As the body of the so far unidentified man was loaded into a van I paced back and forth not even looking at Sheriff Harry Truman or Agent Dale Copper though they were both staring at me.
"Megan, why are you so convinced that that man," Harry said, his gaze moving to the van as the body was loaded onto a stretcher, "is a zombie."
"I just know okay?" I finally answered and Dale raised an eyebrow coming to stand at my side. "Look it's really complicated." I added, chewing my lower lip as the body was finally loaded into the van and out of sight. I let out a slow breath images of the undead I had encountered in what used to be my home flashing through my head until a hand at my shoulder made me jump and I turned my head to find Dale standing there.
Seeing me panting he stared until I began to feel woozy, hurriedly sitting on the pavement under my feet when my legs started to tremble. Kneeling beside me Dale continued to watch as I drew in one shaky breath after another. "Megan, take a deep breath." Dale offered and I did hoping that I wouldn't faint in front of my friends.
"Megan, would it be alright to come to the sheriff's department with us? You seem to know all about this infection and..." Harry trailed off when I started to breathe heavily again unable to pull my gaze away from the van as it started to pull away, its destination already fixed into my mind.
"Just take slow even breaths okay?" Dale offered, glancing back at Harry who started to walk towards us only to stop when I closed my eyes. "We're taking you back to the station." He offered and I briefly nodded not even feeling the hand around my shoulder steady me as I rose on legs that hadn't stopped trembling since the realization that the zombie virus that had decimated Raccoon City was here in Twin Peaks.
I barely remember Dale leading me back to Harry's car, thankfully a short walk from where I had been standing when the undead decided to take a bite out of Dale. Or possibly Harry though I was too frightened by what I'd just witnessed to figure out which of the two the infected had his sights on. After Harry opened the passenger-side door I climbed in on auto-pilot as I pulled on my seat-belt staring blankly through the windscreen as I did.
The virus is here, it's here. The bombing didn't work and now the living dead are going to eat us all. If only I hadn't crashed that truck I would be long gone by now.
My mind screamed at me to escape before the virus infected the entire town as Dale led me into the station Harry at our heels. I saw the door to the office being opened and then I was blinking rapidly, finding myself on my back on the carpet.
"Megan, can you hear me?" Dale asked and I raised my left hand, not surprised to see it was shaking before I waved him away. "I wouldn't try to stand on your own." He advised but I ignored him pushing myself onto a sitting position without much effort though standing proved to be beyond me and this time I allowed Dale to help me into a nearby chair, Harry keeping the chair steady as I slumped into it rubbing at my eyes.
"The virus's here." I mumbled, Dale and Harry looked at each for a few seconds until I cleared my throat turning their attention back to me. "You don't believe me and yet that zombie nearly took a bite out of you both."
"How do we know that was a zombie?" Harry asked and I groaned, sounding very much like the undead Dale thought with a tiny smile, turning my attention to the sheriff.
"I know all about the zombies, Harry. Trust me on that." I replied in a small voice, wondering how to explain about Raccoon City without telling them how I had come by this information. Seeing them staring at me I rubbed the bridge of my nose fighting a growing headache.
"It's a long story but I guess I don't have any choice do I?" I sighed raising an eyebrow at Harry when he cleared his throat. "Have you heard of Raccoon City?"
"No I can't say that I have." Dale answered when Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that where you came from?"
"Dale, a virus swept through the city and in a few days...most of the population were zombies." I replied, my eyes moving to Harry when he barely stifled a laugh. "You weren't there so how would you know what I went through? Did you see what I did?" I snapped at him, rising from the chair only to feel Dale's hand on my shoulder.
"Harry, something was wrong with that man if he tried to bite us." Dale commented and I nodded, brightening until Harry fixed me with a frown. "Still we'll have to wait until the results of the autopsy get back. Now what happened before you came to Twin Peaks, Megan?"
"There were a series of unexplained murders a few months before in the city. Bodies of several people were found partially eaten and then they stopped until after the S.T.A.R.S returned from the Arklay mountains. The ones that did return alive were talking about monsters and zombies in the mansion they came across but no one believed them. Not too surprisingly no one did anything until people started to get sick." I explained, only pausing to take a breath.
"Sick? Sick how, Megan?" Harry interrupted and I sighed, my hands trembling as I recalled the ruins of the city in my mind and the endless moans of the undead. "Megan?" He said, making the mistake of tapping me on the shoulder and I jerked stumbling back with wide eyes.
"Megan, take a deep breath. No one's going to hurt you." Dale's voice brought me back from the blood and monsters and I trembled, wrapping my arms around myself as I gave them a head shake. "We just want know what happened to you. We found a truck crashed in the woods and you unconscious at the wheel. How did you end up driving an army truck?"
"I really don't want to go into details, Dale. I needed a vehicle and that was all I could find at the time. Besides there wasn't anyone around and I needed to get away from the city. The zombies will come for us and..." I trailed off running a hand through my hair when they frowned at me. "They eat people don't you get it?! I saw them tearing people apart, eating them and they didn't care if those people were dead or still alive. Blood everywhere and the screaming. I couldn't take the screaming."
"Megan, there aren't any zombies in Twin Peaks Maybe you've been reading too many books." Harry told me and I raised my head giving him a slow smile that sent a shiver down his spine for some reason he couldn't explain.
You'll see. I barely made it out before the bombing. I was lucky to meet up with that policeman and the woman in the red vest. The little blond girl too. They could tell you the truth but if they're smart they would have gone into hiding. After what I saw you seriously think I'd go back there?" I whispered, sitting when my legs started to shake. "I was one of the lucky ones...if you can call the constant nightmares lucky."
"Why did the city get sick?" Dale asked, curious despite Harry's eye-roll. Kneeling in front of me he gave me a tiny smile. "You're the only one who knows about this sickness so we need your help. You need to tell us everything you know. I know you don't want to but you're the only one here with first-hand knowledge of the symptoms of the virus."
"Coop, she's clearly had some trauma and she's covering it up with that crazy story. She drove here in an army truck she probably stole. That's not normal." Harry protested and I growled under my breath pushing myself back to my feet until I was glaring up at the sheriff.
"How many times do I need to point out that man was trying to bite you and Dale? Besides I crashed that truck when I passed out behind the wheel and anyway it wasn't like I had a choice in transport. I was too busy trying to escape without getting caught in the blast." I growled at him, not even acknowledging Dale or his hand on my shoulder in an effort to calm me. "I almost died and you keep acting like I've lost my mind. You haven't seen people getting ripped to pieces. You try sleeping when you keep seeing people die violently."
Realizing they weren't buying my story I pushed past Harry, heading towards the bathroom before either man could stop me. As soon as he was sure he wouldn't be heard Harry shook his head while Dale cracked a smile. "Don't you start, Coop. Megan shouldn't be wandering around with that head injury. Even Doc Hayward said Megan should have stayed in the hospital."
Undeterred, Dale moved to the table in the middle of the room grabbing the map before he spread it across the table. Shaking his head Harry walked over as Dale searched the map until he grinned and while Harry watched on slightly amused Dale set down an empty coffee cup on the map right over Raccoon City. Next he found Twin Peaks and after searching his pocket he set down a pair of keys over the map, looking between the two places his smile growing.
"They're only a few miles apart. Megan could be telling the truth." Dale announced and Harry slowly shook his head already knowing what the FBI agent had planned. "It'll only take a few hours to reach Raccoon City and see for ourselves." He added, looking towards Harry as the sheriff groaned rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Even if we drive there how are we going to convince Megan to come with us? If she even gets wind of where we're going I'll have to get Doc Hayward to sedate her." Harry sighed and Dale laughed shaking his head as he started to head outside the room. "Let me guess: you have a plan."
"Once we get back to the hospital I need to speak to Doctor Hayward." Dale said as Harry followed frowning slightly at the FBI agent's back when Cooper didn't elaborate on his plan.
Standing in front of the mirror in the woman's bathroom I sighed, gripping the sink in front of me as I stared at my own reflection. "If that sheriff and that FBI agent think I'm going to tell them what happened to me in Raccoon City they're seriously mistaken. Maybe I can borrow a car or something and get the hell out of Twin Peaks." I muttered to myself, my eyes narrowed at my own pale.
Before my eyes large patches of my skin began to peel away revealing grey skin underneath, my teeth peeled back in a snarl. My teeth dripping with blood a scream ripped from my mouth my reflection lunged.
I let out a scream stumbling back before I could stop myself, burying my face in my hands in a vain attempt to escape. When nothing attacked me I peeked from behind my fingers to see my still very pale face looking back at me from behind my fingers and I let out a shaky breath. Hurrying over to the sink I turned on the tap with trembling fingers, washing my face.
"Losing it, girl. They can't get you here. You're not in Raccoon City anymore." I muttered to myself, fixing a tiny smile to my face that I seriously didn't feel before I turned off the tap. "Better get back before they send out the whole sheriff's department."
With a thin smile on my lips I headed back into the hallway wondering when my dreams would no longer be plagued by the living dead.