Emily's eyes lit up with a sudden idea. "Maybe it's something to spray."
Blake shook his head, his expression skeptical. "No, it's too little for everyone, besides, it's in their blood."
Owen's brow furrowed in thought. "Then it's something for them to drink."
Emily sighed, her shoulders slumping. "But how can we get them to drink it?"
Blake's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "Let me see if it'll mix with water."
Emily nodded and fetched a bowl of water. Blake carefully dripped a little of the cure into it. They all held their breaths, watching as the water turned white, like the cure's color.
A collective cheer erupted, quickly followed by silence as they remembered their grim task.
Emily spoke up, her voice determined. "We should mix the portion in a truck container of water, get the zombies together, and spray the water into their mouths."
Blake's face lit up with a nod. "That'll work - zombie mouths are always open."
Emily chuckled, a hint of dark humor in her voice. Owen, however, remained silent, his thoughts still with Hayden
Blake's words brought a sense of purpose to the group. "With the help of this other potion, we'll drink it, then tomorrow we'll go back to the place where we came from. Each one of us, including Hayden's securities and guards, will get a water container truck."
They nodded in agreement, exhaustion finally catching up with them. The three of them lay down on the floor, their eyes fixed on the cure and the plan they'd hatched.
As they drifted off to sleep, the silence was only broken by the occasional sniffle or sigh. Owen's eyes, though, remained open, his mind replaying the events of the night. He whispered a silent goodbye to Hayden, his heart still reeling from the loss.
The night wore on, the mansion's occupants sleeping fitfully, their dreams no doubt filled with visions of zombies and cure-filled water trucks 😊.
The next day
The next day, morning broke over the mansion as Blake called all the securities and guards - about 40 of them - and told them the plan. They all took a sip of the potion, then got in the cars and drove back to Blake's place.
As they arrived, they were met with a sea of zombies surrounding the house. Everybody pulled out a weapon, fighting their way through the horde to get inside.
A zombie bit Emily, but nothing happened. She screamed in excitement, "Oh yeah, c'mon, bite my bone out - nothing will happen!" More zombies approached her, and she playfully prolonged the moment, "Oh, oh, I'm just kidding!" as she ran to Blake.
Owen, too devastated to fight, stayed by the car, watching. When he heard a zombie sound behind him, he slowly turned around. Seeing Hayden approaching him, he limped back, falling on the ground, saying, "Hayden...it's me."
Hayden's zombie eyes locked onto Owen, his movements slow and stiff
Hayden's zombie form loomed over Owen, his eyes vacant, but his movements slow and almost... cautious. Owen's heart pounded as he stared up at the creature that used to be Hayden.
"Hay...den," Owen whispered, his voice trembling.
Hayden's head tilted, his mouth opening and closing, like he was trying to say something. But no words came out, just a low, grawling moan.
Blake and the others, having fought their way to the car, watched in shock as Hayden didn't attack Owen. Instead, he seemed to be... hesitating.
"Owen, get away from him!" Blake shouted, raising his gun.
But Owen shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "No, wait!"
Hayden's hand reached out, his fingers brushing against Owen's cheek. The touch was gentle, almost... loving.
And then, in a moment that left everyone stunned, Hayden spoke, his voice low and gravelly. "O...wen..." 😊
Owen's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Hayden's zombie form. "Hayden?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Hayden's eyes, though cloudy and dead, seemed to focus on Owen's face. He repeated, "O...wen," his voice a little clearer this time.
The group watched in stunned silence as Hayden, the zombie, slowly knelt down beside Owen. His movements were stiff, but his eyes never left Owen's face.
Owen's tears flowed freely as he reached out a trembling hand to touch Hayden's cheek. "You're... you're still in there, aren't you?" he whispered.
Hayden's face contorted, like he was fighting to form words.
Owen's sobs broke through the silence as he threw his arms around Hayden's zombie form, holding him tight. "I'm sorry,I love you so much Hayden " he whispered, his voice muffled against Hayden's shoulder.
The group exchanged a look of wonder, unsure what to make of this development. But for Owen, it was all that mattered - Hayden was still in there, fighting to hold on
The group's stunned silence was broken by Blake's voice, laced with a mix of hope and caution. "We need to get him inside, figure out what's going on."
With Owen's help, Hayden's zombie form slowly stood up, his movements still stiff and jerky. The group moved cautiously, keeping a safe distance as they guided Hayden towards the house.
As they entered, Emily quickly grabbed a rope, expertly binding Hayden's wrinever mind and body to keep him from wandering off or causing harm. Owen protested, but Emily reassured him, "It's just a precaution, okay? We need to make sure he's safe."
Hayden's eyes, though cloudy, seemed to plead with Owen, like he understood what was happening. Owen stayed close, talking softly to him, trying to calm him down.
The group gathered in the living room, discussing this turn of events in hushed tones. "This changes everything," Blake said, his eyes on Hayden. "If he's still in there... can we turn him back?"
Let test the potion on him.. Blake suggested
Emily nod, putting down his weapon when she accidentally hurt herself
Chaos erupted as Emily's blood hit the air, and Hayden's eyes turned feral. He lunged at Emily, driven by instinct alone. Blake sprang into action, tackling Hayden to the ground, using minimal force to subdue him without killing him.
As Emily frantically wrapped her cut hand, she grabbed Owen's hand, and they fled the scene. The others followed, leaving Hayden bound and contained.