Ps. You Are My Happiness

7. The Edge of Infection

To be happy, you must be your own sunshine

-C. E. Jerningham

~.~

The ventilation tube fills with my screams of horror. Ivan holds the zombie's head with his free hand and twists it until the zombie dies. He pushes the zombie away and looks at me, who's still startled and shivering in fear.

He looks at the deep bite mark on his hand and looks at me. I can see through his eyes that he's struggling to think of something. I don't know what.

"Ivan..." I mutter his name and take his injured arm close to examine it.

His hand holds mine, and I can feel it has turned cold due to the instant blood loss. I quickly open my side bag, where I've arranged some first aid. Then I pull out some wrapping bands from it.

"It'll hurt, okay?" I quickly wrap his arm tightly so that he won't spill more blood.

"You are aware that I will soon be infected, right?" he asks.

For some reason, my vision gets blurred with tears. Why did this stranger have to take the zombie attack instead of me? The zombie was about to bite me, but he took my place, and now he'll become one soon.

"I will bite you afterwards." he reminds me.

"I am not going to leave you."

Ivan's free hand flicks my forehead. He leans against the ventilation tube's wall and laughs.

"You are so naive, Andrea. I am glad you didn't join the special forces. You can't have your feelings in the way of your life. You should get out of here." he says.

"Why do you sound so calm?! This is serious! If you turn into one and- and bite the rest of us... there won't be anyone to find the cure!" I exclaim.

Ivan's uninjured hand comes to hold my right cheek, and it takes me by surprise.

"I can't blame you for being clueless." he shakes his head, withdrawing his hand. "I won't get infected."

"What do you mean?! It bit you!"

"Look here." Ivan unbuttons his shirt, making the atmosphere inside the tube even warmer. I look aside for a brief second before looking at his chest again. He moves his shirt to reveal some wounds on his chest. They look like scratch marks. "And here." he pulls his shirt so his shoulder is revealed where there's a... bite mark.

"What is this..."

"I was bitten and scratched by zombies once. Once when I went out to get supplies. So I spent the night in the supermarket waiting to get infected without going back to the hideout so my friends will be safe. For some reason, I didn't shift into a zombie. And afterwards, I found out zombies simply ignore me. It's like I am one of them when I am actually not."

"Oh, god. How is that possible?" I ask.

"I don't know. I have no idea till today." he sighs. "However. No one knows this. Not even one of them. So I would appreciate it if you would keep it a secret. I didn't want you to find out, either. I don't even know you."

"Oh, come on. You just saved my life. You are my benefactor now."

"Yeah... I guess. Let's keep on moving."

We go forward after he buttons up his shirt, passing the dead zombie, and we come across another ventilation window. We look through the window and notice it's the ventilation window of a washroom, a men's washroom, to be specific, as we can see the urinals. There isn't anyone in there.

Ivan holds his baseball bat and crashes the window open.

"I'll go back. You stay here till I get the others," he says to me.

So I stay by the window, waiting and watching the washroom, suspecting there might be an infected person in there. But I hear no growling sounds. The others join me after a few minutes. I get down from the window first, landing on the ground and losing my balance.

Ivan picks me up as soon as he gets down.

Ugh... I don't know how many times he's going to save me like this. I don't like to owe anyone.

Once we all are down, we look around. Everyone seems to have the same idea because Sasha and I lock ourselves in two bathroom stalls while the boys line up in three urinals. I come outside after I am done, only to hear the boys in a conversation.

"Let me see how big it is." I hear Henry's hushed voice.

"Shut up. Creep." Ivan cusses, sparing a glance at me.

"But-"

"Pervert!"

Eric laughs aloud, realising what it is about. Henry turns red and starts explaining to Eric and me how once he saw Ivan naked and got cursed by seeing his moderately large manhood. Now he wants to confirm it again.

"Don't listen to him." Ivan groans before walking to the door of the washroom.

I stand behind him, shaking my head when I remember what Henry said. How big it might be- WHAT! I did NOT think that!

"I'll deal with the ones outside," Ivan says to me before walking out of the washroom. Now I know why he's fearless when it comes to zombies. Because he's one of them when he doesn't show any symptoms.

"What a dumbass. One time he might get killed for playing hero." Sasha says with a dissatisfied sigh.

"Well, he's good at it." I reason.

"Oh, don't you dare take his side! I am afraid he has lost interest in life." Henry replies.

I stay silent, glad to know that it isn't true. They don't know who Ivan really is. He's low-key infected but doesn't show any symptoms. I don't even know why I am not scared of him.

"What happened with that zombie inside the ventilation tube?" Henry asks about the zombie that attacked me in the ventilation tube.

"Oh... what did Ivan say?" I awkwardly ask.

"He said that it tried to attack, but he wrestled it and killed it."

"Yeah." I nod, looking away awkwardly, afraid they might see any difference in my face.

"It's all clear." Ivan opens the door for us to get out. I walk out while giving him a concerned look as he's painted with blood on his face. I take out a piece of cloth from my side bag and throw it at his face.

"Nice way to treat your benefactor." he sarcastically says to me.

"You complain too much."