Chapter 2
Jordan
The beast inside me wants to take her.
Granted, the beast is me, in a way. The virus has warped my mind, making me do and think things I never would. It talks to me, as if it’s a person sharing this meat suit, but logically, I know it’s my brain deteriorating.
But jumping from a tree and knocking a woman off her horse, not to bite and infect her, but to drag her into one of these abandoned houses? That’s new.
Her scent drifted to me as she rode past, a mixture of lavender and honey overwhelming my senses. I try to stay as far away from the other infected as possible, so when I heard a horde moving in the distance, I knew I had to get going.
Until this strange woman went right past me.
Want her, the beast snarls in my head. Want her, want her.
All right, well, we have her now.
The beast and I knew she’d never come willingly, so I had to knock her out.
The virus makes us stronger than I thought humanly possible, so throwing her limp body over my shoulder was a breeze.
I rushed us into the house I’ve been staying in, away from the other infected who will want to rip her apart.
Now, she lies on a stripped mattress, her wrists and ankles secured to the bed with some rope I acquired from one of these abandoned homes. I can hear her even breaths from the other room due to my sensitive hearing, letting me know she’s alive.
For now.
A horde was following her, and I need to make sure they pass by us without issue. I’m hoping they won’t scent her non-infected blood. The hordes tend to prefer the city anyway—maybe they’ll go after her horse instead.
Most of the time, the virus is directing us, making us do whatever it wants, which is to infect as many as possible.
Watching myself do horrifying shit through my eyes without any ability to stop myself is enough to wish for death.
The infected don’t communicate with each other, but I know each person trapped in their own body is hoping a non-infected will lodge a bullet right between our eyes.
I rummage around in her bag, searching for medical supplies. She has some bandages and some antiseptic, which makes me sigh in relief. I can clean her up to avoid detection.
It will also stop my mouth from watering every time I scent her.
It feels good to have temporary control of my body, as if the beast has receded deeper into me, letting me call the shots. My jaw feels less strained, letting me know I can use my words again.
I’m not stupid enough to think the virus won’t easily gain control again, though. It’s only a matter of time before I sink my canines into this woman, making her just like me.
As I sift through the bag, the sound of staticky words reach my ears. I stick my hand further into the backpack and pull out a walkie.
“Kate, come in. Come in, Kate. Is everything okay?”
Before I can think better of it, the beast has me crushing the device with my bare hand, silencing the voice on the other end.
Mine, it snarls.
So much for having control.
Shaking the thought from my head, I drop the bits of destroyed material before gripping one of my pant legs to rip the fabric. With the cloth in one hand and the antiseptic in the other, I walk into the bedroom.
Terrified green eyes lock with mine before the woman lets out a scream.