Living Dead 2.0

by Radovick, Ronda

  29

  She yelled, “Okay! I'll go!” He put her down, a few feet away from the drivers side door to the Suburban. They both bolted for the vehicle. After climbing inside in a hurry, Keith drove off, leaving the horde of zombies behind. “ Rose! What in the hell were you thinking?” She said, “ Ten minutes.” He asked, “ What?” In confusion, he held his hands up in the air. She said, “It took them ten minutes to walk just over, one hundred -twenty-five feet. I was timing them. We have to know everything about them, if we are going to combat them. My Granny says, if you want to know about something, study it.” He looked more relieved, now. He looked like the old Keith. He smiled over at her, “ Don't ever do that, again.”

  FOODMART

  Rachel and Emma were heading out of the Foodmart grocery store, in Lafayette, In. Full a full cart of groceries, in tow. Rachel kept getting the feeling to stock up on what she needed for the house. She needed to go out to the farm and check on her garden. Jake was already there. She called him to tell him she was on her way. The phone rang on the other end, then voicemail. “ Hm. Daddy must be working, Emma.” It was odd for Jake not to answer. Emma replied, “ We'll have to call him later.” Rachel laughed, “ I guess that, we will.” As they came out through the glass sliding doors, they could hear a man yelling. As they walked, they saw another man attacking the man. It didn't look like a real fight. Usually, when people fought, they tried to punch each other. The attacker pulled the man to the ground and bit him. Then, he continued to bite him. She pulled Emma closer to her, “ Keep walking, Baby.” Emma didn't reply, she stared in shock. Someone started to yell at the man. Rachel looked around. The parking lot was not that full. In fact, the store was not that full, either. Now that Rachel had thought about it, everywhere she went was almost empty.. for weeks. Rachel Butler, had three days off and had plans to stay out at her farm. She and Jake, had a small apartment in town and the farm thirty-five miles outside of Lafayette. They both worked in Lafayette. When Jake's father became ill, the year before, they rented an apartment in town. It was easier to go from work to her father-laws home. After that, they kept the apartment for convenience. Emma, clearly terrified by what she saw, grabbed her mothers' hand. She cried, " Mama!" Rachel took her five year old daughter by the shoulders. She guided her to her left, putting herself in between her daughter and the disturbing scene. She comforted the girl, “It's okay, Baby. Keep walking.” She still kept her left hand on Emma 's shoulders. She continued to guide her little girl towards her car. As the two approached the car, Rachel nervously, opened the door and helped the girl into the car. She said, “Stay here. Don't open the door. Mommy is going to put everything into the trunk. Okay, Baby?" The girl looked up at her mother, then shook her head up and down. She tossed her purse into the front seat, finished buckling up her daughter and closed the door.

  30

  Then, she reached over the seat and, into her handbag, pulling out her phone. As she backed up out of the car, she dialed 911. She closed the door to the vehicle. She kept her eyes on the scene before her. She first, heard a busy signal. Then, just she before tapping her red phone icon.... someone answered. She spoke as she walked to where the trunk was. While peering at the fight, she opened the trunk and started to toss the groceries inside. She heard a female voice ask, “Hello. What is your emergency?” Relieved, Rachel held the phone her ear with her shoulder, while eyeing the man being attacked and tossing groceries. Now, the man had pushed the attacker off of him and was trying to hold his attacker back. Rachel nervously blurted out, “ Yes, there is a man being attacked at the Foodmart! Please, send the police. Hurry!" The voice on the other end replied, “How many people are involved, Miss?” Rachel replied, “ Two.” Someone was yelling. “Hey! Get away from him!” Rachel turned to see a younger man charging the two, who were still struggling with each other. The younger man pulled the attacker off of the victim. Now, the younger man was scuffling with the attacker. The older man had been bitten and scratched up badly. The voice on the other end of the line replied, “ Okay. We are very backed up with calls, right now. So I am going to ask you to stay calm, and tell me what the attacker looks like. Can you do that for me?” “Sure,” Rachel said. “ He is around six feet tall, blue shirt, jeans, gym shoes and brown hair. He looks crazy.”

  “ An officer will be there, as soon as possible. Where are you watching from?” asked the lady. “I'm in the parking lot.” The voice cut in, “ I meant... in what proximity are you, to the attacker?” Rachel paused. She thought, why does it matter how close I am to the crazy guy? Maybe she thinks he has a gun. “I don't know! Maybe, twenty-five feet. He doesn't have a gun.” She heard what sounded like a sigh of relief. “He is not attacking me, he is attacking an older man. Actually, there is another guy trying to help, now.” The voice interrupted her, “ There is a third person?”

  “Yes,” said Rachel. He pulled the crazy man off of the older man. Then, the crazy went after him.”

  “What is happening, now? How many are involved? ”

  “Just the three. But, the older man looks hurt. The younger guy keeps throwing the crazy man down. He is trying to make him stop. The guy just keeps going back after him.” The voice continued, “Okay, an officer is en route. Stay back and tell the officer what you witnessed, when he arrives.” Rachel said, “ Alright.” She pushed the red icon to disconnect. She stared at the crazy scene. She looked inside. Emma looked worried. She climbed into her car to make her little girl feel safer. She watched the scene continue on. After several minutes, she saw a police car drive up and stop. The officer quickly go out of his car. He yelled at the men to stop and put their hands where he could see them. Rachel hurried out of her car, and rushed closer to the scene. People had gathered there, now. She yelled, “Officer, that guy is trying to stop the other guy.” She pointed to the Good Samaritan. The officer addressed her, now. He ordered, “Get back!” Just then, the crazy guy tried to attack the officer. The officer shot him once. The crazy man stumbled backwards. Then, he snarled at the officer. His milky eyes never left the officer. He stood up and came right back at him, just like he did with the other man. He didn't speak or yell out in pain. He snarled, and gurgled. The officer lowered his aim, in fear. He blurted out, “Another crazy!” He shot again, this time hitting him square in the chest. The crazy kept walking. Another shot. This time, in the head. Now, the crazy man went down. The few people standing around in the parking lot, let out loud noises of shock and awe. Now, another police car came to the scene. Another officer stepped out of his cruiser. He approached the first officer who was already speaking to the young man.

  31

  Then, the second officer focused on Rachel, while she sat in her car. As he started to wlk towards her, he waived her over to him. Rachel turned back to her daughter. She opened her door, then stepped outside. Before closing the door, she poked her head inside the car. She said, “Emma, wait right her. Mommy has to go talk to the policeman. Okay? I will be right back.” Emma answered, “Okay. But, hurry, Mommy.” She winked at her daughter, closed the door and turned to approach the officer. The officer had already made it to the rear of her vehicle. As she came closer to him, she said, “ Hello, Officer. I am the caller.” He said, “ Hello, Miss?” He waited for her to tell him her name. She replied “Rachel.”

  “Rachel what?”

  “Rachel ….Butler.”

  The officer asked, “ Okay, Miss Butler. What happened, here? What did you see?”

  “The crazy man ...The one that the other officer shot, he attacked that old man.” She pointed to the first victim. “Then, the younger guy, over there...” She paused, then pointed to the man who helped. Then, continued speaking. “ tried to stop the guy that attacked the older man. Then, the guy that attacked the older man, attacked the younger man. He would not stop.” The officer studied her, as she spoke. He asked, “ Contact information, please? In case anyone from the Department needs to speak with you.” She turned and looked at Emma, who was watching her intentl
y. She said, “ My address is; 1401 Main Street. Right here, in town.” As he wrote her address in a notebook, he asked, “ Can I have a contact number?” She said, “ Sure. 555- 6007.” He closed hid notebook. He looked around the parking lot. Then said, “ Miss. You should be careful with the little girl.” Rachel turned around to look at Emma. Emma still watched the two of them, while they spoke. She turned back to the officer, “ I don't understand. We weren't attacked.” The officer looked as though, he had something on his mind. He said, “ Rachel, we are having a problem with a string of these calls. Crazies like that one...” He half turned, pointed to the dead man, then turned back to look at Rachel. “ If you think that you see any strange people, do not get near them. They have no feelings. Even for children.” A blot of fear ran through Rachel. He saw it on her face. “All that I am saying is, be careful. Things are changing out here. You have a good day, now.” She thought that that was strange. She said, “ Okay, thank you.” She felt awkward and, wanted to leave. She turned around, hoping that he would not keep talking and entered her car. Before she closed her car-door, she heard some officers talking. One said to the other, “Man, Another crazy! I don't know what they are all on, lately! ”

  The other officer replied, “ I know... right? What the hell is going one here? I heard on the scanner that the military is getting involved up in Gary, and Hammond.”

  “Is that right?” asked the other officer.

  “Yep. Word is... that, they are closing all areas off north of Cedar Lake. State line, too. At least, until they can figure this all out. It is getting crazier out there, by the minute.”

  Now, she was a little panicked. She closed her door and got out of there. On her drive, she thought about what had happened, and what the officers were talking about. She listened to some people talking on the radio. “ This will get more grisly, as the days move on.” One person said. Another replied, “ Hell of an epidemic, when people start eating each other.” She focused on the radio, now. “What did they just say?” She looked at her daughter's reflection in the rear view mirror. She didn't want to scare her so, she turned the radio off. She stopped to filled her gas tank up. Then, headed towards home.

  32

  She passed by, Leo's Sporting Goods and Gun Shop. Then, she hit the brakes and did a quick u-turn. “Where are we going, Mommy?” asked Emma. “We are just going to run in here for a minute, Honey.” She pulled into a parking spot and quickly got out of her car. She opened the back door and leaned to unbuckle her daughter's seat belt. She helped the girl get out, took her by the hand, then led her into the store. There were no customers inside the store, except herself and her daughter.

  As the two walked up and down the isles, Rachel grabbed several boxes of ammunition. Then, she headed over to the sporting good and camping sections. She loaded up on macthes, and some camping fuel. She kept replaying the days events in her head. What did they mean by, eating each other? She asked her self. She would search online, when she made it home. She grabbed some new arrows for Jake's bow gun. She found various hunting items. She loaded it all into the cart and approached the register. She loaded up the counter with her things. She said, “ This will be debt card. Where is Leo today?” John, started to scan her items. “He is not feeling too good, today. He was going to try to get over to see his doctor.” She opened her purse and pulled out her debit card, as the man was speaking. He placed the last of her items in some bags. Then said, “ Okay. That will be, $342.68.” She placed the card into he machine, so that the chip could be read. “ Cash back?” She said, “ Sure. $100.00.” He handed her a receipt, and a one hundred dollar bill. She took her receipt and money, then stuffed them both inside her handbag. He said, “ Thank you. Have a good day.” She did not answer him, instead rushed away Rachel pushed the over-loaded cart in front of her, and said, “ Come on, Emma. Stay with me.” The little girl followed her mother. At one point, Rachel stopped and guided Emma along side her. She felt very uneasy. They walked out the doors, towards the car. Rachel quickly opened the door and put the little girl into her seat. She buckled little Emma up, then closed the door. She opened the passenger-side door, placed some of the bags into the back seat of her Buick. She looked at everything she had placed in the car. She used to think her car was a large one, but not anymore. She then, went to the back door and placed one last bag on the back seat, next to her daughter. Rachel said,” Time to go.” She walked around the car towards her door. As she opened the door to step in, she noticed a military vehicle pull up a few spaces from where her vehicle was parked. Two men, dressed in military clothing, sat there looking the place over. She had never seen them before. What was odd about them, was the way they were stared at the storefront before going in. It was almost as if they were assessing what was there. “ Shake it off, Girl. You are losing it. Go on home.” She was feeling too spooked about the days' events to stick around to watch what some soldiers were doing at a sporting goods store. She got settled into her seat. Still, she caught herself watching the men for a minute. She instinctively locked her doors, while keeping her gaze on the men. They exited their vehicle. One seemd to be doing most of the talking. When they walked towards the store doors, she started her car up and backed out. She tried to call Jake on the way home. He was not answering. As she drove down I-65 she had to come to a stop. Traffic was all backed up. “No! Come on! Another accident. There was just a bad one, yesterday.” Rachel sat behind the steering wheel, inching her car forward every few minutes, for awhile. A ways up the road, she saw several military vehicles. She turned on the radio. There was a man speaking. He was issuing a public warning. She looked down at the radio. She listened, as he spoke. “ The Authorities are warning the public to stay in your homes and keep your doors locked. Do not attempt to leave your city or town. Freeways and Interstates will be closed off until the quarantine is lifted.

  33

  If you feel unsafe or need emergency aid, immediately go to your nearest high school, community center, or hospital. For a list of government approved aid centers in your area, call 1-800-555-2111.” She stared down at the radio, in shock. She was getting more terrified, every minute. She changed the station. Another man was speaking. He appeared to be preaching. “ People, it is time to make things right with the Lord. Call on Jesus. “ She turned the radio off. Now, she looked up ahead. As she watched, she saw a male figure approach a car window. He had an automatic weapon in his hand. He leaned down into the window, he was speaking to a man sitting in the driver seat. It looked like there was a heated exchange. He stood up straight, stepped backwards and pointed the gun at the car. Rachel gasped.” No..no..no...no..no.” Emma asked, “ What Mommy?” Rachel still watched, in horror. Emma called her from the back seat, “ Mommy.” The soldier was yelling at the car. Other soldiers rushed to the front of the car. They had it surrounded. The man was shouting the people inside the vehicle. He ordered them to get out. “ Emma, get down, Honey. Lie down on the seat, Baby.” Rachel frantically blurted out. “Okay, Momma.” Emma lie to the side. Rachel turned her attention back towards the men and, what was happening by the car, ahead. The doors swung open and, four people stepped out. Two adults and two children. The woman, looked injured. She was limping. The soldiers were pushing them. They kept yelling orders in their direction. The children looked terrified. Rachel covered her mouth with one hand to stifle the gasps. She didn't want to scare her daughter, again. She was terrified. She needed to get them away from there fast. She started to glance from mirror to mirror, now. She looked at the vehicle next to her.There was a man in the driver seat, who looked as frantic as her. He was doing the same thing that she was. He was looking for an escape route. As she looked back ahead of her, she saw the people being herded into a trailer. It had been pulled over into the grass. The door swung open to accept the family. She saw them being pushed through the door. Then, she said, “ I have to go to I-231.” She turned around and looked behind her. She focused on the vehicle to her right, again. The man was looking at her,
his window now down. She rolled her passenger-side window half way down. She looked over at him and waited for him to speak. He yelled out to her, “ You going to stay here? At first, they were searching people's cars. My Buddy just got me on the CB. He told me to get out of here. He said, to make it fast. Military is closing everything off north of Cedar Lake. After they search some parts. I'm going to go another route. If you are going that way, I would be able to maneuver mine out behind you. We need to hurry. ” He pointed towards them. She started looking around, again. She wanted out as badly as he did.. She turned back to him, and yelled, “ Okay. I am going to get out of here.” He yelled, “ Hurry. Or, we are next...” She shook her head up and down,and rolled the window up. She inched her car back. Then forward at an angle. Then, again, and again. Finally, she was able to pull across the grass, to the other side of the interstate. As she headed out of her spot, she saw the car behind her jerk forward in front of the man that was next to her. Horns started beeping, then, he rammed the second car after that car, that tried to do the same thing. She held her breath. Then, watched in her rear view mirror. After several vhicles cut him off, the man finally made it out. As Rachel sped down the almost empty roadway, which was not normal for I-65, she saw several of the vehicles that were trapped where she had been, following behind her. It looked like, from much further away, a military vehicle was following. Forgetting that her daughter was still lying in the back seat, she blurted out loud, “Where are the police? Why are soldiers here, stopping traffic? Why is there a quarantine? Why is the emergency line busy?”