“Well, you stay here and I’ll circle back. Take a tarp.”
Ellie hurried to her car. Maybe the sheriff wasn’t exaggerating. She thought of her bare cupboards and empty fridge at home. If things were as bad as the sheriff was saying, she loathed the thought of dropping by a grocery store. Maybe he’d let her buy a few things from the gas station.
Hopping into her car, Ellie started it up, did a three-point turn and went back to the gas station. She figured she might as well finish filling up the tank. She’d need the gas to get home without stopping. Plus, her windshield could use a good scrubbing so she could see. The scolding sun was baking the blood smears into the glass. And the thought of having to look at the blood the entire drive home turned her stomach. She needed to get that stuff off as soon as possible.
She parked in front of the gas pump and watched the paramedic walking with his bag of goodies, and a roll of thick plastic under his arm. She sucked in a deep breath. She really didn’t want to reenter the store, and she figured the sheriff wouldn’t be too happy about it either, but she’d much rather be near him than alone in some other store full of possibly infected strangers.
“I thought I told you to go home,” Sheriff Wilson said when Ellie entered the store. He and the paramedic were hunched over what was left of the old man’s body.
“I need gas,” she said, turning away from the repulsive sight. “That’s why I was here. Is he… um… is he dead?”
“Yeah,” Sheriff Wilson replied. “He’s dead.”
“Doesn’t look to be infected,” the paramedic said, examining the body. “Poor guy sure took a beating though.”
Sheriff Wilson glared at Ellie. “What are you still doing here? I thought I made myself clear! Get your gas and go home!”
“Um, that’s the problem. You said I’d need provisions and, um, my apartment is, well… and I have a two hour drive still…”
The sheriff sighed. “You know, you’re a real pain in my backside.” He grabbed his phone from his belt that was buzzing with an incoming call, and frowned while staring at the screen. “Get what you need.” He then pushed a button answering his phone, “Wilson, here.”
“I’ll pay. I’ll leave money on the counter.” Ellie grabbed a grungy blue plastic basket and began grabbing supplies. She quickly grabbed what she could, filling it up. She brought it to the counter and then snatched a second basket, which she filled with items from the fridge. She hoped that she was grabbing enough to last at least a few days, maybe more.
“You okay here?” she heard the sheriff ask the paramedic. “Got another 911 call.”
“Yup. They’re swinging back by soon. All I gotta do is wrap the body.”
“Okay.”
Ellie eyed the sheriff as he walked by. “I only have a twenty on me… but, I have my credit card.”
The sheriff shook his head. “I ain’t seen a thing,” he said. “Just get the hell home and stay put.”
Ellie dropped her twenty on the counter and nodded.
Chapter 4
Amanda knelt down next to Jasper. “Get up, baby!” she grabbed his hands and yanked. They were hot to the touch. He was burning up.
Jasper let out a terrible groan. His face was breaking out in huge welts, distorting his features.
“Oh my God!” Amanda shrieked, pulling on his hands. “Get up!”
“He’s infected!” someone screamed. “Don’t touch him!” The panicked crowd widened around them.
“Get up or I’m gonna leave your ass here!” Amanda yelled. Not that she’d ever leave him there. She just didn’t know what else to do. It was obvious that no one was going to help her and she couldn’t lift him. How do you motivate a man of his magnitude? Jasper was a good-sized man, over six feet tall and had the stature of a linebacker. She was surprised she’d been able to help him as much as she had without collapsing beneath his weight.
“You gotta get up,” she begged, tears flooding her eyes. She let go of his hands and tucked her long thick locks behind her ears. “Please, baby, I don’t know what else to do.”
To her surprise, Jasper forced himself to his feet. His lips were puffing up and turning white.
Amanda slid her arm around his waist and helped him limp forward. People moved out of the way, not wanting to be too close to him. She could hear people yelling about him being infected. She thought maybe that was a good thing since no one wanted to be near them. It was as if the crowd was parting just for them.
“Keep going, baby,” she coaxed. “We’re almost there.” The hospital was only a couple blocks away. She was determined to get him there. Screams and yells were coming at her from all directions, but she kept her mind on her goal. She was going to get Jasper to the hospital if it was the last thing she did. Nothing was going to stop her.
They’d somehow managed to push their way down the street. They had only one block left. She’d been to this hospital once before. She knew they were close. The crowd of people became thicker. She pushed and shoved, not caring what anyone thought. Couldn’t they see she was helping a sick man? What was wrong with these people? Get out of the way!
“Move it!” she barked, trying to push towards the building. She elbowed a few people in the process. They were almost there. “Move! He’s sick!”
A man in a brown leather jacket turned around and spat at her. “Who isn’t?” He had one hand pressed to his middle. Large welts were forming on his cheeks as he glared at her.
For a second, Amanda stared at him in shock. She suddenly realized that these mobs of people were all trying to get into the hospital. They were all sick. There were so many people surrounding her that she couldn’t even see the hospital doors which she knew were straight ahead.
“Come on, baby,” she said, yanking on Jasper’s arm. Jasper wasn’t moving. “We’re almost there. We just need to get through this crowd.”
“Uhnnn!” Jasper clutched hold of his stomach, doubling over. He began to throw up, but not much was coming out since he’d emptied the contents of his stomach earlier.
Amanda let go of him. She looked around nervously. “I’ll go get us some help.”
Jasper looked up at her and Amanda’s stomach lurched. His eyes were turning yellow. She remembered the news reports mentioning yellow eyes. He leaned back over and began to dry heave.
“I’ll be back, promise.” Amanda worked her way through the crowd until she reached the steps to the front door. Two security guards stood in front of them. Just past them, Amanda could see inside through the glass. It looked like there were just as many people inside as there were outside.
“Please,” a woman sobbed, cradling a child wrapped in a blanket in her arms. “He’s burning up.”
“I can’t let you in,” one of the security guards answered.
“You can’t deprive us of medical help!” stated a sharp dressed man standing next to her. “We’ve got insurance!”
“I don’t care what you’ve got,” the security guard said. “You’ve gotta wait your turn just like everyone else. Someone will be out shortly.”
“You said that hours ago!” someone in the crowd barked.
“Yeah!”
“What’s going on?” Amanda asked, pushing her way through the onlookers. “Why won’t you let us in?”
“There’s too many people inside and not enough staff,” the other guard said. “I can’t let you in! The hospital is over capacity!”
“I don’t give a damn!” said the sharp dressed man, tugging on his power tie. “We’re going in!”
“Yeah!” shouted a few people from behind Amanda.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” challenged the first security guard. He was a short, stout, balding man with a thick black mustache. He pulled a baton from his belt to show he was serious. “Keep back!”
Amanda looked over her shoulder. There were so many people crowded around her that she could no longer see Jasper. Just then, several individuals stormed the entrance. The rest of the crowd followed su
it. The two security guards began fighting back the horde. Amanda tried to go against the pack to get back to Jasper. She’d take him to another entrance.
“Jasper!” she called out, frantic. She couldn’t see him anywhere. Too many people were crowding her, pushing her. “Jasper!”
Amanda spun around, confused as to which direction she was facing, there were too many people in her way. The front doors to the hospital swung open. Screams penetrated her ears. “Jasper!” she called out. “Jasper!”
An infected person wearing a hospital gown came leaping out of the hospital with super human speed. More people screamed.
“What the hell?” Amanda froze. The crowds began to push and shove in all directions trying to get away. The infected woman had golden yellow eyes, matching the color of her greasy, straw-like hair, staring out of a puffy white face. She was working her way through the crowd, as people pushed and shoved to get away. A streak of crimson smudged her pale, swollen face. A guttural animal type of sound resonated from within her.
Amanda was too frightened to move. She just stood there, mesmerized by this horrible thing that was making its way toward her. It was as if she were in one of those horror movies that Jasper loved to watch. All she could do was stare. Her eyes locked onto the infected woman’s eyes. They were so yellow...
Crack! A baton smashed the side of the infected woman’s head. Her neck snapped to the side. She’d only been a mere few inches away from Amanda when the security guard hit her. The woman’s knees gave way and she collapsed. Amanda stared down at the woman’s lifeless body on the ground in front of her. Her eyes then focused on the baton gripped tightly in the security guard’s hand. His hand was swollen and red. There was a human sized bite mark embedded in his skin.
“Run!” he yelled at her, as several snarling infected people escaped from the hospital and began attacking the crowd. Screams rang out all around her, breaking her horror-induced daze.
Eyes wide open; Amanda spun around and searched the crowd for Jasper. He was nowhere to be seen. She didn’t know what else to do. She’d have to leave him. She didn’t want to, but she had no choice. Pushing her way through the horde of screaming people, she ran down the street. From the corner of her eye, she saw a man running next to her. He suddenly fell to the ground as an infected person pounced on him, taking him down. She could hear him bellowing in agony.
Scared out of her mind, Amanda ducked down an alley. The sky was growing dark. She found an old blue dumpster and crouched down behind it, praying that no one would find her there.
Chapter 5
Growing impatient, Ellie tapped on her steering wheel. The sky was growing dark and she was just sitting there. She’d been waiting in line for nearly an hour to get over the border from Nevada to California. Many of the vehicles around her had switched off their engines and rolled down their windows. Some had just given up, turned around and went back the way they’d come. Ellie had turned her engine off a couple of times, but when the interior of her car would grow too uncomfortable, she’d switch it on again just to blow the fan. Right now, it was off. She rolled down her windows. A nice breeze had picked up. Staring at the sky that was quickly growing dusk, she sighed. At this rate, she wouldn’t return home until late. But she was happy that with the sun going down, the desert was finally cooling off.
So much for cutting through the desert to save time, she thought.
Her mind kept going back to the crazy woman who’d attacked that man right in front of her. She still couldn’t believe that’d happened. It was as if she’d dreamt it. It wasn’t real. Was it as bad as that sheriff had made things out to be? She couldn’t imagine. But what if it was? She was sure it had something to do with why she’d been sitting at the state border for so long. They’d actually taken the time to construct a barrier that no one could pass. She was positive that it had something to do with them trying to contain the so-called virus. What if they didn’t let her go home? The sheriff had mentioned something about it being bad in Southern California.
Ellie tried not to look at the dried blood at the bottom corners of her windshield. She hadn’t cleaned it as good as she should have. Her hands had been shaking and she’d just wanted to get the hell out of there. As soon as she’d left the gas station, she’d noticed there was still blood on her windshield and had turned the wipers on. All that did was push the blood into the corners.
Switching off her iPod and turning on the stereo, Ellie searched for news stations. She figured while she waited, she might as well see what was on the news. Maybe she’d learn more about what was going on instead of just speculating. Ellie found a station that was coming in pretty clear, just a little static, and sighed. They were discussing riots going on in all of the major cities due to the widespread epidemic, of what they were describing as a deadly virus.
Frowning, Ellie wondered what Oceanside was like. She prayed that she’d be able to get home safely. Hopefully there weren’t any riots going on. She made a mental note to make a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to be checked out. She prayed that she hadn’t been infected by that crazy woman at the gas station. After all, she did touch her. Would that be enough to spread it? She hoped not.
Finally, the cars in front inched up in line. Ellie turned the key in her ignition and the engine turned over. “Thank God,” she muttered, thinking it was about time they started letting people crossover the state line back into California.
When she finally made it to the front of the line, with only one car ahead of her, Ellie felt relieved. She glanced at the time on her stereo. She should be able to make it home in time to get a few hours of sleep before work tomorrow. She watched the silver SUV in front of her and anxiously awaited her turn.
Two border patrol officers, dressed in black shirts, black slacks, and black baseball hats, shined flashlights into the windows of the vehicle. She watched as one of the officers tapped on the window with his flashlight, motioning for it to be rolled down. She wondered what it was they were looking for. She hoped the food she’d purchased at the gas station wouldn’t be an issue. Surely, they only cared about fresh fruit, right? That’s what they normally checked for.
The officer seemed agitated. Ellie watched as he knocked again. Then he leapt backwards as the passenger door flung open just missing him. Someone stumbled out of the vehicle. Ellie watched as the other officer, that’d been standing near the driver’s side of the SUV, shook his head and held up his hands, palms out at her. He then motioned for the driver of the SUV to pull over to the side. He walked over to the guy with the dark blonde hair that’d emerged from the SUV, and shined his flashlight into his eyes. The man’s shoulders slumped over. He then clutched his middle and began to vomit all over the asphalt. The border patrol officer jumped backwards and then checked his boots to see if they’d gotten away clean. The other officer ran to his side while talking animatedly into a walkie-talkie.
“Oh God,” Ellie gasped. She hoped the guy was just hung over from a wild night in Vegas, but deep in her gut she knew what it was. He was infected.
With her window down, she could hear the guy groaning. The border patrol was trying to usher him to the side of the road next to the SUV, but the guy wasn’t moving.
Another man, this one a highway patrol officer, whom Ellie hadn’t noticed until now, walked up to her window. He shined a flashlight in her eyes.
“Ow,” she said, blinking hard against the bright light. “Geez…”
The man ignored her complaint. “How are you feeling?”
“A little agitated,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for nearly an hour, just wanting to get home. How’s that guy doing?”
The officer glanced over his shoulder. The sick guy was now curled up on the ground in the fetal position with the two border patrol men looking frazzled. One of them nudged the guy with the toe of his boot. “We’ve got a call in for an ambulance. We’re just trying to move the guy.”
“Yeah…um…” Ellie’s stomach churned. “Is he…”
The pickup truck behind her impatiently blasted its horn. The officer glared at them. “We all wanna go home, buddy,” he barked. “Hold your friggin’ horses!”
“Has there been a lot of sick people?” Ellie asked.
“This is the first I’ve seen at the border. I was just given the okay to start lettin’ people go.”
“Oh, thank God,” she said, hoping that meant the virus was being contained. “So… did I pass your test? Can I go home?”
“Yeah,” he said. “You’re free to…”
Startled, Ellie shrieked. In a quick blur, the officer was suddenly taken down. He screamed out in agony.
Ellie’s heart raced. She could feel the blood instantly drain from her face. It took her a moment to comprehend what’d happened. “Oh my God!” she shrieked, again, leaning out her window.
The officer was on the ground, struggling beneath the infected man from the SUV who was snarling like some sort of wild animal. The officer was fighting to get him off. Ellie noticed him putting his arms up to shield his face. His uniform was soaked with red sticky blood gushing from a chunk of gooey flesh ripped from his forearm. Everything was happening so quickly.
“Get off him!” Ellie screamed, unlocking her door and swinging it open as hard as she could, bashing the crazy man in the head. Taken by surprise, the man lost his balance and rolled onto his side. Ellie noticed the officer wasn’t trying to get up. His body convulsed as blood gushed from what was left of his throat pooling on the asphalt. Within seconds, he went still. Ellie’s eyes widened.
Grabbing her door, she slammed it shut as the infected man crouched, and then leapt to his feet. “What the hell?” she gasped, watching him move. It was as if he’d been transformed into some sort of rabid beast. His movements were far from human. His head tilted and his golden yellow gaze zeroed in on her. There was no mistaking that she was his next target.
“Oh, shit!” She panicked, and glanced in her rearview mirror. She needed to get the hell out of there and her car was boxed in.
Fatal Reaction, The Beginning Page 3