Survival Unknown

I've dedicated this chapter to the oh-so-generous techniicolor for making me the wonderful cover for this story! I'm completely hopeless at using photo editing programs so many thanks go out to her!

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That morning felt like any other.

Though for weeks before that day, the news was all abuzz with talk of an experimental virus being spread after an explosion on a military base. Created and tested for use in biological warfare, the government hadn't planned on even letting the public know about it, until scientists on the base ended up dying. 

Once the media got a hold of it, news spread like wildfire. 

Of course, the city that I lived in was only fifteen miles from the miliary base. I guess that that helped with the level of hysteria that quickly rose up. Truthfully, I hadn't paid much attention. When they said that the virus was spread through bodily fluid contact, I figured I didn't have anything to worry about. AIDS worked the same way, right? And I wasn't infected by that. I just wouldn't hang around any sick people. 

Too bad no one knew that it was airborne, too. 

I woke up and rolled out of bed, groaning at the bright sunlight that invaded my bedroom in its unwelcome manner. Stumbling into my bathroom, I stripped off my pajamas slowly, feeling dread at the idea that I couldn’t return to my warm, comfortable sleeping place now.

The cool water was a shock to my skin but it did what it was supposed to. My blue eyes shot open and I snatched up the shampoo. Scrub, scrub, scrub, scrub. Next I went for the soap. As I lathered up my skin, I wondered what sound it made. I settled for squish, squish.

Stepping out of my automatic wake-up, I wrapped a warm towel from the rack around my body and stumbled towards the kitchen. My damp hands rummaged through the cabinets until my fingers closed around the coffee container.

After starting up the brewing machine, I headed back to my bathroom. Blow dryer plugged in and roaring loudly, I dried my hair bit by bit, taking my time like I always did. Then the makeup was applied. Finally, the styling process came about.

When my face was presentable, I went through my closet, choosing an outfit that was suitable to do my shopping in. I stuck with something casual for simplicity’s sake; blue jeans with a bit of a flair and a cute fitted tee.

Before I headed out my front door, I grabbed my wallet and opened it, making sure that my license was in place. Roxii Cowen stared back at me, a smile on her face. I smiled at myself and closed it up before I looked at the clock on the wall. It was only nine in the morning. Making great time, I thought to myself.

My condo was on the top floor of a ten-story building. It struck me as odd that, as I walked down the hallways and stairwells, I didn’t run into any of my normally friendly neighbors. Sure, it was a Monday morning and most people were working, but I had never seen the building so… abandoned before.

In the lobby downstairs, it was just as empty. Frowning, I leaned over the front desk, looking for Sarah, the secretary. Nothing. Not a soul was around.

Part of me wanted to call out but there was something eerie about the silence; it unnerved me and I kept my mouth shut. The only thing I could clearly hear was the hum of the lights above me; that static buzzing that people typically ignore.

As I moved past the front desk, heading towards the underground garage, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and my mouth went dry. Instinctively, I tensed as I walked towards my little Toyota Camry. It was a weird feeling. I had never felt this way in the dimly lit area before but at that moment, little alarms were going off inside my head.

My eyes scanned the concrete and, upon seeing him, the breath rushed out of me quickly, relief suddenly taking a hold of me. Finally! Another person! Across the parking garage, I could see the silhouette of a man.

I put on my best smile, knowing I was in the light and he could see me full well, though I couldn’t see him clearly. “Good morning!” I waved, cheerily, starting to walk over to him since my car was down that end anyway. “I’m glad to see another person up and about. It’s like a ghost town upstairs!”

The man didn’t respond back. As a matter of fact, he didn’t move at all. “Hello?” I wished that I could have seen his face in the dark.

A grunting sound came from twenty feet behind me and to my left. I turned, then immeadietly stumbled away in fear from what I saw.

A grotesque figure rose up from behind a car, humanoid, and staggered forward. The dim lights caught its’ eyes and they shone in the dark. They were a luminescent evil yellow color, like a cat's. A dark substance was smeared around its’ lips and its’ teeth were bared in a snarl.

Quickly, I turned back to the man as he stepped into view. My eyes were met with the same ghastly horror and I broke into a run as one creature lunged towards me. I sprinted to my car, ripping the keys out of my purse as I went.

Feeling my heart pound against my chest, I threw myself into the drivers’ seat, started it up, put it in reverse and tore out of the parking space. Then, I was faced with a problem.

The two… monsters stood in front of my car, blocking the only exit from the garage. They had stopped moving again, at least. With a shaky hand, I depressed the switch for my headlights and they blared to life, illuminating what I hadn’t seen clearly before.

“What the hell…?” My voice was soft as my eyes raked themselves over the two “men”. One seemed to be missing an arm and then other had its’ neck kinked to the side at an impossible angle. Both… things were coated in blotches of dark red. I swallowed hard, every late night, black and white horror movie floating to my mind as I sat there, foot pressed down on the brake.

My mind reeled and one took a step forward.

I didn’t think; I just reacted.

My right foot stomped on the gas and two bodies flew against and over the hood of my car with a loud bumping and then splattering sound. The whole car shook violently upon impact.

The vehicle went racing towards the exit, the windshield covered in blood. My wipers came on automatically, smearing the goo everywhere.

Out in the bright sunlight, I squinted and slowed down a little to avoid the wrecked cars that littered the street. Looking around, I saw damage everywhere. Cars were overturned, fire hydrants freely sprayed water into the air, and there were a few buildings on fire. Hands tight and knuckles white on the wheel as I moved down the people-less street, only one word came to mind.

Zombies…

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