#9

Evelyn took her seat next to to Scarlett and stared at the crackling flames, mesmerised by the dancing shapes they formed in the air. She tilted her head to look at her companion, the fire reflected in her bright eyes as she engaged 'the man trying to survive', as he had referred to himself. The fact that he wouldn't share his name with the rest of them bothered her but she did not press the issue; the man was already going well out of his way by offering them food and shelter.

"It's... uh... adapted for humans." she said quietly, looking up at Joe. "The virus, I mean. It operates in two stages; shutting the body down and re-animating it. Animals can become infected and will die but the re-animation process is exclusive to humans. It must have had to adapt very specifically to turn the human brain back on again"

She turned her attention back to the fire, feeling worse because of the answer she just gave. The glumness was not related to the content of the answer, but for the feeling it elicited in her. She felt like a teacher once more, explaining something complex to an eager group of students. 

"Then again, that's assuming this is a natural virus." she continued, rubbing her hands together in front of the warmth of the flickering flames. "The last person I was with thought that the virus was genetically engineered as a biological warfare agent. Either way, we're still fucked."