The Quickly Changing City and How Not To Survive

So. Here I am. Lost in the lovely shuffle of life like everyone else. I had a great job working as a manager in a grocery store. I've worked there since I was a teenager, now they don't want me around. Hell, no one wants me around. Ever since the town went to hell everyone just runs around avoiding each other! I spend most of my time at home, sitting around, being bored. I don't have any power, no one does anymore.

Sometimes people will knock on my door. I holler, “HELLO?”, but they run away as quickly as they came. I suppose it's cause I don't look like the other people anymore. There's a lot of people like me now.

It started a couple weeks ago. Everything was honky-dory. I was listening to the crappy 90's pop music playing overhead while helping build a display for a new kind of chips we just got in (they were pretty good!). They were one of those weird flavors. Like, dill/ranch... maybe it was ranch/pizza... all I can really remember is they had ranch flavoring in them. Oh well, I'm getting away from the story.

We were doing our thing when someone came in, in no big hurry, and said,”dude, turn on the t.v.!”

We had a t.v. up by the managers station that usually played a weather channel, but I had forgotten to do my managerially duty and turn it on. Over I walked. Pushed the button, and the craziness started.

News reporters trying not to freak out. They aren't sure what happened. A bomb? Freak accident? Plane crash? No one knows. Unknown dead, hundreds injured.

The incident happened at a reputable pharmaceutical company. “MUTANTS!” People were screaming on t.v. The walking dead.

Really? Perhaps these weren't “the walking dead”. Maybe they were the like the ant-walking alligator-people of Hiroshima when the big 'ol bomb was dropped. Alive, but burned to the bone from radiation heat. Walking aimlessly in horrid pain, unable to speak. Just gurgling in sorrow.

Anyways, as the news was playing the field corespondent suddenly fell. The camera fell too, she must have been out by herself, and we saw it... them. I'm not sure if they were survivors or what, but they scared the hell out of me. The kicker, they were about ten miles away.

“Holy hell”, I said.

“What the fuck was that?” The bag boy asked

“I'm not entirely sure,” I said, eyes glued to the t.v.

Then I looked over to him, “watch your mouth by the way, we're still on the clock.”

“Oh, sorry” He said rather sheepishly, “It's not every day you see that though!”

“Yea, it's not.” I muttered, contemplating what we should do.

It was about six at night when it started. It was six thirty when I decided to close,something was just not right. I told everyone over the P.A. system that we had a water leak in our large walk-in fridge, and we'd have to ask everyone to leave until the issue was fixed. We cashed out the last of the customers by seven at night, put a sign on the door, locked up and left.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I rode my bike to work that day, and I'll tell you, it was the quietest ride home I had ever had. The sky was a pallid gray. The skies, not a single bird. At first I should say. I was about a block home when they came, a huge swath of birds. Like an angry black cloud, chirping and cawing. As they went overhead, the defecated on me.... lovely. A weird noise was following them, kinda like a moaning, but it was so faint I couldn't really peg it. So I finished my ride home and went inside.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Everything on the television was the same. “DISASTER!”, “THE END”, “OMG WE'RE GON' DIE!”. I decided that it was sensationalist broadcasting, trying to make us afraid of going outside. Or the government trying to get us into the next war.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I ate some late dinner, locked my doors, and went to bed.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I woke up about two in the morning, an amber light shining through my curtains. It kinda looked like a fire... “OH SHI-”, I yelled as I jumped up to look outside.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">What the hell had happened?! House on fire next door, cars flipped. Is that a person... laying? On the road? I put my shoes on, grabbed my lucky aluminum bat, and walked around the house. No one, not a single person other than myself. It was like a tornado hit, but my house was spared. For now.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I peeked out the curtains of all the windows, then I caught sight of the next door neighbors. They were just standing in the back yard like nothing was going on. I went to the back door and slowly opened it, peeking through the crack the whole way. No one in my yard, that I can see that is. Walking ever so carefully next door, I keep hearing weird noises around me. Whatever they are can stop though, it's like someone turned up the “freak me the crap out” dial.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I get over to Rick and Jenny's (my neighbors) house, and half whisper, half yell, “Hey! What the hell is going on? Where are the cops and junk?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Then I saw what the hell was going on. They turned around and they weren't themselves anymore. Maybe I should have listened to the news...

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Suddenly they were walking towards me, teeth gnashing and fingers grabbing. I suddenly realized I needed to be home, and ran for the door. But my dumb ass all of a sudden couldn't remember how to use a door knob. It was like a really cheesy B-flick. Girl faces impending doom, and can't figure out how to open a damn door. I decided to use the B-flick knowledge and use my aluminum bat.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Guys, back off!” I yelled, holding the bat arm's length between them and me.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">It wasn't working that well so I took the hardest swing I could. Let's just say Jenny won't be selling any Mary Kay anymore (that might not be a bad thing). I still had Rick to deal with. Jenny was about 5'4, 100 lbs soaking wet. Rick is the polar opposite. 6'4, and I'm guessing 225lbs. I'm somewhere in the middle... not nearly big enough to deal with him. So I did what any good person would do and ran like a chicken in the rain!

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Thank goodness he wasn't too fast, but his long legs gave him a pretty fast walk. I was looking around trying to find anything. And almost like a video game I found a shotgun in the road.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Okay,” I said, “That's super-weird.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I checked the chamber, and oddly enough it was loaded. Rick was still lumbering around the corner of my house, but his shirt got stuck in one of my bushes. He was never the brightest guy in the world, but this is a new low for even him. I walked over towards him, said his name a few times. Nothing, no response, not even a blink! He broke free and I freaked out. I raised the shotgun and barely had it in position to shoot when I hit the trigger. Lucky me! It hit him in the head-ish area! Not lucky me! I fell, cut my arm, and now Ricky the giant has fallen half on me. Well shit.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">It took a lot of shimmying and pushing, but I got his heavy self off of me. That left me an icky mess. I looked at my arm and saw it was cut pretty darn bad. I wasn't sure if I was bleeding that bad, or if I got Ricky's blood all over me. I went inside, sat the gun on the floor by my door, and locked my happy self inside. Screw that I thought. I have enough food until they figure this crap out and start to find survivors. I cleaned my arm wound, and it really hurt. Ugh I hope they start clearing this insanity up soon.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I went to the living room and sat down at a desk my parents gave me as a graduation present from college. They had bought me an old-style type writer to go with it. I had aspired to be a writer one day, but it just wasn't happening. Maybe this insanity will thin out the writing herd, and I'll have a chance. Okay I'll admit, that was bad.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I went over to the television and turned it on, hoping something will be on to explain. When it finally flickered on I realized how bad it really was. Hundreds dead, the city in shambles. People rising from the dead? Alright, that's stretching it. But then again, what the heck was wrong with Jenny and Rick? The news said that a “special team” was going through the city trying to find survivors, and to take out anyone who was an “imminent threat” to the safety and health of the citizens. So official sounding! So my plan is good. Sit, wait, and defend. Easy enough I think... I mean, I dealt with the neighbors pretty easily.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I didn't really get any rest after that. My arm was throbbing. The sun finally rose, and I peeked out all the windows checking for crazy neighbors, or my special force saviors. But nothing. The house behind me is burnt to the ground now, the one car is still flipped in the middle of the road, Ricky is still laying in a sticky black puddle in front of the house.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Oh joy.” I said, going to the kitchen to get something to drink.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I ended up eating some food, and decided it would probably be a good idea to call-in to work. I picked up the phone and I got the “all circuits are busy” message. I haven't heard that message for ages! I flipped open my cell phone, and tried that. The line just rang and rang.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Oooookay.”, I sighed. I tried my parents.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“OH THANK GOD!” My mother yelled over the phone.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Mom, mom, I'm okay!” I reassured her. “If you were so worried why didn't you call me?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Well we've tried but the lines are busy on the land-line, we completely forgot about the mobile!” Mom said a bit matter-of-factually.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Sorry mom, you guys doing well?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Yea, we're holding up. They've locked down our building. No one in or out. The security is going apartment to apartment checking on people.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Wow mom, that's pretty good”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I desperately wanted to tell her about my hair-raising evening, but she would have a literal heart attack. I listened to her gossip and theorize about what was going on, but I was getting sleepy not have slept much the night before. I let her know that I needed to go, and she reluctantly said okay. I sat down, ear still ringing from all the talking my mother was doing. I peeked out all the windows for good measure, sat myself on the couch and took a nap.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">When I woke up, I didn't feel right. My arms were a bit heavy, vision was kinda wonky. After a little while it got better, but boy I was hungry. I went and ate a quick lunch, then I was back to the television. Same stuff on though. Disaster, stay where you are, don't approach the sick (oopsie!). Don't let them bite you? Okay, that's new. From what they say, the sick people will bite? Thank goodness I didn't get bitten, I just cut my arm like a dummy. It sill hurts, but it was in a pretty sensitive spot. Right below the elbow. It's kinda red and puffy, I'm kinda worried it'll get infected, but I've been good at keeping it clean.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Day after day it's kinda the same thing. Get up check windows. Check television. Eat. Sleep. I do that pattern over and over. Then one day the electricity cut out.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">It's a little creepy being in a house by yourself, no electricity. I've been moving a lot slower lately, vision kinda cruddy, probably from lack of food. Like I said in the beginning, people have knocked on the door, but they've run away as soon as I start walking to the door, or when I just say hello. Peeking out the windows, there isn't much going on, I'll see a person run down the street once in a great while, but that's it.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I keep waiting for these so called “special forces” to save me. It would be nice to get some fresh food. I'm starving! I can't get the damn cans open in the cupboard for some reason, it's like my hands don't work anymore. I've reluctantly eaten some raw hamburger that was in the fridge when I finally got the door open. I thought it would make me violently ill, but it didn't. Still, yuck. I'd kill for a steak and taters right now!

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">One day I woke up to the sound of gun fire. It was in short bursts, I tried to get out of bed, but I kinda just flopped out. My legs weren't working that well, or at all I should say. I army crawled towards the door. Desperately wanting to get to my shotgun that I stupidly left by the door. I was so tired. Then my door was kicked in.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">My knights! The special forces are here to save me! I went to say help, but all that came out was, “Aaarrghhhh.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“There's one on the floor!” One said.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Hold on let me save.” Said the other.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I looked at them like they were insane. Save? Save what?

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The guy walked over to my typewriter, did something to it, then took the ribbon!

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Alrighty!”he said, then shot me in the noggin.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Aw cool!” said the other as I lay there dying, “A shotgun!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">And off they went. The word S.T.A.R.S. blazen across their backs.