Sightless

A Breakage and a Breakout

"I'm flying!" Emma giggled, "Why didn't we get a trampoline sooner?" I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Because Mom said that they were too dangerous and she didn't want to have to take any of us to the emergency room." Emma grimaced. "Mom is always so overprotective. She needs to learn to live a little."

"Or maybe she lived a little too much." My mom's voice came drifting out the open window. She brushed her long black hair out of her eyes with her wrist. She turned off the water and put the last dirty dish away. "You kids come in now. It's time to set the table for dinner." I climbed down from the trampoline. "Guys watch this!" I turned. Emma was in midair. I saw her as if in slow motion and I gazed glassy-eyed as she flew over the edge of the trampoline, straight onto the brick patio. I was snapped out of my stupor by her screams. Mom rushed out, and I hastened over as well.

Her leg was twisted at an angle that no limb should ever be in. Mom had turned as white as a sheet. "Evva, call your father." She said in a shaky voice. I nodded, running over to the phone. I dialed the number and plugged my other ear to block out the screams coming from the backyard.

"Dad?"

"What is it, Evva?"

"We were jumping outside on the trampoline and Emma fell off and now we think her leg is broken. She won't stop screaming."

"Oh-no! That's terrible! Tell your mother that I'll meet her at the hospital."

"Love you dad."

"You too."

He hung up and I ran back outside. "Dad says he'll meet you at the hospital." My Mom turned to me. "I'll take Emma and you stay here with Norah, okay?" I nodded and walked over to Emma who was clutching her leg. "You'll be okay." I said. She glanced at me and kept crying. I looked away from the twisted appendage, feeling a little sick. I'm not very good when it comes to blood and injuries; I can deal with a scrape or cut, but not much more than that. I turned away and went inside as my mom helped Emma to the car and they drove away. I sighed and turned on the TV. Norah was still taking her afternoon nap. At five, she was a little old for naps, but my mom just sometimes needed a break from such a little ball of energy.

I flicked through the channels. I stopped for awhile at a cartoon. The animated characters were busy whacking each other with anvils and the like. I didn't normally watch such childish things, but right now I just wanted to keep my mind off of the recent events. After another twenty minutes of that garbage, I changed the channel to the news.

"-you describe this "zombie bacteria?" A blonde reporter was standing next to a man in a white lab coat. "Well, we were working on a theory of ours. The idea was to create bacteria that we could release into the bloodstream. The bacteria would find the cancer infested tissue and eat away the cancer. When they had eaten it all they would eat each other and die, leaving no traces of ever being there. Unfortunately, when we released the bacteria into our test subjects, it went straight to the brain for some reason and latched onto the brain cells. The immune system detected the bacteria and attacked it, destroying the brain cells in the process. Some of the cells remained, but most were killed, rendering the patients insane. There were at least thirty patients who applied for testing in several locations. The patients are still functioning humans and can think for themselves somewhat. But they are consumed by only one thought; revenge. They blame all doctors, scientist, and really, all humans for their misfortune. They wish to infect all of us and all they have to do to infect us is by biting us or scratching us. This bacterium is transferred through bodily fluids much like the Ebola virus that came around a few hundred years ago."

The blonde looked a little shaken but continued asking her questions. "What are the locations you mentioned where the breakouts occurred?" "The hospital names are Virginia Red Cross, Frankfort Hospital, and D.C. medical centre. They are in Virginia, Kentucky, and Washington D.C. Everyone is advised to stay inside, lock your doors, windows and be prepared for an evacuation notice. This could very well be the start of a sort of Zombie Apocal-" I turned off the TV. My hands were shaking and I was glad that I was already sitting. He said D.C medical centre. That was the hospital that my Mom had taken Emma! I looked at the clock. It only took ten minutes to get there and it had already been forty five minutes.

I pulled out my cell and called my Mom; she didn't answer. I called my Dad; He didn't answer either. I googled the hospital's number and dialed it. "Hello, you have reached D.C medical centre. We're terribly sorry, but no one is available to take your call right now. Please wait and some-"I hung up. No one was answering any phone calls. I ran back to the TV and turned the news on again. There was an aerial view of the hospital being shown. People were fleeing the building and fire was rushing from the windows of the second floor. Policemen wearing armor were advancing, holding their guns before them and unmoving figures littered the ground. The video cut to a newscaster. "They're pulling bodies from the fire and shooting the insane "zombies" as it were. Here's a list of the names so far:"

For the next thirty seconds or so he read the names of the dead. I listened carefully and waited for the heart stopping moment when he would say my parents' and sister's names. That moment came about five seconds later. I slowly turned off the TV. I didn't cry; I couldn't. I suppose I was in shock. I'd never had the occasion to experience it. It felt like someone had injected my brain with an anesthetic. I knew what the newscaster had said but I didn't truly understand. I snapped out of it. I was alone; orphaned. But so was my little sister. She needed me, and I had to be strong.

I got up and went over to the cupboard where we kept our emergency kits. Each one had the basic necessaries as well as some personal items, which were different for each person. I took them all out and set mine aside. I emptied the contents out onto the floor and selected the items I would need; My Dad's medium sized jack knife, a length of rope, extra food, a can opener, a solar powered flashlight, and other odds and ends that seemed useful. Each pack also contained a device that looked like a mobile phone. It was called the Ethernet, the emergency communication device. It's connected with all the other Ethernets and has several different net sections; help, converse, public, and private. The private section is linked only with the Ethernets you want. It's solar powered and wirelessly connected. Ever since the Ethernet came out they have been perfecting "wi-fi" until they finally were able to connect any device anywhere. I strapped the device to the inside of my bag and turned it on. If anyone in my area sent a distress signal, it would alert me and show me their location.

I grabbed Emma's empty bag and packed it lightly with things that I and Nora would need, including clothes. I went over to Nora and watched her for awhile. Her easy, quiet breathing had a calming effect. I didn't want to wake her, but the sooner we left the better. I gently shook her; she yawned and stretched. "Norah, get your shoes on. We need to go....on an adventure." She blearily looked at me. "Did Mama say so?" I looked away. "Mama and Papa and Emma are already on an adventure. We need to go too."She smiled. "Okay." While she was busy with that, I grabbed her blanket and went into my parents' room. I opened their side table drawer, picked up my Dad's Glock and the boxes of spare ammo, and added them to my bag. I called the now shoe-wearing Norah and we went outside. I took the small handheld bicycle pump, as well as a repair kit and put them in my bag as well. I lifted Norah onto the child seat on my bike and checked the tires. We rode out into the driveway. I knew exactly where I wanted to go; I had done research previously of where I'd need to go if something like this were to happen. At the time, I had thought it kind of silly, but now I was glad that I had. I had even already printed out the directions. The place is called Mount Weather. It was a civilian command facility in Virginia and was used as the center of operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It had an above ground complex, but the real part was a gargantuan underground facility. I had an Uncle who worked there and I was sure that he could work out a way to let me stay there. I had to make one stop before really beginning. I checked my map. What I was about to do wasn't exactly legal, but in a few hours, no one would care about laws anymore.