12/21/12
He's awoken in the middle of the night by sirens blaring. Crashes and bangs echo in the panicked streets, and alleyways are filled with cars trying to make a quick exit. Liam huffs into his pillow, pushing back the covers and hauling himself out of bed and towards the window. The blinds make a crinkling sound as he pushes them apart to gaze outside. There are people in disarray wandering aimlessly through the streets, clad in pajamas, cradling children, screaming and yelling at neighbors everywhere. There is a sudden sickness in his stomach, a debilitating nausea as he throws a shirt on, boots follow suit being tied to his shin. The man had fallen asleep in his uniform the night before after coming home exhausted from agonizing calls of public disturbance and large riots. He walks toward a large cabinet near the front entrance of his home and pulls out an extra gun he had stashed away after he had graduated; something was definitely wrong, he could feel it slithering like a snake in his chest. The disturbances had been truly disturbing, people had called in about friends eating flesh, vicious attacks, and psychotic-like behavior. There had been sick children, burning with fevers over 107 degrees and hospitals were over-crowded with adults hospitalized for the same symptoms. Stuffing the gun into the back of his jeans, Liam pushes the door open, eyes scanning the dawn brightened streets.
Bodies lay scattered in the grass, on the pavement, convulsing and lurching forward with closed eyes and balled fists, screaming in pain as others gnaw on flesh. His brain is still fuzzy from sleep, clouded and confused. He stands for a moment taking in the sights and sounds of his hometown raging, shakes his head, looks around in terror but he doesn't quite grasp what's happening nor does he understand why he left the safety of his home. It was almost as if his brain had stopped working, he couldn't remember his name, his address, what he did for a living, if he had any family members.
"Hey you!" Somebody screams from a direction he can no longer recognize. The man can hear gurgling and moaning somewhere off in the distance, screeching and errie crying following suit. He glances over at a blurred image of two bodies, one laying on the ground while the other holds it down. Liam doesn't recognize it's face or it's voice. He doesn't understand how it knows his name or why it's screaming at him in pain.
A car speeds down the suburban road and makes a sharp turn where two streets meet, cracking through the metal gate which swung on it's hinges. Another one follows, and as if in slow motion it passes by, the sheriff holding a megaphone to his lips and telling them all to get out as fast as possible. Instead of listening Liam stands stunned by his surroundings, the constant brushing of bodies, the chaos drowning out the scene playing out before him. Caught off guard when somebody runs into him, the clanking of teeth echoes in through his inner ear, and causes Liam to curse as they both fall toward the ground.
Liam's head connects with the curb causing his vision to blur, sound drowned out by the ringing in his ears. The body scrambles on top of him and he presses his hands against it's shoulders out of fear. When the dizziness subsides and his vision clears, his eyes meet the eyes of his attacker; bloodshot, jaundice and not at all human. This person looked like an animal, clothing torn, eyes wild and hungry with blood dripping from it's mouth. Despite having no knowledge of the current situation he makes the quick decision to kick it's feet out from underneath it and push against the body aiming for his jugular.
The young adult pushes himself up off of the ground and begins to run. Trees and people pass by as he makes his way down the street, feet hitting the pavement periodically and eyes flitting over the every inch of ground ahead as he advances. It had to be drug-related, he was sure that he had heard of somebody in America showing the same signs after using a drug called bath salts. Liam's breath hitches slightly when he begins to slow down, his breathing is hard already, a tight blanket of perspiration clinging to his skin. He doesn't know how long he's been running for, just that he had been running. Just as he's turning down main street he stops and swallows hard, almost falling backwards at the sight; this was definitely not drug related. Hundreds of bodies lay convulsing on the ground, some laying still and others picking themselves up. Cars sit abandoned with keys still in the ignition. Rubble from broken buildings and upturned roads make his view obstructed, potholes dust the once full road and part of the supermarket lays blasted to pieces across the street. Buildings are burning and the smell in the hair clings unwanted to his nose hairs. The sky is dark, a greenish color, and the wind is silent but moving. Stumbling further backwards in shock he has to push himself to move forward slowly. He hugs the fence, hand gripping the gun in his belt tightly as he makes his way through main street.
YOU ARE READING
Patient Zero
Science-Fiction"The CDC reports that the virus causes high fever which results in the shutting down of the internal organs. Over twenty-three hundred deaths are now being reported, six of which are right here in Perth. Marshall law will be enforced and borders wi...