Rise Of The Others

Chapter Two.

"What's in your head, in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie!
What's in your head, in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie!"

I called back, not expecting a reply, at all.

"Hello?" I heard a rather familiar voice, it sounded like my mother.

"Mom..?" I held my phone in shock. "Where are you? Are you safe?"

"Don't worry about me, son. I'm alright," she had assured me, her voice calm and soft.

"I'll be right there."

We had already found a car not too far from the colony, it had a full tank of gas, and was in near perfect condition, too.

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Shaun was messing around with the radio, and he saw a signal from Seattle. He tuned in to see something so horrifying.

"This message is broadcasted at the request of the Seattle police department," the robotic voice said. "There has been an outbreak of the Hybrid Virus in the King County. If you are indoors, board up your windows and doors, and seal cracks with tape or damp towels. If you are outside, find a shelter immediately. There is a shelter-in-place for the entire state of Washington."

"Hey, remember that penpal you always emailed?" Caden asked. "He moved to Seattle, right?"

"Oh, I forgot!"

Nate. He was the one I truly loved. Not Caden, not anyone else. He was the love of my life, and he left too soon. I really hope he's alright.

I went to the earliest email he sent, scrolling through each one, until I found one he sent on July 4th, 2017.

To: liam.singh@gmail.com

From: yourregularperson@gmail.com

Subject: I love you.

Liam, there's been an outbreak in Canada! You probably know, but I'm living in Seattle now. I'll be checking the quarantine zones around to find you.

Love, Babe.

To: liam.singh@gmail.com

From: yourregularperson@gmail.com

Subject: Please, Respond.

Liam. Please. I don't want you to die.

Babe.

To: liam.singh@gmail.com

From: yourregularperson@gmail.com

Subject: Another Outbreak.

Liam, listen to me. There's been an outbreak in Seattle. Don't worry, I moved to Portland. I know you always wanted to go there... That's why I convinced my parents to move there. I know you're dead. If you aren't... I love you. So much.

Nate.

"I love you too," I whispered.

"Liam, something wrong?" Caden nudged my shoulder.

"N-no... It's alright," I put my phone away, looking at him.

"Come on, tell me what you saw," he abruptly took the phone from my hands and unlocked it. He looked through the emails for about a minute and stopped. "Well then."

"Can I have my phone back?"

"Oh, here," He threw the phone at me, hitting my face.

"Headshot!"

"Oh, how fucking dare you!"

"Hey, no fighting in the car!" Shaun yelled, abruptly turning the car around.

"Okay, fine... Sorry," I mumbled, taking my phone. I kind of wanted to reply, but I felt like I just shouldn't.

Lincoln was giving me this death glare each time I looked at Caden. He was cute, yet intimidating.

It was rather a calm day, clouds were covering the boiling sun, making it rather cold. Cold as I mean 35 degrees Celsius. From what I know, there are two types of weather in the post-apocalypse: freezing-as-fuck cold, and skin-burning hot.

As we arrived at the college, we saw that the streets were almost clean, it was a cloudy day, yet it was like a heatwave.

"Wait..." Caden looked up at the sky. "Is that... Snow?"

"The hell? It's like 40 degrees!" I said. "How is this happening?"

"Holy shit."

"Skulls!" I heard Lincoln shout. Gunfire was going left and right, 4 against 20. The skulls were basically a militia organization made in the aftermath of the pandemic. A real threat to the future of Canada

"Caden!" I pointed to a small group of Skulls. "Frag over there!"

Caden threw another frag at the group, mutilated organs and other body parts flying through the air. One by one, each of them fell to the ground. All of us slowly crept inside, looking at the corpses of them, scavenging for ammo and guns from them. I swear, we looked like those cheesy ass Call Of Duty game bosses or some shit. 

As we all scanned the lobby for resources, we went into the elevator. Caden had found the old key to our apartment, number 219. The elevator was rather dark and cold, but at least it was still functional. My guess is that the dams are still working. Hooray BC. As we arrived on the highest floor, I could hear inhuman groaning from the inside of the boarded apartments. God, I feel so sorry for those poor people. It's just like what Max said: "There are three people in the apocalypse: The ones who have turned, the ones who are insane, and us. The survivors."

The door was right in front of us. The door to find out what happened to my parents. Are they still alive? The answers lie in front of this door.