Creepypasta Corner

A Possible Plague

I grew up very awkward. Still, even as an adult, I don't talk to people unless I have to. I think it was ingrained in me as a kid. "Don't speak unless spoken to." That or my programming just took "don't talk to strangers" very seriously. That being said I don't have many friends. I'm not trying to throw a pity party - I don't even have money for the balloons - it's just a fact. I met my best friend in fourth grade. We only talked because we sat at the same table and I didn't see a way out. But nonetheless, we're still friends.

That being said, I wanted to try to break out of my shell, so to speak. Later than I should have, I found one of the many uses of the internet: connecting to other people. So I looked around, trying to find a community I could belong to. Unfortunately I don't have much in the way of a personality. I like things, sure, but not enough to be an enthusiast. I did find a zombie forum, though. I tried to think my way into talking to someone. I like The Walking Dead. I like the Resident Evil movies. Maybe this could work?

I hung out on there for a while, making an account but never posting. As interesting as zombies are, you'll eventually run out of things to discuss. As was the case with the forum. There were a few threads about survival plans. Another thread was about The Walking Dead, the show versus the comics. The same thing was going on with Resident Evil on the forum as well.

Out of zombie ground to cover, someone had started an off topic thread about conspiracy theories. There was some debate about JFK - people blaming everyone from the CIA to the Catholic church. There were also a lot of things about the Illuminati and Area 51. It was a thread about conspiracy theories, what else could one expect? As ridiculous as a lot of it was, it was definitely fun to read. I wasted a lot of time on there. I would lose track of time and look over at the clock finding it to be almost three in the morning. That was something I did a lot, actually.

I logged on one night and saw some people ragging on someone who believed zombies were real. They were being pretty ruthless too. That's something that seemed to have been born on the internet: brutal, anonymous assaults. However, the guy they were going after didn't seem fazed. He just kept insisting on the reality of zombies. Just before leaving he left a lengthy message.

I'm telling you, they exist. Whatever the bacteria/parasite is, it's everywhere. It's something ancient or extraterrestrial. All I know is that it's spreading through the soil. I've hacked into secure files and I know it's emerged in at least four small/rural towns so far. You'll know when it's coming, look for the signs. I don't know how, but they can track it! Look for military vehicles, men in hazmat suits. Get out while you can and prepare!

After that he didn't post anything else. Everyone on the thread started making fun of him and laughing. Well they laughed digitally. I found that really odd considering the nature of the thread. Then again, I had seen people make fun of each other's theories all the time. I guess maybe that was an unwritten purpose of the thread.

A few days later, on my way home from work, I saw a man in a containment suit coming out of a manhole. He walked over to a white van and climbed inside. My first thought was of the zombie guy. The second was rational.

They must be checking to make sure it's all good down there, I thought. Or maybe it's something to do with the water supply.

The next day my co-workers were talking about it. Apparently the man in the suit had shown up a few places the day before, popping out of the sewers. The news got around pretty fast, given the size of the town. We weren't the smallest town, but we weren't a metropolis either. Our "downtown" consisted of a mall. Other than that the only places to go for fun were a small dollar theatre and a lake a half hour out of town.

A few days went by with a few more appearances by the hazmat man. Except rather than lurking around in the sewers, he seemed to be testing the air. Well, he had been seen waving some sort of stick around. I jumped to the conclusion that he was testing the air on my own.