Lol. Because it's not every day you get a next day update. Don't get used to it. This only exists because I couldn't sleep last night. It probably makes no sense and its unbeta'd, don't blame me. Anyway, here you go.
Robin's mind is racing. The TV's still flickering white and grey lights in front of him, the signal lost ages ago. He isn't paying attention to anything, his brain just replaying the words; 'Do you know what's happened?', 'There's been an outbreak.' What did they even mean by outbreak? And those people...the news reporter, the crew members, the workers...they were all in the explosion. Are they okay?
He jumps when he hears a fist banging on the door, sounding ready to tear the door off its hinges. Robin's head swoops in the direction of his son's bedroom, his son who's still asleep, his son who has no idea what's happening.
Someone's still pounding on the door, any moment and they're going to wake Roland up, but...Robin's unsure. An outbreak could mean anything, the person on the other side of the door could be anyone. Should Robin really risk it?
He doesn't have to ponder anymore. The sound of John's voice shoots through the door. "Robin! Robin, it's me. Open the door, man."
Robin scrambles from his seat on the couch, toe nearly stubbing the leg of the coffee table in his haste to open the door. When he pulls back the gold chain and unlocks the door, John's wasting no time barging in.
"Where's Roland?" his friend says, eyes scanning the room. "Did you see what happened? Whole town's gone to chaos."
In the light Robin can see it. Sees the burn and what looks like scratch marks on John's arm.
"What happened?" Robin asks.
John sighs, falling down onto the couch. Robin stays standing, moving away from the door, a little further into the room as John closes his eyes, slows down his breathing enough to speak in something other than rushed words and puffs.
"It's crazy. Everything's either on fire or smashed. And the people…" John brings his hands together, thumb rubbing against his middle finger, his focus the movement. "Running here, there, and everywhere. And there's some…" he shakes his head, pulling his gaze from his finger to Robin. A shock clouds his friend's face. Shock and fear, it's all sinking in now it seems and Robin listens, holds onto every word. "Some have already been infected. They're like animals. Come running from nowhere and just jump on you." He shifts and moves his arm, finger pointing to the angry red scratch marks. "I got this on the way here. Jimmy Cooper who lives across from mine, jumped on me when I was running up the road, nearly tore my arm off."
Robin hears his heart begin to beat faster. Whatever this outbreak is, it's turning people crazy, turning them into animals, into monsters. He needed to get out of here.
"Has it reached here?" Robin asks, eyes glancing towards Roland's room.
"I don't think so."
The moment the words leave John's mouth, there's a smash that sounds from a few doors down. Both Robin and John's eyes flick to the door as a growl, or something similar to it, is heard.
"Shit." John says, standing up. "That spread quickly. Where's Roland?"
"In...in bed, asleep." Robin stutters, panic beginning to properly seize him now.
"You need to wake him up. We all need to get out of here."
Instantly, Robin's nodding, already on his way over to Roland's bedroom as another growl-like-thing is heard again, sending shivers down Robin's spine as he hopes, with little faith, that this outbreak stays contained in one space for a little longer.
...:...:...
Her fingers hit the buttons on the house phone furiously. She's pressed every button and nothing. There's no beeping. No calling. No answering. Nothing. The lines dead.
Huffing, she slams the phone back into its hold a little too hard but she can't bring herself to care.
After sitting there for another half an hour or so, she decided to call the police yet when she picked up the phone and tried to call, there was nothing. Nothing on the other side.
Henry still wasn't back yet. Her baby had been gone for 9 hours and she'd done nothing!
Regina sighs, falling back onto the couch. As she sits, she feels something digging into her. Frowning, she fishes for the object, getting hold of what is...her phone. Regina rolls her eyes at her stupidity. She doesn't need a house phone, she has this.
Yet she frowns again. There's no signal here, either.
Must be something to do with the line.
It has played up in the past. But why does it choose now not to work?
Regina guesses she could just walk up to the police station. It'll take longer, sure but...she can't sit around doing nothing. She's spent too time sitting around, doing nothing.
She stands up and walks two steps at the most and the lights cut out and Regina is cloaked in darkness.
What is going on?
She thinks back to the bang. To the anxiety she felt and pushed down. The phone signals being down and now this…
She's unsure what to do. Feels herself frozen where she is.
Regina's never been scared of the dark. Even as a child it hadn't bothered her like most her age at the time. Yet standing here now does she realise how dark and quiet is truly is. There's usually traffic going past, shouts being heard from somewhere a bit away but it's just silent. Dark and silent. Nothing since the sirens and the bang. Nothing but a dead phone line…
She jumps again- that's all she's done all evening. How many jerks can a body withstand?- at the sound of glass breaking. Her stomach turns as her breathing deepens, heart beginning to hammer against her chest as that anxiety twists into fear.
She manages to become unstuck from her spot and slowly begins to walk towards the sound of the noise.
It only occurs to her as she reaches the doorway to her kitchen that she should have grabbed something to protect herself with. She rethinks the idea, head turning back towards the living room as her eyes span for something to grab then she hears it. A gargled noise of some sort and heavy breathing. Someone had definitely entered her house and it definitely was Henry- Henry wouldn't break through the back door.
She pads closer, rounding that corner when she sees him. A man- James Cooper perhaps who lives a few doors down- crouched over, work clothes askew and palms leaning against knees.
He looks in pain, Regina thinks. Perhaps she should help him. But her eyes flick to her broken back door, the shards of glass that still remain to the panes but the large majority of it on the floor.
Maybe he's drunk or something. Would explain the heaving noise she heard before. His position. The fact that he's broken into her house.
Cooper heaves again and Regina's eyes float down. She almost throws up herself when she sees what he's littering her kitchen floor with. This wasn't us usual vomit. It's blood and guts and what other insides can be thrown up.
She pushes her own vomit down, however. The man clearly needed help. So cautiously, she steps forward. "M-mr Cooper?"
Her voice is tentative. Quiet. But he hears her. The man stops breathing heavily. He pauses and Regina waits. Shivers as a light wind swirls it's way through the hole in her door.
Whether it was the breeze or Regina shivering, she doesn't actually know. The man unfreezes. Still in his crouched position, only his eyes move and she sees them.
Bloodshot black eyes staring right at her. Locked onto her. He became a predator, and she was his prey.
She manages to dive out of the way just as he inhumanly jumps towards her, slamming her back against the wall and briefly feeling the wind being knocked out of her.
Cooper was never really an active man. Never would he have ever been able to do a jump like that. Never would anyone be able to do a jump like that.
Regina barely has time to recover before he man...animal...whatever he's become rises again. His head whips in her direction, like he can smell her or something, and despite wanting nothing more than to just curl up into a ball and wish the whole thing over, she darts from her spot and runs towards the front door.
Behind her, she hears a growl and it turns her blood cold as she slams the front door, still running down her lawn into the blackened, quiet street.
It isn't until she knows she as far away as possible does she slow down. Begins to process all of it. Her side hurts painfully, a stitch probably forming, each breath sending pain ricocheting through that area.
Whatever was wrong with the man, it wasn't drunk that was for sure. But there was definitely something wrong with him. Regina wished she'd knew more. All she knew is that the man who she often passed in the mornings, the man who offered her friendly morning greetings wasn't the same man that was currently occupying her house. He was like some sort of...zombie.
No! That's impossible. Zombies aren't real. Henry often talked about zombie apocalypses, said how awesome it would be to have one, to be a hero and save everyone.
She leans against the wall, in her haste to get out of the house, she'd forgotten about her missing son.
Her eyes wander to the sky, to the stars that glisten as she hopes that whatever is wrong with James Cooper is a one off and that her little prince is at least safe.