Pt Three-One

Part Three: Dust in the Wind

1

Three years earlier…..

Aaron ran around the corner from the clinic barely being able to catch his breath. He hoped that Dave and Kailee were close behind him but he was pretty sure that they were now dead, victims of the grisly scene that he had just now narrowly escaped from. He had no idea what had just happened but if he could make a guess he would say that zombies had invaded the small town. The last hour seemed like an eternity as he thought back at the events that had led to him here now heaving and huffing gasping for air.

They had taken the man that they had found to the clinic in town. It had looked like the clinic was the only place with power all the buildings were dark even the sheriff’s station though it looked like there were a few people standing outside of it. He had paid no mind to it as they drove to the clinic. They passed several different people on the way to the clinic even almost hitting a man who was standing in the middle of the road. Dave had honked the horn and swerved just missing him and man acted like he didn’t even care that he almost got crushed by a fast moving vehicle.

“What the heck is wrong with that guy?” Dave had asked pulling into the clinic.

“Probably just drank too much at the bar tonight.” Aaron had said. “Trying to find his way home, wandering aimlessly in the street.”

“Well they invented sidewalks for a reason.”

The two boys went to the back of the truck and carefully picked up the injured man. His chest was rising up and down at a steady rate that was the only sign of life that he was showing. Kailee held the door open for them as they brought him in, laying him on the nearest stretcher. A man and woman rushed up to them.

“What do we have here?” the man asked.

“We found him on the road,” Dave began, “He ran his car into a telephone pole. I think he has some sort of internal bleeding he was puking blood up earlier.”

“Well we will take care of him,” the girl said. As the words left her lips the man that moment ago had been laying unconscious on the gurney suddenly popped up in an upright position.

“Sir you should lay down,” the man said putting a hand on the man’s shoulder trying to press him back into a lying position on the stretcher. That’s when everything started to get crazy. The injured man grabbed the doctor’s hand and bit down on three fingers at once. The doctor pulled his hand back screaming, holding up his hand that was spraying blood from the nubs where fingers use to be. Kailee started yelling at the top of her lungs as the zombie looked at her, the doctor’s three fingers hanging from his mouth with hunger in his eyes.

“Holy crap,” Dave had said. The doctor was now on the floor the woman nurse was down trying to make sure he was alright as blood continued to pour from his wound. More people appeared from around the corner.

“What’s going on here?” One of them asked.

The zombie jumped at the person as the words left their mouth going for their jugular ripping away flesh in a quick motion. The doctor on the floor suddenly quick yelling in pain and jumped on the woman nurse pinning her to the floor. Blood was coming from his mouth and eyes as he pressed both his hands on her abdomen and somehow ripped it open with his bare hands the contents of her stomach spilling out as he began to eat her. That’s when Aaron booked it. He didn’t care about anyone else only himself. He ran out the clinic doors into the night trying to get to the truck.

Three more zombies were barely visible around the truck and when they spotted Aaron they started to walk towards him. He quickly changed direction and ran down the street until he came to an alley that he ducked into. And now here he was standing against a wall on the opposite end of that alley wondering what his next move should be. His lungs were burning tremendously he figured it was just from the running. He had no idea what to do next, he thought about going over to the cop shop that he had seen on the way into town but how did he know that there was anyone even there. There would be weapons there though and he could definitely use those right now. He wondered if Dave and Kailee had made it out. A sharp pain in his stomach made him cringe he felt nausea sweep over him and he vomited all over the ground. He wiped his mouth and looked at his hand. Was that blood?

He then remembered earlier when they were loading the man in the truck that he had spit blood into Aaron’s eyes. Panic swept over him instantly as he realized what was going to happen. Another wave hit him and he fell to his knees grabbing his stomach as he continued to vomit.

Poor boy, a voice seemed to come from his mind. Aaron looked around not being able to see anything or anyone around him.

“Who’s there?” Aaron asked.

A friend, the voice said again this time clearer, with a way out of your current predicament.

Aaron could sense something beside him. He turned his head to the way he had come from and could barely make out a black mass in the middle of the alley. It looked like a man, wearing a massive cloak that floated behind him pure black. He thought he could smell sulfur he wasn’t sure but assumed that was what it was.

“How can you help? It looks like nothing can stop this from happening my stomach is on fire. I can feel my insides fading away.”

The thing came closer stepping into the moonlight and Aaron could clearly see that it was no man. It was huge at least nine feet and had dozens of sharp teeth protruding from its mouth and it was clothed in rags and it was definitely sulfur that Aaron had smelled. Aaron knew he should be afraid but he wasn’t for some reason he felt like this was supposed to happen.

“What do I need to do?” Aaron asked, “Whatever you need I will do it. I don’t want to turn into one of those creatures feasting on other people.”

So, the creature hissed, you will let us in? We can stop the infection from spreading.

“Yes,” Aaron said while nodding, “Whatever it takes.”

Very well, the creature said smiling. It seemed to turn to smoke as it enveloped him, Aaron could feel it inside him stopping the sickness from changing him. It did not feel pleasant though he yelled in pain. He hoped that some of those zombies wouldn’t hear him yelling it would suck if he got this problem taken care of just to get bit again.

You won’t have to worry about that, the creature said reading this thoughts as it rematerialized in front of him. They are no concern of yours anymore, you have our protection.

Aaron put two and two together as the last sentence came off the creatures lips.

“Do you have something to do with these things?” He asked.

The creature smiled. They are but a small piece of the puzzle that we are now putting together. We are in the process of changing the world and this is merely the first step in the process.

“Who are you?”

We are Legion, we are many. We live off chaos and destruction which there will be plenty of in the days of come. Now enough mindless chatter and listen boy. There is a church on the edge of town about 2 miles from here. You must go there and wait until it is time for us to make our first move. Eventually more people will find their way to you; you must tell them nothing of this. You stay, you listen and you learn. And then when the time is right we will come to you again and tell you the next step.

“Very well,” Aaron said. “I will do what you say. I have some friends that were back there at that clinic can I----“

NO! Legion yelled, interrupting the boy. You must go, if your friends are still alive maybe they will find their way to you eventually but now is not the time. Go now and if you decide to betray us and tell anyone of this then it will be just as easy for us to remove what we have done and then well you know the rest.

Then the creature was gone and Aaron was left alone in the alley with his mission pressed boldly into his mind. He knew he had no choice but to do what Legion said, otherwise he would end up like the man they had found on the street. Living off fingers and various other body parts like a cannibal was not something that Aaron wanted to do. As he walked onto the street and headed in the direction that he was pointed at he could only hope that his friends had found a way to escape the chaos and would find their way to him.