ATTACKED BY PHILIP

EVA's POV

I went to the kitchen and washed the dishes. Then I cleaned up our house and watered the plants yet it was only 1:30.

Alex should have reached the hospital by now but why didn’t he call? Maybe he was busy talking to the doctor ar bringing medicines. I took the phone in my hands and dialed his number but he didn’t pick up.

I didn’t want to overreact but I couldn’t help feeling worried.

Why hadn’t Alex called me? Was Philip alright? Was Susie Alright? Thousands of questions and premonitions plagued my mind.

I decided to go and meet my neighbor to distract myself. After about a ten minutes walk, I reached a pretty cottage. It wasn’t anything very lavish but I loved its primitive look.

I rang the bell about four or five times but she didn’t open the door. They must have gone out but why were the lights on then?

I rang Mrs. Smith up. She picked up the phone and said in a hushed voice, “Hello….”

“Mrs. Smith….Are you at home?”

“Yes…” She replied so softly that I almost didn’t hear her.

“I have been ringing the bell for ages, why aren’t you opening the door?”

“ I am sorry Eva but my husband has strictly forbidden me from opening the door. What if you have the virus?” She whispered and then disconnected the call.

Which virus was she talking about? After returning home I switched on the television and put a news channel.

BREAKING NEWS: The government has announced that El Rosa will be under lockdown until the cure for the virus was found.

“Holy Crap! How did it become like this?” I muttered and googled ‘New Virus’ on my phone.

The Vampire Virus of VV for short is believed to be a strain of untreatable virus. It causes a human being to crave for blood. The problem is that the human body is not capable of digesting blood. When a human consumes excessive blood he falls ill and ultimately dies.

The urge to drink blood blinds the human being to a level that he/she doesn’t even mind killing people.

The dream I had seen revolved before my eyes. Was that an indication of what was going to happen?

At present, the patients are being kept at El Rosa Memorial hospital. They are handcuffed and shackled to prevent them from hurting others.

There is no cure for this illness. The patient ultimately dies of starvation as he is unable to consume human food!

Did the report say ‘El Rosa Memorial Hospital’? Wasn’t it the hospital where Philip was admitted? Did it mean that he was afflicted with the illness too?

“No!! No!! No!! That is not possible.” I muttered as I grabbed my bag and locked the house. I had to find out. I couldn’t sit here uselessly, while my friends were struggling.

I took out the old car from the shed and put the key in the ignition. “Please, God! Make it work.” I muttered as I turned the key. Luckily the engine roared to life and I sped away.

Driving at a dizzying speed I reached the hospital in five minutes.

My heart broke to see Susie sitting on the dusty ground and sobbing. I ran towards her and helped her get up. I hugged her tightly and said, “Everything will be alright… ..Susie…..Don’t worry……I am there for you.”

“How…..”She whispered against my back.

“We will find a way….I promise we will…..” I said tightening my grip around her.

It was at this moment I felt a stare on me. I looked up to see Alex shooting daggers at me. I was so disturbed to see Susie sitting hopelessly on the ground that I had not noticed him.

I could tell from his expression that he was furious but he wasn’t saying anything because Susie was here.

“You can visit the patient if you wish. The visiting hours have started.” The robot announced.

Susie wiped her eyes and said to me, “Can you please come with me? I want to see him but I am scared to go alone….”

She shuddered as she said this.

I was about to leave with her when Alex gripped my hand and gritted out, “You are not going inside! I will go with Susie.”

“Please Alex. Let her come with me….” Susie literally begged.

How could I refuse the little I could do for her? I extracted myself from his grip and went with her.

I could sense his glare at my back as he followed us. I knew that he was mad at me for coming here but I couldn’t desert the people who have always stood for me, could I? Especially when they needed me.

We were led to a soundproof room by the robot. It explained to us that this was done to prevent the screams from going out.

Philip was lying with his eyes closed on the bed. His hands were cuffed to the hands of the bed and his legs were shackled. His face wore a pale, lifeless look. His arms were a patchwork of bandages that connected him to numerous machines.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I recalled the last time I had seen him. He was so full of life, always joking and playing pranks. We had grown close over the past few months. He was like a brother I never had.

“Don’t go too close to him. He will wake at any moment.” The robot instructed.

When nothing happened for a long time, I started walking towards the bed involuntarily. I was gripped from behind by Alex. It was so tight that it was almost painful. He loosened his grip slightly when I winced in pain.

Susie stood there staring at Philip listlessly. I wanted to go and stand by her but Alex wasn’t ready to take his hands off me. Alex didn’t have his priorities right. Shouldn’t he have been supporting Susie at this point?

I pulled Susie towards me and placed my hands on her shoulder to show my support. Hoping that it would give her bruised heart some relief.

I tightened my hands around Susie’s shoulder as I saw Philip open his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot. There was no glint of recognition in them. He didn’t even respond to seeing Susie. He ran his tongue over his lips and eyed us greedily. I understood that look very well. He craved for our blood. He might have even attacked us if he hadn’t been shacked up.

“Philip……” I said in a wavering voice but he didn’t respond. I felt like I was seeing a living corpse. He let out a deep growl that sent shivers down my spine.

Susie couldn’t see Philip like this. She turned around and buried her head against me.

Philip started struggling against the shackles in an attempt to free himself. He let out a growl and pulled hard at the handcuffs.

I was stunned when it came off. He pounced at us but since the shackles were still binding his legs he fell on the face in front of us. The devices attached to his limbs fell with a crash.

We moved backward but were obstructed by the closed door. I hadn’t realized that the door was closed. Alex tried to open the door but in vain. He couldn’t figure out the mechanism to open it.

My hands were trembling so much that I didn’t even give it a try. As for Susie, she had closed her eyes tightly. She didn’t dare to look at the scene that was unfolding before us.

"No!! Philip, please don't.......you will hurt yourself......" I yelled but it seemed to have no effect on him. Rather than stopping after my request he  tried to crawl towards us, attempting to free himself from the shackles.

My heart accelerated and I trembled with fear. What if Philip managed to break the shackles? Would he really attack us and kill us? It seemed quite probable, given his current state.

We huddled together in the corner as far away as possible from Philip hoping that he would come back to his senses.