Chapter 2... What Happened?
"Hahahaha, Derris got killed by a crawler," Monday joked from the backseat, "I had to say it guys. Now its time to get serious. What the eff is going on?"
"You're never gonna believe this," Keelan started, "the virus that started all of this is actually found in the Chick-fil-A, chicken itself. Anyone who consumes it becomes a zombie almost instantly.
I thought for a moment. There I sat, speechless. Ever since i could remember I had wanted a zombie invasion. It sounded legit, at least in video games. High-powered rifles, rare mega-shotguns, Desert Eagles, akimbo M9's, or any other gun that I used so often on Black Ops. Now, it was different. My acquaintances were being slaughtered right in front of my very eyes. Were the rest of my family and friends alive? How long had this been going on?
"How long have you known about this, Kee?" Monday quizzed
"I found out about twenty minutes ago. Apparently, the newest shipments of chicken are the culprits. Half of the other side of town is already infected. The West Loop store received their shipment earlier than you guys."
There was a long pause. Reality had finally set in and it was time to thrash reality. Not a video game this time, reality.
"It all makes sense now," Monday added, "Todd took his sandwich to the back and ate it, therefore converting him into a zombie. Poor Todd, he was a good guy. Shane, he ate those strips on his break, right?
"Yep, and Zombie Todd zombie tackled him to the ground and devoured his brain and flesh. I guess Shane is one bad ass zombie now huh? So what about your family Keelan? Have you talked to them? I'm assuming JT, Mr. Bobby, and Mrs. Sheri are all good considering they work in Gilmer and obviously there is no CFA there."
JT was my brother, figuratively speaking. His family sort of took me in. Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Sheri were his (our) parents.
"I tried my parents phones, all of them, no answer." Keelan sighed.
"I'm sorry bro, maybe they're in the middle of this trying to find somewhere safe. Exactly like we are doing." Monday tried to comfort him by saying.
"I'm expecting the worst and hoping for the best, guys." Keelan replied, "for now, lets just do what we can"
"Call your dad's shop in Gilmer, Josh. See whats going on there."
I dug into the pocket of my khaki slacks to retrieve my blackberry, dialed the number to the Tire Shop and listened to it ring.
"Hey Josh," a familiar voice answered. It was JT, "dude this is crazy. Gilmer isn't that bad yet but it's still not safe. How is Longview?"
As Keelan drove I looked out the window. Deserted cars lined the streets. However, cars weren't the only thing lining the streets. Zombies and dead bodies in large quantities were scattered all over Loop 281. It was a horrendous sight to say the least. The road was almost empty, save about 10 cars that were actually being driven as far as the eye could see. Keelan turned onto McCann, and sped up.
"It's pretty bad dude. I had no idea. Its spreading so rapidly," I answered. "so you guys are okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Listen, I gotta go. We'll be alright, at least for awhile. Keep in touch by text whenever you can. Stay alive and we will meet up soon. See ya dude."
"Be careful, later man. What about Mom?"
"Can't get in touch with anyone in Diana. Gotta go. Peace"
As I hung up the phone Keelan swerved into the Academy parking lot only to find that it was deserted.
Monday leaned forward from the backseat, "I liked the idea Keelan, but umm, there's no one here. The place appears to be closed."
We drove up to the front door and noticed that most of the lights inside were off. There were just enough left on so one could see his way around. There was a sign posted on the door.
"NO TRESPASSING UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES"
"I wonder if those 'cicumstances' include a zombie invasion?" Monday smarted off.
"Bump that, we're gettin' guns." Keelan replied.
We all stepped out of the car cautiously and walked up to the door. It wouldn't budge. In a desperate attempt to obtain firearms we walked around to the side. There were two sets of doors, one door was completely ripped open and a trail of blood on the concrete all the way down the street.
"Well, what do you guys think?" I asked.
"We're sure not gonna survive punching ruthless zombies to death. We need guns." Monday implied.
All three of us walked back to the car and Keelan drove to the open door. Then he abruptly started to rev his engine up. The loud sound from the exhaust was echoing hard off the walls and surrounding buildings. Keelan's idea was a grand one. To lure any unsuspecting zombies out and see if the inside of our gun horde was free of any of these fearless, disgusting, creatures. After about five minutes of engine revving, nothing came from the inside of the sporting goods store. Not a single zombie crawled, ran, or limped from the dark expanse of Academy at all. However, as all three of us turned our heads to a shrill noise in the distance, we spotted a very large mob of zombies hurrying towards us.
"Keelan drive around for a few minutes. Just trust me. I'll text or call you when me and Josh are ready. Be careful. If you don't hear anything from us, well you already know what happened. Come on Josh we gotta hurry" Monday seemed to have developed a plan.
"You sure?" Keelan asked in a puzzled tone.
"I hope so."
Monday and I sprinted through the open door. What we saw next was probably the most abominable sight one could imagine.
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JT and Mr. Bobby sat at First National Bank in the commercial lane, waiting for the teller to process their request. They had asked to withdraw all of the cash in the Gilmer Discount Tire account. Finally, the teller handed them and enormous stack of bills, said "good luck" and turned around to handle other affairs. Bobby drove down the main street in Gilmer for about a mile or so eventually stopping at Gilmer Pawn Shop.
"You stay out here, Dad. I'll go handle this" JT exited the Chevy diesel bravely and walked inside.
He walked up to the counter. A middle-aged man who looked like hadn't had a bath since his early youth manned the front. Other than another man looking at a generator, the store was empty.
"I need guns." JT said blatantly.
"ID?"
"Here's your ID." JT reached into the pocket of his mechanic uniform and brought out a large sum of cash and laid it on the table.
"Alright then," the repulsive man said, "take it all.
JT took the assortment of rifles, shotguns, and pistols and what little ammunition the salesman had. It took him a few trips but he finally loaded it into the backseat of the truck.
"Hey, that's what I'm talkin' about." Bobby high-fived his son, "that should last us."
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Monday and I looked in horror at all of the blood and human remains that laid scattered throughout the store. It was a ghastly sight indeed. As we made our way towards the gun counter, we realized that there were no guns whatsoever left.
"Damn it!!" Monday shouted.
At that time we heard Keelans car rev up and honk repeatedly. Directly after, a host of about 15 zombies entered the doors less than fifty yards where we were standing. Monday and I sprinted towards the back of the store. As we ran passed the office it wasn't the single ripped up, appalling human carcass or the pungent smell that caught our attention. There laid the jackpot. More guns than they could inevitably carry were piled up on a desk in the corner of the room. Not only that, but shells and ammunition as well were stacked as high as we were tall.
Running into the room, I picked up a Mossberg 12 gauge and Monday acquired a Remington. We both checked to see if both were fully loaded. Zombies entered the room as Monday and I jumped behind the desk and started filling up the zombies with shotgun shells. Both of us fired roughly half a dozen times, maybe more until the small mob was nonexistent. After a nod of satisfaction at each other we swiftly searched for something to carry the guns and ammo in. After about two minutes of searching we came across about eight or nine large Nike duffel bags. As fast as possible, we stuffed as many bullets and shells that would fit into the bags. Suddenly, my phone started ringing. It was Keelan.
"Dude, we're okay. You alright out there?"
"Yeah man, I tried to warn y'all. Ten to fifteen zombies went inside not long after you guys. Are you almost done?" Keelan asked"
"Yeah, meet us at the back door."
I hung up and grabbed two bags and began toting the ammunition out of the door. Keelan was already out there, parked next to a white mid-sized , newer model Ford truck that had been abandoned. Judging by the beeping coming from inside, the keys were still in the ignition. Sure enough, they were still there. I started it up after throwing the bags in the back. Perfect. A supplies vehicle. We loaded the rest of the guns and ammunition into the truck as well as a few other odds and ends items. Flashlights, lanterns, ghillie suits, extra clothes, archery equipment, knives, and other useful items were loaded into the truck.
"Where to now fellas?" Keelan asked.
I looked over at Monday who was grinning from ear to ear and looking down at his phone.
"Kyle just texted me. He said meet me at Josh's apartment. He scored military weapons."
joshua joshua, this rocks
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