Zombieteeth
As Michael walked into the broken building, memories flooded his mind and waves crashed in his head. He passed a bloodstained floor, smearing the brownish fluid and making a trail leading up to the achievement hunter office. He sat down at his computer. It had been months, YEARS since anyone had been near one, let alone one that worked. If Michael closed his eyes, he could still imagine turning on some stupid game like Shark Attack and playing until he died, which wasn't too long. He could even see himself editing the audio, clicking every button on his pc. But…If only he had ignored the computer, not plugged in those earbuds, then maybe
Just maybe
He wouldn't be staring at the one he loved the most.
TWO YEARS AGO
"oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! Gavin wins VS!" Geoff screams into the microphone, holding up Gavin's arm. The brit smiles, taking the belt from Ryan. It was not a surprising victory, but Michael still couldn't bring himself to smile or put his freckled face in front of the camera.
The whole day has seemed like a raincloud hung over his head, every once in a while letting out a bit of ice cold rain. No one noticed. Oh, it's just good ol' Michael, they'd think. Probably just upset about a rage quit. They weren't lying, the impossible game kicked his ass quite nicely, but that wasn't quite it. Something was off. Like an I-smelled-mold-coming-from-the-bakery-kitchen-but-i-still-ate-the-bread-and-now-I'm-queasy kind of off.
He guessed that maybe Joe the Cat pissed on the floor, because the smell of the room wasn't right either. It was musty in the middle of summer and even Burnie walked with shoulders slouched.
But Michael decided to ignore it, and adjusted his microphone. There was a new Minecraft Let's Play to be filmed and he needed to shake off whatever was creeping him out and get back to work.
"So Michael, did you upload that rage quit yet? I'm sure the fans are DYING to watch it." Burnie laughed uneasily, elbowing the Ginger.
"Yea, it's uploading now. When do you want me to start editing King Gavin?"
"After Lunch would be great. One more thing, Jack's out sick today, so do you want to be in the podcast?"
"With my boi? Of course!" Michael grabbed his lunch bag and gave Burnie a quick fist-bump before heading off to the kitchen. Sitting at the counter was Gavin, Ray and Matt. The girls were huddled around Barbara's iphone in the corner.
"Micoo, I saved you a seat!" Gavin patted the stool next to him, pushing Matt's bright blue lunch box onto the floor.
"Aw man, thanks Gavin." The two buddies quickly exchanged snacks, as they had been doing for years, and started to talk about some weird shit that was on the news. Apparently another 'mystery virus' had struck Los Angeles and was making its way to the Midwest. Matt was confident it was just another outbreak of measles.
"Really, cause I don't remember biting people when I had the measles. Well, I do, but that girl scout wanted me dead and I know it." Ray leaned back. His phone was on the table, a news site on screen. 15 YEAR OLD TEENAGER JUST ONE MORE VICTIM OF THIS FAST-SPREADING DISEASE. 13 CONFIRMED DEAD AND 37 IN INTENSIVE CARE, The article read, SYMPTOMS OF THIS DISEASE INCLUDE VIOLENT TENDANCIES, THE URGE TO BITE AND SLOWED REACTION TIME. IF YOU ARE EXPIERING ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS, DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM FAMILY AND GET TO YOU'RE LOCAL HOSPITAL.
"Damn." Gavin whispered, "Its like it came straight out of a zombie film."
"don't be dumb Gavin! Zombies are fake and if anything the News is just trying to scare us." Michael shoved Gavin playfully.
"I'm not so sure Micoo. What if it is real?" Michael ignored the brit, leaving his seat to go talk to his wife.
"Michael, look at this. Pease tell me this is from some kind of new zombie game." Lindsay held up Barbara's phone. On it was a video of a town in pieces. People were screaming as they ran off camera, shopping bags dropping food. As the camera went back and forth, trying to show the street, something caught the video-tapers eye. Zooming in, there was some kind of…bloody decomposing thing ripping into the tender flesh of an elderly man. That's when the video ended, and Lindsay gave the phone back to Barb.
"uh…" Michael stuttered. He didn't want Lindsay to freak out….but he didn't want to put her in danger by keeping her clueless either.
"Hey, isn't that the trailer for that new zombie game?" Gavin snatched the phone from Barbara and replayed the video. Matt and Ray stood up behind him. In a matter of seconds they were inches away from each other's faces, hoping that what they were watching was just an advertisement.
The news blared in one of the offices.
"This just in, the city of Las Vegas is now in under quarantine. If you are on your way to Las Vegas or have plans to visit, city officials strongly advise you to stay away from the city and get inside. Whatever is causing this illness is spreading to neighboring towns faster than we can report. Oh, hold on, I've just been told to tell you that if you live in the Midwest or East you should start gathering supplies now. This plague is not going to go away anytime soon and grocery stores will be out of stock before the week is over. Government agencies also advise you to start boarding up windows and creating a safe place to live in." The newswoman continued, drawing employees to the tv like flies. As Gavin and Michael left the kitchen, they nodded and gave each other a smile of reassurance. As long as no one was worried, this whole disaster would blow over before Gavin could tell Lindsay the truth.
"If you live on the western coast or any other areas with infected, please continue listening. The only way to protect yourself is to shoot all attackers in the head. It's also a good idea to cut long hair short and learn how to use a gun, fast. The best way to keep you and your loved ones safe is to stay within designated areas and live peacefully in the soon-to-be-constructed safetowns. If you've ever watched a zombie movie, you should be aware of the fact that a bite means infection. This is the same case. People who have died but have not yet decomposed are also a hazard. More details to follow."
Silence. No one dared scream or even show a sign of paranoia. Lindsay looked at Michael and Gavin, eyes wide. With a sigh, Burnie was the first to speak.
"Okay, so I know this looks bad, but Austin is a safe town and, if this is anything like the Last of Us, there will be military protecting us. Now, if everyone can stay calm, you can all go and pick up your families. P—"Burnie was interrupted as his co-workers screamed, running back and forth. A majority of them ran out of the building, trying to get their siblings and spouses to the building as fast as they could.
"Michael and Gavin, can I trust you guys to look after the place while I pick up my kids?"
"Of course!" Gavin jumped up, putting his arm around Michael. "We'll keep you updated if any more towns are infected and keep a count of the food supply."
"Great. If I can catch them, I'll get Matt, Kdin and Lindsay to pick up some food. I trust you guys to not get killed." Burnie pulled his keys out of his pocket and left. Gavin turned to his boi.
"Isn't this exciting? It's a real-life zombie apocalypse!"
"Wow, I'm practically shaking with delight." Michael deadpanned. "Let's start by gathering up the remaining staff and counting the food."
"I call watching the news!" Gavin turned up the volume on the tv, planting himself on Gus's chair.
"I guess I'll rally everyone up then." Michael turned and left Gavin to himself. With nothing else to do (the news were boring anyway) Gav fell asleep.
"Gavin? Gavin! Wake up!" Micheal shook his best friend awake. The power had gone out and half of the company still hadn't returned.
"Where are the others?" Gavin held his head in his palm. He wasn't hurt, just groggy.
"They went home to their families. It's Just you, me, Lindsay, Barb, Burnie, Gus, Ryan, Ray, Geoff and Matt." Michael handed Gavin his phone, the only cell phone in the building which still had battery. Gavin must have been asleep for hours.
The time was 1:35 when the team (they had deemed themselves team survivors) found out the devastating news. The zombie ("infected" as Gus called them) apocalypse was closer than they thought, only a few states away. Each city was taken over faster than the last. It would be a miracle if the military got half of Austin protected, let alone the whole city. Below the several articles on the topic were the same comments. "help me I'm hiding in my house and I can see walkers what do I do" "How long till they reach fill-in-city-name-here" "I'm so scared :("
Nothing was helping. There was just too little information and news broadcasters, the only form of news that could help them at this point, were probably being eaten that very minute. It took until Gavin had 10% battery before an article for Texans popped up.
"If you live in the Austin area, your prayers have been answered. The walls will be fully secured in only a few hours and police are stationed on every block to protect you. Guns and food will be provided at local stations and a hospital is always nearby for the bitten. Zombies have gotten to Oklahoma so move eastern to survive. The North and south are dangerous as well. Whatever you do, Don't—"Gavin's phone clicked off. Michael threw down his hat.
"Damn it! Does anyone have any internet?"
"No. We checked every laptop and there's no wifi." Gus picked up his laptop for proof.
"Hey, Gavin, did you see the walls yet? There's one right down the block and it's huge!" Lindsay pointed to a space between the boarded up windows. It was almost as if it was taken right out of attack on titan, except instead of brick walls, there were gates and barbed fences.
"I can't believe they had this at the ready." Burnie murmured. "It's almost as if they had been planning this for weeks." He pressed his nose against the wood to get a better look. An ambulance siren blared in the distance.
"Where's everyone else? What about your kids Burnie? Geoff, where's your daughter?" Gavin asked.
"They are all safe upstairs. We had a few emergency blankets to give them." Geoff replied.
"And Meg?" Gavin looked around that the coworkers surrounding him. Meg was nowhere in sight.
"She went home Gavin. She wanted to stay with her family." Lindsay left the window to sit on the couch. "We can't guarantee her safety."
"What does that mean? Can't you call her?"
"Our phones are dead and the landlines have been shut off." Matt emerged from the shadows, a bowl of chips in his hands. "You guys should eat these. They're gonna start rationing food tomorrow and this was the last bag in the aisle." The group silently thanked Matt, digging their hands in the bowl and taking small bites. It was hard not to sound obnoxiously loud in a room filled with silence.
More car lights passed through the windows.
As each ambulance, car, and motorcycle sped by, their lights would flash across the room for a small second, illuminating the men and women. Each person had a different expression, most centered around pure shock. It was only yesterday morning that they had been tending to their gardens, waving to the mailmen, turning the keys to start the car. Less than 24 hours since they entered the building with a smile on their face, with only a slight feeling that could be described as anxiousness. The remaining adults were stricken with grief.
It didn't make any sense. Why would they feel upset? To their knowledge, no one had died. Meg was off with her parents, Jeremy had left to get supplies upstate and Jack and Caiti left town altogether. No one was in immediate danger.
Except for Michael and Gavin's family. Both guys had family far away, closer to major outbreak points. New Jersey was the most densely populated state in the country and Michael couldn't remember the last time his parents owned a gun. Britain was in no better shape, an island with no way to get out of other then a boat or plane.
Frowns stained their faces.
"Did anyone think to grab a gun?" Burnie whispered.
"I'm sure we won't need one. These walls will hold us for a while." Lindsay's voice got slower and thicker as she leaned back against the wall, arms wrapped around her legs and neck hanging down.
With no energy for speech, Gavin shook his head, curling himself into a ball. In moments the group was asleep.