Status: Still writing this book.
Teenage Wasteland
Chapter One
Chapter One
An alarm blares in the silent darkness. Will Marshall stretches his arm out to quiet the disturbance. Then the realization dawned on him, he sat up straight and flung off his blankets. He scanned the floor for clothes to wear, picking up the closest pair of shorts and sliding them on as he raced out the door. He ran down the hall to his little sister’s room, now on any normal day a four year old should not wake up this early but there are exceptions.
“Wake up Izzy!” Will yelled as he swung open the door to her room. Izzy was small for her age, but she made up for it with her brains. She had long blond hair that went halfway down her back and that his mom was constantly taking care of.
Then he turned around and flew down the wooden stairs to the living room. Will began to flip on all the lights, first the kitchen, then the living room and tree. The lights twinkled and blinked as they spiraled up to the little angel that rested on the tip. Will had lived through 16 Christmases and watching a Christmas tree light up never got old. He stood there for a while admiring it until he saw a flash of movement on the stairs.
“Will, is it present day?” Izzy asked while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“You mean Christmas? Yes Izzy, yes it is.” Will said with a smile.
He ran up the stairs and picked up his little sister.
“I think it’s time for mom and dad to wake up. What do you think?”
Izzy nodded but didn’t say anything. Will, holding Izzy, burst into his parent’s dark room. He set his sister down and let her jump on their bed for a bit. It took only a few minutes for them to get the picture. Will’s family was very close knit; he loved his parents and did his best to make his parents proud. Ever since Izzy was born he had never ceased to help her do anything she wanted. There was no one in the world he was closer to; his little sister was number one.
“Alright, alright we’re getting up! Go sit by the tree.”
Izzy ran out to the tree screaming at the top of her lungs.
Will sat next to his sister while they waited for their parents to join them. Will was roughly 6’ 2” and fairly athletic, he played school sports so that kept him in shape most of the year. His heart truly lied in the outdoors though; he loved to explore the forest around his small neighborhood and “survive”, as he called it. In most peoples opinion he had watched too many of those survivor shows. Will lived in a small town in Northwest Washington, so the green outdoors were his second home. The smell of the plants, the sound of various animals going about their business, the feeling of freedom that he couldn’t help but experience.
The floor was scattered with pine needles under the base of the 2012 Christmas tree. Will was trying to sweep them under the tree when his parents arrived in the living room. His house was on the larger side, a little bigger than the other houses in his neighborhood. There were 19 houses in the small development on the outside of the small town of Everson. His house was situated in the back, right on the edge of the woods. Right on the other side of the small forest was a river that ran through the city. It flooded their backyard sometimes, but never reached the house.
“Okay, here you go.” Said Will’s mom as she handed both of them a present.
Will examined it first, it felt heavy he thought. He watched Izzy open her own, she carefully ripped the paper and produced a doll. She hugged it and then looked at Will to see what he had got. Will then looked at his own, not as carefully as Izzy, he opened his present. His heart leapt. He pulled open the box and lifted out his contents. His jaw dropped as he looked at it, 14 inches o knife overall, and 9 inches of beautiful metal. He looked up at his dad.
“Its full tang too, won’t break as easy as your last one.” Will’s dad said with a grin. Will slid the knife into its sheath. He had recently broken his survival knife while messing around with some friends in the woods.
“That’s why you wouldn’t let me buy a new one!” Will said as all the details clicked together. He opened the next one which wasn’t as exciting. Some underwear, socks, and a watch was what filled the gift. Now there were 4 boxes left and 3 were for Izzy. Will watched as Izzy opened the next 3 presents, combs, hair things, and various toys. She finished, and again looked at him. Will reached for the package. It was bigger than the knife; Will tore back the wrapping and exposed about 25 aluminum shafted arrows. Just what he needed!
He often hunted with his dad or traveled around the wooded area behind his house with his two of his best friends, Tyler Swanson and Jason Miller. He was down to 5 half-feathered arrows with blunt tips. But now that he was restocked they could resume the hunting of small game. Although his dad preferred a gun over an “uncivilized bow” as he once put. Long story short, his dad was gun crazy, if he could buy it or build it, he often did. Most of his guns were cheap replica now though. Will’s mom had cut down on her husband’s spending, making him sell or send to storage most of his collection once Izzy was born.
"Thank you!" he said turning to his parents. Will got up to throw away the ripped paper.
"Wait Will, we have one more gift for you." his mom said quickly. She looked over at his dad, and on cue he got up and hustled to his room. A few seconds later he reappeared holding something behind his back. He stopped in front of Will, and then held out the object. Will couldn't believe his eyes, his dad was holding out a .44 magnum colt. Will looked at his dad in disbelief.
"This is for you, my .44, you’re too young to have a concealed weapons permit but I also don't expect you to be carrying this around. This was the first handgun I ever bought and refurbished. Plus I thought if I gave it to you, your mom wouldn’t make me get rid of it.” Will took the gun and spun it around in his hand while he studied it. He had seen it when on rare occasions when they went on longer hunting trips. "Now this stays in the gun safe at all times unless I say otherwise, understand?"
Will could only nod his head.
"Is there a holster for it?" Will asked.
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Will's dad turned back around and walked to his room. He then brought back a slick leather belt holster. Will strapped it on, it fit well.
"I have some bullets for it; tomorrow we will go test it." Will unstrapped it and gave it back to his dad to put in the safe.
As Izzy played with her new toys and Will checked his knife for the 300th time, his parents were busy carrying on tradition by making the family breakfast. Will's mom got out a radio and began playing the same station they listened to every year. Jingle Bells was coming through nice and clear, then static and then nothing.
Will looked up from his knife; his mom was shaking the radio.
"I just bought this thing!" she complained.
"Must be the snow interfering or something." his dad added with a puzzled look. Will got up and looked outside; the sunrise was blocked by grey storm clouds. The street lights were still on and illuminated small portions of the snow covered street. Will watched the millions of snowflakes race to the frozen ground. Something caught Will’s eye, a pale figure was trudging through the dark morning. There was something strange in the way they walked, with a limp he thought. Another strange thing was the stranger’s appearance; all they appeared to be wearing was boxers.
"Hey dad, come check this out. Is that Mr. Mcgreary?" Will asked, pointing out the figure in the snow.
"Yes, I think so. That man is getting crazier in his old age. What is he doing?" He said staring abut at the snow. They were interrupted my static from the radio. Then a voice came on.
"This is an emergency broadcast from the Center for Disease Control." then there was silence, another voice came on.
"We cannot say what it is at this time, a virus has been spread that affects the human brain, we don't know the full affect yet, but we advise everyone to stay inside their homes while the military is deployed to set up designated safe zones." The message was then repeated. Will reached out and turned off the radio.
"What was that?" Will asked
"I don't know, but let's do what it says, lock all the windows and doors. I'm going to help Mr. Mcgreary back to his house." Will's dad threw on a coat and walked out the front door. Will and his mom began locking windows and doors. Will began locking a window looking out on the road. His dad was just reaching Mr. Mcgreary, but something was wrong. His dad had stopped walking towards the man and stood frozen in the street. Then in the blink of an eye, the other man jumped onto Will's father, he heard a surprised yelp as the bodies crashed to the ground. Without hesitating, Will rushed over to where his knife sat, picked it up and rushed out the door. The morning air was cold and snow clouds covered the sky. Will raced towards the struggling figure of his father. As he reached them, his dad shoved off the attacker. He then sprung to his feet and started backing away from the writhing body of Mcgreary. A fowl stench hung in the air, comparable to road kill and rotting carcasses, Will discarded the thought when he saw his dad cringing.
"He bit me! What is wrong with him?" Will's dad said holding up his arm, showing the blood soaked coat. Mcgreary began to rise to his feet and shuffle towards its new prey.
"Let's get back inside, hurry!" Will said as he ran back to the house with his father. They were met at the door by his mother who immediately began freaking out.
"I'm fine really. It's just a small wound. Grab me a towel." said Will's dad as he walked towards the couch. His steps faltered and he stumbled a little bit, and then collapsed on the couch. "Could you get me some water too? I feel a little light headed." His wife raced over with a towel and glad of water.
"Oh you're burning up! Will grab some aspirin from the kitchen." she said. Will returned with some of the pills and watched as his dad began mumbling about how it was nothing.
The rest of the day was a blur. Will sat around watching his father slip in and out of consciousness. Around 10pm that night his mom made him take Izzy to bed. He took her up to her room and tucked her in.
"Is daddy going to die?" Izzy asked
"No, he'll be just fine. Now go to sleep." Will said reassuringly
Will was just leaving the room when he heard his mom talking.
"Oh honey, you're awake! Dear? Is everything alright?" then she screamed. Will turned to Izzy.
"Stay here." He closed the door and ran down stairs. He reached the bottom of the stairs and stood there frozen. His dad was kneeling over his mom, who lay in a puddle of blood by the couch.
"Dad?" he managed to croak out. No response. He could here sounds resembling growls emitting from is dad. Will hesitated and then took a step forward.
"Dad what are you doing?" he said a little bit louder. His dad looked up from where he knelt; blood covered his face and flesh hung from his teeth. Will felt his eyes filling with tears. His dad stood up and began walking towards him. Growling with every step, he crept closer to the frozen Will. Tears streaked down wills face, what was happening! He had his knife strapped to his waste, with shaking hands he pulled it out and held it between his dad and himself.
"Stop dad, you... You don't know what you're doing. You're sick! Just stop!" Will began to back away from his dad and head up the stairs. His dad started to move faster as Will stumbled backwards up the stairs.
"Dad... Please I..." Will began as he tripped, landing on his back. The corner of the wooden step slammed into his back. His dad got closer and closer, as he took the next the stairs creaked as he took the next step. Will kicked out at his dad. The bottom of his foot made contact with his dad’s shin sending him falling onto Will. Will let out a shout of surprise as his dad’s body fell on his knife, he flung the lifeless body off of him. His knife now stuck through the skull of his father. Will, with blood on his hands and tears on his cheek he sat on the stairs and cried himself to sleep.
An alarm blares in the silent darkness. Will Marshall stretches his arm out to quiet the disturbance. Then the realization dawned on him, he sat up straight and flung off his blankets. He scanned the floor for clothes to wear, picking up the closest pair of shorts and sliding them on as he raced out the door. He ran down the hall to his little sister’s room, now on any normal day a four year old should not wake up this early but there are exceptions.
“Wake up Izzy!” Will yelled as he swung open the door to her room. Izzy was small for her age, but she made up for it with her brains. She had long blond hair that went halfway down her back and that his mom was constantly taking care of.
Then he turned around and flew down the wooden stairs to the living room. Will began to flip on all the lights, first the kitchen, then the living room and tree. The lights twinkled and blinked as they spiraled up to the little angel that rested on the tip. Will had lived through 16 Christmases and watching a Christmas tree light up never got old. He stood there for a while admiring it until he saw a flash of movement on the stairs.
“Will, is it present day?” Izzy asked while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“You mean Christmas? Yes Izzy, yes it is.” Will said with a smile.
He ran up the stairs and picked up his little sister.
“I think it’s time for mom and dad to wake up. What do you think?”
Izzy nodded but didn’t say anything. Will, holding Izzy, burst into his parent’s dark room. He set his sister down and let her jump on their bed for a bit. It took only a few minutes for them to get the picture. Will’s family was very close knit; he loved his parents and did his best to make his parents proud. Ever since Izzy was born he had never ceased to help her do anything she wanted. There was no one in the world he was closer to; his little sister was number one.
“Alright, alright we’re getting up! Go sit by the tree.”
Izzy ran out to the tree screaming at the top of her lungs.
Will sat next to his sister while they waited for their parents to join them. Will was roughly 6’ 2” and fairly athletic, he played school sports so that kept him in shape most of the year. His heart truly lied in the outdoors though; he loved to explore the forest around his small neighborhood and “survive”, as he called it. In most peoples opinion he had watched too many of those survivor shows. Will lived in a small town in Northwest Washington, so the green outdoors were his second home. The smell of the plants, the sound of various animals going about their business, the feeling of freedom that he couldn’t help but experience.
The floor was scattered with pine needles under the base of the 2012 Christmas tree. Will was trying to sweep them under the tree when his parents arrived in the living room. His house was on the larger side, a little bigger than the other houses in his neighborhood. There were 19 houses in the small development on the outside of the small town of Everson. His house was situated in the back, right on the edge of the woods. Right on the other side of the small forest was a river that ran through the city. It flooded their backyard sometimes, but never reached the house.
“Okay, here you go.” Said Will’s mom as she handed both of them a present.
Will examined it first, it felt heavy he thought. He watched Izzy open her own, she carefully ripped the paper and produced a doll. She hugged it and then looked at Will to see what he had got. Will then looked at his own, not as carefully as Izzy, he opened his present. His heart leapt. He pulled open the box and lifted out his contents. His jaw dropped as he looked at it, 14 inches o knife overall, and 9 inches of beautiful metal. He looked up at his dad.
“Its full tang too, won’t break as easy as your last one.” Will’s dad said with a grin. Will slid the knife into its sheath. He had recently broken his survival knife while messing around with some friends in the woods.
“That’s why you wouldn’t let me buy a new one!” Will said as all the details clicked together. He opened the next one which wasn’t as exciting. Some underwear, socks, and a watch was what filled the gift. Now there were 4 boxes left and 3 were for Izzy. Will watched as Izzy opened the next 3 presents, combs, hair things, and various toys. She finished, and again looked at him. Will reached for the package. It was bigger than the knife; Will tore back the wrapping and exposed about 25 aluminum shafted arrows. Just what he needed!
He often hunted with his dad or traveled around the wooded area behind his house with his two of his best friends, Tyler Swanson and Jason Miller. He was down to 5 half-feathered arrows with blunt tips. But now that he was restocked they could resume the hunting of small game. Although his dad preferred a gun over an “uncivilized bow” as he once put. Long story short, his dad was gun crazy, if he could buy it or build it, he often did. Most of his guns were cheap replica now though. Will’s mom had cut down on her husband’s spending, making him sell or send to storage most of his collection once Izzy was born.
"Thank you!" he said turning to his parents. Will got up to throw away the ripped paper.
"Wait Will, we have one more gift for you." his mom said quickly. She looked over at his dad, and on cue he got up and hustled to his room. A few seconds later he reappeared holding something behind his back. He stopped in front of Will, and then held out the object. Will couldn't believe his eyes, his dad was holding out a .44 magnum colt. Will looked at his dad in disbelief.
"This is for you, my .44, you’re too young to have a concealed weapons permit but I also don't expect you to be carrying this around. This was the first handgun I ever bought and refurbished. Plus I thought if I gave it to you, your mom wouldn’t make me get rid of it.” Will took the gun and spun it around in his hand while he studied it. He had seen it when on rare occasions when they went on longer hunting trips. "Now this stays in the gun safe at all times unless I say otherwise, understand?"
Will could only nod his head.
"Is there a holster for it?" Will asked.
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Will's dad turned back around and walked to his room. He then brought back a slick leather belt holster. Will strapped it on, it fit well.
"I have some bullets for it; tomorrow we will go test it." Will unstrapped it and gave it back to his dad to put in the safe.
As Izzy played with her new toys and Will checked his knife for the 300th time, his parents were busy carrying on tradition by making the family breakfast. Will's mom got out a radio and began playing the same station they listened to every year. Jingle Bells was coming through nice and clear, then static and then nothing.
Will looked up from his knife; his mom was shaking the radio.
"I just bought this thing!" she complained.
"Must be the snow interfering or something." his dad added with a puzzled look. Will got up and looked outside; the sunrise was blocked by grey storm clouds. The street lights were still on and illuminated small portions of the snow covered street. Will watched the millions of snowflakes race to the frozen ground. Something caught Will’s eye, a pale figure was trudging through the dark morning. There was something strange in the way they walked, with a limp he thought. Another strange thing was the stranger’s appearance; all they appeared to be wearing was boxers.
"Hey dad, come check this out. Is that Mr. Mcgreary?" Will asked, pointing out the figure in the snow.
"Yes, I think so. That man is getting crazier in his old age. What is he doing?" He said staring abut at the snow. They were interrupted my static from the radio. Then a voice came on.
"This is an emergency broadcast from the Center for Disease Control." then there was silence, another voice came on.
"We cannot say what it is at this time, a virus has been spread that affects the human brain, we don't know the full affect yet, but we advise everyone to stay inside their homes while the military is deployed to set up designated safe zones." The message was then repeated. Will reached out and turned off the radio.
"What was that?" Will asked
"I don't know, but let's do what it says, lock all the windows and doors. I'm going to help Mr. Mcgreary back to his house." Will's dad threw on a coat and walked out the front door. Will and his mom began locking windows and doors. Will began locking a window looking out on the road. His dad was just reaching Mr. Mcgreary, but something was wrong. His dad had stopped walking towards the man and stood frozen in the street. Then in the blink of an eye, the other man jumped onto Will's father, he heard a surprised yelp as the bodies crashed to the ground. Without hesitating, Will rushed over to where his knife sat, picked it up and rushed out the door. The morning air was cold and snow clouds covered the sky. Will raced towards the struggling figure of his father. As he reached them, his dad shoved off the attacker. He then sprung to his feet and started backing away from the writhing body of Mcgreary. A fowl stench hung in the air, comparable to road kill and rotting carcasses, Will discarded the thought when he saw his dad cringing.
"He bit me! What is wrong with him?" Will's dad said holding up his arm, showing the blood soaked coat. Mcgreary began to rise to his feet and shuffle towards its new prey.
"Let's get back inside, hurry!" Will said as he ran back to the house with his father. They were met at the door by his mother who immediately began freaking out.
"I'm fine really. It's just a small wound. Grab me a towel." said Will's dad as he walked towards the couch. His steps faltered and he stumbled a little bit, and then collapsed on the couch. "Could you get me some water too? I feel a little light headed." His wife raced over with a towel and glad of water.
"Oh you're burning up! Will grab some aspirin from the kitchen." she said. Will returned with some of the pills and watched as his dad began mumbling about how it was nothing.
The rest of the day was a blur. Will sat around watching his father slip in and out of consciousness. Around 10pm that night his mom made him take Izzy to bed. He took her up to her room and tucked her in.
"Is daddy going to die?" Izzy asked
"No, he'll be just fine. Now go to sleep." Will said reassuringly
Will was just leaving the room when he heard his mom talking.
"Oh honey, you're awake! Dear? Is everything alright?" then she screamed. Will turned to Izzy.
"Stay here." He closed the door and ran down stairs. He reached the bottom of the stairs and stood there frozen. His dad was kneeling over his mom, who lay in a puddle of blood by the couch.
"Dad?" he managed to croak out. No response. He could here sounds resembling growls emitting from is dad. Will hesitated and then took a step forward.
"Dad what are you doing?" he said a little bit louder. His dad looked up from where he knelt; blood covered his face and flesh hung from his teeth. Will felt his eyes filling with tears. His dad stood up and began walking towards him. Growling with every step, he crept closer to the frozen Will. Tears streaked down wills face, what was happening! He had his knife strapped to his waste, with shaking hands he pulled it out and held it between his dad and himself.
"Stop dad, you... You don't know what you're doing. You're sick! Just stop!" Will began to back away from his dad and head up the stairs. His dad started to move faster as Will stumbled backwards up the stairs.
"Dad... Please I..." Will began as he tripped, landing on his back. The corner of the wooden step slammed into his back. His dad got closer and closer, as he took the next the stairs creaked as he took the next step. Will kicked out at his dad. The bottom of his foot made contact with his dad’s shin sending him falling onto Will. Will let out a shout of surprise as his dad’s body fell on his knife, he flung the lifeless body off of him. His knife now stuck through the skull of his father. Will, with blood on his hands and tears on his cheek he sat on the stairs and cried himself to sleep.