Repeated Encounters

Chapter 8: Show Me Those Jazz Hands

As Emma and Paul were escaping the infected, his brain was going into overload. 'What is happening?' 'Why are they all singing?' 'Did the crashed meteor have anything to do with it?' 'The timing of the arrival of the meteor and all of this starting couldn't be a coincidence. Nothing of any consequence usually ever happens in Hatchetfield. Most people haven't even heard of it.' 'What is happening?!'

After an ordeal involving alleyways and dead ends, the unlikely pair finally found some trash cans to hide near. Thinking they would be safe here for a while, they stopped to rest, and to freak out.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! What the fuck was that?"

"I told you it was scarier than it sounds!"

"You were right. I didn't think about the implications! Oh my god, I didn't think about it!"

"Emma, Emma, shh, it's alright, okay?" There was then a loud banging from behind the trash cans. Paul and Emma screamed. There was suddenly a tall figure looming above them. This was it. This was their end. They were going to die.

"No! It's not alright Paul!" Wait, what? Oh, wait, Paul knew this person.

"Bill! You scared the shit out of us."

"Well how the hell am I supposed to pop out of a trash can and not scare the shit out of you?" He's got a point. There wasn't really much he could do. Though he could just not hide in a trash can.

"I don't know, give us a warning or something next time, you know?" There was then more banging from the trash cans. Paul and Emma screamed again. Another figure emerged.

"Charlotte!"

"Sorry, I tried to warn you but- " She also has a valid point.

"Oh my god! Who are these people?"

"They're my friends from work."

"What are they doing in the trash?"

"Well we had to find a place to hide. Mr. Davidson kept calling people into his office and they kept coming out singing!"

"It was the same at the bank, the butchers, and the post office."

"It's all downtown, we were just at Beanie's." There was another very loud bang. Paul and Emma screamed once more.

"You didn't invite me!" Ah, that's obviously Ted.

"Jesus, Ted!"

"Shh! Shh! Shut the fuck up Paul! Alright? If you want to stay in our hiding spot, you got to be quiet, alright. There's something going on and we don't know what it is or who we can trust so, Paul, get in the trash can. You, beat it!"

"Uhh, fuck you?"

"No, no, Emma stays with us."

"I don't know her!"

"Yea, you do! She's the ..." The only way to make Ted understand would be to use those dreaded words, which would be great, especially saying them in front of Emma. She'd probably think he was weird and/or creepy. Probably both. "She's the barista from Beanie's." Ted still looked confused. Paul braced himself. "The, you know, the latte hottay." Paul could just tell at this point that Emma was looking at him weirdly behind his back. He tried not to think about it.

"What?" Shit. She did hear. He could hear the confusion in her voice. He hoped this was a thing that was never mentioned again. Paul looked at Ted to see if he understood now. Ted just looked annoyed.

"Paul, that is not the latte hottay. That's the crabby one who won't sing when I tip her! You grabbed the wrong one!" Fuck you, Ted. "You noodle!" What? Noodle? Really? "Fuck!" Sirens sounded in the distance. Oh crap. Had the infected taken over the police force too? If they had then there was probably no hope at all. Well that's just fan-freaking-tastic.