She pointed Anna to the couch, they both sat down while she told of their escape from downtown. Anna stared in horror as Lisa spewed the gruesome details, she was terrified… but hopeful. She thought, if Lisa and Charles could survive, then Tim had a good chance. They heard more gunshots and faint screams.
“Listen Anna, it's dark, we should stay here for the night and go look for him in the morning, maybe the police or the military will have gotten a hold on all of this by then.”
Anna nodded, “Okay, thank you Lisa”
Lisa smiled and went upstairs to check on Charles, halfway up the stairs she turned back to Anna.
“So, this attack, did they say who it was?”
Anna looked up and answered with a perplexed expression, “Russia and China.”
Lisa, confused, just turned and continued up the stairs.
5:32pm
Xavier seemed in an impossible predicament, his only exit was blocked by savages and he was exhausted from running upstairs and escaping death. The savages tore through the office randomly, there was no order, no coordination, just destruction and blood lust. Xavier knew at some point he would either have to make a run for the door, or fight for his life, and neither had a high possibility of survival.
He decided he couldn't just sit and wait to die, he had to create an opportunity. He crawled on his hands and knees to the cubicle opening; he peeked around the corner, then crawled out of the cubicle to the aisle that ran down the center of the office. He peeked around the artificial wall, there was a savage searching the cubicle next to him. He readied to retreat but noticed a fire extinguisher on the wall opposite the side of the aisle he was on. If he could get past the killer in the cubicle next to him, he could use it as a distraction. He took a firm grip of the metal pipe he was still carrying and rose to a squat position, he focused on the corner the savage would appear from. As soon as the savage rounded the corner, Xavier swung the pipe across its head, it hit the floor, he gave another swing to its head to be sure. The noise from the other savage’s search efforts drowned out the surprise assault, Xavier still had to move quickly and in stealth. He ran across the aisle with his head low straight to the fire extinguisher. He got low and reached above his head to remove it from its bracket, he lifted the extinguisher and then pulled it away from the wall.
Xavier took a rubber band and a stapler from a nearby cubicle, then he peeked one more time at the position of the savages, they were in the front part of the office to his left. He pulled the pin from the fire extinguisher and double looped the rubber band to make it tighter, then he picked up the stapler and threw it towards the front of the room to his right. It bounced off the ceiling tiles and the wall landing on the floor, the savages looked up and move to investigate the sound. When they got to the front right corner of the office, Xavier squeezed the lever on the fire extinguisher letting out its contents in a huge white plume, then secured it with the rubber band so it would empty without him holding it. The savages moved immediately towards the extinguisher, Xavier got low and ran along the wall to the rear left corner of the room opposite where he threw the stapler. He ran around an artificial wall, looked to ensure the savages were still distracted, then ran along the wall to the front of the office and out of the doors.
The hall was clear, and the savages couldn't see him from the office, so he pushed the down button for the elevator, the stairwell was a last resort. The elevator arrived within a few seconds, but it seemed like ages for an anxious man in fear for his life, he got on and hit the “Door close” button. He didn't dare go to a higher floor and he knew the first floor would be overrun, but the second level to the garage may still be clear, he hit the basement 2 button. The elevator descended, and he began to doubt he would make it out of the city at all, he thought it might be a good time to accept the inevitable.
The car arrived at the second basement level and the doors opened, it was completely silent. Xavier stepped out into the elevator hall and stuck his head around the corner to see the garage… not a soul. If he could find a car in the garage he’d be in good shape, but his chances were slim, most of them would be locked with no key available. He knew his best chance was to sneak up to the first level and out onto the street without being seen. He moved at a slow jog down the middle of the garage to the spiral turn that lead up to the next floor, he stopped at the top of the ramp to survey the garage. He could only see one savage near the elevator hall, the rest of the garage looked clear. He remembered the green Cadillac Lisa almost took when she left, he knew the keys were in it, he just needed to get to it. It wouldn't matter if he was spotted, if he could make it to the car and close the door before they got a hold of him. He gathered his courage, took three deep breathes and broke the chains of fear that tried to keep him in place. He took off at a sprint down the middle of the garage toward the exit, the savage heard his footsteps, turned toward him and gave chase.
Xavier had about a 50-foot lead on the savage, but he was sure to lose ground up the steep ramp to the street, he tucked his head and pumped his legs up the ramp. He could feel his quadriceps tighten and fatigue setting in, he fought through it. He made it up the ramp and out onto the street, he was out of breath, had his life not been in immediate danger he would have collapsed to the asphalt, but he continued running. The Cadillac was about 50 feet from him to the right of the exit, the savage had gained considerable ground and Xavier began to doubt he could get in the car before he was caught. He ran with all he had but it wasn't enough, the killer grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to the ground just shy of the Cadillac door. They both tumbled into the side of the car, the pipe in Xavier's hand slid under the car. The savage was unfazed by the chase, Xavier However, was nearing the end of his stamina. As quickly as he could, he stood up and jumped over the killer and dove into the car, he attempted to close the door, but the killer got up and between him and the door before he could do so. Xavier kicked as hard as he could, multiple times, trying to get the killer away from the door. It was too strong, and Xavier was too tired, he looked behind him and found the handle for the passenger door. He opened the door and kicked his way out the other side of the car, falling on to the back of his head and neck. The savage dove in the car after him, but he closed the door on him and hurried away in search of another car.
There was a silver BMW half a block west down the hill, he ran to it. There were two bodies outside the car, one with an extreme wound to the side of his neck as if he were bitten, and another with a gunshot wound to the side of the head. The car was still running, whatever happened must have taken place too quickly to get away. Xavier jumped in the car and closed the door. Now that he was on his own, he was tempted to just go home. He could lock himself in his apartment with food, water and more importantly, his guns. After he was discharged from the service he bought several guns, he enjoyed shooting from time to time and didn't want to get rusty. He kept an AR-15 for sport shooting and a 9mm Smith & Wesson for self and home defense. He used to conceal carry the pistol when he left the house but after years of civilian life, complacency set in and he just didn't feel he needed it in public. Whether he decided to go to the hospital or not, the guns would be needed. He put the BMW in drive and headed back to the Queen Anne area.
He headed north on 1st avenue and onto Queen Anne boulevard. The street was crowded with savages rushing the car and beating people in the street, it was a horrific sight and there was nothing he could do for them. He drove around the scattered bodies and crazed killers until he got to the lower Queen Anne area, there it had seemed the trouble was just beginning. People were in the streets and in businesses fighting for their lives. As he approached Queen Anne hill, he got blocked by traffic moving toward downtown, people were fleeing the herd of killers. Several savages had attacked a silver minivan just a few feet from him, they rocked it back and forth until they eventually flipped it. Once it was on its roof, the windows blew out and the savages crawled into the family inside. He wanted to help them, but he had no w
eapons, he was useless and would only add to the body count. Gunshots could be heard from every direction, a few homes were on fire as well, it was a warzone.
He drove up the hill, past E. Highland dr. And turned left into his apartment complex. He parked the BMW in the stall directly in front of the stairway that lead to his apartment; he got out and ran upstairs. Xavier unlocked the door to his apartment and hurried in, locking the door behind him. It felt good to be home, he wanted to kick off his shoes and turn in for the night, but the savages were not far from his home.
It was pitch black in the apartment, so he navigated carefully from the living room past the kitchen and down the hall to the back of the apartment where his bedroom was, he went straight for the closet. He kept his rifle in a safe, the ammunition was on the shelf. He brought them over to the bed. His pistol was in the night stand to the right of his bed, he walked over and removed it. He had 7 magazines for the rifle but only 2 for the pistol, he loaded them all with ammunition using what little ambient moonlight he could get from the window and put the remaining rounds in a black backpack.
He was tired, and his queen-sized bed was more inviting than it had ever been. A black down comforter with high quality smooth sheets with matching pillowcases for his memory foam pillow, beyond irresistible. What harm could a few hours rest do? He thought to himself, but first, he needed to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. He grabbed the bag and walked back down the hall to the kitchen and opened the cabinets, he kept energy bars for those days he had to eat on the run. He placed them in the bag along with 5 apples and 4 bottles of water. As he turned to leave the kitchen, he remembered his silver kitchen knife set, they were from a department store but sturdy, so he took the two biggest ones and placed them in the bag.
Xavier returned to his dark room and placed the guns and car keys on the nightstand, he sat the bag on the floor next to it. He took a quick cold shower, put on fresh clothes to include a black long-sleeved cotton shirt and blue jeans, he put on fresh socks and shoes in case he had to leave in a hurry, he wore them to bed. All the curtains were closed and there was no power, so there were no lights. He could hopefully rest through the night. He laid his head on the pillow and before he could have realized how much of a mistake he was making, he was out cold.
5:34pm
Jake ripped through downtown Seattle in a 60-foot bus with total disregard for any objects in his path. He took out several signs, newspaper stands, abandoned cars and possessed killers along the way. They traveled south and turned left onto James St. As they proceeded up the hill, they noticed dozens and possibly hundreds of killers that flooded the streets and made it impossible to pass. Jake had the pedal hard to the floor but the bus wasn't built for speed, as the hill steepened they slowed to 10 miles per hour. The bus crept up the hill with assiduity until the tires began to give as they rolled over a street paved with bodies, the bus came to a halt.
There were easily 60 to 70 killers beating on the side of the bus, the front and back doors were only held shut by air pressure from the tanks. The killers began pulling at the doors, as they began to give way, Jamal ran to the front and pushed on the outer edge of the doors to try and keep them from opening. Sheila ran over to help Jamal, they couldn't keep the door shut, so Sheila began stabbing the killers in the face through the door. She stabbed one in the face multiple times, rupturing eyeballs and creating deep lacerations in the mouth and face, but she was unable to penetrate the skull and inflict a fatal wound. Jake slammed on the gas and the rear wheels began to spin on the dead bodies under them, he held the gas and turned the wheel trying to rock the bus loose. Slowly the bus began to move forward, inching up the hill, he made it up to 9th Ave and turned right onto more leveled ground.
The killers beat on the door but were unable to hold on as the bus pulled away, they began to lose their hold. As the bus rolled down 9th they could see the entrance to the hospital, it was completely overrun. Regina sat next to Mrs. Schulz and held her close, she was broken up at the loss of her husband and now there seemed to be little hope of rescue...or refuge.
The killers began rocking the bus and almost completely surrounded them, Jamal yelled for Jake to hit the gas. Jake accelerated and made a right around the building, there was a loading dock, it was clear, but it was gated, and the gate was closed. Jake pulled the bus in front of the black iron gate as close as he could to keep the killers from getting to the doors. He shut the bus down and set the parking brake.
“Ok, we have to get to the roof of the bus. Get over the gate and climb down the other side.”
Jake opened the emergency hatch in the roof at the front of the bus, he kneeled to give Jamal a boost up through it. When Jamal got to the roof, he saw four police officers come through the door of the loading dock. He yelled down to Jake “hey, the cops are here.”
Regina smiled and squeezed Mrs. Schulz, “See, we're gonna be okay, we made it.”
Jake walked over to Mrs. Schulz, “You're next sweetheart.”
Jake kneeled down, Regina and Sheila helped her up on to Jake's shoulders and he stood up to get her through the roof hatch. Jamal helped her through the hatch and onto the roof. She continued over the iron gate where the four police officers assisted her to the ground. The killers began to rock the bus so violently, it slammed against the iron gate. It became difficult for the rest of the group to follow, Jake was last through the hatch, he jumped up but didn't have the strength to pull himself through. Jamal tried to help but Jake had at least 50 lbs. on him easily. He signaled to Jonathan for help, he turned his back and followed the women over the gate. Jake dropped back down into the bus, Jamal jumped in after him. As they stood on the bus they heard a loud crash, one of the killers had smashed a window in the rear of the bus with a rock. Jamal kneeled down and told Jake to go up first, he was able to get to the roof but nearly fell off the side from the violent rocking. Several killers had managed to crawl into the bus and immediately sprinted for Jamal. He jumped up towards the hatch as Jake reached for his arms and shirt, anything he could grab to pull him up, but one of the killers got a hold of his foot. Jake held on as tight as he could, but the killer was more powerful and began to pull Jamal back down toward the floor. Fear engulfed Jamal's face as he looked at Jake, resting his last hopes on an old man to overpower a crazed killer. Just as Jake neared the end of his grip, a killer whom had just climbed into the bus ran for Jamal's legs and toppled over the other in the process. He lost his grip of Jamal's legs and Jake quickly pulled him up, they then climbed down the gate with the assistance of the officers.
The four cops escorted them up a long ramp near the gate, across the loading dock and into the hospital, the door closed behind them automatically. They followed the officers down a series of long halls to the stairs where they went to the second floor. It was crowded with injured and sick people, doctors and nurses were tending to people in hallways and waiting areas. The teal and white walls, combined with numerous paintings of waterfalls and streams, would give the waiting area of the infectious diseases center a more calming atmosphere on most days. On a day like today, an ambience of horror, brought on by a fear stricken room of victims overwhelmed any good feelings that could be obtained by mere art.
The officers brought the group to one of the doctor’s offices. “What are your names?” asked the larger officer.
“I’m Jake, this is Jamal. That pretty, young lady there is Sheila, and the even younger looking beauty is Mrs. Schulz. She just lost her husband out there, he seemed like a good man.”
“He was.” Mrs. Schulz agreed.
“The gorgeous ebony is Regina and that's Jacob standing next to her.”
“What the gentleman you left out?” The officer pointed to Jonathan.
“He’s a goddamn nobody. Only difference between him and those killers out there is those bombs didn't make him that way.”
Jonathan didn't speak, he only glared at Jake intensely enough to tell he was angry, but held back enough not to antagonize him.r />
The officers went on to introduce themselves; Sgt. Brent was tall burly white man with tattoos down both of his arms, Officer Gonzalez, Hispanic, average build with a scar on his left cheek; Officer Smith, blond, with blue eyes, petite and short height, and Officer Williams, the oldest of the officers, white male with red hair, freckles and glasses. After the introduction they asked where the group came from, Jake told them of their escape from the office building downtown. As he told the story, Mrs. Schulz broke into tears, Sheila and Regina moved into comfort her. Regina, listening to Jake tell of the members they lost, began to become enraged with Jonathan. She walked over towards him and poked him in the chest with her index finger and lashed out at him.
“This son of a bitch right here cannot be trusted, he needs to be locked up somewhere before he gets more people killed.”
Sgt. Brent separated the two and stood between them as they yelled at each other, and then he interrupted them with a stern loud voice.
“Hey! That's enough. I don't know how much information you all have on what's been going on, but your bickering seems pretty petty to me considering the situation. There's no order in the streets, no power, there's no emergency services, no one to help people who are dying out there. We were bombed by another country, and it's had a biological effect that the doctors are very unfamiliar with. Do you get it? Our country is at war! Stop your bitching and come to terms with your losses and your situation.”
Sgt. Brent turned to exit the office and instructed Officer Smith to brief them on what to do next. She stepped up and instructed them to stay put and wait for the doctor to treat any wounds and examine them for signs of infection. Worry and confusion fell on the group's faces, Jamal spoke up to Officer Smith.
“What do you mean infection?”
Savage Mist Page 5