Plague of the Dead | Book 3 | Plague of the Island

cleaning. The strange part was it didn’t look like a normal zombie bite. The bites I had seen the skin around it died first. Quickly decaying around the wound before the rest of you became undead with it.
Phoebe’s wound however looked like it was trying to heal. It was like a nasty dog or some other animal bite. But not a zombie bite.
I felt Phoebe’s head. She was warm but not feverish.
“How do you feel?” I asked her.
She shrugged, “Other than confused, fine. I feel like I lost a big chuck of time that I can’t remember but other than that, I’m okay.”
“You don’t feel like you’re about to turn?” I asked.
“Well, I’m not really sure what that would feel like, but I don’t have any desire to tear your flesh from your bones if that’s what you mean.”
I snorted out a laugh, “Well, thank God for that.”
She laughed a little and rubbed her head. I handed her a water.
“Thanks,” She said and seemed to down half the bottle in one sip. “I think I need to sleep,” She said and handed the rest of the bottle back to me.
I watched as she laid down in the back and turned away from me preparing to drift off to sleep.
I sat there a long time watching her. I was half scared she was going to pop up and bite off my skin anyway, despite what she had said. It didn’t make sense. I needed to discuss it with someone. It all seemed so crazy.
The only thing that we knew for sure about the disease is that if you got bit, that was it. You were done. You were one of them. Assuming they just took one bite out of you that wasn’t in the location of a major artery or they didn’t just finish eating you in one setting.
That was the thing we all understood about the plague. That was the given. Avoid getting bit at all costs. Keep the ones you love from getting bit at all costs.
Of course, I wanted Phoebe to be okay, but it didn’t make sense how she could be okay. A zombie was under that car. It had definitely bit her. Though how it got there had seemed weird at first, given that we had not had a perimeter break in ages. But being out here and seeing the zombies near the other cars, it was becoming clear I had let myself believe that we were safer than we probably were. I had lulled myself into believing in a false sense of security. Perhaps it was easier for me to believe that, so I didn’t stay in a constant state of panic.
Still, I couldn’t understand what was happening to Phoebe. I needed Luther or Daniel to help me figure this out because it just didn’t make any sense. I didn’t know if they would have a clearer idea than I did but maybe talking it out would shed some light on some answers.
I considered going to get one of them at that moment as the questions were just bursting me at the seams. However, there was a pounding at the door, and I looked to see the zombie from earlier had returned. I sighed; it wasn’t safe to go out yet. It would have to wait until morning.

Chapter 8
I fell asleep in the backseat as the night went on. I woke up due to the sun beating down on me. The zombie that was outside the car during the night seemed to have given up.
I peered over the seat to see Phoebe sound sleep. She was still Phoebe, still not some undead thing. By some miracle, she still hadn’t turned. I had honestly thought I had dreamed our conversation in the middle of the night, but it seemed to be true. She, unlike everyone else, didn’t succumb to the plague of the dead after being bit. I wanted to know how in the world that was even possible. It didn’t make sense.
There was a knock on the window taking me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Daniel standing outside the Jeep.
The knock caused Phoebe to stir but she didn’t wake up.
I got out of the car.
“Why didn’t you come back to camp?” He asked, looking a cross between panicked and relieved.
“Phoebe didn’t turn,” was all I managed to say.
“What? How? She was bit.” Daniel said. His face showing the confusion that was consuming me.
“Which she oddly doesn’t remember happening. But she’s also fine.”
I pointed to the back of the Jeep. Daniel looked at me skeptically and then peered in to see Phoebe asleep.
“The zombie did bite her right?” He asked mirroring my own thoughts.
I nodded, “Yeah. The wound is not even decaying like normal. I don’t know why she is reacting differently than other people.”
“I’ll go get Luther,” Daniel said.
While Daniel was gone, Phoebe awoke. I opened the back door to the cargo area so she could get out and gave her some water.
Luther and Daniel appeared quickly enough.
“How you feeling?” Luther asked.
“Groggy and thirsty,” she replied taking another sip of water.
“Don’t have a desire to rip off our flesh with your teeth?” He asked half-jokingly and half serious.
“Not presently,” she said.
Luther took her temperature.
“You’re running a slight fever but nothing like what the virus typically causes.”
“So what?” Phoebe asked, “I’m just not going to turn into a zombie. I was bit. That doesn’t make sense.”
“How would that even be possible?” Daniel asked. “I mean I’m ecstatic my best friend is still herself but everything we’ve seen so far has suggested that once bitten you’re toast.”
“Everything we’ve seen but there are variables we don’t know yet.”
“Like what exactly?” I asked.
“Well all the data released before the