I sighed as I pushed the elevator button closed.
I am Officer 3-6. In charge of the care and control of the Infected. I straightened my coat. There were mirrors all around in this elevator. Because this is the last time you can see yourself in any mirrors in Compound Q, or in any compound. I checked my teeth.
The elevator doors opened, and I was greeted with Officer 75, guarding the elevator doors. He was heavily armored, and standing as straight as a tree.
"Mornin' boss," he said, giving me a nod as I passed.
"Good day," I replied.
A girl came up to me, holding stacks of paper. Her name was Marissa, but she is called by 34. She had a buzz cut. All of us had to have a buzz cut, out of orders.
The Compound was underground, so the only source of light was artificial. Even so, lighting was still fairly dim. To our right and to our left lined one-way glass. We could see the Infected, but they couldn't see us. All they see is black. Everything else is gray. On top of each of their cages, was a strong, triple-locked door. It only gets opened during feeding-time. The feeders have to drop in a piece of cooked meat and water.
Each of our feeders have scars. They are each trained. They have to be extremely cautious, or else the Infected will pull them into the cage with them. The rest is history.
"We brought in multiple Infected's today," commented 34.
"Shit," I swore. Things are getting worse by the day. We were running out of personnel.
Infected's are what we call humans who have been infected with the X-virus. We still don't know how it's transmitted, but what we do know is what happens to a victim.
First, when they are infected, an X appears on any visible part of their skin. They are completely normal during this stage, but may be a little bit sleepy or aggressive. Second, when they notice the X by looking in a mirror, or seeing themselves, they turn into the worst version of themselves. They are Infected.
Being Infected has different stages. But what we have noticed is that they start acting weird. Unlike what their family members have described as normal. Then, they start losing emotions. Then, the five senses.
Then they are ready to be possessed. That's what some people call them, anyway. They have a craving for human flesh. They bang their heads against the wall. They want to constantly kill. Constantly.
One of our Feeders, named 47-but he wanted me to call him Jack-had formed a new scar, this time on his neck. Feeders are dressed loosely in a variety of colors and patterns, to look 'unappealing' to the Infected.
"Hey, Jack," said 34, "New scar? Who was it?"
In Compound Q, gossip spreads quickly. Who did what? When?
All of us used to be apart of the government, but ever since the X-virus hit, we got stripped from our jobs and assigned to the Compounds. Any doctor, regardless of what they did, was forced to work on the X-virus. To find anything.
" I need to sit down for a moment."
We both looked at each other. Had he been Infected? Jack wasn't acting like his usual, peppy self. I took a step back from him as he walked towards me.
"What? You think I've been Infected? Why are you backing up from me?" Jack said, being unusually aggressive. I stood there, against the wall, scared as hell. My eyes searched his body. There it was. On the back of his neck.
"Compound Q, Compound Q, we've got a Feeder that's been Infected. He's acting aggressive. Bring weapons," I whispered into the comms.
"Infected? You're lying. Give me a mirror!" Jack yelled, grabbing the attention of the guard at the elevator. He ran toward us.
"Jack, are you okay?" asked 75. They were brothers. 75 noticed something was wrong, but didn't do anything to control him.
Jack was still screaming for a mirror. Around this time, the elevator doors were opening. Out comes three armed guards with gas masks.
"No, don't take him-- Jack, are you okay? Talk to me," said 75, coming close to Jack. If you valued your life, you wouldn't go near an Infected.
"75, back away from 47. Immediately. This is for your own safety," said another officer. 75 just wouldn't do it. The third officer had to restrain him. Me and 34 were watching not too far away.
"Don't take him away!" screamed 75, struggling in the officers arm.
75 fell silent when they shot Jack with an electroshock bullet. We watched him convulse, then relax. 75 would never see Jack face-to-face, as that was this last time without a one-way-glass separating them. The third officer finally let him go.
75 ran to Jack, with tears rolling down his face.
"Why? Why'd you call him in? We could've just shielded him from mirrors!" blubbered 75, looking up at me.
"That's childish. He would've noticed at any time, and hurt either me or you. We're not going to expose him to any mirrors, so he probably won't become possessed."
"They're not going to become possessed," commented 34.
"That's what you think," I replied.
75 touched his brother's face, wiped his tears, and went back to work.
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Another day, another adventure.
Civilians think that the Compounds are the government's housing facilities for the Infected.
Oh, they are so wrong.
They are individual cages. One bed, but they usually got ripped apart after a couple of days, so we stopped providing them to the already-possessed. A toilet that they never end up using.
Me and 75 stalked the halls to find Jack at the very end of the Compound. We were running out of space.
75 touched the glass. Jack couldn't see him. Jack was shivering. Mind you, the cages are cold. Very cold.
"He's a normal human being. He hadn't been possessed yet. And you guys are locking him up. You'd understand if you'd have siblings that are in here," whispered 75. I didn't say anything back. I walked back.
My entire family was in here. They are all possessed, too.
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This is Infected X.
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