Plague Z: The Complete Collection: Plague Z, #5

Plague Z: The Complete Collection

Siblings Alexi and Irina had always been safe in their small town, far away from the dangers of Plague Z, a horrific new disease that seems to be terrorizing Russia. Until now. When it finally enters into their lives, they are forced to leave home.

Hoping to catch a flight to America where the infection hasn’t reached, they travel to the airport in a city that is three hours away. They need to escape before either of them becomes infected. Nothing is really known about Plague Z, so they don’t know exactly what dangers might be involved. They only know they need to get out before it’s too late.

Will they be able to make the flight and escape?

All they can hope for is that freedom waits for them on the other side of the water...

Escape – Volume One

Chapter 1 - Irina

The problem has only increased in the last few days. More and more people are becoming infected by what has come to be known as the ‘Russian Plague’ or, as we prefer to call it, ‘Plague Z’. At this time we do not have accurate counts of those infected, but we will be sure to report when we know more...

Irina, turn that off! my mother hollered from the kitchen. Even though the kitchen was on the other side of our house, she could still hear the T.V. if we turned it on. She did not want us watching the current news reports, but I felt we needed to know what was happening. I clicked the T.V. off and sat there, staring at the blank screen, as if wishing for it to pop back on of its own accord.

For some reason she still treated my brother Alexi and I like we were children, but we were far past that. My brother was turning 19 soon, and I would be 17 in less than three months. Hardly the misbehaving children that we used to be. I know she was trying to protect us, what with everything that was happening. My father having been gone the last few days didn’t help the situation either. He would still travel to the city occasionally for work. He always checked in with us so that we knew he was all right, and he had called just a few hours ago to tell us that he was heading home this evening.

It was a common thing these days, this Plague Z. Or the Russian Plague, as the rest of the world was calling it. Naturally, those of us in Russian preferred any other name than one that put the blame on our country. There were so many theories about where it came from, but no one knew which was correct. All we knew was what the local T.V. and radio stations told us. Some sort of virus had become introduced into our culture; one that our bodies were not built to defend against. To our knowledge, there was nothing we could do to protect ourselves other than stay inside and don’t come into contact with anyone who seems to have contracted the virus.

The infection began a little over two months ago. Some say in Moscow. Some say in Siberia. I suppose it doesn’t really matter where it started, because now it’s here. One day everything was fine, and then it wasn’t. At first, no one was incredibly concerned by this development. It seemed like what those people were getting sick with was a stomach bug. They wouldn’t be able to eat or drink much of anything for a few days. All they could do was lie in bed and groan at their pain. Eventually they would fall asleep, and it looked like their pain had eased. It wasn’t until those people began waking up that the doctors realized that something was not quite as expected. The patients weren’t healed. They were something else entirely.

This is what we had learned from the midnight news reports that Alexi and I had snuck into the living room to watch after Mother and Father had gone to sleep. We would sit as close to the T.V. set as we could and keep the volume so low that we could just barely hear it. If our mother wasn’t going to tell us what was going on in our country, we would have to find out for ourselves.

What everyone thought was going to be an isolated incident, was not. When the patients awoke from their slumber, they had the urge to bite those around them. The doctors and nurses, being the closest people to these infected patients, were their primary targets. These bites continued the spread of the infection. More and more people just kept changing into these... things. It was baffling to me why people, even if they were sick, would want to eat human flesh. Just the thought of it caused my stomach to roll.

We were lucky thus far. The outbreak began in the northern part of the country, according to most official sources, and was taking its sweet time spreading. Reports of infected were getting closer and closer to our area, but for some reason our mother thought we would be safer staying in our home, rather than trying to flee to somewhere else. If we stocked up on food and stayed indoors, they thought maybe this would all just blow over. I was having trouble agreeing with this strategy, but I wasn’t given much of an option.

Our town, Krecji, was about as far east as you could get in Russia, and almost equally as south. We were not necessarily close to a big city, but neither were we out in the middle of nowhere. It took us a solid three hours to travel into the city, but our town had all of the necessities, so we just stayed there for the most part.

The sound of a dish shattering against the kitchen floor pulled my attention from inside my own thoughts. Is everything ok?

Da, da. Wet plate slipped out of my hands. Her tone seemed a little rushed; flustered from having dropped and broken something. Why don’t you and Alexi go relax upstairs tonight?

I shot a look at my brother and he returned my questioning gaze with a shrug of resignation. This wasn’t a strange request from my mother. Every once in a while she would suggest that we go upstairs for the evening. Usually it was when she and Father were going to have a spat. That was always something she did not want us hearing.

We didn’t mind hanging out in the attic after dinner. It was mostly redone so that we could use it as an actual living space if we wanted to, but for the most part it was only used as storage. Our family kept all of the photo albums, videotapes and boxes of memorabilia up there, which Alexi and I enjoyed pawing through from time to time. There was also a small black and white bunny-eared T.V. that we used to watch the old tapes that our parents made of us both when we were little. There was also their wedding tape, which we watched over and over again. No matter how many times we watched it, it was still wonderful to see their smiles. Mother didn’t smile quite as much these days, and when she did it wasn’t as vibrant.

The stairs to the attic were right off of the living room. I heard the back door close quickly, only the slightest click signified the movement. Alexi began up the stairs, but paused halfway when he realized that I was not following him. Are you coming, Irina?

Yes... Just one moment. I’m going to go see if Mother needs help with the dishes. Clearly Alexi was about as deaf as our father. Couldn’t hear anything unless it was in the same room with him. Something wasn’t right, though. Mother was not the type to leave the house, especially not at night. We stayed inside most days because of the infection. It wasn’t in our town yet, but you never know when it could spread all the way out here. Alexi shrugged and continued climbing up to the attic. I turned and walked across the house to the kitchen. As I suspected, our mother was not there and the door was unlocked. She must have had a good reason for going out.

I peered out of the window to see if I could catch a glimpse of her and what she might be doing. Nothing. Despite the numerous times I was told to not leave the house, I was never very good at following directions. My curiosity often got the best of me, and based on my mother’s current disappearance, this might be where I got the trait from.

I opened the door and peered out. When the sight in front of me actually registered in my brain, I screamed.

Chapter 2 - Alexi

At first I wasn’t quite sure what the noise was. Through the closed attic door, I thought that the high-pitched cry could have just been the squeal of the train passing nearby. When it came again, and much louder this time, I realized that it was my sister screaming for me. I quickly pulled open the door to rush down to the kitchen, but she was already on the stairs.

Irina, Irina, what is it?

We need to help Mother. She began tugging furiously at the sleeve of my shirt, pulling me back down the stairs.

What do you mean we have to help Mother? Why were you screaming? What’s wrong?

She just shook her head and kept pulling me. It’s here, Alexi. The Plague is here.

Upon entering the kitchen, I noticed the back door was wide open. I realized what she was doing and started pulling against her. No, we can’t go outside. It isn’t safe. It’s dark.

Irina struggled until she was out of my grasp. We have to help Mother, she said before she burst outside into the cold air. I was scared, but I had no choice but to follow her. I had always protected my sister and I wasn’t going to stop now just because I was afraid.

The scene that was playing out in front of me was nothing like I had expected. Far worse, in fact. Irina was kneeling on the ground beside our mother who was convulsing lightly. When I was close enough to be able to really see, I noticed the large portion of her neck and shoulder that was missing. The ragged edges of the wound could really have only been made by teeth. My sister was right. Plague Z had finally reached us.

I grabbed her shoulder and tried to pull her to her feet, away from our mother. She struggled against me.

Alexi, stop. Please.

There’s nothing we can do. You’ve seen the reports. Once bitten, there is no way to stop the infection. It’s only a matter of time. And whatever bit her must still be out here. We aren’t safe! She continued to pull until she managed to wiggle herself out of my grasp. She fell back to her knees on the rough ground. Irina, please! I was frightened by the darkness and the imminent threat I felt. We had to get back inside.

She delicately picked up our mother’s hand, and lightly rubbed her thumb across her palm. She’s not going to turn. Irina’s voice was barely above a whisper.

What do you mean ‘she isn’t going to turn?’ She was bitten, of course she is going to become infected! Maybe all of my sister’s crazy thoughts were due to shock. It was becoming increasingly frustrating that I couldn’t get her to understand the severity of this situation.

The reports. You only become infected if you survive long enough. It has to have enough time to take hold of your body. I could hear her sniffling, even though she was turned away from me. Her voice was thick and cracking from sobs I knew she had to be holding back.

Irina. Please tell me that you aren’t suggesting...

She shook her head quickly. No. The damage is already done. We just have to wait. She brushed a strand of burgundy hair off of Mother’s face. I had always thought the color looked ridiculous on her, but we could never convince her to try something a little more normal. In the darkness, her hair was the same color as the wound in her shoulder. Mother eventually laid still on the grass, her tremors finally gone. It didn’t take terribly long to bleed out from a wound like that.

Ok, Irina. It’s time to go. I went to pull at her arm again, and she swatted me away. Please, whoever got Mother is still out here, and I don’t want to be the next target.

She cleared her throat and then spoke, her voice low and even, I’ve... I’ve already taken care of the situation.

What do you mean? I came over and knelt by my sister. It was then that I noticed the blank expression on her face and the tears running down her cheeks. She was emotionless. The completely dead look in her eyes told that she was completely separated from the situation. From the way she acted, I wasn’t sure if she even realized that she was crying. Even in the darkness I could see that she had lost all of her color. Irina?

She pointed deeper into our yard, over by the shed. He attacked Mother. She must have noticed him in the backyard and come out to see him.

It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the darkness farther away from the house. I then noticed a dark form on the ground. My feet seemed to move of their own accord as I stood and began to walk towards the shape, which I could now see was an adult body. Closer still, I noticed a gaping wound in the side of his head, clearly blunt force trauma. Based on the blood-covered stone not far from him, I would say my sister clubbed him with a rock. I wasn’t entirely sure if I should be impressed or frightened by her ability to damage a human being like that. I couldn’t blame her, though. We were in a survival situation, so it was a necessity now.

It wasn’t until I was standing directly over the lifeless form that I realized that it was Father that my sister had struck and killed. I blacked out and never felt the ground.

Chapter 3 - Irina

I had barely managed to keep my brother conscious enough to get him back in the house. He was mostly dead weight that I was dragging along. I laid him up on the couch and waited for him to come around. Still in shock from everything that had just happened, I really couldn’t sit still. Pacing around the house a few times, I settled on finishing the dishes that my mother had left in the sink. I was fully aware that this was not normal behavior for someone in my situation, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do.

Alexi was right, there was nothing we could have done to help Mother. There was no cure for Plague Z and no way to stop it from taking over a person once they had already been infected. My initial reaction has always been to try and help people, but this was beyond anyone’s control. As much as I wanted to save my mother, I knew I couldn’t. I had to wait for my brother to wake up so we could decide what we were going to do from here. I didn’t really like the concept of having to leave our home, but I wasn’t sure there was much option at this point.

There were so many things that could have been different in this situation, but nothing that I could have done to influence it. It was absolutely out of my hands, and that was very unsettling. The only outcome that could have happened resulted in me killing my father. Was I some sort of monster? I had to have been. No one should have the power in them to do that. Let alone me. I’ve never been violent towards anything other than bugs, and now this? Where did this come from? And my mother? I just sat there and watched her die. I know that Alexi would say that her death was not my fault, but I just couldn’t accept that. I couldn’t. This wasn’t fair!

I was only pulled out of my thoughts when I brought my arm up and smashed the plate against the counter. A scream escaped my throat and I swept all of the dishes I had just cleaned onto the floor. Glasses shattered, plates broke and I just didn’t care. My hands were shaking fiercely as I wiped the tears from my eyes. My vision remained just as blurry. I hated crying. Father always told me it was a sign of weakness, so I tried never to do it. Once I collected myself a little, I grabbed the broom from beside the refrigerator to sweep up the mess of shattered kitchenware. I kept my sniffling to a minimum as I quickly cleaned up after myself.

When I finished putting all of the broken pieces into the garbage can, I went back to the living room to check on Alexi. It had been a while since he fainted, and I was probably supposed to keep better watch over him. His eyes were open now, but he had not moved from his position on the couch. Are you ok? I asked him cautiously.

That... that actually happened, didn’t it? All I could do was nod in response. Are you ok? I didn’t really know what I was, so I opted to say nothing. So, what do we do now? He asked, as he placed his hand over his eyes.

It was an odd motion for him, but I was able to understand it. He didn’t want his little sister to see him in a weak moment. I sighed before speaking. I guess we have to find somewhere else to go. The Plague has reached us now. Maybe it would be best to get out before it fully spreads?

Alexi nodded. It could trap us here. Plus we really have nothing else keeping us here... His voice broke on the last few words, but he cleared his throat and sat up on the couch.

It was at that moment that I felt like the child being admonished for destroying a sibling’s favorite toy. Except in this case, I had killed our father. Which was much, much worse. I’m sorry, I spoke, the words barely higher than a whisper.

He stood, came over to me and wrapped his arms around me. No, Irina. You did what you knew needed to be done. I can’t fault you for that. I could tell he was trying very hard not to cry. The concept that I was the stronger one of the two of us was a little foreign to me. He was trying to stay put together because he knew that was how he was supposed to behave. I think he had been trying to keep the inevitable from himself. I knew that this would eventually happen. All of those nights that we spent watching the news reports, I was trying to convince myself what I would do if this were to happen to us.

Eventually, he pulled away from me and quickly wiped at his eyes. Go get packed. We will be out of here first thing tomorrow morning. I don’t want to put as at more unnecessary risk by traveling at night.

Where are we going? I hadn’t quite thought that far ahead in our plan yet.

We are going to America.

Chapter 4 - Alexi

I wasn’t able to sleep that night, and I’m sure Irina wasn’t either. I was too busy running through plans in my head. America seemed our safest bet right now. Plague Z, the Walking Plague was not over there; so far it had only been in our part of the world, and it seemed to be spreading slowly over to Europe. It hadn’t been able to jump continents thus far, as all of the airports had strict procedures for who was allowed to travel, and to where. There were some countries that were cutting off international travelers already, just to try and protect their citizens. The countries in South America had completely suspended travel, but the United States still allowed some incoming flights.

I knocked on Irina’s door at 6:30 a.m. She was already dressed with her bag in her hand. She was a smart girl. Without me even telling her, she had only packed one small bag that she could carry, and only the essentials. We had no way of knowing where we would end up, but we had to keep it light just in case we needed to keep going.

Are you ready? She nodded. I noticed her hand had the finest tremble, but she hid it well enough. Anyone who wasn’t distinctly looking for it would never notice. Even with her toughness last night, I knew it was going to be hard for both of us to leave the home we had lived in our entire lives. I usually wasn’t too sentimental, but all of our memories were here. Sure we had traveled around to a few countries, but we never lived there. We were going to start a brand new life somewhere and the prospect of that was close to terrifying.

Both of us had grown up learning many different languages, including English. It was probably our most practiced, as we spoke it even around the house sometimes. Our parents had wanted us to be able to get the most out of life, which meant inordinate amounts of lessons regarding language and other countries. What had once frustrated me to no end, I was now thankful for. Had we not learned so much in our childhood, this decision to leave may have been much more difficult.

We were going to take Father’s car to the airport, since he had brought it home last night. I was not aware that the infected could drive, but there was a lot that we didn’t know yet. Perhaps they could maintain some of the basic skills they had known while alive. On the way out of the house, I snagged the small crate of food that I had packed the night before. I really had no idea what was going to happen, and we needed to be at least