{"id":206,"date":"2013-07-21T13:10:08","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T13:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=206"},"modified":"2013-07-21T13:10:08","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T13:10:08","slug":"chapter-35","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-35\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 35"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 35<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t really talk about 4\/15, not aloud anyway.\u00a0 It\u2019s become a normal part of life now, disturbing as that is.\u00a0 But that day, I still find it hard to discuss.\u00a0 Everyone else can a bit, except Brian, but he has obvious reasons.\u00a0 Then there\u2019s AJ, who, in the rare moments he actually DOES decide to talk about himself, speaks of that day with no problems at all.<\/i><\/p>\n

But I have issues talking about that Day of Unholy Resurrection.\u00a0 No real reason, I think, anyway.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have to kill my family; I\u2019d already found them dead and bailed.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have to see a zombie version of, well, anyone I knew, actually.\u00a0 But it was a day I\u2019ll never forget, that\u2019s for sure.\u00a0 None of us have the luxury of forgetting that day.\u00a0 How could anyone rid their memories of that day of chaos and of madness, a day beyond belief and of evil?<\/i><\/p>\n

With all my issues talking about that day, it makes me glad we\u2019re not reading each other\u2019s journals.\u00a0 We\u2019re all writing them, but it\u2019s more to make sure our story is told.\u00a0 Just in case.\u00a0 Death is pretty much a very solid possibility every day now.\u00a0 But again, I\u2019m glad we\u2019re not sharing them with each other.\u00a0 Even though it was my idea to write them.\u00a0 There\u2019s some things I don\u2019t want the others reading.<\/i><\/p>\n

Like me talking about that day.<\/i><\/p>\n

It was the day the dead rose.<\/i><\/p>\n

It was the day hell was unleashed.<\/i><\/p>\n

It was a day I\u2019ll never forget, for many reasons.<\/i><\/p>\n

It was also the day I met Nick Carter.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Sunday, April 15, 2012<\/b>
\n6:00 a.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

Tap.<\/i><\/p>\n

Tap.<\/i><\/p>\n

Tap.<\/i><\/p>\n

It was the noise coming from the window that forced her to wake up.\u00a0 With a look to the window, she saw it was nothing more than an annoying pigeon tapping its beak against the glass at her.\u00a0 Annoyed, she started her engine to scare it off.\u00a0 Riley shut off the vehicle yet again and let herself fully wake up.\u00a0 A large yawn escaped, as she sighed and realized she had, in fact, slept in her car.\u00a0 If she\u2019d slept in her Jeep, that meant what had happened earlier\u2026<\/p>\n

Her brothers.<\/p>\n

Her father.<\/p>\n

Her sisters-in-law, her nieces and nephews\u2026<\/p>\n

All of them were dead.<\/p>\n

The tears threatened to fall again, as they had only hours before, but she held them back.\u00a0 She was awake, and even though she wasn\u2019t running on very much sleep, Riley instantly made the decision that it was time to start trying to find a place that hadn\u2019t been hit by the virus yet.\u00a0 If such a place existed.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t sure; she had many of the facts and knew the chances were slim.\u00a0 Still had no idea what had caused it, but she\u2019d witnessed firsthand how deadly it was, heard how quickly it had spread up north, and seen for herself how it happened down south.\u00a0 Surely, it had spread.\u00a0 Yet the hope for a safe haven still burned, because stranger things could happen.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like there was anything holding her here in Florida, now that everyone she\u2019d known and cared about was dead.\u00a0 Riley pushed a dark gold lock of hair out of her eyes and sighed to herself.\u00a0 She wondered if they even knew how much she did care about them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cRiley, come on, Dad wants to see you.\u00a0 He says how you never come by.\u00a0 We\u2019re all supposed to have a get-together there tomorrow.\u00a0 Around noon.\u00a0 You\u2019re off then.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cNate, you come on.\u00a0 I use my days off to do my groundwork for my stories.\u00a0 I\u2019m finally getting somewhere.\u00a0 That\u2019s important to me.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cMore important than your family, huh?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, I never said that.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to, Ri.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How many times had she cancelled outings with her family for work?\u00a0 How many times had she told them that work was important and that they didn\u2019t understand?\u00a0 How many times had she wasted everything, only to learn now that it was worthless to do so?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cRiley!\u00a0 You and I totally need to hang out.\u00a0 My fianc\u00e9 has this friend, and he\u2019s perfect for you, I swear.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cJules, I want to go, really\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just, \u2018I have to work, and it\u2019s important, and blah blah blah.\u2019\u00a0 Whatever, girl.\u00a0 You always blow me off, and I get sick of it.\u00a0 There\u2019s more to life than a career, you know.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s why I\u2019m more successful than you.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYet I\u2019m happier.\u00a0 Sucks, doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0 Call me when you decide you care about your friends again.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She\u2019d lost friends over work, dismissing it because they \u201cdidn\u2019t understand,\u201d<\/i> and that it would \u201call pay off, and then I can relax,<\/i>\u201d and so many excuses she\u2019d built up to justify putting her career before everyone else.\u00a0 Now, she\u2019d never be able to tell them.\u00a0 Never be able to say she was sorry, that she did love them, and that she\u2019d always cared.\u00a0 She\u2019d never cared more about her career than family and friends, at least\u2026 not intentionally.\u00a0 Riley had just wanted to leave her mark on the world.<\/p>\n

Now it didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 She may have been the only one left alive, for all she knew.\u00a0 Her thoughts went back to her family.\u00a0 Her family \u2013 she knew they deserved more than being left to rot.\u00a0 But she also knew they\u2019d want her to get away, before she fell victim next.\u00a0 Riley reached for her keys again.\u00a0 She needed to just go, get away.<\/p>\n

Another noise stopped her from starting up her car again.\u00a0 A series of guttural grunts could be heard in the distance.\u00a0 Scraping and thuds coming from nearby could be heard, as well.\u00a0 After a night of silence, Riley decided she\u2019d see what was going on, unnoticed.\u00a0 Turning off all signs of light in her car, she ducked down and peered out her window.\u00a0 Her hands reached for her steadfast camera, turned it on, and started filming.<\/p>\n

It took only minutes for her to lower her camera.\u00a0 Not turn it off, of course, but lower it so she could get a better look, as she peeked carefully through her car window.\u00a0 All the bodies that had been in cars, along the roads\u2026 all of them were standing, bashing through windows and doors, anything to get out.\u00a0 They did not sense her nearby, and she kept all sounds to herself.\u00a0 Her eyes widened as she took it in.\u00a0 It was something straight from one of her old favorite movie series, Resident Evil<\/i>.\u00a0 Armies of the undead were roaming the streets, hundreds just by her eye count.\u00a0 There were still many bodies lying still on the roads, and she wondered why they didn\u2019t rise as well.<\/p>\n

She lifted her camera up again, keeping low to stay out of view.\u00a0 \u201cDay Two of the chaos, only hours after I last filmed\u2026\u00a0 Well, you can see for yourself,\u201d Riley whispered, just loud enough for the camera to record.\u00a0 \u201cThey rose, not too long ago.\u00a0 I\u2019ve only been asleep\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She checked her phone for the time.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026 about five hours.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe this\u2026\u00a0 How could this happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched as they roamed the street.\u00a0 The moaning was loud and almost unbearable, as Riley fought to ignore it.\u00a0 There were so many of them.\u00a0 So many creatures were out there, all who had once been dead, now with no conscious thought, just shuffling slowly along the roads, in search of something.\u00a0 Riley figured herself safe, seeing that there was a decent distance between them, and the fact that none of them seemed to notice her.<\/p>\n

Tap.<\/i><\/p>\n

Tap.<\/i><\/p>\n

Tap.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cStupid bird\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

THUMP.<\/i><\/p>\n

THUMP.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell?\u201d<\/p>\n

THUMP.<\/i><\/p>\n

THUMP.<\/i><\/p>\n

Her head turned to see that the undead on the other<\/i> side of the road, the ones she hadn\u2019t taken even one glance at, had taken notice of her.\u00a0 Her car was surrounded, and they were angrily banging upon it, in hopes of getting in.\u00a0 She stared at them, horrified at seeing them up close.\u00a0 The camera fell from her hands and landed on the seat beside her.\u00a0 Her sharp, blue eyes almost bugged out of their sockets, as the zombies grew in number, all of them banging on the Jeep, fighting to get inside and get to her.<\/p>\n

She screamed.\u00a0 Her hands fumbled for her keys as she continued screaming, incredibly thankful that the doors and windows were all shut and locked. \u00a0Riley fought to get the keys back in the ignition.\u00a0 Her screams didn\u2019t stop as she became surrounded by zombies, trapped in her car with what looked to be nowhere to go if she couldn\u2019t get going soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, come on!\u201d\u00a0 Finally, she was able to get enough coordination to jam the keys into the ignition and start the car.\u00a0 Frantically, she glanced backwards, seeing a small crack form along the shatterproof back window.\u00a0 Shoving the car into reverse, she floored it, hearing her tires squeal and feeling the bumps that came along with it.<\/p>\n

Thrusting the gear shift into drive, she peeled off, slamming her car into the zombies.\u00a0 Riley screamed again as one was hit head on.\u00a0 The animated corpse flew atop her hood, moaning as it tried to beat its way through the glass.\u00a0 Swerving the Jeep, she frantically tried to throw the zombie from her car.\u00a0 It had once been a pregnant teenager, the protruding belly smashing up against the glass under a t-shirt that said Future Soccer Star, <\/i>with an arrow pointing at the stomach.\u00a0 The face was ragged, bearing tire marks, probably run over by Riley when she had pulled to the side to park and sleep, hours before.\u00a0 Its fist continued to beat down until Riley finally screeched the car to a stop, forcing the zombie to fly backwards and land against a light post.\u00a0 She swung the car around and started driving again, desperately trying to get away from anything that had once been dead.<\/p>\n

It seemed the more she drove, the more of these creatures she attracted her way.<\/p>\n

The biggest horde came when she grew close to the hospital.\u00a0 Her car picked up speed.\u00a0 They were thicker than she\u2019d seen them earlier, and she gritted her teeth, fighting to remain strong and run them down.\u00a0 What other choice did she have?\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t even sure where she was going yet.<\/p>\n

There was one that was waving its arms at her erratically, and she forced the speed of her Jeep to grow even higher.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t going to make the same mistake as before and let a zombie get stuck on her hood.\u00a0 This one, she was running down.\u00a0 The thumping noises began again, as the moans got louder.\u00a0 The blonde zombie that had been waving its arms at her still didn\u2019t move as she got closer.<\/p>\n

But instead of opening its mouth to release the trademark groan that all the other creatures had, it did something else.\u00a0 \u201cHEY!\u00a0 HEY!\u201d<\/p>\n

She kept going.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m NOT a fucking zombie, DAMN IT!\u201d<\/p>\n

At the last second, it hit her.\u00a0 She\u2019d finally stumbled on someone who was actually alive.\u00a0 Though, that wouldn\u2019t be true for long, as she was moments away from hitting him.\u00a0 Her foot slammed on the brake, and her grip on the steering wheel tightened so much, her knuckles were ghost white, as the car spun before finally coming to a stop, only inches away from him.\u00a0 She hit the button that unlocked the door, leaned over, opened it, and stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet in!\u201d<\/p>\n

He ran to the car, climbed in, and slammed the door shut.\u00a0 Though it felt pointless, Riley locked the doors once again and sped away.\u00a0 The zombies followed at a creepily slow pace behind them.\u00a0 She took a good look at her new companion.\u00a0 He looked tired, as she was sure she did.\u00a0 He had a childlike face, tousled blonde hair, and eyes that matched the color of the ocean, her favorite place in the world.\u00a0 In his hands, she then noticed, was an axe, gripped tightly like the ultimate security blanket.\u00a0 He breathed heavily beside her.\u00a0 She drove in silence, until she found an empty alleyway, where there seemed to be no bodies.\u00a0 Whether that meant the ones who had been there had already risen, or that she\u2019d actually found a small spot where no one had died, she wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0 They had long outrun the zombies, which, she\u2019d learned, did not ever seem to pick up their pace.\u00a0 Because of that, she felt comfortable parking and shutting off her car.<\/p>\n

It was then that he, at last, spoke.\u00a0 \u201cThanks\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He glanced at her and gave her a charming smile Riley was sure had worked for him many times in the past.\u00a0 \u201cName\u2019s Nick, Nick Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRiley Blake.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook her hand while the other still held the axe.\u00a0 His hand was gentle and warm, and it comforted her to feel that right then, knowing everyone else was dead \u2013 or undead.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice to meet ya.\u00a0 Just\u2026 thanks for pulling over.\u00a0 If you hadn\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem.\u00a0 Sorry about\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, don\u2019t worry about it.\u00a0 I prolly would\u2019ve thought you were a zombie, too, if it were me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they are zombies.\u201d\u00a0 Even though that had been the term she\u2019d been using in her mind, on camera, it hadn\u2019t seemed real.<\/p>\n

He shrugged, setting the axe down on the floorboard, finally, and turning fully towards her.\u00a0 \u201cWhat else could they be?\u00a0 Glad to see you<\/i>.\u00a0 Man, I thought everyone had fled or died\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley shook her head, tilting her head at him.\u00a0 \u201cFled?\u00a0 No one had time to run from this\u2026 \u201c<\/p>\n

Nick sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know.\u00a0 Got in an-\u201d\u00a0 He paused, his tongue unconsciously running over his lips, as he thought it over for a moment.\u00a0 \u201c-accident.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been snoozing in the hospital that past couple days and woke up just in time for this hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at him in a mix of shock and pity.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know?\u00a0 He\u2019d had to wake up to this, without any clue\u2026\u00a0 She would have to be the one to tell him that there was an almost sure chance that everyone he knew and loved was dead.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t sure if he was the luckiest man alive, or the most cursed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2026 there was this disease, spread all up north Friday morning.\u00a0 By the end of the day, it\u2019d come here.\u00a0 Everyone who caught the virus died.\u00a0 Everyone.\u00a0 No exceptions.\u00a0 I woke up Saturday evening to find nothing but bodies everywhere.\u201d\u00a0 She coughed, trying to cover the break in her voice when she was reminded that she\u2019d never see her family again, and then continued.\u00a0 \u201cI never caught it; sounds like you didn\u2019t either, or we\u2019d be dead too.\u00a0 I woke up-\u201d\u00a0 She decided then not to mention it had been in her car because she had been so distraught.\u00a0 \u201c-and saw this.\u00a0 That\u2019s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick stared at her, as she watched him take it in.\u00a0 It was hard enough for her, who\u2019d seen it all happen within the span of three days.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t even try to imagine how she would be dealing if she had woken up to this, without a clue as to what had happened, only that leagues of the undead wanted to eat her brains.<\/p>\n

After about ten minutes that felt more to Riley like an hour, he spoke again.\u00a0 \u201cYou said everyone\u2019s dead, pretty much?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought so, anyway.\u00a0 You\u2019re the first person I\u2019ve found alive.\u00a0 Power\u2019s down everywhere.\u00a0 Before they rose, there were bodies all along the streets\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded, and his hand touched her shoulder gently.\u00a0 \u201cRiley, I know you\u2019ve known me about an hour at best.\u00a0 But I need to ask you a huge favor.\u00a0 You can say no, and I\u2019ll get out and find a car to hotwire and try it myself.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t want to attempt this alone, though.\u00a0 It\u2019s hella selfish, but I just really need this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need you to take me to my place-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re insane, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but I just\u2026 I need to check; I need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me\u2026 to take you\u2026 to a place where there are almost guaranteed to be zombies waiting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re insane, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said that already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt it needed repeating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Riley\u2026 I just- I need to know.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t you, if you were me, and had just learned the world had gone to hell?\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking a deep breath, she thought about it.\u00a0 Logically, she knew it was stupid.\u00a0 They needed to just drive until they got to an open area and then figure out what steps to take next.\u00a0 They needed to leave.\u00a0 But at the same time, she felt for Nick.\u00a0 She felt his pain, and she knew why he had to see it for himself.\u00a0 She glanced back at him and made her decision.\u00a0 Riley started up the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 35 I can\u2019t really talk about 4\/15, not aloud anyway.\u00a0 It\u2019s become a normal part of life now, disturbing as that is.\u00a0 But that day, I still find it hard to discuss.\u00a0 Everyone else can a bit, except Brian, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":35,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/206"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/206\/revisions\/207"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}