The Zombie Virus (Watty Awards)

The Zombie Virus- Chapter 2

My mother paused for a long time, staring into space, but not really seeing anything. When I was just about to say something, to shake her out of her trance, she finally decided to become the bearer of bad news.

"Honey no matter what happens I always love you," she began, "I was talking with Lidia next door and she showed me actual proof that the quarantines do exist. I don't really know what this means, but I know one thing's for sure- we can't wait around like sitting ducks forever. You are right, this town isn't safe, so I don't know why on earth I thought we should stay so long. More and more soldiers are lining up the streets everyday, and it's clear there is a threat that we could be ambushed by zombies soon. I can't even walk into the supermarket without carrying a handgun! So I think it's clear we should try to find the quarantines," she stated.

"Mom I don't understand, if there really are real quarantines, then why didn't they make some kind of announcement to us? To the public?"

"I don't know. But what I do know is that we stand a better chance near men with big guns than zombies with powerful bites and unpredictable abilities," she retorted, clearly trying to make a joke out of this, but with me being her only audience, it didn't work. Not anymore. Nothing was funny in this world anymore. Even the comedians gave up on their day to day jokes at midnight.

"Mom what do you mean you saw actual proof that the quarantines exist?" I asked.

"Well, you know that Lidia's daughter Rebecca is dating that guy Charles in the military, right?" She inquired.

 I nodded.

"Well he must have talked to some other military personnel that had a couple photos of the quarantine. This is the only one they'd heard of, but we're sure there must be others, too. The pictures she showed me were of this gray stone building in the desert, maybe six or ten stories high. So basically the rumors are true, but instead of having skyscrapers, they are a few floors not that high."

I nodded to everything, liking the feel of new information flow into the recesses of my brain.

"So the point I'm trying to get at is that I think we should get out of here soon. Like probably tomorrow or Friday."

I sat, completely mesmerized by the fact that within the next couple of days I would have to say goodbye to the home I'd had for my entire life. I would have to say goodbye to the home I'd known so well, the home that I had grown up in. Obviously though it wasn't exactly what you'd call a "safe house" anymore. We'd already had about five zombies already knocking on our doorstep. The soldiers couldn't hold them back forever. Like my mother had pretty much just said, I can't think of any better reason to leave now then in a few more months when we'll be eaten alive by zombies. I mean, if these soldiers lining the streets can't keep a few zombies from getting to our home, how is my mother and I supposed to hold off an ambush?

"When should we start packing?" I asked eagerly, now more ready than ever to leave.

"I'd hoped that was what you'd say," my mother chimed with a smirk. She was clearly glad I hadn't said I wasn't ready to leave.