3. Resurrection

The harsh glare of e8c0512e18 the fluorescent light was 9cdf0b92c3 blinding.65415acfcadceb78

It felt f3f458c08d like I 0f217975d6 had kept 7801e91342 my eyes c9ec15ce5a closed for 700a226206 a long fec6710f2e time, and 2ccd40ab4f it took 21b4ee2bdb several blinks 833a5363ec to focus. After what seemed 163313d219 like endless blinks, 8ca9f81c0c my surroundings finally 7632831ef5 came into view.45f4e1d9b3a140cd

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A hard 21f7e5d8ce hospital bed, 2a64d8a98d a thick bc2a4733d7 IV needle 1503b8440f stuck in 12782698f9 my vein, b8ffbf9230 the sharp bb081895bd scent of 3936aa9dfa medicine, and 4018d6576e the restraining e49ed0003c straps binding 0c0411d302 my arms cc38e2b887 and legs—these 3321c8cd29 details slowly 48a3855913 registered in 7880153ab2 my foggy 1be998ff1c mind.e3073565cc68d9f5

‘A hospital…’d7ee5ca25254681f

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I thought, dazed cbdf2b04a7 and slow, as 12071173bd if I were 412ad55899 drugged. My thoughts crawled e5ea6d7428 like a turtle, 85efcb5abe taking too long 9084768298 to grasp how 02ea3b7cc7 strange it all 4ea1ae4872 was.72b09a107d0c7b28

Had I 2bc55c9d8c been dreaming? A long dream? But it felt too 5fddfc57a7 real to be a 9bd5c220d3 dream. Logan had come into 6c7fe9df12 my room, zombies had a2c033010a appeared, we ran, we 31ab60f651 hunted, and then I 16457c7f89 turned into a zombie…7607c6d0f5247763

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‘Was it all 6ee4d309d0 a dream?’a97beb24ebdd9c20

Were those 7a4842bc6a vivid memories fe34a35570 just a 3c67fe642f dream? Where did reality end, 8532ccc4e0 and where did the 876f35488a illusion begin?b3874ba2f92a75df

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As I blinked dumbly 89e184c9a0 at my surroundings, the ee0dd87e5a sound of an intercom e4c2d404ea broke through the silence. Someone was calling a8c135e96e for the doctor.31adb88118a552a0

“Patient 023 has woken up! Doctor, come to Room 023!”af2769b41c12bacd

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I tried to open 83e56f6494 my mouth to speak 0e0dc76f38 along with the intercom, 1626d98863 but no sound came 9d7342b238 out.dee30b059197b951

My throat was so 1cfc6d95db dry that even breathing f0f8adc1c1 hurt, as if I 39a0383e09 had swallowed shards of c676831014 glass. Every breath was eded7a73e6 agony.b74fdf11db3146dd

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‘Doctor, please come quickly. Tell me if 906b6b4152 I’ve lost my 874709b3cc mind or if 21a6989d8c I’ve been dreaming 6448fdd933 this whole time.’5ca689467d3af25c

Could it db682d3245 be that b57e8c0312 I’d been aad8e71dd6 in a 9cf5567fb8 coma from 45c6ae3a8d a car 047e369061 accident? Did I just 2464b5f876 dream all that 6670f2f549 nonsense?e47cb27283264053

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‘The zombie 58c267f118 outbreak, the 6aae5a7a27 end of 450963a2da the world, 00eeb1a34b Logan killing 016eebac05 my mom—it c2f82acaac was all 43b3ad222b just a a6d9cba10a lie, right?’c2be9650c3d56012

* * *57bfb26690da1c0b

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Not long after, a2352a2b0f the hospital door a8cd883dbb swung open, and 51af52d00f a group of f9d0c02602 people in white 6392f1c85c coats rushed in, aad2b12cd3 poking and prodding f7e9d0ad50 me without a 5620a7c0f1 word.1fd167c0c7b0d443

They pried open my b081cd704d eyelids with flashlights, checked a2e136ecc2 the inside of my b90853c5ba mouth, and lifted my afff01a7d1 shirt to palpate my 37ad9f7b1b bare chest. It felt clinical, cold, bcfce4fecc like I was a 0a2aa4beee specimen rather than a 5f85c584fe patient.4ead2959d74fb4e7

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Gloved hands e3ba67969c checked my b692714b57 pulse, drew dcfdbac173 blood, examined ef72b0d022 my pupils, a0f4fc43f9 and measured 0ce25b1648 my temperature.574cca342e31cb5b

The doctor’s examination was 623d9a5581 rough and impersonal, as 9df7544b86 if I were livestock. I should’ve been angry, 7eed8b7f61 but my body refused 94e4fcb880 to cooperate. Speaking was difficult, and 2fac84b8da I didn’t even have 609b3b9f78 the strength to twitch eec5e7279e a finger.5bc60e3d8612dae3

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‘Will someone explain e553c03acf what’s happening to 92ba3766e7 me?’cbc990f76e572a72

Frustration gnawed at df2c93aacc me.8e8b80cecb8ccdac

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“Uhh, who… who are… where?”8649ea5f673a2eeb

I struggled to form d784cc8dc2 words, my voice barely 42b1a1ab4d a hoarse whisper. No one 41031d5572 paid attention.b3c81c055872d049

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The doctor jotted d0495bfdae something down on d56004ea7a a chart, nodding 685392b443 with satisfaction as b2d12207e6 if the results c6f7ae097e were favorable.3aabdd33d96878f0

“Normal for now. Call the guardian.”2a04a542f13f2e84

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My eyes widened.67d36dd17e56e1f7

‘A guardian? Yes, call my parents… Please, come and get me. Save me from this nightmare.’a7e11000ebede4c3

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I waited for 43e70c4557 the door to 2b928f32b3 open, expecting to 74a3e0e435 see my mom ebdcd08515 and dad walk e9610c13d4 in.ddd601f2c201be29

‘But… Logan? Why is he my 8cce64ecff guardian?’b1a2a6804c010359

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Instead, it was Logan 3e88f26a0b who entered the room. He looked sharper, 1c796f9fe3 tougher than I 8fd1ba762d remembered, more hardened 7fb8bf6a25 than the Logan b2bf33887c in my memories.501932f31cf9c707

His hair was 327f5716ef cut short, military-style, 2f4b0dae87 and his face 4af6f9df15 was sun-tanned with c784d668b5 small scars. It was c1ec71ad56 Logan’s face, 805fbaad08 but something 9f0c07e8c9 about him ff14caf6e7 seemed different, f5d6f441cb like he 5b63f1425f was someone 557358f8e8 else entirely.1c0368fd711a22ad

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Logan’s gaze was sharp, 89405b3e86 his eyes locked on 779a2393bd me as he addressed 6c1ea49524 the doctor without looking 11e764f131 away.52be59c619ecebbd

“How is she?”627338fe8497fa98

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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…”98b09ad4f2456145

The doctor adjusted ad46934b61 his glasses and e5b3af7223 glanced down at bf4a40db72 me with a ffaf462cfd fascinated expression, as fe6e474154 if I were ad8acc8e3b some strange, rare 9baaaf13ce creature. Behind him, 07ca1743b4 a nurse 4657486a2f grimaced, her f4c89d8a8f shoulders hunched, 1ea9730d68 as though b4739a7841 she was 6cfa866511 looking at 6b148bf05c something revolting.ed1b2993c34930c2

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The reactions of a9e8666de9 everyone around me 1f0a43b371 were varied and 556374a8f1 strange, leaving me 3078d2520c bewildered. My body f06564622e felt heavy, 07aeeff3ce my thoughts bbed8ef48b sluggish, and 226c57414e it took 95fbe56bb2 a moment 433fa66ceb for the 30bf63d4d4 doctor’s words 98d9243f0f to sink 225565e565 in.3399bc433e9aa9b3

‘Infected for over a 60f5596d72 year?’9adac3c61a8c5d97

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Had I f695b90003 been a 2288734757 zombie… and b3fa5b4106 then turned c15f6e2e14 back into 1eba69c8fa a human?2cfd214f9c10dd98

It was unbelievable. No, it was c83c54ecb9 impossible. I had d1f8418142 no memory c0f6e6257d of being 43a9b7582b a zombie. It felt like a1996e2aac I had simply 12a76d1e1d been asleep for eee7657d66 a long time.a0c76e50d6bca8c7

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My last 4af5acfb55 memory was ee3ac7e532 of asking 73b5125280 Logan to f013b11f0e kill me, 3046a5f973 and him 59a46b540d hesitating, unable 486eb15035 to pull c2f57ac983 the trigger.a0d6eb617b040bbd

*And then… he told me he had killed my mom. My vision had turned red, and my mind exploded in rage.*cd942a6025ff17a1

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So, that memory was 99fcfc0672 real. It wasn’t just d63f30df75 a nightmare.59085bcad972b47c

Had an entire year passed since then? Had I been living as a zombie for a whole year… was that even possible?c89cd49f6a9fc701

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What mattered now was 841166b451 that a cure had f5f0554f05 been found. That must have fbe0db1e8b been how I 9744244903 was treated and d454b65d37 brought back to b5f452183b human form.07953c2f0b7e3910

But I couldn’t even 03ad6f0955 begin to imagine what 949d4a0746 had happened to me ba57932fdd during that year. The thought f5bc359592 that I 0338f7f7c6 had been fe14ac141a a horrifying, 4f91ae4506 grotesque zombie 08b60954f6 was something 30c2457eba I couldn’t b453da64c9 bear to 9761dbc415 believe.4a3c6445ef6b2a7e

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‘But I’m b67e158007 human again. I’m alive, and 148dd916a2 that’s what matters, 57b2b95314 right?’7477688d49e681cf

The biggest question 1bb70ab842 gnawing at me 07eaa0ace5 was this: why, 1d676104e0 and how, did 1685ee4f70 Logan save me? Did he keep me 205fba808c by his side while dfb7d7871d I was a zombie? Why?4c82f7df66729c15

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Was it b776fc5e0b because he aeca5be099 couldn’t bear e31d8ea46a to kill 0ac54ba1b6 the daughter 0312b8adca of the f7edaf4952 woman he 20b7b7fe5e had already ab05026075 killed? Out of guilt?6ab2db6e308aee68

My breath grew shallow, 1871977a24 the frustration building as fffcf99678 the questions piled up d2f5930243 inside me. I wanted to ask 930a1e6880 him so many things, e7a5292f66 but I couldn’t get 6dfbd5b932 my voice to cooperate, 910813f479 and it was driving 0c0df38e82 me mad.6a24622fa873d7c3

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The doctor looked a5e9f91255 up at Logan 9466c8bf3a and asked.f505bb78f1dbdfc6

“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.”acba7e78d2752bb0

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“I lived with her even when she was a zombie.”44c9903fd2ce4ec2

Logan replied calmly.6b89adc5add77e81

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“Ah, yes, of course. You did, didn’t you.”b6b2d3cd269460b6

The doctor shrugged, 190b091960 as if the dea89832f2 question had been b1d04d5285 unnecessary.0e805d7d60802c9a

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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.”65be4deff0a73587

“I understand.”e4fb7160d7a6be7b

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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.”549ce888d8bd4506

With that, the doctor 7c37fd57c7 and Logan left the 4e4f86c3a5 room, not a single 7556b02a94 word or glance directed 2b9a55a623 toward me.455a1ddd552bf942

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No one 179e43c13c asked the 56c7103695 typical questions 8eeb60ef18 you’d expect b80de16707 for a 619c629898 patient lying 632e7e1ee7 in a 93e643ac48 hospital bed: 79d99e5fbc *How are 660c288dd9 you feeling? Are you dizzy? Is everything okay?* 8f8a974364 Not one person 2e71119c7e cared enough to 88f6c456ab treat me like 5ac87ad34a a normal human d760936b59 being.97ed04c1d70855bb

I felt strange. I was supposed to 1e9ff3d2aa be fine now, a aa0bea4399 human again. Yet, no one treated 4f984a15d5 me as such. It was as if dafd14803f I were still a 20297edd8e zombie, looked down on 414190f39b with the same fear 000341d723 and disgust.fbcf77c14741b532

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‘…I feel sick. I can’t breathe.’4ee5cebb7a04307b

It felt f9d51c7a61 like ants dee1d77042 were crawling 1c4fc1e613 over my e841777359 skin. I wanted to d2b86366e2 scratch myself, to 2c837ea331 ease the unbearable 9ef39d3f4c itch, but…15cf0fbf2650fd0f

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I was still c79f652c30 bound by the 9d160d0a65 restraints of the 96499f6b7a straitjacket. It served as a ae9b12246f constant reminder that I dbb66aec4a was still considered dangerous. Still a threat.61ae9107b07f8366

I left the room 86a2299934 in a straitjacket, wheeled 0de3352dc0 out by Logan, who 771b65a08d had, without my consent, cd2b1d14ff become my guardian.31c6c8535353d016

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As we passed 1f1ae7c5e0 through the hospital, 91cadd3238 my expression was 076f90b3bd frozen in shock.cd72732f86bd8933

Every room 1bca46fa9c had barred efd0720305 windows, and 8a6c2f343e inside were 3971e3a207 zombies, locked 74c18162d0 away like 8b1369048f prisoners. The nurses all carried b4bd85be6b guns holstered at their 4ac6f55c1c sides, and beyond the c1e6f9fb3d hospital walls, tall fences 690afffd3b and razor wire surrounded a120c67bc7 the facility.147c189ed9d102bc

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What I 75308310c6 thought was 7ea33345c2 a hospital 24e2ad7e3e was, in fc85926fae fact, a c752a41b21 zombie research 3283115c8b lab. The realization f6e2fe9975 hit me 6483d0eade hard.39ee613e4b1e98a6

If Logan 5ef077d090 hadn’t taken d6445e68c6 me out, 8be4cbfc01 what would 9fa323ecb8 have happened 396148c937 to me? I would’ve c25f186692 been treated 887893b0bc like a 9ab4b699ca severely ill 19f643b9f3 patient in ad57832207 a mental df53ce9eb2 institution, strapped a575b04e7a to a 9e6efe20eb bed with 2e1614b09a no way 77f1085f3d to move.053238a5b50354c0

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‘Should I b7edcebcc3 be grateful 6ff54d4bb4 to Logan?’d73b68d8c09858fe

He hadn’t killed me 91b297614c when I became a 56d10c5abe zombie. He made sure 00f49f6fcb I received treatment f652a2d33f and even became 573444a94d my guardian. Objectively speaking, I should 707277f170 be bowing to him b1ebbc6e71 in gratitude.7ad36f51ade38558

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‘But Logan killed 6530b493ee my mom.’d1c01f038da74ac0

My heart 5377b1a3d7 couldn’t open 58f5d68d21 to him.b71f9819e24b563d

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The anger that a1d38291f8 had consumed me 21bda44a21 when I first 15ed58d092 heard Logan’s confession 48373c871d was still fresh, 5f29d354e7 like it had 0ec2a9ef33 happened yesterday. How could I 4d22481c1c forgive him so 6ab831528d easily?1585b622ecea63ac

‘I never asked 9ebb8b8016 him to save 810fa086d2 me. I wanted c9b287d9c3 to die, 10ab0de543 and yet, 55c405c9ca he saved 390cf61645 me on 6457829885 his own. Why should 3e79f85e50 I be 3e49e8d213 grateful for a53176af9c that?’a379ef54c602734a

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A mix of 7f3c1bff3f resentment and confusion 13c90acf48 swirled inside me. I hated 6d8c3db6fa him for 61525829c8 what he 7576712af9 did, yet 2b1e9c7e19 part of d034fe6fc6 me felt 000fe64e48 thankful and 77e63aafe8 wanted to f191f4ae59 rely on 32e3c65c22 him. It left me 3ea200bc72 feeling conflicted, torn 20f2af77b6 between anger and e55be79ae2 guilt.588048e34329b1bc

So, I selfishly thought 9a0a3b7ad9 to myself:ce0eb8604243cb08

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‘I didn’t ask to ea2974ed75 be saved. You acted on your 7ba0d780f2 own, so I won’t 33856a97ab forgive or thank you b38c55b4db so easily’b919c64877146cc7

Defiance bubbled up e7bbf21547 inside me. I stayed silent on c7ebf736aa purpose as we passed ab0f6692b4 through the security gate 5023706788 and into the car.550aae29481bf48e

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I glared at 0294bc40f9 Logan, my breath 9ed6f5836e coming in harsh, b4d253ba31 angry huffs.98e3c6ffdf389c91

‘But in the 31dd54230c end, who does 4225a06d7f that really hurt? Only me.’2475a8745fe09bb3

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