Chapter 139: Inconveniences

Chapter 139: Inconveniences

"If you start feeling weird, just holler."

"I haven't tried this stuff myself, so who knows what might happen."

"Standard procedure says the first 24 hours after the shot are when things might get funky. I'll be keeping an eye on your blood pressure and heart rate."

James was all business as he laid out the precautions.

Matthew's initial excitement was starting to fade. Pressing a cotton swab to the bleeding spot on his wrist, he felt like a lab rat pumped full of poison, ready to drop dead any second.

Emily and Isabella came out of the bathroom after their shower, now in loose sweatshirts. James had bought these clothes based on Emily's size. Isabella was a bit shorter, but they fit her well enough.

Matthew walked into the inner room with a plastic bag. When he came back out, it was filled with dark yellow urine.

Holding the sealed bag carefully, he tossed it out the window, grumbling, "Are we really gonna live like this? A day or two is fine, but this is nuts. Forget showers, even washing our hands is a pain."

Allan was next to him, cleaning an assault rifle. He loaded bullets into the magazine one by one and said with a grin, "Hey, it's better than nothing. What, you wanna stay in a five-star hotel?"

Matthew shrugged, "Why not? I'd bet anything those hotel suites are empty right now. There's a luxury hotel nearby. When we head out tomorrow, let's check it out. The rooms are probably empty, and it'd be way better than this."

Kurt chimed in with a wicked grin, "Yeah! And there's a woman waiting in the presidential suite."

Matthew didn't see the problem and nodded, "Exactly, a beauty waiting for me to rescue her, totally naked."

Allan burst his bubble, "Too bad you're too late. The beauty's already a zombie. You open the door, and she bites off the most important part of you."

The room exploded with laughter.

James was laughing too, waving his hand to quiet them down. Matthew and the others got the hint and quickly covered their mouths, laughing silently.

Christopher looked at them and sighed, "Alright, we need some ground rules. No more noise in the house. Those monsters outside will hear us, and if they block the door, we're screwed."

Matthew grabbed a stack of plastic bags from a cardboard box, frowning, "We gotta be quick when we hit the bathroom. James, you should've set up a toilet. This place is too cramped; when you squat, the whole room reeks. And there's no water, so we have to clean up by hand."

Hugo Graves nodded, "Yeah, we need to toss it out right after we're done."

Allan chuckled, "Say what you want, but remember, we've got two girls here! Be mindful."

Emily shook her head with a smile, "It's fine, just treat me like one of the guys. It's the same at school; I'm used to it."

She put her arm around Isabella's shoulder and asked with a grin, "Isabella, don't you think so?"

Emily was pretty chill.

If it weren't for Isabella's help, she would've been zombie chow by now. So, no hard feelings!

She was actually pretty forgiving.

Besides, people change.

Isabella had turned out this way because of Eric. With a different guy, she'd probably be a whole different person.

Girls notice the little things. Isabella's way of thinking was clearly different from everyone else in the room. She smiled warmly and asked seriously, "There are only two beds. How are we gonna sort that out tonight?"

Matthew jumped in, "You two girls take the beds! We're all guys; sleeping on the floor is no big deal."

Isabella shook her head, "I'd rather sleep on the floor with Emily. Mr. Taylor, you guys take the beds."

Christopher tilted his head, waiting for her to continue.

"Everyone's had a long day and needs a good rest. I haven't really helped much; Dr. Smith and Emily have been taking care of me the whole time. Tomorrow... there's gonna be a lot more for you to handle. You should take the beds so you'll be fresh in the morning."

With just a few simple words, even James couldn't help but look at Isabella with newfound respect.

She was smart and knew her place in this makeshift team.

"Guys being considerate to girls is cool and all, but it really depends on the situation and what's going on around us."

Isabella was quite the looker, the kind of girl who had plenty of admirers in normal times. It's not a stretch to say that part of the beef between James and Eric was because of her. But Eric was dead, and James had no plans to take it out on Isabella. She knew her place, understanding when to speak up and when to stay quiet.

The guys exchanged glances, all looking a bit surprised.

Christopher thought for a moment, nodded, and called Matthew and the others over, "Isabella's got a point. She can't handle those monsters outside. How about this: we'll play rock-paper-scissors, and whoever wins gets the bed tonight. From now on, we'll plan the next day's activities in advance and take turns sleeping on the bed based on the situation. Sound good?"

The game ended with Matthew and Allan winning the beds. They quickly kicked off their shoes and socks, lay down, and were snoring in no time.

The living room was cramped, so Christopher and Kurt lay on mattresses and slept soundly.

Emily and Isabella dragged another mattress into the inner room, using boxes filled with canned goods to form a makeshift wall. Even though they were sleeping in their clothes, there were still some boundaries between men and women, and it was better to keep things separate.

James walked into another room and sat down on a pile of supply boxes.

He took a small vial from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and poured two tiny red specks into his mouth, savoring them slowly.

These things were actually edible.

They were real biological nutrients, no different from the ones he had absorbed from Michael and Andrew.

But there were too few of them.

James thought about the mutated security guard Daniel, who had been pinned against the wall by a Jeep and couldn't break free. The reason he hadn't killed him at the time was to see if his cranial cavity also contained these granular red specks.

Even if it did, collecting them would be tough.

A thousand, or even more, would be needed to make up one Aler.

Still, this was good news. Especially for his current state, getting the last biological nutrient of an Aler would allow him to evolve into the first stage of a mutated infected larva.

More work would have to wait until tomorrow.

Glancing at the dark, quiet room, James took out the pen-style recorder he had found in the basement from his inner pocket, along with a pair of earphones. He plugged the earphones into the side of the recorder and put them on.

Both items had been found in Aaron's jacket pocket, as if he had prepared for this.

The device was tiny. When James pressed the play button, a prelude of static came through the earphones, followed by Aaron's slightly arrogant, occasionally smiling tone.

"If you're listening to this, it means you got the recorder. I was always worried you might not get it. As a precaution, I prepared a few more. You know, I'm a cautious person, always afraid something might go wrong."

A faint smile appeared on James's usually indifferent face; this was classic Aaron.

"Before I tell you the most important secret, I want you to hear a story. I promise you'll find it interesting."

James couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

He didn't understand why Aaron would mention this in his last words.

"You're a smart guy. Maybe you've already noticed some flaws in me. Yes, I'm not really the director. To put it simply, I'm just a robber who intercepted halfway. It's simple; I killed the guy who was supposed to be the director and took his place."

Even though it was early autumn and still hot, James felt a chill run through his limbs, unable to stop trembling.

"The guy I killed and I were high school classmates. I liked biology back then. After graduating from high school, we chose different universities. I chose the medical field I loved. Of course, my overseas study credentials are real. Not to brag, but a very famous pharmaceutical company offered me a high salary to stay, and I almost did."

"Later, some things happened. He had a father who was a governor and brought an industrial park project to the state. This inevitably involved demolition in the area. Unfortunately, my parents' house was in the demolition zone. The compensation wasn't enough, so they couldn't move. His father was very forceful and ordered the house to be demolished directly. My parents didn't have time to leave and were buried inside."

"Some say it's fate. Others say it's the consequence of refusing demolition. By the time I got the news and rushed back, his father had erased all traces. Even my parents' bodies were taken to the crematorium and burned."

James sat there, stunned, as Aaron's voice continued to spill secrets he never imagined.