Eternal Love

Nowhere to Run

Juliana's knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel tightly as she drove down the desolate highway. The full moon overhead gave the road an eerie glow.

"I can't believe I just stormed out like that," she muttered to herself.
"Why do I always overreact?"

She was driving cross-country back to Ohio after a horrible fight with her new husband, Brandon, during their California honeymoon. Now she regretted her rash decision to leave but was too proud to turn around.

Blinking back tears, Juliana remembered the terrible argument that had ruined their Napa Valley honeymoon. On the third day, they'd had a screaming match over something trivial that escalated quickly.

"I should call him," Juliana glanced at her silent phone on the passenger seat. But she was still too upset to reach out, so she just kept driving into the night.

A few lonely hours later, lost in thought about whether to try reconciling with Brandon, a loud POP jolted her back to the present.

"Dammit!" she yelled.

She'd blown a tire. Slamming her fists in frustration, she managed to safely pull over onto the highway shoulder.

"Unbelievable," she groaned, getting out to inspect the flat front right tire.

This was the absolute last thing she needed right now.

Rummaging in vain for a spare that wasn't there, an 18-wheeler roared past, violently rocking her car.

"Thanks a lot!" Juliana yelled sarcastically at the truck, wiping grit from her eyes.

She surveyed the empty road helplessly before noticing a small town glowing in the distance.

With no other options, she set off on foot to find help, phone and keys in hand. The moonlit highway was eerily silent except for her echoing footsteps.

"Get a grip," she whispered to herself, trying to ignore the creepy vibe settling over her.

Approaching the outskirts, she saw no streetlights or signs - just dilapidated houses silhouetted against the night sky. Everything was dark and lifeless.

The main street was similarly abandoned. Shuttered shops, broken windows, and debris litter the cracked sidewalks. It was a ghost town.

"Hello?" Juliana's voice quavered. "Is anyone there?"

Only silence answered her call. A chill ran down her spine. Where was everyone?

Then she noticed a faint neon "OPEN" sign in a gas station window at the end of the road.

"Finally," she breathed, hurrying toward the beacon of hope.

Maybe she could still get help after all.

Inside the empty shop, she called out nervously, "Hello? I need help, my car has a flat..."

No response except a radio playing softly from the back room. Crunching glass underfoot made her look down. The floor was smeared with blood and glittering shards.

"Oh my god!" She staggered back, horrified.

She had to escape this place. Now.

Whirling around to flee, she froze. A gruesome creature was emerging from the back, humanoid but with the skin peeled away, revealing gnashing black teeth in a cavernous maw. Its empty white eyes stared at her hungrily.

The infected being lunged. Juliana lurched behind a shelf just in time, sending snacks crashing to the floor.

Peering around, she now saw three more infected people lumbering down the aisles, making inhuman gurgling sounds as they sniffed the air. They looked mutilated and moved erratically like rabid animals.

Juliana crawled away, broken glass cutting her hands. But she had to find another way out of this nightmare. Making it to a swinging door labeled "Employees Only," she slipped through silently into a fetid storeroom. 

In the dark, her fingers closed around cool metal - a crowbar! Weapon in hand, she approached the back exit where she could hear the creatures thrashing outside.

Taking a deep breath, Juliana ripped open the door and charged out swinging the crowbar wildly. She bashed the first infected's head and it collapsed, blood and brains oozing across the pavement.

The other two turned on her with frenzied shrieks. Pulsing with adrenaline, she swung again, catching one under the chin. It fell but kept snapping its jaws.

Juliana kicked its face before stomping the skull under her shoe with a sickening crunch. No time to react as the third gripped her shoulders, shredding her shirt with its claws while trying to bite.

"Get...off...me!" She shoved the bar into its mouth, stifling its attack.

With all her strength, she pierced its soft palate. It went limp and slid off with a gut-churning sound.

Gasping for breath, Juliana ran without stopping until she reached her stranded car. Fumbling to unlock the door with shaking hands, she jumped inside and swiftly locked it behind her.

Sitting in her car tears streamed down her cheeks as she grabbed her phone to call Brandon.

"Please pick up," she whispered desperately.

But there was no signal. She'd have to keep driving until she got reception. The full moon still hovered eerily in the night sky above.

As dawn's light peeked over the horizon, she had no choice but to wait here until sunrise when she could hopefully flag down help.

Juliana locked the car doors and hunkered down, exhaustion overtaking her. She drifted into a fitful sleep, troubled by vivid nightmares of those violent infected creatures.

When she woke hours later to morning sunlight streaming in, Juliana sighed with relief. The horrors of last night could be left behind and she could finally get back on the road. Hopefully safe.