Now that it was clear that she wasn't going to die in the sunlight she set to march onward in the hopes of getting out of the woods and find a road with a car or two willing to pick up hitchhikers – while praying that the people that pick her up don't rob/rape/kill her. While Amanda seemed pleased that the sun wasn't an enemy of hers the strange tingling sensation was becoming irritating, though not painful. Though it seemed deeply absurd that the sun made her light up like a disco ball now, she could at least walk in the sun.
She smiled, for it was clear that God was looking on her favourably. Clearly he wanted her for a specific task, what that task is she couldn't be certain. Was it kill the vampires? They were monsters after all. Or was it to expose the drug companies? The reason for her infliction was simply that a drug company was taking amoral – and certainly illegal – shortcuts in the race of fighting the other companies for that vaccine or treatment.
It was hard. She figured, as any good Christian did, that God would tell her all through visions and divine intervention. In that she would soon figure out what he wants of her.
Whatever her place was, she first needed to get out of the woods and find shelter. Again, this was going to be hard. She knew immediately that she couldn't go home because of what happened to her: her husband wouldn't accept her, especially around her daughter; dear god that poor little girl would be raised without a mother. Lets not forget the reaction of the church: vampiric members get ostracized every day. After all, no one wants to be associated with undead monsters, for they are within the armies of the devil.
Course, is she a vampire? Is she something else? Is she the opposite of a vampire? It would explain her unique ability to walk in the daylight without dying.
Whatever it was, she needed to get out of the woods. Out of the woods and she can get to another town and out to other parts of the country. She knew that she couldn't go to Orillia: it was too small a town to hide in. The only thing working for her was the fact that it wasn't winter time in these woods where the cold would freeze her already shivering self. Alas she couldn't be sure of the vast terrain that she was walking in, and she knew that she needed to find her way to a road stat.
***
“So, what exactly are you finding Ms Mansion?” Dr. Green asked his lab tech in the testing room attached to block C.
“Well sir, observe,” she replied as she pointed a flashlight-like device at one of the unfortunate subjects that failed to escape that eventful evening. The device: a full-spectrum light imitator. The device was designed to emit the same type and amount of light as normal sunlight. It was usually used on vampires to see the rate of burning of the skin in testing treatment options. Dr. Green gave his lab tech a funny look, though it disappeared once he figured out that the tech was seeing if the experimental vaccine had any effects on the newly turned vampires.
She turned it on.
A look of amazement came over Dr. Green as he watched the poor soul sparkle under the light in place of the burning. The subject wriggled in annoyance but wasn't screaming in pain as was usually the case in given circumstance. Seeing this was some sort of marvel in lamiology*, one that wasn't harmed by sunlight.
Course, this amazement gave to horror once it sunk in what this meant: there are vampires out in the woods that were daywalkers. Now the monsters didn't need cover of the night to hide anymore.
“I double-checked this with the other remaining subjects,” Mansion went on, “The results are the same: there seems to be a new strain of rotolamia.”
Dr. Green was quiet for a moment. In that moment he contemplated what this meant on so many levels, but for reasons of self-preservation he had to start at figuring out how to appease the soon to be angry corporate gods.
“What am I to tell VanCastrine?” Dr. Green asked rhetorically, “He'll have my head so Benton doesn't have his.”
***
While stumbling in the woods Amanda could make out a sound of sorts stumbling in the wood as well. Fear gripped her as she made an attempt to hide in the underbrush, fear coming over her that what was out there was a bear or a wolf, and such creatures would love themselves some human, infected or not.
She waited and hoped that whatever it was didn't notice her. It was hard to suppress her breathing, her panting for she wasn't use to walking like this for so long, and only dog blood running through her and little sleep on her behalf.
However, sitting on the brush she felt weak, and when she figured that the threat was gone she decided that she didn't want to get back up again. She was brought up in a small town and was not use to this sort of physical exertion, and she leaned back while hoping the threat was gone.
As she drifted into sleep though, hands came for her.
Yes reader! I'm leaving you on a cliff hanger!
*The study of vampires (vampiroloy sounds stupid, no?)
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