Work in Progress...

Chapter 7 (finally!)

2008-12-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

Alright, sorry I've been flaky with the posts. Finals have been kicking my ass, but thankfully they're almost over! Anyways, you aren't interested in that. Here's chapter 7. Enjoy!

---E

Chapter 7

What the hell is that? As I flew up the road, I noticed the figure in the middle of the lane, standing there, slightly shuffling down the road. I slowed and stopped about fifty feet behind the thing. It appeared to be a middle aged man, tall and lanky, with dark hair. He was dressed in a fancy black suit with matching shoes. Maybe he was a lawyer or a business man of some flavor or another. I shouted at him if he was alright, and it was then I saw what was wrong.

He turned around at the sound of my voice and I saw clearly he was not ok. His neck and chest were a bloody mess, and it looked like he had a good chunk of his shoulder missing. His eyes were sunken, with dark black and brown circles around them, like he had been on the bad end of a bar fight. His mouth was gaping, trying to form words but it only came out in a gurgling moan. He then started shuffling towards me, faster than he had appeared to before, as if he wanted me for something.

I shouted at him to stop, to stay where he was, but he didn't respond. As he got closer, I could see that he was infected, his mind and soul gone. I pulled the pistol from its holster and started firing at him. I hit him several times in the chest, but only succeeded in knocking him back, off balance. He kept coming, despite the wounds, as I kept firing. One round hit him in the head, and he dropped like a stone. I waited a second before walking up and nudging his foot, making sure he wasn't going to come back again. Seeing that he wasn't getting back up, I stumbled back to the bike, and started it back up again. Kicking it in gear, I carefully made my way around the newly dead corpse before cranking it back up, flying down the road.

Several minutes later, I reached the base. As I approached the front gate, I noticed that something was horribly wrong. Fires were everywhere, giant holes were torn in the walls, and there was a HUMVEE upside down just beyond the gate. It looked like a war zone, the smell of smoke and burning flesh hung in the still air. I wheeled my bike over to a nearby bush, attempting to hide it and my gear so I would have an escape should anything get worse than it already was.

I pulled my pistol from the holster, reloaded quickly, and slowly made my way to the main gate, trying to find what cover I could along the way. At the gate, I found evidence of what had happened. There had been a giant mob, possibly in the hundreds at the gate, pounding their way in. The HUMVEE and other soldiers had been trying to hold them off, but in the end they were overrun by sheer numbers. There were many more zombie bodies than soldier, but in the end the result was the same.

I walked toward one of the soldiers and noticed that he had bite marks all over his body. I pulled him away from the others, just in case they came back as well. Suppressing the urge to vomit, I began stripping the corpse of anything useful, starting with his weapon, an M4 carbine. I set it aside and started pulling his body armor and other equipment off. The armor seemed to have defended against the bites to his chest, but did nothing for the arms. Better than nothing I grimly mused, as I pulled it over my jacket, strapping it into place.

Next was all the ammo he had left. I checked the pouches on his vest, and it seemed like he had at least 3 magazines left for his weapon, a total of 90 rounds if he loaded them fully. I paused for a second, looking at the face of the fallen warrior, and reached out, closing his eyes with my fingers. The sight alone was probably the most horrifying thing I have ever seen in my life, but I grimly assumed that it would only get worse. I walked back to the main gate to check the others for ammo I could used and managed to scavenge 4 more magazines, several grenades, and a small first aid kit.

I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Ann's number. I waited several heart wrenching moments as it rang and rang without answer. Finally on the last ring, she picked up. I could hear gunshots in the background and an explosion. I didn't hear a word she was saying over the screaming, but managed to shout back to her that I was here and I was looking for her.

I snapped the phone shut and dropped it back into my pocket. I started hearing faint gunshots in the distance, and started running in their direction. As I got closer I started coming up on more and more of the creatures. I tried to stay as quiet as I could and skirted the edge of the building as I ran past them towards the shots.

As I rounded the corner of one of the buildings, I was greeted with scene straight out of a war movie. The remaining soldiers had retreated back to one of the large hanger buildings and had set up a defensive wall behind many concrete barriers. I got as close as I could and started shouting at them, trying to get their attention. One of them noticed and immediately brought his weapon up to fire. I threw my hands in the air and shouted that I needed help. He signaled me to run over, and turned to give me covering fire.

I ran up and jumped behind the barriers, shouting at him where they were keeping the others. He shouted back that they were inside, in one of the large basement rooms. I thanked him and turned around, vaulted over the concrete and ran towards the hanger. Inside, there was pure darkness, and the constant din of automatic weapons and shouts from the soldiers. I fumbled for a minute before I turned on the light on my M4 and started walking towards the far wall, towards the only other door.

Update

2008-12-11T13:22:00.001-08:00

Alright hell week(s) are almost done. I should be able to get a chapter up this coming Wednesday

Thanks for your patience. After this there should be no more interruptions as far as I can see *knocks on wood*

E

excuses excuses.....

2008-12-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

These next few weeks are going to be bad for me. Multiple projects/papers due, as well as finals coming up. I definitely can't make the update tonight, but I'll do my best to get an update in sometime or other. My last final is on the 20th, so I'll see if I can get a mega update out if I can't before then

Until then, wish me luck

E

Chapter 6

2008-11-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the comments last week. Glad to get some feedback on what I'm doing. Alright so this week.... Chapter's kinda short, dunno why. I probably could flesh it out a bit more, maybe do some more with it, but I think its alright the way it is. Hope you enjoy and have a good turkey day!

Chapter 6

I hurried back downstairs and picked up the phone. My pulse was pounding in my ears as I held the phone and heard the screams and shouts in the background.

"Hello?"

"Derrick! They're taking us down to a military base, Walter Reed I think. They say that we'll be safe there and to stay until they figure this mess out. Are you still coming to get me?" Her voice had a surprise not of calmness to it. She must be going into shock of the whole situation. Like when you can't decide whether it's a dream or reality.

"Ok. Stay put, I'll be there as soon as possible. Whatever you do, do not go anywhere else. Stay put somewhere secure. I'll call you back when I get there. Do you understand?"

"Yeah sure. I'll uh.....stay right here. Be careful." She said right before the line went dead. I dropped the phone in my pocket and walked to the back door. I hastily undid the bolts and opened the door. Slamming it shut behind me, I ran to the small shed behind my house. My hands were shaking as I did the combination lock and wrenched the doors open.

The polished tail pipes glinted in the late afternoon sunlight as the doors creaked open. Sitting inside the shed was a midnight black Suzuki GSX, cleaned and polished like it was just off the dealer floor. Truth was it was several years old and had almost ten thousand miles on the odometer, but it still purred like a kitten. I pulled on my riding jacket, gloves, and helmet, and wheeled the bike out of the shed. I threw my leg over the saddle, simultaneously starting the bike and putting it into gear. The engine screamed as I opened the throttle and peeled out of the driveway onto the main road.

The road flew past, the wind slowly drowning out the whine of the engine as I picked up speed. My initial fears were correct; the main roads were packed with stranded cars, their owners long since having abandoned them. I had to slow down as I weaved in and out of the cars, narrowly missing the bumpers by inches as I tore through the town.

I tried to think what the fastest way of getting to the base was, but all my calculations were based on traffic patterns that I had known all my life. These were useless now, since everything was basically one giant parking lot. I decided to go to the interstate, as that would probably allow me to get there fastest.

Minutes later, I was flying down the road, heading south on I-270. Like back near my house, the roads were packed both ways with people trying to get out of dodge. I opened the throttle as wide as I dared, shooting down a razor thin strip of asphalt on the shoulder. Some spots it became too narrow, and I had to slow and ride in the grass for a moment before getting back on solid road. My gas gauge was hovering at 3/4 full, and my gauges were all clean and green. I prayed they would stay that way.

As I rode, I couldn't help but start thinking. Where is she holed up? How do I get to her? What if I run into an infected person? How do I get her out? What if she's infected? I shut that last thought out of my mind, forcing myself not to think of the horrible possibility. But it kept creeping back, like a ghost. One minute there, the next gone. What would I do then?

Enjoy your turkey! Sorry to leave you hanging, but its all part of the game ^^
New chapter next time!

Chapter 4 and 5

2008-11-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

no comments on chapter 3? Hopefully everyone liked it, but if not I have some good chapters coming up. Anyways, chapter 4 and 5 are just that. 4 was really short, so i just decided to combine it with chapter 5 in this post. It felt kinda forced at the beginning, but i think it worked out as i went. As always, comments, questions, concerns, all welcome.
-E

Chapter 4

I sat in stunned silence, all thought of food suddenly gone from my mind. Apparently the virus had been brought into the US by a group of illegal immigrants, oblivious to what was happening in their neighbor countries. The border patrol found them in the desert, and when they tried to take them into custody, one of the immigrants bit an officer. It was all downhill from there, quickly spreading to others in the area. The government had tried to quarentine everyone in the area, but it was ineffective. The virus continued to spread.

The broadcasters began again, repeating the information to anyone who was just tuning in, but by that time I had already shut it out. How could this have happened? We're supposed to be the strongest country in the world. We should be able to deal with this somehow. Everything felt like a dream as I sat there. It was too surreal to understand or even comprehend. It felt like it wasn't real, something out of a dream, even though deep down I knew it was.

From that time on, I knew it was only a matter of time before it spread to the DC area. I had to be ready. I gave myself 2 weeks max, before the virus finally made its way up here. It was going to be a long two weeks.

Chapter 5

I was wrong. I didn't have two weeks. I would soon find out I had less than one. The first few days, I worked almost nonstop, boarding up the windows, securing things outside, anything to make my house as secure and safe as possible. Sleep was minimal, only daring to pass out when I couldn't hold my eyes open anymore. In the middle of boarding up one of the large rear windows on Friday morning, my phone rang for the first time in days. It scared me a little, as it was so loud when I was used to it being relatively silent, except for the racket I was making. I picked up the phone, staring at it for a moment before putting it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Derrick! Oh my god, what's going on?" Came the harried voice of my girlfriend, Ann. The caller ID was coming from her cell, and I could hear shouts and panicked voices in the background.

"Ann, I'm fine. Everything's going to be alright. Where are you?"

"I'm outside Rockville. They're saying that the infection has spread to DC and everyone in the surrounding area has to evacuate! No one's giving me a straight answer as to what's going on, no one's saying what to do, everyone's just panicking! What do I do?" Her voice was high pitched and crackly, like she was almost at the point of crying. I could hear the pain and fear in her voice as the noises continued to get louder and louder

"Can you make it to my house? Do you have any kind of vehicle or anything that can get you here in a hurry?" My house was about 30 minutes away from Rockville, easily accessible during normal circumstances. However, I had no idea what the area was like now that everyone was in a panic. I could only imagine the horrible traffic made infinitely worse as people abandoned their cars and fled on foot.

"I've got nothing! No car, no money, nothing that I can take or use to get up that far! I'm so scared, I don't know what to do!" she replied, her voice taking on an almost hysterical nature as she fell into a deep panic.

"Alright, alright. Here's what I want you to do. Find out where you are going, where they are taking you, ok? When you find out, call me immediatly. I will come get you, i promise you that. Do you understand?" I asked.

"Yes I'll try" her voice cracked. She sounded like she had calmed down a bit, but not much.

"Everything will be alright, I'll get you out. I'll see you soon, don't worry."

"Ok, I'll call you soon."

My hands are shaking as I hang up the phone. What had once been a scared fortification of my house, prepared to weather this proverbial storm had turned into a preperation for a rescue mission. I finished boarding up the windows I had been working on, then turned my full attention to deciding what to bring with me when I left.

I only really had a few options. I could take my car as far as that would get me, but I could assume that the roads were all solid with abandoned cars, I would probably only get a few miles in my truck before i was blocked in. Hiking was out, as I was too far out. The only other option I had was load up my motorcycle and ride in.

I figured this was an in and out kind of thing, the lighter the better. As a result I would go with only what I could carry on my person. I walked down to the basement and started assembling my gear. First up were weapons and ammo. I opened my gun safe and pulled out the Glock, setting it carefully on the table. Next I grabbed a box of 9mm ammo and started thumbing rounds into a stack of magazines. Several minutes later, I had 5 magazines filled to capacity, a total of 75 rounds.

I loaded a magazine into the pistol and pulled the slide back, feeling a satisfying click as a round loaded into the chamber. I opened a cabinet and pulled out a holster, strapping it to my thigh. I also picked out several pouches to put the magazines into, and put them on my belt as well. I took one last look around and hoped this would be enough.

I walked back upstairs and waited for the phone call I hoped would come. I tried to take my mind off this thought by continuing to board up my house. The windows were done, the garage door was locked up, and all exterior doors were securely bolted shut. All that was left was to prepare a route to escape from. While thinking about where this would be, the phone rang again.

Chapter 3

2008-11-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

Alright I promise this is the end of the boring chapters. Next ones get into some action. Again, questions, comments, suggestions are all welcome, just let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.
-E

Chapter 3

Sleep comes in fits and starts. My mind can't seem to let what's happening down south go. Something just doesn't feel fight with what the news is saying. Something doesn't add up. When I finally do fall asleep, it's ful of disturbing dreams that never make sense and that I never remember. I wake up several times, sitting bolt upright, feeling the cold sweat drip down my face.

Around 8 AM I finally decide to get out of bed. I turn on the TV to see if anything's changed. Apparently the bug has spread over to Asia, and they aren't saying anything else about it. No one anywhere is saying anything about what's going on. Other than this recent spread, nothing else has changed. The media is in a frenzied state, all speculating about what this is, all making up different theories about what's going on. Each station has an "expert" on, and each one is saying something different.

The news faded into the background as I wandered downstairs. Maybe I'll work on the bookcase I've been drawing up. Every couple of months, I build a new piece of furniture to put in my house. Last month it was a kitchen table, the project before was a wooden bench to put on my front port, and the project before that was a king size bed frame. I smiled as I thought about it. The thing was a bitch to move, simply because it was too big to get out of the basement in one piece. I ended up having to cut it at the end by the headboard and then bolt it back together in my room.

I walked into my shop and flicked on the row of light switches by the door. As the florescent lights blinked and hummed on, I groaned. After my last project, I hadn't cleaned up my mess of a shop, leaving scraps of wood, hand tools, and sawdust all over the floor. Ah well, if I never clean it up, I'll never get to another project. I reached up to the big radio and flicked the dial over to a classic rock station in the area, and hummed along as the sounds of Creedance filled the air.

Slowly but surely, I began to recognize my shop again. I even realized the floor was actually cement, not sawdust. I stacked the scraps in the corner of the room, waiting to be split to use as kindling for the fireplace upstairs. The hand tools were all hung up on the wall, or organized on one of the shelving units I have on the far wall. The battery powered tools were on the shelves as well, next to the chargers working on the dead batteries I stuck in moments before. As I reached for the drawing I had tacked to the wall, I felt and heard my stomach growl loudly. I glanced at my watch, and noticed it was already one in the afternoon. I figured I'd get something to eat then come down and get started.

Halfway into making an egg omelet, I turned the volume up on the TV I had left on while working. The situation had gotten worse, much worse than it was this morning. The virus had been discovered in Europe. People were being warned to take appropriate measures, such as stock up on food and water, and to be prepared to evacuate if necessary. Fat chance on that one. After seeing their response to Katrina, I'll take my own chances, than you.

The newscaster went on to talk about the disease. Apparently once someone was infected, they died only a few hours later. Shortly thereafter, the recently deceased would come back to "life" and go after other people around it, apparently trying to bite its victims. This was how the virus was spread, they think, as after another was bitten, they would have the same fate as the attacker. The worst part was that there was no known cure for this sickness.

I changed the channel to CNBC to see that the rest of the country was in a state of chaos. Mob mentality had taken over the people. Stores were being stripped of everything, right down to the shelving units. The streets were in chaos, despite the fact that martial law had been declared by the president. Every channel was showing the same footage, and everyone was saying the same thing. I turned away from the TV, a sick feeling filling my gut. As I walked back to finish the omelet, determined to make myself eat, the news casters broke in with the worst. The virus had finally made it to the US.

Chapter 2

2008-11-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

So this is chapter two. It's a bit long, and again there's no action, but I think its a good setup for the story. Sometimes it feels a bit forced, almost in a weird way. I don't know but maybe I'll be able to fix it. Anyway, let me know what you think, comment on anything or everything (as long as its constructive). On a sidenote, I may update a bit earlier next time, as I really want to get down to the fun part of the story, but I'm unsure yet. Anyway, enjoy! --E

Chapter 2

Fuck bright lights. Number one is the sun. Too damn bright when you're hung over. After a night of unconsciousness, I woke up sometime around noon to find that it was bright and sunny outside. Apparently the storm blew over, and I had my power back. I flicked on the television and stumbled into the kitchen, catching the end of a broadcast about some kind of flu bug going around in South America. Sounded pretty bad, like everyone's getting it or something. Yawning, I popped a bagel into the toaster and stumbled back into my room, ready to change into some real clothes before I went out.

The talking head on the television was suddenly interrupted by something new. Apparently the border between the US and Mexico was officially closed to all traffic, and the government was calling on more people to help keep the border secure. There was also going to be a halt on all international flights until further notice. Weird, how they would do something like that for just a bad case of the flu. Just hope whatever it is doesn't come over here. Whatever. Time to go.

I snatched the bagel as it popped out of the toaster and picked upt he keys from the counter. Locking up behind me, I noticed that my yard was a wreck. Branches were down from the trees, the bushes all blown around, and the American flag was twisted around the pole. Ah well, I'll just get it when I get back. Off to Costco to stock up. It's cheaper to buy in bulk, and it never hurt anyone to have extra food on hand.

Ann, my on again off again girl friend I gues you could say, called me as I was driving down. She was actually intown for once, as her job in marketing took her all over the world at a moment's notice. We talked for a while, speculating on what the sickness was, exchanging rumors we had heard, and just catching up with one another. I asked if she wanted to come up to my place for dinner next Friday, and she agreed, on the condition that I make my "world famous" pizza. I laughed and said I would, then said goodbye as I pulled into the parking lot.

As expected on a Saturday afternoon, the place was mobbed. People in there getting whatever crap they need. I grabbed one of the massive shopping carts and started wheeling along the aisles, grabbing several cases of water and soda, some canned soup and vedgetables, as well as several steaks and a couple racks of ribs to throw in the freezer, and other basic food staples. I also got some batteries, light bulbs, and other things that I had been meaning to get for a while. Amazing how you can walk around the place and come out with more stuff than you planned on getting. When all was said and done, I had dropped $437.87 on all this stuff, including tax. But I'd have spent more if I'd gone anywhere else, so its all good.

I wheeled the cart back to the truck and started loading all my stuff into the bak. My mind wandered back to what the reporters were saying this morning. What could be so bad that the government would basically isolate the entire country from the rest of the world? Maybe the flu thing is just a cover for something worse. Maybe the country is finally clamping down on illegal immigration and this is the false premise they need to do so. Maybe the whole god damn world is coming to an end. Whatever the reason, it worries me a bit. I slam the tailgate of my truck closed and hop in, ready to get some more ammo.

Everytime I go shooting, I try to replace the spent ammo next time I go out. Most of the time I usually have anywhere from 1000 - 1500 rounds of ammo for my rifle, an AR-15. This past trip, I shot somewhere around 300 rounds from it, and almost 100 rounds of 9mm from my pistol. I pick up a couple boxes of each caliber, enough to replenish my stock. 30 minutes pass and I'm back at the house, unloading my purchases and putting them away.

In the basement I have a massive pantry, connected to my workshop. At best, I can hold several weeks worth of food and water. I top off what's already there, organizing everything so I can find it easily, and stack the water next to the door. I walk back to the truck and grab the remaining couple boxes with my ammo in it. On the other side of the stairs, away from the pantry, is my armory of sorts. I built it as soon as I moved in, with a solid core door, two deadbolts, and a reinforced frame. I unlock the door and step inside, propping the door open to let some fresh air in. The inside is sparse, with a small workbench, stool, and safe with my weaponry in. There's also a row of steel shelfs on the far side, holding my equipment I use when I go out.

I walk up to the safe and twiddle the dial a bit, putting in the combination, and pull open the door. Inside, my weapons stand at attention, like little soldiers, motionless in the dim light. There's the AR-15 I bought at a gunshow last year, a nice 12 gauge pump shotgun that had been given to me by my father many years ago, a Colt 1911 pistol that belonged to my grandfather, and a Glock 17 pistol. It's a fairly small collection, but its enough for me at the moment.

I reach in and pull the AR out, along with the cleaning kit I store on one of the shelves inside. I turn around and set the gun on the bench, reaching up to turn on the ancient radio that was on a shelf above my head. A hand me down from my grandfather, it was a massive thing, but it had a clearer sound than anything else I own. The talking heads were back on the air apparently, and nothing's gotten better since the last time they spewed the bad news. I sat down there for several hours, disassembling each weapon, cleaning it meticulously, and then reassembling it, ready to go for the next time I went shooting. Maybe I'll hit the range tomorrow, if the weather holds up.

Chapter 1

2008-10-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

ETA: The working title for my story is After the Storm. This is a relatively short chapter, as its just the intro to the story. Leave a comment for me, let me know what you think

The road was barely visible through the rain, the lines hidden beneath 2 inches of water already pooled on the surface. Damn I hate spring in Maryland. It’s always raining, but when it’s not, it’s cold as all hell. It’s like Mother Nature can’t figure out what she wants, so she throws everything at the ground. I shifted down a gear as I approached the next hill, the engine straining against gravity and a lack of traction as it fought its way up the hill. Once on top, I made a quick left into my driveway, dodging a truck barreling down the road in the opposite direction.

Any other time I would have been apprehensive to do this, but I was in such a rush to get home I didn’t think twice about it. I slid to a halt in the driveway of my house, yanking the emergency brake up and turning the ignition off. I opened truck door and climbed out, immediately landing in a puddle that had accumulated in a hole in my driveway. Cursing heavily, I jumped out of the pothole and stomped angrily up to the front door.

5 minutes later, I was kicked back in my recliner, a bottle of Jack Daniels on the table and a large glass full of the amber liquid. As I drank deeply, I flicked on the television, desperately looking for something to take my mind off the day. I changed the channel to some mindless comedy show, willing myself to laugh at least a little bit at their stupid jokes and idiotic characters. As the show switched over to commercials, there was a faint explosion outside, followed by complete darkness in the room. Freakin power, why did it have to go out tonight?! I thought angrily.

I sat up in the recliner and felt my way to the kitchen, tripping several times over various objects I had left strewn on the floor. I pulled open one of the cabinets and felt around for a flashlight. I flicked it on and walked back towards the front door. Cracking it open, I looked outside. Not a light was on in the entire neighborhood, not even a streetlight. No one close seemed to have power, and I could see faint beams of light as people looked around their houses. I closed the door and walked towards my room. With nothing else to do, I slammed the rest of my drink and flopped down on the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

So here goes nothing

2008-10-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

Alright so I finally got someplace to post up some stories I've been working on. I'm learning how blogs work as I go along, so please forgive any mistakes I make in this. Hope you all enjoy what I write, and any comment, constructive criticism, or help is always appreciated!

About what I write: I'm very much interested in Post Apocalyptic World (PAW) and survival/outdoors type stories, and have been for several years. It's fun to let my imagination run wild, and as there is no set "This has to happen this way" type thing. But if you think it should go another way, let me know and I'll see if I can work it in.

I'll go a chapter each post, and I'm hoping I can do a weekly post. Since today's Wednesday, that's the day I'll do updates. But as I'm a college student, school comes first for me, so if I miss an update, I'll get it up asap. Enjoy!

-E