Munched-Infection

Infection

“So what did I tell you?” Autumn told everyone in the room.

“What the fuck?” Autumn’s dad, Bud, said.

“I was telling the truth. Look, the proof is on the news.” Autumn pointed to the TV.

“Everyone, come here and watch,” Anatha called out. The family came in from the backyard BBQ.

“I’m reporting here from Cameria Texas,” The fake blond news reporter with oversized brown eyes said. “Where the first reported outbreak from South America is showing up here in the United States. To my right, are Tony and his wife Bambie. Tony was injured by one of the infected. So Tony, what happened?”

The man looked awfully sick, and his Barbie shaped bleached blond wife held onto him like a scared twit. “We’s outside enjoyin sum beer with some of m’friends when we see this fella come walkin’ up to us.”

“He wasn’t walkin, more a shamblin,” his wife interrupted.

He nodded. “I thought maybe he’d had some kinda accident, so I walked over to him. Soon as I got myself a good look at the fella, I knew he wasn’t well,” The man’s voice came out unsteady. He started to wobble on his legs. “Top it off, the sick bastard bit me!” Tony touched the wound on his arm. His eyes rolled up into his head as he passed out.

“Sir, you okay?” The reporter asked squatting down by him.

He let out a small moan. “Don’t worry Hon,” Bambie said. “He’s been doing this for three days.” She too squatted by him as the shakes started. “He’ll come out of it right soon.”

Just then, Tony sat straight up looking disorientated. He didn’t look around, just kept his head straight. Eyes unblinking, the cameraman let out a small whistle. Tony’s eyes were back to normal, but there was a far off expression on his face. To Autumn, he looked sort of hungry.

“Come on babe. Let’s go home.” Bambie said trying to pull him to his feet. She was having a hard time since he outweighed her by three hundred pounds.

Screams came from behind the reporter. She stood up turning to look away from Tony. “My god. Those men over there are attacking those children!” Bambie was still trying to help her husband to his feet. The people watching TV would have noticed the slight change in the man. Autumn’s family stared at the TV with wide unbelieving eyes.

Bambie was now looking at the men attacking the children giving up on her husband. “My lil Sylvie's over there! One of you fancy city people have one of those cell phone things right?” She looked around with frightened blue eyes.

No one noticed Tony. Even the cameraman wasn't looking. He suddenly swung around violently, grabbing the reporter. Before she could scream, he sunk his teeth into her neck. The cameraman or one of the crew let out a loud scared scream as the he ripped a chunk of the reporter's neck off. He looked at his wife, chewing what was in his mouth, blood and saliva dripping from his chin. Bambie had placed her hand to her mouth, but the loud shrieking noise she made wasn't muffled by it.

He let go of the reporter. The camera man had dropped it, so you saw the reporter scratch at the messy wound to breath as Tony shambled for his wife.
“Tony?” Bambie said in a small voice before her husband attacked her.

The news went back to Sally behind the desk, her small usually pretty face white as a sheet. She said nothing, speechless, like everyone else who was watching.

Autumn sat there too. She had read it, but now actually seeing it she didn’t want to believe it. Envy ran to the bathroom to get sick. Her dad went into the kitchen to pour himself a drink. He decided on the heavy stuff they had been saving behind the cleaners under the sink. Anatha and the others just sat there dumbstruck.

“So what now?” Anatha asked. She felt numb, as the horror of what they watched slowly sunk in. “What do we do?”

Autumn shook her head flipping off the TV.

1
The bag lady pushed her cart into a rundown abandoned house. A tall man hiding in the darkness walked out into the small amount of light coming from the boarded up windows. The lady stopped dead watching him. His brownish blond hair shown with natural red streaks as he walked into the light, which made it easy to see his crystal blue eyes glitter as the light flashed on them. He looked almost like his father, him and his sister had the same colored hair but the eyes were wild and different.

“Mabon, have you been waiting long?” she asked trying to quiet her little mangy dog from barking.

“Not long, what news do you have?” he asked his voice light and friendly, but she knew how dangerous he could be if he wanted to.

“The time has come for you to take over guardianship of,” she said pausing to look at the birthmark on his power arm, a perfect upside down triangle; it could have been a tattoo, but he had been born with it, the element of water. If the Dark Lord had known that, two were born male he would have been looking for them too. So far, the evil witch only knew of the females.

His eyes followed her. “You know where she is?”

She nodded, “I am the only one who knows.”

“Why wasn’t I told? I have waited so long, almost sure I would never,” he stopped. The pain in his chest was too much. He had lost his mother and father, and now he was going to meet her, finally, after so many years. He had thought of her, of what they would say, of all the stories they would stay up late telling each other. He had yearned to be in her life since he could remember, always feeling alone, being different.

“You still must not come into contact with her, not yet.” She noticed he was going to argue and held up her hand to silence him. “Please, Mabon, you must look after her and the other. I know how long you’ve waited, but she must be protected first. I feel a great evil is going to come to pass, and they need someone who can watch over them.”

“Why will you not do it?” he asked.

“I am old, and I have been their watcher for twenty years.” She sighed. “Plus, I need to keep an eye on Moorgun. I feel she is getting closer to them.”

“Pyrus, when can I meet her?” he asked as his thoughts went to the now grown Autumn.

“When this evil that is stirring is over,” she said looking at her dog.

“Is there anything else you want of me before I leave?” he asked.

“I need you to get Aarawn to help you,” she did not look at him as she said it.

“Why?” he asked a bit aggravated. He and Aarawn never saw eye to eye, and she knew it.

“He too will find this interesting.”

And then an idea came to him, and he almost didn’t ask. “He is the other?”

Pyrus nodded. “Make it clear to him he must not speak to her unless it is really necessary. They must not know anything about us until they are in their full power.”

He gave a quick nod, “I understand. Where must I go?” She gave him the directions before they separated. She went back to the parking lot. If only Moorgun knew how close she is to them, she thought almost sadly.