It happened as suspected. Dr. John Luke had wrote about it several years ago, today was the anniversary of his published work. Some believed him to be a freak, suggesting that there would ever be wild humans running around like zombies. Though I was the first to agree with him considering I was his science partner. And since day one of the authorities locking him up in the insane asylum, I’ve always known him to be more of a sound mind than anyone currently alive. Today, now that there is actually a break out of those exact same humans he predicted, I can prove he and I have been right and that the supposed injection cure to Ruponalines disease does in fact create this mayhem. Today North America, tomorrow the world! Luckily I have yet to catch the disease or receive the vaccine. Nearly a year ago I witnessed a child being pinned down to his front lawn, getting forced to receive the “cure”. Madness I tell you. Had nightmares for the following days afterward. They claim because the boy had been constantly blinking, night sweats and coughs for the past few days he must have Ruponalines disease and needs help. This was only the beginning. Since then, anyone with signs of the common cold or are blinking more than 10 times in an hour, will receive the vaccine. It’s no joke. Many cops have gone undercover on buses, trains, grocery stores to seek out those who have those signs. And in a blink of an eye they have a needle in their shoulder, receiving the “cure”.
Before they took Dr. Luke away he had started to work on a cure of his own. One I back 90%. Not yet 100. The reason lies within our test mice. A few of them began dying after it was given to them. Not the results I or Mr. Luke is looking for. Otherwise, we could simply take a bat and bash these zombies brains out like a sport. So, I need to finish this cure but I don’t have much time. Five million people have turned into this wild human zombie thing and it’s multiplying by the bucket loads. What we need is a cure but fast. And one to make them civilized humans again, not dead. But what? I only have three months to figure this out before the authorities bring out the big weapons that would destroy the entire world including the people who weren’t affected by this disease. Such as myself. And from what I can tell, the only way to do that is to….. rescue Dr. Luke, bring him back to our lab and continue his cure!
The insane asylum is ten miles away from the lab. I only have one weapon and it’s a bat. Hey… hey, hey, hey! Don’t judge, I’m a scientist not a soldier. I’m trained to experiment not protect. However, luckily I play baseball every weekend and my wife says I have a mighty fine swing. It’s not impossible for me to make it there but highly unlikely. Sadly, I don’t know the first clue about zombies other than their brains are were it’s at. Except I value life way too much. After seeing our test mice die how am I to deal with batting someone’s brains out? Especially if it’s someone I know. The first five miles I know nearly everyone that lives here and works here. By name. Most of them have turned zombies and left the city. Others have stayed near to feed and I haven’t been out these doors in months. Damn. Bring on the tears. Let’s see how long I could survive or tolerate doing this. I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t even get past Marygo Street which is only a block from the lab. Welp, here goes nothing.

Leaving out the lab’s front door was scary but the thought of my pregnant wife being safe in the basement downstairs comforted me. If for some reason I didn’t make it she had everything she needed and more for at least five years. Dr. Luke and I have been preparing just in case and we were right to do so. All I saw were weeds, fires, cars broken into, crashed, and lifeless bodies in the middle of the street. It happened to be seven at night, too. Never had I thought this day would come. Only an hour before rush hour where zombies would come out to feed on what is left of their victims as if they were chicken! Whatever brains was left they’d try to digest it. How sad. The town of Olirgana has went to dirt. I am unsure of how this will get better but all I could do is look to the future. Such as the past, not even the present day has a glimpse of hope. I past a few houses before I noticed a woman shaking her head and moving her arms around. At first I thought she was a zombie until this one part of my mind remembered that was a sign. I just forgot what it mean…. “Argh!” a man around the age of 32, big belly and no shirt on, yelled. He had whacked a zombie behind me.
“Uh, thanks man,” I said, alarmed.
“You need to watch it with those puny little arms you have there,” he said wiping off the zombie guts from his face. “That bat isn’t going to help you much. These creatures are strong and ruthless. You need armour.”
I forgot what the man continued to say as I was looking over at the woman who continued to shake her head and moving her arms around like a nut job.
“Isn’t she pretty?” the man said. “She’s our look out.”
“Look out?” I raised an eyebrow. “Our?”
“Follow me,” the man said as he made his was to a house only a block from my lab. Sprinkles of rain began to fall just as we were making way through the front door. Several people were seated in a circle, all holding hands as if they were meditating or praying.
The man gave a hearty laugh. “Group, this is…”
“Paul, “I said, wondering what was so funny.
“Ah, another one,” a young male said who was making his way from the kitchen with a home cooked meal in his hands.
What is this? I thought. These people are acting like it’s no big deal.
“Sit, sit.” The man told me after he pulled up a chair so I could sit with the group. I still wondered why he didn’t put on a shirt. It was 34 degrees outside for Christ sake!

“Alrighty, now, listen up.” The man with no shirt spoke to the group. “We have a map of this city, the next and then the next after that. But afterward we’re screwed.” He spread open the map and threw it on the ground in the middle of the group. “Each blue ‘X’ represents where zombies usually stay before rush hour. If we pace ourselves correctly, we can get to the end of the next city safely before those demons all start coming out to feed.”

“Ah,” I thought to myself. I understood why I didn’t recognized any of these people. It was because they are nomads. Technically.
“Where are you guys headed?” I asked. Realizing that maybe no one I knew from my lab to the end of the block was alive.
The man laughed again. “We’re off to the promise land.” His eyes widened.
“The promise land?”
“He’s talking about the underground tunnel of Richardson City,” the woman who I saw earlier waving her arms around had walked into the house. Her hair was wet, so were her clothes and she stared right at me. Not one blink or hint of shyness.
“I see,” is all I said back.
“Yea.” She came to stand next to the group but didn’t sit down. “It’s the most safest place there is in our state. Nearly 8,000 refugees have gone there for help. And they have plenty of room for us. “Just like Dr. Luke said in his book,” she continued, “Either find safety high or very low. But never on usual land.”
I gleamed at the mention of Dr. Luke. “You’ve read Dr. Luke’s work?” I’ve said, sitting straight up in my chair.
“We all did,” the man without a shirt said. “Several times, actually we’re about to have a meeting about it now. That’s why were are sitting like this. Everyday we review what is written in the book so it’s fresh in our minds. Ever since, we haven’t lost anyone in our group.”
I looked around the circle. “How many were first in the group?”
“100,” the woman replied. I looked around the room again only to see 20 people not including myself. I gulped.
“This is why we need to move quickly. Otherwise, we’re done for.”
“I know Dr. Luke personally. He was my partner in the science division for the city project.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me. Some leaning in, ready to hear more.
“We were actually told to figure out how to multiple the vaccine for Ruponalines disease but refused. The only way to do that would be to use chemicals that can damage the DNA of humans. Though the authorities didn’t care. They figured it out on their own only to cause exactly what Dr. Luke predicted in his book. We immediately tried finding a cure for what was to come, but it isn’t finished. I need to help Dr. Luke escape from the insane asylum so he can help me finish it. Without him there will be no future.”

“Ignoramus!” the man with no shirt jumped from his chair and shouted. Everyone moved back in fear. “Do you take us as fools? How do we know you’re telling the truth?”

I shook my head in disbelief, and took out a picture I carried around with me everywhere. It was of me and Dr. Luke cutting open the ribbon when the lab first was built and opened.

“Oh,” he said, grabbing the picture and sitting back down. The picture was past around the circle.

“So?” the woman said. “You’re in charge now.”
“Hey,” the belly man with no shirt said.
“Shut up, Jerry.” She looked back at me. “What is your plan to get over the 200 foot wall your city made after the outburst?”
I lowered my head and thought for a moment. “Hmmm, easy. With help from the zombies themselves.”

“But before I can go anywhere I need to go back and get my wife.”
“There’s no time,” Jerry said. “Rush hour is in 10 minutes, no joke.”
The woman looked over at me with great concern. “Is she in the lab?” she asked.
I nodded. “In the basement. She’s pregnant.” There were gasps heard around the group circle.
“I will go with you,” she said. “To get her here safely.”
I smiled. “Thank you…”
“Ashley,” she said and nodded.
“I’ll come too,” Jerry said in a hurry.

As we headed back to the science lab I saw the door open wide.
“What the hell!” I shouted, running over in great sorrow. Inside fifteen zombies had greeted me, making strange noises and ready to attack. Though Jerry and Ashley brought along their own weapons and helped me to bash a few brains out. One got too close to biting my hand but Ashley stopped that in time.
“Thank you,” I shouted.
“You’re welcome always, stop saying thank you it’s getting old, and go find your wife!!” She panted while continuing to kick butt alongside Jerry. He made it seem so easy. Knocking two zombie heads together with his bare hands; guts flying around in midair.

“Angela?” I said frantically as I raced down the basement steps. “ANGELA!!!!” I fell to my knees and barely a few feet from my wife’s lifeless body. Blood coming out of her neck and stomach where my unborn child was.

“Oh no,” Ashely said, walking down the steps to comfort me. She pulled me away from the scene as tears fell from my eyes and I yelled in pain. Thunder sounded outside and the rain poured down the house harder than ever as Jerry made way to collect my love’s body.

**

I must have black out because the next thing I knew I was in blankets in the same house where the group stayed. I looked around to see twenty people sleeping very close together.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Ashley said, rubbing my arm. She could tell I was afraid and disoriented. I kept looking around, unsure of what to think.

“Where’s my wife?”
“She’s wrapped up in lots of wrappings. We put her in the back for now and we planned to wait for you to wake up so we can bury her.”
“No,” I said, hoping it was a nightmare. “I don’t believe you!” A few people moaned and woke up.
Ashley said nothing and went back to sleep. She was well aware she couldn’t convince me to calm down. Clearly she had to console a few people on her nomad journey through and probably was tired of doing so. Wouldn’t be surprised if she lost someone herself.

I got up to locate my wife. I sat there, crying with her in my arms and rubbing her belly. I could see the feet of my unborn baby sticking out the side of a tear where the zombies ate her flesh. I sat there until morning like that. Only got an hour of sleep.
As rush hour died down, I could hear the sound of the zombies going back into the caves until tonight so they can feed again.

I kept rocking my love back and forth in my arms as I sang her favorite tune. “Paul,” someone said. I turned to see it was Ashley.
“I really don’t want to be the one to say this, but… it’s time to bury them.”
I continued to look Ashley in the eyes, satisfied that she said them and not just her.
I nodded and got up. Jerry came in to pick the lifeless body up from the ground and carry her to an already made grave outside.

15 of the 20 people gathered around the grave as five had weapons and were on the look out for zombies.

I gave a speech and her body was lowered with ropes. One tied around each of her legs and the other around her hands.

“Wait!” I shouted, requesting them to lift her body.
“Don’t do this, Paul,” Ashley said as if she read my mind.
“My wife will be the bait,” I said in a low voice.
A few people asked me to say it again. I refused.
“HE SAID HE’LL USE HIS WIFE AS ZOMBIE BAIT FOR RUSH HOUR SO WE CAN GET OVER THE WALL!” Jerry said.
“I didn’t say all that.”
“But you meant it,” Jerry said with a hearty laugh as if he found the whole thing funny. I want to punch the sucker in the….
“I’m not letting you,” Ashley said, gesturing for the people to lower my wife’s body in the grave.
“Yes, you are.” I demanded, this time with a louder voice. Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened to what I had to say next.
“You and I both know what will happen if we bury her. Within 24 hours if her brain and most of her body is still intact, her and possibly my baby will wake from their grave, turn into a zombie and become wild humans. I refuse to let that happen because they will probably die again anyway. Not on my watch. In order for them to never awake I must–”

“Have the zombies finish her off during rush hour,” Ashley interrupted.

“Exactly,” I said with tears in my eyes. “My plan was to use the zombies to get over the 200 foot wall, but we need them to come to us first. They will smell my wife’s dead flesh from miles away. They will come to feed. And when they do, we will be ready. I just don’t want to watch it so I’ll turn my head away.”

Ashley smiled at me and winked. “I think that’s a great idea. You’re very brave.”
“Aren’t I brave,” Jerry said, feeling needy.
Everyone laughed. Me not so much. I didn’t even say thank you to Ashley. I’m learning that’s a phrase that can be quickly worn out during a zombie apocalypse.

I, nor anyone else anticipated the night where rush hour came promptly at 7 o’clock. Everyone in the group headed to the wall which was five miles away. We had a long trip ahead of us so we started early, taking only a few breaks.

I continued to look ahead with Jerry and Ashley by my side, refusing to look back at the people who carried my wife and unborn child. I needed to remain strong. I knew if I looked back the thought of her being eaten would render me motionless, making me useless to the group.

We made it to the wall 30 minutes before rush hour. We waited, weapon in hand, my wife in front as bait but I never looked at her, and sat there in dead silence. No one knew who would make it out alive or die in the process but it wasn’t our main concern. Our main concern was making sure my plan worked. And if it did, we can collect as many zombie bodies as possibly to create a human ladder to get over the wall. Only time would tell. They came at us full force minutes before rush hour. Snarling and moaning. We had our weapons ready, my bat in my hands firm. We ran after them, beating, bashing, shooting, you name it. We did it. What seemed like thousands of zombies the twenty of us attacked with full force and we were winning. The adrenaline prevented us from tiring and the dream of us getting over the wall was at the forefront of our mind.

Haha, yes! we had successfully finished them all in under two hours. We wiped the guts off our bodies to congratulated and hugged one another as we soon piled each zombie body on top of the other. We succeeded. One by one we climbed up, listening to the ooze and gooze of the bodies underneath our feet.

As I looked back at my wife, who lay on the ground untouched by the zombies again, I smiled, knowing I finally was able to protect her somehow. But then, I saw a twitch. Then a head move from out of her stomach.
“Oh shit!” I shouted, grabbing onto a zombie arm to climb faster up the mountain of humans.
“Lauren!?” I said. My unborn child had bit through my wife’s stomach to birth herself. She crawled wildly over to me. I held out my arms subconsciously as if hoping she was full human.

BOOM!

A loud noise sounded. My zombie baby, Lauren flew back. I turned to see Ashley with a bat and shaking her head. “You need to hurry before your wife wakes up,” she said.

I turned back to see Lauren bounce back up at if nothing happened, snarl and crawl over toward me.
I was in a daze. Though Jerry climbed down the mountain of zombies and arrived next to me. He picked me up and started climbing with me in one arm and the other arm grabbing onto zombie limbs.

The other twenty people were already over the wall and slid down using a few ropes we brought. In fifteen minutes I made it too. Although if it wasn’t for Jerry and Ashley I would have reunited with my family. For good.