Surviving The Crazies

Chapter Two

Running towards the bathroom, Becky dropped to her knees when she reached her friend, who was face down on the floor unresponsive. Grabbing her sweat-stained shirt, she carefully rolled Cathy on her back, getting a better look at her friend. The woman's usual tanned skin was deathly pale and cold, her eyes sunken and mouth slack.

"Oh, God," Becky choked, pressing her fingers to Cathy's neck.

Struggling to find a clear pulse, even after moving her fingers to different positions, she put her ear to Cathy's colourless lips, letting out a gasp of relief when she could just barely hear faint, struggling breaths. Examining her further, Becky noticed the bandages on her hand were torn and bloody, the wound weeping.

"It's okay, Cathy, I'm gonna' get help as soon as I can," she said, raking her fingers worriedly through her own dark hair. "I'll be back in a second."

Running to the house phone, she snatched it from its cradle, hands shaking as she dialled 911. Again, the same automated voice spoke over the line, and she cried in frustration, beginning to dial the number again. A blood-curdling scream suddenly cut through the air, Becky flinching at the noise, which came from outside. Opening the front door, she abruptly stopped when she realised where the scream came from.

The driver of the crashed car was now awake, his teeth imbedded in the neighbour's face. Trying to pull away from the driver, the neighbour released another pained scream when the crazed man ripped the flesh from his cheek, blood spurting out. His wife, who was crying out for help, tried to help her husband by stopping the bleeding. From the corner of Becky's view, another man sprinted towards the scene, Becky thinking he was coming to help. Instead, an inhumane growl burst from his chest and he tackled the wife to the ground, gnawing into her throat like an animal.

Clinging to the doorframe, breath quickening with panic, Becky watched the scene unfold in front of her, unable to tear her eyes away from the gruesome scene. It was only when a bloodied woman jumped over the yard fence and sprinted towards the porch, her body started functioning again, slamming the door shut with a startled yelp. Locking and bolting it, the woman rammed into it, snarling angrily at Becky. Through the small glass pane in the door, white, empty eyes stared back at her, something she had never seen before.

"What the fuck?" Becky yelled out when she found how to work her voice again, the terrifying scenes replaying in her head while she backed away from the door. "What the fuck!"

Remembering the phone still in her hand, she dialled the emergency services once more, only to hear the automated voice on the other end. Crying out in frustration, she launched the phone at the ground, watching the plastic device smash to pieces. Grabbing her cell phone, Becky thought of who else she could call for help, trying to calm her shocked nerves.

A thud echoed in the hallway, the sudden noise causing Angela to take a sharp breath and clutch her cell phone to her chest. Slowly turning around, she watched Cathy stagger to her feet, her movements jagged and uneasy. Loud and raspy breathing came from her rising chest, a stark difference from only seconds before; it unsettled Becky.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she meekly called out to her friend. "Cathy?"

Cathy spun round and crouched low, a strangled gurgle vibrating in her throat, the lethargic woman on death's door vanishing in front of Becky. The first thing she noticed was Cathy's white eyes, the pupil and iris glossed over exactly like the woman's outside. Thick, clotted blood dripped from her wounded hand, snapping her teeth at Becky before running towards her, emitting a startling shriek. Becky could only stumble backwards before she jumped on her, both crashing to the floor.

"Cathy, stop!" she screamed, restraining her friend.

The blonde responded by trying to bite her face, Becky straightening her arms to push her away, surprised how strong the petite woman had suddenly become. Saliva splattered on her chest when Cathy bared her teeth, but Becky managed to shove her feet on Cathy's stomach during the struggle, gathering the strength to kick her off. The woman's body connected with the opposite wall, her back smacking it with a painful crack. Shuffling away, Becky backed into the wall for support and stood up, eyes never leaving her friend opposite her.