Free Dead Eyes: A Tale From The Zombie Plague by James Dwyer Page A

I should have cleaned it up earlier; it was bound to attract attention.
    “There’s no need to lie to us,” said the female guard,
    “I’m not lying,” I said, becoming defensive against my better judgement.
    “We didn’t say you were,” said the woman, “We just have to know. If you’ve been bitten, we can cure you.”
    “You have a cure for the disease?” I said.
    “For the infected,” said Al.
    “We have to make sure,” said the woman.
    “Honestly,” I said, “I cut my hand and hurt the heel in my foot. Nothing more.”
    The female guard removed her helmet, revealing a middle-aged woman with close cut hair and a warm smile. “Where’s the rest of your group?” she asked.
    “There’s no one else,” I said, “I’m on my own.”
    Her face dropped at my words. “I’m so sorry. When did you lose the others?”
    “There aren’t any others. I’ve been travelling alone for months.”
    The guards seemed shocked at my confession. “Captain Stone is gonna love you,” said Al.
    “You poor thing,” said the woman, “My name is Maggie. Come with me and we’ll get you checked over. You don’t have to worry about being alone now. You’re with friends here.”
    I don’t know how Maggie knew I was worrying about being alone. Probably wasn’t too hard to read my expression. Something in the maternal tone in her voice made me feel instantly at ease, the emotions inside swelling up, threatening to overflow.
    Maggie saw the look in my arms and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Come on. Lets get this over and done with.”
    I nodded, not wanting to speak in case I betrayed my emotions. As Maggie lead me to the tent, I thought of all the horrible things I had seen and done in the past few months. Dottie. The Woman in the department store. The suicide zombie in the supermarket.
    Libby.
    It didn’t seem to matter so much now. After all the trouble I had been through, I had made it to a place of refuge. At long last, I was safe.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    The examination tent was filled with a hushed quiet, the noise of the outside camp seemed a world away.
    Maggie sat on the camp bed beside mine, smiling politely, unaffected by the awkward silence that weighed heavily on my mind. I was unsure why I felt so…drained. Maybe it was the relief of being somewhere safe. No longer having to watch my back with every step, where any bad decision could get me killed. A heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders and it left me feeling dizzy, almost delirious. My eyes started welling up, a dam of hysterics waiting to burst.
    I smiled at Maggie, trying to hide my true feelings. The concerned look on her face showed that she saw right through my ruse.
    “I’m so sorry for this,” I said, “Normally I’m much stronger.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” she said, “You’ve been through a lot.”
    Her words did little to ease my embarrassment. What sort of first impression had I given to Maggie and the other survivors? Just another burden to add to their considerable load. If they wanted to chuck me out of camp, I would have no argument.
    “I have to go speak with the others. Will you be okay?”
    “I’m fine, honestly. Do what you have to do.”
    She patted me on the back. “I’ll be back soon as I can.”
    Soon as the canvas flap door of the tent had closed behind her, I threw my bag to the floor and punched the camping bed I was sat upon. How could I have been so stupid? To make myself seem so weak to the people I would soon be relying upon for everything.
    “Demonstrate your strength. Your value. Make yourself a tool that others cannot cope without.”
    I looked up and saw my grandfather sitting on the empty bunk opposite me. He shook his head derisively. It was supposed to be a gesture of disappointment, but the old bastard couldn’t quite contain his delight. “You never listened to me. Always thought I was just an old man rambling on…”
    His milky grey eyes fixed