The Blood of the Infected (Book 2): Once Bitten, Twice Live by Antony J. Stanton

Author:Antony J. Stanton [Stanton, Antony J.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Zombies | Vampires
Publisher: Antony J. Stanton
Published: 2016-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

The day was really dragging. With fewer people to talk to and no immediate tasks of any great importance, Corporal Charlotte Collins found herself alone in her room a lot, with too many thoughts circulating and too many memories tormenting her. Freshest in her mind were her thoughts of her dog Cujo. Had he still been alive she could have busied herself looking after him or taken him for a walk around the grounds. His absence just drove home her terrible sense of loss, not only for Cujo but for all the friends and relatives that she would never see again.

She wondered despondently if that list would be added to before the day was out, with the loss of some of the soldiers that she had come to think of virtually as family. The extraordinary stresses and strains that they all faced had caused some to start withdrawing into themselves or acting erratically, and others were losing their tempers far too easily. It was therefore hard to feel a sense of solidarity with absolutely everybody. Nevertheless, the extreme adversity had forged strong ties on the base. Whenever there had been any losses they had all felt it keenly, partly because of these bonds but also because each of them knew that every death could so easily have been them instead. There but for the grace of God…

Collins sought company and found herself in the radio room. Vida and Senior Aircraftman Masters were ensconced in conversation but they stopped talking when she entered as though they had been caught doing something naughty. Collins got on well with Vida. She always seemed to be someone to turn to in order to lighten a mood. Her breezy personality and sometimes quirky use of the English language amused Collins, although today Vida was unusually subdued.

“Any news?”

"We thought we heard something on the VHF," Vida said, brightening up momentarily, "but it was only static. The range is no so good with VHF. And with the HF, we try to scan the channels but nothing. There was a message that we heard but it was clearly on repeat and already over a week old. It was too distant and weak to hear what it say."

"There must be other military bases out there that are still functioning, but our equipment here is just not up to scratch," Masters added ruefully. He looked apologetic, as though it was his fault. "We never used it much these days. It's old and was due for updating."

"Have you heard anything from the mission to the labs?"

They shook their heads in unison, glumly unable to meet her eye. "They are using VHF," Vida replied. "They are too far. We can hear nothing."

Collins felt as though she was intruding on their personal vigil and soon left them alone with the white noise of radio static signaling the release of many more souls rushing towards their creator. Hopefully, hope against hope, not the souls of their friends.

The dining room was empty for once so she sat at a table with a cup of tea by herself.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.