It was hard to grasp the mere concept of what it meant to be Hive Queen. Even with the irrefutable evidence in front of me, being displayed on a daily, hourly basis, it was difficult to accept how important my very existence was.

After our first hunt, where I had called out along with the Hive, more and more Infected had shown up. All of them had been drawn in by my voice, my call.

The call of the Queen.

Our numbers have nearly doubled and the Hive was spreading out, eagerly looking for a new place to call home. Preferably a clearing that was far away from any remnant of human society.

Because I knew how they would react, how any surviving human would react if there were to stumble on the Hive. They'd see a humanoid lifeform that was different from their own, Infected that lived as humans would, in a way.

They'd see us as a threat and exterminate every last one of us, if given the chance.

A large population of infected was not something that any human would ignore. The second anyone stumbled upon our little settlement, word would spread.

Humans would band together at the looming threat of an invasion from Infected. They would see us as a menace, a pest, something to be exterminated on sight.

I already knew there would be no way of convincing any humans that we weren't hostile. We had no audible means of communicating, no spoken words that they'd understand.

None of our group even knew if it was possible to create a mind link with humans. Hell, even for unrelated Infected, those that have traveled far and wide to head my call...

Connecting with them had been a struggle at first. Because they were not from the Hive I was born into. The structures of their brain, the composition of their neurons was entirely different.

It was like speaking to someone in a language you knew, but hadn't used in a long while. It felt sluggish, second guessing the phrases before the meaning ultimately followed.

The connection was building, ever so slowly like sand trickling down an hourglass. But I could feel for a fact that the connection would finalize soon.

Luckily those Infected were without a Queen. According to what Jeremy said earlier, their kin could only imprint on one Queen.

Their minds changed as soon as they were accepted into a Queen's Hive. Altering, forming different connections, bonds that would last several lifetimes.

Becoming part of the hive didn't just change one's way of thinking. It was far deeper, altering one's very being as their minds opened up and connected.

Because everyone was aware of the others at all times. Even if they closed off from the connection, that didn't destroy it. Like closing a door didn't mean that the door and its entrance disappeared entirely, closing off the bond to the hive didn't mean that you abandoned it completely.

There would always be that slight buzz in the back of my head. The sense of unity, of never ever being truly alone, never having to worry that nobody would be reaching out to help.

We were all individuals with our own preferences, our own dreams and aspirations, yet we were also one living organism. A unity of individuals that could think as one.

A legion of infected.

Of course humanity would never accept us. I sighed and brushed tiredly over my face, allowing the temporary darkness to take over my sight.

I had always been a worrier. Someone who'd think several steps into the future, needing to plan ahead, to be prepared for any scenario, any alteration in plans.

And now that I had the entirety of the Hive to safeguard, my worries had only grown exponentially. But that weakness could also be a strength.

By worrying, I also thought ahead in time, anticipated events and prepared in case they would happen. I already did this during my mortal life, where I hunted to replenish my food supplies even if I had months' worth of food, lying in the freezer or smoked and cured.

I had always been prepared while others had been caught off guard. Where they had to struggle and scramble, being forced to make choices they'd never want to make, I was safe and secure.

And I wanted the same for this community. To keep all the individuals of the Hive safe and sound. To look after them like they looked after me.

The Hive understood the importance of safety in numbers, safety for everyone. Even if they had been Infected for far longer than I had been, all of us had retained our human memories.

All of us knew exactly how we would've responded to a group of Infected back in our mortal lives.

Because we didn't just risk death if the humans were to find us. When my memories had been shared and inspected by the Hive, several had paused on Eric and his research.

And the added risk, the new danger that came with it.

We are infected. The targets of Eric's research, the manic search for salvation of humanity. If they found a group of Infected that had retained their humanity in some shape or form, we would be hunted down, captured and experimented on.

The humans would have no qualms with cutting open an infected while they were still alive. All in the name of the research to a cure.

They didn't see us living, thinking beings. To them, we were nothing more but monsters. Undead who fell victim to the virus.

Lost causes.

Hell, I remembered the earlier days quite clearly. How humans caught Infected in droves, trying to understand the infection. Doing their best to brew an antidote, a medicine, a cure, anything that could stop the global extermination of the human race.

Because of course humans would be so egocentric to think this disease was meant to target only us. But this infection harmed more than just the humans. It target anything within its grasp.

So far the only thing that wasn't afflicted, were the plants. They didn't seem to be warped and twisted by the infection, nor did they secretly host the virus within their cells.

For the wildlife, that sadly wasn't the case.

Back then, nobody had protested when the Infected had been corralled. Hell, families would bring over their infected relatives, praying that they could be cured.

Years. Year upon year of gathering samples, inspecting each and every morsel they could collect. And each attempt for a cure failed.

Several of those supposed "cures" actually infected dozens of innocent people. Where the governments tested on inmates, only to find that the Infection would always prevail against any known medication.

And then there was a massive prison outbreak, or rather, infected came pouring on those prisons who had forcefully injected their inmates.

Soon enough, there were more Infected in the world than humans. Things grew quieter, where humans struggled to build shelters and safehouses. To keep the infected out while remaining vigilant of anyone passing through.

The hive observed my memories curiously, watching with growing disgust as humans turned against humans.

Because why would you go through trials and dangers in an attempt to collect resources in a dangerous world...if you could just steal them from your neighbor?

Rogues were called that after the old highway rogues, who were dishonest and not afraid to murder a man because they felt like it.

More and more reports of Rogues emerging popped up. Their actions growing more brutal as time passed because the world had become a lawless place.

The rogues started making ambush spots, tricking locals by acting injured, pretending to be a single parent with kids needing a place to stay.

It was because of the rogues that humans started to stop using their cars, to sabotage any car in the area n strategic spots so no other cars could pass through town.

With rogues in the area, a driving vehicle simply turned into a moving coffin. They'd stagger in front of the car with kidnapped kids, calling out for help. The second the driver hesitated and came to a stop, the rogues would pop out of hiding and shoot them point blank.

It was sickening to think that humanity could devolve to such a situation. Sickening, but not unexpected.

I mean, thinking back about times before the infection was even a threat... How many people faked 911 calls simply because they were vexed by a person's presence? How many people would go after and murder another person simply because they were a person of color?

"Humanity is disgusting." I couldn't help but think out loud, hearing several agreeing hums and hisses through the Hivemind.

Jeremy nodded, brow furrowed in unbridled disgust as he shivered and shook himself. "They are. To think that in their weakest moment, facing extinction, they still turn their sights upon each other instead of coming together and build stronger ties."

I sighed, feeling several of the Hive share their own repulsion at the idea. As one of the Hive, it didn't even come up in our minds to consider attacking any of the other Infected groups.

The only thing we attacked, were the zombified humans when they strayed too close to our home. Because those could still pose a risk to our weakest, even to the strongest if caught off guard and overwhelmed by numbers.

Looking back at the roaming Hive members, I sighed before rubbing over my temples. We needed to gather resources for our plans, and fast. The sooner we had a new shelter where all members could live comfortably, the better.

Already they had plans in place to go to the nearest settlement, a city long abandoned by humans. While the hordes of zombified humans would mean a certain death to the mortals, it was completely different to the Infected from their group.

After all, I had experienced it in the flesh, had seen with my own eyes how most zombies turned a blind eye to our presence.

The only danger we'd encounter, was in the shape of a Starved. And those were still weaker than us. However, Jeremy didn't want me to take any risks, even if half of the Hive would come along with me.

"But how are you supposed to find the small safehouse I've made and collect all the goods, if you don't know where it is?" I countered, letting out a low, squeaky growl out of frustration.

Jeremy's expression didn't seem worried, in fact, he seemed distracted and absolutely amused by my squeaky attempt of growling.

"You are forgetting that we can think as one. Share our memories with one another." Jeremy's smirk only widened when I huffed because I hadn't even thought about sharing the memory.

And I did so with great reluctance but I understood why they were all so hesitant. All it took was one armed human lying in ambush, one Starved that managed to pry past the Hive's defenses.

None of them could imagine losing their Queen, their reason of existence. They'd probably go mad and set out on a rampage to destroy anything and everyone who laid hands on me.

"Can...can bullets kill us?" I murmured softly, watching a few of the Hive stiffen as they caught fragments of my worries before Jeremy pulled me into his body.

"A single one is highly unlikely, even if it was to our heart or head. We're tougher than a mere mortal. However, it still hurts and where one bullet fails, multiple can get the job done."

I nodded in understanding, humming as Jeremy leaned in to nuzzle against my shoulder. We couldn't be reckless and charge into the city without a plan. Because if we were down on our luck, we might encounter a traveling pack of Rogues, who'd see us as nothing but target practice.

No, this event needed to be planned to the smallest detail. To make sure those who were leaving and those who stayed home were all completely safe.