Living in the land of the Dead
Chapter 1 (Escape)
Chris looked around as walked through the Wal-Mart. He had been working here for the last six years, and over that time he had worked up some paid leave, bought a couple of guns, got engaged, got married, and now was going to college. So why in the hell he let his assistant manager talk him into working over nights for six months he would never know. It really wasn't so bad. After they sorted through the impulse items and stocked the candy wall he was able to catch up on some of his homework at the register, well he could if his manager wasn't watching, but the last week had been different. Every night the place was packed. People was buying anything and everything they could. The news saying that some new virus was tearing through the country and heading toward Oklahoma didn't make things any easier.
"Jesus did ya' hear? Stoney's little 'un caught that stuff! They said he was stone cold dead, and then he turned around and bit his sister suzie. They admitted him to the hospital and that was about two days ago. It's gotten worse…. He's been bitting nurses, doctors… Someone said he even bit his own mama. Damn near tore her throat out." Someone said in his line as he checked them out.
A few minutes later he looked up as Angeline came over to where he was and offered to take over. Chris noticed the bandage on her hand as she tapped his shoulder.
"What happened Angie?" Chris asked as he looked at her.
"My fuckin' boyfriend… He went nuts outside of the apartment… He bit me this morning and I locked the door and called the cops. They had to wrestle him to the ground and I heard them say that he bit a couple of 'em." She replied.
"This shit is getting too damned weird. I think that I'm going tell Rog' that I'm taking leave. Shit I got about a month's worth saved up, and if this stuff is spreading I might be better off being at home with the family." He said as he stepped away from the register.
"I don't blame you at all." She said as she stepped up and began checking people out.
"Hey Chris, would you mind buying a bottle of water for me? I'm burning up here and I can't buy anything while I'm on register." She said.
"Sure." He said as he walked toward the sliding doors.
He walked up to the coke machine and slid two dollars in. After he pressed the Aquafina button he waited to hear it drop. The moment it did he turned around to see a woman stumble in holding a napkin to her neck.
"Call 911!" She shouted as she walked toward him.
"What happened?" he asked.
"My dad collapsed out there… Doc's been telling him that he needed to take it easy for the last few months. His heart isn't as good as it use to be, and he collapsed… I bent down to help him up and he's hurt… He bit me!" She shouted.
Chris ran back into the store and dialed 911 and waited for a few moments. At first nothing happened, but finally an operators voice came over the phone.
"911, What's your emergency?" The operator asked.
"We have someone bitten and someone else who has collapsed outside of the Tahlequah Wal-Mart. I'm heading to inform the manager right now, and you need to send an ambulance as soon as possible." Chris said to the operator.
"We'll have an ambulance there as soon as possible sir." The operator replied.
"They're sending someone. Come on back and take a seat." He said as he lead her toward a wooden bench.
"thanks…" The woman said as she sat down.
Chris ran into the back and found Rog' in the middle of getting a reason to promote Katlin the part time cashier who had been talking about moving up the corporate ladder for some time.
"Rog' there's an emergency out there, and ah… I'm taking leave after tonight. Write it in and pensile me out for the month." Chris said.
"You know that you have to give us three weeks notice." Rog' said as he stood up causing Katlin's mouth to come off his stiff member.
"You now that you aren't suppose to be screwing Employees, so fuck off." Chris said as he looked at Rog.
"Fuck… Fine, but we're gonna talk about this later." Rog said.
"No we aren't. I won't say a thing about her sucking you off, and you say that you misplaced my leave request somewhere. In fact you just sent me home since I looked sick." Chris said as he looked Rog in the face and walked out toward sporting goods.
"Chris buddy! Hey before you leave man I saved it back for you." Tony the night sporting goods department manager said as he walked Chris over to the counter.
"Saved back what Tony?" Chris asked.
"The double barrel. You said that you wanted to buy it right?" Tony asked.
"Shit… yeah I did…. Damn man I completely forgot about it. Do you got time to do it tonight?" Chris asked.
"I was hoping that you would ask since I already ran the info for you. It's ready to go." Tony said as he pulled the double barrel twelve gauge shotgun from the cabinet and handed it to him.
"So, six hundred and fifty right?" Chris asked.
"Actually man… Consider part of it a late birthday gift. Just need three hundred. I already put in the other part for you." Tony said.
"Fuck man thanks! Say give me about two boxes of double aught buck shot as well." Chris said as he paid for the gun and the ammo.
"Alright, I'll carry this out for you sir." Tony said as they walked outside.
"Dude, seriously have you heard about the shit going down?" Tony asked.
"Some seriously nasty sickness. I just took leave for the month. I'm thinking that I'm going to load up the travel trailer and head toward Green Leaf. Not a whole lot of folks go that way really, and it might end up being the safest place to be." Chris said.
"Damn… Say you mind if me and Criese come out there?" Tony asked.
"Naw don't mind at all, but be sure to bring some food. I've got a lot of canned crap that I'm packing, but it might be good to have some extra." Chris said as he walked out toward his old truck.
On the drive up the small mountain Chris thought about the crap going on and almost laughed as the thoughts of George A. Romero's Night of the Living dead came to his mind. He shrugged it off knowing that if anything even remotely like that was to happen the government would be all over it. He pulled into the drive way and saw his dad cleaning out his old RV.
"Dad, What's up?" Chris asked as he looked at the older man.
"Son… I was getting ready to call you. If you think that you can haul that trailer of yours I suggest you load it up right now and let's get the hell out of dodge. Stuff's gotten bad around here. The Lady that lives next door had to fight off her husband and damned be all if she didn't have to shoot him. The thing was he didn't fall until he took a shot to the head. I already talked to your wife and she agrees about leaving." The older man said.
"So do I. Alright I'm going to start packing food. Did you grab your gun?" Chris asked his dad.
"Yeah I loaded up the pistols and the shot gun. I left the twenty-two since it jams on every third shot." He said.
"Alright, I'll grab my 30-30 and the two boxes of shells I got for it. Let's hope that we don't have to use them." Chris said as he walked in to find his wife already filling paper sacks with groceries.
"Oh thank God! I was scared to death about you!" She said as she ran toward him and kissed him deeply.
"it's alright hun, I just told them at work that I'm taking a month's leave. Figured that would give the world some time to sort its crap out." I said with a smile.
"I don't know… And if it isn't then don't worry about going back. Sweetie carry those sacks out to the travel trailer and I'll call my mom." She started to say.
"Huh heading out there might not be the best idea." He said as he looked at her.
"Why not?" She asked.
"It's kind of crowded out there. I thought that we might head to Green leaf. It's a lot less crowded." He stated.
"Let me call her anyway and tell her where we're heading. I would rather for her to know in case they want to come and meet us." She said.
"Alright." He said as he began walking the bags out to the trailer and looked out to see a few people walking toward the house.
"Dad… Get into your RV and get it started… I'm going to hook up the Travel Trailer real quick." Chris said as he started the truck and backed it to the travel Trailer and pulled out the trailer lights.
The sounds of moans began to fill the air as the people they saw down the road began walking toward them.
"What the hell?" The older man said.
"We need to leave… I got a bad feeling… I got a real bad feeling." Chris said as he hurried into the house to get his wife.