I was just contemplating. I listened to rational thoughts come out of one of those creature. Sure they were broken, but it was something. I was bit but I didn't feel the infection that Mitch talked about. I just felt normal. I couldn't feel pain. I wonder. I grabbed the gun from Jack.

"Scott, what are you doing?" Jack had his hands up. Mitch just seemed very confused. I put the gun to my stomach. Then I pulled back the hammer and shot.

"Scott!" Mitch took the gun from me. "What the hell?" He went to put pressure on it.

"No pain." I looked Mitch straight in those beautiful brown eyes.

"What?"

"No blood." I whispered. Mitch took away his hand. I was right. No blood. He let this shuddered breath out and he went for the bite on my arm. It was the same situation. No blood. He grabbed my face in his hands.

"What's going on? What's....different?"

"I don't know. It's like I'm some kind of freak."

"No. You will never be a freak to me." I felt relief when he hugged me. I looked behind him at Jack. Jack had his arms crossed over his chest. He nodded slightly. I looked at his exposed arm. I was terrified at the one thought that popped in my mind.

Hungry