When Night Falls

Chapter 1 Pages 1-4

Jane 

Start of the outbreak

Jane had been living her life like any normal person up till 2 years ago, a worldwide news broadcast lit up her screen. The female reporter look panicked but still sat with a stack of papers in her hand, "THIS IS NOT A TEST. ON JUNE 21ST, 2030. THERE HAS BEEN A VIRUS OUTBREAK. NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT IT OR ITS ORIGIN OR ITS AFFECTS. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS STRICTLY SUGGEST TO NOT GO OUTSIDE UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. REMAIN IN YOUR HOMES AND AWAIT FARTHER INSTRUCTIONS" The broadcast was cut short when the camera had been knocked over making her tv cut to static. "What the hell?" Jane questioned to no one. She sat staring blankly at her tv like it would magically make the broadcast come back up when it didn't panic set in. "Breathe Jane, Its okay probably just another COVID strain. There's been a lot of new strains since the outbreak in 2019, so nothing to worry about right?" Jane rolled her eyes at the panic that tried to ride inside her, standing up she stretched and headed for the kitchen to wash the dishes from the day.

Standing at the sink her hands wrist deep in hot water and suds her phone forgotten on the couch on silent. "I really hope its nothing too bad" She spoke to herself as she washed a plate. Little did she know her phone was being blown up with news notifications. She finally seated the last plate on the drying rack and walked back to the kitchen to check her phone, seeing the amount of notifications she took a moment to read through a few of them. "What the hell?" A video attached to one of them read 'Live stream footage of the infected' the video opened showing a man stumbling to a small group of people. The man was drooling and foaming at the mouth with bloodshot eyes, as it continued the man grabbed one of the people from the group before forcefully and violently sinking his teeth into the woman he'd grabbed her scream echoing through the street they were on. "Dear God.." Jane mumbled under her breath while watching the video. Moments later the man was on the ground still violently tearing into the woman's flesh blood pooling on the concrete below them, moments later the man with the blood soaked mouth turned to look at the camera before before letting out a loud inhuman sound. Moments later the video cut to black the sound of screaming filling the speaker of Jane's phone before the video abruptly ended. 

Looking to her window it was already dark outside, filled with a new wave of fear Jane hurried to lock her doors and pull the blinds down before returning to her seat on the couch. "What the hell was that..?" She asked herself staring at her phone on the other end of the couch in disbelief. She was worried but sat in silence just staring at her phone, "This has to be a prank right?" Jane thought to herself while leaning against the back of the couch, she couldn't believe it was real. She sat looking at the ceiling silently lost in thought till she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning when Jane woke up at first she thought it had been a dream, "I've been watching too many zombie shows.." She mumbled while picking up her phone only to find it was dead. "Huh.. Guess it was a good thing i didn't have work today." She shrugged walking to her bedroom to plug her phone in. "Now what should i watch" She spoke to herself while turning on the tv only to be met with a news broadcast the female reporter looking at the camera with fear and worry in her eyes. "Whats going on?" Jane asked the empty room in front of her her eyes focused on the tv listening to what the reporter was saying. "Last night an unknown virus spread through country, it claimed hundreds if not thousands of lives. The country is now under a strict lock down, no one. I repeat no one is to leave their homes until farther notice. Stay inside and stay safe, if your area is in the blackout zone stay where you are officers and first rescue teams will be there to get you as soon as they can but once the power goes out it will not be back on anytime soon, if you live in NewYork or the surrounding states you are in the blackout zone. Do not leave your homes remain in doors again rescue teams will be there as soon as they can. If you live in New Jeresy, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, or Vermont you are in the blackout zone. Do not leave your homes, I repeat do not leave your homes." Jane sat watching in disbelief. her parents live in New York. 

All but running through her small house to the bedroom where her phone was plugged in she picked it up. panic raced through her as she clicked the call option on her moms contact, she sat and waited as it just rang till it went to voicemail. Next she tried her dad, same thing. Rang and went to voicemail. Panic and fear gripped her as she stared at her phone before trying again. Jane tried over and over but was met with her parents voicemail every time. "What the hell is going on?!" Jane yelled in frustration while looking at her phone. 

Jane continued trying to call them for the rest of the day only to constantly be met with their voicemail. She eventually gave up around 4pm, making her way to the kitchen she poured herself a glass of water not in the mood for food even though she hadn't eaten anything all day. Jane was being overtaken with fear even though she lived on the other side of the country in Texas her parents lived in the blackout zone. Glass of water in hand she paced her small home. Sunset came and went before the static on her tv flickered to life again with the same reporter from earlier only this time she was walking down the street in a hurry. "Everyone all of the US is now a no go zone, you will not be allowed through the boarders. I repeat you will not be allowed out of the US,The pandemic is spreading faster than we could have every imaged. Do not let anyone into your homes, I repeat do not let anyone in your homes. If you see someone outside with blood shot eyes and foaming mouths do not interact with them, I repeat do not interact with a person if they have bloodshot clouded eyes and foam at the corners of their mou-" Suddenly the camera went black a loud crash being heard followed by screams and the camera being kicked over showing a group of people with ripped apart flesh making their way closer and closer to the camera their dead eyes locked on the people running down the street trampling the camera  Jane's tv once again returned to static. The glass of water slipped from her hands shattering on the floor. "Oh God.. this cant be happening.." Jane spoke to herself her hand covering her mouth as she stared at the blankly at the tv static.