Epidemic 7.3K Read online

  It was a little after 4 that morning, and Kalene woke up out of her sleep. It wasn’t a nightmare this time, even though she’d had her fair share. Chicago stayed on her mind. Her family. Her friends. Her brother. Dead. Gone. After her brother got bit, everything went south fast. Sure, the cure paralyzed those creatures, the undead, for a while but, then they only rose back up with a vengeance. And also, immune.

  She took her brother to one of the shelters. She had to beg him to go. The wound started spreading. It didn’t even scab. After much pressuring, he finally gave in. She also told her mother what had happened. Of course, she was disappointed that they’d left out that night, but she knew her son needed help immediately, so she packed up some bags for the trip.

  Kalene led them all to Grady Park, where they had makeshift medical shelters set up for the infected by the Military. Her mother went in first because she gave the less threatening persona, and the guards were very tense. Describing the incident that took place to them, at least what Kalene had told her, the doctors from the Government agreed to let Kalene’s brother in, but only if they could use a new cure that they were developing on him. Her mother and brother had no choice, and neither did Kalene. Her brother seemed like he was getting worse daily. The bite looked infected. So, they agreed.

  Once in, they were given shelter, food, and fresh clothing. They were also allowed to wash and get themselves cleaned up. The place was heavily fortified, so they were safe, and Kalene’s brother seemed like he was getting better day by day. A few weeks had passed, and they all felt at ease. Kalene let her guards down. And, so did her mother and brother. The big mistake.

  They woke up to screaming and the all too familiar shrills that they thought they’d left behind. Kalene woke up thinking it was just a dream, but it wasn’t. Far from it. The smoke in the air and the screaming convinced her mind otherwise. She looked over at her mother, and she too was awakened out of her sleep. Looking across from her, her brother’s bed was empty. She glanced over at her mother, telling her to get dressed, but she was already on it. “Kalene. We have to find your brother!”

  “But, Mom. What’s happening!”

  Her mother eased over towards the door and started peeping out. “I don’t know, but I damn sure recognize those screams.”

  Kalene was right behind her. They eased the door open and looked out. Creatures were stalking the hall. Some were literally eating the doctors and scientists as they tried to get away. They shut the door back. “Mom, we’ve got to get the hell out of here!”

  “Not without your brother!”

  Kalene looked around the room for a weapon, and the best thing she could find was a broom. She rushed over, grabbed it, then broke it in half and gave the other half to her mother. “Here, if they get up on you. Jab this in their eye all the way into the brain.”

  Her mother nodded, yes. Kalene grabbed her knapsack and stuffed it with a few items, then ran back over to the door where her mother was. She leaned against it and started telling her. “Okay. We’ll search around for Mark. Then, get the hell out of here.”

  “He might have went to the vending machines. You know how he is about late night snacks and that medicine he was taking always made him hungry.”

  She was right. “Okay. We make it up the hall and to the left where they’re at. We’ll check the rooms nearby in case we don’t see him. He might be hiding out.”

  “Okay.”

  They busted out the door and was immediately tackled by a creature. Kalene stabbed it in the eye, twisting it deeper, then she pulled it back out. She got up and pointed her mother towards the vending machines. She was blindsided by one as well, but she managed to turn from out of its grasp and then stabbed the jagged sharp broomstick into its eye. They was confronted a few more times like that, and then Kalene pointed towards the vending machines up the hallway in front of them. He wasn’t there. Her mother nodded; then, Kalene started looking inside the rooms, yelling out her brother’s name. Nothing. They made it towards a few more rooms, and then they finally spotted him.

  Eating on a body, it was her brother. He’d turned into a creature. She called out to him and, when he heard, he turned towards them. Kalene turned her face away in disgust. His face seemed like it was drained of blood; his skin chalky white and eyes were bloodshot red. Her mother caught up to her and, when she saw him, called out his name. She started to approach him, but Kalene held her back saying, “Mommy, he’s not the same.”

  “He’s my son.”

  “No, he’s not Mark. He’s something... different.”

  She pulled away from her and ran towards him. Easing up to him, she put her hands out and moved closer. “It’s me, Mark. Your mother. I’ve got you.” She finally managed to sit next to him and started hugging him. Kalene actually thought for a minute that maybe he was alright. Maybe, he just needed some more medicine or something.

  Her mother hugged him as she cried. “Baby, it’s gonna be alright.” She looked back at Kalene and said to her, “He probably just needs some more drugs or something. We need to get him to another shelter. We’ll find another one.”

  Kalene looked around at the carnage and frowned. “But, mom, there’s no one left. We’re alone.”

  “Then, we’ll go somewhere else. We found this place. There’s got to be another.” She started to plead their case. Mark stared up at her. Then, he looked at his mother. The tears that continued welling up in her eyes. He didn’t get it though. They were now strangers to him.

  Kalene thought maybe her mother was right. They could at least find a little more medicine in this place, then get Mark to another facility. Maybe, he wasn’t that bad. But, those thoughts quickly withdrew from her mind when Mark turned towards his mother and bit her in the face. He continued biting, feeding on her, trying to get to her brain.

  Kalene screamed for him to stop, but he didn’t. It was no use, and it was like her mother didn’t even struggle. Her son, her baby. But, to Kalene, her brother was no longer there. He was a creature. A monster who just attacked and killed their mother. She screamed and rushed towards him. Holding the jagged but sharp stick, she held it over her head and sunk it deep into his head and started twisting it. Blood and brain matter gushed out and oozed all over the ground, but she continued stabbing until he finally stopped moving.

  She got up breathing heavily, looking over at her mother. Her brother. Her only family. What was she going to do now? She got her answer quickly. A bunch of other creatures had spotted her and charged towards her. She tried to grabbed at the stick and pull it out of his head, but it broke. She backed herself up against the wall. Scared. She screamed; she didn’t know what else to do. Glancing over at one of the waiting rooms, she looked over at the window, leading outside. It was wide. She started running towards it. Maybe, she could get someone’s attention. Some help. She looked out and didn’t see anyone. Looking down, it was about a two-story drop.

  The creatures chased after her. She tried to pry the window open, but her thoughts quickly changed after she turned and saw they were up on her. She backed up slightly then screamed, charging at the window. It shattered and she fell to the ground below, unscathed. Looking up, she saw some other people backed up against the windows also. Some were fighting the creatures. Some were just being eaten alive. Some even looked at her and decided to do the same thing she did. Jump. But, they were much higher. It would mean death, but a much better death than they were facing.

  But, the creatures figured they’d also would do the same thing. Jump. They couldn’t die, and so they did. Now, they were free. Kalene had to go. She had to leave. She ran as far as she could.

  Hiding in garbage bins at night, she survived by eating from the garbage as well. She thought she wouldn’t make it. That she would eventually be discovered. She thought about giving up more than once, until she ran into a bus filled with survivors and guns.

  They checked her out first, making sure she wasn’t bitten. When they found out she was okay, it was only then did the
y invite her into their shelter. They gave her food. Clothing. When they asked her where she wanted to be dropped off, she asked instead, where were they going? Probably set up another shelter in Chicago, one said. Then another said, let’s try New York. I heard about ships going across the ocean into Africa. Some have even said the virus had died down quite a bit.

  He’d convinced them and they agreed it was worth a shot, and Kalene was asked what she wanted to do. She didn’t take long thinking about it. She answered, “New York.”

  So, that’s how she caught up with the migration heading East. The plan was to make it to the shore. Catch a ship going to Europe or somewhere across the water. They’d heard that it was under control over there.

  Lies. All lies. Shit was bad all over, if not worse in New York. She left the people she was with and sought shelter with another crew. A crew from Brooklyn. Ed’s crew.

  She ended up staying in Bed-Stuy. But, she’d frequently bounce back and forth to Bushwick Projects on a regular basis. Bushwick Projects buildings were tall. Twenty stories. Up top, you could see into Manhattan and across Brooklyn, damn near into Queens, and it was used as a headquarters of sorts. Letting people know exactly what was going on and where. At least, that was always the plan.

  But, like everything else, people had to stick to the plan in order for it to work. And, most people did whatever the hell they wanted to do anyway. And on that side of town, Bed-Stuy, it was rob, steal, and loot. So, most of the time, Bushwick Projects served as a lookout as well, not from the creatures though but from the living. The thieves, killers, and even the rapists.

  Bushwick Projects had guns, firepower. She didn’t know why. She remembered Ed telling her why, and something to the effect of that’s just how things sort of happened. Most of the major dope dealers started over that way, and they were heavily armed. When those creatures manifested themselves, they took flight. Left the people to fend for themselves. Left the dope and also the large cache of weapons they had stashed as well.

  Ed and some people he knew, knew about the stashes and locked it down. Distributing the weapons and even the ammunition only as needed. Kalene would keep watch and Ed trusted her, along with a few others.

  Finally, they made it back to Bushwick in one piece. She walked up to the rooftop where Ed hung out, looking over Manhattan. She crept up behind him, but not too silent so as to startle him.

  “Hi Ed. It’s pretty late for you to be up.”

  Ed turned towards her and said, “Same for you. Is everything alright?”

  “Sure. Just couldn’t sleep.”

  “Nightmares… again.”

  “No. Just restless.” She walked over towards the edge and looked downtown. “That was some pretty weird shit earlier today.”

  “Crazy as hell, to say the least.”

  She turned towards him asking, “What do you think happened?”

  “Happened?” His head turned towards her.

  “Yeah. They came out during the day.”

  “Oh yeah. Definitely different. I was just thinking about that myself.”

  “Do you think they’re adjusting?”

  “To what? The sunlight?”

  “Yeah.”

  “God. I hope not. But, we saw what it was with our own eyes.”

  Kalene walked over towards the other edge and stared out towards Manhattan. “Ed... we lost things hauling ass from them…”

  Ed walked over towards her, sighed, then looked at her. Sighing again, he answered, “That was on my mind also. We’ve got to make another trip.”

  “There…” Kalene sighed as well pointing downtown, then also pointed towards Bed-Stuy. “Or, to the Armory because we’re almost about out of bullets.”

  “Damn.” Ed emitted a long, deep audible breath expressing his sadness and, right now, tiredness as well. “Both.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Kevin spied the convenience store from off the corner of the building. It was abandoned, but it wasn’t people that he wanted. It’s what he needed. He checked his gun, making sure the safety was off before he headed towards it.

  Subsequently, the area was supposed to be safe, but things happened earlier. Ever since he made that run downtown with Ed and them, he’d heard reports that the creatures were making their way deep into Bushwick. Good reports from very reliable sources.

  He didn’t trust it though. But the store had what he wanted. He needed a smoke. He had some loose tobacco he had salvaged from a smoke shop a couple of weeks back. Now, all he needed was some rolling paper.

  He’d been in there before looking for cigarettes; of course, that was all gone, but he remembered the rolling papers. Now, he needed to make this move to get his long waiting “nic” off. A nice roll-up would be nice right about now, he figured.

  He came out into the open, looking around. Seeing no one outside, he continued on towards the street. He made it across and hit the wall of the building in front of him, hugging it firmly with his back. He glanced up at the windows in the building he’d just left and saw a few people looking out at him. He caught someone’s eye and they signaled him, telling him that the coast was clear. He signaled back his thanks.

  He crept up the side of the street, ducking down very cautiously. He made it. He glanced quickly and looked through the smashed windows, looking for any movement. None. He slowly opened the door. He pointed his gun outward in front of him as he made his way in. He didn’t have to go far. Just across the counter. He jumped over and started searching frantically amongst the trash that was scattered about. There. He spotted a pack. He reached down and that’s when he heard the throat-gurgling shriek. The creature’s signature scream.

  He stayed down. Peeping his head up, he spotted it towards the back in the shadows. Kevin knew it wouldn’t make a move towards the front because of the sunlight peering through, so he made his way back cautiously across the counter. It could still lunge at him, so he backed up very cautious-like. Then, off to the side, he was blindsided. One of them had come around from the back. He’d been set up. Tumbling to the ground, he dropped his gun. He tried scrambling to get it, but the creatures had grabbed hold of his legs, trying to drag him back into the shadows. Kevin fought for his left, kicking frantically.

  He tried reaching for the gun, but it was useless. More creatures from the back came out and started helping. Kevin kicked, struggling as hard as he could and, just when one of them started to lunge at him, someone busted through the door. Jamal. He started shooting. Still, they wouldn’t stop approaching. He reached for his machete and started chopping them across the head. Stunning them monetarily, but one screeched at him and started to charge. Kevin was finally able to grab his gun, and he turned and fired. He emptied the clip into its head.

  The others moved back slightly after Jamal chopped him in the head again. It was done. Kevin jumped to his feet and they both grabbed each other and started backing out the door.

  They were out of bullets, so they knew they would have to make a mad dash towards the building because they heard more, and it seemed like they were coming their way. More screeching and shrieking. Kevin glanced up and yelled out, “Damn, it’s still daylight!”

  “It doesn’t matter to them anymore. Those muthafuckas done got immune or something.”

  “We’ve got to go!”

  They were right. They both looked over towards Bushwick Avenue and a bunch had gathered looking their way. Spotting them, they started approaching fast. Kevin glanced back up at the window where he’d seen someone earlier, and they were waving her hands frantically. Pointing behind them. He looked. There were more. He grabbed at Jamal and pointed their way. “We’ve got to go.”

  Jamal wasted no time. They hauled ass across the street, but their way was blocked. A few of them had come from around the building where they just came from. Kevin pointed his gun and pulled the trigger. Nothing. He forgot he’d emptied the clip in the store. He didn’t bring another one because he wasn’t expecting none of this to happen.

&n
bsp; They stood back to back now.

  “Bruh. Just fight. Fight as hard as you can. Fuck it,” Kevin said as he balled up his fist.

  “Damn right. Fuck them.”

  They put up their hands and, when one of them lunged, he was popped in the head by a bullet. His head exploded. They shielded their eyes to prevent the infected splatter from getting in their eyes.

  “Get the fuck down!” It was Ed. He aimed and another one dropped. The next one was up too close for him to unload. It was close up for him to swing. One swipe from the machete he brandished and the creature’s head fell off. “C’mon on!” he hollered at them.

  Jamal and Kevin started running, but Kevin stopped and, feeling through his pockets, he looked back on the ground where he’d come from. He’d dropped the rolling papers. Jamal looked back and screamed. “Are you fucking serious!”

  He was.

  He went back and picked them up and the creatures started chasing him. He made it around the corner with Ed, beckoning him to run faster. They were right on his ass. He dived through the door, and Ed quickly closed it up then put up the steel barricade. They all backed away slowly, looking at the creatures as they banged furiously, trying to get in. Before long, there were at least 20-30 more.

  Things were changing now. The monsters could come out during the day. Ed knew they couldn’t hold them off for long. A couple of tenants came down checking out the action, and they looked at Ed in distraught. They knew it too. It would only be a matter of time before they made it through the barricades. They had no choice, they had to leave. But, as Ed watched, he couldn’t help but wonder, where to?

  CHAPTER SIX

  Everyone from the building had gathered in the basement. Some had managed to make their way from the other neighboring buildings as well. As crowded as it was, still, caution was the rule. Men with rifles were placed by the windows. The doors were thoroughly secured.

  Ed and some of the elders that had been through the ringer with him since the beginning of this epidemic stood behind him. A table was set up where those that represented the community sat. Ed signaled to a man standing over to the side and he started hollering out for everyone to be quiet.