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The morning began with a disruptive pounding in Kai’s head. His eardrums resonated with the echo of gunfire that infiltrated the casino’s once peaceful lobby. A dull headache throbbed persistently at his temples. His parched throat craved hydration. “Mom?” he croaked out, scanning his surroundings for his mother, Anne. But his only response was his voice ricocheting off the cold, metallic walls of the room. His pulse quickened with concern as he called out for her again, his voice now a shout that drowned amidst the cheers of the survivors.
Kai’s gaze fell on his kendo armor lying abandoned on the ground. But at this moment, it wasn’t the armor he needed; he needed his mother. Slipping on his shoes swiftly, he left the room in search of her, his footsteps echoing in the quietude.
His eyes darted around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings of the casino, before finally resting on two large swing doors that led into a sprawling kitchen. He associated the area with water and the probable presence of his mother, motivating him to push through the doors.
Inside, a large, stainless-steel industrial kitchen welcomed him. The hum of the refrigerator was the only sound permeating the silence. His eyes found Anne rummaging through one of the oversized refrigerators, a sigh of relief escaping him. “Mom!” he shouted, his voice laced with panic.
Anne, caught up in her thoughts, was muttering to herself, oblivious to Kai’s presence. “Can’t find him,” she murmured. Her son’s amplified call brought her out of her reverie. She turned around, her initial surprise melting into a warm smile at the sight of Kai. “Kai, you’re awake? How you feeling?” she asked, her tone still clouded with distant thought.
“I’m thirsty, Mom. You?” he retorted.
A talented IT specialist, Anne’s technical aptitude had earned her stints with several firms as a contractor before she found a permanent home at a Cambridge firm. Her unique ‘air coding’ habit was a testament to her problem-solving skills. She would seemingly ‘write’ code in the air, her fingers tracing invisible lines as she worked through complex problems. Both Kai and his father, Peter, were familiar with this habit.
Kai observed his mother as she started air coding, her mind deep in thought. “I’m thinking,” she said, her hands moving in swift, precise strokes in the air.
Deciding to give her some space, Kai walked over to the sink to quench his thirst. He filled a pitcher with cold, refreshing water from the tap.
Caught in her mind’s whirlwind, Anne sifted through countless scenarios, probabilities, possibilities, and code. Her thoughts wandered to the horde of infected they’d encountered on the bridge, how they had halted instead of chasing them into the water. “If, else…” she murmured, fingers tracing invisible code in the air.
Amused by his mother’s unique method of problem-solving, Kai turned his attention to the entrance of the kitchen as Jane and Doc made their appearance.
“Good, you’re awake,” Jane announced, her tone light.
“Who could sleep through all that noise?” Kai replied sarcastically.
Jane sauntered over to Kai, extending her hand for the pitcher. “Can I have some?” Without hesitation, he passed it to her. He watched as her rough, calloused hand securely gripped the pitcher, tipping it back to let the water cascade down her throat.
She lowered the pitcher, a smirk playing on her lips. “Looks like we just shared an indirect kiss. I suppose I’m too old for such things,” she teased
, a hearty laugh escaping her.
“Cold water sounds perfect right now,” Doc mused, lost in his own world. His words trailed off, prompting Anne to look over at him. Her mind instinctively logged ‘cold water’ as another variable, a puzzle piece she was certain was essential. Now, she just needed to figure out how it fit into the bigger picture.
Jane turned to Kai, her finger gesturing towards Anne. “Is she alright, Kai?”
Kai followed Jane’s gaze, looking over at his mother, who was still engrossed in her ‘air coding’. He laughed lightly, “Oh, right. That’s what we call my mom’s ‘problem-solving superpower’. She used to be a high-profile IT specialist, doing all sorts of computer stuff. Honestly, I never fully understood it, but when she hit a snag, she’d do this ‘air coding’ thing to sort it out. She’s never done it for this long before, but then again, we’ve never had to solve a zombie outbreak before.”
Jane chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Ah, I get it. I’ve spent a good deal of time explaining my brother’s peculiar habits too. Families, huh?” she said, her words reflecting the universal humor in family quirks, even in the midst of chaos.
“Hold up, you think I’m quirky, Jane?” Doc challenged with a jovial scoff. “Have you had a good look in the mirror recently? You’re built like a super-soldier! When I introduce you to people, I feel compelled to provide a warning label!” His voice was full of playful ribbing, but then he shifted gears, admiration entering his tone. “My big sister, the survival expert, martial arts master, rock climber, bodybuilder… When people ask me what you do for a living, I just say, ‘Uhh… everything,’ because even I’m not sure… So, what exactly do you do?”
Jane responded with a hearty laugh. Kai watched, finding her laugh infectious and her smiling face gentle, a stark contrast to her usually intimidating demeanor. “Oh Doc, I’m a Survival Consultant,” she clarified, wiping a tear from her eye, laughter still echoing in her voice.
“A Survival Consultant?” Doc shot back, his eyes narrowed in feigned disbelief. “Does that even qualify as a job?”
“Yes, it certainly does,” Jane retorted with a casual shrug. “Wealthy people pay me to teach them how to survive in extreme conditions. I show them which plants are safe to eat, how to purify water, how to build a bunker… you get the idea. I wouldn’t be surprised if all my students are either alive or… undead now.”
Kai, listening intently, turned to Jane with newfound admiration. “That’s really cool. I’ve studied Kendo for about five years and also learned some Judo. Could you show me some survival skills?” he asked eagerly.
Jane met Kai’s gaze, her eyes scanning him thoughtfully. “Sure, if your mom is okay with it,” she finally agreed.
Anne, who had been largely absorbed in her own thoughts, suddenly chimed in with a pertinent question, “Have you noticed anything unusual about this outbreak? Do you have any information that might help us?” She fixed her gaze on Jane and Doc, effectively shifting the conversation’s focus.
“Well, yes, we’ve observed something strange, but we’re not entirely sure what it means,” Jane admitted, shooting Doc an encouraging nod.
“We were in the hotel when everything started, high above the ground,” Doc began, his voice steady but serious. “The first zombies we noticed didn’t appear to have any bite marks or signs of violent attacks. Yet, there are so many now missing limbs or staggering around.”
“Yeah, could it be airborne?” Jane picked up where Doc left off. She put the pitcher down and began to unwrap the bandage on her arm. “And why haven’t I turned?” she asked, revealing a distinct bite mark, one that was clearly inflicted by a child.
Anne, visibly taken aback by the sight of the bite, quickly fired off a question, “How long has it been since you were bitten?”
Reading the alarm in Anne’s face, Doc quickly reassured her. “It’s been five days. Usually, people turn just hours after getting bitten. We’ve seen fever onset within two hours, followed by loss of muscle control, spider veins spreading on limbs, and then blindness. They then begin to breathe shallowly until, ultimately, they die. The progression varies from person to person, but we’ve also noticed that some people seem to be immune. Jane here, for example.”
Weighing Doc’s words and the visual proof of Jane’s healing wound, Anne was left to ponder the truth of their statements. Despite the situation’s surreal nature, she knew they had no reason to lie. They had saved her and Kai, after all. “Okay,” was all she managed to say, her voice laced with a desire to avoid pointless arguments.
“I’m no doctor, but you saved us. I’ll trust you,” she finally said, lending a note of finality to her acceptance.
“Thank you,” Jane replied simply, her tone conveying a clear understanding of the difficulty in swallowing such a revelation.
“Still, this brings us back to our initial point,” Doc took over, eager to keep the conversation focused. “We need to understand how the infection started, whether there’s immunity, how it’s spreading, and how to slow it down.” The validity of Jane’s condition didn’t concern him; she was alive and uninfected. That was a fact. “An oddity I noticed – when the bridge collapsed, the infected didn’t follow us into the lake. They didn’t even try.” Anne added.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen them in water, either,” Kai chimed in, his eyes flickering to the water pitcher he was unsure whether to use or replace.
“If we had the means to study these creatures, we could discern so much more,” Doc mused aloud. “Everything we can learn could help, but we just don’t have the necessary equipment.”
“I’m concerned about the scope and speed of this outbreak,” Anne confessed, her tone analytical. “The phone lines are down; it feels like we’re in a bubble. Is it a local outbreak or global? We still have power, running water, and gas. The infrastructure is intact, which is a positive sign.”
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted when Jacky burst into the kitchen. “Anne! Doc! The guard’s making contact! Hurry up!” Without waiting for a response, she spun around and dashed back toward her workstation.
Everyone quickly followed suit, eager to hear from the outside world.
