DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
(1x1 between myself and
redletalis
)
redletalis
)
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Realistic or Modern Our Last Days
- Thread starter DrTrollinski
- Start date
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
Saturday, July 8th, 2017
Nicholas' Apartment, Atlanta, Georgia
17:43PM
Maybe someone would find him in the morning.
Or next week.
Or next month, when the rent was due.
At the end of the day, no matter what, someone was bound to come across him eventually. Someone was bound to smell the smell, to raise concerns, to notice at least something.
Right?
He hoped so - but at the same time, he didn't. He hoped that he'd be left to rot away, and no one would ever know what he did. No one would ever know the choice he made. He hoped that the landlord would forget and he'd just be left where he was until the end of time. With a bit of luck it would go down that way, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't be around to see the outcome. Not a chance in hell. Not this time. He wouldn't give in. He wouldn't crumble under the pressure. He wouldn't show that same level of fear that made him pull away the last time. This time things would be different.
Yes. Yes, they would.
He took one more deep breath - the last bit of oxygen he was ever going to taste. He stepped up on the stool in his walk in closet and looped the rope over his neck. His hands and legs were trembling. One swift kick, one misstep, and it was all over. That's all it was going to take.
Five.
Four.
Three.
He shut his eyes.
Two.
And o-
Dingdong.
What?
A saving grace. A visitor. But who? The doorbell rang once more, and he stepped down. He hastily untied the rope from where it was hanging and tucked it away, then rushed to the front door of the apartment. He ripped it open and peered upon the callers - It was none other than a friend of his, a woman in her early thirties, with a young boy at her feet. Alex. Christine. What were they doing here? It had been a while. A few weeks, maybe. So why now? Why now at this time of the evening?
When he looked at Alex and saw how excited he was to see him, he felt guilty. Selfish. He'd been told many a time that Alex looked up to him. Why would he throw that away?
"Hi!" Alex said, happily.
"Hey, buddy." Nick let out a tiny laugh and ruffled his hair, then looked at Christine. "Hey, good to see you." He hugged her and pecked her cheek. "Please, come in." He opened the door, but she held up a hand.
"Oh, no, no, I better not." She said, "They need me at the hospital. We've had a pretty high admittance rate since this morning and they need everyone they can get." She said. "I was wondering if you could watch Alex for me, just for a couple of hours. I'm sorry it's so short notice, but, I can't get hold of anyone else."
"That's alright, honestly. We'll find something to do, won't we?" He looked down at the young boy.
"Yeah. We can play GTA." He grinned. Christine rolled her eyes, but she laughed, at least.
"Nick, you're an angel." Christine gave him another hug, then went down to Alex's level. "Gimme' a kiss, mister. I'll see you later tonight."
Alex stepped forward and exchanged a brief peck on the lips with his mom. "Bye, mom."
"See you soon." She stood up, then looked at Nick again. She scanned him over a few times. "I didn't come at a bad time, did I? You look a little pale."
"Oh? No, of course not. You've... Really saved my evening, as it happens." He let out an uncomfortable laugh. "I'll see you later?"
"Yup." She smiled. "Thanks again."
Nick nodded and slowly closed the door over once she'd turned away. He retreated back into the apartment to find wherever Alex had ran off to, and of course, found him in the living room. He already had the PS4 on, and GTA:V was already booted up. He was sat there, controller in hand, ready to play. His mom didn't let him have this game at home, but, she made an exception whenever he visited here. He loved spending time with Nick. He behaved for him, too, which was good.
"You want a drink?" Nick asked.
"Yes please."
"Soda okay?"
"Mhm." He nodded and smiled at him over his shoulder. And with that, the evening began.
Another day down. Never before had he been more grateful for Alex's company.
--
Upbeat Studios, San Francisco, California
14:43PM (17:43 EST)
Trying to make it big in a city as large as this one wasn't easy, but, she was convinced she could manage it. Her parents may have disagreed with her - Go to college, they said. Become stable. Become established. Don't waste your time chasing a million other people's dreams.
Good idea, mom and dad. Let me get into hundreds of thousands of debt, sounds great, she thought.
She had her friends that were helping her out. She was friends with the guy who ran the studio. She got reduced rates, and if she came at times where they didn't get a lot of business? They let her record a few things for free. She had a beautiful voice - that was her main talent. She could play piano, guitar, and things like that. That was her life. Day in, day out. Writing songs, covering overs, practicing the instruments she was good at. She was convinced that one day her dream would barge on in and take her around the world. She was just waiting for that to happen. Sure, it would take time, but, people would have to start noticing her stuff soon, wouldn't they?
She was on everything. YouTube, Facebook, Souncloud, Instagram, Twitter. She put her name out there every chance she got. She played at little bars and restaurants if she got the chance, and once, just once, she got offered to be a supporting act at a local festival. There were only a few hundred people there, but, it was still good. Great fun indeed. She was well-received.
All she needed now was that big break, and she'd be flying.
"Annnd, that's a wrap." He said. "Nice work, Pat. Loving the stuff so far."
"Thank you, thank you." She smiled and placed her guitar down, brushing her hands down on her jeans. "This EP's coming along nice. I'm happy so far. Thanks again for letting me be in here so often. You're a godsend."
"I try." He winked. "Any plans now?"
"Not really. Probably going to grab coffee and head back. You?"
"I was about to invite you for coffee." He laughed.
"Oh, really? Well, I don't see why not." She gently slapped his shoulder. "You know a good place?"
"Simply the best." He smiled, flicking off the light once she'd packed her guitar away. "It's not far from here, actually."
"Even better, then. We can talk about my next song while we're there."
"I'd love to." He chuckled. Her enthusiasm could be overwhelming to some - she was just passionate, that was all. He worked in a place where he believed passions weren't allowed to die, so, of course he was welcoming to it.
Roll on the coffee, though. And the last normal day they'd ever experience.
Nicholas' Apartment, Atlanta, Georgia
17:43PM
Maybe someone would find him in the morning.
Or next week.
Or next month, when the rent was due.
At the end of the day, no matter what, someone was bound to come across him eventually. Someone was bound to smell the smell, to raise concerns, to notice at least something.
Right?
He hoped so - but at the same time, he didn't. He hoped that he'd be left to rot away, and no one would ever know what he did. No one would ever know the choice he made. He hoped that the landlord would forget and he'd just be left where he was until the end of time. With a bit of luck it would go down that way, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't be around to see the outcome. Not a chance in hell. Not this time. He wouldn't give in. He wouldn't crumble under the pressure. He wouldn't show that same level of fear that made him pull away the last time. This time things would be different.
Yes. Yes, they would.
He took one more deep breath - the last bit of oxygen he was ever going to taste. He stepped up on the stool in his walk in closet and looped the rope over his neck. His hands and legs were trembling. One swift kick, one misstep, and it was all over. That's all it was going to take.
Five.
Four.
Three.
He shut his eyes.
Two.
And o-
Dingdong.
What?
A saving grace. A visitor. But who? The doorbell rang once more, and he stepped down. He hastily untied the rope from where it was hanging and tucked it away, then rushed to the front door of the apartment. He ripped it open and peered upon the callers - It was none other than a friend of his, a woman in her early thirties, with a young boy at her feet. Alex. Christine. What were they doing here? It had been a while. A few weeks, maybe. So why now? Why now at this time of the evening?
When he looked at Alex and saw how excited he was to see him, he felt guilty. Selfish. He'd been told many a time that Alex looked up to him. Why would he throw that away?
"Hi!" Alex said, happily.
"Hey, buddy." Nick let out a tiny laugh and ruffled his hair, then looked at Christine. "Hey, good to see you." He hugged her and pecked her cheek. "Please, come in." He opened the door, but she held up a hand.
"Oh, no, no, I better not." She said, "They need me at the hospital. We've had a pretty high admittance rate since this morning and they need everyone they can get." She said. "I was wondering if you could watch Alex for me, just for a couple of hours. I'm sorry it's so short notice, but, I can't get hold of anyone else."
"That's alright, honestly. We'll find something to do, won't we?" He looked down at the young boy.
"Yeah. We can play GTA." He grinned. Christine rolled her eyes, but she laughed, at least.
"Nick, you're an angel." Christine gave him another hug, then went down to Alex's level. "Gimme' a kiss, mister. I'll see you later tonight."
Alex stepped forward and exchanged a brief peck on the lips with his mom. "Bye, mom."
"See you soon." She stood up, then looked at Nick again. She scanned him over a few times. "I didn't come at a bad time, did I? You look a little pale."
"Oh? No, of course not. You've... Really saved my evening, as it happens." He let out an uncomfortable laugh. "I'll see you later?"
"Yup." She smiled. "Thanks again."
Nick nodded and slowly closed the door over once she'd turned away. He retreated back into the apartment to find wherever Alex had ran off to, and of course, found him in the living room. He already had the PS4 on, and GTA:V was already booted up. He was sat there, controller in hand, ready to play. His mom didn't let him have this game at home, but, she made an exception whenever he visited here. He loved spending time with Nick. He behaved for him, too, which was good.
"You want a drink?" Nick asked.
"Yes please."
"Soda okay?"
"Mhm." He nodded and smiled at him over his shoulder. And with that, the evening began.
Another day down. Never before had he been more grateful for Alex's company.
--
Upbeat Studios, San Francisco, California
14:43PM (17:43 EST)
Trying to make it big in a city as large as this one wasn't easy, but, she was convinced she could manage it. Her parents may have disagreed with her - Go to college, they said. Become stable. Become established. Don't waste your time chasing a million other people's dreams.
Good idea, mom and dad. Let me get into hundreds of thousands of debt, sounds great, she thought.
She had her friends that were helping her out. She was friends with the guy who ran the studio. She got reduced rates, and if she came at times where they didn't get a lot of business? They let her record a few things for free. She had a beautiful voice - that was her main talent. She could play piano, guitar, and things like that. That was her life. Day in, day out. Writing songs, covering overs, practicing the instruments she was good at. She was convinced that one day her dream would barge on in and take her around the world. She was just waiting for that to happen. Sure, it would take time, but, people would have to start noticing her stuff soon, wouldn't they?
She was on everything. YouTube, Facebook, Souncloud, Instagram, Twitter. She put her name out there every chance she got. She played at little bars and restaurants if she got the chance, and once, just once, she got offered to be a supporting act at a local festival. There were only a few hundred people there, but, it was still good. Great fun indeed. She was well-received.
All she needed now was that big break, and she'd be flying.
"Annnd, that's a wrap." He said. "Nice work, Pat. Loving the stuff so far."
"Thank you, thank you." She smiled and placed her guitar down, brushing her hands down on her jeans. "This EP's coming along nice. I'm happy so far. Thanks again for letting me be in here so often. You're a godsend."
"I try." He winked. "Any plans now?"
"Not really. Probably going to grab coffee and head back. You?"
"I was about to invite you for coffee." He laughed.
"Oh, really? Well, I don't see why not." She gently slapped his shoulder. "You know a good place?"
"Simply the best." He smiled, flicking off the light once she'd packed her guitar away. "It's not far from here, actually."
"Even better, then. We can talk about my next song while we're there."
"I'd love to." He chuckled. Her enthusiasm could be overwhelming to some - she was just passionate, that was all. He worked in a place where he believed passions weren't allowed to die, so, of course he was welcoming to it.
Roll on the coffee, though. And the last normal day they'd ever experience.
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
A Cabin, Catskills, New York
18:00PM
It was a one-room cabin. A floor to ceiling shelf made up a wall that shielded the bed from the rest of it, but that was the only real luxury. The sofa was an old loveseat and right in front of it was the only table in the entire place. It was a bit too high to be a coffee table, but a bit too low to be a real table. It was at a really awkward in between stage, but it was perfect in her opinion. Along the wall on the other side of the cabin were a few cabinets and the wood stove where she had used to do all the cooking. Now that she had electricity installed properly she did have a normal stove and a small fridge as well. Water, though, had to be carried in from the creek and boiled before being used for anything. There was an outdoor toilet around the corner of the building, and the only way to get a bath was either to sponge down in a tray or take a dip in the lake not too far away.
During the winters it could be the harshest of places, with snow piling as high as a human in some drifts. During the summer it could be beyond beautiful, with flowers of all colours stretching out on the plain in front of the cabin. This was the cabin that she had bought with her very first savings. It was her home away from home, the place she went when everything became too much and she felt the need to recharge. Her family new about it and even her boss knew where she was in case she needed to be reached, but other than that Kim did her best to stay as cut-off from the hustle and bustle of the outside world as possible. Although she had a guilty pleasure that she couldn't leave behind. Netflix and HBO were staples of survival in her opinion, so she had been forced to install internet and proper electricity rather than the simple generator she had used until then. She did, however, keep the generator because storms had an affinity for cutting off the power which could be deadly during winter.
Kim absolutely adored it.
Her mother, however, didn't.
"I just worry about you bein' out there all on your own." She said. "There's no runnin' water and if somethin' happens proper help is miles away! It's bad enough that you live in New York! Do you have to go looking for extra danger as well?"
Kim rolled her eyes. "We've the same discussion every single time. I'm a grown woman! I can take care of myself, and I did what ya said and got my weapon's licence. The worst thin' that can happen up here's a bobcat gettin' too close, and I'll just scare him right off again. Besides, this'll just be a short trip for some R&R."
"You were snorkling in Jamaica with me just a couple of weeks ago. What d'ya need to relax from?" Raylea pointed out. This was a conference call so that meant at least five family members in on the conversation.
"The paperwork that awaited me when I got back was more than enough to kill a person" Kim groaned dramatically, allowing herself to collapse on the bed. "I ain't likin' it when the boss forcefully volunteers me for somethin' without askin' me first about it." One of the cabin's three windows was situated right above the bed and she looked out at the afternoon sky, feeling at once more peaceful at the sight of it rather than a hustling, bustling metropolis of a city that never slept.
"Oh, honey." Patriciana was the oldest of the siblings. "You take care of yourself, you hear? Both up there at that cabin and also at work, 'kay?"
"Get some great pictures of anything you come across if you can." Samuella piped up. "I could really use a nice picture for inspiration in my art."
Kim nodded even though no one could see her. "Yeah, sure, as always, hun. I'll get the best- oh!" she broke off with a gasp, staring at the sky beyond the pane of glass and ignoring her sisters and mother calling her name. A great, big falling star had just streaked across the sky, bright enough to be seen despite the daylight. "That was beautiful!"
--
Okeechobee Road, Miami, Florida
18:00PM
Leaning back against his car - a black, outwardly unadorned Nissan GT-R - Richard looked around. The place was chock full of tricked up cars and lightly-clad people. Well, it was a hot afternoon and the half naked women and men all around were all looking to make it even hotter. Some had even started, and a few had even foregone trying to find a private corner. Who needed to pay for third rate porn videos when all they had to do was come to an illegal street race?
Snorting at the thought, Richard turned his attention more to the cars than the people. There were all shapes and sizes, colours and designs - some of which were so glaring that they were down right painful to look at. Some cars had subwoofers the size of their wheels belting out loud music, and some cars were bouncing up and down. On one of these cars a gaggle of lightly-clad girls were sitting and shrieking and giggling whenever the car bounced. Around them stood a pack of guys, all staring in great interest at the girls' chests as they, too, bounced. Richard was amazed that the breasts didn't bounce right out of their bras or scraps of fabrics deemed as singlets.
There were very few cars around that could pose a threat to Richard in the upcoming races. Over there stood a driver Richard had raced against before and there was a friendly sort of competition going on between them. And off in another direction was a guy who was new, but whose car lacked any and all visual ridiculous add-ons that most newbies favoured. Richard decided to keep an eye on that guy, and then nodded in greeting to a couple of guys that he knew.
"Quite a turn out tonight, eh?" Bob said as he slid up next to Richard and leaned back against the car, copying Richard's pose. "You sure you should be here? You'll be going right back into the slammer if the cops find you here."
"My parole officer would be having kittens if he knew." Richard lit up a cigarette. "I don't care. If they didn't want me to return to racing they should have given me more money. Fucking medical bills get more and more expensive by the day."
Bob frowned sadly. "Your daughter's no better?" he sighed when Richard shook his head, and clapped the other man on the shoulder. "If I had a car tonight I'd give you most of my winnings."
"I thought you had one?"
Bob gestured dramatically. "Had one. Past tense. Had to get rid of it when the cops started getting too close. Bloody bastards are cracking down on us lately! Better watch out tonight when the races start, there might just be cops around."
Richard looked around again as if any undercover cops would suddenly have neon signs over their heads to point them out. "I'll keep an eye out, thanks for the warning."
18:00PM
It was a one-room cabin. A floor to ceiling shelf made up a wall that shielded the bed from the rest of it, but that was the only real luxury. The sofa was an old loveseat and right in front of it was the only table in the entire place. It was a bit too high to be a coffee table, but a bit too low to be a real table. It was at a really awkward in between stage, but it was perfect in her opinion. Along the wall on the other side of the cabin were a few cabinets and the wood stove where she had used to do all the cooking. Now that she had electricity installed properly she did have a normal stove and a small fridge as well. Water, though, had to be carried in from the creek and boiled before being used for anything. There was an outdoor toilet around the corner of the building, and the only way to get a bath was either to sponge down in a tray or take a dip in the lake not too far away.
During the winters it could be the harshest of places, with snow piling as high as a human in some drifts. During the summer it could be beyond beautiful, with flowers of all colours stretching out on the plain in front of the cabin. This was the cabin that she had bought with her very first savings. It was her home away from home, the place she went when everything became too much and she felt the need to recharge. Her family new about it and even her boss knew where she was in case she needed to be reached, but other than that Kim did her best to stay as cut-off from the hustle and bustle of the outside world as possible. Although she had a guilty pleasure that she couldn't leave behind. Netflix and HBO were staples of survival in her opinion, so she had been forced to install internet and proper electricity rather than the simple generator she had used until then. She did, however, keep the generator because storms had an affinity for cutting off the power which could be deadly during winter.
Kim absolutely adored it.
Her mother, however, didn't.
"I just worry about you bein' out there all on your own." She said. "There's no runnin' water and if somethin' happens proper help is miles away! It's bad enough that you live in New York! Do you have to go looking for extra danger as well?"
Kim rolled her eyes. "We've the same discussion every single time. I'm a grown woman! I can take care of myself, and I did what ya said and got my weapon's licence. The worst thin' that can happen up here's a bobcat gettin' too close, and I'll just scare him right off again. Besides, this'll just be a short trip for some R&R."
"You were snorkling in Jamaica with me just a couple of weeks ago. What d'ya need to relax from?" Raylea pointed out. This was a conference call so that meant at least five family members in on the conversation.
"The paperwork that awaited me when I got back was more than enough to kill a person" Kim groaned dramatically, allowing herself to collapse on the bed. "I ain't likin' it when the boss forcefully volunteers me for somethin' without askin' me first about it." One of the cabin's three windows was situated right above the bed and she looked out at the afternoon sky, feeling at once more peaceful at the sight of it rather than a hustling, bustling metropolis of a city that never slept.
"Oh, honey." Patriciana was the oldest of the siblings. "You take care of yourself, you hear? Both up there at that cabin and also at work, 'kay?"
"Get some great pictures of anything you come across if you can." Samuella piped up. "I could really use a nice picture for inspiration in my art."
Kim nodded even though no one could see her. "Yeah, sure, as always, hun. I'll get the best- oh!" she broke off with a gasp, staring at the sky beyond the pane of glass and ignoring her sisters and mother calling her name. A great, big falling star had just streaked across the sky, bright enough to be seen despite the daylight. "That was beautiful!"
--
Okeechobee Road, Miami, Florida
18:00PM
Leaning back against his car - a black, outwardly unadorned Nissan GT-R - Richard looked around. The place was chock full of tricked up cars and lightly-clad people. Well, it was a hot afternoon and the half naked women and men all around were all looking to make it even hotter. Some had even started, and a few had even foregone trying to find a private corner. Who needed to pay for third rate porn videos when all they had to do was come to an illegal street race?
Snorting at the thought, Richard turned his attention more to the cars than the people. There were all shapes and sizes, colours and designs - some of which were so glaring that they were down right painful to look at. Some cars had subwoofers the size of their wheels belting out loud music, and some cars were bouncing up and down. On one of these cars a gaggle of lightly-clad girls were sitting and shrieking and giggling whenever the car bounced. Around them stood a pack of guys, all staring in great interest at the girls' chests as they, too, bounced. Richard was amazed that the breasts didn't bounce right out of their bras or scraps of fabrics deemed as singlets.
There were very few cars around that could pose a threat to Richard in the upcoming races. Over there stood a driver Richard had raced against before and there was a friendly sort of competition going on between them. And off in another direction was a guy who was new, but whose car lacked any and all visual ridiculous add-ons that most newbies favoured. Richard decided to keep an eye on that guy, and then nodded in greeting to a couple of guys that he knew.
"Quite a turn out tonight, eh?" Bob said as he slid up next to Richard and leaned back against the car, copying Richard's pose. "You sure you should be here? You'll be going right back into the slammer if the cops find you here."
"My parole officer would be having kittens if he knew." Richard lit up a cigarette. "I don't care. If they didn't want me to return to racing they should have given me more money. Fucking medical bills get more and more expensive by the day."
Bob frowned sadly. "Your daughter's no better?" he sighed when Richard shook his head, and clapped the other man on the shoulder. "If I had a car tonight I'd give you most of my winnings."
"I thought you had one?"
Bob gestured dramatically. "Had one. Past tense. Had to get rid of it when the cops started getting too close. Bloody bastards are cracking down on us lately! Better watch out tonight when the races start, there might just be cops around."
Richard looked around again as if any undercover cops would suddenly have neon signs over their heads to point them out. "I'll keep an eye out, thanks for the warning."
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
Atlanta, Georgia
18:30
"Seen your dad recently, Alex?"
"Yeah." The boy leaned forward, clutching the PS4 controller as he drove a semi-truck through a swarm of police cars.
"How's he doing?"
"He's good." He nodded, "He's still workin' on cars."
"He's well?"
"I think so."
"That's good. When are you next seeing him? Getting up to anything good?"
"Uhm... Wednesday, I think. After my soccer game." He said. "We're gonna' go see a movie, then go swimming on Thursday."
"That sounds like good fun." Nick smiled at him. He looked down as his phone started ringing, though. 'Christine Carling'. "Welp, that's your mom on the phone. Better get your shoes back on, buddy. She's probably gonna' be here soon."
"Okay." He paused the game and hopped up from the couch, maybe looking a tiny bit disappointed that he had to leave already. It didn't feel like a couple of hours - In fact, it had been less than an hour, and Nick realized that as soon as he looked in the corner of his phone at the time. How odd. He put the phone to his ear after answering it.
"Hey, Chris."
"Hi, Nick? I need to ask another favor."
"I'm listening."
"Things are getting really chaotic here at the hospital - I've been trying to get a chance to call you since I got here, basically. We're getting more and more people coming in and we're having to put a lot of them in isolation. It's not looking good at the minute."
"Okay? Is everything alright?"
"I'm not sure, but, I can't get a hold of Alex's dad, or my parents, either. I was wondering if you'd have him until the morning. Please say if it's not convenient. I'll keep looking for someone who can take care of him if it's not."
"No, no, don't be stupid, it's fine." He laughed. "I'll let him know he'll see you in the morning, then?" He asked - Alex's ears pricked up from across the room, and he immediately looked in Nick's direction.
"Please do, yeah."
"Alright. You take it easy. Goodbye." He said, quickly, and after they'd both quickly said bye a couple more times to each other, Nick hung up and looked off at Alex, who had wandered back over with only one shoe on.
"What did she say?"
"Well, buddy... Looks like you're having a sleepover here tonight."
He grinned, "Really?"
"Uh-huh. Looks like we get to stay up and play GTA, eh?"
"Awesome!" He dropped himself onto the couch, ripped off his shoe again, and launched it across the apartment. It landed nearby where his other one was. He picked up the controller again, but, before he resumed the game, he turned to Nick with a curious look on his face. "Does that mean you're gonna' cook dinner?"
"Nah, I'll probably order a pizza. What's your favorite?"
"Pepperoni."
"Pepperoni it is, then." He patted him on the head and rose to his feet, wandering off to his bedroom. He'd grab his laptop and order the pizza from there, of course. He opened it up, and while it started up he had a glance around his messy 'writer's room' - so many print-outs of so many stories that he'd written, all of which had been scribbled and written on in red pen for the purpose of editing. Things such as 'remove this' and 'cut chapter 2' were written on some pages, whereas other pages just had 'REWRITE' written across them. It took a lot of work - but he got some things published. By no means was he a bestselling author, but, a few people definitely knew his name. He had some people recognize him in the street, too.
His favorite books that he'd written? 'Wish You Goodnight' and 'Time Doesn't Wait', both of them being crime-thrillers. He'd always liked how it sounded - Nicholas Vermont, insert book title here. It always had a nice ring to it, and to think that some of the books were being read all over the world (maybe not in best-seller numbers, but somewhat close)? It was a great feeling. The money came in, but, there was still the lack of contentment. There was still something missing.
He opened the web browser, and there was a headline that caught his eye in the news section.
'BREAKING: American Hospitals Are Running Out of Room.'
He figured it to be nothing. It wasn't the first time they'd had something like this, and it probably wouldn't be the last.
He went and sat back with Alex to order that pizza.
--
San Francisco, California
15:30 (18:30 EST)
"The industry's hard to get into, but, I think you've definitely got what it takes." He sipped his coffee.
"You're sweet. You're the only one who seems to think that - other than me, of course."
"Well, sometimes yourself is all you need." He smiled. "I'm sure plenty of the famous guys and girls out there now started off having no one believe in their talent, and now look at them. Silk sheets and expensive champagne is their new life. It could be you one day."
"I'm not sure if I'd like the mansion life." She shook her head, "You know I don't like being alone in big places. Or anywhere open and quiet, really." She shook her head, and he simply sighed and nodded in response.
"I know." He stirred his coffee with his teaspoon. "Maybe you won't be in the mansion alone, though." He shrugged. She looked up and gave a soft smile.
"Maybe I won't."
There was a moment of silence as the two of them sipped at their coffees again. This place was indie, all laid back and simple. It was nice, though, despite the coffee being pretty expensive. Before too long, her friend looked back to her and spoke again.
"Hey, Pat?"
"Hm?"
"Me and some friends, we're having some drinks at my place then we're going out. Later tonight, I mean. Why don't you take the night off your song-writing and come join us?"
"I don't know..."
"Oh, come on." He reached out and nudged her. "You'll have a great time. When's the last time you had the chance to party?"
"Not for a while, as far as I remember." She laughed, "Okay, okay, you got me. I'll come."
"That's great! I'll drop you off at your place once we're done here, then... Let's say be at mine for around nine o'clock?" He suggested.
"Sounds like a plan, Dan." She winked. "Don't let me get too drunk."
"It's Saturday night. Everything's fair game."
"That's reassuring." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "I'll drink you under the table, I'm sure."
"I would love to see you try."
"It's on, pal."
18:30
"Seen your dad recently, Alex?"
"Yeah." The boy leaned forward, clutching the PS4 controller as he drove a semi-truck through a swarm of police cars.
"How's he doing?"
"He's good." He nodded, "He's still workin' on cars."
"He's well?"
"I think so."
"That's good. When are you next seeing him? Getting up to anything good?"
"Uhm... Wednesday, I think. After my soccer game." He said. "We're gonna' go see a movie, then go swimming on Thursday."
"That sounds like good fun." Nick smiled at him. He looked down as his phone started ringing, though. 'Christine Carling'. "Welp, that's your mom on the phone. Better get your shoes back on, buddy. She's probably gonna' be here soon."
"Okay." He paused the game and hopped up from the couch, maybe looking a tiny bit disappointed that he had to leave already. It didn't feel like a couple of hours - In fact, it had been less than an hour, and Nick realized that as soon as he looked in the corner of his phone at the time. How odd. He put the phone to his ear after answering it.
"Hey, Chris."
"Hi, Nick? I need to ask another favor."
"I'm listening."
"Things are getting really chaotic here at the hospital - I've been trying to get a chance to call you since I got here, basically. We're getting more and more people coming in and we're having to put a lot of them in isolation. It's not looking good at the minute."
"Okay? Is everything alright?"
"I'm not sure, but, I can't get a hold of Alex's dad, or my parents, either. I was wondering if you'd have him until the morning. Please say if it's not convenient. I'll keep looking for someone who can take care of him if it's not."
"No, no, don't be stupid, it's fine." He laughed. "I'll let him know he'll see you in the morning, then?" He asked - Alex's ears pricked up from across the room, and he immediately looked in Nick's direction.
"Please do, yeah."
"Alright. You take it easy. Goodbye." He said, quickly, and after they'd both quickly said bye a couple more times to each other, Nick hung up and looked off at Alex, who had wandered back over with only one shoe on.
"What did she say?"
"Well, buddy... Looks like you're having a sleepover here tonight."
He grinned, "Really?"
"Uh-huh. Looks like we get to stay up and play GTA, eh?"
"Awesome!" He dropped himself onto the couch, ripped off his shoe again, and launched it across the apartment. It landed nearby where his other one was. He picked up the controller again, but, before he resumed the game, he turned to Nick with a curious look on his face. "Does that mean you're gonna' cook dinner?"
"Nah, I'll probably order a pizza. What's your favorite?"
"Pepperoni."
"Pepperoni it is, then." He patted him on the head and rose to his feet, wandering off to his bedroom. He'd grab his laptop and order the pizza from there, of course. He opened it up, and while it started up he had a glance around his messy 'writer's room' - so many print-outs of so many stories that he'd written, all of which had been scribbled and written on in red pen for the purpose of editing. Things such as 'remove this' and 'cut chapter 2' were written on some pages, whereas other pages just had 'REWRITE' written across them. It took a lot of work - but he got some things published. By no means was he a bestselling author, but, a few people definitely knew his name. He had some people recognize him in the street, too.
His favorite books that he'd written? 'Wish You Goodnight' and 'Time Doesn't Wait', both of them being crime-thrillers. He'd always liked how it sounded - Nicholas Vermont, insert book title here. It always had a nice ring to it, and to think that some of the books were being read all over the world (maybe not in best-seller numbers, but somewhat close)? It was a great feeling. The money came in, but, there was still the lack of contentment. There was still something missing.
He opened the web browser, and there was a headline that caught his eye in the news section.
'BREAKING: American Hospitals Are Running Out of Room.'
He figured it to be nothing. It wasn't the first time they'd had something like this, and it probably wouldn't be the last.
He went and sat back with Alex to order that pizza.
--
San Francisco, California
15:30 (18:30 EST)
"The industry's hard to get into, but, I think you've definitely got what it takes." He sipped his coffee.
"You're sweet. You're the only one who seems to think that - other than me, of course."
"Well, sometimes yourself is all you need." He smiled. "I'm sure plenty of the famous guys and girls out there now started off having no one believe in their talent, and now look at them. Silk sheets and expensive champagne is their new life. It could be you one day."
"I'm not sure if I'd like the mansion life." She shook her head, "You know I don't like being alone in big places. Or anywhere open and quiet, really." She shook her head, and he simply sighed and nodded in response.
"I know." He stirred his coffee with his teaspoon. "Maybe you won't be in the mansion alone, though." He shrugged. She looked up and gave a soft smile.
"Maybe I won't."
There was a moment of silence as the two of them sipped at their coffees again. This place was indie, all laid back and simple. It was nice, though, despite the coffee being pretty expensive. Before too long, her friend looked back to her and spoke again.
"Hey, Pat?"
"Hm?"
"Me and some friends, we're having some drinks at my place then we're going out. Later tonight, I mean. Why don't you take the night off your song-writing and come join us?"
"I don't know..."
"Oh, come on." He reached out and nudged her. "You'll have a great time. When's the last time you had the chance to party?"
"Not for a while, as far as I remember." She laughed, "Okay, okay, you got me. I'll come."
"That's great! I'll drop you off at your place once we're done here, then... Let's say be at mine for around nine o'clock?" He suggested.
"Sounds like a plan, Dan." She winked. "Don't let me get too drunk."
"It's Saturday night. Everything's fair game."
"That's reassuring." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "I'll drink you under the table, I'm sure."
"I would love to see you try."
"It's on, pal."
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
A Cabin, Catskills, New York
18:45PM
“Ouch!” Patriciana groaned.
“What?! What is it?! Oh my god! It’s the baby, isn’t it?! Is it okay? Are you okay? There’s no blood is there? Zackary! Zackary, get out of your chair and get the car! Patriciana and her baby are dying!” Mrs. Williams’s voice rose in a shriek.
Mr. Williams didn’t sound very worried at all even through the phone. “I’m sure they are fine, dear.”
“Mom, it’s okay.” Patriciana huffed and breathed heavily. “The baby just kicked me really bad for a moment. I’m totally fine. There’s no need to rush over.”
“There? You see?” Mr. Williams’s voice was followed by coughing.
Patriciana hurried to further smooth their mother’s ruffled feathers. “And Tyreke is coming home any moment now, I won’t be alone for very long. Please calm down, mom.”
Kim turned Mrs. Williams’s attention on something else. “Is dad okay? That cough sounds serious.”
“He came home with that cough today. I told him not to go to the mall’s cellar and to let the younger people take care of the clean-up. I’m a bit worried, to tell the truth, the cough has developed really qui- Zackary?! Zackary!? Oh my god!” the phone dropped to the floor, giving off a loud thump that made Kim wince, but she didn’t dare pull it away from her ear. Instead she – and everyone else on the line – held their breath as they desperately tried to listen to whatever small sounds they could still hear through the line. There was shuffling and their mother was getting more and more hysterical and loud as she tried to awaken her husband.
It took a moment before the phone was picked up again. There was heavy panicked breathing as well as a few beeps as fumbling fingers accidentally pushed a few buttons. Mrs. Williams’s voice was shaking when she spoke up again. “Your father just collapsed! I’m going to get him to the hospital!”
“Wait, what?! Mom!” Raylea shouted, but it was too late. The line had disconnected.
“I’m going over.” Patriciana was rushing to get dressed. Her voice got slightly louder as she pressed the phone between her shoulder and ear for a moment, and it was followed by the jingling of keys. “I’ll get to mom and dad’s place in ten minutes or less. The rest of you meet us in the hospital”
“Keep us updated!” Samuella shouted before the line disconnected again.
“I’m getting’ ready to go, but it’s gonna take me some hours to get home. The rest of ya get to the hospital, keep me updated, and inform the rest of the family.” Kim’s declaration gained a couple of agreements and an admonition to drive carefully before the conference call disconnected completely. She stuffed the cell phone in her pocket, and threw the few things she had taken out of her bag during her stay back into the bag she had brought with her. Once that was done, Kim pulled on her hiking boots, made sure that everything was turned off that needed to be turned off, that the window was securely closed, and then she rushed out.
After locking the door, she practically jumped off the wrap-around porch and scrambled to the car and got inside. The bag was thrown into the back seat, the belt was fastened, and the key turned. A moment later she was driving down the dirt road as fast as she dared.
She could only pray that there was nothing seriously wrong with her father.
--
Okeechobee Road, Miami, Florida
18:45PM
The races didn’t start until it got dark, but some people simply couldn’t wait. There was always betting and trash talking to be had, and there were always the roars of people showing off their motors and trying to intimidate others. But this time there was also a slowly growing commotion at one end of the large gathering. People were starting to gather around to watch the spectacle, and the noise levels were soon easily heard above the din of the subwoofers.
“I don’t like this much.” Richard muttered as he and Bob watched the growing throng. As the commotion didn’t settle quickly it became clear that this was something serious developing. Music was being turned off and cars stopped bouncing as everyone turned their attention to what was going on.
“There’s been a lot of that.” Bob sighed. “Had a kid drive off a freeway just last week.”
“Heard about that. Over by the warehouses wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Dead on the spot, poor kid, but instigated by this sort of betting.” Bob gestured to the shouting people. The noises were starting to turn angry rather than just trash talking. “No one’s certain why the kid drove off in the first place; police couldn’t find nothing wrong with his car. He just… crashed.”
Richard frowned, eyes locked on the people. Some thought it amusing and fun and were goading everything on. Some were getting serious about it. It was obvious in the way their bodies were moving, the way their arms were gesturing, and their posturing. There was a lot of that going on as hands started creeping towards hidden and not-so-hidden weapons. If weapons were drawn then a fight was almost guaranteed to happen, and it would most likely end with hospitalisaiton or even a murder or two.
“I’m getting out of here.” Richard said suddenly and stood up properly. “I’m not going to make any money the way things are going, and I can’t afford having the cops called on me.”
Bob nodded. “Ain’t that the truth. I’m heading off to.”
He opened the door to the driver’s seat. “You want a ride?”
“Nah, man, I’m good. I was thinking of dropping by a bar or two before going home. And not the kinds of bars you can be caught at right now, either.” Bob grinned. “Go home, get some rest, and when you call your little girlie tell her Uncle Bob sends his regards.”
Richard bid the man farewell, watching Bob walk off in the opposite direction of the throng. He sighed and got into the car in one smooth move, turning the key and feeling it purr to life under him. It was a shame. He had been working on the engine and had wanted to give it a good test run against someone. Oh well. It wasn’t the end of the world after all; he would get the chance to race in the future. Somewhere there was always some schmuck ready to be goaded into parting with all their cash.
It was slow going for a while until he got out of the area laid claim to by the street racers that afternoon. Once out on the freeway and the more open road it was a delight to speed up even a little bit. Richard swung out on the lane that would take him to Brownsville, and turned on the radio. If there was a traffic jam somewhere then he would rather drive around it than be caught in the middle of it.
“An unprecedented number,” the radio host was saying as Richard tuned in. “We’ve never seen such numbers. The closest that comes to this is the Spanish Flu way back when. The hospitals don’t know what it is yet, but it’s spreading like wildfire, and people are being quarantined left and right. Last report we have is that the hospitals are running out of room. The symptoms include rashes and erratic behaviour, especially irritability and hostility. There have been several reports of these people trying to bite people near them. The hospitals are issuing warnings about approaching people with these symptoms, and instead call for an ambulance instead. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this entire thing is sounding more and more like the start of a zombie apocalypse!” the radio host laughed at his own joke.
18:45PM
“Ouch!” Patriciana groaned.
“What?! What is it?! Oh my god! It’s the baby, isn’t it?! Is it okay? Are you okay? There’s no blood is there? Zackary! Zackary, get out of your chair and get the car! Patriciana and her baby are dying!” Mrs. Williams’s voice rose in a shriek.
Mr. Williams didn’t sound very worried at all even through the phone. “I’m sure they are fine, dear.”
“Mom, it’s okay.” Patriciana huffed and breathed heavily. “The baby just kicked me really bad for a moment. I’m totally fine. There’s no need to rush over.”
“There? You see?” Mr. Williams’s voice was followed by coughing.
Patriciana hurried to further smooth their mother’s ruffled feathers. “And Tyreke is coming home any moment now, I won’t be alone for very long. Please calm down, mom.”
Kim turned Mrs. Williams’s attention on something else. “Is dad okay? That cough sounds serious.”
“He came home with that cough today. I told him not to go to the mall’s cellar and to let the younger people take care of the clean-up. I’m a bit worried, to tell the truth, the cough has developed really qui- Zackary?! Zackary!? Oh my god!” the phone dropped to the floor, giving off a loud thump that made Kim wince, but she didn’t dare pull it away from her ear. Instead she – and everyone else on the line – held their breath as they desperately tried to listen to whatever small sounds they could still hear through the line. There was shuffling and their mother was getting more and more hysterical and loud as she tried to awaken her husband.
It took a moment before the phone was picked up again. There was heavy panicked breathing as well as a few beeps as fumbling fingers accidentally pushed a few buttons. Mrs. Williams’s voice was shaking when she spoke up again. “Your father just collapsed! I’m going to get him to the hospital!”
“Wait, what?! Mom!” Raylea shouted, but it was too late. The line had disconnected.
“I’m going over.” Patriciana was rushing to get dressed. Her voice got slightly louder as she pressed the phone between her shoulder and ear for a moment, and it was followed by the jingling of keys. “I’ll get to mom and dad’s place in ten minutes or less. The rest of you meet us in the hospital”
“Keep us updated!” Samuella shouted before the line disconnected again.
“I’m getting’ ready to go, but it’s gonna take me some hours to get home. The rest of ya get to the hospital, keep me updated, and inform the rest of the family.” Kim’s declaration gained a couple of agreements and an admonition to drive carefully before the conference call disconnected completely. She stuffed the cell phone in her pocket, and threw the few things she had taken out of her bag during her stay back into the bag she had brought with her. Once that was done, Kim pulled on her hiking boots, made sure that everything was turned off that needed to be turned off, that the window was securely closed, and then she rushed out.
After locking the door, she practically jumped off the wrap-around porch and scrambled to the car and got inside. The bag was thrown into the back seat, the belt was fastened, and the key turned. A moment later she was driving down the dirt road as fast as she dared.
She could only pray that there was nothing seriously wrong with her father.
--
Okeechobee Road, Miami, Florida
18:45PM
The races didn’t start until it got dark, but some people simply couldn’t wait. There was always betting and trash talking to be had, and there were always the roars of people showing off their motors and trying to intimidate others. But this time there was also a slowly growing commotion at one end of the large gathering. People were starting to gather around to watch the spectacle, and the noise levels were soon easily heard above the din of the subwoofers.
“I don’t like this much.” Richard muttered as he and Bob watched the growing throng. As the commotion didn’t settle quickly it became clear that this was something serious developing. Music was being turned off and cars stopped bouncing as everyone turned their attention to what was going on.
“There’s been a lot of that.” Bob sighed. “Had a kid drive off a freeway just last week.”
“Heard about that. Over by the warehouses wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Dead on the spot, poor kid, but instigated by this sort of betting.” Bob gestured to the shouting people. The noises were starting to turn angry rather than just trash talking. “No one’s certain why the kid drove off in the first place; police couldn’t find nothing wrong with his car. He just… crashed.”
Richard frowned, eyes locked on the people. Some thought it amusing and fun and were goading everything on. Some were getting serious about it. It was obvious in the way their bodies were moving, the way their arms were gesturing, and their posturing. There was a lot of that going on as hands started creeping towards hidden and not-so-hidden weapons. If weapons were drawn then a fight was almost guaranteed to happen, and it would most likely end with hospitalisaiton or even a murder or two.
“I’m getting out of here.” Richard said suddenly and stood up properly. “I’m not going to make any money the way things are going, and I can’t afford having the cops called on me.”
Bob nodded. “Ain’t that the truth. I’m heading off to.”
He opened the door to the driver’s seat. “You want a ride?”
“Nah, man, I’m good. I was thinking of dropping by a bar or two before going home. And not the kinds of bars you can be caught at right now, either.” Bob grinned. “Go home, get some rest, and when you call your little girlie tell her Uncle Bob sends his regards.”
Richard bid the man farewell, watching Bob walk off in the opposite direction of the throng. He sighed and got into the car in one smooth move, turning the key and feeling it purr to life under him. It was a shame. He had been working on the engine and had wanted to give it a good test run against someone. Oh well. It wasn’t the end of the world after all; he would get the chance to race in the future. Somewhere there was always some schmuck ready to be goaded into parting with all their cash.
It was slow going for a while until he got out of the area laid claim to by the street racers that afternoon. Once out on the freeway and the more open road it was a delight to speed up even a little bit. Richard swung out on the lane that would take him to Brownsville, and turned on the radio. If there was a traffic jam somewhere then he would rather drive around it than be caught in the middle of it.
“An unprecedented number,” the radio host was saying as Richard tuned in. “We’ve never seen such numbers. The closest that comes to this is the Spanish Flu way back when. The hospitals don’t know what it is yet, but it’s spreading like wildfire, and people are being quarantined left and right. Last report we have is that the hospitals are running out of room. The symptoms include rashes and erratic behaviour, especially irritability and hostility. There have been several reports of these people trying to bite people near them. The hospitals are issuing warnings about approaching people with these symptoms, and instead call for an ambulance instead. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this entire thing is sounding more and more like the start of a zombie apocalypse!” the radio host laughed at his own joke.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
Atlanta, Georgia
20:19
Dingdong.
He got up from the couch and walked to the door. He looked through the spy hole and saw that it was indeed the delivery man, like they'd been expecting for the past hour now. He was held up doing... Something of the sort, it seemed. Alex was getting to that point where his mood was suffering from being hungry, so, Nick was grateful for the pizza's arrival, despite it being so late. He opened the door up and smiled.
"Large pepperoni, sir?"
"That's us, yup." Nick reached out and took it from him. It was still hot.
"Sorry for the delay. Complete craziness downtown. Traffic's barely moving."
"Any idea why?" He asked.
"Something to do with all this hospital drama, I think. People are getting paranoid." He said. "There's been talk on the radios of it being something like the, uh... The Spanish Flu, or something? So obviously people are playing it safe, taking their cars everywhere, and some of 'em are even leaving the city, I think."
"Spanish Flu? Really?" Nick scratched his head. "Fair enough, I guess. I'll keep it in mind."
"Take it easy, pal." The guy waved a little, and off he went. Nick was happy enough with the pizza - decent enough size for the two of them. He wasn't expecting Alex to eat all that much, given his age and his size and all. He'd let him have whatever and he'd finish what was left. Of course he'd have a few slices while Alex was still eating, though. He was starving, too. He took the pizza over to the coffee table and opened it up. Pepperoni. Nice. He went off and got some Fanta from the fridge, too, and poured two glasses of it. He made his way back to the coffee table and sat down on the ground, smiling off at Alex who was already tucking in.
"How's that?" He asked.
"Good." He said, his voice muffled by the mouthful of pizza he had.
Nick picked up a slice of pizza and had a bite, "You better take a bath once you're done eating. Wanna' be nice and clean for your mom tomorrow morning, and all."
"Sure." He nodded.
A little bit of time went by - what time was Alex's usual bedtime? He had no idea. Maybe ten o'clock during the summer? Later? He didn't know. He figured he'd play it by ear and send him to bed once he started to look tired. It didn't take long for the pizza to be eaten between the two of them - Alex ate as much as he could handle (and left the crusts, of course), and Nick managed to finish the rest off. Once Nick was done eating, he ran a bath for Alex and told him to run off and get cleaned up once it was ready. That gave him fifteen, twenty minutes to himself. Not that he was going to get up to anything interesting. One thing that was on his mind was all the business about hospitals. He went ahead and changed the TV back to the actual TV setting, then flicked through the channels until he found something news-related.
~'- being described as America's worst epidemic. Hospitals are filling up more and more with every hour, and across the country, there have been reports of violent outbursts from patients. The disease which seems to be spreading is believed to be a new-found strand of the Spanish Flu. Researchers are already assembling what they need to try and find a vaccine or some sort of suitable treatment. Currently, there are no confirmed deaths as a result of the disease, but, it's having a close eye kept on-'~
He turned it off. Hm.
He walked to the bathroom door and knocked - honestly, he was worried about Christine. Was she seeing this where she was working, too? "Alex?" He called out.
"Yeah?" A voice from inside the bathroom said.
"I'm just gonna' quickly go speak to my neighbor, 'kay? I'll be back in two minutes."
"Okay!"
He walked out the front door and lifted the inside doorknob upward, engaging the bolt as a result. At least like this, it wouldn't end up slamming shut on him while he was out there. He walked a few feet down the hall and knocked on the door. There was silence for a minute, but, eventually he heard footsteps, and before long, the door opened up. A woman was stood there - she was nice. She had two kids, and her and Nick had talked a few times, but they were by no means close.
"Oh, hey, sorry to bother you, I was just wondering if you had a minute?"
"Yes-.. Well, no. I need to get the kids to a doctor. They're both really sick."
Nick paused, "What kinda' sick?"
"Vomiting, fever, a bad cough. I think I should take them to the hospital. I've been watching the news, and..."
"They been anywhere outdoors today?"
"I took them both to Chuck E. Cheese." She sighed. "None of the kids looked there sick at all, so I don't know."
"Alright, well, best to get them looked at." Nick nodded, seeming discomforted. "Wish them well for me, okay?"
"Of course, yes. How are you? Are you okay?"
"I've been alright, yeah. Looking after Christine's kid for the night. You've met Christine?"
"I've seen here now and again."
"Yeah, well, she works down at the hospital. You might see her if that's where you're headed." He smiled.
"God... Imagine working in a hospital in a time like this..."
"I know. Anyway. Good luck and all." He winked and backed away towards his apartment, and after she'd given him another smile, she went back into her own. Before too long, he heard her running by, ushering the kids she had along. Seeing as he was back on the couch and chilling out, he didn't actually see them, but he could hear the kids crying as they went by. They must have been really unwell. He could only hope it wasn't something to do with the Spanish flu.
20:19
Dingdong.
He got up from the couch and walked to the door. He looked through the spy hole and saw that it was indeed the delivery man, like they'd been expecting for the past hour now. He was held up doing... Something of the sort, it seemed. Alex was getting to that point where his mood was suffering from being hungry, so, Nick was grateful for the pizza's arrival, despite it being so late. He opened the door up and smiled.
"Large pepperoni, sir?"
"That's us, yup." Nick reached out and took it from him. It was still hot.
"Sorry for the delay. Complete craziness downtown. Traffic's barely moving."
"Any idea why?" He asked.
"Something to do with all this hospital drama, I think. People are getting paranoid." He said. "There's been talk on the radios of it being something like the, uh... The Spanish Flu, or something? So obviously people are playing it safe, taking their cars everywhere, and some of 'em are even leaving the city, I think."
"Spanish Flu? Really?" Nick scratched his head. "Fair enough, I guess. I'll keep it in mind."
"Take it easy, pal." The guy waved a little, and off he went. Nick was happy enough with the pizza - decent enough size for the two of them. He wasn't expecting Alex to eat all that much, given his age and his size and all. He'd let him have whatever and he'd finish what was left. Of course he'd have a few slices while Alex was still eating, though. He was starving, too. He took the pizza over to the coffee table and opened it up. Pepperoni. Nice. He went off and got some Fanta from the fridge, too, and poured two glasses of it. He made his way back to the coffee table and sat down on the ground, smiling off at Alex who was already tucking in.
"How's that?" He asked.
"Good." He said, his voice muffled by the mouthful of pizza he had.
Nick picked up a slice of pizza and had a bite, "You better take a bath once you're done eating. Wanna' be nice and clean for your mom tomorrow morning, and all."
"Sure." He nodded.
A little bit of time went by - what time was Alex's usual bedtime? He had no idea. Maybe ten o'clock during the summer? Later? He didn't know. He figured he'd play it by ear and send him to bed once he started to look tired. It didn't take long for the pizza to be eaten between the two of them - Alex ate as much as he could handle (and left the crusts, of course), and Nick managed to finish the rest off. Once Nick was done eating, he ran a bath for Alex and told him to run off and get cleaned up once it was ready. That gave him fifteen, twenty minutes to himself. Not that he was going to get up to anything interesting. One thing that was on his mind was all the business about hospitals. He went ahead and changed the TV back to the actual TV setting, then flicked through the channels until he found something news-related.
~'- being described as America's worst epidemic. Hospitals are filling up more and more with every hour, and across the country, there have been reports of violent outbursts from patients. The disease which seems to be spreading is believed to be a new-found strand of the Spanish Flu. Researchers are already assembling what they need to try and find a vaccine or some sort of suitable treatment. Currently, there are no confirmed deaths as a result of the disease, but, it's having a close eye kept on-'~
He turned it off. Hm.
He walked to the bathroom door and knocked - honestly, he was worried about Christine. Was she seeing this where she was working, too? "Alex?" He called out.
"Yeah?" A voice from inside the bathroom said.
"I'm just gonna' quickly go speak to my neighbor, 'kay? I'll be back in two minutes."
"Okay!"
He walked out the front door and lifted the inside doorknob upward, engaging the bolt as a result. At least like this, it wouldn't end up slamming shut on him while he was out there. He walked a few feet down the hall and knocked on the door. There was silence for a minute, but, eventually he heard footsteps, and before long, the door opened up. A woman was stood there - she was nice. She had two kids, and her and Nick had talked a few times, but they were by no means close.
"Oh, hey, sorry to bother you, I was just wondering if you had a minute?"
"Yes-.. Well, no. I need to get the kids to a doctor. They're both really sick."
Nick paused, "What kinda' sick?"
"Vomiting, fever, a bad cough. I think I should take them to the hospital. I've been watching the news, and..."
"They been anywhere outdoors today?"
"I took them both to Chuck E. Cheese." She sighed. "None of the kids looked there sick at all, so I don't know."
"Alright, well, best to get them looked at." Nick nodded, seeming discomforted. "Wish them well for me, okay?"
"Of course, yes. How are you? Are you okay?"
"I've been alright, yeah. Looking after Christine's kid for the night. You've met Christine?"
"I've seen here now and again."
"Yeah, well, she works down at the hospital. You might see her if that's where you're headed." He smiled.
"God... Imagine working in a hospital in a time like this..."
"I know. Anyway. Good luck and all." He winked and backed away towards his apartment, and after she'd given him another smile, she went back into her own. Before too long, he heard her running by, ushering the kids she had along. Seeing as he was back on the couch and chilling out, he didn't actually see them, but he could hear the kids crying as they went by. They must have been really unwell. He could only hope it wasn't something to do with the Spanish flu.
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
Brownsville, Miami, Florida
20:34
Since no one wanted to rent out a flat to an ex-con even in Brownsville, he had been forced to pay way too much for a crappy motel room. The beige paint was dirty and peeling from the walls, the tarmac was cracked, and there was a lot of litter overflowing from the trashcans. On the corner a couple of hookers were trying to draw in customers, but they had little luck. In a side street a drug deal was going down. Richard ignored it all as he parked his car and got out. It wasn’t exactly safe to leave his car out in this neighbourhood, but what else could he do? Besides, the car didn’t look like anything special or worth stealing. That had worked in his favour so far, hopefully his luck would hold.
The motel room was on the first floor of the motel. He had to do a special sort of lift and push while he unlocked the door to get it open, and at some point he was certain that the key would break in the lock and he would be forced to pay for the repairs. Richard pushed it open and gasped for breath as the practically boiling air from inside hit him in the face. The AC was out of commission. Again.
“Fuck.” He muttered and retreated. There was no way he could spend any time inside until it got cooler later in the evening. Leaving the door open he sat down on the metal staircase right in front of it to wait it out.
Old Mrs. Ramirez was shouting at a couple of young hoodlums across the street, putting the fear of God into them. No one messed with Mrs. Ramirez. A couple of teenagers were eying the prostitutes with interest but didn’t have the courage to go over. Not yet. Most likely when it got darker or they got some liquid courage. One of the windows on the ground floor of the motel was opened by a young woman, and the shrill cries of a child were heard from inside. The mother looked haggard and harried and exhausted, and she looked pretty sick even from where Richard sat. He even spotted a couple of bite marks on her arms from the child.
Richard hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should tell the woman about what he had heard on the news, but when his cell phone rang and he forgot all about it. He pulled it out. The cell phone was an old one, one of the ancient Nokias that couldn’t be ruined no matter what one did to them.
The caller ID was Bob’s.
“What’s up?” Richard started patting his pockets for cigarettes.
“Man, you won’t believe what I just heard!” Bob’s voice was excited and a bit fearful even, and he was speaking quickly and loudly to be heard above the thumping music in the background. “Got a friend here who stayed at Okeechobee after we left. He says that the fight was vicious and that several people pulled out shivs and even guns.”
“So? That happens often.” Where were those damn cigarettes?
“Yeah, but the biting isn’t!”
“Biting?” Richard blinked. “Like Mike Tyson bite-your-ear-off biting?”
“Exactly like that! Apparently the fight spilled into an alley and disturbed this crazy homeless person or something. He went berserk and started biting people left and right!” Bob muttered a quick sorry to someone before returning to the conversation. “And what with all the shit they’ve been talking about on the news – this Spanish Flu thing – my friend booked it out of there as fast as possible. I’m thinking that I kind of want to leave town for a long while.”
Richard hummed. “Can’t. Gotta stay put because of the parole. Do they even know what this illness is?”
“Not that I know. I’m watching the news right now.” Bob sighed. “They’re just creating panic like this, man, not telling us what it is. Tell you what, I’ll wait with the fleeing until tomorrow. You get in contact with your parole officer and ask him about it, and then we’ll go pick up your little girlie and hunker down somewhere until this passes. A crowded city sounds like a really bad place to be right now, if this thing continues spreading like this.”
“And if my parole officer says no?”
“We’ll still go get your little girlie and then hunker down. I’ll start getting some food and camping gear ready. I think I have some of the camping gear in my attic somewhere. Let me know how it goes.” Bob disconnected the call.
Sighing heavily Richard hesitated for a moment. His fingers hovered over the buttons, ready to find his parole officer’s name and make the call even if he was certain that a request to leave the town – let alone the state – would be denied. A loud sound brought his attention to the recently opened window on the ground floor. The young mother was desperately trying to calm down her child – a boy of about ten. Richard couldn’t see the child from where he sat and there was no more shrieking, but the woman’s voice was getting louder. She grabbed a metal skillet and walked out of his view.
Richard focused back on the phone, skipped over his parole officer’s name and went straight for the number he called more often than any other. He got up and walked into the apartment despite the heat, pulling out a duffle bag as he went and started throwing his clothes into it.
“Hey mom?” he said as soon as the call was answered. “Yeah, no, I’m fine. I’m coming down to Louisiana.”
20:34
Since no one wanted to rent out a flat to an ex-con even in Brownsville, he had been forced to pay way too much for a crappy motel room. The beige paint was dirty and peeling from the walls, the tarmac was cracked, and there was a lot of litter overflowing from the trashcans. On the corner a couple of hookers were trying to draw in customers, but they had little luck. In a side street a drug deal was going down. Richard ignored it all as he parked his car and got out. It wasn’t exactly safe to leave his car out in this neighbourhood, but what else could he do? Besides, the car didn’t look like anything special or worth stealing. That had worked in his favour so far, hopefully his luck would hold.
The motel room was on the first floor of the motel. He had to do a special sort of lift and push while he unlocked the door to get it open, and at some point he was certain that the key would break in the lock and he would be forced to pay for the repairs. Richard pushed it open and gasped for breath as the practically boiling air from inside hit him in the face. The AC was out of commission. Again.
“Fuck.” He muttered and retreated. There was no way he could spend any time inside until it got cooler later in the evening. Leaving the door open he sat down on the metal staircase right in front of it to wait it out.
Old Mrs. Ramirez was shouting at a couple of young hoodlums across the street, putting the fear of God into them. No one messed with Mrs. Ramirez. A couple of teenagers were eying the prostitutes with interest but didn’t have the courage to go over. Not yet. Most likely when it got darker or they got some liquid courage. One of the windows on the ground floor of the motel was opened by a young woman, and the shrill cries of a child were heard from inside. The mother looked haggard and harried and exhausted, and she looked pretty sick even from where Richard sat. He even spotted a couple of bite marks on her arms from the child.
Richard hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should tell the woman about what he had heard on the news, but when his cell phone rang and he forgot all about it. He pulled it out. The cell phone was an old one, one of the ancient Nokias that couldn’t be ruined no matter what one did to them.
The caller ID was Bob’s.
“What’s up?” Richard started patting his pockets for cigarettes.
“Man, you won’t believe what I just heard!” Bob’s voice was excited and a bit fearful even, and he was speaking quickly and loudly to be heard above the thumping music in the background. “Got a friend here who stayed at Okeechobee after we left. He says that the fight was vicious and that several people pulled out shivs and even guns.”
“So? That happens often.” Where were those damn cigarettes?
“Yeah, but the biting isn’t!”
“Biting?” Richard blinked. “Like Mike Tyson bite-your-ear-off biting?”
“Exactly like that! Apparently the fight spilled into an alley and disturbed this crazy homeless person or something. He went berserk and started biting people left and right!” Bob muttered a quick sorry to someone before returning to the conversation. “And what with all the shit they’ve been talking about on the news – this Spanish Flu thing – my friend booked it out of there as fast as possible. I’m thinking that I kind of want to leave town for a long while.”
Richard hummed. “Can’t. Gotta stay put because of the parole. Do they even know what this illness is?”
“Not that I know. I’m watching the news right now.” Bob sighed. “They’re just creating panic like this, man, not telling us what it is. Tell you what, I’ll wait with the fleeing until tomorrow. You get in contact with your parole officer and ask him about it, and then we’ll go pick up your little girlie and hunker down somewhere until this passes. A crowded city sounds like a really bad place to be right now, if this thing continues spreading like this.”
“And if my parole officer says no?”
“We’ll still go get your little girlie and then hunker down. I’ll start getting some food and camping gear ready. I think I have some of the camping gear in my attic somewhere. Let me know how it goes.” Bob disconnected the call.
Sighing heavily Richard hesitated for a moment. His fingers hovered over the buttons, ready to find his parole officer’s name and make the call even if he was certain that a request to leave the town – let alone the state – would be denied. A loud sound brought his attention to the recently opened window on the ground floor. The young mother was desperately trying to calm down her child – a boy of about ten. Richard couldn’t see the child from where he sat and there was no more shrieking, but the woman’s voice was getting louder. She grabbed a metal skillet and walked out of his view.
Richard focused back on the phone, skipped over his parole officer’s name and went straight for the number he called more often than any other. He got up and walked into the apartment despite the heat, pulling out a duffle bag as he went and started throwing his clothes into it.
“Hey mom?” he said as soon as the call was answered. “Yeah, no, I’m fine. I’m coming down to Louisiana.”
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
Atlanta, Georgia
22:50
It had been some time - Alex had obviously gotten out the bath long ago, and recently Nick got a toothbrush for him out of a new packet, so, that was all good. He was set and ready for bed in no time - he was instructed just to sleep in his t-shirt and underwear, seeing as he didn't come here prepared to stay the night. Nick was sure his mom would bring him a clean set of clothes tomorrow morning, anyway, so it didn't make for much of a big deal.
Nick and Alex had settled to watch a movie as time got on and Alex started to look sleepy. A seven-year-old could only sit up for so long after a fairly busy day, so, Nick wasn't expecting him to be awake for long. And he wasn't. Forty minutes into the movie, he'd crashed out and was fast asleep against Nick's arm. It took Nick a while to realize, but when he did, he carefully shuffled around until he was in an appropriate position to pick him up. He sat him in his arms in a way that his head was rested on his shoulder, too, as to not disturb him from his sleep too much. He carried him out the living room and through to the bedroom, where he placed him down in the bed and covered him over.
"Mm... Mom..." Alex murmured, squirming as the blanket went over him.
"Shh, sh." Nick spent a moment tucking him in. "You just get some rest, buddy." He whispered.
"Okay..." He gave a small yawn and curled up on the spot, balling up one corner of the blanket and hugging it to his chest. He must have slept with a teddy bear at home, or something. That was Nick's best guess, anyway. "Did we stay up late...?" He asked.
"Super late, uh-huh." He chuckled. "That's why you need some sleep." He ran his hand over the top of his head. "If you need anything, I'll be sleeping on the couch, okay?"
He nodded. "Night, Nick."
"Night." He rose back up to his feet and walked to the door, but...
"Nick?" Alex called out.
"Yeah?"
"Can you leave the door open a lil' bit?" He asked.
"Sure, Alex... Sleep well." He closed the door over about halfway, then continued off out the room and back to the living room. He got his laptop from the coffee table and laid down, resting it on his stomach. He brought up Microsoft Word, and his web browser, of course. He figured there couldn't be any harm in doing a bit of writing before he went to sleep. Plus, he wanted to sit up for a while just in case Alex got up and came crying, or something. He hadn't spent a whole night over here before, so, he was worried that he'd end up missing his mom too much and would eventually come by for comfort. Hopefully not, though.
Once again, on the Breaking News section.
'What it's like to work in a hospital right now: Interview with a nurse.'
He clicked it, and even though it was a wall of text, he decided he'd give it a quick skim-read.
Lots of flash words - Violence, hectic, panic, chaotic.
Then there was what the nurse had to say.
'I've been working for nearly thirty hours straight with only two fifteen minute breaks in the whole stretch. We've got patients attacking members of staff and other patients, and the waiting room in the ER is just filling up by the dozen every passing minute. We've had to call in everyone we have to get them to come and help out, because we just can't manage it all ourselves. They said this is like the Spanish Flu but it really seems way worse than that. Some of the patients aren't even responding to sedation, beta blockers, morphine - On some of them nothing is working. We've even had to muzzle a few people because they've just kept trying to bite people. If they can't be sedated and won't calm down, what else can we do?'
Weird. Nick closed that section of the news again. The world was going fucking crazy, apparently. It made him nervous for Nick's mom. He could only hope that things weren't happening like that there, too, but she did say things were getting chaotic, and she 'wasn't sure' if things were alright. He just had to pray he'd hear back from her tomorrow morning and all would be well.
Eventually, though, he fell asleep.
For now.
--
San Francisco, California
19:50 (22:50 EST)
"Hey, Pat? I'm gonna' come and pick you up seeing as there's some weird stuff going on with all the hospitals and all that. I don't want you walking about on your own at night, okay?"
"Uh, sure. I've been reading about that - I hear it's worse the closer you get to the east coast, though."
"I know, but, I want to be safe. Seems like a lot of the coastal places are suffering so I don't want to take chances. I'll be there in twenty minutes, alright? Just stay put and I'll call you when I'm outside." He said. "I've checked and the club we wanna' go to is still set to open. You're still down, right?"
"Of course I'm still down." She laughed. "I've got a bottle of vodka to bring over to your place, alright?"
"I'm not gonna' shake my head at that, girl. Good one." He said. "Think, in a few hours' time? We're gonna' be dancing like there's no tomorrow."
"All while being very drunk, of course."
"Of course..."
"Right, Dan... I'll see you shortly. You might have to wait a while, though. I'm not completely ready."
"I can just come in for coffee if you're gonna' need more time?"
"That works, yup." She said. "Bye for now."
"Bye."
She hung up the phone and sighed, running a hand through her hair. She still had to do her makeup, but, she'd try her best to get that out of the way. She wanted it to look good, though, so she was going to at least take some time doing it. She wasn't overly worried about the 'weird stuff' going on with the hospitals, so, she was just set to go out and have a good night. It would be the first time in a while, too.
22:50
It had been some time - Alex had obviously gotten out the bath long ago, and recently Nick got a toothbrush for him out of a new packet, so, that was all good. He was set and ready for bed in no time - he was instructed just to sleep in his t-shirt and underwear, seeing as he didn't come here prepared to stay the night. Nick was sure his mom would bring him a clean set of clothes tomorrow morning, anyway, so it didn't make for much of a big deal.
Nick and Alex had settled to watch a movie as time got on and Alex started to look sleepy. A seven-year-old could only sit up for so long after a fairly busy day, so, Nick wasn't expecting him to be awake for long. And he wasn't. Forty minutes into the movie, he'd crashed out and was fast asleep against Nick's arm. It took Nick a while to realize, but when he did, he carefully shuffled around until he was in an appropriate position to pick him up. He sat him in his arms in a way that his head was rested on his shoulder, too, as to not disturb him from his sleep too much. He carried him out the living room and through to the bedroom, where he placed him down in the bed and covered him over.
"Mm... Mom..." Alex murmured, squirming as the blanket went over him.
"Shh, sh." Nick spent a moment tucking him in. "You just get some rest, buddy." He whispered.
"Okay..." He gave a small yawn and curled up on the spot, balling up one corner of the blanket and hugging it to his chest. He must have slept with a teddy bear at home, or something. That was Nick's best guess, anyway. "Did we stay up late...?" He asked.
"Super late, uh-huh." He chuckled. "That's why you need some sleep." He ran his hand over the top of his head. "If you need anything, I'll be sleeping on the couch, okay?"
He nodded. "Night, Nick."
"Night." He rose back up to his feet and walked to the door, but...
"Nick?" Alex called out.
"Yeah?"
"Can you leave the door open a lil' bit?" He asked.
"Sure, Alex... Sleep well." He closed the door over about halfway, then continued off out the room and back to the living room. He got his laptop from the coffee table and laid down, resting it on his stomach. He brought up Microsoft Word, and his web browser, of course. He figured there couldn't be any harm in doing a bit of writing before he went to sleep. Plus, he wanted to sit up for a while just in case Alex got up and came crying, or something. He hadn't spent a whole night over here before, so, he was worried that he'd end up missing his mom too much and would eventually come by for comfort. Hopefully not, though.
Once again, on the Breaking News section.
'What it's like to work in a hospital right now: Interview with a nurse.'
He clicked it, and even though it was a wall of text, he decided he'd give it a quick skim-read.
Lots of flash words - Violence, hectic, panic, chaotic.
Then there was what the nurse had to say.
'I've been working for nearly thirty hours straight with only two fifteen minute breaks in the whole stretch. We've got patients attacking members of staff and other patients, and the waiting room in the ER is just filling up by the dozen every passing minute. We've had to call in everyone we have to get them to come and help out, because we just can't manage it all ourselves. They said this is like the Spanish Flu but it really seems way worse than that. Some of the patients aren't even responding to sedation, beta blockers, morphine - On some of them nothing is working. We've even had to muzzle a few people because they've just kept trying to bite people. If they can't be sedated and won't calm down, what else can we do?'
Weird. Nick closed that section of the news again. The world was going fucking crazy, apparently. It made him nervous for Nick's mom. He could only hope that things weren't happening like that there, too, but she did say things were getting chaotic, and she 'wasn't sure' if things were alright. He just had to pray he'd hear back from her tomorrow morning and all would be well.
Eventually, though, he fell asleep.
For now.
--
San Francisco, California
19:50 (22:50 EST)
"Hey, Pat? I'm gonna' come and pick you up seeing as there's some weird stuff going on with all the hospitals and all that. I don't want you walking about on your own at night, okay?"
"Uh, sure. I've been reading about that - I hear it's worse the closer you get to the east coast, though."
"I know, but, I want to be safe. Seems like a lot of the coastal places are suffering so I don't want to take chances. I'll be there in twenty minutes, alright? Just stay put and I'll call you when I'm outside." He said. "I've checked and the club we wanna' go to is still set to open. You're still down, right?"
"Of course I'm still down." She laughed. "I've got a bottle of vodka to bring over to your place, alright?"
"I'm not gonna' shake my head at that, girl. Good one." He said. "Think, in a few hours' time? We're gonna' be dancing like there's no tomorrow."
"All while being very drunk, of course."
"Of course..."
"Right, Dan... I'll see you shortly. You might have to wait a while, though. I'm not completely ready."
"I can just come in for coffee if you're gonna' need more time?"
"That works, yup." She said. "Bye for now."
"Bye."
She hung up the phone and sighed, running a hand through her hair. She still had to do her makeup, but, she'd try her best to get that out of the way. She wanted it to look good, though, so she was going to at least take some time doing it. She wasn't overly worried about the 'weird stuff' going on with the hospitals, so, she was just set to go out and have a good night. It would be the first time in a while, too.
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
Outside Poughkeepsie, New York
23:00PM
The trip through the Catskills took less time than she had expected, but more time than she wanted. Once she passed Claryville and hit State Route 55 E it was barely more than an hour to Poughkeepsie. The road would usually have been full of cars going in all direction – especially between Kingston and Poughkeepsie – but what was really odd was that most cars were trying to get into the Catskills rather than towards either of the cities. She hadn’t seen such heavy traffic into the mountains in, well, ever!
Kim only blinked at it and continued driving. Just past Dunkin’ Donuts she took a left turn. A few minutes later she came up on Franny Reese State Park and the road followed the outside edge of it. The park was full of people in military uniform, and the closer to the Mid-Hudson Bridge she came the more of them she saw. The bridge itself was blocked in the direction going in, and the way out was jam pack full of cars. Soldiers were thoroughly checking each person in each car.
A soldier, dressed in the same full regalia as all the others, gestured for her to stop.
“Sorry, ma’am,” said the soldier once she stopped and rolled down her window. “A state of emergency has been declared.”
“What? Why?” Kim tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
“The flu? It’s been all over the news today.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, no, don’t know about it. I’ve been camping in the Catskills. I was on the phone with my family when my father collapsed. I’m on my way in to the hospital.”
The soldier looked apologetic. “Sorry, ma’am, but I can’t allow that. The hospitals are full and they’re struggling to deal with the amount of infected people. We’re just trying to make sure that no riots break out. I recommend that you drive back to your camping ground and stay there for another couple of days until all of this calms down.”
“B-but my family!” Kim gestured wildly towards Poughkeepsie.
“I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to turn around. We don’t want you to get infected as well.” He looked like a sympathetic young man, and any other day of the week Kim would have found him perfectly nice and kind and polite. Right now she just wanted to punch his lights out. But since he had the weapons and she didn’t, Kim could only curse and make a U-turn.
As she drove back towards the highway, she pulled out her cell phone and called the first family member she had on her list. As she waited for someone to pick up she kept glancing at the people in the cars that managed to get out of Poughkeepsie. All of them looked harried and worried, and a few looked down right scared.
What the hell was happening in town?
“C’mon, Rayleah, pick up. Please, pick up.” She muttered.
Out on the road she drove back towards Dunkin’ Donuts, but turned off on Haviland Road and then onto Mile Hill Road. This she followed all the way down to River Road and finally approached Bob Shepard Highland Landing Park, hoping to catch a ferry across the Hudson. But even from far away she saw that the military had closed off the docks, and there were even military ships on the Hudson.
There was no answer from Rayleah.
--
Brownsville, Miami, Florida
20:34PM
Once the call with his mother was over with, Richard loaded the duffle bag into his car. There was now more shouting through the open window but he didn’t look in that direction. Instead he got into the car and drove off. Once out on the road he found the number of his parole officer and called him.
“Listen, Rick,” the man said. Richard had always hated having his name shortened like that. “I can’t allow it. If every man suddenly wanted a nice little vacation to mommy, then we would soon have no idea who was where. You’re simply going to have to sit tight. And if you’re worried about your daughter and this flu-thing, then just send some paracetamol or something. Listen, I’ve gotta go. Don’t do anything stupid now, alright?”
Richard made to protest, but the man had already ended the call. “Motherfucking piece of… Hey Bob? Yeah, it was a no-go. The fucker didn’t even hear me out. I’m still going to jump town as soon as possible. You still in?”
“Of course. How about we meet up at my place and pick up some equipment?” Bob was walking down the street, there was shouting around him. “I mean, we might not end up using camping equipment, but better have it than not, eh?”
Richard hummed. “I’ll see you there.”
“I’m going to come as soon as I can.” Bob said. “If you get there before me go ahead and pack up what you need. Things are getting crazy down here. Someone just came by screaming about a riot starting somewhere close by.”
“Be careful.” Richard said as he waited for the light to turn green.
“Will do, man, you too.” Bob hung up.
Westview, Miami, Florida
21:00PM
There was no one at home when Richard finally parked the car outside Bob’s house. It was a familiar place, and he had crashed there more than once through the years. He remembered Bob’s mom, too, before the woman had died. She had been more of a mom to Richard than his own mother had been.
Richard waited and waited, but Bob wasn’t showing up and it was getting darker and darker. After trying Bob’s phone several times over, Richard gave up on waiting. He walked up to the door, found the key hidden in the hollow behind the button one pushed to ring the bell, unlocked the front door and entered. The house was in bad shape, but not quite as bad as the motel Richard had been staying at. The AC worked at least.
There were signs of Bob living there – beer bottles, a blanket, pizza boxes and so on – but no sign of Bob himself. The man was simply gone. For a moment Richard looked around, at all the signs of Bob’s life, and then he walked up the stairs. Up there he found the trap door that led to the attic. Pulling a chair over, he got up on it and pushed the trap door open, coughing as dust fell down on him.
The attic was dark and it was warm, but there was an old lightbulb hanging on a cord. Richard searched around until he could find the switch, and then blinked in the weak, yellow light. The place was full of boxes and old furniture, dust and random bits and bobs. It took time to find the box with the camping gear, and then he groaned when he realized that it was very old camping gear.
A German kerosene lantern, a canvas range tent, a magnesium fire starter, an old bag of cedar wood chips, an old, leather knapsack, a canvas sleeping bag, the whole shebang. He did find a newer propane burner, and it seemed to be quite full. All of that he packed up and transported into his car, then he grabbed several blankets and towels as well. The last thing he raided was Bob’s kitchen for food.
Sitting in the car Richard tried to call Bob once again, but he wasn’t surprised that no one answered. Hopefully nothing had happened to the man, but Richard wasn’t going to stick around to find out. Instead he drove off and headed towards the highway.
A lot of cars were doing the same thing around him, their headlights making the evening bright. There was a long line of cars going extremely slowly, and there was no way around it. The other lane was blocked by military vehicles and soldiers with weapons.
Richard’s fingers drummed on the steering wheel as he inched forwards little by little, until it was finally his turn. The soldiers had him step out of the car, and then proceeded to check it from top to bottom. In the meantime a military doctor checked Richard over. A light was flashed in his eyes, he had to open his mouth and say ‘ah’, his ears were checked and he had to take off his shirt to prove that there were no scratches or bite marks on his body.
The clock struck midnight when he finally left the city limits behind.
"Whatever the hell this is," Richard mumbled as he watched the military checkpoint receeding in his rear-view mirror, "it's no normal flu."
23:00PM
The trip through the Catskills took less time than she had expected, but more time than she wanted. Once she passed Claryville and hit State Route 55 E it was barely more than an hour to Poughkeepsie. The road would usually have been full of cars going in all direction – especially between Kingston and Poughkeepsie – but what was really odd was that most cars were trying to get into the Catskills rather than towards either of the cities. She hadn’t seen such heavy traffic into the mountains in, well, ever!
Kim only blinked at it and continued driving. Just past Dunkin’ Donuts she took a left turn. A few minutes later she came up on Franny Reese State Park and the road followed the outside edge of it. The park was full of people in military uniform, and the closer to the Mid-Hudson Bridge she came the more of them she saw. The bridge itself was blocked in the direction going in, and the way out was jam pack full of cars. Soldiers were thoroughly checking each person in each car.
A soldier, dressed in the same full regalia as all the others, gestured for her to stop.
“Sorry, ma’am,” said the soldier once she stopped and rolled down her window. “A state of emergency has been declared.”
“What? Why?” Kim tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
“The flu? It’s been all over the news today.”
She shook her head. “Sorry, no, don’t know about it. I’ve been camping in the Catskills. I was on the phone with my family when my father collapsed. I’m on my way in to the hospital.”
The soldier looked apologetic. “Sorry, ma’am, but I can’t allow that. The hospitals are full and they’re struggling to deal with the amount of infected people. We’re just trying to make sure that no riots break out. I recommend that you drive back to your camping ground and stay there for another couple of days until all of this calms down.”
“B-but my family!” Kim gestured wildly towards Poughkeepsie.
“I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to turn around. We don’t want you to get infected as well.” He looked like a sympathetic young man, and any other day of the week Kim would have found him perfectly nice and kind and polite. Right now she just wanted to punch his lights out. But since he had the weapons and she didn’t, Kim could only curse and make a U-turn.
As she drove back towards the highway, she pulled out her cell phone and called the first family member she had on her list. As she waited for someone to pick up she kept glancing at the people in the cars that managed to get out of Poughkeepsie. All of them looked harried and worried, and a few looked down right scared.
What the hell was happening in town?
“C’mon, Rayleah, pick up. Please, pick up.” She muttered.
Out on the road she drove back towards Dunkin’ Donuts, but turned off on Haviland Road and then onto Mile Hill Road. This she followed all the way down to River Road and finally approached Bob Shepard Highland Landing Park, hoping to catch a ferry across the Hudson. But even from far away she saw that the military had closed off the docks, and there were even military ships on the Hudson.
There was no answer from Rayleah.
--
Brownsville, Miami, Florida
20:34PM
Once the call with his mother was over with, Richard loaded the duffle bag into his car. There was now more shouting through the open window but he didn’t look in that direction. Instead he got into the car and drove off. Once out on the road he found the number of his parole officer and called him.
“Listen, Rick,” the man said. Richard had always hated having his name shortened like that. “I can’t allow it. If every man suddenly wanted a nice little vacation to mommy, then we would soon have no idea who was where. You’re simply going to have to sit tight. And if you’re worried about your daughter and this flu-thing, then just send some paracetamol or something. Listen, I’ve gotta go. Don’t do anything stupid now, alright?”
Richard made to protest, but the man had already ended the call. “Motherfucking piece of… Hey Bob? Yeah, it was a no-go. The fucker didn’t even hear me out. I’m still going to jump town as soon as possible. You still in?”
“Of course. How about we meet up at my place and pick up some equipment?” Bob was walking down the street, there was shouting around him. “I mean, we might not end up using camping equipment, but better have it than not, eh?”
Richard hummed. “I’ll see you there.”
“I’m going to come as soon as I can.” Bob said. “If you get there before me go ahead and pack up what you need. Things are getting crazy down here. Someone just came by screaming about a riot starting somewhere close by.”
“Be careful.” Richard said as he waited for the light to turn green.
“Will do, man, you too.” Bob hung up.
Westview, Miami, Florida
21:00PM
There was no one at home when Richard finally parked the car outside Bob’s house. It was a familiar place, and he had crashed there more than once through the years. He remembered Bob’s mom, too, before the woman had died. She had been more of a mom to Richard than his own mother had been.
Richard waited and waited, but Bob wasn’t showing up and it was getting darker and darker. After trying Bob’s phone several times over, Richard gave up on waiting. He walked up to the door, found the key hidden in the hollow behind the button one pushed to ring the bell, unlocked the front door and entered. The house was in bad shape, but not quite as bad as the motel Richard had been staying at. The AC worked at least.
There were signs of Bob living there – beer bottles, a blanket, pizza boxes and so on – but no sign of Bob himself. The man was simply gone. For a moment Richard looked around, at all the signs of Bob’s life, and then he walked up the stairs. Up there he found the trap door that led to the attic. Pulling a chair over, he got up on it and pushed the trap door open, coughing as dust fell down on him.
The attic was dark and it was warm, but there was an old lightbulb hanging on a cord. Richard searched around until he could find the switch, and then blinked in the weak, yellow light. The place was full of boxes and old furniture, dust and random bits and bobs. It took time to find the box with the camping gear, and then he groaned when he realized that it was very old camping gear.
A German kerosene lantern, a canvas range tent, a magnesium fire starter, an old bag of cedar wood chips, an old, leather knapsack, a canvas sleeping bag, the whole shebang. He did find a newer propane burner, and it seemed to be quite full. All of that he packed up and transported into his car, then he grabbed several blankets and towels as well. The last thing he raided was Bob’s kitchen for food.
Sitting in the car Richard tried to call Bob once again, but he wasn’t surprised that no one answered. Hopefully nothing had happened to the man, but Richard wasn’t going to stick around to find out. Instead he drove off and headed towards the highway.
A lot of cars were doing the same thing around him, their headlights making the evening bright. There was a long line of cars going extremely slowly, and there was no way around it. The other lane was blocked by military vehicles and soldiers with weapons.
Richard’s fingers drummed on the steering wheel as he inched forwards little by little, until it was finally his turn. The soldiers had him step out of the car, and then proceeded to check it from top to bottom. In the meantime a military doctor checked Richard over. A light was flashed in his eyes, he had to open his mouth and say ‘ah’, his ears were checked and he had to take off his shirt to prove that there were no scratches or bite marks on his body.
The clock struck midnight when he finally left the city limits behind.
"Whatever the hell this is," Richard mumbled as he watched the military checkpoint receeding in his rear-view mirror, "it's no normal flu."
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
Atlanta, Georgia
3:15AM
"Nick? Nick, listen."
"Nick, it doesn't have to be this way."
"Nick, please, stop."
"Nick, stop it!"
"Nick."
Nick gasped and opened his eyes, seeing none other than Alex stood at his side. He looked at his watch - 3:15? He took a deep breath and slowly sat up, repositioning himself so he was a little comfier. He stretched his back.
"Are you okay?" Alex asked, "You're sweating."
"Yeah... Just a bad dream." He sighed. "How come you're up? Is everything alright?"
"Um... No." He said, sheepishly, then sat down beside him.
"What's up?" Nick asked.
"I got up to pee, and, well... I heard something outside."
"Eh? Well, there's a lot of things going on outside, I imagine."
"No, no, not like that." He shook his head quickly. "I mean out there." He pointed at the apartment's door.
Nick looked at the door, then looked down at him again, his eyebrow raised. "Really?"
"Uh-huh, really."
"What kinda' noise did you hear?"
"Like... A loud bang."
Nick looked at the door again and scratched his chin. "Okay, well, you need to stay right where you are, okay?" He asked. "Don't move, I'll poke my head out the door and see what's going on." He gently ruffled his hair and rose to his feet, wandering off to the apartment's door and slowly opening it up. He glanced to his left down the hallway, then to his right. To his right was where he saw something unsettling. Not only was there a lot of blood, but, there was a man stood there, twitching and shaking, hissing and choking, right in the middle of the hallway. He was hunched over and had his head bowed towards the ground, but the most disturbing thing was that he had a bullet wound, entry and exit, in the side of his chest. He could see that from where he was stood. Blood was splattered up the wall behind him. How was he still okay?
Nick gulped and made one big mistake.
"Hey, excuse me! Are you okay?!" He called out.
The man froze for a moment, then turned around in a flash. His arms went out at his sides and he gave a horrid shriek, immediately before bursting into a sprint.
"Oh, shit." Nick said. His jaw fell open, and he came to terms with things just in time to step back into the apartment and slam the door shut, as well as bolt it. He stumbled back, slowly, but soon there was a pounding at the door so heavy that he was convinced the door would fly off its hinges in no more than a few minutes. He grabbed the bat he had tucked away in the living room - it was only there in event of something like this happening. If this guy got in, he'd regret it. Hopefully. He stepped back until the bag of his legs hit the couch, and of course, Alex was stood up on the couch and tugging gently at Nick's shoulder.
"Nick, what's going on? Who is that?" He asked, the fear practically dripping from his voice.
"Alex, you stay back." He said, gently. "It's okay. The door's locked. He can't get in here."
And as he heard that, he heard the wooden door crack.
"Nick...?" Alex whimpered. "Nick, I want my mom." He said, his voice weak.
"I know, buddy. I know. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen."
There was more slamming, but, the resident just across from his room opened his door - that much he could hear.
"Hey! Do you fuckin' mind?! Some of us are trying to sleep here!"
The slamming stopped.
There was another shriek.
"Hey, hey, hey, step back!" The man across yelled. Thankfully, Nick nor Alex could see any of it going on, because a few seconds later, the man who'd opened his door was screaming at the top of his lungs - in both pain and plea. He was screaming for help, screaming for something to 'stop', and generally just howling in what sounded like complete agony. Nick gulped and put the bat aside, then swept up his phone from the coffee table and brought up the dial pad. He hit 9-1-1.
"We're sorry, the number you've tried to reach is currently unavailable."
It just went straight to that. Not a single ring.
"Oh, fuck." He gasped, putting the phone back down. He looked at Alex instead, who was now in tears and hugging his knees close to his chest. "Alex, Alex, hey." Nick quickly sat with him and put his arms around him. "It's okay. He's gone."
"Why's that other man screaming, Nick?" He sniffled. "What's goin' on? I'm scared." He whimpered, putting his face into his chest.
"I know. It's okay, Alex, it's okay." He patted his back. "Listen, I need to figure out what's going on, okay? I need you to-"
His phone started vibrating on the table.
The contact? 'Bro'.
He snatched up the phone and answered it, putting it to his ear.
"Nick, are you still in Atlanta?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"You need to pack your bags and get outta' there. The whole city's going to shit, and they're talking about sealing the whole thing off to contain it."
"You're kidding me."
"I wish I was. Look, I know me and you aren't on the best terms right now, but I need you to work with me here. There's a travel center on the '75, just up from Cartersville. The local police are setting up a refuge center there for people who are evacuating. Y'know, families with kids and all that, mainly, but anyone's welcome."
"I've got Alex with me."
"Seriously? Christine's Alex? Where's Christine?"
"At work."
There was a long silence.
"You need to bring Alex here with you."
"But-"
"Nick."
Nick looked at Alex, then sighed, "Alright... I'll see you there, I hope. But it may take a while." He said.
"Whatever it takes, just be here. I'll wait."
"Alright."
He hung up, then looked down at Alex. "Alex, kiddo... Go get your clothes on. We need to head out of here, okay?"
"Nick, my mom..." He sniffled. "Where is she?"
"We need to head outta' town for a bit. We'll see David, though. You like David."
"Uh-huh." He nodded a little. "But..."
"Your mom will meet us there, alright?" He said. "But for now I need to get you there so it's safe. I'll explain on the way. Right now there's something going on in the city and the police need us to leave." He said.
He didn't know exactly what it was, but, he had a pretty good idea after what he'd seen and heard in the past ten minutes.
Alex got up and went to get dressed again.
--
San Francisco, California
Club Timeless
00:15 (3:15 EST)
It had been an interesting night so far. Dan did come and pick her up, but on the way to his house, they didn't see anything that raised any concern. She didn't quite get what all the fuss was about - by the time she'd had a few drinks, she'd forgotten all about it, and because they were all too busy getting drunk and not worrying about what may have been going on in the rest of the country, they obviously missed out on all the most recent news of how things were going to shit. They didn't know, and because of that, they didn't care. After drinking for an hour and a half, they made their way off to Timeless, a nightclub in the city. That was where the real party was meant to be happening.
By 11 o'clock, they were inside with a drink in hand and dancing around like there was going to be no tomorrow, just as Dan had said. It didn't take long for them all to get completely drunk off their minds, along with the other few hundred people in the club with them. It was a hot box of sex, drugs, and alcohol. It wasn't all that bad, though, and it was the sort of place you could enjoy yourself if you didn't cause too much trouble. Patricia was happy enough there, even if things were a little crazy. It was more than what she was used to, as she was more used to sitting in a studio or her room and singing songs to herself, rather than being in a room with deafening music and people bumping into you left, right, and center. But, she could make it work.
Then something happened.
She was dancing around as she had been for a while now, but it all changed when she went up to the bar to get a drink. If she hadn't done, she didn't like to imagine what could have happened. It took a while to realize, but, there was someone coming right at the hustling and bustling crowd of thirsty people with a deadly intent. Where they came from or how they got to such a state was beyond her, but, it shocked her enough to make her step right away from the bar.
A man came out of nowhere and pounced onto the back of a man at the bar, immediately sinking his teeth into his neck and tearing away a massive chunk of flesh and sending blood spraying all over the over patrons. An artery must have been severed - but Patricia wasn't quite she what was going on. She ducked and weaved through all the people in the way between her and Dan - Dan had agreed to wait with a couple of his buddies in a certain spot. She was back before long, and immediately she grabbed his arm and started dragging him through the crowd. Both Dan and his friends thought he was getting lucky, so, none of them said anything.
At least not until he saw the situation at the bar.
"Oh, shit." He said.
But before he could say more, he was dragged up the stairs and straight out the exit, simply interested in doing nothing more than getting out of there.
And before they knew it, there they were. On the street, with the bouncers shooting concerned looks at the somewhat frantic woman.
"Tell me you saw it." She gulped. "Please, tell me you saw what I saw."
"I saw it." Dan put a hand on her shoulder. "I... My friends, we should..."
"You really think they're not going to evacuate the club, Dan?" She asked, quickly wiping her eyes. "Oh, fuck... There was so much blood, and he just... He just jumped on him, and..."
"I know, I know. I saw him. I saw them both, I... Pat, was that... Was that guy eating him?" He asked.
"I don't know, I don't know." She rambled on, tears streaming down her cheeks. "We need to get back, Dan. We'll meet your pals back at yours, but, I don't feel safe around here. Please." She sniffled.
"Yup, sure." He nodded, then waved a hand towards the road. "Taxi!" He caled out to a passing yellow car.
3:15AM
"Nick? Nick, listen."
"Nick, it doesn't have to be this way."
"Nick, please, stop."
"Nick, stop it!"
"Nick."
Nick gasped and opened his eyes, seeing none other than Alex stood at his side. He looked at his watch - 3:15? He took a deep breath and slowly sat up, repositioning himself so he was a little comfier. He stretched his back.
"Are you okay?" Alex asked, "You're sweating."
"Yeah... Just a bad dream." He sighed. "How come you're up? Is everything alright?"
"Um... No." He said, sheepishly, then sat down beside him.
"What's up?" Nick asked.
"I got up to pee, and, well... I heard something outside."
"Eh? Well, there's a lot of things going on outside, I imagine."
"No, no, not like that." He shook his head quickly. "I mean out there." He pointed at the apartment's door.
Nick looked at the door, then looked down at him again, his eyebrow raised. "Really?"
"Uh-huh, really."
"What kinda' noise did you hear?"
"Like... A loud bang."
Nick looked at the door again and scratched his chin. "Okay, well, you need to stay right where you are, okay?" He asked. "Don't move, I'll poke my head out the door and see what's going on." He gently ruffled his hair and rose to his feet, wandering off to the apartment's door and slowly opening it up. He glanced to his left down the hallway, then to his right. To his right was where he saw something unsettling. Not only was there a lot of blood, but, there was a man stood there, twitching and shaking, hissing and choking, right in the middle of the hallway. He was hunched over and had his head bowed towards the ground, but the most disturbing thing was that he had a bullet wound, entry and exit, in the side of his chest. He could see that from where he was stood. Blood was splattered up the wall behind him. How was he still okay?
Nick gulped and made one big mistake.
"Hey, excuse me! Are you okay?!" He called out.
The man froze for a moment, then turned around in a flash. His arms went out at his sides and he gave a horrid shriek, immediately before bursting into a sprint.
"Oh, shit." Nick said. His jaw fell open, and he came to terms with things just in time to step back into the apartment and slam the door shut, as well as bolt it. He stumbled back, slowly, but soon there was a pounding at the door so heavy that he was convinced the door would fly off its hinges in no more than a few minutes. He grabbed the bat he had tucked away in the living room - it was only there in event of something like this happening. If this guy got in, he'd regret it. Hopefully. He stepped back until the bag of his legs hit the couch, and of course, Alex was stood up on the couch and tugging gently at Nick's shoulder.
"Nick, what's going on? Who is that?" He asked, the fear practically dripping from his voice.
"Alex, you stay back." He said, gently. "It's okay. The door's locked. He can't get in here."
And as he heard that, he heard the wooden door crack.
"Nick...?" Alex whimpered. "Nick, I want my mom." He said, his voice weak.
"I know, buddy. I know. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen."
There was more slamming, but, the resident just across from his room opened his door - that much he could hear.
"Hey! Do you fuckin' mind?! Some of us are trying to sleep here!"
The slamming stopped.
There was another shriek.
"Hey, hey, hey, step back!" The man across yelled. Thankfully, Nick nor Alex could see any of it going on, because a few seconds later, the man who'd opened his door was screaming at the top of his lungs - in both pain and plea. He was screaming for help, screaming for something to 'stop', and generally just howling in what sounded like complete agony. Nick gulped and put the bat aside, then swept up his phone from the coffee table and brought up the dial pad. He hit 9-1-1.
"We're sorry, the number you've tried to reach is currently unavailable."
It just went straight to that. Not a single ring.
"Oh, fuck." He gasped, putting the phone back down. He looked at Alex instead, who was now in tears and hugging his knees close to his chest. "Alex, Alex, hey." Nick quickly sat with him and put his arms around him. "It's okay. He's gone."
"Why's that other man screaming, Nick?" He sniffled. "What's goin' on? I'm scared." He whimpered, putting his face into his chest.
"I know. It's okay, Alex, it's okay." He patted his back. "Listen, I need to figure out what's going on, okay? I need you to-"
His phone started vibrating on the table.
The contact? 'Bro'.
He snatched up the phone and answered it, putting it to his ear.
"Nick, are you still in Atlanta?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"You need to pack your bags and get outta' there. The whole city's going to shit, and they're talking about sealing the whole thing off to contain it."
"You're kidding me."
"I wish I was. Look, I know me and you aren't on the best terms right now, but I need you to work with me here. There's a travel center on the '75, just up from Cartersville. The local police are setting up a refuge center there for people who are evacuating. Y'know, families with kids and all that, mainly, but anyone's welcome."
"I've got Alex with me."
"Seriously? Christine's Alex? Where's Christine?"
"At work."
There was a long silence.
"You need to bring Alex here with you."
"But-"
"Nick."
Nick looked at Alex, then sighed, "Alright... I'll see you there, I hope. But it may take a while." He said.
"Whatever it takes, just be here. I'll wait."
"Alright."
He hung up, then looked down at Alex. "Alex, kiddo... Go get your clothes on. We need to head out of here, okay?"
"Nick, my mom..." He sniffled. "Where is she?"
"We need to head outta' town for a bit. We'll see David, though. You like David."
"Uh-huh." He nodded a little. "But..."
"Your mom will meet us there, alright?" He said. "But for now I need to get you there so it's safe. I'll explain on the way. Right now there's something going on in the city and the police need us to leave." He said.
He didn't know exactly what it was, but, he had a pretty good idea after what he'd seen and heard in the past ten minutes.
Alex got up and went to get dressed again.
--
San Francisco, California
Club Timeless
00:15 (3:15 EST)
It had been an interesting night so far. Dan did come and pick her up, but on the way to his house, they didn't see anything that raised any concern. She didn't quite get what all the fuss was about - by the time she'd had a few drinks, she'd forgotten all about it, and because they were all too busy getting drunk and not worrying about what may have been going on in the rest of the country, they obviously missed out on all the most recent news of how things were going to shit. They didn't know, and because of that, they didn't care. After drinking for an hour and a half, they made their way off to Timeless, a nightclub in the city. That was where the real party was meant to be happening.
By 11 o'clock, they were inside with a drink in hand and dancing around like there was going to be no tomorrow, just as Dan had said. It didn't take long for them all to get completely drunk off their minds, along with the other few hundred people in the club with them. It was a hot box of sex, drugs, and alcohol. It wasn't all that bad, though, and it was the sort of place you could enjoy yourself if you didn't cause too much trouble. Patricia was happy enough there, even if things were a little crazy. It was more than what she was used to, as she was more used to sitting in a studio or her room and singing songs to herself, rather than being in a room with deafening music and people bumping into you left, right, and center. But, she could make it work.
Then something happened.
She was dancing around as she had been for a while now, but it all changed when she went up to the bar to get a drink. If she hadn't done, she didn't like to imagine what could have happened. It took a while to realize, but, there was someone coming right at the hustling and bustling crowd of thirsty people with a deadly intent. Where they came from or how they got to such a state was beyond her, but, it shocked her enough to make her step right away from the bar.
A man came out of nowhere and pounced onto the back of a man at the bar, immediately sinking his teeth into his neck and tearing away a massive chunk of flesh and sending blood spraying all over the over patrons. An artery must have been severed - but Patricia wasn't quite she what was going on. She ducked and weaved through all the people in the way between her and Dan - Dan had agreed to wait with a couple of his buddies in a certain spot. She was back before long, and immediately she grabbed his arm and started dragging him through the crowd. Both Dan and his friends thought he was getting lucky, so, none of them said anything.
At least not until he saw the situation at the bar.
"Oh, shit." He said.
But before he could say more, he was dragged up the stairs and straight out the exit, simply interested in doing nothing more than getting out of there.
And before they knew it, there they were. On the street, with the bouncers shooting concerned looks at the somewhat frantic woman.
"Tell me you saw it." She gulped. "Please, tell me you saw what I saw."
"I saw it." Dan put a hand on her shoulder. "I... My friends, we should..."
"You really think they're not going to evacuate the club, Dan?" She asked, quickly wiping her eyes. "Oh, fuck... There was so much blood, and he just... He just jumped on him, and..."
"I know, I know. I saw him. I saw them both, I... Pat, was that... Was that guy eating him?" He asked.
"I don't know, I don't know." She rambled on, tears streaming down her cheeks. "We need to get back, Dan. We'll meet your pals back at yours, but, I don't feel safe around here. Please." She sniffled.
"Yup, sure." He nodded, then waved a hand towards the road. "Taxi!" He caled out to a passing yellow car.
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
Outside Poughkeepsie, New York
3:30AM
Raylea never picked up. Neither did Mrs. Williams, Mr. Williams nor Patriciana. The last one Kim tried was her youngest sister Samuella. The phone rang and rang as she drove back and forth along the Hudson shoreline in hopes of finding some way to cross over – a hopeless endeavour. The military was out in force, their boats were stopping any and all crafts that came from the Poughkeepsie side of the shore. Most of those were sent back.
The phone was suddenly answered. “Kim?!”
“Oh my god! Samuella!” Kim felt relief shoot through her when she heard her sister’s voice. She drove out onto the shoulder of the road and put the car in park. “What the hell is goin’ on over there?! I ain’t getting’ a hold of anyone else, and the military has set up roadblocks! I can’t get back in!”
“Don’t!” Samuella’s voice hitched as if she was running. “Don’t come back! Stay out there where it’s safe! Oh my god, Kim! You’ve no idea what’s going on here!”
“What is going on?! Sam, are ya okay? Are ya in danger?!”
There was a door opening and then snapping shut. Samuella was breathing heavily and her voice was low when she spoke. “We met up with mom and dad at the hospital. It was overflowing with people. Several of them had the same symptoms as dad. The doctors were swamped with work, couldn’t keep up. And then one of them suddenly bit!”
Kim couldn’t help it and stared at the phone for a second. “Sorry, did ya just say ‘bit’?”
“Yeah.” Samuella’s voice hitched again, this time with tears. “One of the sick people started attacking and biting. Then another of the sick did it, and another and another. As if everything set off a domino effect. The people who were bit soon developed the same sort of symptoms as the biters. If… if they survived.”
“If they survived?! Sam, what- no, never mind. I’m comin’ in to help ya. I’m going to get ya’ll out.” Kim undid the seatbelt and got out of the car. She was going to swim across to Poughkeepsie if she had to.
“Don’t!” Samuella hissed as Kim headed down the slope and towards the water. “Stay safe! More and more people are biting and… and killing each other.”
“I’m not leavin’ ya there! We’ve gotta get everyone to the Hudson. I’ll help ya’ll over. Ya’ve gotta get mom and dad an-” Kim stopped when Samuella sobbed. A coldness settled in her stomach and started spreading out through her body. “Sam. Where’s mom and dad?”
“Da-dad… dad bit mom. He killed her. I saw it! He killed her right in front of me and started to eat her!” she was outright sobbing, the sounds muffled as if she was clutching a hand over her mouth to keep the noises down. “Patriciana, Raylea and I ran. One of the infected jumped out and got Pat, I saw it rip open her stomach and pull out the baby and eat it! And then Raylea tried to help but she was bitten too. She managed to get away but ran in another direction. She said she didn’t want to bite me.”
Kim had reached the water, it was lapping at her boots, but she didn’t notice. She was staring at nothing at all. “No… tha-that can’t be true. Sam, that-”
“I saw it!” Samuella shouted. “I’ve hidden away in a janitor’s closet and- oh god!” her voice dropped again. “I can hear something outside the door. It’s shuffling and groaning just like- oh my god, Kim, I don’t wanna die! Kim! The door’s opening! Kim, please, don’t let it get m-”
A siren suddenly pierced through the air, and she turned to look. A small boat was being lit up by strong floodlights from several of the military vessels. One of the military vessels actually approached a little bit closer, but kept more distance than should have been necessary or useful if they were trying to pick up or turn people away.
The boat didn’t stop. It kept coming and coming, but its line wasn’t straight and true. It was a shaky zig-zag, its course dictated by the waves. No matter how hard Kim looked she couldn’t actually see anyone at the helm, but there were several people on the main deck shuffling about or just standing still.
The sky lit up as missiles were fired and the boat was blown to smithereens.
3:30AM
Raylea never picked up. Neither did Mrs. Williams, Mr. Williams nor Patriciana. The last one Kim tried was her youngest sister Samuella. The phone rang and rang as she drove back and forth along the Hudson shoreline in hopes of finding some way to cross over – a hopeless endeavour. The military was out in force, their boats were stopping any and all crafts that came from the Poughkeepsie side of the shore. Most of those were sent back.
The phone was suddenly answered. “Kim?!”
“Oh my god! Samuella!” Kim felt relief shoot through her when she heard her sister’s voice. She drove out onto the shoulder of the road and put the car in park. “What the hell is goin’ on over there?! I ain’t getting’ a hold of anyone else, and the military has set up roadblocks! I can’t get back in!”
“Don’t!” Samuella’s voice hitched as if she was running. “Don’t come back! Stay out there where it’s safe! Oh my god, Kim! You’ve no idea what’s going on here!”
“What is going on?! Sam, are ya okay? Are ya in danger?!”
There was a door opening and then snapping shut. Samuella was breathing heavily and her voice was low when she spoke. “We met up with mom and dad at the hospital. It was overflowing with people. Several of them had the same symptoms as dad. The doctors were swamped with work, couldn’t keep up. And then one of them suddenly bit!”
Kim couldn’t help it and stared at the phone for a second. “Sorry, did ya just say ‘bit’?”
“Yeah.” Samuella’s voice hitched again, this time with tears. “One of the sick people started attacking and biting. Then another of the sick did it, and another and another. As if everything set off a domino effect. The people who were bit soon developed the same sort of symptoms as the biters. If… if they survived.”
“If they survived?! Sam, what- no, never mind. I’m comin’ in to help ya. I’m going to get ya’ll out.” Kim undid the seatbelt and got out of the car. She was going to swim across to Poughkeepsie if she had to.
“Don’t!” Samuella hissed as Kim headed down the slope and towards the water. “Stay safe! More and more people are biting and… and killing each other.”
“I’m not leavin’ ya there! We’ve gotta get everyone to the Hudson. I’ll help ya’ll over. Ya’ve gotta get mom and dad an-” Kim stopped when Samuella sobbed. A coldness settled in her stomach and started spreading out through her body. “Sam. Where’s mom and dad?”
“Da-dad… dad bit mom. He killed her. I saw it! He killed her right in front of me and started to eat her!” she was outright sobbing, the sounds muffled as if she was clutching a hand over her mouth to keep the noises down. “Patriciana, Raylea and I ran. One of the infected jumped out and got Pat, I saw it rip open her stomach and pull out the baby and eat it! And then Raylea tried to help but she was bitten too. She managed to get away but ran in another direction. She said she didn’t want to bite me.”
Kim had reached the water, it was lapping at her boots, but she didn’t notice. She was staring at nothing at all. “No… tha-that can’t be true. Sam, that-”
“I saw it!” Samuella shouted. “I’ve hidden away in a janitor’s closet and- oh god!” her voice dropped again. “I can hear something outside the door. It’s shuffling and groaning just like- oh my god, Kim, I don’t wanna die! Kim! The door’s opening! Kim, please, don’t let it get m-”
A siren suddenly pierced through the air, and she turned to look. A small boat was being lit up by strong floodlights from several of the military vessels. One of the military vessels actually approached a little bit closer, but kept more distance than should have been necessary or useful if they were trying to pick up or turn people away.
The boat didn’t stop. It kept coming and coming, but its line wasn’t straight and true. It was a shaky zig-zag, its course dictated by the waves. No matter how hard Kim looked she couldn’t actually see anyone at the helm, but there were several people on the main deck shuffling about or just standing still.
The sky lit up as missiles were fired and the boat was blown to smithereens.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
As Nick made his way out of the apartment with Alex in tow, he made sure to ensure that Alex couldn't see whatever was going on in the room across from them. All he knew was that there was a lot of blood. He didn't hang around long enough to see what it was - he just wanted to get out of there and get to this service stop on the 75, like his brother had said. He'd apparently meet them there. He didn't have anywhere else to go, so, this was his best bet. He ran Alex down the stairs (the elevator was out of order), and right out to the parking lot around back. There was a lot of shit going on. Cars were zooming by, screams rang out in the distance, and there were smokestacks rising up into the air across the city. It was still dark, though. All Nick knew was that they needed to get out of here.
Nick had a BMW X3. He had to get it on lease, though - He didn't have that sort of money lying around to buy a new one outright, but, that didn't matter. He gave Alex a boost up into the passenger seat, then he ran around to the driver's side and hopped in. Engine on, out of parking gear, and off they went.
For no more than a second - a girl threw herself in front of the car. A teenage girl; a slim, brunette kid with blue eyes and a look of terror on her face. She didn't look injured, but, she put her hands down on the hood and started sobbing.
"Please, help me." She called out.
Nick rolled down the window. Whatever the fuck was going on, it wasn't good. This kid had been through hell in one way or another - she was in her pajamas and socks, for god's sake.
"Get in." He said.
He was just in a rush. If it was as bad as his brother said it would be, then he had to get out of here. If he could help someone else along the way, then so be it. The girl looked thankful almost immediately, and she ran to the back and dove into the back seats. She was safe. She took quick breaths and let out sobs every time she even tried to regulate her breathing. She just curled up in a ball on the chairs. "Thank you so much." She blurted out in panic. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She sniveled.
"It's alright, it's fine." Nick gulped as he reversed out of the parking bay he was in, and he made his way out onto the street. They were on the move. Alex was dead-quiet - he didn't want to speak. This random girl just jumped in their car, and he was more terrified than before. What was wrong with her? Was she hurt? He was just buckled up in the front seat, not saying a word. He'd let Nick handle this one. "What's your name?" Nick asked.
"Alessia." She sniffled.
"Okay, Alessia... I'm Nick. This is Alex." He nodded to the boy in the front seat. "You're safe with us, I... I don't quite know what's going on out there, but, my brother called me, we're getting out of the city, okay? Where are your parents?"
"They're dead." She blurted out, and immediately she burst into tears again.
Nick was speechless. There were no words for him to say. He looked at Alex, who gave him a gaze of complete panic, but neither of them said a word. Nick shakily sat back in his seat and carried on driving. They had to get out of the city. He had to protect Alex - and Alessia, too, by the looks of it. He just hoped they'd get out on time before they apparently sealed Atlanta off. The army wouldn't really trap them in with all the terror...
Would they?
He didn't know how this was going to unfold. He just had to pray they could meet with David without issue.
Nick had a BMW X3. He had to get it on lease, though - He didn't have that sort of money lying around to buy a new one outright, but, that didn't matter. He gave Alex a boost up into the passenger seat, then he ran around to the driver's side and hopped in. Engine on, out of parking gear, and off they went.
For no more than a second - a girl threw herself in front of the car. A teenage girl; a slim, brunette kid with blue eyes and a look of terror on her face. She didn't look injured, but, she put her hands down on the hood and started sobbing.
"Please, help me." She called out.
Nick rolled down the window. Whatever the fuck was going on, it wasn't good. This kid had been through hell in one way or another - she was in her pajamas and socks, for god's sake.
"Get in." He said.
He was just in a rush. If it was as bad as his brother said it would be, then he had to get out of here. If he could help someone else along the way, then so be it. The girl looked thankful almost immediately, and she ran to the back and dove into the back seats. She was safe. She took quick breaths and let out sobs every time she even tried to regulate her breathing. She just curled up in a ball on the chairs. "Thank you so much." She blurted out in panic. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She sniveled.
"It's alright, it's fine." Nick gulped as he reversed out of the parking bay he was in, and he made his way out onto the street. They were on the move. Alex was dead-quiet - he didn't want to speak. This random girl just jumped in their car, and he was more terrified than before. What was wrong with her? Was she hurt? He was just buckled up in the front seat, not saying a word. He'd let Nick handle this one. "What's your name?" Nick asked.
"Alessia." She sniffled.
"Okay, Alessia... I'm Nick. This is Alex." He nodded to the boy in the front seat. "You're safe with us, I... I don't quite know what's going on out there, but, my brother called me, we're getting out of the city, okay? Where are your parents?"
"They're dead." She blurted out, and immediately she burst into tears again.
Nick was speechless. There were no words for him to say. He looked at Alex, who gave him a gaze of complete panic, but neither of them said a word. Nick shakily sat back in his seat and carried on driving. They had to get out of the city. He had to protect Alex - and Alessia, too, by the looks of it. He just hoped they'd get out on time before they apparently sealed Atlanta off. The army wouldn't really trap them in with all the terror...
Would they?
He didn't know how this was going to unfold. He just had to pray they could meet with David without issue.
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
01:00 AM
Bob, pick up the damn phone. I’ve been calling you forever and you’re not picking up. It was your idea to get the hell outta town, man, what the hell are you up to?!... Never mind. Listen, I waited for you to show up at your house, but you didn’t. I used the spare key to get in, and Bob? You’ve got to find a better hiding place for that thing. Anyways, I picked up some stuff from your attic as you said, and from your kitchen.”
There was a sigh.
“I’ve just barely gotten out of town. Man, whatever shit is happening it isn’t a normal flu. The military’s cordoned off the city limits, they’re practically strip-searching everyone who tries to leave. I was afraid they were going to send me to the police. I can’t afford to get in even more trouble, not with… well, you know. Either way, I’m following the interstate freeway and I’ll probably stop along the route to pick up more supplies. You’ll be able to catch up to me soon if you hurry up, so get going, man!”
The message ended.
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
03:00 AM
“I’m worried about you, man. You’ve never gone this long without calling back – even in the middle of the night. Remember that one time you kept me awake all night just sending me message after message about that one lady you met? And then you started calling me the moment I turned off the message notification sound? Come to think of it, I still haven’t gotten you back for that one.”
There were sounds of cars passing by at great speeds.
“C’mon, man, stop being a jerk and call me back! Or at least give me some sort of hint that you’re alive. I’ve stopped for a while at a Walmart – you know the one? Off the interstate exit to West Melbourne? – and I’ve stocked up some. Not that there was much to stock up on. A lot of things have been taken already, and I know I saw people simply bypassing the cashiers. No one seemed up to stopping them either. The army showed up not much later, I cleared out at that point. Didn’t want to be strip-searched again. Anyways, I’m taking a break on the shoulder of the highway, but I’m not staying here for long. Catch up when you can.”
A click signalled the end of the message.
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
04:30 AM
“I’m bored as shit. There’s no radio to listen to at all, hasn’t been since I left Miami. I have no idea what’s going on in the world, but the cars are still coming. Fewer of them, sure, but still coming. I saw a couple of crashes on the way. It was… ugly. I didn’t stop to look but others had. I… I don’t think that stopping is a very good idea right now. That means you too, Bob. Get your fucking ass into gear and catch up to me already!”
The message cut off abruptly.
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
05:00 AM
“I just passed Tampa. I didn’t drive into town. There were cars leaving, the throng had created a jam. Cars were packed in every direction possible. No one was actually getting anywhere, not with that mess. It was only luck that I was still on the highway and could drive past. There were surprisingly few people around, although I suppose some could have been asleep in their cars. There was no military there. I don’t know if they haven’t gotten this far or if it was placed further towards the suburbs of Tampa. Bob, did you get past the military blockade at all?”
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
05:30 AM
“Dude, has someone stolen your phone? Is that why you aren’t calling? Hey, whoever it is that has taken this phone, you better home that the flu gets to you before I do!” the voice was angry and it was followed by the sound of someone hitting the steering wheel hard. “Damn it, Bob!”
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
06:24 AM
“I… I’m assuming you aren’t there anymore, Bob. Losing your cell phone wouldn’t have stopped you from getting in contact with me, especially considering what we had planned.” The voice was shaky and rough with exhaustion. “I passed a shambling… humanoid… something a few miles back, near Homosassa Springs. It was tearing into a coyote I think. I didn’t stop to look. If the flu does that to us, if you’ve become one of those things… Fuck, Bob, you deserved better, you annoying bastard. I don’t have much juice left, so this is the last call for now. If you are alive despite… despite everything… god, I hope you’re alive…”
There was a long silence before the call cut off.
Voicemail on a home phone, New Orleans, Louisiana
09:00 AM
“Mom, I’m three hours outside New Orleans. I’m coming to pick you and Lizzy up. I’m not going to let the army stop me from entering town, and I’ll head straight home first. Shit, you’re probably not there to hear this message. Either way, I’ll find you so don’t you worry none. Just keep Lizzy safe for me until I do.”
There was some shuffling.
“Shit, battery’s almost out. I’ll recharge as soon as I can. You just sit tight and keep safe. I’ll see you soon.”
The call cut off.
01:00 AM
Bob, pick up the damn phone. I’ve been calling you forever and you’re not picking up. It was your idea to get the hell outta town, man, what the hell are you up to?!... Never mind. Listen, I waited for you to show up at your house, but you didn’t. I used the spare key to get in, and Bob? You’ve got to find a better hiding place for that thing. Anyways, I picked up some stuff from your attic as you said, and from your kitchen.”
There was a sigh.
“I’ve just barely gotten out of town. Man, whatever shit is happening it isn’t a normal flu. The military’s cordoned off the city limits, they’re practically strip-searching everyone who tries to leave. I was afraid they were going to send me to the police. I can’t afford to get in even more trouble, not with… well, you know. Either way, I’m following the interstate freeway and I’ll probably stop along the route to pick up more supplies. You’ll be able to catch up to me soon if you hurry up, so get going, man!”
The message ended.
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
03:00 AM
“I’m worried about you, man. You’ve never gone this long without calling back – even in the middle of the night. Remember that one time you kept me awake all night just sending me message after message about that one lady you met? And then you started calling me the moment I turned off the message notification sound? Come to think of it, I still haven’t gotten you back for that one.”
There were sounds of cars passing by at great speeds.
“C’mon, man, stop being a jerk and call me back! Or at least give me some sort of hint that you’re alive. I’ve stopped for a while at a Walmart – you know the one? Off the interstate exit to West Melbourne? – and I’ve stocked up some. Not that there was much to stock up on. A lot of things have been taken already, and I know I saw people simply bypassing the cashiers. No one seemed up to stopping them either. The army showed up not much later, I cleared out at that point. Didn’t want to be strip-searched again. Anyways, I’m taking a break on the shoulder of the highway, but I’m not staying here for long. Catch up when you can.”
A click signalled the end of the message.
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
04:30 AM
“I’m bored as shit. There’s no radio to listen to at all, hasn’t been since I left Miami. I have no idea what’s going on in the world, but the cars are still coming. Fewer of them, sure, but still coming. I saw a couple of crashes on the way. It was… ugly. I didn’t stop to look but others had. I… I don’t think that stopping is a very good idea right now. That means you too, Bob. Get your fucking ass into gear and catch up to me already!”
The message cut off abruptly.
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
05:00 AM
“I just passed Tampa. I didn’t drive into town. There were cars leaving, the throng had created a jam. Cars were packed in every direction possible. No one was actually getting anywhere, not with that mess. It was only luck that I was still on the highway and could drive past. There were surprisingly few people around, although I suppose some could have been asleep in their cars. There was no military there. I don’t know if they haven’t gotten this far or if it was placed further towards the suburbs of Tampa. Bob, did you get past the military blockade at all?”
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
05:30 AM
“Dude, has someone stolen your phone? Is that why you aren’t calling? Hey, whoever it is that has taken this phone, you better home that the flu gets to you before I do!” the voice was angry and it was followed by the sound of someone hitting the steering wheel hard. “Damn it, Bob!”
Voicemail on a lost cell phone, Miami, Florida
06:24 AM
“I… I’m assuming you aren’t there anymore, Bob. Losing your cell phone wouldn’t have stopped you from getting in contact with me, especially considering what we had planned.” The voice was shaky and rough with exhaustion. “I passed a shambling… humanoid… something a few miles back, near Homosassa Springs. It was tearing into a coyote I think. I didn’t stop to look. If the flu does that to us, if you’ve become one of those things… Fuck, Bob, you deserved better, you annoying bastard. I don’t have much juice left, so this is the last call for now. If you are alive despite… despite everything… god, I hope you’re alive…”
There was a long silence before the call cut off.
Voicemail on a home phone, New Orleans, Louisiana
09:00 AM
“Mom, I’m three hours outside New Orleans. I’m coming to pick you and Lizzy up. I’m not going to let the army stop me from entering town, and I’ll head straight home first. Shit, you’re probably not there to hear this message. Either way, I’ll find you so don’t you worry none. Just keep Lizzy safe for me until I do.”
There was some shuffling.
“Shit, battery’s almost out. I’ll recharge as soon as I can. You just sit tight and keep safe. I’ll see you soon.”
The call cut off.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
Service Stop, Route 75
5:30AM
Here they were. It couldn't have been revealed too much to the public that this was a favor the police were doing for people. Not even all the parking bays had been snatched up, which was a pleasant surprise. He could see David's race-red car from a mile away, too. He drove a Ford. Even so, Nick took in a deep breath and pulled into the nearest bay he could find. Here they were. He looked to his right and saw that Alex was quite happily asleep in the passenger seat, and when he looked in the rearview, he saw that Alessia was asleep and curled up in a ball, too. He sighed and reached over to Alex, gently shaking his knee.
"Hey, buddy..." He said, his voice gentle. "We're here now. Time to wake up."
"Mmmm..." He grumbled, then squirmed a little before his eyes slowly opened up. "Where are we...?"
"We're somewhere David told us to come. So he should be here, too." He said.
"Okay." He whispered, and his arms went out above his head and stretched. "I need the bathroom, Nick." He said.
"Sure thing, kiddo. We'll find one once we're inside, okay?"
He nodded a few times.
"Alessia." Nick looked into the back. The girl jolted awake. "We're where we need to be. You good?"
"I think so." She gulped, then wiped at her eyes. "What is this place?"
"We're up and out of Atlanta. Whole city was apparently going to get shut off - we're on the 75 right now, at a service stop. Police have set this place up as refuge, or something." He said.
"Oh, okay." She squeaked. "Well, um, I'm good to go, I suppose." She said.
"Alright, let's head inside." He said, and once the three of them had hopped out, he locked the car up. He decided to pick Alex up, too, and just have him in his arm so he could rest his head on his shoulder and not have to put too much effort into moving around. Poor kid must have been exhausted, so, giving him the chance to make as little effort as possible would probably go a long way. He went inside with them and they were met by four armed police officers just inside the door, whom of which had sectioned off the rest of the place with makeshift barricades. They'd moved vending machines and laid them down so people couldn't just run in however they pleased.
"Stop." One of them said, "Are any of you infected?"
"Feeling jittery, drowsy, itchy skin, flu-like symptoms..." He said. "Have any of you been bitten?"
"Uhm, no." Nick looked at Alessia. She seemed fine, if not a little shaken. "We just got in a car and came straight out the city. My brother's meant to be meeting us here."
One of them pulled out a mini flashlight and turned it on, "All of you need to look at me." He said - Alex turned in Nick's arms and looked at the officer, only to get a rather unpleasant light shone in his eyes. Same for Nick, and same for Alessia. All of them reacted to it pretty much instantly. If they were infected, their responses would have been different and more delayed, no doubt. "Okay, they're good. Let 'em through."
"This way, guys. You'll have to climb over." The man in SWAT gear said, but he stepped aside and allowed them to climb over the vending machines. There were quite a few people in this place. A lot of them were families, but there were some loners, too. Nick couldn't see his brother anywhere, so he just walked in and found a seat in an area that was meant for a nearby restaurant. Obviously, none of these places were open for business right now. He sat down there with the kids - Alessia was more aware of the weight of the situation and looked plain terrified - her eyes didn't stop darting around, and considering she hardly knew Nick, there was no way she was going to feel comfortable just yet.
"Okay, we can all let loose a little bit here." Nick gulped, "I know this is scary, guys, but... We stick together, things will be just fine. As soon as all this blows over we'll be back home in no time." He said. For a moment he forgot that Alessia had lost her parents - but he didn't mention that.
"Is my mom here, Nick?" Alex asked, quietly. He put his arms around Nick and set his head against his chest.
"I... Can't see her, buddy. She was at work, though. Your mom's kind of a hero right now, 'cause she'll be helping all the sick people." He smiled a tiny bit, even though the reality was far more morbid. "I'm sure she'll join us here soon enough." He said.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice from behind them rang out.
"If it isn't my baby brother. There's a face I wasn't expecting to see for a long time before tonight."
David. He turned and faced him, and he actually smiled. It had been a long time.
5:30AM
Here they were. It couldn't have been revealed too much to the public that this was a favor the police were doing for people. Not even all the parking bays had been snatched up, which was a pleasant surprise. He could see David's race-red car from a mile away, too. He drove a Ford. Even so, Nick took in a deep breath and pulled into the nearest bay he could find. Here they were. He looked to his right and saw that Alex was quite happily asleep in the passenger seat, and when he looked in the rearview, he saw that Alessia was asleep and curled up in a ball, too. He sighed and reached over to Alex, gently shaking his knee.
"Hey, buddy..." He said, his voice gentle. "We're here now. Time to wake up."
"Mmmm..." He grumbled, then squirmed a little before his eyes slowly opened up. "Where are we...?"
"We're somewhere David told us to come. So he should be here, too." He said.
"Okay." He whispered, and his arms went out above his head and stretched. "I need the bathroom, Nick." He said.
"Sure thing, kiddo. We'll find one once we're inside, okay?"
He nodded a few times.
"Alessia." Nick looked into the back. The girl jolted awake. "We're where we need to be. You good?"
"I think so." She gulped, then wiped at her eyes. "What is this place?"
"We're up and out of Atlanta. Whole city was apparently going to get shut off - we're on the 75 right now, at a service stop. Police have set this place up as refuge, or something." He said.
"Oh, okay." She squeaked. "Well, um, I'm good to go, I suppose." She said.
"Alright, let's head inside." He said, and once the three of them had hopped out, he locked the car up. He decided to pick Alex up, too, and just have him in his arm so he could rest his head on his shoulder and not have to put too much effort into moving around. Poor kid must have been exhausted, so, giving him the chance to make as little effort as possible would probably go a long way. He went inside with them and they were met by four armed police officers just inside the door, whom of which had sectioned off the rest of the place with makeshift barricades. They'd moved vending machines and laid them down so people couldn't just run in however they pleased.
"Stop." One of them said, "Are any of you infected?"
"Feeling jittery, drowsy, itchy skin, flu-like symptoms..." He said. "Have any of you been bitten?"
"Uhm, no." Nick looked at Alessia. She seemed fine, if not a little shaken. "We just got in a car and came straight out the city. My brother's meant to be meeting us here."
One of them pulled out a mini flashlight and turned it on, "All of you need to look at me." He said - Alex turned in Nick's arms and looked at the officer, only to get a rather unpleasant light shone in his eyes. Same for Nick, and same for Alessia. All of them reacted to it pretty much instantly. If they were infected, their responses would have been different and more delayed, no doubt. "Okay, they're good. Let 'em through."
"This way, guys. You'll have to climb over." The man in SWAT gear said, but he stepped aside and allowed them to climb over the vending machines. There were quite a few people in this place. A lot of them were families, but there were some loners, too. Nick couldn't see his brother anywhere, so he just walked in and found a seat in an area that was meant for a nearby restaurant. Obviously, none of these places were open for business right now. He sat down there with the kids - Alessia was more aware of the weight of the situation and looked plain terrified - her eyes didn't stop darting around, and considering she hardly knew Nick, there was no way she was going to feel comfortable just yet.
"Okay, we can all let loose a little bit here." Nick gulped, "I know this is scary, guys, but... We stick together, things will be just fine. As soon as all this blows over we'll be back home in no time." He said. For a moment he forgot that Alessia had lost her parents - but he didn't mention that.
"Is my mom here, Nick?" Alex asked, quietly. He put his arms around Nick and set his head against his chest.
"I... Can't see her, buddy. She was at work, though. Your mom's kind of a hero right now, 'cause she'll be helping all the sick people." He smiled a tiny bit, even though the reality was far more morbid. "I'm sure she'll join us here soon enough." He said.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice from behind them rang out.
"If it isn't my baby brother. There's a face I wasn't expecting to see for a long time before tonight."
David. He turned and faced him, and he actually smiled. It had been a long time.
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
Outside Poughkeepsie, New York
5:45 AM
She had stood at the Hudson shoreline for a long time before she had been able to make herself leave. The flash of missiles and explosions were burned into her memory. It was nothing like she had seen in the movies. Nothing could have compared to real life. It had been so loud, so bright, and so utterly horrible.
Kim had returned to the car in a daze, not really aware of anything around her as she got into the vehicle and closed the door after herself. She just sat there in silence for a long while, the sound of her breathing loud and almost echoing in her ears. Her heart was still racing in her chest, and she felt clammy and cold.
Her brain was refusing to compute what had happened and what she had heard.
It was… it was just impossible! It couldn’t have happened!
“It’s just a nightmare.” She whispered to herself, arms wrapped tightly around herself. She was gently rocking back and forth. “It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s ju-”
Someone knocked on the window of the car. Kim jumped, eyes wide as she fearfully turned to look. A soldier stood there, in full uniform and with weapons strapped to him. Behind him stood a group of them, waiting, watching. All of them carried flashlights on their weapons, and all of those were turned on and lit up the surroundings. Their hands were on their weapons, ready for use, but the soldier who had knocked on her window had lowered his.
“You alright there, miss?” the man called. His voice was muffled through the glass.
Kim’s hands were shaking when she rolled down the window a little bit. She felt safer with it between her and those guns, even if it wouldn’t be very useful at all. Glass certainly hadn’t helped the people on the boat. Nor her… her… her fa-
“Miss?” the soldier was reaching for his weapon now, and the others were actually pointing theirs at her.
“Oh, yeah, no, I’m fine.” Kim shook her head. “Sorry, I…”
The soldier nodded seemingly in understanding, and stepped back a bit. “Would you mind stepping out of the car, miss?”
She blinked. “Uh, why?”
“Please just step out of the car, miss.”
Her eyes flickered to the rest of the troop, and she swallowed heavily. She had to force her limbs to reach for the handle and then push the car door open. Her legs shook like leaves when she put her feet on the tarmac, and for a moment she wondered if they were simply going to give out under her. They held, and she stood there outside the car with the flashlights the soldiers were carrying focused on her. Kim blinked in the bright light.
The soldier watched her carefully. “Were you bit?”
“Pardon?”
“Were you bitten?” he repeated.
“Uh, no.” She shook her head, and refused to think about the implications of that.
“We’ll have to check. Arkin will do it.” The soldier stepped back a few steps, and a female soldier came forwards. She indicated for Kim to walk around the car for at least a small semblance of privacy, and once there she ordered her to take off her shirt until she was down to her bra.
For a moment Kim wondered if that wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t. The soldier was deadly serious. Kim obeyed hesitantly, working in a sort of haze as she undressed. First her top half was exposed, and Arkin made her turn around and checked her thoroughly for scratches and bite marks. Then she was allowed to dress.
“Now, show me your legs.” Arkin’s voice was neutral.
“Ya’ve gotta be kiddin’ me.” Kim muttered and slowly undid her belt. She didn’t feel comfortable at all, but at least it was helping to bring her out of her stupor. She grumbled darkly as she pushed her trousers down, trying to cover up just how nervous she felt. Arkin was as emotionless as a stone wall as she did her inspection, and Kim actually felt that a stone wall would have showed more emotions than the female soldier did.
5:45 AM
She had stood at the Hudson shoreline for a long time before she had been able to make herself leave. The flash of missiles and explosions were burned into her memory. It was nothing like she had seen in the movies. Nothing could have compared to real life. It had been so loud, so bright, and so utterly horrible.
Kim had returned to the car in a daze, not really aware of anything around her as she got into the vehicle and closed the door after herself. She just sat there in silence for a long while, the sound of her breathing loud and almost echoing in her ears. Her heart was still racing in her chest, and she felt clammy and cold.
Her brain was refusing to compute what had happened and what she had heard.
It was… it was just impossible! It couldn’t have happened!
“It’s just a nightmare.” She whispered to herself, arms wrapped tightly around herself. She was gently rocking back and forth. “It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. It’s ju-”
Someone knocked on the window of the car. Kim jumped, eyes wide as she fearfully turned to look. A soldier stood there, in full uniform and with weapons strapped to him. Behind him stood a group of them, waiting, watching. All of them carried flashlights on their weapons, and all of those were turned on and lit up the surroundings. Their hands were on their weapons, ready for use, but the soldier who had knocked on her window had lowered his.
“You alright there, miss?” the man called. His voice was muffled through the glass.
Kim’s hands were shaking when she rolled down the window a little bit. She felt safer with it between her and those guns, even if it wouldn’t be very useful at all. Glass certainly hadn’t helped the people on the boat. Nor her… her… her fa-
“Miss?” the soldier was reaching for his weapon now, and the others were actually pointing theirs at her.
“Oh, yeah, no, I’m fine.” Kim shook her head. “Sorry, I…”
The soldier nodded seemingly in understanding, and stepped back a bit. “Would you mind stepping out of the car, miss?”
She blinked. “Uh, why?”
“Please just step out of the car, miss.”
Her eyes flickered to the rest of the troop, and she swallowed heavily. She had to force her limbs to reach for the handle and then push the car door open. Her legs shook like leaves when she put her feet on the tarmac, and for a moment she wondered if they were simply going to give out under her. They held, and she stood there outside the car with the flashlights the soldiers were carrying focused on her. Kim blinked in the bright light.
The soldier watched her carefully. “Were you bit?”
“Pardon?”
“Were you bitten?” he repeated.
“Uh, no.” She shook her head, and refused to think about the implications of that.
“We’ll have to check. Arkin will do it.” The soldier stepped back a few steps, and a female soldier came forwards. She indicated for Kim to walk around the car for at least a small semblance of privacy, and once there she ordered her to take off her shirt until she was down to her bra.
For a moment Kim wondered if that wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t. The soldier was deadly serious. Kim obeyed hesitantly, working in a sort of haze as she undressed. First her top half was exposed, and Arkin made her turn around and checked her thoroughly for scratches and bite marks. Then she was allowed to dress.
“Now, show me your legs.” Arkin’s voice was neutral.
“Ya’ve gotta be kiddin’ me.” Kim muttered and slowly undid her belt. She didn’t feel comfortable at all, but at least it was helping to bring her out of her stupor. She grumbled darkly as she pushed her trousers down, trying to cover up just how nervous she felt. Arkin was as emotionless as a stone wall as she did her inspection, and Kim actually felt that a stone wall would have showed more emotions than the female soldier did.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
"Hello, David." He said.
"Good to see you again, Nick." He replied. "It's been a while."
"It has."
"If it means anything, I'm glad you made it here okay." David reached out and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Hey, Alex." He changed his tone to a more friendly and higher-pitched one as he addressed the young boy sat on Nick's lap.
"Hi..." Alex waved to him, and even managed a tiny, tired smile.
"You've certainly gotten bigger since I last saw you." He smiled, and Alex smiled back and nodded.
Nick spoke, "We're glad you made it, too... Atlanta is in chaos."
"It's more than just that. They're talking East coast, central, west coast... It's happening everywhere, quickly spreading into the whole country."
"What is it that's 'spreading', David?"
"They're saying it's some sort of parasite." He said. "Or a flu. They're not sure yet." He said. Nick looked around and sighed, but then looked to the teen girl that was sat with them. Both she and Alex looked scared - this wasn't a talk for them to be involved in, in his opinion, so he was going to play it safe and change the subject before either of them got too panicked. "David, this is Alessia." He said. "We... Well, we helped her get out of the city." He said. "She must have lived nearby. Caught us just as we were about to drive off."
"Hey, Alessia." David nodded to her. "How you holding up?"
"I'm fine." Alessia nodded back. She kept her response simple.
"Nick..." Alex tugged at his shirt. Nick looked at him for a minute, but then he sighed.
"Of course. Bathroom. I'm sorry." He laughed, "David, can you stay with Alessia? I'm gonna' take Alex to the bathroom. He's been waiting a while.
"Go for it."
Nick hopped up and took Alex by the hand, walking him across the station and over to where the restrooms were. The men's room was obviously where they went. There were people coming in and out - fathers with their sons, then just guys on their own, some kids came in and out on their own... A whole variety of people. It wasn't completely packed, but, there were periods where it was busy for at least a couple of minutes. On top of that, more or less everything was metal. Metal stalls, metal sinks. Just steel, all of it.
"Go ahead. I'll wait." He gently ruffled Alex's hair, and Alex walked into one of the stalls and locked himself in.
Nick already knew it was going to be a long night - if things were spreading further into the country, how long would it be before it reached them again? Nick could only hope that if that was the case, they'd be long gone from here before it got too serious. It was just a place to rest up, get something to eat, and then leave and hit the road after, right?
--
San Francisco, California
Morning had come around quicker than Pat and Dan had expected. A whole night of sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and talking, trying to come to terms with exactly what had happened in the nightclub. But when they checked the news it appeared it had only gotten worse. It was happening all over the city - all over the state, even. It was almost hard to believe, like some horrible nightmare that they'd wake up from at any minute. Pat was telling herself that it wasn't real, that they'd wake up soon enough and she'd roll out of bed to get a glass of water after having too much to drink the night before, and after that, once she'd had something to eat and sobered up, she'd go and record the song she'd been writing.
But Dan was there to confirm that all of this was real. His fear was as real as hers, and it just showed that they were well and truly fucked. She knew there was no way to back out from this - she was just going to have to, quite simply, face it. Even though she didn't want to.
There was one potential saving grace, though. While they were scowering the news channels, they were given what felt like a second chance.
"The military are reporting to have set up a temporary encampment at The University of San Francisco. They've reported that all people will be welcomed to proceed to this area for evacuation from the city. A quarantine zone is being established there as we speak. The military haven't given further details beyond that, but, officials have stated that this will be a 'safe haven' in this time of chaos."
"Fuck it." Dan said. "I say we take our chances and head there."
"You want to go out there while all this is happening?" Pat asked, completely in shock.
"What other choice do we have, Pat? We don't have enough food for more than a few days, the power's going out all across the city, and whatever it is that's going on is only getting worse. We need to take a chance and see if we can get there." He said.
Pat rubbed her face with both hands, then let out an uncomfortable sigh, "Alright." She nodded.
"Good to see you again, Nick." He replied. "It's been a while."
"It has."
"If it means anything, I'm glad you made it here okay." David reached out and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Hey, Alex." He changed his tone to a more friendly and higher-pitched one as he addressed the young boy sat on Nick's lap.
"Hi..." Alex waved to him, and even managed a tiny, tired smile.
"You've certainly gotten bigger since I last saw you." He smiled, and Alex smiled back and nodded.
Nick spoke, "We're glad you made it, too... Atlanta is in chaos."
"It's more than just that. They're talking East coast, central, west coast... It's happening everywhere, quickly spreading into the whole country."
"What is it that's 'spreading', David?"
"They're saying it's some sort of parasite." He said. "Or a flu. They're not sure yet." He said. Nick looked around and sighed, but then looked to the teen girl that was sat with them. Both she and Alex looked scared - this wasn't a talk for them to be involved in, in his opinion, so he was going to play it safe and change the subject before either of them got too panicked. "David, this is Alessia." He said. "We... Well, we helped her get out of the city." He said. "She must have lived nearby. Caught us just as we were about to drive off."
"Hey, Alessia." David nodded to her. "How you holding up?"
"I'm fine." Alessia nodded back. She kept her response simple.
"Nick..." Alex tugged at his shirt. Nick looked at him for a minute, but then he sighed.
"Of course. Bathroom. I'm sorry." He laughed, "David, can you stay with Alessia? I'm gonna' take Alex to the bathroom. He's been waiting a while.
"Go for it."
Nick hopped up and took Alex by the hand, walking him across the station and over to where the restrooms were. The men's room was obviously where they went. There were people coming in and out - fathers with their sons, then just guys on their own, some kids came in and out on their own... A whole variety of people. It wasn't completely packed, but, there were periods where it was busy for at least a couple of minutes. On top of that, more or less everything was metal. Metal stalls, metal sinks. Just steel, all of it.
"Go ahead. I'll wait." He gently ruffled Alex's hair, and Alex walked into one of the stalls and locked himself in.
Nick already knew it was going to be a long night - if things were spreading further into the country, how long would it be before it reached them again? Nick could only hope that if that was the case, they'd be long gone from here before it got too serious. It was just a place to rest up, get something to eat, and then leave and hit the road after, right?
--
San Francisco, California
Morning had come around quicker than Pat and Dan had expected. A whole night of sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and talking, trying to come to terms with exactly what had happened in the nightclub. But when they checked the news it appeared it had only gotten worse. It was happening all over the city - all over the state, even. It was almost hard to believe, like some horrible nightmare that they'd wake up from at any minute. Pat was telling herself that it wasn't real, that they'd wake up soon enough and she'd roll out of bed to get a glass of water after having too much to drink the night before, and after that, once she'd had something to eat and sobered up, she'd go and record the song she'd been writing.
But Dan was there to confirm that all of this was real. His fear was as real as hers, and it just showed that they were well and truly fucked. She knew there was no way to back out from this - she was just going to have to, quite simply, face it. Even though she didn't want to.
There was one potential saving grace, though. While they were scowering the news channels, they were given what felt like a second chance.
"The military are reporting to have set up a temporary encampment at The University of San Francisco. They've reported that all people will be welcomed to proceed to this area for evacuation from the city. A quarantine zone is being established there as we speak. The military haven't given further details beyond that, but, officials have stated that this will be a 'safe haven' in this time of chaos."
"Fuck it." Dan said. "I say we take our chances and head there."
"You want to go out there while all this is happening?" Pat asked, completely in shock.
"What other choice do we have, Pat? We don't have enough food for more than a few days, the power's going out all across the city, and whatever it is that's going on is only getting worse. We need to take a chance and see if we can get there." He said.
Pat rubbed her face with both hands, then let out an uncomfortable sigh, "Alright." She nodded.
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
The check of her legs went just as quickly and clinically as before – which was kind of a relief. It was already awkward enough standing here with her trousers off. Once Arkin was satisfied she stood guard until Kim got dressed, and then joined her troop. “She’s clean.”
Kim followed her around the car as well.
“A temporary refugee stop has been set up at Dunkin’ Donuts outside town.” The leader of the soldiers pointed in the general direction of the highway and the Catskills. “We recommend that you go there and get help. There is nothing else to be doing here close to the water.”
She nodded. She didn’t really want to stay close to the water anymore either.
Getting back into her car, Kim carefully drove around the soldiers and off down the road. She kept to the speed limit and was certain that the troop was watching her carefully until she disappeared around a bend.
Dunkin' Donuts, Outside Poughkeepsie, New York
09:05 AM
The Dunkin’ Donuts was completely full. The military had a set-up in the carpark, creating a bottleneck and carefully checking everyone who came past. They had booths and tents set up, and each soldier was fully kitted out. There were military trucks and jeeps and Kim stared at the tank as she was entering Dunkin’ Donuts. The vehicles were being used to completely close off the highway in the direction towards Poughkeepsie, and… and…
And that was a topic that she didn’t want to think about at all.
She sighed as the door closed behind her. The place was packed to the rafters with people, but there was hardly any noise. Only the children were heard, some crying and some talking, but even they were being horribly quiet about it.
“Only thing we have is water.” The woman behind the counter said when Kim approached. Her uniform was wrinkled and she looked like she had been there for far too long. “No food has arrived and the coffee machine died two hours ago.”
“Water’s good.” Kim muttered and accepted the paper cup. She looked around for a place to sit, but everywhere was taken. There was hardly any room to walk between people, let alone actually sit somewhere. She was forced to stay right where she was at the counter, and turned back to the waitress. “Any news as to what’s goin’ on?”
“No news.” The woman sighed. “Had a tv going but it cut out suddenly some three hours ago. The radio lasted longer, but it went dead half an hour ago.” She gestured at the two devices. “Might actually be for the best. The things we heard…”
“It’s not normal.” The man beside her said. “None of it. People are dying and we have no information. Instead they push us into this place and tell us to sit tight. What if whatever it is now makes its way towards us? We’ll be sitting ducks in here.”
The waitress just looked even more exhausted. “Please don’t speak like that, there are children here.”
“There’ll be no one here if we keep sitting on our hands!” the man’s voice was getting louder and he was starting to gesticulate with his arms. As the people around them started to perk up and pay attention, Kim had to pull back avoid being hit. The man continued talking, warming to his topic now that he had an audience.
“What if this was all a ploy and the government is using us for some sort of test? What if they are intending to feed us to… to whatever it is that’s happening? We are just cannon fodder!”
“Hey now.” Someone else spoke up. “The police and the army are doing all they can.”
The man snorted. “So they say. Have you seen them do anything at all except for walk around with guns? Do they go into Poughkeepsie and eradicate whatever it is? No, they simply let our friends and family die.”
“Please calm do-” The waitress went ignored.
Another man got to his feet. “I saw them shooting people!” he shouted. “People who were running towards them, trying to bandage wounds, or begging for help. I saw the army shooting them dead!”
“No, you didn’t.” A woman protested. “The army wouldn’t do that!”
“Please, bitch! With what’s been on the TV and radio before they were cut off? And with every survivor who ends up here? Pull your head out of your arse.” The first man stood broad and wide, dominating the space around him by sheer force of personality alone. “I say we go out there and demand answers from them. Answers about whatever it is, about Poughkeepsie and about why we’re here.”
“We’ve gotta protect ourselves!” the second man shouted. “We need to get our hands on those guns! And grenades and tank! If the army won’t save us, then I say that we save ourselves!”
Kim grimaced as the people around her started muttering mutinously.
She didn’t like the developing mood, and she exchanged a worried look with the waitress.
The situation was devolving quickly.
Kim followed her around the car as well.
“A temporary refugee stop has been set up at Dunkin’ Donuts outside town.” The leader of the soldiers pointed in the general direction of the highway and the Catskills. “We recommend that you go there and get help. There is nothing else to be doing here close to the water.”
She nodded. She didn’t really want to stay close to the water anymore either.
Getting back into her car, Kim carefully drove around the soldiers and off down the road. She kept to the speed limit and was certain that the troop was watching her carefully until she disappeared around a bend.
Dunkin' Donuts, Outside Poughkeepsie, New York
09:05 AM
The Dunkin’ Donuts was completely full. The military had a set-up in the carpark, creating a bottleneck and carefully checking everyone who came past. They had booths and tents set up, and each soldier was fully kitted out. There were military trucks and jeeps and Kim stared at the tank as she was entering Dunkin’ Donuts. The vehicles were being used to completely close off the highway in the direction towards Poughkeepsie, and… and…
And that was a topic that she didn’t want to think about at all.
She sighed as the door closed behind her. The place was packed to the rafters with people, but there was hardly any noise. Only the children were heard, some crying and some talking, but even they were being horribly quiet about it.
“Only thing we have is water.” The woman behind the counter said when Kim approached. Her uniform was wrinkled and she looked like she had been there for far too long. “No food has arrived and the coffee machine died two hours ago.”
“Water’s good.” Kim muttered and accepted the paper cup. She looked around for a place to sit, but everywhere was taken. There was hardly any room to walk between people, let alone actually sit somewhere. She was forced to stay right where she was at the counter, and turned back to the waitress. “Any news as to what’s goin’ on?”
“No news.” The woman sighed. “Had a tv going but it cut out suddenly some three hours ago. The radio lasted longer, but it went dead half an hour ago.” She gestured at the two devices. “Might actually be for the best. The things we heard…”
“It’s not normal.” The man beside her said. “None of it. People are dying and we have no information. Instead they push us into this place and tell us to sit tight. What if whatever it is now makes its way towards us? We’ll be sitting ducks in here.”
The waitress just looked even more exhausted. “Please don’t speak like that, there are children here.”
“There’ll be no one here if we keep sitting on our hands!” the man’s voice was getting louder and he was starting to gesticulate with his arms. As the people around them started to perk up and pay attention, Kim had to pull back avoid being hit. The man continued talking, warming to his topic now that he had an audience.
“What if this was all a ploy and the government is using us for some sort of test? What if they are intending to feed us to… to whatever it is that’s happening? We are just cannon fodder!”
“Hey now.” Someone else spoke up. “The police and the army are doing all they can.”
The man snorted. “So they say. Have you seen them do anything at all except for walk around with guns? Do they go into Poughkeepsie and eradicate whatever it is? No, they simply let our friends and family die.”
“Please calm do-” The waitress went ignored.
Another man got to his feet. “I saw them shooting people!” he shouted. “People who were running towards them, trying to bandage wounds, or begging for help. I saw the army shooting them dead!”
“No, you didn’t.” A woman protested. “The army wouldn’t do that!”
“Please, bitch! With what’s been on the TV and radio before they were cut off? And with every survivor who ends up here? Pull your head out of your arse.” The first man stood broad and wide, dominating the space around him by sheer force of personality alone. “I say we go out there and demand answers from them. Answers about whatever it is, about Poughkeepsie and about why we’re here.”
“We’ve gotta protect ourselves!” the second man shouted. “We need to get our hands on those guns! And grenades and tank! If the army won’t save us, then I say that we save ourselves!”
Kim grimaced as the people around her started muttering mutinously.
She didn’t like the developing mood, and she exchanged a worried look with the waitress.
The situation was devolving quickly.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
"So, you lost your parents...?" David asked her.
"I did."
"I'm really sorry." He gently touched her arm, "What happened to them?" He asked.
"They tried to help our neighbor, she was sick and screaming, so, they went next door to check on her, and... Well, she just got them both. Took them both to the ground and..." She looked away, "You've probably seen it happen." She whispered, shakily.
"I have." David leaned back in his seat.
"I don't get it." She sniffled, wiping at her eyes, "Our neighbor was eighty-three. It took her five minutes to walk from one end of her apartment to the other, yet she managed to tackle a man and woman who aren't even forty yet, right to the floor?"
"Whatever this is, Alessia... It does things to us. It does things to people, to the body. That woman, I... I guess she wasn't who she used to be." He explained, "Whatever happens, we're safe here, and me and Nick? We won't just leave you on your own, if that means anything."
"Right now, it doesn't. But thanks." She sniffled and wiped her eyes again, "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be, I get it." He waved a hand, "You want something to eat? A lot of the places around here are giving out food to anyone who needs it."
"That'd be great."
"Alright, well, you wait right here." He gently rubbed her shoulder and wandered off to a nearby Starbucks. It wasn't the best place in the world to get food, but, it would have to do for now.
--
The University of San Francisco
It was chaos. It was a checkpoint at the main entrance, and then a further checkpoint past that one, too, before you finally reached the university grounds. It was true - all of it was sealed off, barricaded, and their were armed soldiers everywhere. A General of some sort of was barking orders at soliders and civilians alike. There were families, people traveling alone, couples, friends. All of the groups seemed broken in one way or another, but, Patricia tried not to focus on that. She had to be quick. She had to be in it for herself and Dan, who had both made it here in one piece, somehow. The city was literally falling at their feet on their way here, so the fact that they got here without dying was nothing short of a miracle.
Daniel stopped at the first barricade, and four soldiers came up. Two of them had guns at the ready on either side of the car, while the others did checks. They shone flashlights in their eyes, made them roll up their sleeves and show them anything from their ankles and onward. They asked them a series of questions about symptoms they may or may not have been experiencing, if they'd been in contact with anyone who was 'infected' - all sorts. Did they know anyone who was here already? Were they in a bigger group or was it just the two of them? For some time they were treated like potential terrorists, for whatever reason that may have been.
But soon enough, they got to the second checkpoint, where one man directed them to park up somewhere, and promptly after that, they were met with more soldiers who made them lock up and follow them through to another building. It was one of the main buildings on campus, the science building, and they were met with quite the shocking demand as soon as they got in. Two tents in one large hallway, each of them sectioned off, pure plastic.
They were both handed a tray.
"Sir, you enter the one on your left. Ma'am, you go to the one on the right." He said, "Just as you enter you're going to be met with another plastic door that you'll need to go through. Before you go through that, remove your clothes down to your under and put them in the tray. Step into the chamber and await decontamination."
Patricia looked over her shoulder. There were kids behind her, and they all looked terrified. Would they be splitting up the young kids from their parents? It was complete chaos outside. Some of the kids in here looked as though they didn't have an escort from a mom, dad, or sibling. So that was worrying.
But she had to follow orders. She had the feeling she'd get shot if she didn't.
"I did."
"I'm really sorry." He gently touched her arm, "What happened to them?" He asked.
"They tried to help our neighbor, she was sick and screaming, so, they went next door to check on her, and... Well, she just got them both. Took them both to the ground and..." She looked away, "You've probably seen it happen." She whispered, shakily.
"I have." David leaned back in his seat.
"I don't get it." She sniffled, wiping at her eyes, "Our neighbor was eighty-three. It took her five minutes to walk from one end of her apartment to the other, yet she managed to tackle a man and woman who aren't even forty yet, right to the floor?"
"Whatever this is, Alessia... It does things to us. It does things to people, to the body. That woman, I... I guess she wasn't who she used to be." He explained, "Whatever happens, we're safe here, and me and Nick? We won't just leave you on your own, if that means anything."
"Right now, it doesn't. But thanks." She sniffled and wiped her eyes again, "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be, I get it." He waved a hand, "You want something to eat? A lot of the places around here are giving out food to anyone who needs it."
"That'd be great."
"Alright, well, you wait right here." He gently rubbed her shoulder and wandered off to a nearby Starbucks. It wasn't the best place in the world to get food, but, it would have to do for now.
--
The University of San Francisco
It was chaos. It was a checkpoint at the main entrance, and then a further checkpoint past that one, too, before you finally reached the university grounds. It was true - all of it was sealed off, barricaded, and their were armed soldiers everywhere. A General of some sort of was barking orders at soliders and civilians alike. There were families, people traveling alone, couples, friends. All of the groups seemed broken in one way or another, but, Patricia tried not to focus on that. She had to be quick. She had to be in it for herself and Dan, who had both made it here in one piece, somehow. The city was literally falling at their feet on their way here, so the fact that they got here without dying was nothing short of a miracle.
Daniel stopped at the first barricade, and four soldiers came up. Two of them had guns at the ready on either side of the car, while the others did checks. They shone flashlights in their eyes, made them roll up their sleeves and show them anything from their ankles and onward. They asked them a series of questions about symptoms they may or may not have been experiencing, if they'd been in contact with anyone who was 'infected' - all sorts. Did they know anyone who was here already? Were they in a bigger group or was it just the two of them? For some time they were treated like potential terrorists, for whatever reason that may have been.
But soon enough, they got to the second checkpoint, where one man directed them to park up somewhere, and promptly after that, they were met with more soldiers who made them lock up and follow them through to another building. It was one of the main buildings on campus, the science building, and they were met with quite the shocking demand as soon as they got in. Two tents in one large hallway, each of them sectioned off, pure plastic.
They were both handed a tray.
"Sir, you enter the one on your left. Ma'am, you go to the one on the right." He said, "Just as you enter you're going to be met with another plastic door that you'll need to go through. Before you go through that, remove your clothes down to your under and put them in the tray. Step into the chamber and await decontamination."
Patricia looked over her shoulder. There were kids behind her, and they all looked terrified. Would they be splitting up the young kids from their parents? It was complete chaos outside. Some of the kids in here looked as though they didn't have an escort from a mom, dad, or sibling. So that was worrying.
But she had to follow orders. She had the feeling she'd get shot if she didn't.
redletalis
The Plot Bunnies are attacking!
Dunkin’ Donuts, Outside Poughkeepsie, New York
12:00 AM
She had been right. The situation had gone straight to hell.
The people inside the building had been getting more and more agitated as time went and the debate raged back and forth. Not that it was much of a debate. After a while it was mostly just people shouting at each other and insulting each other. It stopped being about what was going on, and started becoming frightened people ganging up on each other.
Kim and the waitress had quickly retreated from the core group of agitators keeping the argument going. They had shared a look as they stood together at the end of the counter, before gazing out of the large windows in hopes of seeing the military out there. Or, rather, in hopes of seeing any soldier actually looking in and noticing what was going on.
“Someone needs to stop this.” Kim had muttered after watching the argument ebb and flow. People had almost started punching each other several times already before they had been calmed by others, but she doubted it would be long before someone truly snapped.
“The military isn’t looking this way at all.” The waitress replied, wincing as voices were raised once more. “We need to make them look. Someone needs to get to the door and get their attention without setting off the mob in here.”
Kim looked at the doorway. The people closest to it who hadn’t wanted to join in the argument had cleared away, and found other places to sit. The people who remained were the ones who were arguing the loudest, gesturing the loudest and were the ones most prone to start getting physical with others. No one wanted to be near those sorts of people.
She doubted they would allow her to leave, and she wasn’t certain if she could dare to take the chance that they didn’t notice her leaving. If nothing else the bell above the doorway would give her away right off, and heaven knew what the mob could try to do to her then.
“Is there a back way out of here?” she asked the waitress quietly.
The woman nodded. “Near the toilets. You’ll have to get past the group first though, but you can go behind the counter. I don’t think that the boss will mind in this instance.”
“Okay. I’ll try. If I can’t do it then you’ll have to try in a short while.”
“Be careful.”
Kim nodded and took a deep breath. She swallowed and slowly started making her way behind the counter. It was nerve wracking. She felt like someone was going to jump her any second now!
------------------
Right outside New Orleans, Louisiana
12:00 AM
His mother lived in a house slightly outside the main town, on the edge of the bayou. Richard swung off the main road and followed the dirt track deeper in. It wasn’t too far luckily, and he didn’t even have to worry about getting lost. These woods were as familiar to him as the back of his hand. He drove around a swing and then another, and there it was.
His childhood home.
While not quite a shack his mother’s house was still incredibly small and old. It was slightly raised and had a porch at the front. It badly needed a new coat of paint, but there was no sagging and no holes in the windows, and Richard counted himself lucky for that considering how long he had been gone. There were a couple of toys in the front yard, especially under the shad created by the Spanish moss hanging off the cypress trees. It was the usual pinks and purples that a little girl delighted in, and they stood out against the grey-green grass.
Richard frowned at seeing the toys just lying around. His mother wouldn’t have let Lizzy leave them just like that, nor had he taught the little girl to be so careless. That was very uncommon for anyone in the family.
The house itself was dark. It might have been because the two who lived there were out for the moment, but the suburb he had driven through in the wee hours of the morning was utterly deserted. That, and, well, the open doorway was kind of telling.
Richard hesitated for a moment but then got out of the car. The heat and humidity was already high, and he missed the AC inside the car at once.
It was obvious that his mother and Lizzy weren’t there. He hoped they had evacuated to the shelters that the radio had talked about before it had abruptly cut off. But he still had to check, had to make sure that they weren’t… that they…. Perhaps there was a clue in there as to where they had gone, and he needed to know.
Still, it took him another five minutes before he could gather enough courage to enter the house.
The open doorway gaped like a maw, and he carefully pushed the door open further, wary of what might or might not be inside. Some dirt had been tracked in and there were muddy boot-prints going throughout the entire house. It was surprisingly intact from what he could see from the doorway, but other than that he had no idea what had happened here.
“Mom? Lizzy?” Richard stepped carefully inside, leaving the door open. “You here? Hello? Anyone?”
He wasn’t certain if he was hoping for them to be here or not.
12:00 AM
She had been right. The situation had gone straight to hell.
The people inside the building had been getting more and more agitated as time went and the debate raged back and forth. Not that it was much of a debate. After a while it was mostly just people shouting at each other and insulting each other. It stopped being about what was going on, and started becoming frightened people ganging up on each other.
Kim and the waitress had quickly retreated from the core group of agitators keeping the argument going. They had shared a look as they stood together at the end of the counter, before gazing out of the large windows in hopes of seeing the military out there. Or, rather, in hopes of seeing any soldier actually looking in and noticing what was going on.
“Someone needs to stop this.” Kim had muttered after watching the argument ebb and flow. People had almost started punching each other several times already before they had been calmed by others, but she doubted it would be long before someone truly snapped.
“The military isn’t looking this way at all.” The waitress replied, wincing as voices were raised once more. “We need to make them look. Someone needs to get to the door and get their attention without setting off the mob in here.”
Kim looked at the doorway. The people closest to it who hadn’t wanted to join in the argument had cleared away, and found other places to sit. The people who remained were the ones who were arguing the loudest, gesturing the loudest and were the ones most prone to start getting physical with others. No one wanted to be near those sorts of people.
She doubted they would allow her to leave, and she wasn’t certain if she could dare to take the chance that they didn’t notice her leaving. If nothing else the bell above the doorway would give her away right off, and heaven knew what the mob could try to do to her then.
“Is there a back way out of here?” she asked the waitress quietly.
The woman nodded. “Near the toilets. You’ll have to get past the group first though, but you can go behind the counter. I don’t think that the boss will mind in this instance.”
“Okay. I’ll try. If I can’t do it then you’ll have to try in a short while.”
“Be careful.”
Kim nodded and took a deep breath. She swallowed and slowly started making her way behind the counter. It was nerve wracking. She felt like someone was going to jump her any second now!
------------------
Right outside New Orleans, Louisiana
12:00 AM
His mother lived in a house slightly outside the main town, on the edge of the bayou. Richard swung off the main road and followed the dirt track deeper in. It wasn’t too far luckily, and he didn’t even have to worry about getting lost. These woods were as familiar to him as the back of his hand. He drove around a swing and then another, and there it was.
His childhood home.
While not quite a shack his mother’s house was still incredibly small and old. It was slightly raised and had a porch at the front. It badly needed a new coat of paint, but there was no sagging and no holes in the windows, and Richard counted himself lucky for that considering how long he had been gone. There were a couple of toys in the front yard, especially under the shad created by the Spanish moss hanging off the cypress trees. It was the usual pinks and purples that a little girl delighted in, and they stood out against the grey-green grass.
Richard frowned at seeing the toys just lying around. His mother wouldn’t have let Lizzy leave them just like that, nor had he taught the little girl to be so careless. That was very uncommon for anyone in the family.
The house itself was dark. It might have been because the two who lived there were out for the moment, but the suburb he had driven through in the wee hours of the morning was utterly deserted. That, and, well, the open doorway was kind of telling.
Richard hesitated for a moment but then got out of the car. The heat and humidity was already high, and he missed the AC inside the car at once.
It was obvious that his mother and Lizzy weren’t there. He hoped they had evacuated to the shelters that the radio had talked about before it had abruptly cut off. But he still had to check, had to make sure that they weren’t… that they…. Perhaps there was a clue in there as to where they had gone, and he needed to know.
Still, it took him another five minutes before he could gather enough courage to enter the house.
The open doorway gaped like a maw, and he carefully pushed the door open further, wary of what might or might not be inside. Some dirt had been tracked in and there were muddy boot-prints going throughout the entire house. It was surprisingly intact from what he could see from the doorway, but other than that he had no idea what had happened here.
“Mom? Lizzy?” Richard stepped carefully inside, leaving the door open. “You here? Hello? Anyone?”
He wasn’t certain if he was hoping for them to be here or not.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
Service Stop, Route 75, Georgia
7:15AM
Alex was asleep on Nick's lap. David had settled after getting the girl of the group a bite to eat, too - that was a while ago now, though. Alessia had her head down and must have been catching up on some sleep as well. David was surprised she'd even managed to get to sleep in the first place, after losing her parents, but it was something he was hopeful for. He'd spoken to her for some time and part of him truly felt some sort of connection to this somewhat-vulnerable teen girl.
She was fighting through it, though, and that's what mattered the most. She was doing well. As well as someone in her spot could.
"Where do we go from here?" David said.
"I don't know." Nick whispered back, "This is chaos, David. As far as I can see, there isn't anywhere else that'll be safe for us."
"I suppose not." He frowned, "Maybe we should do something... Something that'll help us get far away from it all. Like a boat."
"Everyone and their mother probably had the same idea."
"But it's still worth trying. We could drive north-east to New Hampshire, to Maine, to whatever - and we could find a boat."
"But if we don't find a boat, we'd be stuck at the ass-end of the country where there's probably a lack of much else."
"Including those things."
"You don't know that."
"I think it's our best shot. You really want to go further inland?"
"Not particularly, but I don't want to leave us stranded with nothing to eat. And in New England, it won't be long before it starts getting cold."
"Then we're stuck here for the time being." David sighed, then he looked at Alex who was still all snuggled up to Nick and fast asleep. "When will you tell him?"
"About what?"
"You know what."
Nick frowned and looked at Alex's face, shaking his head, "I don't know."
--
University of San Francisco
She'd been sprayed down as a means of decontamination and now she was completely separated from Dan. She'd gotten dressed again and now here she was, sat in a room with a bunch of other men, women, and children. Dan must have been in a different room, but that didn't matter. At least she was safe, even though the adrenaline rush was really kicking her in the ass. She was going to be fine. She just had to deal with it. She was just going to wait. Dan would find her, she hoped, but how long would he take to do that? What if something happened to him while she wasn't there?
Stop. He's more than capable, she thought.
She had a glance around and tried to find someone she could at least help out. There were women with babies, but the babies had stopped screaming now. They were okay. There was one little girl in the corner of the room, though, with blonde hair and tears rolling down her cheeks. The poor little thing had her top on back-to-front and she was sat there sobbing her heart out. Her eyes were wide and she was scanning the room over and over again in search of... Something.
Parents, presumably.
"Hey, honey..." Patricia said, softly, as she walked over to the young girl. She was no older than seven - or eight, at a push. "What's the matter...?" She crouched in front of her.
"I can't find my mommy and daddy." She blurted, "We- we were together a-a-and the soldiers, they..."
"They separated you guys?"
She frantically nodded.
"Okay, okay..." Pat reached up and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Don't cry, sweetie. I'll help you find them. I've lost my friend, too. We can stick together, okay?"
"You'll help me find them?" She wiped her nose with her forearm.
"Of course. What's your name?"
"J-Jess."
"That's a very pretty name. I'm Patricia." She said, "Come on... We'll look for mom and dad together." She held out a hand.
The girl was reluctant, but she took her hand and slowly rose up.
7:15AM
Alex was asleep on Nick's lap. David had settled after getting the girl of the group a bite to eat, too - that was a while ago now, though. Alessia had her head down and must have been catching up on some sleep as well. David was surprised she'd even managed to get to sleep in the first place, after losing her parents, but it was something he was hopeful for. He'd spoken to her for some time and part of him truly felt some sort of connection to this somewhat-vulnerable teen girl.
She was fighting through it, though, and that's what mattered the most. She was doing well. As well as someone in her spot could.
"Where do we go from here?" David said.
"I don't know." Nick whispered back, "This is chaos, David. As far as I can see, there isn't anywhere else that'll be safe for us."
"I suppose not." He frowned, "Maybe we should do something... Something that'll help us get far away from it all. Like a boat."
"Everyone and their mother probably had the same idea."
"But it's still worth trying. We could drive north-east to New Hampshire, to Maine, to whatever - and we could find a boat."
"But if we don't find a boat, we'd be stuck at the ass-end of the country where there's probably a lack of much else."
"Including those things."
"You don't know that."
"I think it's our best shot. You really want to go further inland?"
"Not particularly, but I don't want to leave us stranded with nothing to eat. And in New England, it won't be long before it starts getting cold."
"Then we're stuck here for the time being." David sighed, then he looked at Alex who was still all snuggled up to Nick and fast asleep. "When will you tell him?"
"About what?"
"You know what."
Nick frowned and looked at Alex's face, shaking his head, "I don't know."
--
University of San Francisco
She'd been sprayed down as a means of decontamination and now she was completely separated from Dan. She'd gotten dressed again and now here she was, sat in a room with a bunch of other men, women, and children. Dan must have been in a different room, but that didn't matter. At least she was safe, even though the adrenaline rush was really kicking her in the ass. She was going to be fine. She just had to deal with it. She was just going to wait. Dan would find her, she hoped, but how long would he take to do that? What if something happened to him while she wasn't there?
Stop. He's more than capable, she thought.
She had a glance around and tried to find someone she could at least help out. There were women with babies, but the babies had stopped screaming now. They were okay. There was one little girl in the corner of the room, though, with blonde hair and tears rolling down her cheeks. The poor little thing had her top on back-to-front and she was sat there sobbing her heart out. Her eyes were wide and she was scanning the room over and over again in search of... Something.
Parents, presumably.
"Hey, honey..." Patricia said, softly, as she walked over to the young girl. She was no older than seven - or eight, at a push. "What's the matter...?" She crouched in front of her.
"I can't find my mommy and daddy." She blurted, "We- we were together a-a-and the soldiers, they..."
"They separated you guys?"
She frantically nodded.
"Okay, okay..." Pat reached up and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Don't cry, sweetie. I'll help you find them. I've lost my friend, too. We can stick together, okay?"
"You'll help me find them?" She wiped her nose with her forearm.
"Of course. What's your name?"
"J-Jess."
"That's a very pretty name. I'm Patricia." She said, "Come on... We'll look for mom and dad together." She held out a hand.
The girl was reluctant, but she took her hand and slowly rose up.
