OUTBREAK

We Love It! #3

Hugo and Ingrid had been jumping across rooftops and looting abandoned apartments all day. By nightfall, Hugo was burnt out. His legs were sore and bruised from his rough landings. The two took temporary residence in an apartment in Chinatown where they had found some leftover noodles in a fridge.

"You're getting better already," said Ingrid, with a mouthful of noodles.

"Thanks," said Hugo with another mouthful of noodles, "I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't taught me."

"Cheesy, but you seemed fine when I met you. I watched you climb onto that balcony." Ingrid swallowed her food.

"Yeah. That doesn't mean I was good at it. You should've seen how red my hands were." Hugo, also swallowed.

"You're fine. Don't worry." Ingrid stabbed her fork into the cup of noodles, and pushed it away. She stood up from the folding table, almost knocking over Hugo's food. "Sorry... I think I'll head to bed."

Hugo looked up at Ingrid, seeing a weird look in her eye. "Uh, okay. Goodnight." Ingrid left to one of the bedrooms with a cheap mattress and closed the door behind her. Hugo was left with the couch, but he was fine with it.

Finishing his food, Hugo readied to sleep. He put his chair on the apartment door, laid on the couch, and closed his eyes.

"Hugo! Play with me Hugo!" said Hugo's little sister. She bonked him on the head with a toy clown.

"Ah!" he smiled. He had fallen asleep on the couch in his old apartment. "Fine, gimmie that!" He playfully snatched the clown from his sister's hand and made it dance. She giggled, laughing at the clown. The toddler opened her arms out to hug him, and he reached out to her. Before they could lock arms, Hugo awoke; a wanderer was an inch away from his face.

"Ah!" Hugo screamed. He kicked it away, pushing it into the wall. Seeing the front door wide open, Hugo jumped from the couch and found Ingrid in the kitchen. She was fighting off three wanderers at once. Hugo ran to her and pulled one away. As it stumbled to the floor, Hugo and Ingrid pushed away the other two and they ran out of the building. Finding themselves on the streets, almost surrounded at every turn, they ran.

Up and down the alleys, in and out of tunnels, the wanderers were everywhere. They became lost in the many streets of LA as they ran for their lives. Eventually, they found an opening. A street that led up a hill to Dodger's Stadium. They ran to the front doors, finding them chained shut.

"Hello?!" Ingrid screamed, banging on the doors, but her calls attracted the wrong sort of attention. From the streets, hundreds of curious wanderers drew near. The two of them ran around the side, finding a door that wasn't chained but still locked. Hugo and Ingrid pulled on the handles, making a loud rattling noise. No matter how much they shook the doors, they wouldn't open. Finally, surrounded again by wanderers, they were trapped.

BZZZZZZ

The bright lights in the parking lot came on, stunning the hoard of wanderers for a moment. Hugo and Ingrid tried to keep their eyes open but they couldn't adjust fast enough. The doors behind them clicked and flung open. From inside, several men in white and blue uniforms came running to the rescue. One man escorted Hugo and Ingrid into the building, the rest bashed some wanderer heads with metal bats.

When they were all inside, they sealed the doors shut with a metal bat. The wanderers began to bash on the door as their groaning leaked into the building. The group of survivors gathered in the bleachers on the bottom floor