Sitting on the bench, Oran thought back to his dad and how he loved to put on his huge lab coat and stomp about the house pretending to be a famous virologist. It was getting hard to hold onto those happier memories. It was becoming difficult to keep the anger at bay. His dad wasn't a monster but no one would believe him. He folded over what was left of his chocolate and thrust it into his pocket. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Marco and Lloyd were watching him intently.

Miss Lyons gathered the group's attention and everyone crowded round Ranger Hyde expectantly.

"What you are about to see, kids, is thought to be one of the last of the infected". Some of the students gasped.

"This specimen is one of the only known functional infected to in captivity in the northern hemisphere. She was discovered trapped in a car just outside of town. The Governor felt that it should be placed in an exhibit to educate future generations about the threat that bioengineering can hold and the need for constant vigilance, a warning to all of us that there could be more out there" he warned. The eerie silence of the zoo suddenly became very apparent as the students listened intently.

"Let me assure you all that all scenarios have been accounted for and safety is our number one consideration. Now let's get going". A babble of excitement returned to the group as the platen glass doors of the exhibit hall slid noiselessly apart. The class spent a few minutes patiently watching an introductory presentation on the outbreak, its causes, and its rampage across the globe and its eventual defeat through military might. Then the screen smoothly wound upwards revealing a passageway out onto a viewing platform that overlooked a small grassy area dotted with bushes and small trees about the size of a standard gymnasium. Various animal bones were scattered across the grass. The students eagerly surged forward to look. Oran positioned himself at the edge of the long balcony.

There was a sigh of disappointment as nothing could be seen at first. Then out of one of the bushes came the chilling groan of an infected. Jerkily a middle aged woman, stood bolt upright out of a large green bush. The corpse's vacant eyes, pallid skin and partial hair loss left no doubt that the woman had been dead for a long time. The class watched as the creature menacingly stared up at the students. It sniffed the air.

"As you can see the infected still retain a range of motor ability" explained Ranger Hyde.

"Can it see us?" Asked a worried voice.

"Not clearly, we are all just blurs but it's the sense of smell that becomes dominant"

"It can smell us?" a voice wondered.

"Investigations have shown us that two instincts take over, smell and hunger, the infection changes the brain and the hunger is for...well I think you can all guess"

Awkwardly the creature limped towards the viewing platform, it sniffed the air loudly.

"Is it growling?" asked Anabelle

"Sounds like it doesn't it?" The Ranger smiled. "There has been so much damage to its vocal chords that the rasp is there permanently"

The creature sniffed the air in front of the class; sightlessly, it worked its way along the line.

"What's going to happen to it?" wondered Miss Lyons aloud.

"Well, we don't know" the Ranger answered "We will keep it here until its usefulness has been exhausted and then it will be disposed of".

The creature came to a stop at the end of the balcony and paused. A grey tongue seemed to taste the air. The creature suddenly clawed frantically in Oran's direction. Oran stepped back in shock. He immediately recognized the mousy hair and what was left of its features.

The creature staring back at him used to be his mother.

"Mom" he said bewildered, Lloyd heard him.

"Look! Its Oran's mom" whooped Lloyd, the class laughed.

Aghast, Oran moved into the middle of the line trying to get away. The creature sniffed the air manically and then moved down the line again. Ranger Hyde stepped in a little disconcerted by the creature's behavior.

"Now there is no chance this creature can be related to anyone here" he added as authoritatively as he could "You must be mistaken".

"It's coming for you Oran" Marco whooped. Again the creature flailed its arms in the direction of the small boy. It's rasping getting heavier and heavier. Oran was in shock. The last time he had seen his mother she had told him to lock the doors and stay inside, then she drove away. Oran backed away from the viewing platform. Miss Lyons moved protectively beside him. Oran's head spun yet instinct kicked in and he quickly resolved not to let anyone see him hurting. Ranger Hyde watched, now more than a little worried and decided it was time to move things along.

"Who knows what's going on its brain? Now if you follow me, we have one of researchers ready to tell us all about the virus."

"Say, bye bye, to your mom Oran," someone quipped but the laugh was stifled by an angry glare from Miss Lyons.

Oran said nothing for the rest of the tour through the biological centre. The by now familiar shape of the virus was imprinted on everyone's mind, and a seemingly very young researcher talked them through every aspect of the terrible organism.

Marco and Lloyd weren't listening and talked conspiratorially at the edge of the group, glancing continually at Oran as he stood apart from the others.

"He doesn't even seem sorry for what his dad has done," Lloyd whispered.

"Yeah, and all this is his dad's fault," Marco echoed.

"He needs to be taught a lesson." Lloyd sneered. Marco nodded in agreement.

"Hey Oran," Lloyd shouted. "We are going to drop you into the sewers. You will see some real monsters down there". Marco and a couple of the other boys laughed menacingly at the threat. Oran stood impassively and pretended not to hear. The sewers were said to be filled with all manner of infected creatures stumbling lost and starving in the dark. Oran shuddered and realized that Lloyd and Marco would never leave him alone.

"Now listen carefully class, I will be asking you all to produce a report on today's tour," Miss Lyons warned, noticing that minds had started to wander but she was not surprised the long day was starting to take its toll.

The last part of the tour involved decontamination and the class giggled nervously as they each were scanned on their way back to the exit. There was an enthusiastic round of applause for Ranger Hyde as they bade him farewell and shuffled back onto the bus. The bus driver's mood had not improved following a long day as he waited for the class to return and he gruffly welcomed them back onto the bus.

"Why didn't you come with us?" One of the kids asked him.

"Abominable things" he answered "shouldn't be in any zoo. Its asking for trouble. Should burn them every last one of them" he answered gruffly, an attitude shared by many.

There was an uncharacteristic lull on the bus on the way home. Oran, again, sat at the front apart from the others while Marco and Lloyd sat together near the back. No one listened as Miss Lyons outlined the schedule for the report and hoped that it could be completed by this time next week. The class groaned. School had only been up and running for a few months and while homework was initially welcomed as a sign of a return to normality, it quickly became the chore it had always been. The bus stopped abruptly as a construction vehicle emerged from a side road. The driver swore loudly. Oran's back pack slipped from the seat and the contents spilt onto the floor of the bus, chocolate bars, and lots of them. Oran quickly got on his knees quickly stuffed the bars back into his bag, nervously glancing over his shoulder to check that no one had seen. They hadn't. Bag refilled he got back up on his seat, this time putting his bag protectively between his legs.

"You missed one," the voice of Miss Lyons said beside him and she handed him a chocolate bar.

"Err...Thanks," he answered awkwardly and snatched the bar from his new teacher. He dismissed the enquiring look and zipped up his bag.

The rest of the bus journey continued without incident and the class found themselves outside their new dormitory village at the appointed time.

"Don't leave any litter behind," barked the driver before he swung the door of his bus closed and took off, eager to get home.

Most of the children had been relocated to the village so Miss Lyons dismissed the class and said she would see everyone in the morning. For most it was a short walk. Oran was one of a handful of children who still lived in their own homes and started to make the journey to his grandmother's house on the edge of town. Without saying farewell to anyone he threw on his backpack and started the long walk. He was relieved to get away from his classmates although despite himself he was starting to like his new teacher.