The Playground : Collection of Short Stories

Fallen

Written for 'An Infectious Beginning' Contest

Word count: 1181

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To whosoever will find this,

I can feel that our time is running out. Winter is upon us, and we have almost ran out of food and water. There is no electricity in this town, so the heating system doesn't work anymore. We can't even light a fire at night because we are afraid of attracting them. Because there is no electricity, the sewage system has also don't function anymore. The bathroom in the house we are currently residing in has become unusable.

In short, we're doomed.

You must be wondering who 'we' are. Let me start from the beginning.

My name is Min-Ha Lee, and I'm a journalist. At least, I was a journalist five months ago. If you're thinking that I've been stuck here for that long, then you're right. I don't even remember what the outside world looks like anymore, for every time I peek through the blinds, the only thing I see is them.

Unless you had been living under a rock, you must have heard of that deadly flesh eating virus that has been turning people into a living dead body, or what the pop culture calls it - a zombie. Like any journalist who has this unquenchable thirst to get a breaking news, I too started following this story, and secretly hoped that it wasn't one of those hoaxes. My researches directed me to a small town named Fallmoor, where the virus was supposed to have first appeared. The town was already on the verge of tumbling by the time I had arrived. However, some uninfected locals did help me. Of course, I lied and told them that I was with the government, and needed information in order to stop this nuisance. You see, most people find journalists to be nosy.

That was a big mistake. Apparently, Fallmoor was a secret research base for the government, where they were building some sort of a bio-weapon. Now that most of the countries in the world had signed the Nuclear Disarmament Treaty, it was logical for the government to find an alternate to that. Two months ago, there was an explosion in the Centre, and since then, this entire ordeal started.

The locals got angry and decided to hold me captive in the same Centre. I tried to tell them the truth about myself, but it looked like my pleas fell of deaf ears. I don't blame them. They were already panicked and my little lie made them feel that by punishing me they were getting the revenge on the government.

However, being held at the Centre wasn't the worst thing that happened to me. I managed to find a lot of evidence. Seven months ago, there was an explosion while the scientists were trying to test one of their newly built weapon. The explosion immediately killed all those who were in the vicinity of the weapon, and the chemicals in it evaporated in the air. By the time help arrived from the Centre, damage was already done and Fallmoor was exposed to toxic fumes. The researchers quickly alerted the residents and asked them to come to them for a medical checkup the very next day. They found nothing, and the virus went undetected until the first case arrived three weeks later. A seventy year old man had slaughtered his entire family by eating away their flesh. A week later, another bunch of people from the same neighbourhood went on a mass rampage in the middle of the night.

After reading the reports, I knew going out into the town would be extremely foolish for me. The disease was air-borne, and those who haven't turned yet were simply carrying dormant viruses which could activate at any time. I decided to stay put in the Centre, which was by far the safest place in the town due to its abundant resources that would help me stay alive for at least ten months.

That was when I found the kids.

There were three of them - Luce, Anik and Dre. They were the children of the former employees of the Centre who got separated from their parents during the rescue operation following the explosion. This was probably also the reason why there was no 'zombie' within this premise, thus making it a safe abode.

However, now my resources had shortened severely. These kids aged between five to seven, which meant there was no way I could expect them to eat less or go hungry for days. It was all up to me now.

The worst part in all this was that I had foolishly left my cell phone in my vehicle. I tried the phones at the Centre but they were all dead. It was month later, when there was an abrupt power cut and there was no more water running through taps, that I realised that I had to escape this place.

Except, there was an army of the undead at the doorsteps of the Centre, and it looked like they were silently waiting for me.

There was no way I could run, at least not with the children.

So, here I am, hungry and extremely dehydrated. I have given my portion of food and water to the children in hopes that they would survive longer than me, although I'm not sure about it anymore. These five months have been hell, but it would end for me soon.

I will take my last breath tonight.

Now that you've finished reading this, there are two things I you need to know if you want to fight them. First, fire is effective in killing them. I was fortunate to see one of the locals tackling an infected by setting him on fire. However, he was probably the last healthy individual and got outnumbered by the other infected beings. Too bad, I was trapped in this building when it occurred, or I would have helped him.

Second, you'll find a black box underneath the table where you found this letter. That box contains all the reports from the researches carried here. Give this to either a doctor or a scientist you trust the most. From then, you can only hope that they'll come up with an antidote. Do not take it to the government. This entire research was supposed to be a top secret mission, and the only reason why they couldn't destroy this facility was because they knew the consequences of not evacuating their top officials immediately.

Also, if all is not lost, take it to someone who will help spread a word about it.

I feel as if my life began just yesterday, and that I'm going away too soon. But, there is nothing I can do. I'm just too exhausted and want this to be over. Can you do me a favour? Please tell my family about what happened to me. I don't want them to live the rest of their lives hoping that I would come home someday. That is, if they haven't been infected yet.

May God bless you. I hope you have a better future than mine.

Stay safe,

Min-Ha Lee

Dated: 1st July, 2018