Eyelids

The day started like any other. I think that’s how stories like this usually start. If you ask me though, that’s just complete bull. This is my account, so I’m just going to say it like it is. Because, hey, it’s the apocalypse. If you can’t speak the truth these days, you’re probably more fucked than the world is.

Let’s start over.

The day didn’t start like any other. The day started like a shit storm. I woke up at 3:46 AM to low flying helicopters. Spotlights shone up and down the street, glancing into my bedroom window. I yanked the covers further over my head. Whatever was happening outside of my bed just did not matter. Moments later though, a quiet tap on my door made me huff. Pulling the covers from my face, I peeked out as the door creaked open.

“What is it?” I sat up when I saw the look on my mother’s face.

She motioned to my tv and stepped into the room. I handed her the remote and she flipped it to the news channel. The first image on the screen was filled with buildings on fire. To this day I don’t understand that. Hey, the world is ending, let’s set shit on fire. Pretty sure those fuckers died first. People were chasing each other through the streets of the city, leaping onto backs and ripping into flesh.

“What the fuck?” I grabbed the remote and switched through the channels. Surely my brother was playing some fucked-up joke. But it was on every channel. Images of ravenous humans tearing into the bodies of others. One news crew was killed on camera. “How did it get here so fast?”

“It’s everywhere now.” Mom replied, motioning for me to go back a channel, and then pointing at the map on the screen. A simulated spread of red across a map. Like in the movies where it shows outbreaks and how fast they’ll occur. Only this had taken over everywhere in a matter of three days. Hospitals, then doctors’ offices, police stations, prisons. And now the wide spread public. It started in a localized area in California. Hundreds filled the hospitals. It moved throughout California and surrounding states. But that was three days ago.

Two days ago, it was just sky rocketing fevers and flu like symptoms that sent those states to the hospital. I’d heard rumors that people had started attacking others at the first hospitals it had filled. But they were just rumors. A day ago, it had reached as far east as Kansas. When I went to bed last night, rumors had come along that hospitals across the west and into Colorado had quit contacting the CDC. Now, a mere six hours later, it was here. And it wasn’t just people in hospitals. It was humans tearing into humans. Just a city away from my house.

I’ll repeat it again here, since I couldn’t get the words out in that moment.

What the fuck?

“Dad just got home from picking up your brother from Nathan’s house. We figured we’d let you sleep as long as we could. We must figure out what to do now. Family meeting in our room.”

“Let me get dressed.” Mom nodded, kissed my forehead, and left the room. I quickly threw on some clothes before following her. They were all sitting around my parents’ room by the time I got there. I elected to stand at the window, holding the closed blinds open with two fingers and watching the street. Panicked neighbors were throwing luggage and picture frames into their cars and peeling out of their driveways. Other homes seemed to have neighbors that hadn’t woken up to this nightmare quite yet. Either that, or they were dead already.

Dad ran a hand through his hair and took Mom’s hand with his other. “We have to quickly discuss if we want to leave, or if we want to try and hunker down here until the worst of it is over. We’re far enough from the main city that it might be okay.”

My brother shook his head. “It’s an impossible decision. Either way is packed with negatives and danger. Nate’s grandpa was staying home, and his house was broken into while he was video chatting with us. But then you see all the people on the news dying in the streets. Cars crashing, and people being torn from them. I don’t see a winning decision either way.”

“Despite that,” Dad started. “We have to make a choice. We have to either get out now, or stay here.”

No one spoke while we all debated internally. I watched as the Lieberman’s next door strapped down a chest I knew was filled with memories and passports into the bed of their truck. The three of them climbed in, Robert Lieberman with his rifle, Steve Lieberman with his shotgun beside him as he drove. I sighed, and spoke without facing my family.

“What if we got boards and nails from the basement and boarded up the house. We can reinforce it with furniture, and keep all the lights off. We be quiet. We protect ourselves. We ration everything. We have weapons. We stay until we can deem it safer, or until we run out of food and water. Or until we go stir crazy. We can protect ourselves from looters and from any purple flying people eaters that make it out here.” I turned just in time to see dad roll his eyes at my fucked-up humor.

“If we do that, we have to hop to it right now.”

My mother and brother both nodded. “I’m in.” They chorused.

“Alright,” Dad clapped his hands together and they all stood up. “Looks like we’re going with Logan’s plan.”

I glanced out the window again, and followed them all downstairs.