Meet Me Under Our Willow (A Daryl Dixon Pre-Apocalypse Love Story)

Chapter 23 - Gone To Hell

I shut the trunk of my car after loading our things inside. I walk up to my parents, who were hugging Noah goodbye. 

"I'll call you when we get home." I said, hugging Mom.

"Maybe we can have Christmas at your house." Dad chuckled, hugging me.

"Yeah, for sure." I agreed, "Sounds like a plan."

"Be careful!" Mom said while we got in the car. Noah and I waved at them as we drive away.

As we exit the city, we have to pull over due to almost a dozen police cars zooming in. I shrug it off, figuring some crime was happening in the large city. As we drive a little further, the song playing on the radio cuts out.

"This is an emergency public service announcement. We advise you to say indoors, a deadly virus has been reportedly spreading. The Center for Disease Control issued a state of emergency and advises everyone to say indoors until they can contain it."

"What should we do?" Noah asked.

"Let's just keep driving." I suggested, "We'll follow directions when we get home."

I try calling my parents, but the phone line is disconnected. I begin to panic slightly, but I stay calm for Noah. 

Up ahead, there is a person stumbling down the middle of my lane. I slow down when I get closer, and he doesn't seem to hear a car behind him, so I toot my horn at him. He slowly turns around, and the sight makes me shriek.

His skin is pale, his eyes a deadly gray, and half of his face was torn off.

The man stumbles over to my window and starts banging on it and growls viciously. I step on the gas, the tires squealing as we speed away. 

"What the hell was that?!" Noah exclaimed, "We need to call a hospital for him!"

"Noah, I don't think the hospital could've done anything. He didn't even look like he should be alive!"

"This is an emergency public service announcement." the radio cuts in again, "This infection is making people rabid. We advise you lock all doors and windows and stay indoors."

"This sounds serious, Quinn." Noah said.

"Everything's going to be okay."

As I go to get on the expressway, it is bumper-to-bumper as far as the eye can see, and no one is moving. 

"Shit." I cursed, wedging myself in in an opening. "Son of a bitch."

Some people are out of their cars, talking to each other, both looking concerned. They part ways, and the burly-looking man goes to walk by, but I roll down my window.

"Sir?" I asked him, he stopped, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Some disease is making people go crazy. They're like cannibals." he informed.

"Oh my god." I mumbled, "I need to get back to my parents."

"Are they in the city?" I nodded, "They're blocking it off. No one gets in or out."

I shook my head in disbelief, "How long will it be before they contain this thing?"

"I have no idea." he responded, "But, listen, if you two don't want to be alone when the sun sets in a couple hours, me and a friend and her son are a few cars down. This is gonna be backed up a while."

"Thank you..." I trailed off, not knowing the man's name.

He stuck his hand through the window for a handshake, "Shane."