The Perfect Specimen

Clem said to Rodney and Beth, "There's a small n.a.k.e.d zombie out there, shouldn't be to hard to take him out as long as we don't get careless. Only, how did he get past Cleetus?"

Rodney chimed in saying, "Maybe he was already in here here before we came in. It's a pretty big place, with lot's of spots to hide."

Beth said to Clem, "Well then, go take care of it! That's what we hired you for isn't it?"

Clem finds and picks up a hefty metal rod that appears to have broken away from one of the chairs in the in the room. He says with a snort, "I might not be able to take on most zombies, but I can definitely take out this kid! Just you watch!"

Clem runs out of the room towards the boy still shuffling slowly towards them, and brandishes the rod behind his head, gearing up for a full swing. However, the moment he does so he notices something change about the boy. The boy instinctively looks away towards the ground while closing his eyes and raises his arms above his head in a defensive posture.

Seeing this, Clem is stupefied and tries to stop his attack, but due to his own momentum, he trips and falls on the ground. The young boy is still petrified in the defensive posture, and Clem is able to see the boy more clearly after sitting still and being closer. He sees the boy has dirt marks, and a mixture of dry and wet blood on his face and c.h.e.s.t.

Still shocked by the boys suspicious appearance though, he raises his finger to point to him and fires off a barrage of questions, "Are you alive? Are you a human kid? Where is your company? What are you doing out here?!"

Hearing the noise from the hallway, Beth and Rodney hurry out to see the n.a.k.e.d boy still in the defensive position, they become just as confused as Clem. It must be understood, that to come out to the wilds from Utopia was something only those in a company have the clearance to do. In each company there is an age limit of 18 that one would have to meet, and any younger than that, they are usually not allowed out of schooling district unless given special permission.

It is virtually impossible to find a normal unattended child roaming the wilds. Not only that, but survive out in the wilds.

Beth was about to go over to the little boy to comfort him, however Rodney put his arm out in front of her to block her path while saying, "He may or may not be a zombie but he is definitely not normal to have survived out here without a company." Rodney turns to the young boy and says, "Child, where are you from? What has happened to you?" To which the child lowers his arms, looks at Rodney and puts on a curious expression. After a few seconds of staring, it looks as if the young boy musters up it's courage and tries to speak.

However just as he does that, he stops midway and then stares back at Clem, leaving Rodney frustrated as his face takes on a colder expression. Rodney says, "Boy, do not try my patience. Answer my question!"

.

.

.

Going back to when the young zombie shuffled his way into the hospital, he followed his way towards the voices and kept trying to catch up to them. However as he saw the group of people walking in front of him at a much faster rate and leave him far behind, he notices a man with a long face that has a pointed chin, beady eyes, short brown hair, and two big buck teeth. He saw Clem, and he felt a strange sense of security with him, as if the zombie could trust him, like family.

The young zombie originally wanted to just find more food, however, it seems that a new feeling has taken hold of him, A sense of security. Having newly gained a consciousness just today, he is unable to communicate or even properly use critical thinking skills. The only reason he has learned how to walk is due to the instincts of being a zombie still controlling the majority of his actions.

Only understanding the basic instincts and very superficial knowledge, he is able to understand that this feeling of safety is a good thing for him. Thus he keeps walking to catch up to them. Luckily they stopped for moderate periods of time to stop and search for something, giving the young zombie ample time to catch up.

He turns the corner and takes a few steps into the hallway that the group of people are in, just to see the man that he felt he could be safe with charging at him with some metal rod. The man had the same crazed expression on his face as the half zombie who was fighting him for the piece of meat, as if it was a life and death battle.

The young zombie was taken by surprise and raised him arms above his head feeling as if he had been betrayed, he felt regretful of his choice to follow that feeling of security. However, at the last second, the man who was charging fell down and pointed at the young zombie and started talking, however, to the young zombie, all that he hears is strange incomprehensible noises.

As the rest of the group moved in around the zombie, he drew upon his experience with the mob of zombies fighting for meat not to long ago, and remembered that they would team up in groups against zombies that had already eaten. Remembering this, he feels as if this group of people thought he had some meat just like the half corpse did, why else would they surround him?

It seems as if one of the men in the group of people stood out after blocking one of his comrades from attacking. He begins making weird noises directed at the young zombie as well. The zombie then lowers his arms, seeing them making noises with their mouths. He realizes that they must be expecting him to do the same, like how he and the other zombies make the same groaning noises.

When thinking of this he tries to make a noise similar to what the man just made, but then he stops. He realizes that he is unable to make any noise with his throat at all even the original m.o.a.ning or grunting sound that he had been able to do before.

Unsure why, he feels as if this is a common situation and begins to turn towards Clem, expecting him to answer for him instead. He then hears the other man make more strange noises at him, but he sees no reaction from Clem to speak up for him. Thus the zombie realized that this security blanket that he felt he had, in fact, unreliable.

He was about to run away realizing that he is in danger from this group having their eyes on him. However he sees the person who was originally blocked in the back step forward, look back at the two others and shout towards them. She then walked toward the zombie, and reached her hand out towards him while making a expression on her face that the zombie has never seen before, but one that infected him and caused him to make the same face. Today, for the first time, a zombie was smiling.