So, the other groups had been left to their fates as well. Again, why? Were they, too, so worthless? Then, a few hours after that, all the phones went dead and, at the same time, the TV broadcasts stopped completely. A curious coincidence, you might think. Actually, the TV broadcasts stopped in the middle of ‘The Jetsons’. (But, don’t worry, I’d seen the episode before and well knew that Mr Spacely ultimately reinstated George Jetson – and even gave him a raise! So, I was able to assuage the understandable anxiety that the interrupted transmission had caused to the other survivors by advising them of George’s fate.) After that, we were merely left to speculation as to what was happening outside the campus. (A search for a short-wave radio turned up nothing.) Our discussions went around in circles for hour upon hour. What else was there to do? After all, the library’s snack-food vending machines had already been looted. The single fact that gnawed at all of us was this: one day there were no zombies and the next day there were hundreds of them – all young, all male. How was that possible? We had seen for ourselves that the infection spread by bite, by saliva, I suppose. We had also seen that guys who were bitten took at least two days to succumb – and then return as zombies. In David’s case, of course, he’d lasted for a whole seven days so far. (Though it didn’t look like he’d go much further than that.) So, let’s suppose there was a “Patient Zero”, the first guy to be infected, being treated somewhere in one of the hospitals or clinics around Parkville. How does he manage to bite hundreds of other guys, more or less simultaneously, and instantly turn them into zombies? There were a few of those sheltering in the Baillieu who were studying either biochemistry or medicine. They confirmed what we were all thinking: that’s just not how epidemics work. So, how ...?
Ytho, an bagasow erell re via gesys rag metya aga thenkysyow ynwedh. Unnweyth arta, praga? A nyns ens i heb gwiwder keffrys? Ena, wosa lies our, oll an pellgowseryow a verwis ha, kettermyn, y hedhis yn tien oll an darlesansow-bellwolok. Dell hwarva, an darlesansow a hedhis yn kres an “Jetsons”. (Mes, ny vern, my re welsa an hwedhel ma kyns ha perthi kov yn ta Mester Spacely dhe restorya Jori Jetson dh’y soedh – ha ri dhodho moghheans y wober hogen! Ytho, my a ylli sewajya fienas naturel an dreusvyworyon erell yn kever gordhyllans Jori.) Wosa henna, ny yllyn ni saw desevos a-dro dhe’n hwarvosow a-der an kampus. (Agan hwithrans rag kavoes radyo a donnys berr o heb sewenyans.) Our wosa our, nyns eth agan dadhel dhe le vyth. Byttegyns, a-der dadhel, pyth esa bos gwrys? Wosa oll, jynnow-wertha boes y’n lyverva re via seulabrys preydhys- oll. An wirenn unnik a gnias warnan o hemma: unn jydh, nyns esa zombis vyth; an nessa dydh, yth esa kansow anedha – yowynk oll, gorow oll. Fatell o henna possybyl? Ni re welsa agan honan bos lesys an klevesans dre vrath, dre drew, dell heveli. Dres henna, ni re welsa an dus re via brethys dhe besysa bywa dew dhydh, dhe’n lyha, kyns aga mernans – ha kyns aga dehwelans avel zombis. Heb mar, Davydh re dhursa moy es dew dhydh. Ev re wodhavsa seythun dhien bys lemmyn – mes ny heveli ev dhe besya moy es henna. Ytho, gwren desevos bosva “Perthyer Mann”, an kynsa den bos klevesys. Ha gwren desevos y vos ow dyghtyes yn neb le a-dro dhe Barkville, yn onan a’n medhegvaow po klavjiow eus kevys ena. Fatell wra ev dynsel neb kansow yonkers erell, ogas yn kettermyn, hag ena, a-dhistowgh, treylyes ons i dhe zombis. Yth esa nebes yntredon a woskeusi y’n Baillieu a studhya po bywgemigieth po medhegieth. An re na a afydhyas pyth eson ni oll ow prederi: nyns yw henna dell ober an klevesow epidemyk. Ytho, fatell ...?langbot langbot