Day 16:
- The East Coast looses communications with the West Coast.
Location: [Center for Disease Control]
The East Coast remains unaware of the happenings in the West Coast. Portland, San Diego, Vancouver and all other major coastal cities are bombed in an attempt to contain this epidemic to extend inland and as far as the Continental divide.
Day 17:
- Los Angeles is bombed.
Location: [Center for Disease Control]
Bombs are dropped in Los Angeles.
Soon, this will be the fate of many other cities in the East Coast.
Day 20:
- Infected bodies arrive to the C.D.C.
Location: [Center for Disease Control]
"Sloane, get the hell out of here. You've been working Eight Days A Week for God's sake," Edwin said walking into the lab at 7:00 AM on the dot. Candace was behind him like the usual.
"I won't. Disease doesn't rest." She said through her contamination mask.
Candace laughed at her response.
"You've been wearing the same clothes for like the last ten days," she said with a frown in disgust.
"When was the last time you slept?" She asked kindly.
Dr. Gadsden simply shrugged.
"Dr. Gadsden does not sleep. She is not human." Q said rolling his eyes in exhaustion looking over some papers.
"This is an executive order. You need to leave." Candace said sternly. Both her eyebrows were arched up in amusement.
"Besides, don't you have a conference to give tomorrow? It's all over the newspaper," she said with a wide, proud smile.
"But the bodies aren't here yet!" Sloane protested.
"We have some news," Edwin began. "The infection has began spreading to the south of Georgia. It's here." Edwin said slowly. "We should be receiving one of the infected bodies by this afternoon."
"WHAT?!" She said loudly. "More the reason for me to stay and work! This is great news!" She exclaimed.
Several scientist in the background just seemed concerned. Every day that Sloane had been in the lab the team had began diminishing to smaller and smaller numbers. Work had been getting harder and the disease had been spreading faster throughout the world. They had been in contact with the French who had some new findings every now and then however understanding their French reports was complicated. That's when Vi, the C.D.C's computer came in useful in translating all of these videos and documents.
"Look." Edwin began. "How about you go home for the day? You have been here for more than a week. Get well rested, please bathe, go give your presentation and by the time you come back, the day after tomorrow, we will have an infected patient for you to work with. How does that sound?"
"The day after tomorrow?!" She was outraged.
"Sloane. Leave the research to us. We won't disappoint you; We'll have something for you to work on as soon as you return."
Fighting the urge to scream. She looked at the scientist before them with dead-set eyes.
"Fine," she growled out. "But, only with one condition…"
Day 21:
- Day of Dr. Gadsden's Symposium.
- NAV reaches Southern Georgia.
Location: [University, Atlanta, GA]
Q was just relieved to finally be out of the C.D.C. He admired and sometimes dreaded Dr. Gadsden determination.
"You know maybe this isn't too bad," she began when they were on their way to the university.
"What? Working 240 hours a week?" He retorted sarcastically still tired.
"No. I meant being stationed in Georgia. It reminds me of home," She said with a sigh.
"You're from the South?" Q asked raising his eyebrows.
"Why ya ask? Just cause I din't talk in a Southern' drawl biscuit?" She asked in an exaggerated Southern accent. "Yeah. I've lost my accent after all these years…" She responded after a moment.
"I'm from South Carolina. That's where my family is." She answered.
"I would've never known," Her right hand man mused.
"Any news updates?" She asked before they made way to the university.
Qurban looked up the local news on his smartphone first.
"'Sheriff Deputy shot in line of duty…' 'South of Georgia becomes infected flu expected to advance to the North…' That's all for Georgia. Nothing on California or any other parts of the world. Don't you recon we should be more careful now that the virus is in our premises?" He said looking out the window perilously.
"If you feel so unsafe, why don't you go back to the C.D.C? Actually- Yes. Go back and keep me posted on any updates, and make sure all of my luggage gets there. I'll give the conference and head back to the Center after dinner. Sound good?" Qurban sent out a text and nodded his head.
"Great." She said goodbye to him and he left back in the same taxi they came in.
Walking into the conference she was greeted and introduced by the president of the university. The auditorium was semi-full with many medical students and other medical professionals in the audience. All lights were on her at the podium which was on a stage with crimson, velvet curtains.
She began her presentation on her latest research on the Zika case she had been working in in South America.
Being the main and only speaker of the conference she began with a lame joke.
"They say laughter is the best medicine. And I have an update for everyone, it's not," She said in a sarcastic tone.
The stadium turned dark and she explained every slide with enthusiasm.
She looked at her red, obnoxious, Coca-Cola watch it was 9:42 PM the conference would soon be over. She had to reach her conclusion soon.
"And before I reach my conclusion." She began.
"I just want to state that we need to stick together, and prioritize working for a higher cause. Specially during this time-"
A blood shrieking scream from the back of the auditorium suddenly caught everyone's attention. The presenter's eyes went wide as she tried to find the source of the scream. Her eyes darted across the room and for a brief moment someone caught her attention in the audience-
"SOMEBODY GET THE LIGHTS!" A man shouted in the darkness.
Sloane was paralyzed in her podium. She didn't know where to run or what to do. The screaming continued. It was after what felt like an eternity that the lights snapped on blinding her momentarily. Mixed amongst the crowd were some infected people. Security guards were attempting to remove these people who were gnawing and biting at the other members of the audience. There were shrill shouts and there was also blood.
"Doctor Gadsden, follow me this way."
A police officer appearing before her stretched his arm to reach for her hand. When out of the blue one of those gnarling creatures came out of the blue and bit his arm. He immediately punched it in the face making it collapse.
"Just a bite Miss, come along!"
The scenario unfolding before her eyes triggered her fight of flight instincts; and she choose to flee.
Only grabbing her purse still in her heels she ran backstage. The screaming and the growls that those sick people were haunting. She could hear people running behind her. Sprinting inside of a janitor's closet she locked the door behind her. At the end of the small room she saw the janitor standing there aimlessly.
"Great Scott! You have to stay inside. There is havoc wrecking outside," she said heaving. Finally catching her breath. She noticed the janitor remained standing still not listening to her. "Hey?" she called confused in a louder more adamant tone.
The man suddenly turned around. His skin was rotten dark with dried blood. His eyes were faded to a feverish sallow color. And the skin around his mouth was ripped which revealed his sharp, black teeth.
The sick man hissed at her and began running towards her.
She screamed frantically and grabbed the nearest item to her. Her weapon of choice: a mop.
"Stay back!" She shouted. The man did not stop. "I said STAY BACK." She repeated in a louder voice this swatting the man in the head hard. The man stumbled with the hit, but continued advancing. With another hit and seeing nowhere to escape to. Sloane hit him one last time and spotted a nearby utilities closet. Her logic was to run and hide behind the massive closet. She pushed behind it squirming, scratching her body between the concrete wall and the back of the dusty storage closet. She hissed as a screw sticking out stabbed into her back. The thing still attempting to reach for her was suddenly crushed by the massive metal closet. The doctor covered her mouth with her hands. Paint and dust splashing all over her formal attire. The creature was squashed underneath the closet.
White, blue and yellow paint seeped from the underneath flooding the small room. The person's hand twitching from inability to move.
After taking a few moments to calm down she observed the hand was still twitching.
"That's impossible…" She said to herself as she squatted close to the body. She was currently fascinated by the twitching hand that was sticking out.
"Being under all this weight, he should be unconscious, even dead," she couldn't wrap her head around it. Poking the hand with the back of the mop it reacted to it and had a palmar reflex, gripping it. Fascinating.
Day 22:
- C.D.C is overrun by the U.S. Military.
- World Health Organization declare the United States to be in a state of emergency.
Location: [University, Atlanta, GA]
1:54 AM Sloane was sitting down on the janitor's rusty of chair looking at her phone which was on 15% battery.
She was reviewing the text from a few hours before.
9:09 PM: E.J. How's the conference
9:53 PM E.J. Sloane?
10:15 PM E.J. Something awful has happened. We need you. NOW.
10:16 PM E.J. Candace
10:16 PM E.J. NOW.
10:32 PM Q.S. DO NOT COME. NO MATTER WHAT. DO NOT COME. DNT
10:32 PM Q.S. SON'T COME
She had been sitting for several hours trying to debate what to do. The emergency line was dead. None of the scientist or the secretaries at the C.D.C were answering.
"What to do, what to do…" she said running her hand through her temples.
The body underneath the closet began groaning and twitching.
"You. Shut up." She rolled her eyes kicking the side the storage shelf.
Sloane packed whatever useful items she could find in a backpack that used to belong to "Smithy Joel."
Joel's wallet was inside of his black backpack and so were the car keys to his Chevy. She also put in a notebook and several pens to document whatever was to come. Also a basic health aid kit she found stashed under his desk. She felt awful stealing from Joel, but it was an emergency. She made a mental note that she would handsomely reward him if there were any qualms about his Fantasy Football notebook going missing.
She tried to kill time by responding to her text messages. Hoping maybe one of them could get through.
3:33 AM: Q? What happened?
3:33 AM: Please answer! Something really f*cked up just happened.
**FAILURE TO DELIVER**
3:43 AM: Can someone please answer me?
**FAILURE TO DELIVER**
Finally her trusty Coca-Cola watch showed it was 6:30 AM.
'Great, the sun should be out.' She braced herself as she carried a shovel with her. Slowly she crept out of the room. As she crept through the hallway she encountered missing limbs, blood and secretions she was unsure of what they were. She had gotten rid of her Chanel suit a while ago and was presently walking in her paint stained legs and heels. A business pencil skirt and a white wrinkled blouse that had about a dime sized stain of blood in her back.
She finally reached the outside of the auditorium. She was clicking on the button of Joe's keys trying to find his Chevy, wherever it was, or whatever it looked like. It was then that she saw them. She stood in awe watching the- it was almost like a herd. The herd of sick people walking in group. It was almost as if they were in sync.
Suddenly, one of them spotted her. And they all turned to face her.
Biting back a scream she was about to let out. She dropped the shovel and sprinted towards the parking lot clicking away trying to find Joel's damn car. They were fast, and they were getting closet.
"Come on, come on, come on!" She was nearing the end, when finally that beep echoed the parking lot.
She ran as far as her short heels could take her.
'Don't trip. Don't trip. Don't trip.' She was screaming inside her head. Her heart jumping at her throat.
Finally she reached the car a 1980 Chevy Station Wagon?! With WOOD?!
"OF FUCKING COURSE!" She shouted barely getting in before she was clawed. The door of the old car squeaked when she closed it. The creatures banged and licked the glass of the old car. It was almost as if she was in an a tacky 80's horror movie. Panicked and in disbelief she ignited the engine and got the hell out of there knocking out a few of those things out of the way.
"What the hell is happening…" She turned on the radio to try and calm her nerves, but there was nothing. Instead Good Ol' Joel had a CD of some classic rock hits which weren't too bad.
ACDC's "Highway to Hell" was jamming as she speed down the empty highway, how fitting.
All of her instincts shouted at her "GO TO THE C.D.C! C.D.C!" part of her said. 'No, Qurban said not to go. There is a reason why Q said not to go…' Q wouldn't have told her no to go unless it was definitely necessary.
Taking a deep breath she went against all her instincts and got on I-85 on a straight road to South Carolina.
She drove for about two hours. It was now 9:04 AM and it was the fourth time she heard "American Woman" playing, and she was almost by Greenville, GA. The adrenaline had kept her running for a while, but having undergone all of those nights without sleep and the scare from earlier. It took a toll on her. Sloane had no idea what she was doing with her life.
It had just hit her that she had stolen a car. She was alone and she had no way of getting in contact with anyone. She had to get home. She had to get to someone…
Dozing off in the road, she closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"… Please save me…" She pleaded a prayer to her God, if there still was one, half in daze.
The sound of loud honking and tires screeching resounded in the empty highway.
A train of words that would make her grandmother twist in her grave escaped out of her mouth and she jolted on the wheel trying in a pointless attempt to avoid sure death, and the incoming crashing truck.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead. I do not make profit out of this.
Thoughts anyone? Reviews appreciated!