Chapter 1
What's the news?
A camera panned across a scene of destruction, gore, and smoke. Bodies were strewn about on the ground, ripped apart and half-eaten. People were running around screaming as deranged men, woman, and children chased them about the streets. Eventually the camera reached a lone woman standing with a Microphone in her hand; her hair frazzled and eyes baggy. She was looking very unprofessional and tired, and spoke in a frantic matter.
"We're broadcasting live at the scene of the recent downtown race riots where violence is reigning supreme. Over the past four days, cannibalistic attacks on humans have increased ten-fold, as more and more people fall victim to this, this…I'm not even entirely sure what 'it' is, but it has caused people to go absolutely crazy. We now bring a list of Emergency shelters, so that you may find a safe haven from the attackers." The reporter gave a long list of Municipal buildings, including Schools and Post Offices. In conjunction with her speaking, the names also rolled along the bottom of the screen, as to aid people in finding a location close to them. Lord knew if they would help in the slightest, and even the civilians knew they might only extend their lives a few hours.
"An expert on the Human psyche is here with us, to attempt to explain the recent events plaguing our city." The cameraman panned the camera once more, now showing both the reporter and the expert. He suddenly had a sort of perplexed face, looking into the distance with terror.
"What is wrong with you?" The reporter asked, ignoring her current duty.
"RUN!" The camera man screamed, dropping his equipment. The screen cracked, and the sound cut out. The camera lay on the ground, still transmitting footage, showing feet running along the ground in the same direction as the cameraman and reporter. Screams and growls followed…
…The next day…
The reporter stared out the window; a cigarette in her fingers. The aroma of tobacco drifted calmly through the air, relaxing her. Bodies were strewn about the steps leading into the building, battered and mutilated. They were the unlucky souls who couldn't get into the TV station. They hadn't been there when she was broadcasting, so she took a guess and figured they turned up overnight. No one seemed to be in the building beside her, and she didn't care to look around. Her camera man was definitely dead after he tripped and fell, but the expert she was interviewing was no were to be found. She suspected he met a similar fate. The cigarette was now burnt down to the filter, so she tossed it to the floor, delivering a heel-toed shoe to it to smother it's flame.
She looked down at her name tag, which read, "Amanda Stevens." It also proclaimed she worked for the small station in bold, red letters. She hastily unclipped it from her suit, and tossed it aside. She wanted nothing to do with her job.
During a normal day at work, the males of the Station would always make passes at her, no matter how viciously or sarcastically she turned them down. She wasn't even a particularly 'hot' woman so to speak, with an average bust and innocent face. She thought they just liked to aggravate her, just for shits and giggles. A week before the outbreak, she had decided she would soon quit, no longer able to compete with the constant abuse. She was quite glad her co-workers weren't with her, so she could have peace and quiet.
Even though she had her peace, Amanda didn't feel safe in the very least. She began walking into the Office area of the Station, looking around for anything that she might be able to defend herself. Having already thrown her microphone at on the creatures, she had nothing. Combing through desk drawers and family photos, she eventually found a small, 4 inch switchblade lying next to a large blood stain. It contrasted against the clean, white carpeting quite badly, and it puddle was disturbingly revolting, and Amanda gagged from it's stench.
Bending down to pick up the knife, she had to turn her head away from the smell. The knife, however, was not bloodied in the slightest, and she was thankful. Her heart began racing, because pools of blood that large should at least have a body accompanying it. No body was in sight, and if there was, she would have to be blind to miss it in the brilliant sunlight of the Mid-morning. Holding the knife with a death grip, she slowly investigated the area of the stain. She walked slightly crouched down, trying not to make noise. After Amanda searched for a good while, she gave up. Since she woke up in one piece, she figured that there mustn't be any malevolent creatures keeping her company. But there was someone with her, and she was oblivious to it. Amanda sat down on a small , wooden desk, letting out a sigh.
"I'm so scared…" She whispered in a tone that was barely audible. She pushed her hair back and took out her pack of smokes and a small Zippo lighter, and lit another cigarette. As a professional, she normally smoked once or twice a day, but the stress of a collapsing city was already taking it's toll. She knew her smokes would probably be all used up by nightfall, depending on how the day went and pondered if there were more in the station. She slowly looked around the room, making sure she was alone. Looking at the stairwell door, she saw that the sign that said "2nd Floor" and the rest of the door was bloodier then the spot of carpet next to the knife was. And this time drag marks led into it, as if something was forcibly taken away. Amanda's curious nature got to her, and she decided to put out the smoke and investigate. Upon reaching the stairwell, several loud, banging sounds came from behind it.
"H-hello? Anyone there?" She was only answered by more banging, but not a vocal cry for help was issued. The door had a small lock on it, and not knowing if the person behind it was still human, she quickly locked it. From her live reports, she could tell a knife probably couldn't execute one of those people. That got her to thinking. As she walked back to her little cubicle, she wondered why the city's citizens had gone mad. They were actually eating people alive, and that did not bode too well with her stomach or mind. As a kid she watched several horror movies, and could never sit through a whole film. One film in particular had sparked her memory, though, and it's name was Dawn of the Dead. Being six years old at the time, the horrific images were burned into the back of her mind. Now 34, she could still clearly see the scene in which a man was eaten while testing his blood pressure. Just like the people in the city, they had a desire for flesh. Then the word popped into her head: zombies. These creatures were real zombies, in the flesh. Realizing this, she quickly panicked. She rolled a chair over to the door, propping it under and against the door handle. The banging had stopped, and this time a low growl came. It was that vocal sign she had been wanting. It re-assured her mind that whatever lay beyond that door could not be human, and might not ever be again. It started pounding the door once again, only this time with increased fury and lust.
"Too bad, you're not getting out here." She hissed.
Walking away, she wondered how the outside world was doing. Amanda walked over to the shades on a large, glass window. Spider webs adorned it's corners, and dust had settled on it. She guessed that when there's no more room in Hell, a janitor shall not clean the windows. Hesitating to open the shades, she patiently grasped the cord. With it quick tug, it revealed a scene ever worse than the one being filmed just a day before. Blood covered bodies were wandering around the streets, and the ones that weren't up and about were in a grotesque state. It was even worse than the view she had earlier, and Amanda quickly pulled the cord. The shades closed, and only small streams of light shone through, highlighting the dust particles floating in the air. Letting out a deep sigh, she collapsed into a nearby chair, and took interest in staring at the antiseptic white walls of the work space. Her mind drifted lazily through all the things that had swamped it in just 24 hours, but she didn't notice that she was falling asleep. As she slipped into a coma-like sleep, a yelp broke through the fog of sleep.
"Help! Someone, please! Help me!" The voice sounded young; possibly late teens. Someone had been in the building all night with her, and she hadn't even known. She yanked the knife from her suit's pocket, and leaped up from the rolling chair. The voice was definitely close, and it wasn't hard to track down the sound through an otherwise empty building. Several of the "zombies" had swarmed this kid, including one dragging it's own arm like a club. He was backed all the way against the wall, shaking. He shot Amanda a glance of confusion, and she made him feel a bit safer. He got the courage to push through the crowd and run to her, screaming a bloody battle cry the whole time. The crowd had then turned around, shambling towards them. Amanda's fight or flight reflex came into play, and she decided not to risk the kid, nor herself, battling these menaces. They had cornered him in a small storage room with a heavy door, so as they escaped the room, it was promptly shut and locked. Not wanting to talk in front of a room full of crazies, she told the kid to walk down to the Offices with her.
"What's your name, kid? And what were you doing here?" She asked, a serious tone overtaking her voice.
"I-I'm Tom, Tom Hyneman." He stuttered. "I was only hiding from the people outside. They broke into my family's house and killed my parents, at least I think they did…this building was close by so I hid here. Please don't make me leave…" Tom's voice was still very shaky, saying a lot about his previous situation.
"It's okay kid, I'm here for a very similar reason. Only I work at this dump, and I really didn't want to hide here. I'm Amanda, and it's nice to meet you, Tom."
Seeing that the kid had been surrounded by those things, it meant more of them had to be inside. The ones in the storage room where locked up; for now. Eventually they would have to be taken care of. But for the moment, things were quiet and calm…