Brink of Death
Chapter 2
1st period, Algebra 1. I sat in the back of the class as always, my feet on my desk, headphones on, drawing in my journal. Nobody at school would shut up about the pandemic. It had already spread to America, and Texas was one of the first states to be hit. Fortunately it's full of rednecks who know how to shoot a gun, including me, if the zombie apocalypse happens.
Ms. Roberts turned the classroom TV onto channel 4. Apparently a small town east of Dallas, Royse City, was down. No survivors, excluding the ones who evacuated. The whole town was sealed off, and the CDC was there.
"Victoria, can you take off your headphones please?" Ms. Roberts asked me. "This is important."
I rolled my eyes. "Not to me." But it was true, it didn't matter to me. My aunt had once been apart of the CDC, and my family knew when to evacuate, the procedure to remove infected clothing, and also how to shoot a gun.
It was lunch. Jenny and I went with her older brother to Chicken Express. Only seniors could leave campus, but we could accompany them so long as we knew them well. Jenny and I were only freshman, so another 3 years of shit school to go.
Her brother had a Cobalt. I didn't know what year it was, but it was older and fast, good for escaping people. But Jake--her brother--was a jock, and really didn't deserve that car.
While we were waiting in line, an elderly man sneezed on Jake. At first, it was hilarious to me and Jenny. Then after a moment of watching the man and how he coughed and his eyes were bloodshot, I got concerned.
"Do you know the symptoms of this virus?" I asked Jenny when we sat down at a booth.
"Severe coughing and fever, face swells, vomiting and some other lethal symptoms," Jenny responded. "Why?"
I shook my head. Studying the old man. He coughed, but he wasn't red with fever, and his face certainly didn't seem swollen. Just wrinkly. "I would watch your brother closely just in case. It could be nothing, but you never know."
Our food finally came. The wonderful smell of fried chicken and pickles was so enticing, and I devoured mine in about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, the old man was watching us intently.
"Everybody get out!" He yelled gruffly. He projectile vomited onto the drink stand, and his face went pale immediately.
I thought maybe he just wanted everyone to be out of the way, but as Jenny, Jake and I got up from our seats, the man dropped to the floor. An employee that worked the register immediately went to his rescue, resuscitating him and checking for a pulse. And then to my absolute horror, what I had been doubting this whole time, the elderly man was resurrected.
I knew he died. I didn't see his chest rise and fall to the rhythm of his breath. His skin had already started turning yellow, there was no way he was still alive.
The employee lady though, was soon dead. Or contaminated, or whatever you want to call this thing. A zombie. A chunk had been ripped from her arm, and the man snarled and tore into his 'prey'. A couple that had been eating here had quickly dialed the police.
Jake pushed Jenny and I out the door and we jumped right into his car.
"What just happened?" Jenny was panicking, obviously traumatized by what just happened. Her normally elegant blue eyes were dull and wide.
"I don't know!" I said, "This is some Walking Dead shit right here!" I tried to look through the windows to see what was happening. The dumb Chicken Express signs were blocking my way. As much as I wanted to just leave and never come back, I wanted to stay and see what would happen.
"He sneezed on me..." Jake whispered to himself. "How does the infection work? Open wounds?"
"I don't know!" Jenny screamed. She was in tears, I knew she didn't take violence lightly. I wrapped my arms around my best friend and tried to comfort her, listening to the police sirens as they got closer. All I could do now was wait to see what happened.
Ms. Roberts turned the classroom TV onto channel 4. Apparently a small town east of Dallas, Royse City, was down. No survivors, excluding the ones who evacuated. The whole town was sealed off, and the CDC was there.
"Victoria, can you take off your headphones please?" Ms. Roberts asked me. "This is important."
I rolled my eyes. "Not to me." But it was true, it didn't matter to me. My aunt had once been apart of the CDC, and my family knew when to evacuate, the procedure to remove infected clothing, and also how to shoot a gun.
It was lunch. Jenny and I went with her older brother to Chicken Express. Only seniors could leave campus, but we could accompany them so long as we knew them well. Jenny and I were only freshman, so another 3 years of shit school to go.
Her brother had a Cobalt. I didn't know what year it was, but it was older and fast, good for escaping people. But Jake--her brother--was a jock, and really didn't deserve that car.
While we were waiting in line, an elderly man sneezed on Jake. At first, it was hilarious to me and Jenny. Then after a moment of watching the man and how he coughed and his eyes were bloodshot, I got concerned.
"Do you know the symptoms of this virus?" I asked Jenny when we sat down at a booth.
"Severe coughing and fever, face swells, vomiting and some other lethal symptoms," Jenny responded. "Why?"
I shook my head. Studying the old man. He coughed, but he wasn't red with fever, and his face certainly didn't seem swollen. Just wrinkly. "I would watch your brother closely just in case. It could be nothing, but you never know."
Our food finally came. The wonderful smell of fried chicken and pickles was so enticing, and I devoured mine in about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, the old man was watching us intently.
"Everybody get out!" He yelled gruffly. He projectile vomited onto the drink stand, and his face went pale immediately.
I thought maybe he just wanted everyone to be out of the way, but as Jenny, Jake and I got up from our seats, the man dropped to the floor. An employee that worked the register immediately went to his rescue, resuscitating him and checking for a pulse. And then to my absolute horror, what I had been doubting this whole time, the elderly man was resurrected.
I knew he died. I didn't see his chest rise and fall to the rhythm of his breath. His skin had already started turning yellow, there was no way he was still alive.
The employee lady though, was soon dead. Or contaminated, or whatever you want to call this thing. A zombie. A chunk had been ripped from her arm, and the man snarled and tore into his 'prey'. A couple that had been eating here had quickly dialed the police.
Jake pushed Jenny and I out the door and we jumped right into his car.
"What just happened?" Jenny was panicking, obviously traumatized by what just happened. Her normally elegant blue eyes were dull and wide.
"I don't know!" I said, "This is some Walking Dead shit right here!" I tried to look through the windows to see what was happening. The dumb Chicken Express signs were blocking my way. As much as I wanted to just leave and never come back, I wanted to stay and see what would happen.
"He sneezed on me..." Jake whispered to himself. "How does the infection work? Open wounds?"
"I don't know!" Jenny screamed. She was in tears, I knew she didn't take violence lightly. I wrapped my arms around my best friend and tried to comfort her, listening to the police sirens as they got closer. All I could do now was wait to see what happened.