I couldn't believe my eyes. The sight two blocks from my house had me losing hope quickly; there were so many of the mindless creatures wandering around... So many people being brutally torn apart...
I shook my head. No. They were at home, safe and sound. They had to be. They were smart. I looked back up as a loud chorus of moans and groans were followed by a thump against my side of the car. I looked over to see a zombie against the window and several more on their way over. I yelped and hit the gas, hoping to get to my house and save them. That's when I saw them. My father with my baby sister in his arms, leading my sister and brother. They were running for their lives. Outside. Unprotected. Somehow, a zombie was gaining on them quickly. It was running. Running toward them. I slammed on my breaks and honked, making a U-turn. My mom snarled in the back seat. I saw my sister look over and hope filled her eyes, but mine went wide in horror as she bumped right into a shuffling dead man, his red eyes shutting happily as he wasted no time in chomping down on her shoulder. I heard her blood-curdling scream as more smelled her blood and swarmed around her, including the creepily fast one. They were quickly tearing through her makeshift armor, ripping apart the pillows, bubble wrap, and hockey gear as they raced to get to her flesh. My brother and father were crying out as if their shouting could save her now. I pulled up beside them and rolled down my window. "Dad! Tyler!" I yelled. "Get in! Get in!" They were caked in blood, covered in pillows and hockey pads, and Tyler was wearing a football helmet, but they didn't appear to be injured from my angle.
"IVY!" Tyler shouted, tears welling in his eyes. "They bit Dad's leg what do I do?!"
My heart dropped. "Get in," I said, still clinging to the hope that, just maybe, he wouldn't die. They both nodded and Tyler pulled open the door to the back, him and dad hopped in. "CAREFUL," I warned them. Dad closed the door and they both looked up at me. "Mom is in the back-back!" I said. "She's turned." They both looked back in shock.
"Ivy... How did Mom..." Tyler started. I shook my head.
"No time to explain right now... Tyler, get up here. Dad, buckle yourself in the middle row, on the opposite side of her. Give me Layla." Dad just stared at her in shock, tears gathering in his eyes as he slowly sat down where I'd instructed him to and passed my baby sister to Tyler. I could see my sister Olive being devoured by beasts, and it made me gag, watching the horror and disbelief on her blood-splattered face slowly fade into an expressionless, dead look. The zombies turned away from her and started to wander off again, in search of new food. She was completely gone, her eyes glazed over and features covered in fresh blood. Almost her entire body was eaten by them, you could see her bones sticking out of her body at awkward angles, half her face was missing, and you would've been able to see her entrails hanging out if there had been any left. She didn't deserve this. She was only eleven. She didn't deserve to die so early on in life. She didn't deserve to die like that.
I felt my body shudder when she began to shake after lying motionless. I couldn't believe my eyes. How was it possible that she was turning already? It had barely been three minutes! Was it because of how badly she was injured?
A slam against the side of the car snapped me out of my thoughts. The zombie that had been running was now pounding against the window, staring at us with a mixture of drool and my sister's blood dripping down its rotten chin. I stared at it. It was once likely a very beautiful lady, with long blond hair. Her hair was now matted down with blood and grime, a fake eyelash sticking to her cheek and her purple eyeshadow smudged so far down it blended with her lipstick. I looked into her eyes. Her glossy, red eyes. They were so captivating...
I gasped and leaned back in my seat, trying to put distance between me and it, remembering what happened last time one got this close to me. I was determined not to get pulled into some sort of trance again, this thing was not about to take over my mind. This disgusting virus was not about to pull me in again and trap me this time. I threw the clutch into reverse and floored the gas, backing up rapidly. I could hear the moans of the undead all around my van; they had been surrounding us. I felt the car bump and sway unnaturally as I urged it over and through the walking dead, desperate to escape with what little family I had left.
I looked over to Tyler. "Ty, give Dad your helmet," I said.
"What? Why?" He asked, looking up at me. Layla was sucking her toes while he bounced her up and down to keep her calm and happy.
"It would be harder for him to bite us if he turned. Especially with that guard over the mouth." He nodded, understanding what I meant. I continued to back up till the end of the block, then turned into the street and shifted the gears back to normal, driving forward and away from the horde that was stumbling after us. The fast one was chasing after us faster than the average person could; we lost the normal ones after one block and expected it to join them. It didn't. Tyler took off his helmet and handed it to Dad, who took it and sighed as he put it on, knowing what he could become very soon. He kept glancing back at Mom, he clearly still couldn't believe that she truly was a monster.
I turned on the radio, hoping for more info on these creatures. They were talking about how to avoid them and to stay away from crowds before it finally began to talk about the strange running zombies. "And I'm sure some of you have seen the zombies that can run," The reporter said. "They are, by far, the most dangerous thing right now. If you can, climb something to get away from them. They will chase after whatever they can, and they don't seem to ever get tired. There are a few names for them trending on the internet right now, they were first referred to as Unstoppables, but the nickname Rapids has quickly spread and become the most popular name for them. So, ladies and gentlemen, please, for your own safety-" A muffled voice interrupted her, indistinct chatter passed between the two. I could hear the reporter gasp, followed by a shaky breath as she turned back to her mic. "A new update has come in. Do not climb to get away from the Rapids. They... They can climb." I gasped. My brother and father did as well.
"No way," Tyler said. "They can't be serious! There's no way a zombie can climb!" He looked over to me, panicked, "They can't really climb, right? For as scary as a zombie is, they're too uncoordinated to climb, right?" I shook my head, remembering what happened in the hospital parking lot earlier.
"One climbed onto my hood earlier. I was crying about Mom turning and it climbed on while I was distracted." I admitted. He looked down at Layla.
"That explains the blood on the windshield." He said. I nodded.
I glanced into the rear-view mirror, checking if the Rapid was still chasing us. It was. I'd had enough of this thing by now so I sped up the car and decided to round the nearest corner. As I neared the turn, a woman running across her lawn caught its attention and I turned the car right as it ran at her. I felt a shiver go down my spine as I realized I just took relief in the fact that someone else was about to be brutally torn limb from limb and become a meal.
My thoughts drifted over to my sister, Olive. I couldn't believe I hadn't tried to do anything to save her. I just let them take her and eat her alive. My sweet little sister was eaten alive before my very eyes. Before my brother and father's and even my baby sister's eyes. My father was clearly taking it hard, but I couldn't help but wonder how Tyler was keeping a straight face after that. He had to feel bad, didn't he? I snuck a glance in his direction, I could see his lip was trembling. He did feel bad. He was trying to be strong for us. I appreciated that about him now more than I ever had before. I could tell he was on the verge of tears; He had a look of remorse in his eyes and his body was shaking, yet he was looking down at Layla and trying to shield her from understanding what was happening. Not that she could, though. She was, after all, only one year old. At only thirteen, I could hardly imagine what Tyler had to be thinking, running from home, father doomed, holding his baby sister in his arms after watching Olive get torn to shreds... He didn't deserve any of this.
Nobody did. Not even the worst of people.
Nobody deserved the Apocalypse.
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Hey, everybody! I hope you enjoyed this preview and stick around for later on when I publish the rest.
I haven't finished the entire story yet, but I was so excited to share it with all of you and I was very proud of the cover I made, although it would be way better if I had Photoshop. I will be publishing the story 3 chapters a week once I finish it, which I hope to do by January of 2020! I'm really sorry if that seems like a long time, but for now I have to hope you can all stick around long enough to hear my version of Crystal Scherer's "A Different Virus - Heartfire", re-imagined with a fresh, new set of characters and scenarios, as well as happening in the densely populated area we call California. I would prefer if it was not referred to as a knock-off, as I did personally ask @CrystalScherer if I could use the ideas she created. Our characters do not meet, however you will find references to the original story in mine, and there will be many things linking my world to hers, including interaction between military bases, the same virus caused for the same reason, and I even plan to include little direct references that even she mentions in her own.
Please keep in mind that my story is heavily based off of Crystal's, and I'm writing to fit my story with hers, she did not write hers to fit mine.
See you all in the next chapter, hopefully arriving in January 2020!!