PART TWO

Oh man, I don't believe this shit. I don't think I've run so fast in my fucking life. I dont even know what the fuck it is I'm running for! Goddamnit. If only I could remember what the fuck was going on when I passed out... how the fuck long was I out for?

Geez, I think I'm dying. This is it. I'm on so many drugs I'm hallucinating like crazy and I'm probably running straight off a fucking cliff... wait, there aren't any cliffs in New Canaan.

Whoa, where the fuck are they going? Woods? Are they nutts? Fuck, they're probably the ones who know what they're doing. They probably know what is going on. Jesus, how much farther do we have to go?

Are those things still chasing us? Fucking A, I better not look behind me. What the hell is wrong with those people, though? I could have sworn they were fucking dead. I know what fucking dead people fucking look like, and those fucking people were fucking dead!

Maybe I am dead and there really is a God, and this is Hell, and I'm going to be running from scary Things all eternity.

Oh, slick, they're slowing down.

I opened my mouth to start asking questions but the guy shushed me. I couldn't get enough air to speak anyway.

"Follow Jess," the guy whispered to me. "I'll be right behind you."

I followed Jess around a huge cluster of rocks. I could see behind me that the guy was watching behind us, ready to fire if the things were still on our tail. Soon Jess stopped walking and began to climb the rock face. Great, I thought to myself. I finally catch my breath and now it's time for more strenuous activity.

Luckily, the climb was relatively simple. Half-way up the rock face, I followed Jess into a cave.

Random.

Holy crap it's dark in here... how do I know if I'm still following her?

Whoa...

I felt like I stumbled into an alternate direction. Light was pouring into the center of this cave, centering on a clear blue pool of water. The cave was several feet high, and just as wide. In the corner of the cave was a dimming fire, next to which were canned foods and frying pans. The hole on the top of ceiling had a fishing net underneath it. In another corner were four matresses and a clump of blankets.

Are there more people? How long did it take for them to make this? Jesus Christ, how long was I out for?

I stared at my new surroundings in awe for at least five minutes. When I finally felt relaxed, I looked at Jess and saw she was watching me. I didn't know what to say. "Uhhh, nice place you've got here."

Great. Way to start a conversation with someone who saved your life, Caryn.

Jess nodded, looking both confused and sympathetic. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"You're out of shape."

Nice to meet you too, Jess. "Yeah, well..."

She looked at me, I guess waiting for me to tell her why I wasn't buff and butch.

I shrugged, hoping that would be a sufficient replacement for my saying that I was not interested in staying in shape and have never been able to run well.

"You are going to regret it." she said.

Fuck this. You are not telling me what I will and won't be regretting. I don't even know what the fuck is going on here. This isn't fair! I want some fucking answers!

I took a breath. "Listen. I have no idea what the fuck is going on. Am I dead?"

Jess looked at me, confused.

"Well?"

"You mean you don't know what just happened back there? Where the hell have you been for the past month?"

"Two months!?" Two months!!?? "What do you mean two months!?"

"What? Where the hell have you been?"

"Well, fuck, I don't know! All I know is I woke up this morning looking like I survived the apocalypse lying on a bench in a deserted town hall building. This has been a fucked up day."

Jesus, that wasn't even the half of it. She thinks I'm pulling her leg.

She stared at me. "You really mean to tell me that you don't know what has been going on for two months?"

Duh. Am I going to have to spell it out for you? Man I can't believe it... was I really out cold for two months?

"Shit. Okay. Do you remember hearing about the quarentine of the U.K.?"

Quarentine of the U.K.? What the hell for?

"Oh boy. Okay. I'll just tell this to you straight up, alright?"

Please, tell me something.

"There is an infection, contageous through blood and saliva - the same way AIDS is contageous. Except this virus - they called it 'Rage' - this virus makes a person turn into a canibalistic psycho, right? You get infected with this virus and you become raged. This killing machine."

Ebola virus meets rabies? "Is there a cure?"

"Whatever it is, it hasn't been found. And right now people are more concerned with preventing the spread of it than looking for the cure."

"So, how is it prevented?"

"Ultimately it's not. The U.K. was quarentined about a month and a half ago when these dumbasses from a type of ALF group went to free infected monkies from a laboratory. To cut a long story short, the infection spread throughout the country and it had to be cut off from the rest of the world. But somehow, the infection was brought over to America. Who knows, by now it could be everywhere. It's been 28 days exactly since things here got fucked up like this. But me and Tim and Josh and Madelyn - we were prepared."

I nodded, and then dared to think out loud. "Man, I could use a joint right now."

"Oh Jesus, you're not a little stoner shit, are you?"

Oh boy. "Uhh, I'm not a little shit, no."

"Lay off the girl," said a guy's voice from behind me. I turned around and it was a different guy from the one who was with Jess and I. "I'm Tim." he said, not offering to shake my hand in greeting. "You've met Jess. Josh was with you earlier, he's at the opening right now, on watch."

"Speaking of watch," Jess started. "Where the fuck is Madelyn? She was supposed to be there when Josh and I came back. And you know you shouldn't be off anywhere alone, Tim."

Tim nodded. "I know. I woke up after you and Josh left and went to see if she wanted something to eat and she wasn't there. I went to look for her."

"That was stupid."

"Shut up, Jess. She would have done the same for me."

"Well then she's stupid, too."

This is boring.

Tim walked over to the firepit and perused through cans. Jess went over to the mattresses and lay down. I was still sitting next to the entrance. This is really boring. I want some drugs.