Chapter 11 Our Little Secret

• When the bishop reopened his eyes, the antidote rushed through his veins like adrenaline and slowly eased his symptoms. His breathing turned normal, and he stopped coughing.
• Moments later, even the rash disappeared, and he felt as healthy as a horse.
• At nine in the evening, the choir boys stood in perfect formation, ready to rehearse the Christmas carols.
• The bishop shut the door as a chilly wind swept the rain into the church.
• The two young priests bid him good night and walked out through the back door.
• After securing all the doors and windows, the bishop returned to the choir and put his hands together.
• “It looks like it is going to be a stormy night, but do not fret. The Lord’s light will always show us the way.”
• As the boys started singing, the bishop took his seat in the front row. But midway through their performance, his heart started racing, and he felt a sudden urge to bite down on something.
• The bishop looked at his trembling hands only to find that the red rash had reappeared, and his skin was slowly starting to turn pale and flaky.
• “No…Not now.”
• He got up at once and rushed toward the podium.
• The choir boys stopped abruptly, worried about the bishop.
• “Father, are you alright?”
• The bishop answered sternly without turning back. “Please continue signing. Pay me no heed. I am fine!”
• Once the boys resumed singing the Christmas Carols, the bishop inserted a small key into the podium and unlocked a hidden shelf. From inside, he pulled out the briefcase the stranger had left behind.
• “Everything will be okay,” he mumbled to himself as he cracked a new vial and used it to fill the syringe. “The Lord shall always protect me!” he muttered, clenching his jaw as he took the shot in his left arm.
• As the bishop’s breathing relaxed, he put the briefcase away and heaved a sigh of relief.
• “That was some excellent singing, my little angels. You are the Lord’s favorite cherubs, and your voices will—”
• Before the bishop could utter another word, his throat choked up with spit, and he keeled over, convulsing in pain.
• “The Lord is my Shepherd!” he cried. “Please guide me in—”
• Suddenly, his words turned into incomprehensible groans, and everything turned red. He looked at the children through his bloodshot eyes, and his back arched violently.
• His left arm started swelling uncontrollably, and a searing pain made him groan in agony.
• “Father, I think we should call someone!”
• One of the little choir boys approached the bishop. He was about to help him up when the infected bishop suddenly lunged at him, and everything turned dark.
• “Liam! Are you okay?”
• Gasping for air, Liam returned to his senses. As he slowly turned around, he saw Nora standing behind him.
• “I am fine. Just…a little fit.”
• Nora looked at him apprehensively and slowly broke the bad news. “I searched everywhere. There’s nothing in the bishop’s chamber.”
• “It’s inside the podium,” Liam revealed, pointing behind her.
• Nora looked utterly confused. “How do you know?” he asked.
• Liam hobbled to his feet and searched the infected bishop’s rotting corpse until he found the brass key hanging from his neck. He quickly snapped it out of the silver chain and tossed it to Nora.
• “Just trust me.”
• Still in complete disbelief, Nora walked up to the podium and inserted the key in the hidden keyhole. As she turned the lock, a secret compartment sprang open.
• Inside it was the black briefcase containing five vials of antidote and a used syringe.
• “What the hell is this? How did it get here?” Nora turned sharply to Liam, and her brow furrowed. “What the hell is going on? How did you even know this briefcase was supposed to be here?”
• Drenched in sweat, Liam walked up to the podium and grabbed the vials. Shoving three of them into his pocket, he handed one to Nora.
• “Keep this safe. Might need it later.”
• Nora, however, didn’t like his attitude. “I asked you something, Liam!”
• “I’ll tell you everything soon enough.”
• Without waiting a second longer, Liam cracked open the last vial and poured the antidote directly into his mouth, swallowing the bitter, soapy liquid in one gulp.
• “Fuck!” he cursed, spitting hard to get rid of the burning aftertaste.
• As the antidote coursed through Liam’s veins, it neutralized the infection, causing his skin to return to its natural color and his eyes to turn normal again.
• Almost immediately, his system window flashed open, greeting him with a new notification.
• [Experimental antidote located and ingested successfully!]
• [Infection level nominal.]
• [Next dosage due in: 2 days, 15 hours, and 16 minutes.]
• [Reward granted: Secret formula!]
• [Experimental Antidote formula: 10 ccs of morphine, 5 ccs of Serum X, and 10 ccs of infected plasma.]
• “Liam, what the hell is going on?” Nora asked, demanding an explanation.
• Liam had no idea how he was going to explain the strange new system he had just acquired, and wondered if she would even believe a thing. But he still decided to give it a try.
• “I have bonded with an Infected Evolution System,” he blurted out. “It helps my body adapt by killing the undead and absorbing their—”
• Before he could finish, a cacophony of shrieks and angry groans caused him to cut his words short.
• The infected had heard the gunshots, and a mob of hungry corpses was shambling toward the church.
• “We need to get out of here!”
• The words were barely out of Liam’s mouth when a group of feral zombies smashed through the glass windows and screamed in their faces. Another horde broke down the front door and poured into the church like vermin.
• “Run!” Liam yelled as the infected went into a frenzy at the sight of fresh human flesh and rushed at them from all directions.