OUTBREAK

Pyramid Lake #20

"Pyramid Lake Visitor Center?" said Dylan.

It was between midnight and morning when they got out of the car to see the moon shine across the lake. In the center of the lake was a small island completely untouched.

"That looks like somethin'" said Jacob's father.

"We could stay here," said Jacob almost happily.

"I'm not," said Hugo. They all turned to look at him. Rosy was asleep in his arms. "I have to find my sister."

The group could barely see Hugo's face but knew he was serious.

"That's right," said Jacob's father. "We could at least rest here though."

"Okay," Hugo answered.

Beside the lake was a building labeled as the visitor center. In the parking lot was a viewpoint with a map of the lake and information about it. The group parked the car in the lot and walked to the front doors. The building was locked from the inside and the windows were boarded up.

"You think someone's in there?" said Dylan to the group. He, Adam Driver and Jacob's father spit up around the building. Finding nothing more than locked doors and boarded up windows.

Hugo gazed at the lake with Rosy from the viewpoint. As he looked closely, he noticed several boats drifting in the water, but there was no one in them. He heard footsteps from behind. Quickly swiveling around, holding Rosy tightly, he looked at the source of the noise. It was Carmen, Dylan's daughter.

"You're careful with her, aren't you?" said Carmen, with a calm voice.

"Yeah," said Hugo. His heart rate was up but he let out a long exhale and looked back at the lake.

"How old is Lila?"

"I think four," Hugo answered.

"Figures. You seem like you would be a good brother," Carmen leaned onto the railing of the viewpoint. "I'm sorry she was taken."

"Thanks," Hugo answered. He took a breath. "You see the boats out there?" Hugo pointed to the lake.

"What?" said Carmen, she leaned closer. "Oh, there is! We should tell them, maybe we can get to the island with one!"

Hugo looked around the lake near the visitor center and noticed a ramp for vehicles to lower their boats into the water. It was backed up with cars and boats stuck to trailers. There was a dead or run over wanderer between the cars. Carmen followed him, seeing the ramp as well.

"I almost forgot wanderers are still a thing," said Carmen.

"Look out," said Hugo. He nodded to a nearby hill, where a lone wanderer was stumbling through the dry grass.

"Guys!" said Jacob, he came running from the visitor center. His voice alerted the wanderer "We found an entrance."

It was an open vent behind the building that faced the lake, and it was the only opening they could find. Dylan and Adam had already gone in, and Jacob's father waited for the teenagers to arrive.

"Come on, in here," said Jacob's father when the teens arrived. Carmen crawled in first, then Hugo, who carefully handled Rosy, then Jacob and his father. Inside the center was displays about the history of the region and the lake. Little models of Native Americans and the like. Adam and Dylan had found an empty vending machine as well as a small stash of food behind the front counter. The only light in the building was the moonlight that came through the boarded windows.

In one of the rooms was a collection of abandoned clothes, rags and supplies. Going through the items, there wasn't much of use except for a small multitool and rope.

"You think someone still lives here?" said Jacob to Hugo and Carmen.

"I don't think so, it feels mostly undisturbed," Hugo answered.

"Ugh!" said Adam from down the hall. "There's a body in the bathroom!" he announced.

The group wandered about the visitor center finding no other living thing in the building. They found a statue of a turtle in one of the displays and placed it in front of the vent just in case someone tried to crawl through. They all found a spot to rest on the floor and stayed there until morning.

—

"WAAA" went Rosy at around 8 a.m. She had soiled her diaper. Everyone woke up annoyed. Hugo took her to the restroom and tried to use the sink, but it was not working. He went to the group with Rosy still crying in his arms.

"I need someone to get me water and clean rags," said Hugo. "One of those boats should have a bucket."

Everyone except Carmen left the building in search of Hugo's items. Carmen searched some of the utility rooms, finding a fully stocked janitor's closet and an employee lounge.

It was another half hour before any of the others came back, it was only Jacob who crawled through the vent with a bucket and a bag of baby supplies.

"I'm here!" said Jacob as he rolled out of the vent. His voice seemed tired and out of breath.

Hugo, while carrying Rosy, went with Carmen to check on Jacob, who was hastily pushing the turtle sculpture back into the vent.

"We set off a car alarm," said Jacob, catching his breath. The group stayed silent and through Rosy's crying they heard a faint car alarm coming from the ramp outside.

"Okay. Stay here," said Hugo. He took the supplies and changed Rosy in the lounge. "Carmen, stay here with her. I'll check out the car alarm."

Carmen nodded and looked after Rosy.

Crawling out of the vent, facing the lake, Hugo could hear the car alarm and the adult men faintly shouting. Hugo and Jacob ran to the ramp to find the men inside one of the boats that was connected to a car. Several wanderers had surrounded the boat, unable to climb inside. The men were using fishing poles to fend off the wanderers but to no use.

The car with the alarm had a broken window in the back seat.

"That's where we got the baby supplies," said Jacob.

Hugo began to think of a plan, but Jacob tapped him on the shoulder and pointed Hugo to the hills around them. Coming from over the hills was a wave of wanderers, attracted to the noise.

"Oh, no," said Hugo. Dreading the sight. "Weapons! We need weapons!" He began to say. They looked around the grassy area behind the building but there was nothing other than varying sizes of rocks. "Jacob, go inside, look at the janitor's closet and see what you can find," Hugo commanded. Jacob nodded and crawled back through the vent.

Hugo took a large rock and ran up behind one of the wanderers beside the boat and bashed it's head against the edge of the boat, splitting the skull in half.

"Come on!" Hugo said, out of breath. He noticed Adam was in pain, with Dylan kneeling beside him. Dylan and Jacob's father both looked very somber. Hugo knew what that meant. "I said come on!" he shouted again. Adam wrapped his arms around the two men and they began to lift him from his seat. Where Adam's leg had rested was a bloody stain on the boat.

"Raaaa..." went a wanderer beside Hugo. He put the rock in his right hand and slammed it into the wanderer's face, but the weight of the rock pulled Hugo forward and onto the wanderer's legs.

"Dam!" Hugo said. He let go of the rock and struggled to get up. Lifting his head, he saw more wanderers stumbling down the ramp. He looked back at the men and saw them struggling to get Adam down from the boat. Dylan was on the ground pushing back a wanderer, and Jacob's father was lowering Adam off the boat.

Jacob bursted from the vent with a sharpened mop handle and speared it at the wanderer attacking Dylan. The four of them helped down Adam and took him to the vent. The wave of wanderers were only a few dozen feet away.

First Dylan went into the vent, pulling Adam behind him. Then Jacob and Hugo.

"Hurry, hurry!" said Jacob's father. He almost pushed Hugo trying to get in. Hugo looked back to see dozens of wanderer legs outside the vent and Jacob's father right behind him. The two made eye contact before Jacob's father was dragged out of the vent.

His screams echoed throughout the visitor center.