Chapter One ● Zombie Disease
Vivid images of humans attacking one another flashed on the TV. The miniature device, belonging to the Hartell family, sat on the kitchen counter. The violent displays depicted on the television seemed incongruous with the peaceful setting of the kitchen. Its sea foam green curtains clashed with the red blood on the screen; its apricot-colored walls mismatched the black that followed after the cameraman was attacked; its granite countertops possessed more class than the civilians running to preserve their lives.
The only family member viewing all of the horrors on the news was Mrs. Audra Hartell. Frequently, she was distracted from packing her daughter’s lunch, since the stories on the news were so shocking. Even after weeks of hearing accounts like this, Mrs. Hartell still showed signs of bewilderment in her wide, brown eyes and through the premature wrinkles in her otherwise healthy, tan skin.
Suddenly, instead of the sound of panicked shrieks and chaotic violence, the sound of actual talking emanated from the TV. “Breaking news!” shouted the newscaster, as she pressed her right hand to her earpiece. “Cases of Influenza Z, or the infamous Zombie Disease, have been reported in New York City! Experts suspect that the disease was brought to the bustling metropolis via subway. Doctor Herbert P. Phillips said, ‘People tend to forget that diseases do not need to travel from person to person. They can be carried by boats, planes, cars, and in this situation—trains.’”
Alarmed at how nearby Influenza Z was, Mrs. Hartell ran her hands through her long brown hair, discreetly streaked with thin gray strands. She also sighed heavily. Her husband, Nathan Hartell, noticed her reaction as he walked down the stairs. As he journeyed from the corridor to the kitchen, he buttoned his shirt, preparing for another day of work.
“Everything alright, Honey?” Mr. Hartell inquired, confused by his wife’s look of distress.
“This zombie disease has reached New York City. Don’t go to work today,” Mrs. Hartell objected.
Unamused, Mr. Hartell grunted as he finished buttoning his shirt. He took a seat at the kitchen table and looked at his wife with his deep brown eyes. “Honey, New York City still isn’t in New Jersey. We still have some time. The disease might not reach this state at all if—”
“Don’t ‘Honey’ me!” interjected Mrs. Hartell. “This disease spreads too quickly to take any risks. I would protest against Levi and Liliana going to school today, but they’re so close to the end of the year that I figured I would let it slide, not to mention Levi starts his final exams tomorrow.”
“But Audra, you’re not making any sense! Let’s say I didn’t go to work today. Let’s say Levi and Lily didn’t go to school today. Then when would we? Or would we just wait for the world to end?” countered Mr. Hartell.
Before Mrs. Hartell could respond, Liliana came skipping down the stairs in a pink sundress as her messy, crimped, brown hair flounced about her face. She was followed by her older brother Levi, who had already fixed his hair so that its wavy front rested on his forehead. However, drowsiness still clouded his emerald eyes.
Liliana innocently galloped into the kitchen, heading toward the fridge, looking for breakfast. Once she pulled out a carton of orange juice, she eyed her mother and father suspiciously, curious of their silence.
“You guys don’t have to be silent around me; Levi already told me aaaallll about the zombie disease,” Liliana stated.
In an attempt to avoid his parent’s stern glances, Levi let his mahogany hair conceal his eyes as he looked at his feet.
“I’m ten years old! I’m old enough to know that zombies aren’t real!” continued Liliana.
This time, Mr. and Mrs. Hartell’s glances met each other, and their looks conveyed worry. Both parents were evidently concerned that their daughter did not comprehend the severity of the illness.
Suddenly peering over his glasses, Mr. Hartell directed his attention to Levi. “So, Vi, are you prepared for your finals tomorrow?” he asked.
Levi looked up at his father and stifled a snicker. He took the carton of orange juice from where Liliana was contentedly drinking out of a glass and poured himself some juice. “Absolutely, Daddy ol’ pal,” Levi sarcastically replied while pouring. Mr. Hartell frowned slightly.
After downing his drink, Levi looked at the microwave to see the time. Since it read 7:00, Levi put his glass down on the counter, ruffled his sister’s hair, and declared “Gotta bounce”. His family unanimously said their goodbyes as Levi exited the house.
After grabbing a muffin from the cabinet, Mr. Hartell kissed his daughter and his wife before leaving on his daily trek to his job. Mrs. Hartell attended to the task of fixing her daughter’s hair.
●●●
Departing from his tan, two-story, suburban home, Levi walked to the end of the street until he reached the bus stop. He commenced his routine of ignoring everyone there and shoving his black earphones into his ears. After this, he found his playlist meant for bus rides, and slightly nodded his head to the beat of the alternative rock song. His policy of isolating himself and enjoying the music continued on the bus ride and did not stop until the first bell rang, informing students that it was almost time for first period. Eleventh grade is almost over, Levi thought to himself.
Even though Levi deplored mornings, he was always delighted to remember that his first class was English. Whenever the subject was bland, his friends always made the class worthwhile. As he stepped into the classroom, he confirmed that today would yield no exceptions, as his friends Grant and Reed told zombie stories to his other friend Cassidy.
Reed sat on top of a desk, turning so that he could see Cassidy, who was in line with his torso, and Grant, who was in line with his left arm. Reed’s long black hair covered his face, but Levi could always distinguish Reed by his monochromatic black outfits, from his onyx band t-shirts to his ebony Converse sneakers. Since Reed angled his body, Levi could also see Grant’s round, brown face. Levi took note of Grant’s outfit, consisting of a red snapback, red t-shirt, cargo shorts, and black basketball sneakers. Lastly, Levi held his gaze on Cassidy, who looked stunning with her curly chestnut hair. From what Levi could see, she was wearing a fitted purple t-shirt, black shorts, and purple running sneakers with black accents.
“Yo, Levi, tell Cassidy that this Z Flu is turning people into zombies!” Grant shouted from across the room, awakening Levi from his daze.
Cassidy rolled her sapphire eyes in defiance. “Too bad zombies aren’t real, Grant,” she protested.
“While that statement couldn’t be more false, I’m gonna have to side with Cass on this one,” began Reed. “Zombies go for brains. These… things—Septics, I think the media calls them? Whatever. These Septics don’t want your brains. They want you.” Accompanying the last word, Reed poked Cass’s arm. Cass appropriately responded by punching Reed in the same place on his body.
“Hey, watch the violence,” Levi playfully scolded her as he slipped into the seat opposite Cassidy. “I don’t think Grant’s completely insane; they seem like zombies to me.”
Victoriously, Grant raised his fist in the air, evoking another characteristic eye-roll from Cassidy. Before the four friends could continue their argument, the teacher, Mr. Kidd, entered the room. The light shone on his bald, white head as he placed a few books on his desk. He looked at the class with his youthful face and surveyed the room with his brown eyes, stroking his newly-shaven face. He fixed his eyes on Reed, who was still talking to his friends and sitting on the desk.
“Caruso, cheeks in a seat, please,” Mr. Kidd told him. Reed obediently sat in his chair as several students in the classroom giggled. After the giggling subsided, the room became quiet enough so that the only sound came from the air conditioning. Pleased by the silence, Mr. Kidd clasped his hands together and exhaled.
“So, kiddies, who’s ready for the last day of English before finals?” Mr. Kidd continued. Many students cheered, including Levi, who was always delighted by Mr. Kidd’s jovial attitude.
Levi laughed along with Grant, Reed, and Cassidy as Mr. Kidd taught a lesson about satire. This was a concept that Levi and his friends quickly grasped, considering that they were naturally sarcastic and somewhat judgmental. The lesson entertained all of the students for the majority of the class period. At its conclusion, Mr. Kidd looked at his watch, then observed the clock to confirm, and told the class, “We still have about five minutes till the end of the period. Talk amongst yourselves.”
No one in the class needed his words to be repeated. The students quickly adjusted themselves until they were broken off into their appropriate cliques. Before they could begin to converse, however, a stern voice boomed from the PA system.
“Good morning, staff and students of Lakeview High. This is Principal McLeod. It is necessary to lock down the building at this time. This is not a drill.”