Haystack

Chapter Eight

Thanks to my beta and pre-reader Kymbersmith90 for her amazing work!

Twilight is not mine only the plot.

******Haystack******

EPOV

The journey to Seattle was quiet at first; I never saw a car coming into town, but a lot of them were getting out. When I was passing through Port Angeles, I could tell a lot of people were getting out of there too. As I continued the drive, I could see a few cars coming in the opposite direction. When I passed Sequim, it was the same as Port Angeles. In Lilliwaup and Hoodsport, I didn’t see a soul. I was about to arrive to Shelton when Charlie contacted me through the radio to tell me the Quileutes had agreed to help us. They had started to move their people to the island and Charlie was organizing the few people that had stayed behind. He said there were no more than thirty, including us. I was shocked.

“Why so few people, Charlie? Over.”

“Well, boy, when Mr. Stanley gave his little performance you saw some of them were leaving. But, when Mary Ann came to the square, she told everyone what the governor had done and that sealed the deal. Almost everybody fled. Over.”

I shook my head. “Some faith they had in you, Charlie. So, the plan is basically to pack all we can and go to the island? Over.”

“Yes, that’s the plan. If, by the time you come back with Bella we are no longer here, go to the Quileute marina and head to the island. I’m going to leave a boat there for you guys. Over.”

“Okay Chief…” I trailed of when I saw a man, or what was left of him, walking along the highway all bloodied and scarred. At the horizon I could see plumes of smoke, and as I approached, I started to hear alarms blaring, people screaming and guns firing.

“Charlie!” I said frenetically into the radio.

“What is it, Edward? Over.”

“They are here in Shelton, Charlie… zombies, the undead.”

As I was moving further into town all I could see was chaos and destruction. There were people dead in the streets, and others were either running from the undead or fighting off their attacks. My cop instincts tried to take over, but Charlie’s voice made me remember why I was there.

“Edward, don’t stop! I know you want to help, but remember why you are passing that town. Remember Bella needs you.”

I nodded and tightened my grip on the wheel, trying to focus on my task. I maneuvered my way through the cars that were abandoned on the streets and the ones coming in my direction.

“Don’t worry, Charlie. I’m going to try to get out of here as soon as I can. I’ll contact you when I make it out of town. Over and out.”

I left the radio in its place and tried to block all the noises outside of my cruiser, although I couldn’t avoid seeing the carnage.

I didn’t know how much time had passed, but it felt like forever when I finally left Shelton. I contacted Charlie again to let him know I was okay and headed to Olympia.

The highway was a mess. From Shelton to Olympia I found car wrecks and people throwing themselves at moving cars, mine included, trying to make us stop. The undead chased everything that moved and the living were losing their lives every second.

The first thing I saw in Olympia, and all the towns after, was the same as in Shelton, only worse. Fires everywhere; cars blocking streets; hordes of the undead attacking people in cars, buses, buildings - you name it. It was very difficult to find a way out of there.