Maya looking around the mall environment very carefully. "The pharmacy is probably on the second floor," she said after they could not find any medicine on the first floor. Slowly, the man's eyes revealed doubts because the second floor was pitch dark, unlike the first floor which was almost all the corners illuminated by the sun. Just like Maya, Ben's feelings also began to doubt as they can not see the second floor which looked really dark at that time. But Ben knew that his wife and child were waiting for the medicine they would bring this time. They have to hurry, before bad things really come to them later.
"Okay. Let's go," said Ben, trying to brace himself. They did not encounter any zombies until now. His confidence increased, as the two began to climb the broken escalator to go to the second floor.
Luckily for them, the drug store was not far from the escalator and still had a dim light from one of the light that still on. Though sometimes, it will be flashing in a scary way. The man excitedly entered the drug store. He managed to find the medicine he want after the man searched everywhere in that place.
"Maya, I found it! Oh my God, I am so thankful to you today..."
With enthusiasm, the man immediately took the medicine from the cabinet and put it on his own bag. "Take the others. Medicines are rare items in the safe zone. They will be useful for you," Maya informed the man. For some reason, the woman's feelings got worse as soon as they arrived on the second floor. Maya had the feeling that someone was watching them from a completely pitch-dark area. Her rifle was always at hand, as she waited for Ben to get all the medicine that was left in the drug store.
Because her own bag had full from the various items that she had managed to secure from the first floor, Maya chose to stay outside and watch the surrounding area while Ben was busy picking up the medicines that were still there. Her brows would furrow from time to time, when Ben was actually in a very good mood right now.
"There are no zombies, and we managed to find a lot of resources this time. Maya, could it be that God has finally felt a little mercy for humans like us?"
".....I do not know," answered Maya as her eyes searched for what was really hiding in the dark. Maya barely saw a pair of eyes, as Ben who was caught off guard came out from the pharmacy with a very relaxed movement.
"I am done. What exactly are you looking at, Maya?"
"WATCH OUT!"
Maya reflexively pushed Ben away when a pile of zombies that was hiding in the darkness nearly dragged the man into the darkness with them. The sound of the zombie's terrifying roar finally sounded so close to the woman's ears. For some reason, the zombies looked like they were trying to hide from the light when Maya tried really hard to free from their grasp. They keep trying to pull Maya into the darkness. Many hands tried to pull her body, while a feeling of pain began to be felt all over her body.
"Maya!"
"RUN AND STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE, BEN!" cried Maya. Without needing to look, Maya already knew that she had been bitten all over her body. The woman still refused to give up, as Maya nimbly fired her shot to repulse the sea of zombies while she finally joined in escaping from the place.
As expected, the zombies stopped chasing her as soon as she went to a sunny spot. The woman laughed blandly, as she breathed heavily when her body finally out of the deserted mall.
Now the question of where the zombies go is finally got answered. Maybe because they have not been getting enough blood lately, their bodies are starting to change and they are starting to be afraid of light now. They hide in dark places to find their prey during the day. Maya had indeed seen the same incident in the lab where they had been researching zombies all along. But until now, there has been no definite theory that explains why the zombies they have locked up in the lab can suddenly burnt as if a high temperature light has burned them down. Maya felt today she was really lucky. Because most likely, she would became the first life witness that saw the zombies had started to change at this time.
Maya hissed in pain when she saw that her neck, hands and feet had been bitten by the zombies. Looking at her own reflection in the mirror, Maya smiled as she saw herself already looking like a scary zombie because of the injuries she was currently receiving. The blood that came out of from the wounds looked horrifying from the reflection of the glass that surrounded the first floor mall. Maya limped towards the exit. She just wanted to quickly prove her own theory before she died now.
"Maya!"
Maya was immediately surprised, when she saw Ben and his family were still at the place where Maya had parked her car even after she asked Ben to just leave before. The woman had deliberately kept the car keys in the car to make it easier for them to leave in a dangerous situation. But with a little hope, the family is still willing to wait for her to come out from the mall and even dare to approach her even though Maya's body is now covered with zombie bite marks.
"Maya..."
Ben's eyes filled with tears as he saw Maya's body covered in bite wounds at this time. They knew that the average human would change an hour after they were bitten by a zombie. But with that many bites Maya received, the woman could change any moment at this point. Ben finally did not dare move too close to the woman, when Maya herself did not want to scare them and stopped a few feet from the man's figure.
"It is okay. It is not your fault. Look on the bright side, we are discovering new facts about zombies today. They seem to be afraid of any light. I saw one of them almost burnt just because of the dim light from the lamp in the drug store earlier. You can convey this new fact to the leader in the safe zone later. It seems, human freedom can be regained soon after this."
Maya looked up to stare at the sun shining brightly above her. Her head started to spin as she struggled to give Ben her own bag and rifle.
"Take this bag and gun with you. They should have let you in, if you brought this much supply. Uh... If only I had a camera right now. I should be able to show them that you were not making it up when you told them this new fact later."
Maya's voice was getting smaller as the wound on her body throbbed more and more painfully. Unexpectedly, for someone as cold as her, she would die because she saving someone at this point. Her eyes tiredly glanced at the little girl who was in the car at the moment. It seemed that she had getting a little bit better, as the girl was able to open her big and cute eyes this time.
"If, if it is a camera, I have it Maya! We, we turned it off after the zombies appeared but the camera should still have a battery by now."
Maya chuckled slowly when she knows that this coincidence was too scary to believe. She just got bitten this time. And coincidentally, the man she was helping also brought a camera to record the evidence she wanted at this moment. It is just like God really wanted her to die, and become the first zombie that humans managed to record for the entire burning process.
"Ha, that is great. It seems that God finally wants to give us some way out Ben. Do you want to prove my theory then? It looks like I will change soon enough. Under the sun, let's see if I will die or not just because a light," Maya said with a lot of hard work. The severe pain in her chest made Maya almost unable to make a sound anymore. But her eyes, which still had a strength, continued to stare brightly at Ben as if there was no fear of death that was about to befall upon her at anytime now.
If they had evidence, Maya was sure that people would more easily believe what Ben about to say later. The woman weakly leaned against the mall wall, as she waited for Ben to approach her again with a camera on his hand.
"Still on... The camera is still on Maya," Ben informed. Maya laughed blandly, as she looked at Ben with a wistful face.
"You want to do it?" Maya asked again with a more seriously tone. Looking at his wife and his child first, Ben finally nodded his head in acknowledgment. Maya had saved his life earlier. Granting the woman's little wish, was nothing to Ben at this point.
"Okay. Get ready to get in the car after this. You can record me from inside the car. It is safer there, I also do not want to endanger your family after I saved your life in there."
Maya was silent for a moment, before she spoke once more with a small voice.
"That daughter of yours... Reminds me of my brother who died in the early days of this chaos. He died because I did not have time to give him medicine when he really needed it at that time. Our parents were one of the people who were directly infected from the meteor residue in the early time. I just had him, but I could not even save him in the end."
Ben listened intently, as Maya continued her words with some difficulty.
"I do not want your family to go through the same thing, Ben. Take a good care of them. You still have a chance to do it, while I do not," Maya said when she finally ended her speech. There was a sharp pain from the wound after Maya finished speaking. The woman was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, as Maya spoke one last time.
"Go... I seem to be changing soon," Maya said breathlessly. Ben quickly immediately nodded. "Thanks Maya. For everything. For saving us today," Ben said with sincerely before the man ran into the car and locked the door tightly. From between the iron that protected the car, Maya could still see that Ben had really started recording at this time. The woman breathed a sigh of relief, as her body slowly wriggled from the pain that shot through her entire body.
As Maya struggled to contain her own moans at this time, the woman kept thinking about what she had been doing all this time. Maya thought about how unlucky she was to have to be bitten by a zombie at this time. Or why was she, willing to save a totally stranger at the cost of her own life before this.
Her mind started to break when from the zombie's bite mark, a hot feeling scorched the cells in Maya's body. The woman struggled to contain her screams, as the heat tormented her entire body.
Slowly but surely, Maya also felt the sensation of thirst that was very difficult for her to endure. Her mind become more fuzy, when Maya smelled a delicious smell from the car she had previously used to get into this place.
Her mind was completely lost, when Maya attacked the car with all of her might. But Maya had not had time to even touch the car, as her body slowly burned like charcoal turning into ashes. Pain took over her entire body, as Maya slowly began to disintegrate into ashes in the dead city.
Starting from ashes, and back to ashes as well.
Maya's life ended that day. But her death, will save thousands of humans who are still alive in the future.