Love & Infection

JASMYN  Unedited

Each breath Jasmyn sucked in burned her lungs with every step forward as she ran for her life. Her chest felt tight and her body shook. It was a shame that the desperation she felt to make it to the door wasn’t converting into energy. But she pumped her arms and pushed forward.
    “Don’t look back,” a woman holding open the back door to the gym screamed. “Run!”
    Over the sounds of screams, growls, yelling, and all-out confusion, Jasmyn heard what sounded like a car driving toward them. Akin, she thought. A sense of relief filled her and the urge to turn around hit hard. But…
     He said to get to safety, Jasmyn told herself as she continued to run. 
     It was the sound of a loud bump and the sound of brakes grinding that caused Jasmyn to look over her shoulder. A couple of her fellow survivors passed her as she slowed. Jasmyn came to a complete stop and turned in time to see Akin climb out of his truck. 
    He came for me.
    “Run,” Akin yelled as he ran toward her. 
Jasmyn was so happy she took a step toward him. She was about to run for him when a loud sound made her freeze in place. Jasmyn covered her ears and ducked as she looked to the guy running behind Akin. He was pointing a gun at her.
     Another shot rang out when she heard the sound of something swooshing by her ear. 
     That was when Jasmyn looked to her right. Two of those crazed people were on the ground just feet away but one was still on its feet and it was running straight for her. She stumbled as she turned back to run for the opened door. She fell to her knees but scrambled back to her feet and took off. But the thing was fast. She felt it as it closed the distance. 
 Voices. 
    Jasmyn heard her name. She heard Akin’s tortured cries for her to run. She heard her heart beating. And she felt when the thing took hold of her hair. Her eyes met with Mr. Perry’s as she made it through the doorway. Then her world shifted. 
    “No, no. Let go of me,” Jasmyn screamed as she was tackled to the floor just inside the gym. She hit the floor hard as her and the crazed attacker slid across it, a few feet away from the door. Jasmyn grimaced as fingernails clawed at her bare thighs. The next thing she knew was she was being dragged across the floor by Mr. Perry. She kicked her legs to untangle from the hands that clawed at her.
    “Did it bite you?” someone yelled. 
     “If it had, she would be having some kind of seizure,” Mr. Perry said.
     Disoriented, Jasmyn slowly climbed to her feet. She heard shouting. Someone was yelling to close the door. Another person was yelling ‘why’ over and over again. Someone else was yelling ‘shoot them’.
 Them?
     Jasmyn looked around her, trying to process what just happened. She recognized a few of the faces immediately. Connie, Vance, and Greg were all in her graduating class. 
     A loud blast cause Jasmyn to jump. She gasped as she turned her attention to what made the god-awful sound. That’s when she saw the guy with the gun. She followed the guy’s outstretched arms downward. 
    “Akin!” Jasmyn screamed. She moved forward, her only thought was to help him. Akin was on his side in the fetal position, shivering uncontrollably on the floor.
     “Don’t,” Mr. Perry said as he held her back.
    “Shoot him,” Vance yelled.
    “NO!” Jasmyn said as she struggled to get to Akin. 
    “Shoot him,” Vance yelled again as he moved toward the guy. 
     Jasmyn watched the guy in horror, waiting to hear that horrid sound of a gunshot again but to her surprise, the guy pointed the gun at Vance. 
    “Keep yelling out orders at me and you will be who I shoot next,” the guy said. 
     There was something in the stranger’s eyes that told Jasmyn that he meant it. Apparently, Vance thought so too because he took to steps back. 
     Jasmyn focused back on Akin. As his body jerked, his tortured eyes met hers. 
     “Stay back,” he growled as his body continued to jerk. He moved his shaky hand inside his sweat pants pocket. When he pulled it out, he had a tight grip on some kind of tube. In a wide arch, Akin swung his fisted hand over his chest and jammed what looked like an EpiPen in his arm right above what looked like a bite mark. 
     “What is that he just injected in his arm?” someone asked.
     “He’s going to turn,” Vance yelled. He readied the bat he held. 
       A girl Jasmyn didn’t recognize raised her bat too.
      Jasmyn knew it. Akin was going to turn into one of those things. “Akin,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry.” 
 If I had paid attention. He got that thing off of me and was bit…because of me. 
     Jasmyn covered her mouth with her hands as she stood there, helpless as Akin’s body stretched out like a stiff board. His eyes widened then an ungodly screeched came from his mouth. She covered her ears as she looked up at the stranger. His face was one of concentration as he aimed the gun at Akin. The stranger seemed conflicted. 
     Then, Akin passed out cold.