Before The Outbreak: Short Stories of the Apocalypse in the Z-Strain Universe

by Morris, SJ

  The SUV was one of the newer models where you didn’t have to put the key in the ignition. You only had to have the fob in the vehicle and push the brake with the start button, so she tossed the sticky keys into the cupholder as she started the car. Marie was pleased to see they had just over three-quarters of a tank of gas, not that they needed much to get home, but if they eventually needed to leave again, it was good to have enough gas to get as far as possible.

  “Buckle up, guys. We’re heading home,” Marie said, breathing a sigh of relief.

  Chapter 4

  The drive consisted of dodging car wrecks where the monsters attacked anyone who survived, and people were running and screaming for their lives while what could only be explained as zombies tore them to shreds. Marie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Were zombies real? Was this the end of times? Could this actually be happening? You see movies where zombies eat the living, but you never imagine that it could be real. Yet, here she was, driving through the same streets she had frequented since she was a kid, but instead of seeing kids playing games in yards, everyone was running for their lives away from these undead beasts and still being eaten alive.

  Marie pulled onto their street, where it was more of the same. Her neighbors running and screaming as their loved ones tackled them to the ground and tore at their flesh. Marie wished they hadn’t converted their garage into a family room all those years ago. What she would give for a garage to safely pull into right now.

  “Guys, we have to be quick once I pull into the driveway. As soon as the car stops and I say go, you jump out and head to the front door immediately. Do not stop, do not look at anything other than the front door, that is your goal. Do you understand me?” Marie questioned with fear creeping into her voice.

  “Yeah,” Mason responded quietly while Phoebe only shook her head.

  “Good. We’re about to pull in, so seatbelts off and be ready to go.”

  Marie had been watching in the rearview mirror the whole drive home, and there was now a mob of at least two dozen monsters following their vehicle. The zombies seemed to be attracted to the noise from the SUV.

  Marie and the kids were only going to have a minute to make it into the house before they were swarmed by those things. So she hopped the curb and drove onto the grass of their front lawn, parking the truck as close to the front door as she could get it and yelled for her children to get out. Marie opened her door, unintentionally slamming it into the brick facade of their home. The kids piled out of the back door closest to the house, and Marie herded them to the front door, but it was locked.

  The grunts and groans from the undead grew louder, and Marie feared that after everything they had been through to get home that they’d be eaten alive on their own front lawn. She turned back to the front door and banged on it one last time. When there was no response, she quickly grabbed the kids and ran around to the back of the house. Marie threw open the gate of the six-foot privacy fence surrounding their yard, rushed the children inside, and slammed it shut behind them.

  Marie raced around, grabbing every stray item in the yard she could find and packed it up against the gate. She stacked the outdoor chairs, two bags of mulch, a bag of garden soil, and even the leaf blower Bill had left out on top, just for good measure. She was sure it wouldn’t stop the undead things from crashing through, but it would hopefully buy them some time to get inside the house and barricade themselves in.

  Phoebe and Mason were already at the sliding glass doors pounding their little palms against the glass begging for their father to let them inside.

  Bill opened the door in a rush, scooping up his children in a huge hug and kissing their faces. Marie pushed them inside, closed the door, locked it, and quickly grabbed the kitchen breakfast table, tossing it on its side.

  “Bill, help me with this. We have to barricade the doors now.” Marie barked out.

  “What? Why? As long as it’s locked, we should be safe, right?” Bill asked while he clutched his children tightly.

  “I’ve seen these things break through windows and doors, so I’m not taking any chances.”

  ‘What the hell is going on, Marie? You left the house, and all hell broke loose. I was going downstairs to finish painting, and I heard screaming from outside. I thought it was you or the kids since you had just left, but I found Mrs. Wimbledon laying on the sidewalk bleeding. I went to help her, but she tried to bite me. She scratched my arms up pretty good, look,” Bill said as he held his forearms out for Marie and the kids to see.

  Marie’s heart dropped into her stomach. The scratches on Bill’s arms were deep and still oozing dark blood.

  “How long ago did this happen, Bill?”

  “About two hours ago, right after you guys left this morning. Why?”

  Marie felt Bill’s forehead as she spoke. “The radio in the car said that the infection is spread by bodily fluids. Did any of Mrs. Wimbledon’s blood get in your wounds?”

  “She had blood all over her hands when she scratched me, so I assume so. But I washed everything with hot water and soap. I should be all right... right?” Bill asked, inspecting his arms again.

  “I don’t know, but the Emergency Broadcast said anyone suspected of being infected should be quarantined. You do feel like you’re running a fever already, and you’re sweating. Those are all symptoms of the virus, according to the broadcast,” Marie said, pulling the children away from their father.

  Bill stood, looking confused at Marie’s response. “So, what do we do? I feel fine. I’m a little hot and thirsty, but that’s just my adrenaline from you guys getting home.”

  “We didn’t make it all the way back home through this shit show to have you get us all sick. I’m sorry, Bill, but until we’re sure you’re not infected, I think you should lock yourself in your office.”

  Mason and Phoebe stood silently, staring at their father, not sure of what to do or how to respond.

  “Kids, why don’t you say goodbye to Daddy. He’s going to go rest in his office while we make sure the house is safe, okay?” Marie asked, tears flowing down her face at the prospect of losing the father of her children to this virus.

  Mason reached for his father to hug him, but Marie pulled him back. She could see Bill’s heart breaking at the thought of possibly hurting his children if he was infected.

  “No, Mason. We aren’t sure exactly how the sickness is passed, so don’t touch Daddy, just tell him you love him and go to the basement with your sister. I need the drill and the big long drywall screws. Can you get them for me, please?”

  “Uh-huh,” Mason replied as he cried. “I love you, Dad.”

  “I love you too, son. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. You help your mom with the house, and I’m going to go take a nap. I’ll be fine tomorrow. We’ll even make pancakes for breakfast. Does that sound good?”

  Phoebe jumped up and down. “I love pancakes! Can we put chocolate chips in them and make them purple?” she asked excitedly, not realizing that this may be the last time she saw her father alive.

  A single tear escaped Bill’s eye as he looked at the pure joy in his daughter’s face at the thought of something as simple as making pancakes with her family.

  “We can make them whatever color you want, sweetie. We can even put sprinkles and whipped cream on them. Now go help your brother, please. I love you, Phoebe.”

  “I love you too, Daddy. Go get lots of rest so we can make pancakes!” Phoebe yelled as she danced away down the hall to the basement door where her brother was waiting for her.

  “You said you were thirsty, right? Go ahead to your office, and I’ll get you some water.”

  “Are you sure this is necessary, hun? I feel fine.”

  Marie turned to glare at her husband. “After what I’ve seen today... yes, this is completely necessary. If there’s even a small chance that you could turn into one of those things, I’d rather play it safe than have you attack one of the kids or me. I’m sorry, but if you’re still feeling fine a
nd don’t have a fever tomorrow morning, then we’ll know you aren’t sick.”

  “If you think it’s a good idea, then I’ll do it. Are you sure you don’t want me to help you board up the windows first, though?”

  “I’ve got it. Go get some rest, Bill. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Marie spent the rest of the afternoon with the children using the remaining drywall pieces from the basement and broken up furniture to board the windows and doors while Bill rested in the office. The undead chased after her neighbors long into the night.

  Amazingly the power was still on, but Marie made sure to keep all of the lights off and kept the kids busy in the basement watching movies on their tablets until they finally fell asleep.

  Marie covered the children with blankets making sure they were comfortable before she quietly headed upstairs. The light of the moon breached the cracks between the boards covering the front door, creating an even creepier ambiance when coupled with the distant screams and gunshots. She softly padded down the hallway towards Bill’s office and placed her ear against the door.

  Bill coughed, and it was ragged and weak. She knew immediately that he was sick and he was going to turn into one of those monstrosities.

  “Bill? Are you still okay in there?” she whispered threw the door. The only response was more heavy coughing and groans. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Bill. I wish we would have stayed home this morning like you suggested. Then maybe none of this would have happened to you. The kids never would have seen people eating each other, and I wouldn’t have had to watch a child get torn to shreds. Oh, God, I just wish all of this was a dream, and I could wake up.” Marie slid down the door, sitting on the floor with her face in her hands. “I know I haven’t been the best wife or mother, but I tried. We had some good times you and me. We made two beautiful, smart kids, and I’m going to do everything I possibly can to keep them safe, Bill. We’ll stay here as long as we can, and if the government doesn’t get a handle on whatever this is, I’ll take the kids out to my parent’s farm. We should be safe out there in the middle of nowhere. Getting there is going to be the tricky part, but we can do it,” Marie said as she bumped her head softly against the wooden door in frustration.

  A groan came from behind the door, and it didn’t sound like Bill anymore. Marie remained silent, frozen on the floor, refusing to move, even refusing to breathe while she listened. There was a thump on the door, and it rattled on its hinges, causing Marie to jump up and away. She stared at the handle, waiting for it to move when another thump sounded. A surprised squeak escaped Marie’s lips, and that was all it took. The thing that used to be Bill heard Marie beyond the door, and it filled him with rage. He began beating on the door, repeatedly attempting to break through and devour his prey.

  The banging in Bill’s office attracted more zombies to the house, and Marie heard her pile of things at the gate break free. Within minutes the infected were banging on the rear sliding glass door. Marie regretted moving the table and not covering the area with sheets of drywall, but she didn’t want to leave her and her family no way out of the house if needed.

  She quickly ran to the front door and unscrewed the boards she had placed earlier in the day. She peered out of the small decorative window at the top of the door to make sure the SUV was still parked right where she left it earlier, and thankfully it was.

  Marie grabbed one of the kid’s old bookbags from the closet, tossed in some canned food, a few bottles of water, and some snacks before rushing down the stairs to her sleeping children.

  “Come on, guys. You’ve got to wake up, and we’ve got to get out of here. Those things are trying to get inside,” Marie whispered.

  Mason and Phoebe woke up simultaneously, looking around at their surroundings to check if they were safe. Mason remembered the blood bath from earlier today all too well, and that was the first thought that popped into his head.

  Neither child said anything, they were too scared, but they pulled their shoes on and were ready to move right away.

  Marie grabbed a hammer from a workbench and held it at the ready. She wanted to be prepared for anything.

  The three silently crept up the stairs listening to the chorus of moaning and banging from the undead at the back door. There was a crash. The infected had broken through the rear door and were now pouring into the small suburban home.

  The children screamed at the sight of those who were once their friends and neighbors that were now trying to kill them. Marie rushed the children out the front door, slamming it shut behind them. The three piled into the truck, and Marie started the vehicle. They were speeding away just as Bill crashed through the office window, landing in the front yard, his face full of rage as he spotted his family in the truck. He chased after the speeding automobile until he was distracted by another group of zombies attacking someone in the street.

  Mason and Phoebe stared out the back window as they said goodbye to their father and hugged one another tightly.

  Chapter 5

  Marie drove as fast as the roads would allow. If she had learned anything from her experiences earlier in the day, it was to not stop for anything. To just keep driving until you were nowhere near anything. And that’s what Maire did. Within thirty minutes, they were surrounded by farmland and open fields. The adrenaline was finally starting to wane in Marie’s veins when she pulled the truck over, turning the high beams on.

  Marie looked around, and nothing was moving except the soft rustle of the high grass in the slow spring breeze.

  “I just need some air, guys,” Marie said, turning to her two children.

  Both Mason and Phoebe were sleeping in the back seat, both holding one another for comfort. The sight brought more tears to Marie’s eyes.

  She didn’t want to cry, she wanted to be strong for her children, but everything had happened so fast. Everything she knew had changed entirely in the last twenty-four hours. It was as if someone was playing a sick joke on all of humanity. One second they were a happy family of four getting ready for another regular day, and the next, they were a ragged family of three running for their lives from undead monsters.

  Marie just needed a few minutes to wrap her head around everything that had happened and get her mind right for the rest of the drive west to her parent’s farm, but she was not going to get that time. In the light of the moon, Marie could make out numerous shapes in the dark on the road behind her where they had just traveled from. She squinted her eyes to see better, and she noticed the figures had the tell-tale limping gait of the undead.

  Marie quickly jumped back in the truck and pushed the accelerator to the floor, kicking up dirt and rocks toward the undead a few hundred feet away. The pack of infected moaned hoarsely at the loss of their prey as they continued to march onward, and Marie pulled away.

  Thankfully, the children slept through the entire experience. Marie wanted to expose them to as little of the horrors the world now offered as possible.

  Marie’s parents had lived in the suburbs when she was a child and decided to move to a farm when they retired to give her father something to do, and it was always her mother’s wish to own a farm with horses and other livestock. It wasn’t the typical retirement dream, but it was theirs, and they were living it.

  Phoebe and Mason always loved spending time with their grandparents on the farm because they got to play with all of the animals and do all of the dirty things kids loved to do. They ran through the tall grass at night over the summer, catching fireflies. They got muddy traipsing through the creek hunting for crayfish and going fishing with their grandfather. Marie only hoped that her children would be able to be that happy again. She prayed that her parents were still alive, and the farm wasn’t overrun with zombies.

  The sun was just beginning to rise when Marie turned down Mayflower Way, the street her parents lived on. They were the only house for miles around, and Marie had last seen the undead earlier when she pulled over. After that, she s
aw no cars, people, or undead on the dusty country back roads.

  “Grandma’s house!” Phoebe yelled from the backseat, nearly giving Marie a heart attack.

  “Jesus, I thought you were sleeping. Please don’t scare me like that again,” Marie said, clutching her chest.

  “I’m sorry, Mommy. I just woke up, and I’m excited to see Nana and Pop-pop.” Phoebe got very quiet suddenly.

  Marie looked at her in the rearview mirror. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

  Phoebe wiped a tear from her cheek. “Daddy’s not going to be okay, is he?”

  Marie settled her eyes back on the road ahead of her. “No, sweetheart. Daddy got sick like the other people. I’m so sorry, honey.”

  Mason hugged his sister again. “Does it hurt? When you get sick, I mean?” he asked.

  Marie had no idea how to answer her son’s question, so she decided to stick with the truth. “I honestly don’t know, Mason. Daddy said he was feeling fine before he went to sleep, and I heard him a few hours later, coughing. I didn’t see it happen, but I imagine Daddy didn’t feel much. Do you remember Lucky, Mr. Hanson’s dog from across the street?”

  “Yeah,” Mason answered quietly.

  “Well, Lucky went to bed with Mr. Hanson one night and didn’t wake up in the morning. He passed away in his sleep, and the vet said Lucky didn’t feel any pain. I think that’s what happened to your father. He went to bed, and the infection took him while he was sleeping.”

  “What about now? I saw him jump through the window last night and chase after people like those other monsters. Does he feel pain now? And what is he?” Mason asked.