Fatal Reaction, The Beginning

by M A Hollstein

  “Yeah, fine. Just a cat,” Sheriff Michael Wilson replied, shaking his head.

  “The whole world’s gone to hell,” the other sheriff said. “Last I heard this thing has spread worldwide.”

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Mike sighed. He’d been so busy the last couple of hours that he hadn’t kept up with the news. “Are you being serious?” he asked, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his wavy brown hair. “This thing… is everywhere?”

  Sheriff Jimmy Arnold nodded. “It’s all over the news. They’re now calling it a worldwide epidemic.”

  “That’s just great… Christ! I was hoping this thing was going to burn itself out. I don’t think I can handle another day like this.”

  “I’m not sure you noticed, but dispatch is down. Haven’t been able to get through since this last call. All lines are busy.”

  Mike slid his phone from his belt. He hadn’t been paying much attention to his phone, his mind preoccupied since he’d stepped foot into the house. He checked the screen. No missed calls. No new messages. His phone had been ringing all day since this so-called epidemic, or whatever the hell it was, broke out. He should’ve realized that his phone had been quiet for the first time. To test it out he dialed the office and got a busy signal. Frowning, he disconnected.

  “Try the 911 line,” Jimmy suggested. “It’s out, too.”

  The 911 line wasn’t one that Mike normally dialed but tested it regardless. A prerecorded message played. He then tried a few other numbers. Jimmy was right. They were all down. “What the…”

  “Yeah, brother,” he said. “I haven’t been past the office in a while, but I think we’re on our own.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Mike retorted, checking the walk-in closet before stepping out into the hallway.

  “I mean, the world’s gone to shit and we’re all gonna die.”

  “You serious?” Mike stopped walking. He turned to face Jimmy, his back to the other bedroom. He shook his head. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those dooms day prophets… glass half empty type of guy.”

  “Don’t tell me you can’t see it, man.” Jimmy extracted his gun from its harness. “It’s the end. Are you frickin’ blind? That little girl over there,” he waved his gun in the direction of the living room, “killed her own mother! A little, freakin’ girl! Did you see the bite marks all over that woman’s body? She ripped her own mother to shreds! What kind of monster does that? I’ll tell you what kind… I’ve been to calls like this all day! Don’t tell me you don’t see it! The devil is here! He’s walkin’ this planet. He possessed that little girl!”

  Mike took in a deep breath. He’d been seeing nonstop carnage all day, too. And he still didn’t believe it was the end of the world. And he definitely didn’t believe in the devil. He believed in bad people that chose to do bad things, and he believed in bad luck. And this epidemic was most certainly bad luck. How it started and where it came from, he’d probably never know. He wouldn’t be surprised if it’d been created by a bad man, if it wasn’t some sort of mutated freak of nature. But one thing he knew for sure, was that it wasn’t created by some imaginary, horned creature running around in a red suit.

  Again, Sheriff Wilson shook his head. He hated to see a person, especially law enforcement, lose it. Because when they snapped, they usually snapped in a big way, harming innocent people in their path. Warily, Mike eyed Sheriff Jimmy Arnold. He hoped he wouldn’t have to physically disarm him. There was nothing worse than having to disarm a fellow sheriff, but he didn’t like the way he was waving his piece about. Jimmy Arnold wasn’t someone he normally worked with. So he didn’t know the man’s usual temperament, but right now he was worried the man was about to do something rash. He hoped, for his sake, he’d pull it all together. Quickly.

  “Hey,” Mike said, putting his hands up palms out. “Take it easy.”

  “Take it easy?” Jimmy bellowed, waving his gun around. “Are you friggin’ nuts? The entire world is falling apart and you’re gonna tell me to take it easy!”

  “Everything will work its way out,” Mike said, calmly. “It always does. Okay?”

  “I just tried calling my parents in Tennessee. They’re not answering their phone. All I can do is picture them in my head, lying in a pool of blood, after one of them changed into some sickly crazed psycho and murdered the other one. And you’re telling me to take it easy!”

  “I’m sorry,” Mike said, hands still up in a nonthreatening manner. He eyed Jimmy’s gun. He’d give him one more chance to calm down and holster that puppy. “I got family, too,” he lied, being a product of the foster system. He just wanted to settle the guy down. Give them something in common. “I haven’t tried to call them yet.”

  Jimmy laughed. He shook his head and then followed Mike’s gaze to his gun. “I’m not gonna shoot you,” he said, sliding his gun into the holster. “I was just voicing my concern.”

  Relieved, Mike’s shoulders relaxed. He didn’t want to have to take a fellow officer into custody.

  Jimmy patted him on the shoulder. “You’re one of the good guys. We gotta stick together. Especially in times like these. Guess we should try to call in a coroner. Oh yeah, can’t,” he said sarcastically, throwing his hands up in the air while chuckling. “Not sure what the hell to do. Just leave them, I guess.”

  “We might have to.” Mike scratched his brow. “Let me check this last room. Make sure there aren’t any other kids.”

  Jimmy bowed, extending his arm out towards the closed door. “Be my guest.”

  Mike grasped the doorknob and turned it. The door creaked open. There was a nightlight on, plugged into the far corner of the room. A crib was against the opposite wall and a twin bed near the door. He figured the twin bed belonged to the little girl.

  Without turning on the light, since there was just enough to see with the nightlight, Mike slowly walked over to the crib. It looked as if a toddler might be in there. If there was, he didn’t want to chance frightening him or her. When his eyes finally adjusted to the dim light, he realized that there was a child in there, sitting in a blue Onesie with his back to him.

  “Hey, buddy,” Mike said, softly, not wanting to startle him as he approached. “You okay, buddy?”

  He had his hand out to pat the small boy’s shoulder. The poor kid had no idea his mother and sister were gone. He felt bad for him. Now he’d be put into the system, a system he personally knew all too well, unless there was other family around to take him in. Such a shame. Poor kid. He hated the thought of it.

  “Don’t be scared.” Mike gently patted the boy’s shoulder. Heat radiated through the boy’s pajamas.

  The boy rolled and jerked his body onto all fours. Mike pulled his hand away, having never before seen a toddler move so fast. It took him a second to comprehend what was happening. An animal like growl, rumbled from deep within the child’s chest.

  Mike took a step back and stared at the boy. Just then, the lamp on the dresser next to the crib lit up the room as Sheriff Arnold entered. “I was wondering what was taking you so long… What the hell!”

  In a flash of blue jammies, the boy jumped to his feet and clutched the rails of his crib with chubby little hands while snarling. Mike jumped back, out of the boys reach. He then noticed the dried brown blood on the boy’s chin and smeared across his right cheek. His face was so swollen with hives; his eyes were practically swollen shut. From what he could see, he only had a couple of teeth, but it was obviously enough to inflict damage and spread this thing. Studying him, he realized the boy was even younger than he’d initially thought. He then looked over at the twin bed with the pink blankets tossed to the side. There were blood droplets on the flower printed pastel sheets. He frowned with the realization of what’d probably happened here. The baby had become infected first, and bit his sister, spreading it to her. The mother probably put the baby in the crib, not knowing what else to do while she took care of the little girl.

  The sound of a gun
sliding out of its holster, made him turn around. Sheriff Arnold was sighting his gun on the baby. Mike put his hand up. “Whoa! What are you doing? Put it down.”

  “It’s infected.”

  “It’s a baby.”

  “Yeah, so! Look at it! It’s rabid!”

  Mike looked at the snarling baby. “I don’t care. Have some compassion! What if there’s a cure?”

  “There ain’t no cure!” Sheriff Arnold snapped, cocking his gun. “He’s gonna infect others, if he ain’t done so already. I need to put him down.”

  “Killing a baby is a chargeable offense! I can’t let you do that.”

  “And you’re gonna stop me?”

  “Yes.” Mike stood in front of the crib, shielding the child. He made sure to stay out of arms’ reach. The baby growled more fiercely at his close proximity.

  Jimmy laughed, shaking his head with disbelief, and lowered his gun. “You truly are a dying breed. What ya gonna do with him then?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “Paramedics should be on their way. They should’ve received the call when we did. I’ll leave this one up to them. Maybe they know how to handle something like this.”

  “If they got the call.”

  Mike nodded, following Sheriff Arnold from the room, leaving the child in his crib. Then his phone rang. Maybe dispatch was up and running. He looked at the screen, not recognizing the number on his caller ID. “Yes,” he answered.

  A frantic woman cried on the other end of the line. Her voice shook, “Is this Sheriff Michael Wilson? My name’s Ellie Thomas. I don’t know if you remember me. We met at the gas station earlier today.”

  “Yes, Ellie. I remember.”

  “Please, I need your help… I don’t know what to do…”

  Chapter 8

  Ending the call, Ellie felt better knowing that she’d gotten through to someone and had reported the incident of what was happening at the state line to Sheriff Wilson. He then recommended a motel for her to stay in for the night that wasn’t far from her current location.

  Tucking her hair behind her ears, Ellie took a deep breath and stared at the reflection of her hazel eyes in the rearview mirror. According to Sheriff Wilson, the motel was a few miles up the highway. She’d get off at the first exit and then make a right. The motel would be about a quarter mile down the road. He said she won’t be able to see it from the highway, but it’ll be easy enough to find once she takes the exit.

  “Here goes nothing,” Ellie said, turning the key in the ignition. She was a little worried about arriving at the motel. What if there were infected people around? But then again, she knew that once she got a room, she’d feel much safer. She’d make sure to lock the door and stay inside. It’d be much safer than sitting in her car on the side of the road for the night.

  “Ch…tch…tch…” The engine didn’t want to start. Ellie frowned and tried again. This time it didn’t even try to start. Nothing happened.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Ellie gnawed on her bottom lip and tried again. Still nothing. The damage to her car must’ve been more extensive than she’d realized. She was kicking herself for having been so stupid, shutting off the engine to conserve gas while she sat on the side of the road to think. “Damn it!” she cussed. “Urrr! Now what am I going to do? This is just my luck!”

  Staring out into the dark of night, she wondered if she should stay put until morning. No, she thought, that wouldn’t be safe. Then again, neither would be hoofing it to the motel. How long would it take me to walk three miles? She figured at least half an hour, maybe longer. She really hadn’t a clue. Maybe she should try a tow truck. And on top of everything, she really had to go to the bathroom. If only she hadn’t drank all that water while waiting in that stupid line at the border.

  She looked at the deserted highway. A couple of times, she’d seen a vehicle heading towards the California border. She wanted to warn them not to go there, but didn’t have the guts to get out of the car. She figured once they’d gotten there, if they were smart, they’d turn around and head back this way. So far, no one had returned. It had been a little while since she’d been parked on the side of the road. Maybe everything was under control now. Maybe the border was open.

  Ellie pictured the crazy infected people, attacking the motorists at the border. She couldn’t imagine that things were now under control. Not with all the carnage going on. She was fooling herself into thinking things weren’t as bad as they really were.

  Closing her eyes, Ellie concentrated on her choices, there were only two. She could either walk or stay put. Grabbing her phone, Ellie did a quick Google search for tow trucks in the area. She’d try that first before making any kind of rash decision. She dialed the first number. The line was busy. She returned to the previous screen and dialed the next number. It rang, igniting a spark of hope. Then the line continued to ring and ring. No one picked up. After trying a third and a forth number, Ellie gave up. She obviously wasn’t going to find a tow truck. Again, she turned the key in the ignition. This time there was a clicking sound at least. She tried pumping the gas, as if it might help, even though she knew it wouldn’t. Nope. Nothing.

  Ellie decided to try dialing Sheriff Wilson one more time. Unfortunately, her call went straight to voicemail.

  “Hi, Sheriff Wilson. This is Ellie Thomas. I’m sorry to bother you again. I know you have your hands full. I’m stranded on the side of the road. I can’t get a hold of a tow truck. I may have to walk to the…” Just then, Ellie heard a click and then silence. “Hello?” she said, wondering if the call had been picked up somehow, but then she realized it was the opposite. She’d been disconnected. Ellie pulled her phone away from her ear and stared at the screen. Maybe the battery died. She hoped not. She had been conscientious enough at making sure it’d been charging the entire time she’d been in the car. She tapped on the screen. The battery level was full. She then tried to redial.

  “What?” she asked puzzled. “No cell service? I just had service! What the…!” She stared into the dark desert and shivered. She hoped that the sheriff had at least received her message and would be able to send a tow truck her way. Sucking in a deep breath, she decided that she needed to use the bathroom and couldn’t wait any longer. She’d have to squat down on the other side of her car, in the sand away from the highway. Not that anyone would see her. Not very many people had been driving past anyway.

  Opening her door, Ellie slid out of the driver’s seat and stepped out into the night. The air was warm and comfortable. She looked both ways down the highway. Not a car or person in sight. She walked around the front of her car until she reached the passenger side. She really hated the fact that she’d have to go to the bathroom outdoors, but she’d already been holding it for well over an hour and couldn’t manage for much longer. She told herself to bolster courage, I’ll just make it quick and be back in the car before anything happens. No need to be afraid. Besides, if Sheriff Wilson happened to send someone to help her, she didn’t want to be caught in the act.

  Ellie undid her shorts and hastily took care of business near some scrub brush about ten feet away from the car. It was the closest plant life that would shield her from the street. When she finished, she stood up to zip and button her shorts. She was about to walk back to her car when she heard it. Footsteps. She heard them. She was positive of it. It was the unmistakable sound of gravel and sand crunching beneath heavily booted footsteps. It was the first sound she’d heard in a while, other than the sounds she’d made herself.

  Quickly, Ellie bent forward and then crouched down, while trying to stay hidden the best she could behind the prickly desert brush. She stared at her car, trying to get a better look. Her heart raced. Someone was standing next to the driver’s side. She watched as the man tried the handle and opened the door.

  Ellie’s hands began to tremble. Should I let the man know I’m here? She wanted to yell at him to get away from her car. Her wallet, phone, luggage and the food from the gas station w
ere all inside. She clenched her hands into tight fists and bit her tongue. She had no idea what the man would do to her if she confronted him. Best-case scenario, he’d run; worst case scenario, he’d rape and murder her. Being that there was only one man, she hoped he’d just run off.

  “Hey!” the man suddenly called out.

  Ellie’s pulse quickened. Was he talking to her? Had he spotted her? She stayed in a crouching position, holding completely still.

  “Yeah?” another man’s voice answered as he came running across the street. “What ya got?”

  Not good! Ellie thought, not liking the odds. Now there are two of them.

  “I think I found us a car,” he said, “and it’s stocked full of crap.”

  “Yeah, buddy!” the other guy said, smacking him on the back when he reached the car.

  Oh my God! Oh my God! Ellie chanted in her head. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t let them steal her stuff. She needed her wallet, clothes, and food. Heck, she needed her car even if it wasn’t running. What was she going to do?

  “Doesn’t look to belong to anyone,” he said, sliding into the driver’s seat, tapping on the steering wheel.

  “Guess it’s ours,” the other guy laughed and pulled on the handle of the passenger’s side. “Hey, idiot, unlock the door. Let me in.” Ellie watched as the other guy leaned over, reaching across the car to the passenger door, letting him in.

  Click, click… Ellie listened as they tried to start the vehicle. Ellie could hear the men’s voices as they cussed from within her car. They tried again and again. Finally, the passenger door flew open. “It’s probably the damn starter! Grab the food. Don’t forget the wallet. Any cash in it?”

  “Nope….nada.”

  “Friggin’ figures! Just take whatever cards are in it.”

  “Hey, look. A phone.”

  “Grab it! I’m sure we’ll find another car. Maybe even something better than this piece of shit!”