Day 19
January 4th, 2013
Dear Diary, they've decided to cancel school today, so that everyone has a chance to get out and breathe in the anti-virus at noon. I'm glad, because now I don't have to pay Mrs. Higgins to babysit El and Nico.
Drake is home from boarding school, which is a good/bad kind of situation for me. Good because now I really won't have to pay Higgins, but we have to keep another mouth fed as well. Apparently the Plague is even worse in Minnesota, so they're trying to evacuate the major cities. I have no idea where they're expecting all those people to go.
The scientists in D.C. Have apparently made a huge breakthrough, but aren't telling anyone yet. Rumor has it that one of their 'cures' of such, has actually killed the president, and they've learned quite a bit from the corpse.
Others say he's still alive, and losing his mind because of the virus. Anyway, I don't care what's happening in the White House, I just want my house to be normal again. I'm so sick of taking care of everyone; I want my mom back! Dad has been unconscious since yesterday, but I don't even want to check for a pulse. I feel like everything is falling apart.
The news is on right now, and they're saying that this could be a fatal stroke to our country. Maybe even all of humankind? Bull, if you ask me. Mortal, likely, but not fatal. There are too many stubborn humans in the world for us all to die. Me included.
They say that stores are closing everywhere, and we should hurry to buy food and other needed supplies if we want to survive. Lucky thing mom restocked the pantry with fresh food, just last November. I'll go shopping when I'm done writing in here. I'll have to take El, Nico, and Drake with me, as I am way too paranoid to leave them alone anymore.
Funny, don't you think? This time one month ago, I was at school, worrying about how the boys in my class would think of my new jeans, trying to figure out how to hide my failing grade from my mom, never even imagining I would have to take care of my family in this kind of situation. I used to walk out of my house thinking about where I was going, how I had to act in front of the people I was going to see. I wasn't thinking about how much food my family would have in the coming weeks, or worrying on how we were going to survive the coming times.
I need to go shopping, so I'll head out now. More tomorrow if I have time.
- Sophie
***
Sophie closed her diary and sighed. She stood, stretched, and called her siblings downstairs. They came slowly, looking somber and tired. Drake was carrying Nico on his hip, and Nico was leaning heavily on his shoulder and sucking his thumb.
“I'm going to Walmart for food, does anyone want to come?” she asked, but knew very well herself that it wasn't even a question. They all needed to get away from their house, away from their dying parents.
As Sophie was helping Nico get his coat on, there sounded a loud rumbling, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere, all at once. The ground shook, and the entire house quivered, framed photographs falling from the walls and crashing on the wood floors, glass shattering. Sophie pulled her siblings into the entrance hall doorway, no one daring to speak. She'd heard once that that was the safest place in case of an earthquake. Eloise started to cry.
After what seemed like forever, the noise and shaking ceased, and, slowly, the group emerged from the doorway. Anything that had been mounted or set on top of a shelf or table was now scattered across the floor, most of it broken. Sophie took a deep breath, and turned to her brothers and sister.
“Drake, pack yours and Nico's things, I'll help Eloise. We can't stay here.” she said, and took Eloise's hand as she started upstairs.
Drake took Nico to his room, and not fifteen minutes later, their luggage was stacked in the entrance hall, and Eloise was crying again. Sophie checked that they were all there, save their parents, who were inevitably going to die.
“I'm going to go start up the car, you guys stay here.” she said, and went outside. She slammed the door shut quickly as she saw people, more people than she'd seen outside in weeks, stumbling up and down the street. Then she remembered; the anti-virus had been dropped that morning. But these people didn't seem like they were recovering, but quite the opposite.
Everyone she saw, adults, children, elderly alike, all had a sickly green pallor to their skin. Some had their eyes closed, some were weeping, some were moaning pathetically. A woman, Ms. Batch, was chewing on someone, and her victim wasn't even resisting.
The first word that came to Sophie's mind: zombies. Ridiculous, she knew, there's no such thing as zombies. And yet...
Her mind fled to all of her friends, all her family, who could be infected, who was still alive. She quickly went back into the house.
“Lock the door. Do not go outside unless I tell you to. I'll be right back.” she said, and hurried to the kitchen. She grabbed the phone off the counter and quickly dialed Marie's number. Marie picked up on the second ring.
“Sophie?” said Marie, as soon as she picked up.
“Marie, are you okay? Is your family okay?” Sophie asked quickly. There was a pause. It sounded like Marie was crying.
“No. My parents... my sister... Sophie, I think that it's the end of the world. We're all going to die, aren't we, Sophie?” asked Marie weakly. Sophie swallowed.
“No, Marie. No, of course not. I'm taking the boys and Eloise to Walmart to get supplies before we leave. You're coming with us. Is Charlie alright?” Marie took a shaky breath.
“Yeah, but I had to put his muzzle on so that he would stop barking at the people outside. Sophie, what's happened?”
“They dropped the anti-virus, and it seems like everyone who's infected just got a lot worse.” Sophie made sure not to use the word 'zombie'. It was one of Marie's greatest fears, a zombie apocalypse. Just next to that was spiders.
“Sophie?” Marie said, “are we going to be okay? Will you come pick me up? Where are we going to stay?”
“Calm down, Marie, yes, were going to be fine. Yes, I will come pick you up. I think we'll get supplies, then head out to my grandparents house in the country until they send some scientists or the army or something. Pack your things, get Charlie ready, he'll help protect us, and We'll be at your house in ten minutes. Be ready, Marie.” Sophie commanded, and hung up.
As she dialed Ria's number, she thought of her grandparents. What if they were infected, too?
“Hello?”
Sophie sighed. It had never been so good to hear Ria's voice than now.
“Ria, it's Sophie. Mom and Dad are gone. I'm taking the boys, Eloise, Marie, and Charlie out to Walmart for food. I need you to pick up Cassie and meet me there. Bring Lola if you need to. I'm calling Cassie as soon as I hang up with you.”
“Sophie, wait. Where are Mom and Dad? Did they... oh.” she paused, realizing what Sophie meant. “Lola's been infected with the Plague. She hit me and ran outside. I haven't seen her since. Sophie, you can't go outside, there are these zombie-people out there, and they're eating everything. They're eating each other!”
“I know. We can't stay here. I'll call you back, but start packing. Only what you need, Ria.” Sophie said, and they said reluctant goodbyes before hanging up. Next, Sophie dialed Cassie's cell phone. It rang, and rang, and rang before her voice mail picked up. Sophie left a message and dialed the Walgreen's service number. She got a machine, and tried four of Cassie's coworkers and Cassie's cell again. None of them picked up. Finally, she called Ria again.
“Sophie?”
“Cassie's gone. Meet us at Walmart in twenty minutes.” she said simply, and hung up.
***
“This is everything?” Kit asked, biting her lip. Jacob nodded. Before them on one of the empty beds were three padlocks and twenty feet of thick chain.
“This is everything.” he said, then swallowed hard. “Well, not everything. I came across a homeless man on my way back. It looked like suicide to me. He was holding this.” Jacob reached into one of the deep pockets of his coat and pulled out a dull black pistol.
“Shit.” Kit said, and nodded. “Protection only?” she asked, and he nodded. “Good. We very well may need it. Although it won't help if the kids are breaking their own arms.” she sighed, rubbing her temples.
“It took me three hours to set the bone and wrap it. Three hours I could have been helping. We'll need medicine, too. Max didn't sleep a minute last night. He kept a lot of us awake with him with his moaning and crying. I couldn't do anything, and he'll be bedridden for at least a week, to top it off.” she clenched her fists against her forehead.
“That means that Olivia, Pete, Jamie, Sawyer, and Max are all out of business. Andrea, too, though that can't be helped. We never made it outside with anyone, so now none of them will get the anti-virus. It's likely that they'll die. The rest can keep transferring the food from the storeroom.” she continued, eyes squeezed shut. Jacob clenched his jaw.
“Take this and go get some coffee or something. You clearly need either that or sleep.” he handed her a five dollar bill. “I'll secure the back door with the chain and a padlock, and start boarding up the windows.” he said, and she hugged him tightly.
“Thanks, Cobb.” she said, and ran out.
***
Marie risked another glance out the window. The street had cleared up a bit, and now only the pastor that lived down the block, his daughter, and the old man from two blocks away remained. The pastor had been eating his daughter for the past minute or so, and she'd stopped screaming.
Marie clenched Charlie's fur tightly in her fists, breathing quickly, but managing to keep from crying again. Her backpack was stuffed full of clothes, books, and food. She'd also taped four large Ziploc bags full of dog food to her backpack for Charlie. He would finish it in less than three days, but it was all she could fit.
He was huge, some breed of guard dog from Alaska, she guessed, and a beautiful pearly white, with the occasional tan or brown streak in his long fur. Sophie was right to assume he would protect them. If any dog was protective of his humans, it was Charlie.
At last, Sophie pulled into her driveway, and Marie quickly slung her backpack over her shoulder and grabbed Charlie's leash. She hurried out the door and into Sophie's passenger seat, not even bothering to lock the house door; her family was gone, and she didn't think there would be many robbers out and about unless the plague was well enough gone, and if they needed something from her house that badly, they could have it.
Sophie took Marie's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before pulling away, careful not to hit the pastor, and drove quickly off. They rode in silence, passing corpses, walking corpses, infected people eating others, eating people who hadn't yet been infected. Some looked up at the car dumbly, some snarled with pathetic animosity, some just moaned.
Eloise started humming, and counting the people on the street. Nico had fallen asleep almost as soon as he was buckled in, and Drake held his hand tightly, biting his lip. Marie still clutched at Charlie, who took up half the backseat and rested his paws and head between the two front seats. Sophie's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. Marie glanced at her, worried.
“Sophie... why are we going to Walmart?” she asked hesitantly. Sophie tried a reassuring smile, and manged a slight grimace.
“We need food.” she said simply, trying to loosen her grip on the steering wheel. Marie nodded slowly.
“Food... Yeah. Will we wait in the car, or do you want me to come in with you?” Marie asked, eyes wide. Drake spoke up.
“I'll go in and help Sophie, you can stay in the car. Keep the doors locked until you see us come out, and keep everyone quiet.” he said, and resumed gnawing on his lip. Sophie nodded.
“This will work. Everything is going to be fine.” she said, swerving to avoid a body, bloody and chewed up.
***
Kit ran back into the orphanage nearly as soon as she'd left, panting. Jacob dropped the board he'd picked up and ran to her. Her eyes were wide, her mouth working wordlessly. Jacob guided her to the visitors' bench and helped her sit.
“Kit. What happened? What's wrong?” he asked as she sat. Kit took a shaky breath.
“They... We're too late. There's infected people everywhere. Eating one another. Start boarding the windows. Fast. I'll get the back door. They'll go rabid like Headmaster any time now.” she said, and grabbed the length of chain and the padlock from the floor. Jacob took three large boards under one arm and grabbed a nail gun and the box of nails in the other.
“Kit.” he said, and she spun, expression impatient. “Be careful.”
***
