PART 2: BLOODY BEGINNINGS

SEVEN YEARS BEFORE THE OUTBREAK

Five-year-old Aaron O'Connor approached the steps of the children's home, two older males following behind him. Rain softly drizzled down, but the raincoat his deceased mother made for him kept him dry. He looked up at the night sky, intrigued by where this mysterious, falling water came from. He'd seen it occur before from behind the window back at his old home, but he didn't know the name of this phenomenon.

"Don't worry, Aaron," the oldest man following him said. "It's just rain. It can't hurt you."

Both of the figures' faces were hidden in shadow, but Aaron knew he could trust them. The oldest person was a man with a golf hat and round glasses, but the rest of his face was too dark to make out any other noticeable characteristics. The youngest person following behind Aaron was a fourteen-year-old boy, the hood of his hoodie hiding his eyes. Everything below his nose was visible to Aaron in the porch light of the children's home, yet the fact that his eyes were hidden gave him a more enigmatic vibe than the other man.

Despite that, Aaron automatically trusted him the most. Even though he didn't know it yet, that teenage boy was his older brother.

The older man knocked on the door three times. Seconds later the door opened, and a young man appeared. He had combed hair and stubble around his chin and mouth, and he looked young for a caretaker. He wore a plain white T-shirt covered by a blue flannel shirt, which added more to his youthful appearance.

"Are these the boys?" he asked.

"Just the youngest one," the older man replied. "The older one is going to a military boarding school. And speaking of young, how old are you, sir?"

The man at the door quickly glanced down at himself. "Thirty-one, last I checked."

"You're pretty young to run a children's home. Don't you think?"

"My wife helps me out."

"And you're married? Someone's noble."

The man at the door leaned down to Aaron's level and stared him in the eyes. Aaron shyly turned his head away from the man's view.

"It's alright, lad," the man said with a gentle tone. "I'm not gonna hurt you. In fact, I'll be taking care of you from now on. What is your name?"

Still looking away from the man, Aaron tried to croak out his name as if he lost his voice, but all he could do was say the first syllable, which only sounded like he said "air."

"His name is Aaron," the older boy said. "And if it isn't obvious, he only trusts his family. And, to a lesser extent, this old wanker."

"Shut it," the older man said, smacking the back of the teen's head.

"So, Aaron," the man at the door continued. "My name is Roderick Hecox, but you can call me Mr. Hecox. Like I said before, I will not hurt you, nor would I ever have a reason to. This children's home will be your home now."

Aaron still refused to look at him.

Mr. Hecox stood up and faced the other man. "So may I ask what is your role in this child's life?"

"I'm probably of no importance to him," the man replied. "I was their neighbor, but their house burned down two weeks ago. Sadly, their parents didn't make it out."

Mr. Hecox looked at the teenager, trying to appear as sympathetic as possible. "My apologies, young man."

"No worries," the teenager replied somberly, his arms crossed as evidence of his hidden sadness. "I wanted to join the army anyway."

"I worked as their legal guardian for the last fortnight trying to find any relatives who could take care of them. Once again, sadly, they didn't have any living or close relatives. And this young lad here," the man patted the teenager's shoulder, "has been acting very troublesome. So I'm afraid he won't be seeing his brother for a while."

"I won't?" Aaron asked, looking back at the man.

"Don't worry," the teenager reassured, placing his hand on Aaron's shoulder. "I'll write letters to you so you won't feel alone."

"Well then," the man said. "I guess we should be on our way." He kneeled down and shook Aaron's hand. "It was a pleasure knowing you, Aaron O'Connor. My deepest sympathies for you and your family."

He and Aaron's brother walked away into the rain, with the teenager only adding one thing. "Cheers, little brother. I hope we see each other again."

"Take care, gentlemen," Mr. Hecox said waving goodbye. "And have a good night."

Aaron watched as his brief acquaintance and the only family he had left vanished into the downpour. For some reason he couldn't feel saddened by the fact that he and his only sibling went their separate ways. He hadn't developed that strong brotherly love for him yet. In fact, he didn't even feel that connected to his parents. He hardly shed a tear the day they died.

They often seemed too busy to notice him. Too busy to acknowledge his existence. Maybe being without a family wouldn't feel that different.

"Get inside, Aaron," Mr. Hecox said. "You don't want to catch a cold, do you?"

"My brother says that's just a myth," Aaron replied, walking into the children's home.

"Still. Being cold and wet isn't always a comfortable feeling, especially at night when the sun can't dry you."

Mr. Hecox closed the door. Aaron looked around the room. Bookshelves lined both sides of the room like his old kindergarten classroom, ranging from children's books to the long novels as heavy as bricks. There were entrances to two hallways on opposite sides of the room, but a staircase stood in the middle of the room like a fork in the road separating the two halls from each other. A fire was lit on the left side of the room in a fireplace between two bookshelves, giving the room a warm, childlike ambiance. It felt like the kind of place where anybody would feel welcome.

"It's pretty late, lad," Mr. Hecox said, assisting Aaron with taking off his coat. "You must be knackered after what you've been through. Don't worry. We have a clean room with a bed and everything."

"Who else is here?" Aaron asked.

"Given this place's small size compared to other children's homes here in London, there are nine other kids who live here. I suggest you try to befriend a few of them since you're all part of a new family."

"But...I thought I was brought here to be taken in by a new family."

"You were, Aaron." Mr. Hecox leaned down to Aaron's level and caressed his hair with his hand. "And until someone else comes along, we are your family. We care about you, lad. We'll properly raise you and educate you, just as families were intended to."

Aaron cracked a small smile, but only because Mr. Hecox smiled first.

"Roderick," called a young woman from upstairs. "What is going on down there? It's late."

"Agatha, I've got great news," Mr. Hecox replied. "The Hecox Home for Children just got a little bigger."

The woman Mr. Hecox was speaking to sped down the stairs as fast as she could, her rapid steps pattering like raindrops. Aaron finally caught a view of a woman in a nightgown making her way down the stairs. Dark brown hair cascaded down to her shoulders and she had a similar youthful appearance to Mr. Hecox, definitely around her late twenties.

"Really?!" the woman squealed gleefully as she approached Mr. Hecox and Aaron. She looked down at Aaron, immediately displaying her maternal nature as she grinned from ear to ear and pulled him into a bear hug. "He's so adorable!"

"Agatha, this is Aaron O'Connor," Mr. Hecox said. "Aaron, this is Mrs. Hecox."

"Hello, Aaron!" Mrs. Hecox said joyfully, brushing her hand through his hair as she still held him close. "Welcome to your new home!"

"Th-th-thanks, miss," Aaron replied shyly, caught off guard by the sudden hug and Mrs. Hecox's warmhearted nature. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.

She kissed him on the cheek and continued caressing his hair. "How old are you, child?"

"F-f-five, miss. My birthday was two months ago."

"No need to be nervous, dear. You're welcome here. And the kids will love you. I know I already do! Just by showing up here, you've become part of a new family."

Aaron couldn't help but make a silly grin. "Thank you."

"Anytime, dear." Mrs. Hecox rose from the floor, lifting Aaron up in her arms. "Now...let's get some rest. I have some spare pajamas upstairs, and we already have a room setup for you."

Mrs. Hecox prepared to march up the stairs to take Aaron to his new room, but Mr. Hecox briefly stopped her to give her a goodnight kiss. He stayed behind as Mrs. Hecox and Aaron departed from the scene and took a minute to glance back at the door.

Even though he was glad Aaron was safe and sound here at the children's home, he was curious about the fate that awaited his brother.