Status: Try out my story ya'll!
Radioactive
Chapter Three;
"These winds are no longer safe for breathing. They convey the fatal blow."
---
Harper rode the bus quite often. But this was slow going. What should have been a seven hour drive, was turning into a twelve hours. They switched buses at every few stops, having no other choice than to do so for the fastest route to Ohio. The two girls had never been through Pennsylvania alone, so they had to purchase a map at a shady looking shop. They climbed onto another bus, for what was to be the last hour of their trip until they got to Ohio. Where they planned to stop and make some kind of plan, and Harper hoped they could find a new mode of transportation. They had boarded outside of a senior care center, so the majority of the bus was full of wheezing old people who smelled like moth balls. Amaryllis had beat her to the window seat, so Harper busied herself with examining the other people. A young couple and a young mother with her two daughters were the only people that weren't from the senior care center. A wheezing cough came from a few rows back. Every few minutes, the cough sounded again. Eventually, Harper turned in her seat to see what was wrong. Three rows back, an elderly lady was clutching her chest, a handkerchief clutched in her frail hand. Her body racked with coughs, causing her to lurch violently.
Without much thought, Harper slid out of her seat, gripping onto the other seats to keep herself upright as the bus rocked beneath her. "Excuse me, ma'am." She said, bending over to lightly tap the woman on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"
The woman wheezed, "I'm fine, deary."
"Are you sick? I'll get you some water." Harper made her way back to her seat, and grabbed a water bottle out of her backpack. Amaryllis was snoring, her arms folded across her chest, her head rested against the window. Harper almost slipped on her way back to the old lady, but she managed to get the water to her. "This might help your throat."
The lady smiled thankfully, taking a few sips. She was pasty white, and her hands were shaking violently. Someone coughed from the front of the bus. Getting unsteadily to her feet, Harper followed the sound, glancing side to side down the rows to see who was coughing. She made it to the front of the bus, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. The old lady was the only one looking sick. The coughing came again, and Harper glanced towards the bus driver. He stilled managed to stay on the road, even as the coughs shook his large form. "Sir, are you alright?"
He waved his hand dismissively, looking annoyed that he had been bothered. "I'm fine."
"Would you like some water, maybe?"
He motioned towards a bottle in his cup holder. "I've got some. Get in your seat."
"Right, sorry." Harper muttered, returning shakily to her seat. She plopped down beside Amaryllis, preparing herself for the rest of the long drive.
She drifted off to sleep after what felt like ages, and she only awoke when one of the kids started crying. Her ear splitting scream sent Harper lurching to her feet. Seeing it was only the kid, she sat back down.
Amaryllis was awake, and she seemed to be intently focusing on the seat in front of them. "Are you alright?" Harper asked carefully.
"Shh." She held up a finger, still focusing. After a moment, she glanced at her friend. "Do you hear that?"
Harper went silent, trying to pinpoint the noise she was talking about. The only thing she could hear were the wheezings from the elderly people. But then she heard it, or at least, what she assumed she was supposed to be listening to. The coughing. "They've been coughing for ages."
"I just woke up. But it doesn't sound normal. Should we check on them?"
"I gave the old lady back there some water." But she got up to check anyways. The bus was still rocking beneath Harpers feet, but she made it safely three rows back. Gone were her school days where she fell on the bus almost daily. Embarrassing times.
"Are you alright ma'am?" She asked, like earlier.
The lady was taking shuttering breathes, and she now had the row to herself. Whoever was sitting with her must have had gotten off. She slumped over against the window, her breath coming in short gasps now.
"Hey, somethings wrong!" She said loudly, getting the attention of the other passengers. The young couple joined her first.
"I'm going to school to be a doctor. Let me help." The man said, motioning Harper out of the way. She did as he asked, letting him take her spot beside the old lady.
Her eyes flickered around the bus before locking with his. He was talking softly to her, his hand on her back to help her breath, but his breathing directions weren't helping much. Very slowly, her breathing slowed to a complete stop, her hand going limp in her lap. Silence stretched across the bus. Even those who weren't standing close enough to see seemed to know what had happened. The only sound was the bus drivers coughing.
"Did you know her?" The man asked Harper, who shook her head in response. Almost mechanically, he shut the womans eyes, getting to his feet. "I'll tell the driver." He put his arm around his wife, who Harper could see now was pregnant, and helped her to her seat.
Harper was the only one who didn't return to her seat. Amaryllis was at her side after a moment, "Come on, Harp."
But she still didn't move. It was horrible. One second she was alive, with thoughts and dreams and problems, and the next she was gone. Harper assumed she was returning home to family. "Who's going to tell her family?"
"We don't know her, Harper. We can't help."
A sense of dread had settled in the bottom of Harpers stomach. She made to turn away, but the sudden movement caught her eye. The womans eyes flashed open, and Amaryllis let out a scream.
The veins in the womans body suddenly seemed so much more visible than before, her eyes bloodshot, her hands scrabbling desperately to pull herself upright. Screams came from the nearest portion of the bus, and Harper made to scramble out of the way in fright.
A desperate growl wrenched it's way out of the womans body. She lunged forward into the bus aisle. Harper screamed, scrambling backwards, only to trip over the small body of one of the children. The creatures movements were slow, but the sight of the child seemed to be what got her attention. She threw her heavy body forward, falling over onto her stomach, but that didn't stop her from crawling. Harper reached out to scoop the child into her arms. The creature was only a foot away when Amaryllis stepped in front of her. A gunshot rang through the bus, followed by another. The creature sunk to the floor, blood gushing from the gunshot wound in her head.
The child in Harpers arms let out a desperate cry, and her mother snatched her from her arms. "Thank you, thank you." She cried towards her, but Harper was still staring at the dead creature in shock.
"She's a--a--"
"A zombie." Amaryllis finished, shoving the gun into the waistband of her pants, her shirt blocking it from view.
The passengers were still screaming in horror, yet quite a few of them were staring at Amaryllis in both admireation and shock.
Harper registered the sound of wheezing from the front of the bus. She was on her feet in an instant. It was the same sound that the woman had made only seconds before she died. "CHECK THE DRIVER!" She shouted towards the man who claimed to be a doctor. His expression turned to horror, and he threw himself out of his seat and down the aisle. But it was too late. The drivers body slumped forward, and the bus spun wildly out of control.
---
Harper rode the bus quite often. But this was slow going. What should have been a seven hour drive, was turning into a twelve hours. They switched buses at every few stops, having no other choice than to do so for the fastest route to Ohio. The two girls had never been through Pennsylvania alone, so they had to purchase a map at a shady looking shop. They climbed onto another bus, for what was to be the last hour of their trip until they got to Ohio. Where they planned to stop and make some kind of plan, and Harper hoped they could find a new mode of transportation. They had boarded outside of a senior care center, so the majority of the bus was full of wheezing old people who smelled like moth balls. Amaryllis had beat her to the window seat, so Harper busied herself with examining the other people. A young couple and a young mother with her two daughters were the only people that weren't from the senior care center. A wheezing cough came from a few rows back. Every few minutes, the cough sounded again. Eventually, Harper turned in her seat to see what was wrong. Three rows back, an elderly lady was clutching her chest, a handkerchief clutched in her frail hand. Her body racked with coughs, causing her to lurch violently.
Without much thought, Harper slid out of her seat, gripping onto the other seats to keep herself upright as the bus rocked beneath her. "Excuse me, ma'am." She said, bending over to lightly tap the woman on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"
The woman wheezed, "I'm fine, deary."
"Are you sick? I'll get you some water." Harper made her way back to her seat, and grabbed a water bottle out of her backpack. Amaryllis was snoring, her arms folded across her chest, her head rested against the window. Harper almost slipped on her way back to the old lady, but she managed to get the water to her. "This might help your throat."
The lady smiled thankfully, taking a few sips. She was pasty white, and her hands were shaking violently. Someone coughed from the front of the bus. Getting unsteadily to her feet, Harper followed the sound, glancing side to side down the rows to see who was coughing. She made it to the front of the bus, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. The old lady was the only one looking sick. The coughing came again, and Harper glanced towards the bus driver. He stilled managed to stay on the road, even as the coughs shook his large form. "Sir, are you alright?"
He waved his hand dismissively, looking annoyed that he had been bothered. "I'm fine."
"Would you like some water, maybe?"
He motioned towards a bottle in his cup holder. "I've got some. Get in your seat."
"Right, sorry." Harper muttered, returning shakily to her seat. She plopped down beside Amaryllis, preparing herself for the rest of the long drive.
She drifted off to sleep after what felt like ages, and she only awoke when one of the kids started crying. Her ear splitting scream sent Harper lurching to her feet. Seeing it was only the kid, she sat back down.
Amaryllis was awake, and she seemed to be intently focusing on the seat in front of them. "Are you alright?" Harper asked carefully.
"Shh." She held up a finger, still focusing. After a moment, she glanced at her friend. "Do you hear that?"
Harper went silent, trying to pinpoint the noise she was talking about. The only thing she could hear were the wheezings from the elderly people. But then she heard it, or at least, what she assumed she was supposed to be listening to. The coughing. "They've been coughing for ages."
"I just woke up. But it doesn't sound normal. Should we check on them?"
"I gave the old lady back there some water." But she got up to check anyways. The bus was still rocking beneath Harpers feet, but she made it safely three rows back. Gone were her school days where she fell on the bus almost daily. Embarrassing times.
"Are you alright ma'am?" She asked, like earlier.
The lady was taking shuttering breathes, and she now had the row to herself. Whoever was sitting with her must have had gotten off. She slumped over against the window, her breath coming in short gasps now.
"Hey, somethings wrong!" She said loudly, getting the attention of the other passengers. The young couple joined her first.
"I'm going to school to be a doctor. Let me help." The man said, motioning Harper out of the way. She did as he asked, letting him take her spot beside the old lady.
Her eyes flickered around the bus before locking with his. He was talking softly to her, his hand on her back to help her breath, but his breathing directions weren't helping much. Very slowly, her breathing slowed to a complete stop, her hand going limp in her lap. Silence stretched across the bus. Even those who weren't standing close enough to see seemed to know what had happened. The only sound was the bus drivers coughing.
"Did you know her?" The man asked Harper, who shook her head in response. Almost mechanically, he shut the womans eyes, getting to his feet. "I'll tell the driver." He put his arm around his wife, who Harper could see now was pregnant, and helped her to her seat.
Harper was the only one who didn't return to her seat. Amaryllis was at her side after a moment, "Come on, Harp."
But she still didn't move. It was horrible. One second she was alive, with thoughts and dreams and problems, and the next she was gone. Harper assumed she was returning home to family. "Who's going to tell her family?"
"We don't know her, Harper. We can't help."
A sense of dread had settled in the bottom of Harpers stomach. She made to turn away, but the sudden movement caught her eye. The womans eyes flashed open, and Amaryllis let out a scream.
The veins in the womans body suddenly seemed so much more visible than before, her eyes bloodshot, her hands scrabbling desperately to pull herself upright. Screams came from the nearest portion of the bus, and Harper made to scramble out of the way in fright.
A desperate growl wrenched it's way out of the womans body. She lunged forward into the bus aisle. Harper screamed, scrambling backwards, only to trip over the small body of one of the children. The creatures movements were slow, but the sight of the child seemed to be what got her attention. She threw her heavy body forward, falling over onto her stomach, but that didn't stop her from crawling. Harper reached out to scoop the child into her arms. The creature was only a foot away when Amaryllis stepped in front of her. A gunshot rang through the bus, followed by another. The creature sunk to the floor, blood gushing from the gunshot wound in her head.
The child in Harpers arms let out a desperate cry, and her mother snatched her from her arms. "Thank you, thank you." She cried towards her, but Harper was still staring at the dead creature in shock.
"She's a--a--"
"A zombie." Amaryllis finished, shoving the gun into the waistband of her pants, her shirt blocking it from view.
The passengers were still screaming in horror, yet quite a few of them were staring at Amaryllis in both admireation and shock.
Harper registered the sound of wheezing from the front of the bus. She was on her feet in an instant. It was the same sound that the woman had made only seconds before she died. "CHECK THE DRIVER!" She shouted towards the man who claimed to be a doctor. His expression turned to horror, and he threw himself out of his seat and down the aisle. But it was too late. The drivers body slumped forward, and the bus spun wildly out of control.