ILLNESS (Zombie Apocalypse)

Chapter 5

Travis was worried about his family after Carters phone call. His family lived on the north side of town in a rural neighborhood. Driving through town was not easy. There were gunshots and people running in all directions. Some vehicles were blocking the road as if the drivers just decided they didn't want to drive anymore. Others were mashed together and turned on there tops. Travis locked his doors and tried to weave around the vehicles and people. "Help me" a lady yelled running up smacking the drivers side window causing Travis to jump. A man jerked her from behind and took a bite out of her neck. She screamed in agony and fell to the pavement. The man bent over her biting and ripping flesh until her screams of pain were silenced. Travis was frozen in horror at what he was seeing. The man then looked up and made eye contact with Travis. It was as if this creature could see through to his soul and see something in Travis that he couldn't see. When the creature stood up Travis's survival instinct kicked in overdrive and he hit the gas. Weaving through traffic and driving on the sidewalk at times he didn't stop for anyone or anything. Trying to call his parents it just rang. "Come on mom answer the phone" Travis said frustrated.

Carter was almost home. He lived five miles out from the south side of town. His house stood at the end of a dirt road in the woods. It was a plain, old, small two story house. He arrived just a minute after Travis had left Courtney's home. The house looked undisturbed. Slowly Carter walked up on his porch. Turning the knob it was locked. He found the hide a key unlocking the door. Peeking his head in "Mom!" he yelled. "In here" he heard his mom yell back. He locked the front door behind him just in case. Running to the kitchen his mom crouched on the floor crying over his dad. Blood had pooled all around his upper torso. "What happened" he asked choked up. In between sobs she said "he was outside in the shed. He told me a little girl was walking through the yard covered in blood. He thought she was hurt. Putting his hands on her shoulders he bent down to take a look at her and she reached out and bit him on the neck. He pushed her away and ran into the house." Carter looked down at his dad. His breathing was shallow then his chest stop moving. Panic surged through Carter. "Get away from him mom" he huskily spoke to his mother. "What?" she looked at Carter dumbfounded with tears streaming down her face. "Mom come here" he said reaching his hand out to her. She looked at her husband and back to Carter and reached out taking her sons hand standing up. She screamed after taking one step falling into Carter. Looking over his mothers shoulder he could see his father sitting up on the floor with his mothers lower leg in his mouth. Pulling her away, his father wouldn't let go. The screams and crying of pain pulled at Carter's heart. "Dad" he yelled kicking his foot at him. His dad looked up, loosening his grip, giving Carter the instance he needed to pull his mom away. He knew the thing looking at him was not his dad anymore. Fear and adrenaline gave him the strength to carry his mother to the stairs that led to the second story. Carrying her up, he could hear his dads footsteps on the wood floor coming through the living room. On the second story landing he noticed banging on the outside of the house. His father was starting to climb the steps slowly. Carter ran to his parents bedroom and delicately put his mother on the bed across the room from the door. Pain and shock had caused her to faint. Carter ran over slamming the bedroom door. Pushing a heavy dresser in front if it. Looking back at his mother he could see she was losing blood. A pool had formed under her leg. He pulled a sheet out of a drawer and wrapped it tightly around her leg. His father banged on the door startling him. 'The closet' he thought. Carter ran to the closet digging behind the clothes. Bingo! Dads shotgun he used for hunting. Breaking it down it was empty. He laid it down on the floor and rummaged through the shelf in top of the closet until he found a box of shells. Quickly he dropped to the floor loading the gun. Dad was pushing the dresser back an inch away from the door with every hit. Carter slowly crept to the door until he could see through the crack. His dad looked at him and growled. Bloody saliva running down his chin. Slowly raising the gun tears were falling down Carters cheeks. Blinking back the tears he took aim at his fathers head but couldn't pull the trigger. Its hard to kill a loved one even though you know there already dead. He looked at his mother then back to his dad. "I'm sorry old man" Carter sobbed. Putting the barrel against his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut, he pulled the trigger. Hearing the thump of the body hitting the floor he turned to where his mom lay then opened his eyes. She was still out cold on the bed.
He could still hear a banging outside the house. Walking over to the window where the noise came from he looked down. There stood a bloody zombie girl scratching and growling at the back door. Opening the window he yelled down with pure rage filled hatred, "this is your fault bitch." The zombie leaned her head back looking up at the noise. She snarled and bared her teeth at seeing Carter. Quickly he put another shell in the chamber aiming it down at her. This time he didn't close his eyes but watched as blood and brain matter splattered when he shot. He stared at the girl for what seemed like an eternity before going to his moms side and sitting next to her.

The jailer had lost so much blood. Before reaching the hospital in the next town he had passed away. The driver slowed down, turned off the lights and siren now that there was no emergency. The paramedic covered the body with a sheet and climbed up front with the driver. "The hospital can't hold to many more people. Its filled to capacity as it is. I don't know about you but I will be happy to see this day over with" he told the driver. "I hear ya" said the driver.
The paramedic turned the dial on the radio until finding a station, they stopped talking to listen. "Reports are coming in of a fast spreading epidemic. We have barricaded ourselves in the studio and will continue to broadcast as long as we can. We advise for your safety, take shelter immediately. Avoid contact with the infected. They have violent tendencies and will attack without provocation. They will not respond to reasoning. Stay in your shelter. Do not go to hospitals or crowded facilities. We will give you more information as we get it." The paramedic turned off the radio. "Whats that all about" asked the driver. "Beats me" said the paramedic.
The jailer opened his eyes. Turning toward the front he saw his prey. The driver screamed as he felt a searing pain in his neck. Looking over the paramedic froze with fear when he saw the jailer latched on to the drivers neck, eyes wide with horror. Trying to fight off his assailant the ambulance began to fishtail hitting the guardrail. It flipped, sliding down the median. All the cars behind it slamming on there breaks causing a pile up. The ambulance driver was dead and the paramedic knocked unconscious. He made for an easy meal for the jailer.

"Dispatch" Davis was saying in the radio. He wasn't getting an answer. "Dispatch this is an emergency pick up."
No answer. "What the hell is going on!" He screamed in frustration. He tried again and again, no answer. He tried then to contact any officers. "Hey Shane it's good to hear another voice. Man where are you?"
"I'm at the jail. There's been an incident here and I can't get through to dispatch."
"You won't, everybody's dead, hell has broken loose" the voice said.
"What do you mean everybody's dead?"
"Open your eyes! It's on the news, this shits happening everywhere. We've lost the battle. Ones of us who could, ditched. There's something not right with these people. Nothing fazes them except a head shot. Get out of there man run"
"I'm guarding the prisoners. I can't just leave."
"Well it's every man for himself now. Good luck!" and the cb went silent. Davis ran his hands down his face trying to think. He got up and walked to the door to look out. It was eerily still. He heard a few gunshots in the distance. Walking back in he locked the door behind him and walked back down the hall. "Looks like today's your lucky day." Davis told the inmates. Going from each cell unlocking the doors. When he reached Ralph's cell he stared at him.
"So were free to go then?" asked Tyrone.
"Yeah" Davis said nodding "there's something going on out there. A deputy told me its every man for himself." The inmates except Tyrone took off down the hall and out the door. Davis looked over at Tyrone who was looking at Ralph. Tyrone said "don't open his cell. Something not right with him."
Davis said "this is whats took over outside. Everybody's dead"
"Now what," asked Tyrone. Davis shook his head and walked off down the hall to the stock room. The feeling of defeat weighing heavy on his mind. Tyrone found him getting armory. Davis paid him no never mind while he loaded himself up with guns, ammo, and other weapons. Turning he handed Tyrone a holstered pistol with a belt. "You know how to use that" Davis asked. "I think i'll manage" Tyrone answered. "Good luck" he told Tyrone and walked out the door to his cruiser.
Tyrone went back to the armory taking a 12 gauge shotgun off the rack and more ammo. He walked to the office looking for car keys or anything useful. Finding nothing he set at the desk to think. A television in the corner caught his attention. He walked over turned it on, static. He kept flipping through the channels until he found a broadcast. "It is confirmed" the reporter was saying, "the illness has the power to reanimate dead bodies. Anyone who dies without trauma to the brain gets up and walks. Anyone listening we caution you to not make any physical contact with any of the contaminated. It's transmitted through bites, scratches, and ingestion of bodily fluids. The contamination is fatal. Find a safe shelter and stay there. The only way to eradicate the contaminated is to destroy the brain." It repeated what it was saying so he clicked the television off.
Tyrone was a thirty year old colored man. He had never been in trouble except for the drunken fight he got into last night. Tyrone had no family to call. His parents died when he was young and Tyrone bounced from foster home to foster home until he was grown. He was a loner. Depending on no one but himself. He struggled to get by day to day.
Tyrone walked to the door and looked outside. There were a couple cars still in the parking lot so he came back in, locked the door and went in search of keys.

Courtney and Tina barely touched dinner. It was dark out and Travis hadn't returned or called. The tv had said to take shelter from contaminated people. Courtney went back to the phone dialing Travis's cell again. No answer. She was really worried. Tina was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes and Courtney laid on the couch. Lots of thoughts running through her mind. Eventually drifting her off to sleep.