A Way Out

The Beginning...

2:00pm, Pintos Town, a small rural settlement in the outskirts of Lagos. Everything seemed to be peaceful, children playing as the adults went about their business. A small group of teenagers were hunting lizards when they heard a growl, turning around in fright, they see a dog, bigger than the dogs they had back in town. The teenager started to back away as the dog kept advancing, eyes blood red, teeth barred as foam dripped from its mouth. Sensing danger, they broke into a run with the dog in pursuit. A boy in the group trips and falls, screaming as the dog neared him amidst his companions gaze as it lunged at him.

BOOM!!!

Came the thunderous sound from a gun that hit the dog in the head killing it instantly. A hunter emerges from the bushes.

"Is everyone okay?"

They remain silent as he gets close to see the boy passed out and bleeding heavily from his arm.

6 months later, 5:30pm, yellow street, a woman with her daughter stealthy walks behind burnt up vehicles as they snuck past some armed men patrolling the area. They had to meet their contact who was to take or rather smuggle them out of town to Lagos. From rumors, it was said the epidemic never reached Lagos as the town was being quarantined, nobody was allowed to leave or go in and the military that patrolled the area shot any civilian on sight. She looks at her wrist, a dusty Rolex watch with a broken glass silently ticked, a keepsake from her husband, a tear rolls down her cheeks as her mind wandered off to her former life before all the madness began.

3 months earlier, a 3 bedroom bungalow at a suburban area of the town, a woman was watching the evening news after tucking in her kids to bed. Pictures decorated the house with several showing she was a doctor, well former as she retired from the medical field to set up her very own bakery that seemed to be doing pretty well. Married to renowned virologist Dr. Wale Ago, who worked on a Government project that involved synthesizing a cure for an epidemic that rapidly started to spread across the town. Overly happy as she awaited her husband to return to give him the good news, minutes later she hears him drive in. All worn out and lost in thought, her husband walks in slowly muttering to himself, he gets to the door and his wife jumps on him kissing him passionately, dropping his briefcase as he catches her.

"Woah, Woah, Woah.. Easy there honey, you almost gave me a heart attack." he says amidst her kisses.

"Sorry, love. I couldn't wait to tell you the good news." replying excitedly.

"Oh, so what is this great news that you're so eager to stop my heart for?" he asks sarcastically.

She pauses, taking his hand......

She feels a grip as her daughter holds her tightly. Shaken from her thoughts, she pats her on the head and they move, peering in all directions as they carefully made their way towards the bridge that led out of the town, from afar she could it was heavily barricaded with a military patrol, heavily armed behind it. But that wasn't her intended direction. She sights the transport complex few meters from her hiding spot and heads there, watching out for the armed guys, but more especially for the infected that were the product of the outbreak.

Her daughter winces loudly attracts the attention of the armed men, a scream is heard from within the complex and not waiting to find out, she readies her pistol...

72 hours earlier, 12:00 am, a car speeds along the dusty road, dangerously making turns as its driver, eager to reach his destination, hit someone.

At the home of Dr. Wale, his wife waited for her husband in the lounge as she watched a movie, suddenly, there was a break in transmission and the program was being replaced with a live broadcast. The announcer seemed scared as he passes a warning as she looks on hand across her open mouth as she listened with fear.