Part Two: SURVIVAL

Chapter Seven.


"Robert, what happened?" Alexis demanded, leaving her table as Robert made his way toward his lab. Tears were springing to her eyes, and she knew exactly what had happened, but asked in order to confirm it.

"Infected dogs," he snapped, throwing open the door to his lab and hurrying down.

Alexis remained at the top of the stairs, looking down in horror at the scene. It was happening all over again. She had foreseen it coming, ever since finding out who that Infected was. Yet she had done about it. Now. . . It was all falling apart again.

Falling to her knees, Alexis leaned against the doorstop, not wanting to go down there. She knew what Robert was going to do. She just had to hope. . . that it would all be ok.

Carefully, Robert set his dog on a metal table after clearing all of the papers off, carelessly tossing them to the ground. He looked his dog over, then picked up a syringe.

The syringe with the cure.

Taking a hold of Samantha's scruff, Robert took a breath, then pricked the needle into her skin. The German Shepherd barely even flinched as she was poked with the needle. Robert injected her with the serum and then tossed the syringe aside.

Waiting a second, Robert scooped his dog up into his arms again and backed up into another table set against the wall. He slowly slid to the ground and held his dog in his lap, eyes glistening with tears waiting to spill over.

Alexis sat at the top of the stairs and looked over as she saw movement in the corner of her eyes. Robert cradled Samantha, and she heard him softly sing to her. Tears flowed freely down her pale, nearly-translucent cheeks. Drawing her knees to her chest, she hugged her legs and buried her face, sobbing softly to herself.

"Rise up this morning. . . Smiling with the rising sun. . . ," he murmured, stroking Samantha reassuringly. Still mumbling to himself, he looked down at his hands to find a clump of a fur in his palm. "Three little birds. . . perched on my doorstep."

Looking away from his palm, he fought back tears and swallowed a sob, then turned his attention to his dog. "Singing sweet songs." Pulling back her eyelids, he noted her fully dilated pupils. Moving his fingers to her jaw, he pulled back her lips and saw her gums rapidly becoming red and inflamed.

Alexis let out a soft wail of despair from up the stairs. It was too late. She could tell already, by whatever link it was she shared with the Infected, that they had lost Samantha.

Samantha started to growl. Tears blurred Robert's vision and he turned his head away as Samantha pushed at the ground with her paws and extended her neck, snapping at Robert's throat. He continued to mouth the words to "Three Little Birds."

Taking his arm, he wrapped it tightly around Samantha's neck and kept her head in place, out of reach of his throat, and he slowly strangled his pet with his bare hands. Samantha scrabbled at the ground with her paws and the snarling slowly stopped and turned to a heart-wrenching choking sound. . .

. . . and she stopped moving at last.

Robert released his grip on his beloved Samantha and she slumped to the ground. Hanging his head, he cried.

Another lament rose from Alexis' throat and she pushed off the ground with her hands and swung her legs around, leaping down the stairs. She landed in a heap on the ground, but she was more durable than most humans, and she crawled over to the other side of Samantha.

"Not again. I couldn't save you again. Oh, my Cassie. . . Oh, my Samantha. No. . . ," she mumbled under her breath, wrapping her arms around the dead dog.

Robert lifted his head slightly to see Alexis lying on the floor, holding his dog, and he choked out a sob, sliding to his own side to embrace his loyal companion. The pair remained that way, crying together over the dog they both loved. Robert's last connection with his family. . . . The creature he had raised from a puppy.

Both of them lost what last shred of hope they had for the world.

Anger bubbled inside the Infected girl. Alexis sniffled loudly, sat up and wiped her tears, and her breathing slowly became more labored, more ragged.

With inhuman speed, Alexis jumped up and ran up the stairs. She ran through the house and burst out of the front door, slamming it behind her, and she ran through the streets, tears running down her cheeks.

Happy birthday, Dr. Neville, she thought bitterly.

She ran and ran through the streets of New York until she heard the sound she was listening for.

Infected screeching.

A snarl of rage ripped from her throat and he ran toward the sound. They were easy to come up on, and they all froze when they spotted her. Everything about her posture—the way she stood with her legs shoulder-width apart, shoulders hunched and arms held away from her body, and the way her shoulders heaved with each angry breath—and her expression told them she was pissed.

"Where is he!" she shrieked.

The message was not lost. Her cry made everyone step back and the Alpha shouldered his way through the crowd, coming to stand alone against Alexis, looking expectant.

Alexis took a step toward him. "You bastard! You killed her! This didn't get you anywhere! We had a truce!"

The infected snorted and a wide smirk crossed his face. "Truce ended when man took her from me," he growled at her. "We no longer fear you, Halfling. You bleed like everyone else. If you bleed, we can kill you."

Alexis' eyes widened and she snarled, making several of the Infected step back, but the braver ones remained, looking ready to fight.

Gritting her teeth, Alexis started to walk backwards. These odds were not good. Looking across the crowd, Alexis squared her shoulders, then snorted. "You'll regret this! I'll kill you for this! You've taken everything from me! Everything! I have nothing more to lose! The next time we meet, Alpha, you'll regret ever crossing me!"

Turning on her heel, Alexis stormed off angrily, only running when she had turned a corner and was out of sight of the Infected. She could hear screeches from another part of town, and that meant another, smaller group. That was her target now. She couldn't face the big group with the Alpha yet, as it would surely cause her severe injury or even death, and Robert needed her now more than ever.

She would get back at that Alpha. Oh, yes. Somehow. If it meant killing off his followers little by little until he was all that was left, she would do it.

Samantha would not die un-avenged.


Dun dun dundundun dun. Hope you enjoyed. It might have gotten a little lame right there, but eh. Deal with it. Next three chapters (including this one) should be up in a matter of minutes. The story is finished now, so if I remember I'll post the last chapters up next week, or maybe in two weeks' time. There might be a third installation, there might not be. More information in the last chapter of the story whenever I get around to it.