Chapter 2: Well that was fun
Life on board the John F. Kennedy was simple and repetitive, but after running for there lives from the most horrifying shit a super plague could throw at them for more then a month straight Bill, Francis, Louis, and Zoey where all to happy to settle in to a life of repetitive chores and giving zombie slaying lectures on the aircraft carrier.
Louis spent his work hours in the control tower repairing, updating, and debugging the military's extremely overworked computer systems. It was even more boring then his old IT job but he was just happy to be alive. Not to mention it kept his mind off all the things he'd seen, the infection was among the most gruesome things an person could ever see. It let him rest easy working himself to the bone on simple computers all day.
Francis asked for and was granted work in the engine room and on the flight deck. The military was still short handed from the disastrous first attacks on the infected and any help was welcome. Weather to prove Louis wrong or just idle curiosity Francis was soon bragging to the other three that he knew the inner workings of both aircraft carriers and military jet fights. He loved the work, he'd liked killing zombies but he was tired of it, and military grade machinery was in his words "Fucking awesome" which suited him fine.
Bill was happy to find out that the military fully stocked his brand of cigarettes. He also started holding lectures in the board room originally set aside for foreign ambassadors. He covered everything from what zombies you should and shouldn't shoot to how not to shot survivors. He was right at home with the soldiers and was idolized by many of them for having survived the Green Flu and Vietnam. He routinely got buzzed with them and shared some of his war stories.
Zoey was also leading seminars on a regular basis. Unlike Bills combat lectures however, Zoey's where on behavior of the infected. She got thanks from soldiers that her lessons had saved on a daily basis. Unsurprisingly when they started almost all the soldiers where under the impression that shooting was the solution for everything. After a few of Zoey's lessons they knew how to deal with smokers, hunters, spitters, jockeys, chargers, and boomers, they also learned how to safely contain witches and exactly how fast you have to be to outrun a enraged flaming tank.
After 3 months startling news started to arrive. The common infected with very few exceptions where dead. The Green Flu was in fact just as deadly as it was classified by CEDA back in the day when they where still doing basic analysis, it just took a lot longer then they would have imagined to kill. Across the world military units where moving back into the cities and retaking them.
The only problem was dealing with the special infected. The special infected where not as originally assumed further infected then the commons. The reason such extreme symptoms displayed on the outside of there bodies was that there organs and major systems where resisting destruction by the virus causing a focus shift to exterior mutations. In short there was a hitch with waiting them out.
They would have normal human life spans, perhaps longer with there proven durability.
As the military moved in tanks loaded with incendiary shells where used to destroy there infected namesake at long range rather then attempting the disastrous up close and personal approach from the initial defense tactics when the first infected riots had broke out. The boomers where swiftly dealt with by trained snipers and well aimed grenades. The other special infected where an issue though. They could be safely contained and/or captured with the right preparations and just about everyone had seen far more death then they deserved for a single life time. Organizations across the globe such as C.U.R.E. And Rights For Infected or RFI gained popularity and called for capture of the remaining special infect. While the politicians wanted to opt for total destruction the armed protestors sitting outside there conference rooms changed there minds.
So the hunters, witches, smokers, jockeys, and chargers where all rounded up. What to do with them became the problem. Behavioral psychologist, biologists, and therapists who had survived the infection clamored for the chance to study these most interesting specimens. The experiments went on for the first month with marked success. Very soon they where prying open the secrets of the Green Flu and the infected mind.
Meanwhile people where being moved back into the cities and country side. In total only ΒΌ of the population had perished and thought the numbers where staggering and tragic it was far from the expected apocalypse and to the tired, weary, battle-torn, mentally scared people that was a miracle. Most housing complexes chosen for resettlement where in what had once been gated communities and although they had been ransacked in the initial riots the structures themselves where intact and with entire city populations missing in action or dead it was no problem procuring furnishings.
People who traveled together and survived together commonly resettled together. They had forged bonds stronger then family and that's exactly what the rebuilt communities needed to survive. Communities flourished across the nations and most became completely self-sufficient. The factories thought lost to destruction in the chaos where found mostly unharmed and people across the globe united to fix there battered world. People from the remains of china sent an official notice to the remaining government of America officially forgiving there debt in return for relief efforts and military support for there country.
Zoey, Bill, Francis, and Louis where placed in a suburb outside of the city they'd started there run to safety from over 4 months ago. After the dead had been recovered and the infected corpses burned they where allowed to go into there former homes to retrieve personal belongings. Zoey retrieve some family photos, her old movie collection, a few keepsakes from her early life, and one pair of glasses belonging to her father. Louis was surprised to find his home unscathed. The looters had apparently not considered his small rent controlled apartment work picking over. He found his computers still in working order, some family pictures, and like everyone else a few mementos of the good times. Bill found his medals, his sparse wardrobe, and his files at the hospital where they had been abandoned and took the lot of them. Francis went back to the bar to find his keys, his bike, and a picture of his friends before the infection.
They all made themselves at home in the buildings they'd been assigned. They had all been a little jittery at first moving in, Zoey for one keep kicking her backdoor out in the middle of the night and making a break into the woods only to realize there would be nothing chasing her. Bill woke in cold sweats and almost blew a hole in his roof many times when he'd grabbed his gun. Francis had alternating nightmares about zombies, cops, and zombie cops, the latter two of which stopped when he was granted an official pardon for past actions by the local military commander. Louis slept the soundest of the four after one particularly bad incident where he blasted a hole through his front door with a shotgun, after which he seemed to have no trouble sleeping.
Grief counselors where assigned by the dozen to each community and at least one session a week was considered mandatory. Bill could do nothing more then gripe about it although he went three times a week. Zoey went the minimum once a week with little argument. Until threats of having his pardon revoked came up Francis flat out refused to go and made his general "I hate doctors." comments at every session. Louis went twice a week for the first month until the counselors declared him to have already dealt with the emotional and psychological repercussions of the outbreak and gave him the ok to stop coming unless he though he needed help. They also requested he not load his shotgun at night anymore.
The scientists on the other side of the operation where making great progress at understanding the infected and there unusual characteristics. In fact by the end of month 2 of studies it was discovered that the special infected could be divided up into two very different categories. The immunity to the infection was most commonly controlled by a gender dependent gene. Two in women, and one in men which control immunity. This left males with a 50:50 chance of full immunity, women on the other hand could be left in a partial infection state which resulted in less emaciated and more emotionally stable versions of special infected such as the witch. Male and Female special infected, it was discovered, could be tamed and conditioned not to slaughter everyone on sight with correctional training, therapy, and motivations.
After much debate it was put forward by the scientists that perhaps reintegration of conditioned special infected should be attempted. With the infected reintegrated into society, as something similar to an animal class given there horribly disrupted higher functions, the problem of storing, caring for, and feeding the special infected would be solved and more resources could be put towards retaking the cities and improving conditions for resettled survivors.
Though there was skepticism on the side of the military and the survivors the idea eventually caught on with many communities. The suburb that Bill, Francis, Louis, and Zoey resided in was among them and it became a common sight to see special infected, wearing the shock collars required for exposure to the public, walking on the street with humans. Although getting the infected to walk upright was recommended, hunters, jockeys, and for reasons still unknown witches stubbornly refused. The Hunters and Jockeys maintained there normal hunting crawl the majority of the time and the witches adopted the same basic pose with few variations.
At first trouble flourished with mobs breaking down doors, burning lawns, and making life hell for anyone involved they eventually mellowed. Abuse of infected also became an issue and eventually a mental profiling was required before adoption of an infected could take place. After the major kinks where worked out however the system ran smoothly. The infected where allowed in most communities to hunt small game and many of the groups took a liking to hunters and jockeys who willingly hunted killed and disposed of vermin such as rats and mice.
The chargers where employed by communities in areas where dangerous predators had moved back into the area before humans as body guards for scouts. Smokers gained many positions in retaking and retaken cities. With much of the cities in ruins there ability to snatch a man out of the air became infinity valuable and with proper training and motivation with fresh cattle smokers gladly performed for there human colleges. Spitters where tricky but eventually found there place helping new settlements dispose of the dead.
With much rehabilitation some infected regained cognition for basic speech and although very limited this proved to be the nail in the coffin for the total destruction argument. Although it became apparent that the infected would never totally recover many of then did regain large portions of there independence, higher brain functions, and some eventually became "emancipated infected".
Although to the common people it was a miracle the scientists managed to pinpoint the root cause. Because the specials had some resistance to the infection there brains weren't nearly as damaged as the commons had been and while they remained partially lobotomized by the virus and it's destructive nature the could recover with time and environmental factors exposure to humans for example. In addition to the discovery that if declawed the infected would develop normal fingers as the skin grew over the exposed bone where they had been cut off led to a boom in adoptions.
Zoey hadn't been feeling comfortable talking with the guys lately, they tried to help but some problems she felt she could only discuss with another girl. There particular settlement didn't have many women to begin with not to mention the few that where present where either therapists who only listened to peoples problems while they where on duty or just plain annoying. So after much thought and careful consultation with her therapist Rochelle during one of there weekly sessions Zoey decided to adopt one of the infected.
She had decided to adopt a witch. The other special infected had left bad memories of attacks and attempted murders but the witch had only ever attacked when disturbed on in self-defense. Perhaps it was just a touch of Stockholm syndrome but she felt a certain empathy for the witch and would gladly have taken one in. She entered the small building which housed the infected reintegration center and approached the counter.
"Excuse me. I have an appointment for 3 o'clock, my name is Zoey and I'm here about adoption." she said as confidently as she could while looking around at the blank grey walls.
"Ah yes." Said the receptionist with a friendly smile "Mrs. Manet is waiting for you in the prep room through those double doors on your left. Don't be nervous it's standard procedure that's all dear."
Zoey walked through the double doors on her left and was in awe of what she saw, hundreds of rooms all facing toward the hallway. They all appeared to be one way mirrored rooms with special infected going about there business on the other side. She had to admit that they looked a lot more civil with fresh cloths and not covered in gore, still the smokers and hunters brought back bad memories and she walked past quickly.
"Ah, you made it through the gauntlet I see?" said the red haired women she met when she exited the hallway. "I hope it didn't spook you too badly, it's just how we weed out people who aren't ready yet that the evaluations misses. A lot of people run out screaming straight into the grief counselors office nextdoor. But then again a lot of people aren't you Miss. Zoey was it?" Asked Mrs. Manet
Zoey nodded and looked around the room, it was a light red that was far enough away from the color of blood that it didn't send her into a panic.
"So, I see you've requested to adopt a witch? If I may ask is there any particular reason that you selected this type of infected, if you don't want to you don't have to answer?" asked Mrs. Manet gently
"Well, for starters they never scared me as much as the others or maybe a better way would be they don't scare me in the same way. The rest of the infected tried to murder you right off the bat but the witch only acted out if you bothered her or shot at her so it wasn't like she was crazy murderous." said Zoey with her eyes fixed on Mrs. Manet
"I see, you'd be surprised how often I hear that. In that case right this way." said Mrs. Manet standing up and opening the door on the right wall of her office. "Here are all the witches currently up for adoption, all declawed and conditioned not to attack people."
Zoey gaped, the room was huge. There where dozens upon dozens of one way mirrored rooms. At least 100 witches where behind the glass enjoying there solitude. She looked around at the witches, try as she might though she couldn't picture herself living with any of them. They where either completely infected and emaciated from refusing to eat or they where sitting in the corner twitching with no expression on there face.
Then she noticed a room that had a black screen pulled infront of it. She pulled it back and saw a girl inside, she was clearly a witch but she didn't appear starved or twitching from therapists poking them with an emotional stick. She was clearly a former collage student like Zoey or at least she was the right age for it. In fact the resemblance between them was so apparent it was almost unsettling. Same hair color, same body type, the witch looked up briefly and relieved the same eye color as Zoey too, even there looks where similar. Zoey was shocked, she knew that she had to save this witch.
"I see you've found Zoe." said Mrs. Manet
"Her name is Zoe?" asked Zoey "Why was she hidden back here?"
"Zoe was rescued from an abusive caretaker, she's still recovering from the things that cruel man did to her." said Mrs. Manet. "She is up for adoption just like every other witch here but I'd suggest against it. She may not be entirely stable anymore."
"I'm going to adopt her, bring me the forms please." said Zoey undiscouraged
"Are you sure I can't dissuade you?" asked Mrs. Manet
Zoey nodded
"Good that's exactly the kind of person who can help Zoe through this. I have all the paperwork back in my office." said Mrs. Manet flashing Zoey a sly smile "It's nice to meet someone so humane who's still human."
Zoey was brought in to meet Zoe soon after she had signed the paperwork.
"Hello, my name is Zoey" she said extending a hand towards Zoe
Zoe backed away a little scared by the sudden movement from the human who had entered her room. Then she recognized the gesture and extended one of her declawed hands to shake Zoey's. She almost grasped Zoey's hand before she faltered jerking her hand back. She looked up at Zoey fearful of what this person would do for her disobedience.
"It's ok" said Zoey as she knelt down next to Zoe. She noticed the faint burn marks on Zoe's arms and anger toward her previous caretaker flashed in her mind. "From what they told me you've had a rough and painful life. I understand that your scared but you don't have to be afraid of me. I promise I will never do anything to hurt you."
Zoey reached out a little more slowly and Zoe did the same. They shook hands briefly before Zoe pulled hers back. Zoey got up and turned to the scientist at the door to ask about transport but before she could even ask she heard a soft whisper behind her.
"...Zoe..."
Zoey moved to stand next to Zoe. "I'm sorry I didn't quite hear you?" she asked tentatively
Zoe crawled closer leaving her usual corner of the serial white room.
"Nice...meet...Zoey...name...is...Zoe" she said
Zoey was taken aback she'd heard of course that some of the infected partially regained speech but she had never met any that could speak in such complete thoughts. Though she could barly hear Zoe there was an air of intelligence about her that suggested she was more then just a common witch.
"Well Zoe it's nice to meet you too, I've filled out some papers and if you would like you can come live with me where it's safe, you can move around, there's open space to roam in, and a comfortable bed. Does that sound better then spending your life in this place to you?" asked Zoey
Zoe said nothing she just looked up in amazement as though such amazing things where completely foreign to her. Then she smiled. Grinning from ear to ear she nodded yes vigorously.
