Infected: An AFK Book (Piggy Original Novel)


 Contents
 
 Title Page
 Contents
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 About the Author and Illustrator
 Copyright
 
 
 
 Guide
 
 Cover
 Title Page
 Contents
 Chapter One
 Copyright
 Start of Content
 
 
 
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 ii
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Title Page
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 About the Author and Illustrator
 Copyright
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 There had once been an island called Lucella. Far past Doveport and somewhere south of the North Sea, its outer edges were sprinkled with long beaches and stretches of picturesque mountains that led to a salting of dense forests. The breeze off the North Sea meant there was often a chill in the air. It wouldn’t have been out of place to see the residents of the island bundled up in jackets or scarves on their way to the Metro station. But that was then. That was before the Infection. If there were stars in the sky above the city of Lucella this evening, you could not see them. A dense mist hung above the island, blanketing the entire city in a thick layer of fog. The wind tore through the trees, making a distinctive howling sound and causing Ben to pull his hoodie tighter around his shoulders. He considered calling it a night, then and there. These last couple of weeks, he’d had his fill of jump scares. To anyone else, the house in front of him was just like any other on the block—three levels, picket fence, a closely manicured lawn. To Ben, this was his best friend’s house, and the last place Ollie had been seen.
 
 
 Ben wondered if it was too late to turn back and go home. It wasn’t as if there was much waiting for him there, either. He had lost track of his own family a while back. He hoped that they had made it off the island before it had locked down. There were dozens of safe spaces across the island, and Ben was confident that the grown-ups could take care of themselves. But Ollie … Ben was all Ollie had. Ben felt a rush of chills go down his spine, completely unrelated to the strange weather they were having. It seemed like just a few weeks ago, everything had been so normal, and now … Well, now this. Ben shook his head, clearing the spookier of his thoughts and steeling himself for the task at hand. The aging brown wood of the picket fence creaked eerily as Ben pushed his friend’s gate open, walking purposefully toward the front door. He had made this journey a thousand times before; why did it seem so sinister tonight? Ben traipsed up the front steps, reaching out to knock gingerly on the mahogany front door, which loomed much larger than he seemed to remember. His knuckles rapped on the wood, the sound seeming to echo across the empty street. The hairs on the back of Ben’s neck stood on end. He had gotten used to making as little noise as he could.
 “Ollie?” Ben cried out in a half whisper, not wanting to attract any unwanted Infected attention and not sure himself if he was expecting an answer. “It’s Ben!” Again, this was silly. He had known Ollie since they were both in diapers. “No one’s seen you! With everything that’s going on … I’m worried about you.” No response. Ben jiggled the handle of the door in vain, but it was firmly locked. He couldn’t blame Ollie’s family. The more he heard about the infected citizens of Lucella, the more Ben wanted to lock his doors and hide, too. And if that was what they wanted to do, they were more than welcome to—as soon as Ben made sure that Ollie was safe. He cupped his hands and called his friend’s name. Again, no response. Ben sighed in resignation. This marked the beginning and end of his ideas. Surely if Ben could get inside, he would find some trace of Ollie, some clue as to where his friend had disappeared to. Of course, the front door wasn’t the only way to get inside the house.
 Ollie’s house had always had the biggest windows in the neighborhood, and Ben was certain he had seen a good-sized rock on his way over here. Normally it was important to respect other people’s property, but things hadn’t been normal in Lucella for weeks. Skipping down the steps of the front porch, Ben made his way across Ollie’s front lawn and down the street he had come from, back toward his own house. In another neighbor’s yard, a collection of rocks led up to their front porch. Ben would only need to borrow one