Silence was a must most of the time these days. Any sort of sound could attract so many things that we couldn't afford to let find us. When talking was an absolute must, it was shortened, whispered words in haste. The only other form of communication was hand signals. But most of the time, especially recently, there was no contact between us at all even though we were never more than a few feet away from each other. Every now and again, I found her crawling over to me in the dark of night, grabbing me gently and pulling me close. It was the only contact we ever made anymore, and I didn't dare bring it up or question it. We needed the touch for warmth on the colder nights anyway, but even on the warmer ones, I simply let my body collapse into hers. I knew she was using me to even remember human touch, but... Maybe I was using her as well. It was so hard to tell anymore.
It'd be coming up on five months soon. Or was it six? I don't think there was any way to tell anymore. Any sort of radio or television communications had long since stopped, and if we ever heard anything other than static from the little radio we'd found once awhile ago, it was the same emergency broadcast that had started about two weeks after the quarantine had spread over a good half the nation. Everyone was encouraged to visit the government official tents to be tested- though by this time everyone had been diagnosed one way or the other. People who were marked clear of infection were urged to join other refugees at the designated "safe houses" in major cities scattered across the nation.
Of course, most died on their way to these destinations.
As it turns out, those who were infected slowly started... turning. Into what, I can't explained. It was something I could only imagine coming straight out of those horror movies the boys at school used to watch. People started turning paler and losing all senses and human actions. Their bodies began to move slower, and I'd heard that all brain functions began to cease after a fever broke out in them. All of their thoughts were gone, and the only thing they focused on after that point was the most basic of human instincts- the need to feed.
What did they eat? ...flesh, I suppose. I wouldn't say brains. They seem to just eat the entire body- bones and all. Maybe it was just anything with a pulse that they felt some need to devour the entire thing. It was literally like being in a horror movie. I couldn't ever wrap my mind around that this was actually happening. But... How can you argue with something that was happening right in front of you?
Quinn tried to leave me after the news started spreading that this was happening. She tried to leave me quite a few times. I would just silently follow after her; both of us knowing that she couldn't afford to be yelling at me for too long. She kept asking me why I would want to stay with her, but I never really gave her an answer. I wasn't sure if I really had one that would make sense to her. Right now, she was still Quinn. Right now she was all I had left. Right now she was who I wanted to be with. If things got worse down the line, I would deal with it then.
Apparently they discovered that the infection was spread in two ways. Spores that, if inhaled, directly attacked the brain, and being bitten by or swapping any sort of bodily fluids with someone who had been infected. Where it came from still no one knew. Or maybe just no one would want to own up to being the cause for the deaths of so many. Little else was ever discovered about it, and there was certainly no cure. Everyone was just trying to survive a little longer in a dying world.
At one point, communications were tried between America and the other countries, but after receiving no reply, we all just assumed we were all who was left. We were all alone in this, and so many had already been lost during just the prevention stages. Quinn would get angry that no one warned us about it coming over, but using energy on being upset over what's too late now only seemed like a waste. Not that I could blame her. I was angry too.
How long it took for the infection to take full effect was also a mystery to us. I don't know if any other information was gathered on this, and I'd read once that it only took a few days usually. But Quinn was still Quinn five months later.
"Do you ever think the test that showed you positive was a false read?" I heard my voice before I'd even processed that I was speaking. Almost immediately there was a hand over my mouth and a hiss in my ear.
"Shut up. You know you can't speak aloud while we're not in a shelter." I did know. I did. This was stupid to risk our lives over while we were out trying to find food and some sort of weapons, but... I'd been meditating on it a lot lately, and I just...
"I know," I whispered after pulling her hand away softly. It was the first time in a good while that I'd looked into her hazeled eyes. They'd lost some color now, and her sockets seemed sunken in more now. Due to lack of sleep, I'm sure. Or maybe... No. "But... What if it was a false positive, Quinn? It's been months now, and you're..."
"I've thought about it," she turned her gaze from mine. "I mean, of course I have. I thought I'd be dead by now or a mindless freak at least. But does it really matter? At this point? We aren't going to make it, Rachel. We aren't. Whether I become a zombie, or whatever those things are, or we're found by either side, or even just run out of food... We aren't going to make it. Not too much longer anyway."
And then it was back to not speaking. I'd lost all will to argue with her. I felt so helpless at this point, just hanging my head and trailing her footsteps. She'd taken over, somehow. Somehow being strong enough for the both of us. I don't see how she ever did it. But I'd just... shut down. And even knowing that, I couldn't ever find it in myself to do anything about it.