Dead Awakening(STOPPED ATM)

Escape

Chapter 1

Public Health Alert!

The newest deadly disease has spread at an alarming rate since it was first discovered. Initial signs of the disease include the following: a fever of up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, boils, sores, and dissolving of the skin. If you or anyone you know is currently experiencing any of these symptoms, please report to your nearest military checkpoint immediately.

Selena

This message was burned into my mind from watching this news report playing over and over and over again on the TV. It all started about two weeks ago and the media described it as a "minor problem." For the first few days, it seemed that nobody cared about what was going on. Eventually, people had begun to understand the danger that faced them as more people got infected and that was when all hell broke loose. Now, that message was the only broadcast ever played on the TV, and it repeated itself every hour.

For the one hundredth time I thought about just getting out and ditching my family to escape this madness. My mother was always pestering me about doing chores and it gets on my nerves. No one wants to stay with someone who was annoying during an apocalypse. I would have escaped long ago but what would I do after I left? A buzz sounded nearby. I glanced at my phone and saw that I got a message from Ari, one of my best friends.

It said: Come over to my house and let's get out of here; I have a plan.

I typed back: Okay. See ya soon Ari.

I stuffed my phone into my pocket so I wouldn't forget it. Now for the hard part: escaping my parents' crazed minds without getting caught! I grabbed my car keys off my bedside table, and began to pack up everything I needed, including survival items. These so called survival items were items like a flashlight and a few water bottles. I heard a knock on my door and I looked up, fearing I'd been caught before I even left. What a failure of an escape plan I had. My mother stood in the doorway, her hair in disarray, her blue eyes penetrating into me.

"Where you going honey? Why are you packing your bag? You know we can't leave the house. Haven't you seen the news?!" my mother said, looking curiously at me. She stared at me unblinkingly and leaned against my doorframe.

I stammered for words, "Oh, I was just getting it ready in case there was an emergency." I said as I put on a fake smile to make myself more believable.

She narrowed her eyes at me, not believing my lie. "Then I guess you wouldn't have a problem packing my bag as well," she retorted to deliberately press my buttons.

"Mother! I am not your personal servant," I said as my mood worsened. I looked down at my backpack and continued to pack it, hiding my face so she wouldn't see that her plan had worked.

"Well I see you haven't done anything else productive today so you are going to do it," she said with a smug smile. "I am gonna go check on our food stores," she said hastily and left me alone.

She always found a way to wind me up, whether it was extra chores around the house or purposely sitting and watching me work without offering to lift a finger. I was glad I was leaving this dump anyway. At least this gave me an excuse to go into her room to grab one of the two guns we had.

I crept into her lavishly furnished room and looked around, making sure the coast was clear. No one in sight. So far, so good. My mother seemed to have disappeared from sight. My heart drummed inside my chest out of my fear that she would find me. I went to her bedside table and grabbed the Glock from the drawer. I loved the feeling of its weight in my hands. I snatched most of what little ammunition we had and headed back to my room. We have had guns for as long as I could remember. I recalled my Dad attending gun shows and going out hunting with his friends. He bought the two guns at the first sign of the apocalypse to protect us from whatever was coming. That was good old Dad for ya. I longed to see him again but he had gone off on a hunting trip with all his buddies right after he bought the guns for us. He had left me without saying goodbye. My mother told me that he had gone on the trip with his friends. I sighed and continued to stuff all my survival gear into my bag.

I spotted my knives and ninja stars that were on my bedside table where I left them if I was attacked by any infected in the middle of the night. I was being a little paranoid but rather safe then sorry. I grabbed them and placed them in an easy-to-reach pocket for easy access in case I got into some trouble. I had gotten them a few months ago from a gun show my dad and I went too before all broke loose. And yes they did sell them at gun shows if you were wondering.

Back then my dad told me they were a cool and helpful things to have. Plus I was a tomboy so I eagerly thanked him and had never had them out of my sight again.

I finished placing everything else in my backpack, including my favorite deck of cards. Who doesn't want to play cards during an apocalypse?

I snuck downstairs and opened the pantry. I gathered all the non-perishables we had and my favorite dessert, Oreos. When news of the virus broke, my mother had the foresight to know what this disease was capable of, so we had run to the nearest grocery store and purchased carts full of soups and dried foods, like pasta. I left the pantry and closed the door softly behind me, making sure I closed it softly.

I opened the door that led to the garage and hurried out to my car, unlocking it as I went. Using the garage door opener from inside my car, my insides were twisting in anxiety. Where had my mother gone? I put the car into reverse and backed out of the garage. I maneuvered around her parked car that was in the driveway and started to pull out onto the street. I was nearly home free!

At that moment, my mother burst out of the door I had just left and started running towards me. Shoot! It appeared to be over before it had even begun but I won't give up so easily. I rapidly sped down the driveway, barely missing my frantic mother. I sped down the road, anxiously trying to get away from her. I won't miss her one bit. I glanced back in my rearview mirror and saw her face contorted in frustration. I pitied her, but was sure that she could make it on her own or find someone else to boss around. I stopped at a stop sign, took out my phone and texted Ari: On my way! Barely made it out! Whew!

I continued on down the street recklessly as joy fueled my emotions. At last I left my mother behind, but little did I know what I was getting myself into.