The Last Alive

Chapter Twenty-One - Barricading Your Ass in the House

Chapter Twenty-one

Barricading Your Ass in the House

I climbed out of my car slowly almost afraid to see my parents.

"It's going to be okay," Nathan said quietly from the passenger side.

"No it's not." I replied before biting my bottom lip.

"Emma, what on earth is going on? Is Becca okay?" Mom questioned when she saw me.

"Mom, things are a bit chaotic right now," I started. How do I tell her Becca's dead?

"Chaotic?" Dad asked, his concern was always evident on his face. His forehead wrinkled and his eyes narrowed.

"Yes. Chaotic is an accurate description. Right, Nathan?"

"I think so."

"Did something happen to Becca?" Dad asked.

"Are any fences down?" I tried avoiding the question.

"No, the fences are fine. Did something happen to Becca?" he repeated.

I sighed and sat on the leather sectional. I looked around at the walls, pictures of Becca and I were everywhere. Tears sprang to my eyes as I stared at her happy, smiling face.

My best friend is gone. My sister is a zombie.

"Becca, um, succumbed to her illness," I squeaked out.

"What do you mean?" Mom panic crept into her voice.

"Whatever bit or stung her ended up being more serious than originally thought," I explained with tears running down my cheeks.

"She was bit by a bug. How serious could that be?" Dad asked.

"Serious enough to kill her," I cried.

"I don't understand," Mom said.

"The venom from whatever bit her mutated in her body, so she didn't just die. She came back to life, sort of," Nathan told them.

"Wait, what?" Dad stitched his brows together.

"A zombie, dad. Becca is a zombie."

"I told you to stop watching those movies," Mom grumbled.

"We're serious!" I shouted. "It's spreading rapidly and it's the fucking apocalypse. Everyone is turning into damned zombies!"

My parents sat there staring at me as if I had sprouted a second head, turned purple, and was speaking in tongues.

"Turn on the TV," I told Nathan.

"Nothing is out yet," he said.

"Something might be reported by now. I can't see it staying isolated to just Oakland."

"You're serious?" Mom asked.

"Yes, Mother. Why would I joke about something like this? Why would I have a random doctor with me? He helped me escape. We're the only ones, that I know of, that managed to get out of that hospital alive. Hell, we might be the only ones to escape Oakland alive."

"Emma, dear, this is all just impossible. It's not logical. You're a well-educated woman, do you believe it?"

"Believe it, Mom? Believe it? I just fucking lived it! We need to barricade ourselves in this house and prepare."

"Look!" Nathan said, turning on the local news station.

I sat next to him, squeezing his hand as a young reporter talked from somewhere off camera. Her voice trembled as the van moved slowly through the now ravaged college part of Pittsburgh. Cars were wrecked, a few on fire, bodies lay in the street; zombies stumbled around, and even attempted to attack the news van. At one point she started crying and screaming when one of the undead pounded at her window. The camera panned around and all you could see was the cloudy eyes and mindless monster that had once been a person. It had been a man. He looked vaguely familiar; perhaps someone I passed on the street between classes. A large portion of his neck and shoulder were missing. Exposed tissue and bone could clearly be seen.

"I-I don't know what we're looking at," the reported stuttered. "I have never seen anything like this. I think it's time to get out of here. Come on, Johnny, put the camera down and get us out of here."

The report cut back to the anchors who sat in stunned silence. The woman cried as the man sat there in silence.

"Um, folks, I don't know what to say. I have no idea what's going on and we can't seem to get answers. Stay indoors. Don't open for anyone or anything. Protect your loved ones. I have to call my wife. She has to get our son." He got up and walked off the stage.

"What's going on?" Mom asked quietly.

"You saw, Mom. It's the zombiepocalypse. Shit is hitting the fan."

"What do we do?" Dad asked next.

"What he said. We stay indoors. We fortify our fences, and we stay inside away from all of that."

"Becca is dead?"

"Becca is what started this," I mumbled.

"What?"

"Whatever bit Becca caused this."

Dad got up and walked into the kitchen. I heard him punch something hard and begin to weep. I had never heard my dad cry before. Of course, the world had never been through a zombie apocalypse started by his daughter before either. Nathan squeezed my hand and looked at me solemnly.

"We'll be fine," he tried to reassure me.

"How do you know?" Mom asked.

"We're way out here, surrounded by electric fences, and Emma tells me that you all are well armed."

"You expect us to kill people?" she gasped in horror.

"Not people, Mrs. Taylor, the undead."

"I could never! Those are people!"

"Mom, they aren't people anymore. They are mindless zombies." I got up and walked toward the front door. "I need to call Meaghan."

"Don't go outside! Are you insane!" Mom yelled.

"They haven't reached us yet," I muttered. "I have to call Meaghan. Her and her folks will need to come over. They don't have electric fences like we do."

"What if they are bit?" she asked.

"They won't be yet, Mrs. Taylor. But if they don't have protection, they will be."

"Oh heavens! Bonnie is such a lovely lady and a dear friend. Have them hurry over!"

"Yes, mother," I called shutting the door.

"Yes, my best friend?" Meaghan said when she answered.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching T.V. Why?" she asked.

"Turn on the news."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it," I told her.

"Okay fine, miss sassy pants."

I waited saying nothing.

I heard her gasp and mumble a few things to herself. "Oh my God. What's going on?"

"Zombies," I said.

"What? No!" she replied in disbelief.

"I don't understand."

"It's a long story, Meg. Just pack a few bags, get your folks to pack a few bags, and get to my house now."

"Is this really real?"

"Yeah."

She was silent for a few moments. "Not a hoax or a joke?"

"No."

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I was there when it started, Meaghan. Becca...she's the reason."