Our Stories End

Chapter 2 || Adrenaline

Alex

The parking lot is nearly full. My friends and I aren't the only ones trying to dart off from ground zero. During this time of desperation, it surprised me to see everyone being so selfless. Teachers letting students into their car, some seniors piling in freshmen like sardines in the back seat. Behind them are the infected. In my eyes, they're my friends and classmates, when in reality they aren't even human anymore. It seems like Joss thinks the same as well. As I check to see if the right side is clear, I notice tears trickling down Joss' face.

"It'll be okay," I said.

I know, in my mind, that she knows those words are meaningless. I truly don't know how we'll make it out. The only concern now is to get my friends home, to make sure they're safe. I checked both sides again. Both were littered with panicked people, but when I needed to pull out, there weren't any. I lifted off of my brake gently and the car begins to roll forward slowly. As it inches halfway out of the parking spot, I turn right, towards the main exit of the school. Now, slowly driving through the crowds of students, a shiver passes through my body. I now realize the mistake I had made.

Once I passed the students, I saw what they were running from. A hoard of other infected students and teachers has managed to bust through different exits and windows and were now looking at us, their next snack.

"TURN! TURN! TURN!" Kellen screams, as if he was about to have his head cut off.

I turned the wheel as fast as I could, with one hand over the other until the wheel couldn't physically go any further. I slam on the gas. The engine makes a noise that angers the infected. Some of the infected even start in a full sprint towards the car.

"OH SHIIIIT!" I yell as I drive over to the other side of the parking lot, clipping some cars and almost hitting someone because of my reckless driving.

At the other end of the parking lot, a gate blocks the back exit. It's a rusted metal gate that is attached to a metal pole by a lock and chain. I smirk as I slam the pedal all the way to the floor.

"WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!" Joss exclaims, doing as much as she can to get me to stop. "SLOW DOWN!" The car is now just a few feet from the gate. "I SAID SLO---"

CLAAANG!

The car broke through the gate, doing a number to my front bumper. I now switch to the brake, forcefully pushing it as I make a ninety-degree right turn on the main road towards my house. The inertia sends Kellen and Laci into each other against the car door and window. When fully parallel to the road, I started off to my house.

"Hahaha! I knew we were gonna make it! Ha! And you said we weren't." I said condescendingly.

The adrenaline is getting to my head, I had felt more alive than ever.

"Yeah, but couldn't we have gone a little slower? That turn did a number to my head." Kellen said.

"Go slower? And what, risk dying?" I said with confidence. "Not gonna happen."

As the car continues straight, I push my foot down on the accelerator. The engine revs. VVVRRRRRR!!! The dial on the RPM gauge shoots upward between the six and seven mark.

"WOOO HOOO!" My adrenaline is coursing through my veins. "It's the end of the fucking world and nothing fucking matters!"

"Alex, I think you're going a little crazy." Jossolyn starts.

"Crazy? This is only the beginning!" I yell over the music, which is increasing as I turn the volume up.

"This is TRPS, Southern Maine's nonstop rock station!" The radio blares.

Jossolyn picks up on the banging coming from the radio. As the banging grows louder, first Laci, then Kellen picks up on it as well.

"Coming up next, the number one song by The Cranberries, it's the—" The radio host is interrupted by the infected. "ZOMBIE!"

The song almost immediately starts.

"Do you think it was one of the infected?" Kellen says. "I mean, they're kind of like zombies."

"Didn't you hear him, that's literally the name of the song," I said obliviously.

"I know that's the name of the song but didn't you hear the grunting in the background?" Laci questioned.

"No," I replied. "But if all three of you heard it I wouldn't doubt it."

"So I guess we aren't the only ones dealing with this disease." Jossolyn conjectures. "Hey Al, do you know where that rock studio is?"

I was half-listening, I'm more focused on the road and my speed rather than getting to the bottom of it. The roads feel empty already, knowing that the police are probably more focused on this disease outbreak rather than my speeding; I am going forty in a twenty-five. I start to slow down when I approach my road, but I stop hard enough to make everyone jerk forward a little.

"What was that?" I asked.

"The rock studio, where is it?" Jossolyn repeats

"I think it's just north of Portland." I think. "So that's about twenty-five, thirty-ish miles away from here."

The decision to investigate the studio completely slips through my mind like a paper boat through a storm drain. I nonchalantly turn left towards my house. At the time, the plan was to protect my family first and worry about others later. As I near my house I slowly turn the volume down. The sound of the wind blowing through the leaves draws attention away from the fact that the apocalypse has begun. Birds whistle as the sun shines brightly through the gaps left between each tree. I pass, reflecting the light off of the car windows distracting me from the chaos. While I don't know it yet, this is the last time that I will feel true peace. Soon the big yellow house comes into view. Its presence is still a surprise for me, for the year prior it had been torn into shambles and now it looks as if it had been there since I was a baby.

I pull us into the driveway but, as I do so, the chaos comes back into my brain in the form of paranoia. I pull into the turn-around and proceed to back into the driveway. That way, if I'm in a hurry I don't have to worry about any backward driving. A glimpse into a world prior ends my drive.

"Alright, everyone out," I said.

Everyone gets out and follows me to the door as I grab a shovel. Laci gives me a weird look.

"Anything can happen, Lace," I responded.

"Are you even sure your house is the best option?" Laci inquires.

"It's the best we got," I answer. "There's plenty of food and I'm pretty sure my Dad's coming with more. There are guns in the basement, but I don't have the code to the safe so that'll do for now." I show the shovel to everyone to emphasize its use rather than a gun.

"You have guns?" Kellen asks.

"No, I don't have guns, I'm just a strong supporter of the 2nd amendment that doesn't own any guns." I pause, Kellen gives me a look of confusion. "Of course I have guns! You can have a nerf gun if you don't like them."

Kellen laughs it off as I slowly open the door to my home.