The Virus by Lee, Damien (summer books txt) 📕

arms. The cool touch soothed his tender flesh, which he assumed had been sunburned. He cupped some water into his hand and splashed his face to the dismay of his wife.

“Urgh, I’m not kissing you again.”

“C’mon it’s fine.”

She shrieked as he hurled a handful of water in her direction.

“Don’t,” she said, as the second wave showered her legs.

Adrian laughed as he soaked her for the third time. This time her shriek was diminished by a louder one. They both looked up as a large bird circled above them. It called out again, its beady eyes staring at the couple.

“I think we should go back.”

Adrian stepped out of the water, ushering Leigh away from the stream. Both kept their eyes glued to the bird as they cautiously made their way up the bank. All at once, it stopped circling. With an ear-splitting screech, it darted towards them.

“Run!” Adrian urged, but Leigh had already raced back to their blanket. He ran after her, just as the massive bird swooped over his head. He felt a gush of wind as its talons grazed his ear. It flew ahead of him towards his wife. Leigh shrieked as the bird attacked her. She swung her arms, slapping its heavy wings as it tore at her face. She dropped to the ground, shielding her head and rolling onto her stomach as Adrian ran over.

“Leigh!”

He grabbed the bird by its breast and wing, but it continued its frenzied attack. Leigh cried out as razor-sharp talons tore open her back. Driven by the strands of flesh, the bird darted forward, tearing into her with its beak. Adrian grabbed its throat and heaved backward. The creature let out a squawk of dismay before turning on the man. He dodged the eager beak as it went for his eyes. He pushed the bird to the ground and stamped on its throat. It screeched as he pushed all of his weight down, snapping its neck.

“Ade.”

The utterance of his name caused him to whirl around. He rushed over to his injured wife.

“I feel—”

“Shh,” he said. “Don’t talk. We’ll get you to the hospital.”

He scooped his wife up in his arms and rushed back onto the dirt track. Leigh’s blood saturated his shirt, oozing out of the remains of her face. He tried not to look at her. He kept his eyes focused on the path ahead, ignoring the aching in his legs and the tightness of his back.

“Ade.”

“It’s okay, darling.”

The sound of her guttural breathing made him increase his pace. He was desperate to reach the end of the track, hoping he could get a signal on his mobile phone. He tried to ignore his wife’s frenzied gasps, tried to disregard the damp touch of her blood on his skin. Her last breath rattled before she died.

“Leigh?” He gasped, shaking his wife in his arms. “Leigh!”

Panic seized his lungs in an icy grasp. His heart raced and he could feel the tears well up in his eyes. His legs trembled as he made to lower her limp body to the ground, his mind starting to cloud. Her sudden frantic inhalations brought him back to his senses. He felt the cold grip on his lungs start to thaw, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank god.”

He adjusted her body in his arms as he rushed toward a familiar point in their trek. It was the last place they’d had a signal on their phones. He gently lowered his wife as she started to thrash.

“I’m going to ring for help.”

He tried to pry her hand from his shirt. She held tight, causing the fabric to stretch.

“Just lie back.”

He tried to disengage her fingers with one hand whilst holding his phone with the other. But it was no use, Leigh’s grip was firm, and he felt himself being pulled closer.

“Darling, please lay down.”

His request fell on deaf ears. As his wife drew near, Adrian had to look at her disfigured features.

“Sweetheart, you have to—”

His words caught in his throat when he glimpsed her wide eyes. She stared at him with an insatiable hunger. He barely had time to react before his wife was on top of him, tearing a chunk out of his neck. Blood spurted from the gaping wound as she chewed on the flesh. He stared through blurred eyes as his life fluid rapidly drained from his body. He watched in silent horror as his wife swallowed the meat before leaning back in to rip more from his throat. It only took ten seconds for Adrian to die, but it took over ten minutes for his wife to finish eating him.

Her meal was cut short when the corpse began to twitch. Adrian’s eyes regained focus once more as he started to move. Swallowing the last morsel, Leigh staggered to her feet and set off in search of more meat, closely followed by the remains of her late husband.

4

A roaring crowd filled the wing as Frank made his way into the main hall. Several guards lined the walls; an unusual sight during the organised fights. Ordinarily, they were paid to give the inmates a sixty-minute amnesty, with only one or two of the guards loitering to place a bet. But not tonight. All eyes fixed on the fight in progress. The air was warm, with the familiar smell of blood and sweat in the air. Frank tried to catch a glimpse of the fighters, but the boisterous crowd blocked his vision. He stopped at the back of the hall, his left arm hanging limply by his side.

Whilst his arm wasn’t broken by Henderson’s foul play, he had sustained significant muscle damage. He knew that if his foe discovered his weakness, he would be in trouble. With this in mind, he’d