The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

Chapter 32

My mind was dark and heavy as it buried me in the depths of my subconscious. I wasn't exactly sure when I started to become aware of my body, but dim feelings became clearer and more intense as I floated into awareness.

As I slowly awakened, the first thing I became aware of was the pain. It felt like my chest was being crushed in a steel vise. It was agonizing – and it was getting worse as the pressure built.

Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, my heart gave a huge thump and started working again. My lungs automatically pulled in a deep breath, and the darkness in my mind cleared a bit more. The worst of the pain disappeared now that my heart had jumpstarted itself, although it still twinged with every beat.

Various other spots throbbed, and my hazy mind pinpointed them as the places the bullets had hit. My head pounded with the worst splitting headache I'd ever had.

The mouth-watering scent of my human traveling companions clouded the air, and the virus burned like fire in my blood as it battled me for control. I had never had this much trouble with my control and bloodlust, even when I first turned.

Daniel's quiet voice broke the silence around me. "Her breathing has changed noticeably. She might be waking up. You should probably back out of the room in case her bloodlust gives her trouble."

"I didn't think she'd wake up this fast." Nina sounded relieved as her footsteps moved away. "That's a welcome surprise."

I struggled to simply battle back the bloodlust that wanted to go after the retreating human. Her footsteps stopped far too soon, likely just outside the door. I took another breath that burned the back of my throat, but the scent of a Terror so close had my instincts backing down a bit. I was thankful for the break.

Daniel spoke again. "Trinity, are you awake?"

I wasn't sure I could answer yet; my mind was still clearing, and my body wasn't quite responding to me. I cautiously cracked my eyes open, and my red-tinted vision made out a rather dirty ceiling above me. It wasn't as painful as I had feared; this room was so dark that Nina probably had a hard time seeing my body where it lay.

Even with my eyes barely open, I knew they would be able to see the red glow with how strong my bloodlust was. I turned my head slightly, noting that I was in a tiny jail cell that was barely big enough for the bed I was lying on. Considering how shaky my control was right now, the jail cell was a good thing. I didn't dare get close to a human.

Daniel was sitting on a chair beside the bars, and my instincts subsided further due to the proximity of the higher-ranking zombie. Nina stood in the hallway outside the room, and the virus fought me a bit more at the sight of a human. I could smell the others nearby, although they weren't in this room. Chloe was somewhere in the building, along with a rabbit.

"How are you feeling?" Nina asked.

My voice was tight from the effort of resisting the bloodlust. "That might be a question for another day."

She tilted her head, probably analyzing my tone and faster breathing rate as I tried to remain in control. Daniel reached down and opened a box beside his chair. There was a faint snap before he lifted up a now-dead rabbit.

He wedged a plastic cup between his knees and slit the rabbit's throat, letting the blood trickle into it. Once the flow diminished to intermittent drips, he put the rabbit back in the box, stuck a straw in the cup, and held it through the jail bars.

"Here." His eyes watched mine, although their glow was probably all he could see in the shadows.

He definitely knew what my top priority was, although it hadn't occurred to me that he'd bleed out the rabbit instead of trusting my control enough to drain it myself. Probably a wise plan though. All it would take was a momentary lapse of control and one mouthful of raw meat to destroy my mind.