The First Days (As the World Dies 1)

The girl giggled again, swaying on her feet, and covered her mouth with her hand. There was a distinct bite visible. It was swollen and puss filled.

Jenni put her hand on Juan's arm, trying to calm him. But Juan was nowhere near calm when he said, "Yeah, so how did you get out? Where is Sergio?"

Ritchie rolled his eyes and laughed. "Yeah, well. We drew straws and someone lost and that someone had to run out the side door and draw them away. "

Juan looked ready to punch him again. "Was it Sergio? Did you make my cousin do it?"

Ritchie thought this over before answering. "No, no. It was…um…that Freddie guy. "

Curtis was looking a bit more pissed off than Jenni had ever seen him.

"So you just made one of your guys run out there so you guys could escape?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Then we got to the clinic, walked in, and things were fucked up in there, too. That's where Sergio got it. That was fucking sick, dude. They just grabbed him and went at it!"

Jenni grabbed onto Juan's arm as his fist went sailing forward. The momentum sent her tumbling into Ritchie. Jenni was grossed out by the sheer reek of the boy and scrambled quickly away from him as he fell flat on his ass. Juan was already lunging toward him, shouting angrily in Spanish.

Jenni flung herself at him and he grabbed onto her to shove her aside.

"Loca, out of my way!"

"It's not worth it!"

"I'm gonna kill that sonnofabitch!"

Curtis motioned to the boy to stay on the ground to keep him away from Juan. "We need to calm down now, Juan. "

"He killed my cousin! We all knew he was a good for nothing lowlife corrupting the kids of this town with his homemade shit! Now he has gone and gotten Sergio killed and you want me to fucking calm down?"

Jenni kept her hands pressed firmly to Juan's chest. "Juan, Juan, please. "

"No, Jenni, he's a fucking murderer and we're letting him get away with it. "

The girl took this moment to throw up all over Jenni. She staggered back and fell against the wall.

"Shit, that's gross," Ritchie decided.

Jenni was beyond grossed out and unbuttoned her blouse and threw it off her. "Oh, shit! Gawd! Gross! Ugh!"

Juan seemed to forget his anger and yanked off his T-shirt and started to wipe the muck off her hair and face. "Man, Loca…"

Curtis looked down at the girl who was now having convulsions on the ground. "Shit. " He drew his gun slowly. "Shit. "

Jenni turned around just as the girl's eyes rolled back into her head.

"Curtis!"

Ritchie was still on the ground, wasted, laughing, and not making much sense.

"If she bites him…" Curtis started.

"Fucking shoot her!"

The girl's pupils suddenly came back into view, but they were glassy and quite dead. She opened her mouth and let out a growl that sent chills down Jenni's back.

"Shoot her!"

Curtis hesitated.