Months passed while Wayne and Anna waited. No signs of deterioration or side effects had manifested themselves, so he was willing to try the full treatment. A truth he kept to himself was his desire for more time. Wayne would've liked to wait a year or more to be certain the full effects had been found, but Anna was getting impatient, and he knew if he didn't do something soon, she'd take the next step without him. Rather than risking Anna on an untested procedure, Wayne volunteered to do it himself.

Another reason for Wayne wanting more time was because of a horrifying idea that had come to him several weeks ago. He spent week after week carefully making plans and setting things in place, hoping no one watching through the security cameras became aware of his true intentions as it might prove to be the death of him and Anna.

For the next step of testing, the nutrient solution had been thinned in order for it to be more of a liquid consistency and able to be sprayed on. In the lab across the hall from where he'd been turned into a zombie, Wayne closed the door behind him and stood under the shower nozzle while opening the flow valve. The water tank had been diverted for this experiment, and a supply of the nutrient regeneration solution had been put in its place.

The black fluid sprayed over him like oil. A tingling sensation, similar to being swarmed by tiny ants, rippled over his skin. Wayne took it as a good sign because when the original transformation had occurred, he'd lost most of the feeling in his skin. He was hoping the return of sensation meant he was regenerating. When the bizarre feeling stopped, Wayne closed the shower valve and moved to the secondary shower to clean off.

Still connected to the lab's water supply, the secondary shower shed the black substance from his skin in seconds, and Wayne inspected his hands to find the injuries caused by the rapid decay had vanished.

Drying off with a plush towel, Wayne wrapped himself in a terrycloth robe before opening the door and stepping out into where Anna was waiting in the primary area of the room.

"You look alive," Anna gasped when she saw him.

"I have feeling again," Wayne told her, rubbing the tips of his fingers together. "The numbness is gone. It's odd, though, I don't feel cold anymore, but I don't feel warm either."

"Is it my turn?" she questioned eagerly.

"I think we should wait some more," Wayne cautioned. "We don't know what a concentrated dose will do in the long run."

"How many more months do I have to wait?" Anna demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"At least one of us should still be functioning if something goes wrong in order to help the other," Wayne suggested.

"Fine," she answered in a tone that did nothing to hide her displeasure.

"The finish line is within sight," Wayne soothed her, standing behind the stool where she was sitting and massaging her shoulders. "Don't give up now."

"I'm not giving up," she countered. "I'm being held back."

"I'm willing to risk my future," Wayne said, bending down to whisper gently in her ear. "But, I wouldn't want to live in a world without you, so if anyone is going to take possible life ending risks, I'll do it."

"And leave me by myself?" Anna suggested. "If we're going to go, why shouldn't it be together?"

"Because this is about more than us," Wayne told her. He moved around to kneel in front of her, taking her hands in his. "This is about the future of the human race. If we can create a viable restoration program, we can bring back all the undead in the city, possibly the world. This could save humanity, or kill it if we foul things up. One of us has to be here to continue the work."

"I'll wait," she promised. "But, I won't like it."

***

Wayne was torn between his concern for Anna's future and her current state of mind. She paced the lab regularly and frequently, rechecking notes and old test data to be sure of the results. Wayne longed to restore her fully, but the cautious part of his mind wouldn't let him forget the dangers of an untested procedure, warning his impatience might kill the woman he loved. He understood how unpleasant her condition was as he'd experienced it himself, but risking her life on something that only might work seemed like too big of a risk.

Finally, Wayne couldn't stand it another day and agreed to let Anna undergo the procedure as well. So happy at the news, Anna threw her arms around him, knocking him off balance and crashing into a wall, laughing happily.

   ***   

She emerged from the shower area, wrapped in a robe matching the one Wayne had used earlier as the lab had a supply of them in storage.

"Look at this!" Anna shouted, running a hand through the blonde strands of wet hair on her scalp. "It regrew what I'd lost."

Wayne put his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

The computer terminal near the door beeped twice.

Wayne was forced to release Anna, but he kept a hold of her hand, drawing her with him over to the computer to answer the incoming message. Councilman Kirby appeared on screen when the terminal was switched on.

"It would seem things are going well," Kirby commended. "What are your plans? Are you thinking about coming out?"

"I don't think so, Councilman," Wayne denied. "Anna and I are still infected. Although it appears we've been cured, we're still carriers of the disease and would present a risk to the city."

"Are you planning to stay in isolation forever?" Kirby questioned.

"No," Wayne denied. "Since the zombies don't react to us, it would seem the best solution would be for Anna and me to leave the city and go outside the barrier. With proper supplies, we could gradually turn and restore the entire population without fear of them becoming food for the zombies again."

"The pure blooded humans will have to stay in isolation," Anna added. "The safe zones will become your permanent homes."

"Many people won't like that," Kirby pointed out. "They thought they'd only have to live here until a cure was found."

"If willing, and if everything goes accordingly, we could treat them with the disease and revive them afterwards, allowing them to return to the population outside," Wayne offered. "One day, we might be able to truly find a cure, but until then, humanity will have to stay separate to avoid another outbreak."