Leaving Home: Greg Revisited

Greg paced around his room; each step brought a new shot of pain up his legs to his lower back. He felt cold even though he had draped himself in a thick bed blanket. He knew he was sick, but why for this long and why was his body changing? He slowly lifted his arm to reveal the source of his illness.
Those deep scratches never healed and now they looked horribly infected. The wound was still festering, leaking puss and blood from time to time. It hurt, but he tried to keep it covered only to have to change the gauze when it began to leak. Greg never saw a wound like this that wouldn’t heal.
Each time he looked at the wound, he would remember the thing in the alley that attacked him. How it dug its infected nails deep into his arm and passed the sickness onto him. Since that day, Greg felt himself slowly getting worse. It began with a pulsating headache, followed by a flu that kept him in bed for two days.
That was a week ago and he still hadn’t improved. Now his body was changing; the hair on his head was thinning out, and his skin was drying up and peeling off in large clumps. The layers that fell off revealed painful sores that secreted fluid and gave off a foul odor. He didn’t know what the hell was happening to him, but he knew he was changing. His body was literally rotting away.
He panicked when he realized what was happening to him because that was what had happened to the thing in the alley.
He coughed hard and the taste of blood filled his mouth. He grabbed a tissue and spat into it. He stared at the bits of blood on the tissue. They were a dark, gelatinous shape. He thought of the blood covering the face of the woman in the alley. He crumbled the tissue and threw it away. He walked over to his dresser and picked up a small portrait of his family. His mother, little sister, and himself smiled joyfully back at him. He looked so full of life in that photo, compared to now.
He didn’t want to become one of those monsters. He thought about killing himself, but with what? If he did find a way would he have the courage to end his own damned life? He didn’t know, but he couldn’t stay here because if he turned into one of those things his family would be in danger. He thought about running, but he couldn’t because of the pain in his legs. On top of that he didn’t want to abandon his mother and little sister.
****
Makayla heard from the neighbors in her building that the police and National Guard troops were evacuating people from nearby apartment complexes. They said that at the speed they were evacuating, they would reach their building soon. When her son Greg had returned home, he tried to convince her that she and his little sister Elizabeth had to leave before it was too late. He kept saying that the zombies were getting closer to their neighborhood, but others protested that the situation was under control.
She wasn’t sure what to believe until police started evacuating in their area. Then Greg fell ill and continued to get worse as the illness left him practically immobile. He could barely move more than a few feet until the pain collapsed his legs underneath his own weight. She tried to help him, but he refused to be helped and would just hide in his room. All she could do was painfully watch as her son got worse and worse.
As she walked toward Greg’s room she stopped in front of her daughter Elizabeth’s room. She lay on her bed fast asleep holding on to her favorite stuffed animal. Makayla was relieved that she was still asleep with all the loud activity that was going on around the neighborhood. Her little angel, she thought. She wouldn’t let anything happen to either of them. When the evacuation reached them they would all be fine, she thought to herself. She walked to Greg’s room and knocked before entering; when she went in she found him sitting at the edge of his bed holding on to a picture.
“Greg?” she called to him.
He slowly turned to face her. She almost didn’t recognize him. His hair had thinned out and his eyes were sunken into his pale face. Her once handsome, full of life son was now a faded image of his former self. She felt afraid of entering his room. He seemed so different that she didn’t see her son any more, but a sick stranger. A tear formed in her eye as she looked at the stranger sitting on her son’s bed. She remained strong as she walked in not just for herself, but for her son who was sitting in front of her.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Not so good. I’m cold, and the nausea keeps coming back. I’m getting worse.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing, you’re going to get better.”
“No, I told you that you and Lizzy need to get out of here. That illness is spreading, anyone infected changes, they become crazy. That’s why everyone is trying to get out of this neighborhood before they all die.”
“We can’t leave not when you’re like this. I’m sure they’ll send medical attention when they get here. So everything will be alright.”
“I’m infected Mom.”
“What?” she said. The word trembled out of her mouth as she realized what he was saying. She didn’t want to believe it.
“No,” she said, “it’s not true; you’re going to be alright. We’re all going to be alright. I promise we’re all going to be alright.”
“No Mom, one of those things attacked me. It scratched me, I thought it was nothing also but I’m getting worse. That’s why I want you and Lizzy to leave, I don’t want anything to happen to either of you if I change.”
She tried to hug her son, but he stopped her from getting closer to him. Her emotions finally burst into tears. She couldn’t yet comprehend what he was turning into, but she knew that her son was dying and that made her feel helpless. She couldn’t do anything to ease his pain as he drifted farther away. Her tears ran down in streams, she was losing her baby boy.
“Mom, don’t worry about me. Just save yourselves.”
Makayla barely heard his words through her heavy crying, but she had made up her mind. She would remain here and make sure that nothing happened to either of her children until the evacuation arrived.
****
Elizabeth had tears running down her cheeks. She had heard everything between her mother and big brother. Lizzy, as she liked being called, was eleven years old and she knew what death was. People died, that was common sense and people felt sad for their loved ones. What was happening outside wasn’t natural. Dead people still walked around and killed others. What was going on, she thought.
Lizzy tried not to think about it, but how could you not? The constant screaming and gun shots alone kept you up at night. Her mother would tell her to just try to ignore it. That she was too young to think about it. She still had a lot of growing up to do and many things to learn. Now however, she knew that she couldn’t escape it; death was everywhere. She heard her Mom talking to some of their neighbors about how people were getting sick and acting strange. Lizzy had noticed that her Mom had become very worried about their neighborhood, but she always told her that there was nothing to worry about. Everything would be just fine, but Lizzy knew better.
Things got worse; especially, after her big brother came back home.
Lizzy got out of bed and saw her mother walk by her room; she noticed her mom was crying. She wanted to tell her something, but her mom quickly walked into her room and closed the door. She turned and saw her brother’s door was open; she slowly walked into his room.
It was dark except for a night light in the corner that illuminated that part of the room. She saw her brother sitting on the floor in the same corner, his head leaning against the wall. He looked asleep as she got closer. The sound of a police car’s siren blared out side his window.
“Greg,” she said.
Greg slowly opened his eyes, “Lizzy, what are you doing here?”
She was glad when she heard his raspy voice. She remembered how happy she was when he came back home a few days ago. She loved her big brother so much, loved when they played hide and seek, and watched cartoons together. The person sitting in front of her didn’t look like her big brother any more, but she knew it was.
“I just,” she started to say then stopped. He looked so old, his face looked like a dried up prune. She felt pain in her little chest and tears began to form because of it. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but she didn’t know how to say it. All she knew was that she hated the sickness for doing this to her brother, and that she loved him no matter what. She wanted to tell him so badly, but her tears were drowning out her words.
“Don’t cry, Lizzy. Come here,” he said opening his arms. Lizzy hesitated at first then hugged her brother as hard as she could. His body stiffened as Greg tried to suppress the pain. “Why? I don’t what anything to happen to you,” she said as her crying made her shake uncontrollably.
“Shhh, don’t cry ok. I’ll be ok,” he said while picking up her chin, “I want you to be a good little girl, okay Lizzy. Grow up and be strong for yourself and Mom, okay.”
Lizzy nodded and at that moment the sound of several police cars and other vehicles stopped right outside his window. She could hear a man’s voice loud through a bullhorn.
“Attention all civilians, containment has been breached. This area is under high risk of contamination. We urge everyone to prepare for immediate evacuation; we will be entering all buildings and guiding the evacuation process.”
“It’s time to go Lizzy,” he said. His raspy voice sounded soft under the loud commotion. “No, I don’t want to go,” she said. Her brother got up slowly; he looked like he was using all the energy he had left to stand. She could tell he was in a lot of pain, but he pushed her toward the door. He was trying to get her out, but she tried to plant her little feet on the ground to stop him. He was still strong and with the last of his strength he shoved her out of his room and locked the door behind her.
“No Greg, don’t die!” she cried and saw her mother rush out of her room and toward her.
****
Greg shut the door and locked it. He wouldn’t let Lizzy or his Mom see him when he changed. He could taste the blood still in his mouth and it excited him. No he thought, he would fight to stay alive even though he felt his consciousness failing him. He couldn’t think straight and his vision was blurred. He took two steps forward and felt his legs give out, he crashed to the floor. The pain he felt was so intense that he briefly lost consciousness. When he woke up he rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He remembered how Lizzy hugged him, she was afraid of how he looked. But she still hugged him, it was painful but he didn’t care. He was saying goodbye to his kid sister. He felt his breath shortening. He was going to die soon, but he wished there was a way to cheat the illness and just die peacefully. He knew it was impossible; he was going to turn into a monster.
“At the hour of my death don’t forget me, and protect my Mom and Lizzy,” he spoke with his final breath. As he lay there in the middle of his room he could feel and hear his heart beat slowly, until he felt his heart’s own last beat. Then everything went black and his final thought was that he was in a better place.
****
Makayla continued to scream and bang on Greg’s door, but she heard no answer. Lizzy stood next to her and just cried, “Lizzy, baby what happened? What happened to your brother?” All Lizzy could do was cry and say that she didn’t want her brother to die. Makayla began to cry even harder trying to get one last word from her son from behind his door, she heard nothing.
She was crying so hard and pleading with the door that she didn’t noticed the yelling coming from outside her front door until it was blasted open. Two armed officers and a Special Forces trooper stormed into her home, “Quickly, move them out of here now; we don’t have a lot of time.”
“No wait, my son,” she pleaded looking back at his door. “I’m not leaving without my son!”
The trooper moved in and kicked the door open and searched for the light switch and turned it on. Makayla held on to Lizzy as the light came on and there was Greg standing in the middle of his room. She moved trying to get closer, but the officers stopped her from moving into his room. He was still alive she thought.
The trooper called to him and Greg slowly turned to face them. His eyes were milky white and lifeless, he didn’t recognize her anymore. Greg let out a low guttural moan that echoed from deep within his chest. His face suddenly cringed with hateful anger as he hissed. He took a step forward and reached out to grab them.
“Shit, get them out of here now,” the trooper shouted aiming his M16 at Greg.
“NO! DON’T SHOOT HIM. HE’S MY SON!” she screamed as she fought with the officers who were pulling her and Lizzy away.
There was a loud crackle of automatic fire, “GREG!” she screamed.
****
Everything happened so fast that Lizzy only saw her brother’s face get red with anger right before she and her mother were pulled out. She jumped when she heard the gun shot, but she continued to look into her brother’s room. She crept back toward the door and only saw her brother’s feet out in the open. The rest of his body was hidden behind his bed. She stood there silent as she stared at his feet, a tear rolled down her cheek.
Outside Lizzy watched as other people were being lead out of their buildings and onto large buses. Police lights flashed red and white in the darkening sky. People were shouting all around her; she looked at her mother and noticed that she continued to look straight ahead, lost and forgotten. She looked back up at her home and remembered Greg’s face.
As she boarded the bus she looked up the street ahead and saw a big commotion of people behind a large thick fence. They were making loud noises like her brother did before he died. At that moment she knew that she couldn’t look back.

From the Author,
Well I know it was a long wait, but worth it. I hope that all who read these new entries enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Best to all and keep the undead shamblers alive.