Cooper's face paled as he grabbed the table with one hand to steady himself.

"Zombies? Here on the island?" he said after a few moments of silence. "Are you sure?"

Oliver shrugged. "I can't say for sure, but the signs point towards it."

"Let's just calm down here, ok?" Claire said, her hands raised. "We know nothing for sure. If word got out that there's a zombie outbreak on the island—"

"Yes, I'm aware of the implications, Claire. We need to find out for sure."

"How? Your Jason ran away."

"He did, but I know where he was. He drove me out here, and I dropped him off at a friend's house. That's the last place I saw him. We should to start there."

"Do you remember where this house is?" Cooper said and pulled out a small notebook and a pen.

"I don't remember the address, but I can show you. It's just a few minutes from Dr. Armstrong's office."

Cooper and Claire looked at each other for a moment. Claire nodded towards the door and they both left the room for a few moments. He could hear their heated but muted voices through the door. Claire returned moments later, a grim look on her face.

"Here's what we will do. We'll drive together, and you'll show us where this place is. When we get there, you let Cooper and I check the house out."

"Claire—"

"I know you. Your research brain can't wait to see what's inside but you don't like the visuals."

"I have to see the scene, if there is one."

"You will. After we clear it. Deal?"

Oliver sighed. Although he knew Claire was right, time was also of the essence. If there was a fresh outbreak on the island, it had to be contained before it spread throughout the wider population. The island was only so big. Any contagion would spread like wildfire if left unattended.

"All right, deal. When do we leave?"

"Cooper is getting our Jeep ready. Follow me." Claire turned and walked out of the interrogation room. Oliver followed closely behind.

By the time they walked through the front doors of the police station, the Jeep was already idling at the curb, Cooper at the wheel. Oliver jumped into the back seat and as soon as Claire closed the passenger door, Cooper put the Jeep in gear and turned towards Dr. Armstrong's office.

Oliver guided them back to the location where he had dropped Jason. Cooper parked on the opposite side of the street and turned the engine off. The patter of rain replaced the rumble of the engine on the roof. It only took moments before the heat from the vents dissipated and the cool air regained its domain. A shiver ran through Oliver's body as wiped condensation off the side window and looked at the house across the street.

It was a two-story structure with a steep angled roof-line. Although it was difficult to see in the dark, Oliver suspected that the house had at one point been bright yellow. Now it appeared gray. The porch light was off, and a faint orange glow was visible through the drawn curtains of what Oliver assumed was the living room. The faint beat of EDM came from somewhere in the building.

"Let's do this," Cooper said with a grim look on his face. He disappeared around the back of the Jeep while Claire let Oliver out. He emerged with a shotgun in his hand.

"Whoa there, what are you doing with that?" Oliver said as he put his hands up in front of him.

Cooper nodded towards the house. "I'm not taking any chances in there."

"You of all people should understand," Claire said as she retrieved another shotgun and double-checked that a shell loaded in the chamber. They both attached small flashlights below the barrel of each shotgun.

"I do, I do, but we don't even know what's in there."

"There's no 'we' this time, Oliver. Remember? We had a deal. You're staying out here."

Oliver shook his head. "I'm not staying out here if they're in there."

"Oliver," Claire said and shook her head. "I want you to be safe. Staying in the car is safe. If you come in, I can't guarantee your safety. Not if they're really in there."

"If there really are zombies in there, do you really think I'd be safe out here by myself without a weapon?"

"Are you two done bickering yet?" Cooper said and put an extra box of shells in his pocket.

"Fine," Claire said and threw her hand up in the air, then pointed at Oliver. "Don't say I didn't try to keep you safe."

Oliver nodded. "Don't worry about me. I'll be all right."

"If you say so. Stay behind us," Claire said and ran across the street with her rifle raised, Cooper and Oliver close behind. They ducked behind a parked sedan and waited a moment while Claire watched the building. There was no sign of movement.

Claire signaled towards the front door and they moved in a crouch towards the door. Cooper stopped on the left side of the door while Clair approached from the right. Oliver stayed close behind Claire.

With a nod from Clair, Cooper tried the door handle. He found the door unlocked and opened it just a crack while Claire covered the door. The sound of the EDM from inside increased in intensity and volume. Cooper kicked the door open and after being given the all-clear by Claire, he moved through the door, his shotgun sweeping left and right. The other two followed close behind.

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They entered a dark hallway. The cones from the flashlights played across the walls and doors. Straight ahead, an arched doorway led into the kitchen while a narrow hallway continued to the left towards the living room. A stench similar to what Oliver had encountered at Armstrong's office greeted them. He stopped and took a deep breath to stop himself from gagging. Cooper continued towards the living room while Oliver followed Claire into the kitchen.

A pot of water was boiling on the stove, almost dry. A packet of spaghetti noodles sat on the counter next to a jar of spaghetti sauce, illuminated only by the light above the stove. Someone had been cooking dinner. They moved through the small breakfast nook at the end of the kitchen and into the formal dining room. Three sets of plates and utensils were laid out, together with a six-pack of beer. A couple of candles flickered on the table, failing miserably at hiding the stench that permeated the lower floor.

They met Cooper in the living room, his shotgun aimed at the stairs. The music came from the second floor, as did a faint glow of light. Claire nodded for him to proceed up the stairs.

One step at a time, they climbed the stairs. The music became louder, and the stench increased in intensity with each step. As they approached the top of the stairs, Oliver noticed a dark liquid pool on one of the steps. He grabbed Claire's arm and pointed. She turned her flashlight towards the floor and they both gasped at the same time. The step was dark red with blood, the boot print of Cooper visible in the middle, and on the next step.

Cooper turned when he noticed the flashlight point down instead of up. "What?" he said until he noticed what Claire's flashlight was illuminating. "You've got to be kidding me," he said with a groan and looked at the bottom of his now red boot. "This isn't happening—"

The roar, barely audible above the music, caught their attention. Clair had just raised her gun from the floor towards the top of the stairs when an ominous shadow appeared in the cone of light. Blood streaked across what once had been a face, and the whites of the eyes were bright red. Saliva mixed with blood dripped from its lips while matted hair pointed in all directions. Oliver took a step backward. Claire fired. The creature staggered backward, a bright red splotch now covering its chest.

It hit the walls just as Cooper followed up with a second shot. The creature stepped sideways into a hallway to the right as blood dripped from its soaked abdomen, leaving a trail on the floor. Claire advanced past Cooper and followed, her shotgun raised in front of her. She cleared the hallway to the left and then disappeared to the right. Oliver followed Cooper as Claire fired another shot. He heard glass shatter as they caught up with Claire in one of the bedrooms. The music stopped as Cooper planted a foot in a receiver just inside the door.

"It jumped out the window," Claire shouted and rushed past them. An empty shell casing flew through the air as she pushed another shell into the chamber. "Cooper, come with me."

Without a word, Cooper followed Claire out of the room and down the stairs before Oliver had a chance to protest. The footsteps of Claire and Cooper charged down the stairs and out the front door while he was left alone in the room, illuminated only by the static of a flat-screen TV mounted on one of the walls. He left the room, heading for the stairs when he froze on the top step. A pair of feet were visible on the floor in the doorway of one of the other bedrooms.

He glanced down the stairs, wishing Claire was there. What do I do? A chill ran down his spine and his hands felt clammy as he made a quick decision and approached the room. Inside was the mutilated body of a man, his face unrecognizable. Oliver felt the inside of his stomach revolt once again and fell to his hands and knees.

"Why do I do this to myself," he muttered between his teeth as he fought against the taste of bile that teased the back of his mouth. He took several deep breaths and then got back to his feet just as Claire returned up the stairs.

"It's gone," she said between breaths.

"Gone?"

"Nobody below the window, no sign of it in the yard or on the streets. I've never seen anything disappear like that."

"I haven't either. Look at this one," Oliver said and pointed over his shoulder.

Claire walked pasted him and kneeled next to the body as casually as she was inspecting an item to purchase in a store. Oliver had always been jealous of her ability to suppress her feelings in stressful situations. He was the first to admit that he didn't have the stomach for his job but did it anyway, out of duty but also because the phenomenon fascinated him. How a normal person could turn into a ravenous, deadly beast in no time defied logic. It was a problem he had helped prevent once before and if this was a new strain, he would be there regardless of what his stomach said.

"Is he dead?" Oliver asked while Claire patted down the pockets of the victim.

"Yep," she said as she pulled a wallet out of one of the pockets. She flipped it open and rifled through the various cards inside. "Well, it looks like we found your friend." She handed the wallet to Oliver.

Oliver looked at the driver's license in the wallet and felt his heart leap. "Dr. Armstrong?"

"Looks like it."

"But he's got both of his arms?"

"Maybe the arm at his office belongs to someone else?"

Oliver shook his head as he read the details of the license. Although the victim's face was no longer recognizable, the hair color and height mentioned on the license seemed to match that of the body.

"I wonder why he's here," Oliver said as he handed the license back to Claire. "I mean, was he here when I dropped Jason off?"

"I'm no expert but I'd say if he was here then, he was definitely still alive."

Oliver shuddered at the thought. Armstrong may even have seen him drop off Jason through one of the windows. He may even have called for him in desperation to get Oliver's attention. Oliver ran his fingers through his hair and let out a deep sigh.

"Listen," Claire said as she stood up and put a hand on his arm. "I know what you're thinking. There's no way you could have known."

"Isn't there? What if I missed a sign or something? What if I could have saved him?"

Claire grabbed both of his arms and looked him straight in the eyes. "Oliver, there was nothing you could have done. You didn't know. Don't beat yourself up. I know you'll do it anyway, but what's the point?"

"I might have been able to save him, Claire, that's the point."

"Like I said, how could you possibly have known? You're new on the island, Jason was helping you out. The question, Oliver, is why Dr. Armstrong was even here? Did he know Jason or his friend?"

Oliver took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right, of course. As always."

"We have his address, from his license. I think we need to check out his apartment, Oliver."

"I agree," Oliver said as his eyes lit up. "Yes, we should. His home might hold the key to why he was here and why he wanted me here in the first place."

Cooper came running up the stairs just as Claire opened her mouth.

"We've got a problem. We need to get out of here now."

"What's wrong?" Claire let go of Oliver.

"There are more of them. Out there, on the street. They're coming out of the homes down the street."

"What?"

"Come, we don't have much time."

"Oliver, stay close," Claire said before she followed Cooper down the stairs, her shotgun raised. They moved quickly through the living room and down the front hallway. As they stepped out on the front, they all saw the same thing. Dark shadows had emerged on the walkways from each house, moving without a sound towards the house they were just leaving.

"Fascinating," Oliver said as he observed shadows converge. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"I think we better run for it if you plan on having a chance to analyze it," Claire said. "Oliver, you ready? Cooper, shoot anything that approaches."

Cooper nodded with acknowledgment. Claire took off down the stairs, running as quickly as possible with her shotgun raised. Oliver followed with Cooper behind him. Seconds later, they were in the Jeep. The moment the engine roared to life, the shadows broke into a run all at the same time, rushing the Jeep.

"Hang on!" Claire shouted and floored it.

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