I got out of my car and walked over to Richard; he saw me and smiled. “Shelly! Adam got the message then?” he asked, giving me a brief hug. “Where are Jackie and Adam?”
“What message?” I asked.
“That you guys are to be on the second plane out. The evacuation plan. People are lining up in hopes that families don’t show up. The first plane is leaving in about ten minutes; yours should be leaving in about an hour.”
I was beyond confused at this point and I guess it could be read written all over my face.
“You do know what’s going on right?” Richard asked.
“Only that my daughter turned into some kind of undead flesh eating thing and killed my husband and a couple doctors. The doctor gave me an idea of what was going on but I don’t really get how this is happening so fast.”
“I’m so sorry Shelly, I can’t believe that happened.” Richard said, sorrow filling his eyes. Adam was one of his dearest friends.
He blinked back a few tears and cleared his throat. “They made the official announcement of what’s going on around six o’clock, right before all the TV and internet service went down.”
The announcement happened when I was at choir practice. Adam missed it because he had taken Jackie to the hospital. In less than an hour of that important announcement we both missed, our world crashed down.
Then I realized just what he had said, “TV and internet went down?”
“Everything’s down. We lost communication with the base in D.C. who was in charge of orders. When we tried to contact other bases, we couldn’t get a hold of them. We hoped it was a glitch of some type because we were able to stay in contact with the Air Force bases in Japan and Hawaii. We lost contact with them just a little while ago.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How could something this bad be happening so fast? And whose best interest was it to be so quiet about it for so long? If they had given us a chance to protect ourselves would things maybe have turned out differently? There was no way of knowing. Now it was a fight for survival. Enter in the plague of the dead.
Chapter 4
Richard showed me into the hanger. There were also several families in there, though they seemed slightly more at ease than the ones outside. I guess like me it made them feel better to be doing something or feel like they were getting somewhere.
Richard gave me a hug before returning to his post. I sat down and pulled out my cell phone. The only possession I had other than my car keys, which didn’t seem necessary anymore but I kept them on me.
I hit my sister’s name on the screen and hit the call button, hoping service would still work. Thankfully the phone was ringing on the other end. I held my breath until she answered.
“Hello,” she said.
“Cate,” I said.
“Shelly, thank God. I wasn’t sure if you were alright.”
“Well, I’m alive but I wouldn’t say I was alright.”
“Why?”
“Jackie and Adam…” I couldn’t get past their names, it was too much. I felt my body go numb. The crushing weight of loss was taking over.
“Shelly, I’m so sorry. I don’t even know where to begin with this mess. How are you going to get home? Can you? They’ve grounded all commercial flights.”
“Yeah, I should be boarding a military airbus in about an hour but they’re taking us to an Air Force base in California.”
She let out a sigh of relief, “that’s better still. You won’t be an ocean away.”
I heard static start to cut in; I knew the phone service would not allow this conversation to last much longer.
“Listen, no matter what happens, just remember I love you.”
“I love you t…”
With that, the phone went dead. Complete silence met me at the other end. Somehow I couldn’t fight the feeling that that was the last conversation I would have with my sister. I almost lost all my sanity right then and there. I knew that I couldn’t give up hope. Maybe I’d be able to see her again.
The time passed by so slowly. Children were getting antsy, tired and upset. Mothers were becoming frustrated and the fathers angry. It reminded me of when we had flown to Guam the year prior. It was a long flight and we were stuck at LAX for a seven hour layover due to engine trouble. Jackie was tired and fussy. Adam and I were fighting. Then Jackie climbed up in my lap and laid her head down. She then said “I love you Mommy.” With that little phrase everything felt so much better. Adam was still acting like a jerk as Jackie had begun to fall asleep but I sat there and ran my fingers through her curly brown hair.
Now I sat here watching these families fighting and getting aggravated with each other, none of them realizing how lucky they were to still have each other. At that moment I was happy I didn’t have a gun because my sorrow was border lined with rage and I could’ve shot them all for taking each other for granted.
They had given everyone a muffin and a bottle of water. It was a nice gesture but it didn’t calm anyone’s nerves. It didn’t answer the growing questions. More than an hour had gone by and no one had said anything about boarding the airbus.
I saw Richard walking towards me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach the closer he got. He was pale and looked stressed.
“You need to go home.” He said to me quietly.
“What?” I asked confused.
“Go home, pack a bag and some food just in case and go to the Navy Base.”
“Why?”
“The first airbus is gone. It crashed in the ocean. Someone on board was infected and turned.”
I felt my whole body go cold. My heart had dropped somewhere into my stomach. It was like I was in an unending nightmare.
“The Navy is still sending out ships but we’re grounding all the flights. You still have a chance to get out of here. Shelly it’s the only shot you’ve got. I’m sorry, but you need to go. They’re going to make the announcement in about ten minutes. Get out of here before the shit storm starts. They’re going to put the base on lockdown at 2300 hours. You’ve got less than two hours to get out of here.”
“Maybe it would be better to stay,” I said. Since they were going to put the base on lockdown, maybe it would be the safest bet. It split me in two to think that I would never see my sister again but I had a bad feeling about leaving even though the Navy base was only 30 miles away.
He sighed, “No Shelly, I think the only hope would be to get off the island. It’s only a matter of time before everyone here is infected. If you can leave, do it.”
I nodded in understanding and gave him a hug.
“Okay. Thank you. Try to stay alive.”
He gave a weak smile, “you too.”
Chapter 5
I didn’t remember leaving the hanger or the drive to my house. It was all a blank, like I had been drinking all night.
I walked into the duplex that I lived in with my family for the past year. The little space we had called home. I hit the light switch as I walked in. The lights worked but they were flickering. The backup generator for typhoons must have kicked in. It made me feel uneasy, like I was walking into a horror movie or a trap.
I realized walking into my home just how exhausted I was. It wasn’t just physically being tired, I was emotionally drained. I felt tired in every bone in my body; each muscle was lined with fatigue. All I wanted was to sleep, maybe even sleep forever. I knew if I slept I would be stuck. Though I wasn’t convinced that was such a bad idea.
I thought Richard was wrong. He was over reacting to the situation. There was no way that the whole island would be infected. It just didn’t seem possible. If Dr. Benson was correct and this was a disease that had existed before, it would certainly phase out again. Besides it managed to disappear in a time that they did not have the science and medical advances we were privileged to now. I just didn’t believe that our world was down and out yet. Despite everything I had seen in less than six hours a part of me was hopeful that things would come together in the
end. Besides, if everyone would get infected on the island who’s to say that the whole world wouldn’t be infected by the time a ship made it too the coast of California.
I made my way to the master bedroom that I shared with Adam. I noticed an odd smell as I made my way down the hall. It smelled like something had crawled in the walls and died. I ignored it and continued into the bedroom.
I grabbed a backpack Adam had used for camping. I packed a few clothes and an extra pair of tennis shoes. I opened the drawer to our nightstand. I grabbed Adam’s .45 and the holster lying next to it. I loaded the clip into it and secured the holster with the gun around my waist.
I got the extra bullets, flashlight, and a first-aid kit from the closet at the end of the hall. I put a small photo album with my favorite photos of my family in the bag as well. I knew it was excessive but I felt I needed to have those photos with me.
I was about to go to the kitchen to get some more supplies when I heard a thumping coming from Jackie’s room. The door was closed which was unusual. I looked at the door for a moment. The thumping began to get louder as I stood there.
I heard a faint growling as well on the other side of the door. It was a low slow growl, unlike any animal I had ever heard before.
The smell I had ignored upon entering the hall was stronger now. I knew it was coming from in there. I knew what it was. Jackie had reeked of that smell. I just didn’t understand what one was doing in my house.
I put down the backpack. I readied the gun and cautiously opened the bedroom door. I was not prepared for the monster to come at me as fast as it did. The creature lunged at me as soon as I opened the door. It had managed to knock the gun from my hand and pushed me up against the wall.
It hadn’t managed to scratch or bite me yet. I pushed on the zombie’s neck to keep the rotting teeth in its mouth from sinking into my flesh.
It had once been a her and her skin was the same greyish color that Jackie’s had been. The eyes in her head were lifeless. She smelled of death. She kept chomping her teeth, trying to get a piece of me in reach.
I lifted my leg and hit her with my knee as hard as I could. It was an awkward angle but I managed to strike a blow in her abdomen.
It worked. I was able to push her into the opposite wall and get out of her death grasp. It didn’t buy me much time.
I ran into the kitchen with her right on my tail. I knocked over the ironing board that had been left in the kitchen. It served a great purpose of buying me time but only a few more seconds as the zombie tried to maneuver around it. I grabbed my biggest knife from the set sitting on the counter.
I prepared myself as she came at me. I blocked her with my left hand and she moved her head forward. I stabbed her right between her lifeless eyes. She stopped chomping at me and fell to the floor.
I finally realized who the zombie was. I was in too much of a panic to really pay attention to the facial features of this creature. I should’ve known the whole time who it was but I never could’ve imagined Adam would be that low.
The decaying lifeless zombie that lay on the floor with thinning blond hair was once Jennifer Dawson. The woman I had seen the text from only a week ago. The blood in my body began to boil.
I pulled the knife out of her skull and stabbed her again and again. I don’t know how many times I drove the sharp edge of that knife into her head, my anger had over taken my body, driving me into a rage and pointless over kill of this zombie.
By the time I was done, her head and face were destroyed. Zombie brains and black blood were all over the kitchen floor and on my hands and clothes. I sat down on the floor leaning against the counter.
I began to cry then. The tears I had fought came pouring out me. I was crying so violently it hurt my entire body. My grief and sorrow collided with the hurt and rage I’d been fighting for the past week causing me to completely lose control.
When the tears stopped coming, I looked at Jennifer. I let out a sigh “my own house, you stupid bitch,” I said before kicking her lifeless undead body.
Chapter 6
I managed to pull myself together. There wasn’t a lot of time left to leave if I was going to and I still hadn’t got all my stuff together. If I had had any desire to stay it was gone. Seeing your husband’s undead mistress will have that effect on a person.
I stepped over Jennifer’s body and made my way out of the kitchen. I walked down the hallway feeling completely out of place, like I was in a movie or dreaming. When I made it back to the bedroom I realized that the knife was still in my hand.
The blade was covered in brain matter and black blood. I picked up a towel that Adam had left on the door knob and wiped off the blade. I set the knife on the bed deciding to take it with me. It had come in so handy, I felt it might bode well to take it along.
I changed into some clean clothes. I really didn’t have time to shower but I desired one more than I ever have in my life. I used a wash cloth to wipe off the blood from my face and arms. It was disgusting.
In addition to the kitchen knife, I grabbed one of Adam’s hunting knives as well. I placed them in the front pocket of the backpack. I found the .45 on the floor by the linen closet from when it was knocked out of my hand. I picked it up and placed it back in the holster.
I paused by Jackie’s room feeling the sorrow fill up in my heart. I walked in to her room and turned on the light. I took in all her things for one last time. Her Disney Princess bedspread, her toys and books. She had just begun to learn how to read and was so excited every time she learned a new word and when she was able to read a whole sentence without asking what any of the words were. Her coloring books were strewn about all over the floor.
I felt the tears sting behind my eyes and though I didn’t give in to them, I didn’t actively fight them either.
I saw her favorite stuffed animal sitting at the foot of her bed. It was a white duck she called Chinny. I picked it up and stuffed it into my bag.
I turned to exit, not bothering to cut the light out. I wanted to leave it on for Jackie. There would always be a light on for my little girl though she was never going to come home.
I went back into the kitchen half expecting the zombie to be back on her feet, to attack me and take me out of my miserable life. She didn’t. She just laid there useless and destroyed.
I made my way past the fridge to get to the cabinet where we kept our typhoon supplies. I had to push the dead zombie out of my way to get to the food supply. It was only difficult due to the fact I was exhausted and my body wanted to give out any second.
I decided not to take too many canned foods. I mostly just stuck to protein bars and a couple of the astronaut meals that we had in there. I didn’t take very much figuring I wouldn’t need a lot. It only took maybe an hour to get to the Navy base but I wanted to have something so I wouldn’t have to depend on the supplies on the ship. Lastly I grabbed a gallon of water and I was on my way.
I went outside, not bothering to lock the door behind me. People could take whatever they wanted, I would never be back. The thought made me kind of sad but of all the things I had lost that night, my material possessions were not important.
It was extremely quiet out and there were no lights anywhere. It made me feel uneasy as I made my way to my car. I put my things in the back seat and climbed into the driver’s seat. I started the car without any trouble which made me let out a sigh of relief. I saw that it was 10:43 on the clock. I had seventeen minutes to get off the base before they initiated lockdown.
There was no one on the road, which I found strange but I made it to the gate very fast. The guards let me go with a tip of their hat. I felt a little odd all of a sudden. I hadn’t thought it through how silly my plan might actually be but I rolled with it. I kept telling myself, “What else do I have?”
What did I have? Nothing at all. The only thing that I had left was a crazy will to survive and I needed this mission even if it was the dumbest thing I ever did. I was probably going to die anyway, it�
��d be better to die fighting for something no matter how stupid it was than to sit around my house all alone waiting for death to come bite me in the throat.
I got on to the main road and knew immediately I was in trouble. I couldn’t leave the lights on because there were two zombies ahead of me and the brightness caught their attention. I turned off the lights as quickly as I could but then I couldn’t see anything. The world was swallowed in darkness.
It hadn’t crossed my mind about driving at night with these monsters on the roads. I pulled over to the side. I looked at the clock, it was 11:10. It was too late to go back now.
I made sure the doors were locked and put the sunshade in the windshield in hopes of concealing myself from the monsters outside. I climbed over the center console and sat on the floor in between the seats.
There was a blanket I left in the car for Jackie. I wrapped it around my body. Despite the tropical weather, I was shaking.
I heard the noises of the undead rustling in the jungle beyond my car. I took a deep breath. The fear would not change that I was stuck until the sun made an appearance. It also wouldn’t change the fact that in less than eight hours I had lost everything except the air coming into my lungs. Honestly that wasn’t a blessing because breathing was feeling more like dying. Every breath was a fight to take in. I felt like a sumo wrestler was sitting on my chest.
I laid my head against the backseat. The tears came easily and without a single thought. They ran down my check. I didn’t wipe them away; they just ran together and began to dry on my face.
I thought of Jackie’s angelic face. I would give anything to see that beautiful face again. With that thought, my fear seemed to subside. At least if those undead creatures got me, I would be with Jackie again. Thinking about Jackie I closed my eyes and I fell asleep.
Chapter 7
I ran as fast as I could through the jungle, yet the slow moving zombies were gaining on me. There were at least a dozen of them and they seemed to be working together to get me. Assisting each other in obtaining some lunch. My heart was racing and I was completely out of breath.
Plague of the Dead (Book 1) Page 2