Chapter 2
Who Knew The World Could End So Fast
I entered the key card into the lock to my room as I tried to look through the peep hole to see if Jacob and Robert were back yet. I swung the door open and found them sitting on the beds glued to the small gray tv mounted on the wall across our bunks. "Do you guys know what's happening?" I asked hoping to see if they had any idea. No response. I went to get my only pair of normal clothes so I can get out of this damn suit. I grabbed my grey Kitanica pants and my black Underarmour shirt. As I walked to the bathroom I peeked at the tv. There were headlines like "Health Officials Baffled" and "New Plague" New plague? What did they mean? I wondered as I got changed in the bathroom. I looked into the mirror. I don't know why but I just looked at myself. My white blond hair was almost at my shoulders. Damn I should've cut it before I came down here. I saw my my green eyes with their flecks of purple. Why does it feel like something's gonna change? I finished changing and went back to my bunk to watch tv. Jacob and Robert still haven't moved. I know the news seems shocking about the plague but still are they in that much shock? I turned to actually watch the tv. There were police surrounding a small group of people who seemed to be limping. They looked sick. "Are they quarantining them?" I said thinking out loud. "No..." Robert said in almost a whisper. I was shocked. This wasn't like Robert. He's usually confident and trying to act tough. I was looking at him when I heard the gun shots over the tv. The police were shooting at sick people.
I took a step back. "What the hell?" I said in shock. "It's been happening since we came back" Jacob said with his eyes still glued to the tv. BANG BANG BANG! I turned to our door and flew it open. It was one of the teachers for the program. "Get your roommates and what you can carry, then go to the bus" he said in almost a blur. "Jacob! Rob! We gotta go now!" I screamed as I went to grab my backpack. They weren't moving. "GUYS NOW!" They didn't move. "HEY YOU WANNA BE LEADERS? THATS THE WHOLE FUCKING REASON YOURE HERE RIGHT? WELL GET YOUR ASSES UP LEADERS CANT JUST GIVE UP?" I could hear people running out of their rooms and a series of screams and shouts as people trampled over each other. I was sick of this but I couldn't just leave them. So I did what any reasonable guy would do. I walked up and punched Robert square in the face. "Move. now." Robert looked at me like I just murdered his aunt. He realized what he had to do. We all got our stuff and went down to the buses. It was chaos. Kids screaming bus roaring to life and almost running over people. "Jesus Christ" I heard Jacob say over the roar of the people. We finally found a bus and took our seats. I looked at all the people around me. People were crying and screaming. Some looked like they were in shock. I saw the boy who was in my group at the beginning of the day. He was the only one who seemed calm. It was like he was inspecting the place around him, like me. The bus was speeding up and trying to find its way through a sea of cars. I almost missed the signs that read "Welcome To D.C"
"Where are they taking us exactly" I heard Jacob say. "Probably to a safe house or something in D.C" I said as I looked out the window. D.C probably has protocols for things like this. We got to a roadway with soldiers and armored cars blocking some paths in and out the city. They were checking cars. Some of the sick looking people were being turned away. Our bus went through the check point and continued into the city.
D.C was a mess. People were screaming and shouting trying to find loved ones they had lost in the great sea of the Capitol. There were also the rioters and looters who were fighting against the police and military while trying to steal from the stores with the most TVs. Our bus sluggishly made its way toward to what I assume to be our new living quarters. It took hours for the bus to wade through the sea of civilians and military. It was around 6 o'clock at night when we heard the screams from outside the bus. Most of the other kids on the bus were asleep when it happened. Probably having dreams about their homes and families. Seeing them and having all their fear leave their body like a river and feel their families warmth like a hot summers day. I wish they could stay like that. But the world didn't.
All the mobs of people were now screaming and running in the opposite direction. Our bus was halted to a stop to keep it from running over the hundreds of people. We couldnt make a uturn because we were stuck in a very narrow street. People were running over each other just to get farther away. What were they running from? Were the people infected with this new plague following them? I didn't know. And I couldn't even think much about it over the deafening screams from the storm of people outside. After about 20 minutes it became deadly quiet. I looked out the window next to me and saw no one. The side walks were empty. Why were we not going forward or trying to go backwards? I looked towards the bus driver and saw him sitting motionless. "Hey, can I get passed you?" I asked the boy who was sitting next to me. "Yea go ahead" I got up and walked half way up the aisle before I stopped in my tracks. A chill ran down my spine and I felt my knees grow weak. A wave of nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. I would have vomited if I didn't keep my mouth shut.
In front of me was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. There were hundreds.. No, Thousands of them. I could see why the people were running. I could see why the bus driver and every student in view of the front window were frozen in fear. I could see the reason the world was about to go to hell. It was them. The Infected.