Zombie Castle (Book 1) Read Free Page B

was just a cold that had come on during the morning. They offered him an empty row of seats to sit in, so as not to concern the other passengers, and gave him a few blankets to make him more comfortable. He’d already booked a room at an airport hotel, hoping to have a nice meal and get an escort to celebrate his new found status in style. But now all he wanted to do was get to his hotel room and sleep. He was too sick to question what was happening to him or why.
    Disembarking at Heathrow, he didn’t bother to collect his bag. It only contained clothes and he could easily replace them. Having passed through Customs, he staggered to the bus stop and waited for the shuttle bus that would take him to his hotel.
    The virus had been genetically modified for one purpose: to neutralise the one threat to its existence, the rhinovirus. When it had come into contact with the unknown virus from the mosquito bite, a fault in its painstaking programming had emerged. It had encountered a virus with enough similarities in its genetic code to cause a mutation. The two codes had combined to form a new and lethal virus.
    The new virus had just one purpose: to replicate and spread. The human immune system is a remarkable thing and under normal circumstances, once a virus has been detected, it will dispatch an army of defender cells, known as lymphocytes, to overpower and disable the invader.
    This virus was new; Vladimir’s lymphocytes were attacked and changed with devastating effect. They, in their turn, eliminated their only threat: the part of the brain responsible for activating the immune system. Without an effective immune system to protect it, the virus rampaged through the delicate brain, causing catastrophic damage to the frontal lobe and thereby removing any capacity for experiencing conscious thought or emotions. Other crucial parts of the brain were also affected. In essence, everything that was responsible for making Vladimir human, was obliterated. At the same time, a virus is only able to survive in a living, ‘healthy’ host. It made sure of its own survival. The parts of the brain associated with breathing remained intact, so that the cells could continue to receive oxygen. The part of the brain associated with hunger remained untouched, ensuring that the body would seek food in order to survive and the virus would receive enough energy to reproduce.
    The virus had almost run its course and exploded throughout Vladimir’s body. Struggling to remain conscious he almost fell from the bus and staggered into the hotel foyer. Halfway across the foyer he fell to his knees, vomited up the entire contents of his stomach, and collapsed on to the tiled floor.
    As Vladimir lay convulsing on the floor in a pool of his own vomit, most people recoiled and stepped back, but a few staff and guests hurried forward to try to help him. The hotel receptionist phoned for an ambulance and then put out a call for the first-aider on duty to come to reception immediately.
    One of the guests, who had been about to leave for the airport with her husband and children, came forward and explained that she was a nurse. She placed him in the recovery position and set about checking his breathing and vital signs. His breathing was shallow, and his vital signs weak, but he was alive. As the first-aider arrived, the nurse stayed by his side to help until the ambulance turned up. After handing over to the paramedics, she apologised and explained that she needed to leave or she would miss her flight. She washed her hands, teeming with virus, in the washbasin in the ladies’ toilets and then hurriedly left with her family, another virus carrier created.
    By now Vladimir was in a deep state of unconsciousness, his brain all but destroyed by the virus. He was destined never to experience another conscious thought. Now his brain would give him only the most basic abilities and instructions. He was able to breathe, to move and to eat. His sole function would be