What if Shaw #2

Mom convinced me to go with Shaw only as long as it was to find survivors. I said I will go as long as mom comes with me as well. I am not going anywhere without her. She said yes and we hopped into the zombie proof vehicle. I asked them that if they try anything they will be sorry. I protect one person from these zombies at a time while the rest of them will be their chew toy. To make my point clear I gave them a live demonstration. This kept them in line. Mom was curious so I reminded her of my illness. That is the reason these creeps leave me alone. Despite this recovery on a cellular level I am still sick. Like all of humanity they only eat the flesh of those who are healthy. Mom gave me a small smile as she took a seat.

Shaw on the other hand gave me a few dirty looks. One of the men asked Shaw how sick I was. He said that I used to on either crutches or a wheelchair. I used to cough up blood. There are days when I was hooked to machines. He recounted the day that I passed out and was unconscious for a week. The others let out a low whistle. A latin woman in her thirties asked him how he knows me. He said that I was his half sister. When he wasn't serving the army he would be helping mom take care of me. This led to a few more questions. I chose to keep my mouth shut. I told them that they are wasting time when they could be rescuing survivors. A man with an Eastern European accent flipped a few switches and pressed a few buttons. The thing started to move.

They asked me how I became this thing. I said that I heard two people talking about a universal cure. I saw where they kept it. I followed the instructions and my illness went from active to dormant. The woman asked me if it was possible to transfer my gifts to someone else. I laughed as I explained that my blood is now acidic to all humans. If they try to inject my blood they will dissolve from the inside out. I promised a demonstration when we reached our destination. Shaw looked skeptical but said nothing.

When we got there I pretended to cut my hand and dropped some acid on a zombie. To everyone's horror the acid burnt a hole in the zombie. I laughed as I asked for a volunteer to take my blood. Everyone backed away. We went to work. I scanned the area for survivors and found none. Mom asked me how I know. I smiled, "I can track people with their heartbeat. I don't hear anything. I can also smell the difference between humans and zombies. The slightest breeze is sending wafts of the stench of decaying flesh." Shaw asked to send a drone to find survivors. I chuckled, "If you want to waste the battery of the expense of the tax payers then go right ahead. I am telling you. There are no survivors here. Only zombies." He gave me a look and shrugged, "We aren't here for survivors. We are here for the specimen collection." I had to hold back the vomit as I walked back to mom.

I told everyone that we were going back to prison. Shaw laughed as he asked me how I can go without a mode of transportation. I gave him a demonstration of my strength and speed. I picked mom up like she weighed nothing. I told mom to take a breath and hold it. She asked me how long I will take to get back to prison. I told her that I can get her there in six seconds. Shaw asked me to stand down but I ignored him as a rule. I gave mom a wink and she followed my instructions. She opened her mouth to breathe when I zipped past the zombies and brought her back to prison. I used the radio to let Shaw I was back in prison and I also got the warden to have a word as well.

Shaw was livid as he ordered me to get my butt back to wherever he was. I told him that I agreed to find survivors. I made it clear that I will not help him with any sort of specimen collection. He is on his own. Shaw said a few swear words and mom told him to watch his language. He apologized to mom and asked her to put me back on. Mom said that I was playing chess with my friends. The rest of the evening was uneventful. Shaw arrived later with six zombies and three dead bodies. He blamed me for ditching him. Mom made it clear he said we were going to find survivors but he chose to collect these things to make more horrible version of them. He chose to lie so I did what any sane person would do.

The dead were burned and the specimens were being moved when they escaped. They ran at us and asked for a machete. An elderly Hispanic man with a lot of tattoos gave me one. I went to work. I beheaded and returned the machete. Shaw and the others were impressed by my speed. The scientist was pissed that she had no new specimen but even more angry when she found out that the combination of my sick blood and the hybrid cocktail made my blood acid. She was screaming in frustration as she watched the body can footage. The woman asked them to go one more time to collect these as she needs newer samples.

The other residents were insulted. Shaw's men watched as the doctor was thrown out to these beasties and her experiments shot dead. The people then turned their attention to the soldiers. They used tasers to incapacitate them. Then dragged them to the cells designated for the most violent criminals. They were yelling that they were simply following orders. But no one wanted to listen to them. They begged everyone to let them out but all anyone did was bring them food and ignore their pleas. The sub basement levels were checked for any more surprises. All they found was an armory full of weapons. They were distributed amongst those who can handle the weapon.

I would go out on occasions and come back with survivors or with food. The yard was repurposed after a quick demolition. The place was turned into a garden. Alice's mom was not pleased with us for imprisoning the soldiers so we had to make sure that she was nowhere near the controls. That took effort as she tried to be part of the roster. She was allotted to the wall and cleaning duties. She took these responsibilities with immense disgust. Her daughter was allowed to handle the controls since she wasn't interested in saving the army. The soldiers would ask us every day without fail to let them out. We give them a deaf ear. They were provided with food but no one in their right mind ever flipped the switch to let them out.

Mom and the others would watch me walk out the gate. They can't get over the fact that these things can't stand being near me. They would part way like this was a scene in a royal ball and they were making a path for the lady so she could dance with her prince. I would walk normally because if I didn't then I would leave a bloody path. Body parts flying all over the place. Obviously I would be pristine but I would be nauseous on my way back to prison because the stench was overwhelming. I would have to spend the rest of the day scrubbing my body to remove even a hint of zombie residue because no matter what I feel like I have been skunked.

Mom would visit Shaw and they would discuss things at length. They had polarizing ideas about me. Shaw wanted to find a way to replicate my gifts but mom made it clear that I am poisonous so I should be left alone. Shaw said that I am the best of both worlds. All of their strengths and none of their weaknesses. So no matter what the government and the scientific community and the military will want a piece of me. They want to create supersoldiers and immortal leaders. All the others had some sort of weakness. I was the only known hybrid and they are trying to find a way to replicate me. When they find a way they will kill me and dissect my body to further research. Until then I am free to go as I please. I took the girls to the shower blocks and told the girls what was going on.

After three hours of trying to find a solution we were stuck. Finally Annie turned around to see a fashion magazine left on a sink and recalled me changing my looks one night so I could save them from the detention center. So she told me to destroy anything with my scent on it so the dogs can't identify me. Then I should go out there pretending to find survivors. First things first change my clothes and looks. Come back with survivors and watch my friends from a distance. Irene concurred and I did exactly as discussed. Mom walked out to see me leave to find survivors. I gave her a hug and left.

Alice's mom saw me and she asked if I could wait another day before leaving since re-enforcements were on their way. I frowned, "People are dying left, right and center. If I can go out there and save one more person from being breakfast, lunch and dinner to these chompers. I am going and I will be back before you know it." I walked out of the gate and disappeared into the hoard. I found a vacant store that specializes in high end fashion. I snuck into the changing room and made myself invisible before flying back to the prison. I quietly walked up to Sonja and told her I was invisible. She promised to let the others know.

I climbed up the wall and observed. A woman was cuddling her babies while her husband was snoring peacefully in a sleeping bag. Next to her was an old lady clutching her grandchildren. Next to her were children playing card games. Not far was Alice's mom. She was talking to someone on the radio. She asked for instructions on how to operate a drone. She wanted to help some unknown person to spy on me. Apparently her husband was dying of cancer. She was hoping to extract some of my blood to restore his health. The man on the other end promised her that he will do everything in his power to help her. He asked her to describe the drone and give him the serial number. Twenty minutes later the thing buzzed to life and flew into the horizon. I wished her well as I recalled Batou's words of wisdom. Everyone will search all over the place for something valuable except in their own backyard.