Rolling my eyes, I shut the tape down and placed it back on the stained side table, ignoring the ominous corpse dangling from a rope. Obviously the good doctor saw no way out and decided to take his own life.

Although, judging from the several bite marks on his arm, he most likely chose to end his own life than turn. Good for him. I scoffed and looked around the room for anything salvageable. The moldy pizza box and the half-emptied can of beer fell on the floor as I searched the table but found nothing.

My eyes scanned the ratty curtains, the chipped paint on the walls and the cluttered cupboards. This room was a dud, a waste of time and effort. Well, at least I found this dude...

"Sorry man, rest in peace, wherever you are." I saluted the limp form and headed out, closing the door behind me. My heart thudded in my throat, eyes scanning the surroundings and ears pricked for any sound.

The hallway was still as empty as I left it, quiet and stale. Securing the waist bag, I tried the next door, smiling as it opened without so much as a squeak. A quick search gave me some fresh clothes, a few tins of canned food and some basic bandages, antiseptics and stuff.

I scratched through my buzz cut, curling my nose as I caught a whiff of myself. If I could just find some soap, then I could actually bathe tonight. Sadly, it seemed that most of the lower layers of this apartment complex had been raided already.

But I was taking a risk by going up in the higher areas. More likely to hold loot... but less likely to escape from if things went badly. Slowly venturing up the stairs, I felt my heart racing away, breath catching in my throat as I heard a few distant shuffles.

Please be a rat, or a cat...maybe a dog...

Taking a deep breath, I slowly took the last step and crouched down. The noises came from further down the hall, a slight shuffle it seemed. I wasn't going anywhere near the room though.

Just as I was about to sneak back down the stairs, the door up ahead creaked open wider. My heart stammered and my throat clenched with fear before I let out a soft gasp.

Fucking rat....

I glared at the rodent and stood up as it squeaked, whiskers twitching before it dashed away. Newspapers cracked and wrinkled under my sneakers as I stepped in the room, sighing at the sight of it.

Completely trashed...

The next few rooms were the same, barely anything salvageable until I found the master bathroom. And as I opened the cupboards, I couldn't help the grin from sliding over my lips as I found what I was looking for.

"Yes!"

There were some bottles of shampoo and body wash but what I really loved was the fact that underneath the sink was a whole stash of unopened ones. And all male soaps too! This was my lucky day, surely!

"Okay, I got what I wanted, time to head back. Don't wanna have to try and find my way through the dark." Already the light was casting shadows on the floor, growing longer and darker with each passing minute.

And I wanted to be home before darkness would completely settle. It wasn't like daytime wasn't any less dangerous than the nighttime, not at all. The fact was that I couldn't see in darkness and using my flashlight would put an unavoidable target on my head.

So I quietly rushed down the stairs, especially after my watch flashed trice, letting me know that I had three hours until darkness. Adrenaline was pumping through my body as I approached the front door, sliding against it and holding my breath.

It was hard to hear anything besides the roaring of my own blood and the ominous creaking of the old house, but my heart dropped before racing once more as I heard the scuff of a foot.

Pressing my fingers against the worn wood, I slowly pushed the door open for an inch and glanced out. I was praying that it was another human lurking around, trying to gather supplies before the night forced us to look for shelter.

The sun bathed the person outside in a warm glow, showing their dirtied clothes as they stumbled across the street. Their movement was slow, almost calculated before they paused in the middle of the street.

I held my breath as they spun around, eyes scanning the surroundings. The paleness of the skin...the slight staggers and twitches as they moved...Shit.

A Viral...

The viral was a female, seemingly young with her long, brown hair in a loosened ponytail. Her clothes were shredded in places, one shoe missing as she fumbled around. But that didn't make her any less deadly.

If I were to make a sound, she would be on me and would pursue me until either of us perished. I've seen it happen before, tried to help others who were being chased. But once a Viral locks on, you're dead.

Trying to crouch, the papers underneath my feet shifted, causing me to slip and nearly fall. The papers cracked and fluttered noisily and my heart raced when I heard the Viral outside, shuffle closer, letting out an alarmed cry.

My hand reached up on its own, covering my mouth and nose as I could feel myself starting to pant. The Infected were never alone. If I triggered her and had to kill her, I would make enough noise to alert the whole goddamned area of what was happening.

I would be swarmed.

Glancing through the door, I felt my eyes widen as I could see her more clearly, only a few feet away. Her movements were becoming jittery, a twitch in her head and arms made every move she made creepy.

My body jolted as a loud squeak nearly made me bolt, my hand flying towards my chest as the rat scurried past my body and out the door. It effectively halted the Viral in her tracks, eyes set on the fleeing rodent.

With baited breath I hoped, prayed, that she would lose interest and follow the critter. She wouldn't kill it but Virals had the attention span of a toddler and could easily be distracted until they locked on.

Luckily, the rat proved to be a good distraction as she grunted and lazily kicked at it when it skittered over her feet. The rodent let out a fearful squeal and dashed away with the Viral ambling after it.

Thank the gods... for a moment, I was sure I was done for.

My heart was racing away at an insane speed while I felt nauseous, sagging slightly against the wall. That was too close...way too close.

A cry split through the air, startling me and I ducked instinctively, pressing myself against the dirty floor. The scent of old paper and dust buried itself in my nose as I kept my eyes on the startled Viral, which seemed to be extremely agitated and was clawing at her head.

Ah. The last stage...

Sighing in relief, I stood back up and slowly slipped outside. By now the woman was lying on the ground, twitching and panting as dying gurgles left her mouth. The Mercer virus had done its job and was consuming the last of her brain. She was no longer a threat; unless I would be foolish enough to go anywhere near her.

She might be weakened, the last shred of her humanity dying but one scratch of her teeth, one small puncture wound...and I would be in her place, with the HCV festering in my brain. She was currently more distracted by the virus, the last change going through her body.

My feet carried me away from the crying woman, quickly blending in the cover of the woods as I heard approaching footsteps and muffled cries and grunts. She had alerted the others but I'd be gone before they arrived.

Still, knowing she was transitioning was bad. The virus no longer had a brain to sustain itself and had started the process of using the remains against the woman. She would become Starved, hungry for any kind of flesh and attacking everything on sight.

As long as she fed, she would survive. Plenty of zombies to thrive on, though Starved preferred a fresh kill. She wouldn't be picky and would kill anything and everything on her path.

It wasn't a pleasant thought as shivers ran over my back while I unconsciously rubbed over my forehead. I often wondered if they felt any pain when the Virus first settled. If there was any shred of their humanity left...

"You know there isn't..." I muttered with a shake of the head, feet rushing through the forest as I made my way over to my hideout. I knew from experience that all humanity was lost when people were Bitten. My brother forced my hand when he had been Bitten, trying to choke me while attempting to rip my throat out with his teeth.

I had managed to push him off but was forced to snap his neck when he had lunged for me again, tackling me to the floor and pinning me down. That memory still laid heavy on my mind and I never knew if he was still ambling around as a Viral or not...

My eyes landed on the rocky outcrop up ahead and I smiled, circling around to find the entrance to the small, underground bunker. I slipped in and firmly locked the door, bracing it on the inside to make sure nothing could get in.

I smiled, inhaling deeply as I dropped my bags and started ripping at my clothes.

Finally, home again... I could really use that bath right about now...