Interview 001: Catherine S.

[Shifting a bit in her seat, Catherine S. is positioned by the microphone by Eugene so that she may be heard properly. Thanking the radio jock profusely before the start of the interview]

J: So let's start off with a few simple questions before we hit you hard. [Pauses, clears throat] Okay. So what is your name? Not that we don't know of it already… just, just for formalities and so that our listeners would know who you are.

Catherine [gives a small smile]

J: All right, Cat!

E: We can call you – ?

[nods] Yes, I mean the kids call me Cat-cat, and well – the only one who calls me Catherine is Dr. Myers. [chuckles]

J: See?

E: Carry on. So, Cat what did you do before … [tries to find a better way to phrase it] the Gray Plague?

Before the zombie apocalypse?

J: I like you.

[chuckling]

E: Yeah – yeah. Before the zombie apocalypse.

I was a nurse over at the hospital across the river. You know Memorial? I think it's a no-brainer on how they let me in at Abel.

J: Yeah, yeah. I mean we don't think Dr. Myers could be able to handle the amount of people coming in sick to her. Also the injured.

I'm just glad I could help out.

E: A real savior.

Not really. To be honest.

J: So, Cat can you share to us and our listeners here at Radio Abel on how you survived the Gray Plague?

As I said, I was a nurse at Memorial. An ER nurse to be exact. I was there when they brought in the first infected patient. Her husband said that while she was out getting groceries a man jumped out from an alley. The woman thought she was either going to be raped or mugged. She was surprised when the man bit her arm. She somehow managed to escape. And well they took her to the ER for stitching. Of course we gave her anti-rabies shot just in case. We did what the hospital protocol is and placed her in the out-patient department by the rabies ward, just in case she shows signs of rabies. Well now we know that we've been looking for the wrong signs.

She died a few hours before my shift the next day. So I was there when they tried getting the body out. I didn't know what happened, but apparently she reanimated just as she was about to be put in those metal drawers in the morgue. She scratched one of the men who carried her out. They locked her in there and ran. What else would you do if the woman has been dead for 6 hours only to moan and claw at you?

So we all thought it was a bizarre coincidence. Like something that could only happen once. But we were wrong.

J: Lemme guess, the man who got scratched.

[nods] Of course he didn't know what would happen. But we've also heard of stories from other hospitals about their dead patients suddenly sitting up. Then they all started coming in. scratch marks, bite marks.

E: They said that Memorial was the first hospital in the city to go down.

[nods] Everyone thought it was just some form of rabies. Or some sort of highly infective strain of a disease. There was a patient who joked about zombies and such – I guess he really was right.

The hospital opened a new wing where we could place the bodies. It was like a haunted house in there. They were coughing, moaning because of pain then later on moaning for human flesh. It was a mistake to put them all in one area. When they started reanimating, no one would dare to enter the rooms to give the others inside medicine. They reanimated within a span of two weeks. There were at least close to fifty people in that area. And they all reanimated.

J: Fifty? That is a lot.

You tell me. Once they managed to escape the ward they were put in everything was chaos. We did what any normal person would do in that situation: run.

E: So how did you managed to get to Abel?

My boyfriend [pauses] Peter. He – he is – or was an EMT. Now he's a zombie. [sniffs]

[Broadcast on hold]

E: Are you sure -?

[nods] Yes, yes. I'm fine. Sorry. I got a bit emotional.

J: We know how you feel [sighs] if you really want, you can continue…

Oh okay... Uhm… So Peter, like I said was an EMT. At that time he was on job tending to the first wave infection. They tried giving first aid to those who got bitten, some got injuries in an attempt of getting away. He told me of a child they tried bringing to the hospital. It was his turn driving so he didn't see the kid reanimate – we all know they reanimate faster than adults – so when the guys at the ER opened the door they were welcomed by one of the first child zombie and a dying EMT. Of course the kid lunged at them. I didn't know what happened next and well, we were both in out of our minds that we took the ambulance and sped off.

J: Wait – you're the one who brought in the ambulance? The one parked in the hospital?

[nods] That was me. Uhm, we went to get gas a couple miles from Abel and well the place was practically empty except for the shop keeper who turned out to be infected… When Peter got bitten… We both knew what would happen next. He even joked about getting a rabies shot [takes a deep breath] And well when I arrived at the township, uhm there still weren't many people but Major de Santa wouldn't just let anyone in without inspection. I brought in an ambulance, so that's plus points. Dr. Myers asked me to help out I accepted right away – which is what anyone in the township would do – we'd like to help out whether it is in the hospital, in the food storage or maybe in the armoury. No one here wants to be helpless.