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“So you’re saying I’m immune?” Mallory interrupts.

“Yes, you’re immune. It’s been shown that those with Rh-null bloodcanbe bitten and not turned. Whereas our Patient X, he’s turned?—”

“A zombie?” I shake my head, blinking slowly.

“Yes. He’s not fully human anymore, though he’s also not like subject X. But not all AB negative blood types have been turned. Some just simply die; they don’t come back, nor do they wake up. It’s like going to sleep and never waking up.” Mom explains.

“That can’t be; I’ve seen him—he eats, drinks—he’s never eaten aperson.”I whisper, confused.

“Like I said, he’s not fully like subject X. He can eat, drink, and do anything a human can. But he’s not fully human either. In a way he died when he was bitten; his blood just fought off the infection but left the virus.”

“So you—you were what? Experimenting on him? What were you injecting him with?” I yell.

“We’re scientists; if we can’t learn from our past mistakes, how do you expect us to learn from it?” Mom asks, tilting her head to the side, clearly wanting to be done with this conversation.

“That doesn’t explain what you were doing to him!”

“It’s none of your concern.”

I glance over my shoulder, my eyes falling to Reed, my mind racing, trying to piece together every moment we spent together. He never once looked at me like I was food. Sure, he had a horny expression, but it was never like he wanted to actually take a bite out of me.

Milky eyes.

The muzzle.

There were signs the entire time, and I was too dumb to put them together. I was too blind by loving him to see?—

“I don’t care.” I blurt out. “We’re leaving this place; you’re not keeping him.”

Mom opens her mouth when suddenly the building shakes.The distraction.

The other doctor screams as pieces of crumbling ceiling come down. The guard's grip loosens on the leash, the zombie’s finger gripping into the nurse's arm. Her high-pitched scream echoes around the room just as the zombie latches its mouth into her skin.

An alarm blares through the room, all the lights turning red. Maverick is running into the room, not stopping until he’s looping an arm around Reed’s back and lifting.

“Time to go!” He yells. I swallow the lump in my throat and grab Mallory's hand. Racing out of the lab's door, I take the second hallway, pulling Mallory with me. I hear Reed grunt in pain behind me, and while I want to yell at Maverick, I know he’s doing this to help us. Chaos breaks out, scientists running out of their rooms, searching around for the problem. Each step almost feels like my last as I push forward, pushing the fear of being caught behind. I don’t have time to stop, no time to think.

I lead us to the back of the lab, where there’s an exit that is used only for emergencies. I can taste the freedom as we round the next corner. The path feels endless, stretching out in front of us. Every sound feels like a potential threat.

One more step.

One more.

We round the second corner, the heavy metal door coming into view. I hear the guttural noises behind us, people screaming, begging for help.

“Oh, fuck!” Mallory screeches. “Mav, wh–what did you do?” She asks as I trip into the door panel.

“Nothing.” Maverick grunts. “But you might want to open that door before we become supper for the dead.”

My finger trembles over the panel, keying in the code. Just as I hear the hiss of the door opening, I turn around, frozen at the sight of zombies painting the white, sterile walls now red.

“Yup, time to go!” Mallory screams, pushing the door open. Chaos erupts; my vision blurs as the four of us stumble out the door, zombies growling and snapping their teeth. We race out the door, yelling, and gunfire echoes from the building.

Looping my arm around Reed's side, Maverick and I nearly drag Reed across the lawn. I canfeelthem behind us, chasing us like a happy meal on wheels. People scream, alarms blaring. The facility is drowning in disruption. The cries for help rip through the air, shrill and panicking. The clearing becomes a blur of motion—people running, fighting, and falling to the ground as zombies tear their skin apart. Blood stains the ground as screams pierce the air. The zombies tear into the people roaming about without hesitation.

My eyes zero in on a woman, clawing at the pavement, her nails breaking as she tries to pull herself away. The zombies latch their teeth into her flesh, blood soaking her shirt. Blood sprays from her wounds, her scream slowly dying.

“Don’t stop!” Maverick shouts.