To the Desk of Senator Adrian Vasquez of New Mexico,
I am a supporter of your work and understand that you are working with Chief Medical Advisor Rob Vandermeer to put together a portfolio to present to Congress regarding the recent outbreak of what the government is calling Chronic Wasting Rabies (CWR). I’ve been following the news and know that many others on the floor don’t believe those infected (I know the Speaker of the House has proposed an official title to refer to those suffering from CWR, but I hope you don’t mind if I refer to them by what we both know they are — zombies) are a risk to the general populace of America, and a cousin of mine was one of those people. He had a YouTube account called LetsGoBrendan863 where he’d post political videos and frankly spread a lot of misinformation about the disease. He lived in Fulci when the initial outbreak began, and once the first few recorded resurrections happened, he began working on a video attempting to disprove the existence of CWR. His girlfriend found his camera afterward and sent it to us. I’ve attached the video to this email and taken the liberty of transcribing it for easy access. I hope it’s helpful to your portfolio and the overall creation of the Rabies Affliction Containment Team.
Thank you for your efforts,
Phyllis Peters
The following is a transcript from the file PetersYouTube.mp4, taken from Jamie Peters’ Sony Hxr-nx100 Full HD Nxcam Camcorder. Segments have been cut out by request of the Senate for the sake of brevity.
[10:00 A.M.]
Jamie Peters walks into frame from the right. He’s standing in a backyard, surrounded by nothing but a doghouse and fence.
Jamie: [Mumbling] Hey all, I’m here in my yard. Just wanted to prove a point. [Louder] Hey everyone, welcome back. Uh, sure most of you know I live here in Fulci, New Mexico. There’s been a lot of reports of the so-called “rabid aggressors,” that’s what the feds are calling ‘em, overrunning the city, but as you can see…
He gestures around.
…We’re doing fine. I’ve heard a lot of different arguments about what we should do to avoid these people, I’m calling them zombies because that’s what they are, even if it offends you but that’s the truth, and the most common thing we all keep hearing is that it spreads through a bite. It spreads through a bite, don’t get bitten, you’ll become one of them if you get bit. But you know, you watch some of these guys on TV and what they’re saying makes a lot of sense. How can they have a… a disease if the disease kills you? If dead people could get sick, we wouldn’t be allowed in graveyards. It just doesn’t add up. One of the folks I saw, he was saying it comes from that lettuce they’re always recalling… says the government likes to put shit in it to see what it does to people. That’s why I don’t eat any of that, I’ve always heard since I was a kid you should never trust that vegan shit. I only put things in my body when I know what’s in ‘em.
He pauses and reaches offscreen to sip from a can of Monster Energy, then puts it back offscreen.
Jamie: I’ve always used this channel as a way to debunk some of the bullshit the media will tell you, and I figured this is another good case of that. So…
Jamie holds up his arm. On his wrist is a bite mark. Appears to be that of a human’s teeth.
Jamie: I went out and let one of those things bite me. CDC says you’re done within twelve hours, so I’m gonna wait this out, take care of it the old-fashioned way, see how I’m looking by nighttime. Deleted everything else off the camera so I’ll have enough storage here.
[12:00 P.M.]
The footage cuts to Jamie holding the camera. The lens zooms in on his bite wound. The small wound has now grown to a ring around the hand. The blood is a shade of black and seems to have taken on the consistency of honey, and white-yellow cracks line the edges of the break in skin like a spider web.
Jamie: Alright, looks like around two hours in, the bite’s gotten a little worse. Hasn’t really closed yet, which is weird, but it doesn’t hurt anymore. Hand still works just fine, there’s that. I spent a few years in the Scouts and I could tell you that what that Vandermeer guy’s saying is some of the dumbest stuff I’ve ever heard. This is going the same way as any other cut or scrape I’ve had has gone. It always gets a little worse before it gets better. You know I heard on David Walker’s podcast that Vandermeer used to have a gambling addiction back in college, and I agree that you’d have to be stupid to trust someone that much of a sucker. Anyways, I’m gonna go inside and get a beer, bandage this up a little, then report back here.
[1:30 P.M.]
Jamie shuffles on screen slowly.
Jamie: Shit, this hurts like a bitch. Tried to wrap it up but that pus stuff on either side ate right through it. I don’t know what this stuff is, but my hand’s sore. Guess the CDC was right about one thing, they did say it would feel like this. I don’t want to be dramatic, never my thing, but it reminds me a lot of when my brother backed over my hand with the car when I was young. I had a bite to eat along with the beer, but I’m still feeling pretty hungry. In case you haven’t noticed though, still very much alive, which tells me the idea that this zombie thing goes through bites is ridiculous. I’m thinking…
Jamie stops, then swallows heavily.
Jamie: I think-
He suddenly hunches forward, offscreen, and begins retching and belching. After a few moments of this and what sounds like something hitting the ground, his head and upper torso re-enter frame. His mouth is coated in black sludge, and some of it is dripping as if it had the texture of hand soap. He wipes his mouth with the infected hand, then hisses and clutches his wrist as his tainted vomit rubs into the wound.
Jamie: N-not sure what that was… Knew I shouldn’t huh…have eaten that banana, there was all sorts of crap all over it. I’m gonna order something on Postmates, I’m starving.
He pulls out a phone.
Jamie: Not sure if any of you caught Kurt Hadley Tonight yesterday but he was talking about how the symptoms the CDC’s saying the zombie bite will give you is a lot like this disease the Mexicans brought over that the government wants to keep secret, it comes from some kind of yucca. I did a quick Google and it said something like… point oh oh six percent transmission rate or something, so I’m thinking that’s probably what I might have, especially since I just find it hard to believe a disease so serious could’ve really started in a country like America… if this even turns out to be something, probably won’t. We’ll see what happens.
[2:30 P.M.]
There is a knock on the fence gate behind Jamie. His head snaps to it, and he walks over and opens the fence. A delivery person steps in.
Delivery Person: Hey, Jamie?
Jamie stares at him, his mouth open a little bit.
Delivery Person: …Are you Jamie?
A thick stream of black drool dribbles down Jamie’s chin and slowly drips off his face. Suddenly, he clears his throat and shakes his head.
Jamie: Uh yeah, thank you.
He takes the food and the delivery person backs out of the yard. Jamie tears the bag open and pulls out a burger, which he takes a bite from without removing the wax paper. He chews quickly, swallows, reaches into his mouth, and pulls the paper [now coated in black ooze] out of his mouth and tosses it aside. He drops a chunk of burger and a German shepherd runs out of the doghouse and snaps it up.
Jamie: Punisher, get BACK! THAT’S MINE!
The dog, panting, jumps up with his front paws on Jamie’s chest. Jamie shoves the dog off and jams the second half of the burger into his mouth as the dog runs back to the doghouse, whimpering.
Jamie: [muffled] Stupid dog, learn what’s yours. We can’t all share everything like they want us to.
Suddenly he spits out the burger he has in his mouth.
Jamie: Christ, what the hell did they put in this? Sand? Tastes like that garbage they pass off as Chinese ffff… foo…
He hunches over and vomits again, this time with an increased intensity and length. He falls over and bumps the tripod of the camera, causing it all to tumble down.
[4:00 P.M.]
After ninety minutes of lying unconscious, Jamie stirs and looks around. He’s lying in a pool of black vomit, and it coats and sticks to the half of his face lying on the ground. He picks up the camera and points it at his face.
Jamie: Shhhit… I feel terrible.
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and looks at it.
Jamie: Oh… oh my god. Oh my god.
He looks back up at the camera.
Jamie: My… My aunt just died. She was bitten by one of those things last night. Apparently, she just attacked her five-year-old, her husband had to take them both out. Oh my god, Andrew…
He puts a hand to his mouth.
Jamie: This… this means I’m… Oh my god. Oh no.
[4:15 P.M.]
Jamie is on the phone. This was confirmed and proven to be with Vanessa Myers, Jamie’s girlfriend who provided the footage.
Jamie: Vanessa… you can’t come over tonight. I did it. I’m shooting the video.
Vanessa says something. Most of her audio is too muffled throughout the call for the camera to pick up.
Jamie: Yes, the zombie one. Listen, I… I know, I… I know you said not to do it. I know. Vanessa… I know. Please listen… Yeah. That is what it means. I’m going to… I am… Yeah.
A wail is heard over the phone.
Jamie: Just don’t come over. Please… Ok. Thank you. I’m sorry. I love you. Goodbye.
He hangs up and looks back at the camera.
Jamie: I don’t understand… They all lied? Kurt Hadley, David Walker… I thought I could trust them, I thought it was just that yucca disease. I don’t even know what a yucca is. I just… I was wrong. They were wrong. All the donations I’ve given them, the rallies they’ve put together I’ve been to… was all that real?
His stomach audibly growls. Jamie lets out what sounds like a sob.
Jamie: And I’m still so goddamn hungry…
[5:30 P.M.]
Jamie stands at the entrance of the doghouse, crying.
Jamie: Punisher? C’mon out boy. Please. Come on, boy. Out. I… I love you.
He puts his head down and sobs again.
[5:50 P.M.]
Jamie sits with his knees drawn to his chest, motionless. He’s sitting next to the doghouse, the blue paint now smeared with what looks like blood. Fur and gore coats Jamie’s face, mixing with the now dried black vomit. One of his eyes, the one on the side of his face covered in the sludge, is milky white. Jamie is mouthing something over and over again. On close inspection and a consultation from a lip-reading expert, it appears he’s saying:
Jamie: Ate dog. So hungry. Ate dog. So hungry.
A single tear rolls down his eye. I’m aware I am supposed to be as objective as possible typing this transcript, but if I may break for a moment, this is the last human action in this video performed by Jamie Peters. What follows is what appears to be his death and reanimation as a Rabid Aggressor. I cannot and would not try to describe it.