the beginning is the end is the beginning
Thank you for everyone who read, reviewed or put the story on alert, I love each and every one of you.
And now, let's see what happened with Tate, shall we?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Chapter 02 - Nightmare
The whole thing is a nightmare.
He's in the store, buying some cigarettes for Violet as a welcome back gift for when she arrives home tomorrow, when he hears the first scream.
It's long and drawn out and terrified, and it's immediately followed by a second one.
People in the shop look around worriedly, they start murmuring, wondering what's going on and some even approach the exit to look outside.
Tate follows after them and what he sees shocks him immensely.
He's not sure what he expected in the first place but he knows it's definitely not this.
There's blood and gore and insides turned out, and people are literally eating other people's flesh.
It looks like a scene from a horror movie.
Well fuck.
He swallows hard and can't resist pinching his arm to check if he's dreaming or not, but the sting is there so this can't be merely a bad dream.
He contemplates what to do - should he stay, should he go?
Staying here would be the easier thing to do because by the looks of it, those who are outside are being eaten by some kind of monsters and there's no help coming, but on the other hand, he can't hide like a coward.
He has to check on his siblings. He has to call Violet.
Oh God, Violet.
She's probably okay. She has to be okay, probably just a little shaken by everything, because he simply won't accept any other possibility but he'd feel better if he heard her beautiful voice talking to him, confirming what he already knew - that she was safe and sound and he should stop being such a pussy and worry about himself.
His mind is made up right away.
He has to make sure she's okay even if it means sacrificing his own safety. She's more important than that. She's more important than anything.
So against his better judgement, he steps out of the store.
He barely makes it home.
It's his sheer luck that the small shop is close to his house because if it wasn't, he would have been doomed.
The zombies - because that's what they are, and he couldn't deny it anymore - are everywhere. Dead people lay on the ground and wake up as monsters the next second. And those who are still alive are doing their best to escape but it's all futile because there's no place to go, no safe shelter.
Everything has gone to hell.
He doesn't know how many times he thanks his lucky stars that he used to run track in high school because that's the only reason he can outrun the undead that starts following him in hopes of getting a bite out of him. Thankfully, he arrives home soon enough and throws door wide open, almost stepping inside without realizing that he would be running to his death.
But he sees the blood on the tiles. He hears the animalistic growls. And when he sees Constance turn around, chewing on something that looks like human flesh, ready to pounce on him, he knows it's too late for them.
He slams the door shut quickly to keep them in, but now he has nowhere to go and the zombie is still after him. If only he had a weapon...
But everything is inside the house. His guns, hidden under the bed, his cellphone, the only way of reaching Violet, and even his family. So, in an act of total desperation and at a loss of what to do, he starts running again.
To where, he doesn't know. Away. Maybe he'll come across an empty house where he can stay. Or a car. A car will do too.
And just when he thinks that maybe he should just give up and lay down, he spots a family not too far away packing suitcases into the back of their minivan and hope flares in his chest. Maybe they'll help. They wouldn't refuse to help him in a time like this, would they?
He continues to run and as he gets closer to them, he realizes he knows them. Well, he knows the woman. "Mrs. Montgomery?"
Nora Montgomery was a history teacher in Westfield High up until last year when she got pregnant and decided to take a break from teaching to raise her own child, who's now currently resting in her arms, crying horribly despite his mother's best efforts to calm him. Tate instantly feels relieved that out of all the people in Los Angeles, it's Nora Montgomery he comes across because he was always fond of the woman and he thought the feeling was mutual. There's no way she wouldn't help him.
The relief only got stronger when he saw the loaded gun in her husband's hand.
"Tate?" she gasps then takes a few steps back in fear when she sees what was following behind him all along. "Charles!" she shouts, motioning to her husband towards the zombie and he raises his gun, promptly shooting it in the head.
"You have to aim for the head," he explains as he reloads the gun. "That will kill them for good."
"How did this happen?" Tate can't help but wonder now that he's in the company of living, breathing people and he feels somehow safer than before.
"No one knows," Mrs. Montgomery's husband, Charles shrugs. "But it's happening. It's a nightmare. And they are coming."
"We are leaving the city," Mrs. Montgomery speaks up, gently rocking her baby back and forth in her arms, then she frowns, looking at Tate with worried eyes. "What are you doing here, Tate? Why aren't you home?"
"My family is dead," comes his short and cold response, his voice void of emotion. He doesn't have to say more, they both understand what happened.
Nora's bottom lip trembles and she looks ready to cry. She reaches out with her free hand to stroke Tate's cheek gently and he doesn't even have it in him to flinch away like he normally would if anyone besides Violet touched him. "Oh, you poor child. You poor thing... Well, maybe you could come with us, right, Charles?" she turns back to her husband expectantly and he gives them a curt nod, gesturing towards the van.
"Get in the car, boy."
He doesn't have many other options so he complies without a word, sitting in the backseat of the minivan as the Montgomerys settle in too.
After the engine comes to life with a low grumble, he turns to the blonde woman. "Where are you heading?"
"We don't have a concrete destination. We're just trying to find someplace safe," she shakes her head then she suddenly bursts into tears, sobbing into her hand but Tate doesn't even take notice. Instead he once again finds himself exhaling with relief because that's exactly the answer he wanted to hear.
"Then can we go to Boston?"
So there you have it. Some of you were worried about Tate but now you know that he's alive and well and he's on a quest to find Violet. You didn't really think I'd kill him off so soon in the story, did you? I wouldn't be that mean :D
I'll try to update soon, guys :)
Love,
Kathy