Chapter 2
Alone, in her thoughts and music, Jennifer's mind reluctantly snapped back to her first encounter with zombies. The scariest experience that she had ever been through nestled itself back into her conscious mind...
Jennifer nearly went flying through the window when she slammed on her breaks to avoid hitting the person that had stepped in front of her speeding car. Hastily, she opened the door to check if the person was okay. She stepped forward nervously, her heels clicking.
"Are you alright?" Jennifer asked. The person turned its horrible head to her. It was a woman, approximately ten years older than Jennifer. The woman twitched, and dragged her leg behind her as she walked in Jennifer's direction. Then she sprinted. She sprinted with more determination than Jennifer had ever seen. After months of self-defense classes, her immediate reaction was to run, but she couldn't run. Her heels very evilly prevented that. As a last resort, as the girl was drawing very close to her, Jennifer pulled out her pocket knife and held it threateningly in front her.
The woman paid no mind though.
"NO!" Jennifer screamed as the woman was nearly directly in front of her. She tried to get into her car but the woman was too close to give her time. Jennifer ran, ignoring the aching pain in her ankles. She kicked off her heels behind her and surprisingly heard a thump. Turning around, Jennifer noticed with absolute shock that luck had decided to throw itself at her.
The heel that she kicked off had somehow managed to hit the poor woman directly in the forehead, wedging itself deep into the skull.
"Ralph Lauren, I LOVE YOU!" Jennifer said to her sharp heels that saved her life. She gathered the other one and walked to the woman. The woman was defiantly dead. Jennifer had felt a fear, stronger than she ever had before. She had basically killed this poor woman and she really could not comprehend what she had done. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. It was her brother calling.
"Jenny, what are these... things?" gasped her brother, Zach, from the other line.
"You saw one too?" Jennifer asked, doubtfully. It was only one crazy psycho woman, right?
"Yes! They're like... zombies. Wait, it's on the news," Zach said, flipping through channels. "The news says... they're humans... mad human disease... causes swelling of the brain... zombie like behavior... no cure."
"Oh my god," Jennifer said, pulling a hand to her mouth.
"Spreading fast, get a gun... hide... they say it's the end of the world," Zach said with a gasp. Suddenly, Jennifer heard through the phone the sound of a door being smashed open. Zach yelped and the phone went silent.
"ZACH! NO!" Jennifer screamed into her phone. Tears began to form at her eyes as she realized what must have happened. Jennifer climbed into her car and started it, gripping tightly at the steering wheel. Zach and Jennifer may have never been close, but he was still her family. She began to drive back home, hoping there might be some chance. Tears flowed freely from her bloodshot eyes. Trying to distract herself, she turned on the radio and news came on.
"The virus is spreading. This is an emergency message. This is real. Find a place to hide. Avoid human contact. Don't go back for loved ones. I repeat; do not go back for loved ones," broadcast the news reporter in a very panicked tone. Jennifer angrily punched the radio's on/off button and silenced any sound. As a substitute, she put in a new CD that had been burned for her by her friend. 'Mad World' by Gary Jules blasted and Jennifer couldn't help but shake violently with sobs. She couldn't even hear her phone ringing again. Tears continued to cascade down her cheeks.
"Calm down," Jennifer said, trying to compose herself between her hyperventilating and her heaving chest. Finally, Jennifer noticed from the corner of her eye, her phone's bright light signaling a voice mail. She snatched up her phone, and called her voicemail. It was from Natalie.
"Jen? Jenny, oh my god. They're... they're everywhere. They made it... they're here... they're in Rockville. Sean! Sean! NO! Get off of him! Noo stop!" Natalie screamed into the phone. Suddenly there was a high pitched scream from the other side of the phone and a terrible ripping noise. Jennifer tossed her phone to the ground, thoroughly even more upset from hearing the last sounds that her friend will ever make.
"Natalie... no..." Jennifer said, a whole new set of sobs beginning to rock her. Everyone was going to be at that party, all of her friends, will be dead. Jennifer pulled over, her sobs taking control of her. Jennifer's hair was sticking to her wet, tear covered face and her mouth was dry. She reached in her purse and pulled out a bottle of Vitamin Water, and drank it, and then there was a light tapping at her window.
"Shit," Jennifer said, slowly turning her head to the window, expecting to see a gruesome and gory monster staring in at her with a blank, expressionless face. But when she looked out the window, she found with a relief, it was someone from school.
"Shannon!" Jennifer said, looking out at her tall friend.
"JEN! YOU HAVE TO HELP!" Shannon said, jumping into Jennifer's back seat. "They... they came to the party, and attacked everyone! Natalie... she died." Shannon explained. Another shock shook through Jennifer.
"Who-who else?" Jennifer asked, not wanting to know the answer.
"I don't know. I think Allen and I ran away right as Emma began to fight off a zombie. I don't know if she made it. Jen... the zombie she was fighting off... it was," Shannon said, trying to explain through terrified gasps, "Matt, Matthew B." Jennifer gasped, fearing for her friend's life. Matthew was on the football team and she had even dated him once. Emma was tough, but she couldn't fight off someone like Matthew.
"Any... Anyone else?"
"Yes... So many more... Sean, Allison, Daniel, oh god, he was bit by Sam. Robby, he died too," Shannon explained grimly. Suddenly, it felt as if an icicle had stabbed Jennifer through her heart. Her boyfriend was gone. More tears rocked through her body again as she pulled back onto the road.
"Did... you," Jennifer asked, fearing the worst.
"Get bit? No!" Shannon said, truthfully.
"Good..." Jennifer responded, her mind drifting off, remembering happy times with Robby. Jennifer pulled the hair out of her face with shaking fingers and looked in the backseat at Shannon. Shannon was her friend that was also on Cross Country with her. Shannon was small and petite, and looked slightly like a mouse. Of all the people that could have survived this hell hole, she doubted Shannon could. She was so small and innocent, it seemed impossible. But, Shannon was fast, undoubtedly. They reached Jennifer's house and saw her front door broken into and a bloody trail was either leading into, or away from the lavish mansion. Jennifer bit her lip and exited her car. Shannon followed her as they walked into the house.
Jennifer saw with a horror as to what had happened to her pristine house. Every thing was smashed, and destroyed. Furniture was coated in blood and the television was left tauntingly on. Jennifer saw her mother's expensive paintings were ripped and shredded, also donned in blood. Shannon gasped from behind her as Jennifer walked fearfully up the stairs. She walked down the hallway towards her brother's room and Shannon stayed downstairs. Zach's door was left ajar, and a bloody handprint was on the door.
Biting back tears, Jennifer entered the room. She found the room as she did the rest of the house, destroyed and empty. There was no sign of any life... or undead life. The window was broken as well. With all the stress and fear she was put under, Jennifer couldn't help but crumple to the ground. She cried and cried but her tears were cut off by a blood curdling scream from downstairs.
Shannon.
Jennifer ran downstairs towards the sound of the scream and found, to her horror, Shannon's stomach being eaten by a neighbor of hers. The zombie was slurping at her best friend, whose life had been ripped from her. A sob escaped her mouth and the zombie looked up at her. It tilted his head, and dropped some of Shannon's intestines. The zombie ran towards Jennifer. Unfortunately for the zombie, Jennifer was thoroughly pissed off. Letting out a war cry, Jennifer ran at the zombie, holding a statue that she had picked up. She hit the terrible creature with enough force to send him wheeling back. Jennifer took out all of her anger on the zombie, crushing in its skull with the white stone statue. She continued pounding its head in even after it was long lost of life. Jennifer dropped the statue, and did something she had been doing so well, and cried.
But, tears didn't come to her. She had none left. She had become a stone fort; nothing will get in or get out. She had been traumatized and knew what she needed to do. She went upstairs first, and got the small little pistol that her parents kept under their bed in case of a home invasion. She held it at her side as she walked into the basement to get the last gun in the house: her father's hunting gun. She grabbed enough bullets to last her a while and returned to her welcoming car. She was devoid of any human contact. Lost, forever in her thoughts, all alone described her life forever.
Jennifer wiped away a new tear that had formed in her eye.
No, this wasn't her, she wasn't emotional. Sighing, Jennifer popped in the CD that she had played that night.
This was going to be a long drive
"All around me are familiar faces... worn out places... worn out faces," sang her CD player. Jennifer sang along, desperately trying to bite back tears. She held on to the fact that Rocky was behind her, using him for comfort.
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