The Bad, The Ugly, And Us

THAT Day

BEEP BEEP BEEP, I slam my hand on my alatm clock. It's 10 am almost time for work. I slip out of bed and start to get ready. I look at myself in the mirror, I'm 24 years of age, live in a little apartment by myself, only member of my family I even keep in contact with is my younger sister Julia. I check my phone and have 1 voicemail from work. "Hey Dylan, it's Derek your manager, work today is cancelled people are calling out sick in Mass numbers, not enough people to work." As I think to myself as to what this could be I see I have 3 unread messages from my best friend Andre. "Dylan don't go to work today" ~ 2 hours ago, "Have you seen the news yet" ~ 15 minutes ago, "I'm coming over don't go anywhere, please call me back when you see this message" ~ 3 minutes ago. I quickly call Andre to see what all the fuss is about. The phone rings 4 times before he frantically picks up. "Dylan, DYLAN are you okay?"
"Yes Andre I'm okay, what's going on."
"Those news reports about the pandemic, people coming back are true, I'm coming to get you they're talking about safe zones and we are going to one."
"Wait what, Andre that's nonsense what are you talking about."
"I'll explain more when I get there I have to go, bye." He quickly hangs up the phone before I have a chance to say anything. I'm skeptical but his frantic tone when he is usually so chill kinda sets off some alarm bells. I send my sister a few texts to make sure she's okay. Minutes to by, no Andre and no text from my sister. I look out my window and see two people slowly walking by my house, blood dripping down their arms. I look at them through my window for a little too long, they look up at me and start shambling up the stairs and to my door. I quickly duck down behind the door. After about 30 seconds I hear moans and rapid pounding on my door, not something normal humans do. Suddenly I hear a horn honking and someone yelling. The pounding stops, and I see my opening to make it outside. I open my door as fast as I can and it slams into the two "people" sending them falling backwards, I then quickly run down the stairs not looking back. I hop into shotgun of Andre's car. "Dude what were those things at my door, they didn't act normal and they didn't seem phased by bleeding everywhere."
"The news reports were true people really are dying and coming back to life, they become lifeless monsters, I've seen it first hand."
"What do you mean you've seen it first hand."
"Someone showed up at my ma and pa's house, had a huge bite mark on his neck, they offered to try and give him help and shelter but within hours he died and came back."
"Oh my-"
"And that's not all, he took a chunk out of ma's neck, my pa stayed behind allowing me to leave and go pick you up, I don't know what happened to him but I hope he's okay."
"Me too man, that must be terrible and I couldn't imagine what you're feeling right now."
I notice tears running down Andre's face recalling the events. I quickly notice I haven't heard anything back from my sister yet, I quickly grow worried.
"Andre I know you want to go to a safe zone, but my sister may be in trouble do you think we may be able to stop at her house and see what's happening."
"Sure we just gotta-just gotta make it quick." He said while still quite choked up.
We finally arrive at my sister's house, the door is closed, no sign of forced entry and her car is still in the lot. I knock on the door, Andre is holding a bat he was keeping in the back of his truck for protection in case things went South. I knock on the door and hear nothing. I slowly open the door, it's very dark in here, I turn my phone flashlight on. We slowly creep through the house in pure silence. I hear a cough come from where her room is. I slowly approach and open the door, worried about what I could see in there. I open the door and find Julia just sleeping. She hasn't woken up for the day. I quickly run to her side and wake her up. "Julia, JULIA, get up we need to get out of here."
"Dylan, I've been up this whole time, I don't, I don't know what to do." She says sobbing silently to me.
"What happened Julia, talk to me."
"My neighbor was attacked by some crazy man, I think he was bitten or something, he's been in his house since, I'm worried about out him."
"Julia stay here and don't leave until me and Andre come back, we will go check this out."