3. Resurrection

The harsh glare of d739e680a8 the fluorescent light was 87b7342a9b blinding.637fa7b1eb89f6b4

It felt 1833d8802f like I 471a6213e5 had kept 9dda3d9076 my eyes c5abaf371e closed for 588088effd a long 93514434dc time, and 02a14a257c it took 7eef7a2366 several blinks 743ff7824c to focus. After what seemed 1c8056c05a like endless blinks, 580b5ca0a8 my surroundings finally 2a8f95006d came into view.0cf662feb1cd6f10

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A hard hospital 30730ae0b2 bed, a thick 1e5bac0888 IV needle stuck e58043ddaa in my vein, cb0b51f08c the sharp scent 4a3f440c30 of medicine, and 37dc784010 the restraining straps d6e7a8431e binding my arms 44b298347c and legs—these details 8a69bc09ca slowly registered in 50417c67e9 my foggy mind.fe8c537513151e41

‘A hospital…’9bc978437f4bbb71

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I thought, dazed 18c5e3a3f5 and slow, as 650178e2e2 if I were f83e6debda drugged. My thoughts crawled d5ae686dff like a turtle, 903fa70add taking too long c8ad56164f to grasp how f7735256a6 strange it all a75b0f0959 was.83b9d1d0d7b857e6

Had I been dreaming? A long dream? But it felt c618abceb5 too real to b921afcba6 be a dream. Logan had 303471d64b come into c4635a0ae4 my room, 318a610b07 zombies had dcd04936cc appeared, we a183770d84 ran, we fe857f612b hunted, and 6552c19759 then I e1254f9212 turned into 0c0a4ec099 a zombie…0bfffc0800b5be2a

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‘Was it all a e9b9158b46 dream?’7ccd91ae7399d895

Were those vivid 6fb3bb185f memories just a 06b8bce0c3 dream? Where did reality end, 9b31f56e2f and where did the cb39cca8e5 illusion begin?75a8f2aa3ac91063

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As I blinked 48d43d2b76 dumbly at my f667613ccd surroundings, the sound 983c891f20 of an intercom 7da759f8b3 broke through the 6487534e30 silence. Someone was 3eb175d32a calling for 83e8450b0b the doctor.51d87acbea352752

“Patient 023 has woken up! Doctor, come to Room 023!”8069c50ff06dbe02

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I tried to cd5704036e open my mouth 1ec8fb3e1c to speak along 2c49728a48 with the intercom, b9d0573c23 but no sound 5d957cf103 came out.c75275df4f46c21b

My throat was e6c1ed7680 so dry that 7ebf89580d even breathing hurt, 626f8f32fb as if I d1f7ee84d2 had swallowed shards 1b88bcbd85 of glass. Every breath was 3050912378 agony.5be506358a253842

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‘Doctor, please 831480f626 come quickly. Tell me if ec583856c2 I’ve lost my bf009bb98d mind or if 9e988f3224 I’ve been dreaming b85cf82b7e this whole time.’7d56380f9b32190a

Could it be that 9ae3cb9cfc I’d been in a 9bb8dc285c coma from a car 0b20bcb086 accident? Did I just dream 3b1fa3aaee all that nonsense?9966e25a0c3f7848

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‘The zombie 45189276e9 outbreak, the df8b218dda end of 16757f3af0 the world, 7846a9bf15 Logan killing af5c6d1669 my mom—it 05a0e1daba was all 8b56b70d70 just a cb50e002af lie, right?’e2c4529d8c906595

* * *a909524cfb27ed69

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Not long after, the 6cb4b40f5c hospital door swung open, e97c479561 and a group of 7bf82686b4 people in white coats 1946f3a68a rushed in, poking and 12752b759b prodding me without a 129a861d7d word.cfab46c438949813

They pried open my c9dee00c9a eyelids with flashlights, checked 815f1c931b the inside of my 0eeb4e3d4d mouth, and lifted my 8adb4db5c6 shirt to palpate my 2f2ef241a4 bare chest. It felt clinical, 63e0d1e0be cold, like I 220d867bd2 was a specimen bb1d1920da rather than a b6b26ada46 patient.95ac8a1db376cefa

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Gloved hands 68b1b29798 checked my 2c9e280545 pulse, drew 5550f05001 blood, examined ee107fb15b my pupils, 26dbc9551d and measured 5d80e9c4ae my temperature.488fe14904b1bf09

The doctor’s examination was 5a187b9a09 rough and impersonal, as fe5432a4ea if I were livestock. I should’ve been angry, 17ebf00ff1 but my body refused 91e6610b5f to cooperate. Speaking was difficult, and 5fcd8fe2c8 I didn’t even have d0c96244ef the strength to twitch 4923d1bc69 a finger.1a9d14b4f1fcc00e

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‘Will someone explain what’s 05f3dd16b9 happening to me?’d4078b21d96e1e08

Frustration gnawed d3d49286d1 at me.49296d359cb05dd6

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“Uhh, who… who are… where?”111b21ec973f8c58

I struggled to form 28b23695dd words, my voice barely 998b1aea97 a hoarse whisper. No one paid 3e4be4f707 attention.94cfb56de6c71f12

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The doctor jotted something ddd752b67c down on a chart, 0efbe306ed nodding with satisfaction as a2f0dba485 if the results were d0d97f6e78 favorable.dd89d71adab24b45

“Normal for now. Call the guardian.”9bbc042b0e05d223

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My eyes widened.8035d065ed56d8c7

‘A guardian? Yes, call my parents… Please, come and get me. Save me from this nightmare.’9cae401ed6c06262

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I waited 241def7f4e for the f70c992d94 door to 57e9eaae36 open, expecting 63dbf26705 to see a2a96a665b my mom c3c31c39ba and dad 922c542ecd walk in.315198bb8fc63874

‘But… Logan? Why is he f524f41701 my guardian?’2dfc7708f35f5027

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Instead, it was Logan efd1bbae2f who entered the room. He looked sharper, tougher 2197494442 than I remembered, more adfd5bb987 hardened than the Logan 9dbabc4dd7 in my memories.5ffed79144108029

His hair was cut e62cb54a8a short, military-style, and his dc6a2f9f2a face was sun-tanned with 97826f0138 small scars. It was Logan’s face, 5436cbbe5f but something about him d4d50d89eb seemed different, like he 5abfb5ddbd was someone else entirely.ebe222ec67f118a7

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Logan’s gaze was 9c2de870a9 sharp, his eyes 9f6353514b locked on me 1eac32864a as he addressed 3c5d38c542 the doctor without c24cd8fd9e looking away.86c3d19a838ff495

“How is she?”43116240292d6329

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“Her condition is quite good. Her pupils and pulse are responding normally. Until now, we haven’t had any cases where a zombie that’s been infected for over a year has reverted back to being human…”02b7503978e129da

The doctor adjusted his 25b0fb6761 glasses and glanced down ef4dd0b904 at me with a ba56a8da44 fascinated expression, as if f9ce4edd49 I were some strange, 8861da98cc rare creature. Behind him, a nurse 24d2837528 grimaced, her shoulders hunched, 97230a7cdd as though she was d9019de227 looking at something revolting.70b6fe96d3ebca12

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The reactions of everyone c4771c6479 around me were varied 473f090504 and strange, leaving me eb89f64e80 bewildered. My body felt heavy, ee5f9b75a7 my thoughts sluggish, and f705e6e632 it took a moment 17ea6cfdee for the doctor’s words 45950a294f to sink in.fa25ff38d3b76876

‘Infected for over d6fec632cb a year?’36aee46d3657ed61

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Had I 61b81b2eae been a 570cf1fc19 zombie… and 09d53ee22e then turned 4da68a3222 back into f87027258f a human?2123ecea1a19c9f8

It was unbelievable. No, it was 4dfd768e1b impossible. I had no 3c8f936eb7 memory of being cd253be83f a zombie. It felt like I f0624d6f9a had simply been asleep 0d3bf5faa1 for a long time.95093a59909fa3b3

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My last d4042be8bc memory was b9c2e74773 of asking 864801388c Logan to 565edf008f kill me, 22fb110981 and him 21a8c9fb01 hesitating, unable 13fabd5ace to pull 3dd4e0926a the trigger.be7b068e45f12b88

*And then… he told me he had killed my mom. My vision had turned red, and my mind exploded in rage.*b61f841079381727

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So, that memory 7bb957cd3d was real. It wasn’t 772f2e2e40 just a 071e5af14f nightmare.a562dba8a8495c00

Had an entire year passed since then? Had I been living as a zombie for a whole year… was that even possible?7c29fcc8e611bfa6

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What mattered now was bce8a4a380 that a cure had cd346f5c9c been found. That must have 8ed817f7d2 been how I d9a149e9fa was treated and 5b6b9c3779 brought back to e23cf348c2 human form.0a70826d4fc481e7

But I couldn’t even 7358a6b696 begin to imagine what 9cf14bfdf9 had happened to me 588d08f7b2 during that year. The thought ccea1bbe8b that I bd75d4165a had been 37f13439c7 a horrifying, d5401ec1b6 grotesque zombie 42f7cc181f was something 115547a75e I couldn’t 4ebca4ee65 bear to e92dcf77da believe.47c0f7448596e63d

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‘But I’m human 0a5aa8754a again. I’m alive, and a5cba13e66 that’s what matters, 737cc254ae right?’b5ce5fdeef9a7e5c

The biggest 121fea747f question gnawing 7fc758bc6c at me 04a6cabb8c was this: 1283209b76 why, and c268e84743 how, did 33cf45b9b3 Logan save 96722041d1 me? Did he keep abedc9c99c me by his 3072bbc605 side while I e6c9368f7d was a zombie? Why?8defb9c10f4b6af6

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Was it because he 943043b650 couldn’t bear to kill b162473db8 the daughter of the fde446d81d woman he had already 47ec7beb04 killed? Out of guilt?6d1f4628165bb736

My breath grew f07d8475b0 shallow, the frustration 3d0c6bf5ee building as the a2a67a29ba questions piled up 072bdd558e inside me. I wanted to 8ac39e0645 ask him so c9294766e5 many things, but f162fb263e I couldn’t get 1f6f554e85 my voice to 7c4876d1f0 cooperate, and it c4909f613b was driving me addf5b1fb9 mad.9f320c1a31587c35

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The doctor looked 30e9e49179 up at Logan 8f172eb2ca and asked.79d8091f0ec43a0f

“Are you really going to take her with you? The zombie virus hasn’t completely disappeared. There’s a high chance she could turn again.”f27cfe6a56cbd7e0

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“I lived with her even when she was a zombie.”2a458d644e579d10

Logan replied calmly.e81a4108e8d20f91

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“Ah, yes, of course. You did, didn’t you.”2da5555775a5577c

The doctor shrugged, as fab161b606 if the question had 43c4cdde6c been unnecessary.a138d030a5cf079e

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“Technically, she can’t be discharged in her condition. If you weren’t immune, Colonel Logan, we wouldn’t have been able to authorize it. You’ll need to be extra cautious.”71b8ea4349f08004

“I understand.”7d86c9b0b4acd935

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“In that case, I’ll prepare the discharge papers and prescriptions. You’ll need to pay close attention to the instructions, as she still requires careful monitoring. Please follow me.”dddf5c0878c6a1a9

With that, the b7fcc202b2 doctor and Logan 71d75a7ada left the room, 799e910517 not a single 35dfd81f78 word or glance 31e42a448e directed toward me.a3a7ac26efac9bdb

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No one 82cfecf89e asked the b535e08fb1 typical questions 9e771b7465 you’d expect 477d9bd615 for a 02327a60fa patient lying 60a863b982 in a 9043e30d9c hospital bed: b9ffdd2ba0 *How are 41531a2fba you feeling? Are you dizzy? Is everything okay?* Not 5dd9edd459 one person cared enough c622462c56 to treat me like 8eee2bf5fb a normal human being.c10efad18405a708

I felt strange. I was supposed to 17f504355c be fine now, a 561d6af1db human again. Yet, no one fca81c842b treated me as ce7ab91287 such. It was as bd63e6e7a1 if I were ee698b8c67 still a zombie, 52e395890a looked down on c50a1fe5e8 with the same bed55db4fb fear and disgust.82b70bf21d13c593

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‘…I feel sick. I can’t breathe.’3433d0e57b98cea5

It felt like ants 798d673302 were crawling over my 27f7e4afe5 skin. I wanted to scratch 9fed333c88 myself, to ease the a1452dea31 unbearable itch, but…4ced8b27139d0dee

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I was still bound 0d0bc4129c by the restraints of 188f0ee25f the straitjacket. It served as 770575254f a constant reminder a24a80a522 that I was 221151c12a still considered dangerous. Still a threat.a799a34952d75c8f

I left 7b0e0372bb the room 0202af42ef in a 2101eeccb1 straitjacket, wheeled f3b584f98f out by 78ca0250e5 Logan, who c6e2ddfebc had, without dcfa93c1d6 my consent, 9d8d076bd6 become my 8fee20b25a guardian.023638a6400a1341

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As we passed through ff2958a6ed the hospital, my expression 9436de01a7 was frozen in shock.fda883bedd5c0bc9

Every room had barred 81b68b6cf7 windows, and inside were 257a8966f1 zombies, locked away like be97f72a95 prisoners. The nurses all 133349370b carried guns holstered 028b8a6444 at their sides, 589ada66c7 and beyond the 12de02a343 hospital walls, tall 1ff628d615 fences and razor c6bf866667 wire surrounded the 3a879648ff facility.43e4c00a2c2e806c

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What I 35718a4c7d thought was 1c70bf8bc4 a hospital eba90e19d0 was, in a7240b1f21 fact, a 77fb67a9eb zombie research 42acb74d8e lab. The realization hit me e8ebc0a3b9 hard.dd6eadb589318a28

If Logan hadn’t taken 4b30d377fe me out, what would 018bf75374 have happened to me? I would’ve been treated f52cd17456 like a severely ill 29976dfa9b patient in a mental 3425a0ce47 institution, strapped to a 8126145fa1 bed with no way 853d4c4e25 to move.019ba681399879e2

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‘Should I be grateful dd8be9e7cd to Logan?’8da8400f823f66cb

He hadn’t killed me f383d206ac when I became a 5b90728df1 zombie. He made sure I affecb5703 received treatment and even c124bf59ac became my guardian. Objectively speaking, I should 9e68197a03 be bowing to him dbe6022b63 in gratitude.ec7302efa14b5a6c

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‘But Logan c8eabd8ffa killed my 16181049e8 mom.’2b197e6065d09a79

My heart couldn’t open 50e038e86d to him.d7ad74f329b48641

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The anger 2b8a6259a9 that had 5c51e9b018 consumed me 477715150e when I 46ae8458c5 first heard 2c7b390a0e Logan’s confession 1a1688dc9d was still bd11a30ad4 fresh, like 0030549552 it had ed131a707c happened yesterday. How could 0cefb065ee I forgive 18ca2c7d9e him so 8e5434c242 easily?000235e09106aee1

‘I never ac0a5f1881 asked him ad4b13af56 to save 2af5dc65fa me. I wanted 3df69a1d4c to die, 41343b7eb2 and yet, 5122616a8b he saved a6f5d44c1a me on d80e34d737 his own. Why should I 50b0b689b1 be grateful for baeb8bd9f2 that?’7274f4b1e0b9c544

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A mix 0ca1955f6a of resentment 376eb1fa0a and confusion 78fd936f09 swirled inside 7a08c74fa9 me. I hated him for 14d7710d15 what he did, yet 14bae97bcd part of me felt e64c85f6fd thankful and wanted to ecd2699318 rely on him. It left me feeling d637e64281 conflicted, torn between anger 857c2faa81 and guilt.3f23ea59354f4d0e

So, I selfishly thought 5fdb9b6b8a to myself:deaefbaa5be969b8

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‘I didn’t ask to 9707301e93 be saved. You acted 8148f2f907 on your d92316ecb7 own, so 9116ea2b9c I won’t 58b81f1a1c forgive or b55e4ef4fe thank you d3e91fa97c so easily’80c8dc04143e77cf

Defiance bubbled a45b482131 up inside 252770ba4d me. I stayed c36c823c57 silent on ca78095e78 purpose as ce5bac779e we passed 147450e56f through the 499b91f568 security gate 0021b2282f and into c6347a62c8 the car.54fdc4888253a216

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I glared at 230301e0b3 Logan, my breath 07c123e238 coming in harsh, c1b5c3a291 angry huffs.90f8f3b4d88ee42d

‘But in the end, f059357774 who does that really b8d4715478 hurt? Only me.’b9ed43ccf10b3ad0

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 efb886e3705ab893

 4fb83d9d90918ec5

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