Free The Complex: (The Reanimates) by J. Rudolph Page A

try to figure out where all the blood was coming from. As I peeled the once gray shirt off of him, a collective gasp sounded out. Everyone in the room saw a clear bite mark across his ribs on his right side. Scrapes that matched up with fingernails went across his left. Blood poured out of the bite and scratches. He whimpered in pain.
                  I worried that he was infected. I didn't know what to say. I poured betadine into the wounds and covered them. I took his vital signs. His blood pressure was low and he was running a fever.
                  "I don't know what to say guys." I said to the group that had collected. "He was bitten. The CDC said that that was how you got this. I cleaned out the wound but I don't know what else to do."
                  Martha made a choking cry sound. Mercedes put her arm around Martha as she began to sob.
                  "That's my boy. He can't be sick. He's my boy."
                  "I'll keep an eye on him Martha. I'm going to give him some of the anti-viral medication I got and we can hope that it works. That was what the CDC was trying before we lost communication with the outside world."
                  An hour later when I checked on his fever I noticed it went up significantly. "105.3" I said to no one in particular. "Damn. The meds aren't working." Martha stayed at his side. She looked up at me with a silent plea to just fix him already. I wished to all heck that I could.
                  15 minutes after I had taken his vitals, Eric had a seizure. When it stopped I went to assess him again. He was not breathing. His heart was not beating.
                  "He's gone Martha." I said softly.
                  "Is, is, is he going to turn into one of them?" she asked.
                  "I think so. This is what they said happens" I replied, feeling the weight of those words press down on everything in the room.
                  Joey came up to me. "How do we handle the next part?" he whispered.
                  "I don't know. Do we wait for him to turn or do we do this now?" I whispered back.
                  "Please wait." Martha said. She sounded like she was in a far off place. I hadn't thought she could hear our whispers, but clearly she did. "Please let me be with him for as long as I can be. Please. He has always been here with me. He never did leave home. He knew I needed him all that time and he never left. I don't want him to be shot unless he turns into one of them. He's my boy. Please don't unless he turns into one of them. Please."
                  Joey nodded his head. He understood.
                  Tyreese left the unit, his face wet. Trent followed him, his own eyes were starting to fill. Men. They never wanted to show their vulnerability.
                  Everyone else came up to Eric, one at a time, to say goodbye, then left the unit. Joey and I stayed back to give Martha some time to say goodbye however she needed to without an audience. I'd rather not have a bunch of people around if it were me.
                  About 30 minutes after Eric died I heard a sound come from the table. It was a low guttural sound. He stirred. I grabbed Martha and pulled her away from Eric and forced her to go outside with me. Right as we cleared the door I heard a single shot fire from inside followed by a thud against the table.
                  Martha fell to the ground. She sobbed so hard that she was hyperventilating. I called Trisha over.
                  "Trisha, take Ms. Martha to her apartment and get her in bed. I'm going to get some meds for her." I helped Martha to her feet and Trisha took her. Martha leaned heavily on Trisha. I truly had no idea she could ever be that human. I had always seen Martha as a bit of an ogre to be completely blunt. She kept this hard