The tension between Daniel and me was obvious to anyone. He watched me with slight suspicion and I kept a wary eye on him. Our zombie instincts were playing havoc with our frame of mind even if we were in control. Nicky was amusing herself with various string tricks using a shoelace she found. Ben was staring at the scenery while pretending that the occasional rumbling noise and resulting odor did not originate from him.

Nina was scribbling in a small notepad. I watched the scenery as it flew past with half an eye on the Terror in the other corner. The occasional zombie stumbled after us. Daniel was watching the road we were heading toward while also watching me for any threatening move.

It was almost as if he expected me to try to attack someone before the day was over. It was equally as obvious that he intended to stop me if I attempted it. I was about ready to say hell with it and leave this group in the care of the Terror while I headed back to the mountains.

One thing stopped me though. I had made a promise to Liz and even if I had become a zombie, I had always kept my word. I intended to keep it this time too. If I had known exactly what I was getting into before I would have simply said I would help them until we met others who would help. I was never going to make another promise without careful consideration.

I had agreed to help them get to the Stronghold. I had not agreed to get mixed up with a Terror and then get stuck in close quarters with him. The walls of that Stronghold could not come into view soon enough for my peace of mind.

Nina interrupted my thoughts, "So what is your story? If you don't mind me asking, when did you turn?"

I turned my head to gaze at the lady. I spoke slowly and somewhat reluctantly. In the back of my mind, I hoped that the longer I took to speak, the fewer questions she could ask. "I turned in the first wave, about a week after the first zombies appeared. It turns out that the flu shot I got had been one of the contaminated ones."

She blinked in surprise, "You were one of the originals?"

I nodded slowly. My workplace had encouraged workers to get the annual flu shot and even brought in a nurse to do it for free every year. Like all of my co-workers, I had also gotten the vaccine as we had every other year. It was just a flu shot to prevent respiratory influenza after all.

Every country ordered the flu vaccine from the World Health Organization and they all originated from the same place. No one had been aware that a large number of the vaccines had been contaminated in the formulation process. The virus had snuck into almost every bottle being sent worldwide wherever basic healthcare was present.

It was a rather slow virus that took three months to finally show itself. At the end of the three month incubation period, the person suddenly started sneezing almost non-stop for three days. After that they went into seizures as the virus re-wired their brain.

Those last three days they were infectious. A huge portion of the population had been exposed to the airborne sneeze droplets without realizing the risk. Three months later they would make up the first wave. If they survived those who turned in the original outbreak.

Those who went into seizures rose with red eyes and a desire for blood and raw meat. The regular zombies were mindless and readily attacked anyone and anything. Those who were unfortunate enough to get bitten turned within several days. Between the bite marks that swiftly turned people and the slow reacting sneeze transmission of the last three days, it was an evil two pronged attack.

Thankfully, once someone turned, a mere sneeze was not sufficient to infect anyone. The virus shifted at that point, becoming much more potent in our saliva and blood and was no longer capable of surviving being airborne.

The original outbreak had occurred just over six months ago. The first wave mostly knocked humanity to its knees. The second wave nearly wiped out the remaining survivors.

Runners, Nightstalkers, and Terrors were still sane when they recovered from the seizures, but many had been unprepared for the bloodthirsty instincts and desires of the virus that now resided in our body.

The virus had also rewired our brains somewhat. The thought of blood and raw meat was no longer disgusting, but tantalizing like a glass of cold water on a hot day. Many thought they were simply dreaming and went along with the flow only to lose themselves before they realized the danger. Some never realized that animal blood was needed or that any raw meat was dangerous.

The first few days were like walking on a tightrope blindfolded. Not only did we have to fight the virus's influence and figure out the new rules for remaining in control with no instruction manual, but we also had to survive humans who wanted to kill a potential threat.

I continued slowly, "I had no idea that anything was wrong. My horse was increasingly skittish around me, but I put it down to a new shampoo or a neighbor's kids scaring her. I had been on a cross-country train ride to visit my friend. Days before I got on it, zombies had started appearing around the world. The train stopped in the mountains as we got word that the station at our destination as well as the one we had departed from had been closed for safety."

I remembered the panic on the train, "We had been stopped there for two days when a radio broadcast finally gave us some decent information. The radio informed every listener that if anyone was sneezing a lot that they were likely infectious, and to keep them isolated. Apparently three others had been sneezing and were promptly quarantined to the last train car. The next day the radio informed the public that anyone who was sneezing unusually often was likely going to go into seizures and develop rabies-like symptoms that caused them to attack anyone."

I lowered my head and stared at my hands in my lap, as my mind went back in time, "Two others had started sneezing and both of them, as well as the others in quarantine, were sent into the forest by a panicking trainload of passengers who wanted them as far away as possible. Later that afternoon I started sneezing. By the fifth sneeze in ten minutes I was chased off of the train by aggressive and threatening people worried about their health and safety. The sneezing didn't stop and I got really worried."

I lifted my head to look once more at Nina, "I followed the train track while heading back the way we came. The next day I encountered my first zombie. It was one of the previous passengers. I ran from it, getting lost in the process. I wandered around lost in the wilderness until the seizures hit."

I clenched my jaw at the memory of the white hot waves of pain. Daniel was watching me closely. Nina and Nicky looked curious. "When the pain stopped, I had no idea what had happened. It was like I had been heavily drugged. My thoughts were slow and sluggish, my mind didn't work as it usually did. I had the most insane desire to taste the metallic blood of any living creature. Only it didn't seem insane anymore, like it was just as simple as a cup of coffee."

I tilted my head as I recalled the event that had likely saved me from a mistake, "A bear chose that moment to walk out of the trees. It huffed threateningly at me. My new zombie instincts made me immediately respond with a snarl. The sound was so ferocious that it actually shocked me and snapped me partially out of the bloodlust trance. The thirst was raging and my control was thin since I had barely eaten anything in three days.

"The bear ran. I staggered to my feet and happened to come across an injured rabbit. The smell of its blood overwhelmed me. My new instincts were perfect for locating it swiftly and easily. I had eaten rabbit before growing up, so the thought of eating rabbit didn't overly bother me."

I paused, "I have no clear recollection of why, but I started drinking its blood due to the powerful craving. I recall being tempted to eat the meat as well, but that thought seemed... shadowed... and I was off balance from my earlier snarl and what I was experiencing. I could resist that temptation and did simply because I had no clue what was going on."

I shrugged, "A few days passed and I got more accustomed to the virus's influence. I headed back to the train to see if anyone else had turned. I wanted to talk with them and see if they were going through the same thing I was. None of the zombies were in control and when I came across them they were eating someone else who had been thrown off the train. I had to fight for control due to the bloodlust. Those zombies were eating others who had been thrown off of the train and I remember watching them ripping off mouthfuls of flesh. They weren't sane and they were eating humans. I was sane and hadn't done such a thing."

I glanced at a zombie as we drove by it, "I hung out in the trees around the train, hoping for news or simply someone to talk to. I tried to approach a few people who were sneezing to talk with them, but I was limited to the darkness of night, and they ran from my glowing eyes. A few days later I heard the radio in the train alerting anyone who turned that if they could avoid eating humans or eating any kind of raw meat that they had a chance to remain in control if they drank the blood of any animal except for humans."

I was silent for a few moments, "The smell of all of the humans in those small train cars was bothering me since I hadn't gotten used to hunting animals for their blood yet. I left the area to see if I could find a town. I found a town all right, but it was inhabited by nothing but zombies at this point. I went back to the train to warn them, but I was too late. Zombies had found the train and managed to break in. I searched for three days, but found no survivors."

I exhaled slowly, "I traveled for weeks before I realized just how far the virus had spread. I met a few other in control zombies in the following months. A pair of Nightstalkers informed me about the welding glasses trick. I eventually stopped at a cabin on the edge of the mountains and remained there until I happened to stumble across Marissa, Tom and the kids seven days ago."

I fell silent and the others looked lost in thought.