A/N: Hey guys! I joined forces with kornerbrandon and together we bring you this story! He's a cool dude and y'all should definitely check out his other fanfics. I'm really excited to finally put out this story, I hope y'all enjoy it.
Reruns of the 90's show Friends played in the background as Riley lamented to me the sorrows of her chemistry class.
"I'm telling you Ellie, Mrs. Hammond has it out for my head," she waved her hands emphatically, "I actually studied for the test this time. And she still flunked me! It's like she doesn't want me to go to the district track meet!" Riley flopped further into the couch dramatically. My best friend had a tendency to be the slightest bit overdramatic at times.
I look past the couch into the kitchen and I see Marlene packing cans of corn and peas into one of the backpacks I used for school a couple years ago. The expression she wears is sour with worry. The tense movements of her body are a bad sign that I've learned over the years. My mom and Marlene had been friends since they were in high school. Marlene became my legal guardian on my 7th birthday after what I call "The Series of Unfortunate Events", which makes it a lot easier to talk about than the alternative.
I notice Marlene's got a radio on the counter, every now and then her head cocks as if to hear the radio better. Just then the TV cuts from Chandler and Joey arguing to a black screen on filled by these white words:
"The following message is transmitted at the request of the United States Government and Center for Disease Control:
An unknown virus has been released within the continental United States. Those infected with the unknown virus have exhibited the following symptoms: Loss of coordination, extreme aggression, and pale skin. All residents are encouraged to remain in their homes until further notice"
My stomach drops like a rock, "Marlene?!" I call over the deafening siren like blare from the TV. Riley looks at me, eyes scared and wide. Her chemistry grade is now forgotten. We both stand up and turn to Marlene for what to do.
"Girls, grab only what you need, we're leaving in two minutes." Marlene slings the backpack over her shoulders.
Riley looks at Marlene in disbelief, she points at the TV screen that's still screaming the warning tone, "They just said to stay in our homes."
Marlene shakes her head, "We're leaving come on. We don't have the time for this."
I don't argue with her, I grab Riley by the wrist and tug her toward my room. We wear about the same size clothes, it'll have to do.
"What about my parents?" Riley asks as I pull her down the hallway.
I bite my lip, not sure what to make of the whole situation. I just know one thing. If Marlene says we need to go, then we need to go. I unzip my backpack and turn it over. Pencils, pens, textbooks, and old assignments clatter noisily to the floor. I grab a duffel bag from the bottom of the closet and toss it to Riley.
"Grab some clothes and pack 'em." the thought crosses my mind long enough for me to say something, "Go in my bathroom, grab my toothbrush and the one you use. Toothpaste too. Oh, and grab the tampons. From the sound of it, we're gonna be gone for a while."
My heart thumps hard against my chest as I scan my room. What can't I part with? The stack of comic books on my nightstand catches my eye. I push them into my backpack and pack a diverse array for clothes. I don't know where we're going or how long we'll be gone. So I throw my jacket in there along with some jeans, shorts, long sleeve shirt, and a tank top. I throw in some underwear and socks for good measure. Riley runs back into the room and I start digging out clothes for her too. I scan the room I've called my own for the past 6 years. I turn to leave when the thought hits me, I run to my desk and yank open the left top drawer. I pull out an envelope and stuff it in my backpack. There that's everything. Other than that, there's really nothing I'm overly attached to. That makes me a little sad, but there's no time to feel sorry for myself.
I choke past the weight on my chest and grab Riley's hand, "Come on, let's go."
Marlene is standing at the door to the apartment, looking impatient, "Come on girls, we can't waste time." She opens the door and waves us out. I pull Riley out the door. Marlene follows behind us, "Get to the car, we've got to get out of the city."
3 flights of stairs later, Marlene is hitting unlock on her Honda Civic. I shove Riley in the back with me and we're moving about half a second after I slam the door shut. I hardly have time throw on my seatbelt before we slam to a stop. Traffic. Apparently we weren't the only ones with the bright idea to get the hell out of dodge. Sirens whine and blare in the distance. The sun's going down in south Boston. I stare out my window as people are running down the street. I'm not sure if they're running to something or running from something. The unsureness of it all makes my stomach uneasy.
I've never seen Riley look as frightened as she does now. Her dark skin is pale by its normal comparison. Her eyes are almost glassy and she sits perfectly still as Marlene tries to navigate her way through traffic. Riley never sits still.
"Are you doing ok, Ri?" I look over at Riley, my hand rests on top of hers, trying to comfort her.
She grabs my hand and interlaces our fingers, squeezing hard, "What about my parents?"
Marlene looks in the rearview mirror at Riley, "We'll meet up with them if we can. But right now, I'm not letting you out of my sight."
We turn the corner, and there's a building on fire and people running, trying to get past the cars. Emerging from the fire are people who shuffle as they walk. Staggering towards the running masses. Their posture is limp and the way they thrash their bodies forward to propel their movement is unsettling.
"Marlene… what's wrong with those people? Are they sick?" I ask quietly, nervous to know the truth, already suspecting the worst.
Marlene searches for the right words for a minute, "To be honest with you Elle, I'm really not sure. But that is what they were warning us about on the TV. Girls, you better scoot away from the windows, I'm not sure what these things can do."
Things. I frown. Not people, things.
One gets closer and the light of the fire reflects from their- its disfigured, gray face. Riley squeezes my hand tighter.
"What the hell is that?" She hisses into my ear. I shake my head. The person- thing bares its teeth and I'm revolted to realize the red that stains their- its maw is blood. I realize that the thing continues to stumble forward despite the gaping pit that should be the person's abdomen. Intestines leak and hang down from the hole. I clench my teeth together to fight off vomit.
I hear gunfire ahead of us, there's a line of policemen in riot gear, firing at anything that moves. Guts hanging out or not. Riley releases my hand and leans forward over the center console. She squints hard, trying to focus on something past the windshield.
"Is that-" she cuts off suddenly, "It can't be." We inch closer in the standstill traffic. I try to peek at what Riley is looking at between Marlene and Riley's shoulders. I see it, them to be more accurate. Riley's parents. Riley tumbles forward into the front passenger seat. She starts to roll the window down, but Marlene grabs her other arm and stops her.
"Don't you dare unroll that window. Do you want to invite those things in here?" Marlene warns. For good measure, I hear the click of child lock.
"Those are my parents!" Riley practically yells. Fear and anger mix in her voice in a gut-wrenching cocktail.
The gunfire continues, the police trying to mow down the threat. It's all too predictable. The bullets hit Riley's parents' bodies and the sound of Riley's screams fill the car. I watch as their bodies seem to dance as each bullet hits a different part of their bodies, sending a jolt of energy in each spot. The few seconds it takes for their bodies to hit the ground lasts an eternity. Riley continues to yell and her screams become muddy with tears as they turn to sobs. Marlene tries to comfort her but soon becomes distracted by the traffic situation.
We turn right and pass her parents' bodies, I hear the click of the lock as Riley starts to grapple the door handle.
"They're gone Riley," Marlene reminds her. Her tone is sharp, but only because of the direness of the situation.
"My parents," She mumbles through sobs, "my parents."
We get out of town and head south. Marlene tells Riley to get in the back seat after a while. It's easier to try and comfort her from back here. Riley rests her head on my shoulder and I rub my hand against her back in a comforting rhythm. Her shuddering breaths subside after a while and she falls asleep.
"Where are we going?" I can't help but ask Marlene. It's pitch black out now.
"Atlanta. I have an old friend who works for the military there. The army has set up a safe zone for civilians like us."
I've never been to Georgia before. I just have to think of it like an adventure, that's all.
"It's gonna be a long drive, you might as well get some sleep while you can. I'll wake you up if things get too exciting out there." Marlene tells me. But the truth is, I don't think I can sleep. The image of that thing walking around with its guts hanging out and blood dripping from its jaw is burned into my mind. Every time I close my eyes I see Riley's parents collapsing to the ground, their bodies spattered with bullets. Their lives were senseless casualties trying to bring down those things.
I stare out the window, not really looking at anything in particular. Honestly I'm trying to understand the weight of it all.
"Marlene, what's happening? Like the alert, and the cops, and… and those things? Why are we going to a safe zone?" I ask finally.
Marlene is quiet for so long I begin to wonder if she heard me, "For about a week now, there have been cases popping up all over the United States of a dangerous virus. The CDC has been trying to find a cure for it while the cases were still anomalies. One person in one state, a couple in another, that kind of thing. It's got all kinds of government officials baffled. They just keep growing in numbers. Boston was one of the first cities to become infected. That's why I couldn't let us stay there. Before the alert went out, I was planning to sneak us out of the city by night. I was hoping to get to Atlanta before things really blew up and we could just ride it out with Ethan. Clearly, plans have changed. When he, Ethan, first told me about it he said it wouldn't last more than a few weeks. He said the CDC would figure out a cure really quick. For some reason it feels like it won't be that short-lived…" she trails off.
I bite my tongue. Marlene normally has a good intuition, one that I trust, "Are we ever going home?"
"No. I don't think we can." Marlene says quietly.
I grit my teeth, I figured as much, "I hated the weather in Boston anyway." I joke. Marlene exhales sharply in a silent laugh, but doesn't say anything. I go back to staring out the window. There are some cars on this road, but not enough to cause traffic and we move quickly. I don't know how long Marlene can or will drive, but she doesn't seem like she'll be stopping anytime soon.
The clock on the dash reads 2:17 am when Marlene pulls into a gas station.
"Wake up Riley, I want you two to run in and do some shopping while I fill up." Marlene instructs me. I shake Riley by the shoulder and tell her that we have to get out. Marlene pulls up next to a gas pump and then digs around in her purse and retrieves her wallet. She hands me her credit card.
My eyes widen at the piece of plastic, "What do you want us to do? Buy out the place?"
"Get as many water bottles as they have, and any kind of food with a lot of preservatives. Beef jerky especially. And if you see anything that looks like we'll need it, buy it." Marlene ignores my snarky humor, then she digs through her bag some more, "You should take this. Keep it on you, you'll never know when it'll come in handy. It was your father's." Marlene hands me a switchblade. I take it from her and push it into the back pocket of my jeans. I open the car door and Riley scoots out after me.
She's quiet and withdrawn, two things I've never known Riley to be. I nudge her with my elbow, "Come on, we're about to make this guy's graveyard shift a lot more interesting."
We pull open the door to the gas station and a bell rings. A guy leans against his register, looking at his phone. His eyes dart up when we walk in and his arm disappears under the register. I gulp, and my hand goes to my back pocket. Ok, maybe he's already had some excitement tonight.
"We're just here to buy water and stuff man," I tell him, lifting my other hand up innocently. The cashier eyes us suspiciously, but slowly raises his arm back to counter level.
"Water's on the back wall. Some guys earlier made a pretty thorough run through, not sure how much is left." he says indifferently. We walk through the aisles to the back wall. The cashier was right, most of the energy drinks and sodas are gone, as are a chunk of the water bottles. Luckily there are several big ones, along with a lot of medium sized and small ones. Riley and I grab as many as we can carry and then we bring them up to the register. I slap down the credit card, "Start us a tab." We empty our arms and go back to the fridges and grab more water. We literally buy the guy out of water bottles and then Riley and go through and grab all of the beef jerky. I also see a couple first aid kits, a box of matches, a couple flashlights and add those to our stack of groceries. I grab a pack of Oreos because fuck it, why not?
We check out and lug the several bags of groceries back to Marlene's car. She's already gassed up and in the car ready to go.
Marlene puts the car into drive, "Good job girls, ration everything into each of our bags. We need to be ready to run at a moment's notice."
We turn on the light in the car and we sort through the supplies. Soon our bags are loaded with enough supplies to keep us going for a while. Riley hasn't said a word this whole time. Her movements are stiff and reluctant, like she's having to force herself to move.
Once we're done and the light's back off, Riley settles against me once more for another nap. This time though, my body feels compelled to sleep. I lean against my window and close my eyes, pushing the horrifying images from my mind. I finally fall into an uneasy sleep.
When I wake up it's broad daylight. I catch a glimpse of Marlene in her rearview mirror and she looks exhausted as her eyes stare blankly ahead at the road.
I sit up and find Riley still crashed against me, "Where are we?" I rub my eyes and then pop my neck.
"About an hour north of Atlanta," Marlene informs me.
"Has she been asleep this whole time?" I nod towards Riley.
Marlene shakes her head, "She woke up a couple hours ago, realized we were in the car, and that this wasn't a dream. She asked me if her parents were dead, poor kid. I guess it's easier to sleep through the grief. If I'm being honest, I'm convinced that she thinks if she goes to sleep enough, one of these times when she wakes up this will all have been some twisted nightmare."
I look over at my best friend, this whole thing has screwed her up bad. I'm really not sure why I'm handling this whole mess better than her, maybe it's because my parents are already dead.
The last hour to Atlanta drags. I end up digging out one of my Savage Starlight comic books out and read it to distract myself. Finally I look up and we're surrounded by skyscrapers and what do you know we're stuck in traffic again. I hold back an annoyed sigh, and limit myself to an exaggerated eye roll. Finally I see what looks like a fence with barbed wire lining the top ahead of me. The stop and go motion of what must be a checkpoint is beginning to make me slightly nauseated.
Finally it's our turn. I shake Riley awake, she wakes with a start, but doesn't say anything. Marlene unrolls her window, "Are you transporting any infected?" the guard asks
Marlene shakes her head, "No. I'm with Ethan."
The guard squints, "Can I see some ID please?"
Marlene digs through her bag until she pulls out a loose identification card. Something in my gut twists. Marlene always keeps her driver's license in her wallet.
"You're a resident of the state of Georgia, Mrs. …Arnold?" the guard glances back at me and Riley, "Are those yours and Lt. Arnold's children?"
"Yes we are. One of them is my adoptive daughter and the other is her friend." Marlene explains.
The guard doesn't seem convinced, "Do you have papers for them as well?"
"We left our home in a rush I'm afraid." Marlene shakes her head.
The guard studies Marlene, his eyes occasionally flicking over to Riley and I. He eventually grabs his walkie talkie, "Lt. Arnold, this is Sgt. McKinley. Your wife and family are at the gate." The response is muffled, but the guard seems to get the gist of it, "Roger that. Sorry to bother you, sir." He snaps the walkie back onto his belt, "My apologies Mrs. Arnold, you and your family stay safe now. Welcome to the safe zone."
And just like that, we're in. Marlene rolls up her window and we drive past the fences.
"Is there something you forgot to tell me?" I'm very confused. Marlene isn't married. She can't be. I would have known about this.
"It was the easiest way to get in." Marlene replies passively, like she didn't just lie to the military. Another officer is pointing for us to park in an indicated area. We do as he instructs and we get our bags from the car. Marlene follows the officer and we follow Marlene. He leads us to a row of tents, from one of which, another officer walks from.
"Ethan!" Marlene smiles and the officer, Ethan, hugs Marlene and kisses her cheek.
"I'm glad you made the drive down safely," Ethan then looks over at the younger officer, "Private, you're dismissed. Carry on with your duties. I'll take it from here."
The man, hardly one at that, nods. He looks like he just recently got out of high school. He walks off. And Ethan releases Marlene.
Ethan hitches his thumb over his shoulder, "If y'all want to put your bags in the tent, that's where y'all will be staying and then you're free to walk around the housing area. All the other officer's families are in this area," His tone indicates that we're to maintain the idea that we're his family. I look at Marlene and she gives me a stern look, like this isn't the time to smart off to him. Riley and I nod compliantly. For whatever reason, I decide to keep my backpack on. I feel safer knowing that most of my Savage Starlight collection is with me.
As it turns out, that was the best choice I made all day.
I was standing beside Marlene who was talking to some officer's wife when I heard screams further down the street of the housing area.
"The perimeter's been breached!" shouts one of the officers who sprints from his tent. People are running now. They're running from the direction the screams came from. They're running to find their family members. It's like watching chickens with their heads cut off. The woman who Marlene was formerly talking to runs off. Her parting words are "My son!"
Marlene turns to me, "Go find Riley."
My heart slams against my chest, "What about you?"
"I'll find you. I promise, but I've got to find Ethan. He's our best shot anywhere. I can't lose him."
I nod quickly and I join the running masses. I make my way back to our tent. Several people smack into me, tossing me back and forth like a pinball.
I hear more screams, but the bustle of all the action makes it impossible to tell where the screaming came from. People are shouting names, calling for their loved ones. I don't even bother, Riley will never hear me above the roar of the crowd, and I wouldn't be able to hear her either. I use my smaller size to my advantage, wiggling in spaces between two bodies that most couldn't fit through. A foot kicks my ankle and I trip, my palms scrape against the concrete. I force myself to get up quickly, out of fear of being trampled.
I get back to my feet and I hear gunshots. Though I can't see, I know that my life just got in a lot more danger. Thoughts of Boston come to mind. I have to find Riley. I get back to our tent and Riley is clutching her backpack sitting in the back corner. I grab her hand and pull her up.
"Ellie you came back!" she drops the bag and envelopes me in a hug.
"Riley, we've got to go. Like now." I grab her bag and practically shove it back into her arms. I grab her by the wrist, "Now we've got to find Marlene. Come on!"
We run from the tent and I have no idea where to go. I run back towards where I came from, scanning faces as they pass.
"Marlene!" Riley shouts
"Marlene!" I join her because two voices are louder than one. We yell until our voices get hoarse. We make it back to where I saw Marlene last and there isn't a sign of her anywhere. Not that I expected this much. I knew she was looking for Ethan. The gunshots, which have been on and off are getting closer. I look behind me, and I see them. A lot of them to be exact. Those things. I can tell by the way they stumble about and the dead look in their eyes. They're headed towards us. I start running in the opposite direction, pulling Riley with me.
Ahead of us I see the figures of officers.
"Help!" I scream, praying they can hear me.
It takes a moment for the pieces to connect. I hear the crack of the bullet. I feel the weight tugging in my hand. But it doesn't occur to me until I turn and see a hole between Riley's eyes. Her body hits the ground and I release her. Fight or flight is kicking in and I don't stand a chance between the undead and bullets. I run from the guns and I run from those things. I run down the nearest alley. I run smack into two guys with guns of their own. One is probably in his mid-forties, with salt and pepper hair, a pistol, and a scowl. The other guy is a little shorter with curly brown hair, a shotgun, and he wears a t-shirt that says "King County Sheriff Department". I'm sure that I've managed to run in the wrong direction.
I back up and pull the switchblade from my back pocket, "Don't shoot. Please. I need to find my… mom." Not exactly the truth, but close enough for strangers.
The taller guy speaks, "It's ok, kid. We're not gonna shoot you. But we can't stay here. It's not safe."
He puts his arm around my shoulder to shield me and the guy with the curly hair leads the way.
We get far enough away that the gunshots are a little more than echoes in the distance and we slow to somewhere between a jog and a fast walk. "Name's Joel by the way." He nods towards Curly, "That's Shane. We've got a bigger group, even have a couple kids your age, you'll be safe with us."
Every time I think past putting one foot in front of another my head starts spinning. It all happened so fast. I can't think straight. One question pounds repeatedly in my head, "Where's Marlene?" Is she alive? Part of me says she has to be. She has to take care of me. That's what she signed the guardianship papers to do. She can't die too. She just can't. But the part of me that keeps seeing a constant repeat of Riley's body hitting the ground tells me Marlene is dead. Everyone I've ever known or loved is dead. And now I'm stuck with these strangers who I'm not sure if I can trust. The military said they would keep us safe. The goddamn military. And if they can't keep us safe, then who can? Certainly not a couple yahoos I met in an alley, right? We turn down another street and I see several cars, including an ancient RV. There are several people, all looking at us. I look back, but all I see are dead bodies in the making. I tell myself it's a good idea not to get attached now. If the current pattern continues, we'll all be dead in a week tops.
"Hey! We're back!" shouts Shane. Shane points me in the direction of two kids sitting beside the road. A girl and a boy. The girl clutches a doll and the boy is studying me. I avoid eye contact with both of them. I sit down a couple feet away and find myself staring blankly at my sneakers.
The girl pipes up and introduces herself. Her name's Sophia, she seems like a nice girl. She tells me the boy's name is Carl.
She asks for my name.
"Ellie." I tell her, not looking up from my shoes.
They leave me alone after that.
Good. It's better that way.
They just don't know it yet.