"The Center Pointe" Chapter 9

Chapter 9

         

In my youth I was in a unique position to be the proverbial fly on the wall.  It continually amazed me the things that the adults would talk about within ear shot of me.  Sometimes I would hide and listen to the conversation that the group would have about their pasts or the future of the community they were working so hard to build.  With the addition of John to the leadership of the group he and Rich worked quickly in securing the hospital and setting up some semblance of normalcy among the people, over the months our group grew from a little over a dozen members to a community of over a hundred survivors with a council comprised of John, Karen, Brian and Rich to oversee the day to day operations of the building.

People jokingly took to calling the community “Nibiru’s Bane” because we were a group that against all odds was surviving in this harsh new world.  Although there was safety and security in the immediate vicinity the outside world was a dark and miserable place.  The survivors that would make their way to the hospital would tell tales of the savagery of the Static and the brutality in which the uninfected were committing on the innocent.  They would stand in council meetings and tell stories of the growing storm of groups that had formed whose sole purpose was to enslave the weak and use them for their own growth.  I could see the concern on the faces of the council members as they listened to the horror stories.

          Sometimes late at night when my new parents Rich and Karen who I now called mom and dad thought I was asleep they would talk about their fear that these groups would come and try and take the hospital.  They felt they should be ready for the possibility they could have a war on their hands.  Rich always said that in a world gone mad where people were eating each other he never would have thought they would have to worry about the people who were not affected by Nibiru.  Through all of this the planet sat in the sky like a bad omen reminding the people in the hospital of the gathering storm.

          It was a meeting that took place in late December about the future of the community that was so serious that even I at my young age was able to grasp the fear and dread that the rest of the people were feeling.  So far since coming here I had felt safe and happy in our small community, but after that night even I understood that in a moment all that we had could be lost.

          It was a day like any other when I decided to listen in on an emergency meeting that Rich had called with the council and members of the community who wanted to hear.  At this point there were a few other children in the community and during meetings another member of the group would usually watch over us because children were not allowed to listen in on the matters of adults, but I was a sneaky child and was often able to slip away without being noticed.  On this night the person watching us was an elderly man that had been a tailor before the arrival of Nibiru.  He was not very attentive to the children and would many times drift off into a light sleep, I took this opportunity to slip away from the other children and sneak to my hiding spot in the cafeteria.  Shortly after I had arrived at the hospital I had found a cupboard in the cafeteria that for some strange reason made me feel safe, many times I would go to my secret spot and take a nap or just think.  It was there that I had overheard many meeting and conversations of the adults in the group.  Tonight I was already there before anyone came to the meeting.  I am sorry to say that I heard everything and to this day I wish I hadn’t.

          The meeting began after a half hour of waiting for everyone to finish their duties and get to the cafeteria.  John, Rich, Brian and Karen were all seated in chairs at the front of the congregation of people.   At the time it seemed that none but the four at the helm of the meeting understood the importance of this situation.  Many were talking but only rumors had been said and the community did not know the extent of the danger, this was the purpose of tonight’s meeting.  The four leaders were now sitting patiently for the members of the community to take their seats.  After about half an hour everyone had been assembled.

          Rich rose and welcomed everyone to the meeting.  He explained the situation to the people in attendance and introduced three members to the group of people.  These people were newer to the group than most and had spent a lot of time out in the world and were invited to tell the community what was out there and what to expect.

 The first of them was a man of small stature, he was portly and balding and always smelled of garlic pickles from a lifelong obsession with the bitter food.  He always had a brown overcoat on to cover the ratty old business suit he wore underneath that he could not bring himself to throw away; it was his way of trying to keep a part of his old life with him.  He introduced himself as Ralph Evans.  He rose from his seat rather nervous to be speaking in front of so many.

“First I would like to say, Thank you all for the amazing hospitality that you have shown me and so many others in this community.  When this all first happened I was terrified I was the only one left.  My wife and my children turned during a late dinner after my arrival home from work.”  He looked down at the floor for a moment in solidarity.  Others joined him in his moment of silence.  “I spent weeks sneaking from building to building just trying to stay alive and off the Static’s radar.  There were times when I just wanted to give up and more than once I tried.  But it seems that God had other plans for me.  My hope is that he wanted me to survive, if not to join this community to at least warn you of the terrors that exist outside these walls.”  He paused for a moment to make sure he had everyone’s attention.  His audience sat in rapt silence waiting for him to continue.  “It was three weeks into this nightmare; I had found a house that seemed safe enough.  There was canned food in the pantry and enough bottled water to allow me some comfort.  For the first time in a long time I was able to shut my eyes without fear of waking to being eaten alive.  Everything went well for the first couple of days, it was quiet and I felt a measure of safety.  On the third day I awoke at about 3 p.m. to gunshots right outside the house where I was hunkered down.  At first I was giddy; I thought there was someone out there who may be able to help me.  I moved to the window to get a better view of what was going on outside.  What I saw haunts me still.  There was a group of about twenty men outside across the street.  They were trying to knock in the door of a house; I could hear screams of women and children inside.  These men were not trying to help them and when they got the door open several of them began opening fire.  After a few minutes they emerged dragging three women and a small group of children, three boys and two girls.  They lined the three boys up one beside the other and the leader stepped before each one and shot them in the head while the women and girls screamed in horror.  The men then spent the next hour raping the women.  Thankfully they did not touch the girls.  When they were done they lashed them all together with rope and led them away.”  He paused again and they all could see his eyes tearing up.  “I wanted to save them, but there was nothing I could do.  I didn’t have a gun or any weapons.  I was so scared.  I couldn’t understand why they would do this where there was so much more out there to fear.  These people meant them no harm and they slaughtered and raped them just because they were stronger.  Later I went across the street to see if there was anyone who had survived.  The boys were lying motionless and I could not bring myself to approach them.  I knew they were dead but I did not want to see it.  Inside the house were the bodies of three men and two teen boys, they were apparently shot in the first moment of the invasion.  There was no one left alive to save.”  Ralph took his seat then and buried his face in his hands.

It was several minutes before anyone spoke.  John taking a cue from Brian stood up and walked to Ralph who had now begun to quietly sob.  John put his hand on the man’s shoulder and looked to the rest of the people in the room.  Many had tears in their eyes and some had a look of fright that left them frozen in their seats.  “I am sorry my friends that you had to hear this but it was necessary.  This is the new world we are living in and we cannot afford to sugar coat the reality that we find ourselves.”

Rich then stood and walked up to the man.  “I am sorry for what you went through and I am sorry that you had to relive it.”  The concern on Rich’s face softened the sobs of Ralph.  Everyone in this room was a kindred spirit and Rich was determined to keep them safe.  “We need to be prepared for whatever may come and try and take away all that we have built.  We as a community must work hard to persevere through this.  The moment we lax in our resolve is the moment we give up everything and let the Devil in the front door.  We must fight, we must live and we MUST grow.”  Rich said this loudly snapping many out of their frightened states.  “If these people or any others come here to try and do to us what they have done to so many others then we must stand together and show them that to try and take what we have built will mean their DESTRUCTION.”  At these words the cafeteria erupted in applause and many people got to their feet and cheered for their leader.

Two more people got up to speak over the next twenty minutes and shared their horror stories.  One was a single mother of three children and when two of her kids had turned she had been forced to kill them to save the one who had not.  After that she had spent weeks running from a small gang of thugs that were trying to harm her and her son.  It was only by the grace of God she had stumbled on the hospital as she was fleeing from them.  Not knowing what was going to happen she had ran and beat on the front door and was rescued by Brian and John who were on door watch at the time.  Luckily the thugs did not see where she went and did not come close enough to the building to see that it was inhabited.  Even if they had there were only seven of them and Karen had them in her sights the whole time.  If they had made a move toward the building she would have dropped them all before they even knew where the shots were coming from.  Before sitting down the woman thanked the whole group for the kindness they had shown her and she now felt like this place was becoming a home for her and her son.

The last speaker was a young man of about twenty three.  He explained that he had joined up with one of the groups of other men out of desperation to survive.  He never imagined that people he had known his whole life could be capable of the things that he was forced to witness over the brief time he had spent with them.  They had made a habit of taking what they wanted without care for the survivors they hurt.  They justified their actions by telling him they were just trying to survive a horrible situation and if they wanted to survive they would have to do things they did not want to do, but there was no escaping the fact they enjoyed the terrible things they were doing.  As soon as the young man got the chance he slipped away from the group and tried to go it alone.  He had wandered for days before he saw two men setting up traps near a hospital.  The two men turned out to be Rich and John and they had welcomed him in with open arms.  The man ended his testimony by saying that if someone came here looking for a fight he was ready to defend everyone here with his life.

After the last testimony time was given to let the reality of what was said to sink in.  Many people talked among themselves before Rich opened up the floor to questions.  The first one to stand was Ralph Evans, he had since pulled himself together and a look of anger was now spread across the portly man’s face.  “We have to do whatever we can; we can’t let what I witnessed happen to anyone here.  If it did I could not live with myself.  This is not a matter of if one of these groups will discover us, but when.  We have got to be ready for this.”

“We understand what you’re saying Ralph.” Said Rich.  “It is only a matter of time before one of these groups comes close enough to see there are people here and if we want to survive we have to show them that the people here are more dangerous than they are and will not allow them entry to our sanctuary.”

John stood now and took the floor, Rich sat down.  “We will have to get our security details together and start laying more traps around the perimeter of the hospital.  We should also set up some watch areas on the roof to see incoming groups of people.  Everyone will have to learn basic combat and weapons so they can help if necessary.  We will have to also find a way to reinforce the doors of the emergency room, the Static may not be able to get in but if these gangs are determined to get in even the bullet proof glass will not be enough to keep them out.”

“We will also need more snipers to eliminate threats from a distance.  I am the only marksman right now and if a large group comes I will not be able to get them all from my perch.  We will need enough to cover the whole hospital ground.  It would also be good for us to be able to concentrate our fire on specific targets as well.”  Said Karen looking to the people in the room for any hands who might want to learn to shoot.  So far the security detail she had put together while good at following instruction were terrible shots and Karen needed someone who would be able to hold their own shoulder to shoulder with her.  She needed people she could depend on.  No one raised their hand.  Karen was dismayed.

Brian decided to take another approach to the situation and called on people to be assigned classes that would teach each person generalized lessons and through that they would be able to weed out the people who had talent in those classes and those who did not.  Brian explained that the hope as through this they would be able to find more people to fill in gaps in the defenses.  On saying this he gave a wink to Karen, knowing she understood he was trying to find her recruits.

The meeting took place for most of the evening and by the time they were done it was decided that in order to keep the people of their growing community safe they were going to have to increase their efforts on all fronts.  All resident of the hospital were going to have to work together to reinforce the hospital grounds and patrol the perimeter.  New lookout points were going to have to be built to keep an eye out for any movement on the horizon and everyone was going to have to take part in training in arms and basic combat.  Luckily there was a retired Iraq war veteran who everyone nicknamed Shrapnel due to scars from a stray hand grenade he suffered during the Iraq war.  The back of his neck was pockmarked with scars.  He volunteered to train everyone in basic combat even the children because as John said it would be their fight one day as well.  Shrapnel told Karen later on that anyone who exceled in his training would be sent to her to help form a small fighting force she could count on.

Anyone who was not combat able would be given upkeep chores to keep the place in working condition.  Marissa had already been placed at the head of the kitchen and had no trouble finding people to help her there, but the nurse Christina Chekov who had now become the resident doctor but with Brian’s duties requiring him to be all over the hospital and only one other assistant she was in dire need of other medical personnel in her ER.  This whole building was a quagmire.  Rich and the other leaders thought they would have the time to ease everyone into the roles that would help keep this place functioning correctly but now with the looming threats that were out there they all knew there was not much time to turn this place into a well-oiled machine because if they couldn’t they were all doomed.  Everything had to work correctly and everyone had to work together, there could be no gaps in their defense or it would all come crashing down.

It was difficult for many of the people to adapt to this new world, they were all so used to lives in suburbia it was a shock to them that they would now have to become a fighting force that may have to defend this building with deadly force.  There was so much that needed to be learned and so much that needed done.  These people could no longer afford the luxury of sloth.  As a child it was easier on me to adapt the world because I had been in the world for a briefer period of time than the adults.  Although many saw themselves thrust into hell, I found myself enjoying the situation we were in many times. There was such a strong sense of community here.  Even at a young age I had been able to understand how distant the community was from each other but in this new hell the companionship and community that people had was one of the few good things to come out of this world.

Watching this meeting filled me with dread and the knowledge that this community that I had come to love so much could be destroyed so easily I began for the first time to understand that my childhood had to come to an end and that even at my young age things would be required of me that would test my maturity.  I know understood that I had to grow up.  I had no idea just how prophetic my revelation would be.  My world no matter how brief it had existed was about to be thrown into chaos.  That night when my mother and father were sleeping and the hospital was quiet I began to silently cry to myself, crushing a stuffed teddy bear I had found in the pediatric ward to myself.  Being so young religion was foreign to me it had merely been a place I was dragged to for an hour every Sunday, but for the first time in my young life I found myself rolling out of bed and placing my teddy on the pillow and getting on my knees placing my face in my hands and praying to whomever may be watching over us for safety in the coming days, when I was done my hands were wet with my tears.  I heard nothing.  No angel greeted me when I looked up, I heard no god.  In that moment I wondered if he was there or was humanity truly all alone.  I fell asleep that night, my cheeks stained with tears.

Started a Youtube Vlog

I Never Knew Raine Fell part 11

It was night again before we decided to venture from the barn.  The cover of night wrapped us in its blanket and allowed us to travel in relative obscurity.  It was a cold night and the air was nipping at our noses but Raine seemed unaffected by the cold.  She walked  huddled next to my shivering form as if hoping her body heat would warm me.  It was odd a demon would have concern for a mere human but I was thankful for the effort,  at this I pulled her closer hoping she could feel my love.  She may be evil but she was still my daughter and I would move heaven and earth to protect her.  She deserved a normal life, she deserved to be happy, she couldn't help what she had become and I decided I would do anything to return my daughter the the happy bubbly child she had once been.

The visions of Hell continued to subside but every so often a vision would drop on me and I would almost fall to the ground but Raine's amazing strength keep me on my feet.  We walked through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh trying to keep from being noticed hoping to make it to Father Grey's church undetected.  Raine had killed many people and they were hunting her but they would not really notice a child walking with her mother, it probably would not occur to them that she had kept me alive.  I hoped this was a worthwhile deception.  I don't know how I would handle it if we were discovered and I didn't want her killing anyone else. It would be hard to choose a side in that situation.

After what seemed an eternity we were standing at the steps to the church.  It was a giant stone building in the heart of the city, with large oak doors and a bell tower to summon its congregation. it was hard to believe a priest like the man I had met would reside in such a place.  It was an old and giant monstrosity reminiscent of the worlds medieval Christan era. Raine and I stepped up to the doors, I reached out and placed a hand on the handle and was surprised when the heavy door swung effortlessly on it hinges.  Even at this late hour the building was open for it parishioners.  We quietly stepped inside the main hall,  There was christian imagery of Christ and God adorning every wall, crosses hung below every stained glass window that depicted biblical imagery.  I half expected Raine to burst into flame upon entering, she did grip my hand a bit tighter and was noticeably uncomfortable with these surroundings but she was not outwardly affected by entering the premises.

There were few people here silently praying, we made our way to an empty pew near the front of the church and took our seats.  As if by some divine awareness the other parishioners seemed to sense Raine's presence and instinctively moved away from us little by little.  My discomfort became noticeable and it was my turn to grasp my daughters hand a little tighter for courage.  Raine sat silently staring at the floor, she seemed afraid to look around as if staring into the face of god was shameful to her.

"Raine are you okay?"  She looked up at me with a piercing look that soon softened as she saw the genuine look of concern on my face. "Yeah, I'll be OK." She croaked out, she was still having trouble communicating.  In the video I had seen, the demon had no trouble talking but it seems after she became full blown demon it became a hardship to communicate almost like a more aggressive animal side had slowly taken over her.  She was a beautiful child and I could see in her eyes that she didn't want to live like this.  It made me wonder to myself if this was common for demons who had emerged or if Raine was a unique case.

We both sat with our heads down each of us in our own contemplation.  I wondered what she was thinking, I hoped I could save her.  It dawned on me as I reflected over the past few days that since entering the church the vision of Hell had not haunted me, it was a if upon entering the cloak of God's love had wrapped itself around me shielding me from the horrors I had been forced to witness and for the first time I was able to take an objective look at the things I had witnessed.  I could understand how Hell could drive a soul insane and turn them into the animals my daughter had become.  I could not understand why such a place existed and why god would allow such suffering.  I was contemplating this line of thought when I was interrupted.

"Hello Emily."  a voice whispered quietly.  I looked up to see the familiar face of father Grey standing over us.  He had such a calming face, trustworthy and wise.  Those emerald green eyes exuded trust.  Raine looked up and I could see in her eyes a calmness upon seeing him that I had not witnessed in her before.  Father Grey was a priest but Raine seemed unconcerned by this.  "I'm so happy you two were able to make it here undetected.  If you follow me to my rectory we can talk."  He looked at Raine and gave her a quick reassuring smile. "I'm sure you would like to get out of this area, it cant be comfortable for you."  With those words I could feel the stress Raine was feeling melt away as we stood to follow the Father.

Father Grey discretely guided us to the rear of the church through a hidden door that led to his rectory.  It was a small office that was kind of off putting due to the opulence of the rest of the church.  There was no Christian imagery or crosses in the tiny office.  The only thing that stood out was a small worn bible with multiple bookmarks for research.  There was a small desk which he took a seat behind and motioned us to sit on a small blue love seat across from him.  The office was made smaller by all the books that lined the walls, they were books from all over the world.  I could see the titles of most of them and they seemed to all be religious and scientific research journals.  He was an avid scholar of all things weird and supernatural.

"Look Emily."  He said grabbing my attention.  I think I may have found a way to help Raine, but it will not be something easy, this isn't a movie where I dash holy water on her and POOF! shes cured.  This is a delicate situation requiring true sacrifice."  I looked to the floor, silent, thoughtful.  "I  have researched this for most of my time as a priest and I have never seen such an obvious case of possession, if you want to save her you must be willing to do what is necessary.

"I will do anything."  I said raising my head and meeting his eyes dead on. "I will sacrifice anything to save Raine. I will give my own soul if necessary."

"I'm speechless you would go so far."  He looked from me to Raine who was watching the priest with avid fascination.  "Raine, I think it's time you and I finally had a conversation."

"The Center Pointe' Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rich, Brian and John were enjoying their morning breakfast that Marissa had made for the group.  They were discussing the plans for the day and Rich was trying not to notice the little glances that Brian and John were giving each other.  He could tell the two liked each other but did not want to say anything in case he embarrassed one of them, besides it was best to stay on topic and not bring attention to personal matters like that.  But he secretly wished his best friend luck.

Karen came in a few minutes later carrying a very chipper and happy looking Sati.  Karen herself looked a bit tired but happy with the bubbling child in her arms.  She sat beside the three men and listened to what they were discussing.

“We should give this entire place a thorough go through so we know exactly how many people we can take on, we will also need to find assign anyone with medical training to the E.R.” Said Rich

“I agree but we should also get anyone trained in guns and combat as a security detail to keep the building safe.  Who was doing all the sniping that saved our asses in the field we need them to train others in the use of rifles and weapons.” Said John.

          Brian gave a proud look to Karen and said. “It was Karen.”

          John looked startled for a moment then turned to Karen with a devilish grin.  “A female sniper that’s just what the other women need around here a strong female presence to uplift their spirits.”

          Karen blushed at this comment.  “I just got a few lucky shots anyone could have done it.”

John looked at her very seriously.  “You were dealing out headshots to targets in a group of people without hitting anyone innocent at over a hundred yards, I can’t think of anyone who’s a better shot than that, please consider helping the people of this group we could really use you.”

Karen took a long look at Sati who was now sitting quietly in Karen’s arms listening intently to the adult’s conversation.  “Okay. I’ll do what I can.”  She said kissing Sati on the top of the head and stroking the girl’s hair.

They all could see how fast Karen had gotten attached to the child and Sati to Karen the three men knew without speaking with nothing but a glance at each other that Karen would do anything to protect the child and that she would gladly teach others to protect as well.  She had never been able to have children of her own so Sati was the gift from God, the light in the dark shinning a path into the future for not just Karen but the whole group.  If the world was to survive its survival must be placed in the hands of the next generation.  Children must be protected from harm at all costs.

          “Okay Karen.” Said Rich. “I am leaving it on you to find anyone with any kind of defensive or combat training to aid you in training others how to protect themselves.” He then turned to Brian.  “I need you to go from person to person for anyone with medical training and help them set up a care unit for the group and god willing any other survivors we may find.  John and I will do an extensive sweep of the perimeter and flag any weak spots for additional fortification.”  He glanced at all three individually.  “Do we all agree?”

The others nodded in unison, they were happy that Rich was able to take charge they all felt good that someone was able to shoulder the responsibility of leadership and they all felt that Rich was the best person to lead them through this.

After they were all done eating breakfast they each took to their assigned tasks.  John and Rich grabbed a couple of handguns and knives to protect themselves as they went to flag the weak points of the perimeter.  Karen took to talking to each member of the group individually and seeing who among the ten adults had combat training or weapons training of any kind, after she was done Brian took to making a list of the people who could best help in a medical role.

          Rich and John decided the best place to start their check was the ground floor of the hospital and move on to the basement then the upper levels.  Since Rich and Brian had already done a walk through they felt it would be an uneventful task.  They began with the Emergency room which would be the most likely place the static would try and infiltrate.  This would also be the heart of the community.  If there were other survivors that made it to the hospital it would be important to have a functioning medical facility that could take on the injured and treat them.

          They first checked the doors.  A person was able to dead bolt the sliding glass doors from the inside without a key so they would be able to lock or unlock the doors in seconds in the event of an emergency.  There were no static at the door at this moment so the two decided to check the structure of the windows and their casing to make sure no damage had been done by the creatures that had been beating on the windows and doors for days.  Upon close inspection they saw that the windows and doors were thankfully holding strong.  There were no cracks or breaks in any of the windows or frames.  Unless someone was to drive a vehicle through the glass it should hold firm against the onslaught of the static.

 They then moved to the ambulance bays to make sure the doors and windows were holding steady there as well, after confirming their integrity they took to checking each individual room and office on the ground floor to make sure there was nothing of importance or danger overlooked.  Each emergency exit door to the outside had been chained by the hospital staff before abandoning the place and there were no ground floor windows a person would be capable of fitting through.  As far as the two men were concerned the ground floor was secure and safe for everyone.  They would have to place a security detail to watch the movement of the static and keep an eye out for any survivors trying to find sanctuary.

After a good two hours clearing the ground floor and flagging any potential weak spots in the structure they were finally able to move to the basement of the building.  There were three entrances to the basement, the cargo elevator that could be raised or lowered from the ambulance bay for deliveries, the main door they had entered through and another cargo elevator at the far end of the basement near a storage room.  They knew the main door to the basement was secured and could be latched from the other side so there was no way anyone was getting through that door without being let in.

There were no windows down there but there were flashlights hanging on the wall the two could use and thankfully the batteries were still working so they could take their time clearing the basement and looking for anything that may be useful to their emerging community.  As they took their time quietly moving through the basement they could see many barrels full of fuel that would have been useful for the generator but if they were even to attempt to use it with the high amount of electrical static in the air just touching one of the barrels could set off an explosion that could level the hospital.

“We’re sitting on a bomb that could go off at any time, we should think about moving these barrels out of this basement and away from the building where if they explode they won’t do any harm.” Said John to Rich. 

“Ever since that damn planet appeared touching anything metal could knock you out cold from electric shock.  Anything that is susceptible to us touching it should be removed from the building to a safe distance.”

“Well. I hate to see so much fuel got to waste maybe we can make better use of it some other way,  I have an idea to where we can place the barrels to create a perimeter around this place,  any static get near them and BOOM! They’re toast.  What do you think?”

Rich thought for a moment, if the fuel could be used safely then it would be a great benefit to the people of this building.  But on further thought just using it would risk the lives of everyone and it would only take a second of carelessness to blow the building sky high, but if they did use it as a perimeter it could become an advanced warning system against the static and maybe even take a few of them out or scare them away from the building.  Like it or not this was now their home and Rich was determined to keep the inhabitants of this building safe from the outside world for as long as her could.  “Yes I think that would be a real good idea, but we’ll have to use gloves and be extremely careful, I don’t want to lose anyone in the process of trying to keep them safe.”

John laughed at this. “Yea, in a world gone to hell we get destroyed not by the insane animals and other people but by our own stupidity. We’ll have to work on a plan to move these things without risking everyone, Brian is a pretty smart guy maybe he can think of something.”

Rich noticed John made this statement with a glint in his eye and he could tell right away there was something between his best friend and this new addition to their lives.  Rich never would have thought Brian could find someone to care about in this world, but in a way Rich felt he should not be surprised.  Brian was always very lucky in many things he did, unlike himself and Karen who seemed to be plagued with bad luck.  Rich even secretly thanked God that Brian had been living with them when this all happened because his luck is probably what saved them all. “So you and Brian are getting along, I’m happy to see that.”  He said with a little chuckle.

Johns face grew red with embarrassment for a moment.  He should have thought that Rich knew Brian’s sexual orientation and that he could read between the lines at his comment.  In this world it didn’t seem to matter anymore what people thought but it was obvious Rich was understanding to this and was even glad that Brian and John might have a possible future together.  He wanted to say thank you but thought he should just let the conversation go and focus on the task at hand.

Without windows the basement was so dark that the flashlights barely penetrated the gloom.  The musty smell familiar with most basements permeated their nostrils and did nothing to alleviate the tension they both were feeling.  They strained their ears to listen for even the faintest of noises, bust heard nothing.  The basement was littered with full and empty barrels of fuel that the two had to maneuver around like a mine field to avoid any accidental contact resulting in a static spark to set them off.

“We’re gonna have to find gloves for everyone to help keep injury due to static electricity down.” Said Rich while carefully navigating between two of the explosive cylinders.

“You know I’ve been thinking.”

“That can be hazardous to your health.” Said Rich.  “Did it hurt?” He said with a laugh while guiding John through the remaining barrels.

“Ha, Ha.” Replied John sarcastically.  No but what if we were able to scrounge some solar panels, if we can figure out how to use them it might provide some power to key areas of this place.  If we had power, even limited power it might make all the difference in an emergency.”

“Hmm. Not a bad idea but first we would need to find the panels and learn how to install them, plus there is the chance they will not work at all since the high static discharge in the atmosphere seems to have shorted out all the electronic equipment.”

“But maybe it could work, I mean, yea it did short out electrical equipment but it may be equipment that can be repaired back to working order.  It is an idea worth exploring don’t you think?”

“It may be in the future but for right now it is dangerous to send anyone out to scavenge, we have to learn to deal with the Static much more efficiently before we can send teams out to gather supplies.  I don’t want to lose anyone, especially for something that may not work to begin with.  When we do venture out, because we have to eventually, I want to make sure that it is when we’re all trained to be safe.”

John could not argue with Rich’s logic and he knew it.  Sending anyone out to scavenge for supplies right now was a death sentence.  This was not some Hollywood zombie movie where the reanimated walking dead lurched at you while stumbling across the earth.  The Static were a very real threat, they were quick strong and dangerous.  For one to even touch you would be game over.  John hadn’t felt the touch of a Static but Brian had described it to him on watch the night before and he was not too keen on experiencing that for himself.  For now he should bow to Rich’s wisdom and work with him Karen and Brian on strengthening the group as a whole so that when they were ready to venture out for supplies then there would be a better chance they would all come back.

The two finally got to the far side of the basement through the barrels.  This side was pretty much empty.  There was a shelf and a work bench with some tools that could be useful.  There was also a door to a store room.  The two figured that it may hold more tools and maybe even some other supplies that could be very useful to all of them.  The two men approached the metal door trying to listen for anything inside.  The door had a padlock holding it shut but the padlock itself was open.  It appeared that there was nothing on the other side that the hospital needed to keep locked up.

Rich stood next to the door combat knife in hand and silently motioned for John to open the latch, he also made a motioning move to indicate he wanted john to open the door quickly and then step aside so nothing would pop out in case there were survivors or other stuff that could fall out and injure them.  Rich with knife ready waited for John to throw open the door.  John took hold of the latch and carefully undid it from the door,  he was about to swing it open and move out of the way for Rich to clear the room when a huge thud and a lot of weight hit the door throwing it open and knocking John backward.  Before John could recover a figure rushed out at him and tackled him, he could already feel the static electricity shooting through his body and before he blacked out from the shock he could feel the teeth of the creature sink into his collar bone and take a chunk out, John was grateful when the darkness finally over took him and gave him an escape from the extreme pain.

Rich was completely taken off guard when the creature threw open the door, it must have heard them and waited for them to open the latch then threw all of its body weight against it.  Rich had no time to even draw his weapon before the Static was on John, Rich saw John black out just as the creature bit into his shoulder.  Rich was grateful that John would be spared the pain.  It only took Rich a moment to recover from the shock of the creature’s appearance. These things moved so quickly and did so much damage in such a short amount of time that it was hard to recover quickly when they surprised you.

Rich took his combat knife and made sure no part of his hand was touching the metal and that he had a tight grip on the nylon part of the handle.  He took the knife and plunged it into the back of the Static’s head right at the base of the skull between the vertebrae of the neck.  The creature howled and fell dead in an instant.  He then grabbed the creature by the ankles and dragged it back in the room it had burst out of.  The room was a mess but at least the thing was alone in there and there were no more surprises waiting.  The place was trashed, there were boxes ripped apart and items that he could not identify in the dim light littering the room.  He dragged the dead thing in the room and dropped it back on the floor, there would be time to examine the contents of the room later but for now he needed to go and see if John was all right.  He had seen the creature knock him out and take a chunk out of him.

 Rich went to John’s side and put his fingers to John’s neck to feel for a pulse.  He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a steady heartbeat, and could see the man breathing normally.  Rich knew that when John did wake up he would be in a good amount of pain.  For right now he could not move him.  He would have to get back up stairs and get some people to come and carry John up to the emergency room, he hoped that Brian had been able to find someone among the group that had some medical training and could help John.  The man was still unconscious and Rich hoped he would stay that way until he could get help; he hated the idea of John waking up in extreme pain and alone in the dark.

“Bro. I know you can’t hear me but I need to go and get someone to help get you to the emergency room, I hope you will be ok.”

Rich navigated through the barrels as quickly and carefully as he could, he then rushed to the stairs and was up to the emergency room as fast as his feet could carry him, when at last he arrived there he saw Brian and two other people talking while bent over some medical equipment, one of the group seemed to be instructing Brian and the other person on the operation of the device. 

Brian heard the running and saw Rich round the corner huffing and panting and alone.  He dropped what he was doing and rushed to his friend’s side.  “What happened, where is John, are you okay?”

Rich caught his breath a moment later.  “There was a Static locked in the store room in the basement it knocked John out and took a bite out of his shoulder.”

“Is he okay?”

“He is unconscious for now but that can change at any moment, I need some help getting him up here.  Did you find anyone with medical training?”

The group member that had been instructing Brian and the other person stepped forward.  She was a tall heavy set woman that looked to be in her early forties.  She has close cut hair that at one time required a lot of hair spray, the light auburn hair now hung about her ears disheveled from the harsh days outside.  “I was a registered nurse before all of this, I can probably help but we need to get him up here, if we were to treat him down there he could get an infection due to the dank environment.”

Before she had time to say anything else Rich and Brian had already disappeared down the hall making for the basement.  They did not want to waste any time in helping their new friend.  It wasn’t long before the two were standing in front of the barrels littered about the floor between them and John.  Rich called out to the man but heard no response; he was relieved and hoped that John was still unconscious.  They navigated through the maze as fast as was safely possible and were soon standing over the motionless body of John,  Rich could see the concern for the fallen man in Brian’s eyes and the look went well beyond mere concern for a fallen friend and Rich could tell that Brian was quickly developing strong feeling for the other man.

“Okay we have to find a way to cover the wound until we can get him upstairs.” Rich said looking around the floor for a rag or a piece of cloth.

Brian in the meantime was already tearing off a piece of his shirt and began to apply pressure to the wound on Johns shoulder.  At this pressure John began to stir and awaken.

“God, those things really pack a punch don’t they.”

Brian laughed. “Yea you just joined the club, it got you pretty bad on the shoulder there is a lot of blood.”

“I don’t feel anything.”

“That’s because you might be in shock.” Rich said. “We have to get you upstairs, one of the group is a registered nurse she can clean you up and bandage the wound.   Can you walk?”

“Yea I think so.”

Brian and Rich helped John to his feet and slung his arms over their shoulders.

“We will have to be very careful navigating through the barrels so try not to move too much or all of this will have been for nothing.”

John acknowledged this with a weak nod of his head and the three began their navigation of the barrels.  After an agonizing twenty minutes they were successfully through the maze and on their way up the stairs.

Christina Chekov had been a registered nurse at this very hospital and was thankfully familiar with the building in which they were all now hunkered down.  When Brian had come to her and asked if she had medical training she almost said no.  It scared her to have to have so many people’s lives in her hands.  That is why she had never become a doctor, not because she was incapable of it but because she had a fear of making the wrong call and losing a patient.  Now in this new world all of these people were depending on her and many more may depend on her in the future.

While Brian and Rich were downstairs helping to get John to safety she was busing one of the trauma rooms for the first patient the hospital had seen since being abandoned after the arrival of the planet that sat so menacingly in the sky.  Christina had been among many of the nurses and doctors who had prepared the hospital to be abandoned.  The military had asked that it be fully stocked with food and supplies in case they were able to return, there would be a fully functioning hospital to come back to. 

Now she was back but not in the capacity she had hoped for, the world was in chaos and now she was the only member of the group that had the training to care for the sick and injured.  Brian had asked her if she would be able to train himself and another member he had picked in first aid so she would have assistant and she had agreed but she had found it difficult to hide the anxiety she now felt at having others’ lives depending on her.  She prayed for the strength to carry on while she was preparing the room for the injured John.

John had saved her when the Army base had been overrun by the Static.  She had spent three days in a car listening to the people all around her going mad and eating each other.  When the planet had entered orbit the hospital had already been evacuated and abandoned and she was working with a group of doctors and nurses caring for those that came to the emergency military center in a panic.  Many were injured and others were just looking for safe harbor in the insanity that had ensued.  She thought that was the worst and felt she could handle it, but then all of the sudden many of her colleagues began acting strangely then growling.  While dressing the wound of a child she began to hear screaming and shooting from all directions.  She opened the curtain that had separated the patients from the waiting to see the horrific sight of people attacking people.  They were tearing at the flesh of each other like wild animals, doctors turned on patients and patients turned on doctors nurses and each other it was like the world had just snapped and went insane.

When she had turned back to her patient the child had tried to attack her.  Before she knew what she was doing she was running out of the building trying to avoid all the people that were suddenly trying to attack and eat each other.  She made her way through a back door of the tent that had been set up for the influx of patients and was greeted by military officers shooting their own comrades.  They were being attacked from all sides. In the panic all Christina could do was run and run she did.  In front of her was a military Humvee that was not being occupied at the moment and the frightened woman dove into the vehicle and pulled the doors shut and laid down on the seat.  All around her were people screaming and guns blazing.  It was hours before silence finally settled on the encampment.

Even in the silence she had not been able to bring herself to move from her spot and there she stayed for days in her own filth until finally being found by John and his small group.  They had taken her in and she had suggested coming back to the hospital.  Now that Christina was back here she in some ways wished she had died out there with everyone else.  She felt stuck in an unending nightmare and she couldn’t wake up.

She finished setting up her instrument just as Brian and Rich appeared with John in tow.  There was a wadded up piece of cloth covering the wound on his shoulder, it did a poor job of stifling the flow of blood.

“Lay him gently down on the bed; I need to get an I.V. in his arm.”

The two men laid John down on the bed as softly as they could, on the way up the shock had worn off and now the man was immense pain.  It seemed the bite of the Static amped up the pain receptors of the body.  Christina set about inserting an I.V. of antibiotics in the man’s arm.  She then removed the crude bandage from the wound and began to clean it.  These Static had a lot of saliva and it was apparent in the wound, but when she had finally gotten it clean she saw that thankfully the wound had looked worse than it actually was.  She told them that she could stitch and bandage the wound and that with some painkillers and antibiotics John would be fine.

“Oh, I get it.” Said Rich with a grin.  “You were just too lazy to come up here yourself so you pretended to be in shock so we’d carry you, or were just trying to get some attention from Brian?”

At this all three of the men laughed leaving Christina to wonder what they were all laughing about.  She felt good that her first patient was going to be fine and that he at least did not try to attack and eat her.  Her anxiety was still in her for what might come next but for now she was happy that the man that had saved her life was going to be fine, after she was done with her patient she left the three of them to converse among themselves while she went about setting up more rooms and stations for the future.  Before she left she reminded Brian that he needed to make sure and get some sleep because he would be spending the night helping her set up the emergency center and doing a physical workup on all group member so they would have a basic history of everyone.’

Brian groaned at this and they all shared a laugh.  “I’m my own worst enemy he said.”  He looked at John then and the two shared a knowing stare.

Rich took that as his cue to leave.  “When you’re feeling better we will all have to clear that basement of those barrels and that body so we can make use of the area.”  With that he was gone, off to find Karen and Sati and see what success if any Karen had recruiting a security detail.

After Rich was gone and Brian and John were alone Brain looked at John and slipped his hand into the other man’s hand, they looked at each other for a moment then John closed his eyes relaxing and squeezed Brian’s hand.  “I never thought in a world like this I would find someone I would so instantly have a connection with.  Is that a bad thing?”

“No.”  Said Brian softly.  We don’t know what each day is going to bring and if we can even experience a brief moment of joy through all of this then we shouldn’t feel bad or guilty for doing so.”

John opened his eyes again and looked at Brian.  “It’s sad that it took the world to end to find you.”

“At least you did find me, and I found you.”

Brian then leaned over and kissed Johns forehead.  When he pulled back a bit John tilted his head up and caught Brian square on the lips.  The two shared a passionate kiss and embrace for a few seconds before pulling apart and blushing.  In this world two souls had found each other against all odds.  In this new world the prejudices of the past could finally be laid to rest.  The fall of society also meant the fall of the bad things as well.  Society could for the first time in centuries reinvent itself and it would begin with these two men that had found each other in a world where just living to the next day was a miracle.

We would like to believe that this world is a civilized society but the truth will be shown in how a society handles a catastrophic situation and in situations such as that history has proven that society breaks down and rule of law is thrown out and only the strong survive.  But if one ray can show through the dense fog of savagery then it is proof that humanity can indeed become civilized and stay civilized through the worst that life can throw at it.

"The Center Pointe" Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next morning was a mad house; now that everyone had a decent night’s sleep they were all giddy.  When John, Rich and Brian came into the cafeteria everyone was already digging into their breakfast of oatmeal and powdered eggs.  One of the group named Marissa had been up earlier than everyone else and being bored waiting for others to wake she had set about cooking breakfast for everyone giving Karen a reprieve to take care of Sati.

Marissa Enjoyed cooking in the world before this one and cooking for everyone just seemed to make sense, besides it made her feel useful.  Making people happy was always something that made her feel good and putting a smile on the face of their hosts as they had put a smile on her face only made sense.  Cooking made her feel comforted like the old world was still alive, at least in her heart.  Marissa had lost her husband and daughter in the initial Static awakening.  It was called the awakening because when the planet arrived in orbit around the earth it seemed as though some animal instinct and rage had awakened inside the vast majority of the human species.  For Marissa it had been a day like any other she was in bed after having put their daughter to bed, at about 3 a.m. she had been awakened by growling in the bed next to her.

           She had not thought much about it for a moment but then there was a flash outside the window and in the brief light she saw her husband looking at her with wild eyes and pawing toward her like a hungry animal.  Startled she had jumped out of bed which had been lucky at the time because she didn’t know that if he had touched her she would now be dead.  Another flash of light and what sounded like an explosion in the distance, and Marissa’s husband was bounding off the bed and toward the helpless woman.  His hands were just about to close about her throat sealing her fate when her bedroom door flew open hitting her rabid husband with enough force to send him flying across the room back onto the bed.  Momentarily relieved Marissa opened the door enough to see who had saved her.

          On the other side of the door stood her daughter dressed in her nightgown standing quietly in the darkness.  She did not move an inch after throwing open the door.  Marissa waited in silence for the next flash to reveal if her daughter was infected like her husband.   Her husband was still lying on the bed after being flung there by the overwhelming strength of their seven year old daughter,  Marissa knew there was something wrong with that and even to this day she knew the truth in her heart but at that moment she just held onto the hope that her daughter was still herself.  At the moment all was quiet there was no movement from either her husband on the bed or her daughter at the door.  Marissa had stood there like a statue for what felt like an eternity waiting for a flash of light she hoped would come and show her daughter and an escape route.

          Finally the light flashed and Marissa could see for the briefest of moments.  Her husband was crouched on the bed watching for any sign of movement and her daughter was looking around the room as well but Marissa could not tell the state she was in before the room was again cast into darkness.  She knew at any moment her husband would rush at her, she could hear the low growling that was coming from his direction.  She was about to grab her daughter and run for the door when she heard another low growl coming from the direction of her daughter. 

          Marissa did not wait to find out if it was indeed her daughter who was growling and had turned.  Fear was guiding her and the desire for survival overshadowed all other thought.  Before she knew what she was doing she had leaped through the window shattering the glass out onto the front lawn cutting her in several places.  She dashed for the nearest place of safety she could think of.  Thank God she had forgotten to lock the back door to her mini-van last night.  Marissa had quickly opened the sliding door on the side of the van and climbed in.  When the door closed she wedged herself down on the floor between the two back seats and put her hands over her ears and eyes trying to block out this horrible reality that had been presented to her.

          Marissa could hear the sounds of the newly born static throughout the entire night.  She dared not move an inch for fear of being discovered by one of them.  So many times she could hear the screams and cries from people being attacked by their husbands or wives or children.  They had no idea what to do and before they could have any coherent thought the Static were upon them and Marissa pressed harder on her ears to the point of being painful desperately trying to block out the noise that was tearing into her.  She wasn’t completely sure if her daughter had been infected and so many times she nearly got up to see if she was still in the house alive but the screams of the victims being attacked and the guttural inhuman growls of the infected set her back in her place every time she wanted to move.

          It was almost 9 a.m. before her desire to use the bathroom overwhelmed her fear.  She carefully got up from the floor between the seats and peered through the window.  There was no one in sight.  She looked at her house and except for the broken bedroom window on the first floor things looked quiet.  As gingerly as she could she slowly opened the passenger side front door and crept toward her house.  She hoped that her husband and her daughter had left the house and that she could be safe for just a little while and have time to think about what her next move would be.

          Marissa approached the house with caution; she knew that she would be able to get into the house safely through the garage.  From the way her husband had been acting she was doubtful he would have the intellect to open the door and since it was a heavy oak door separating the garage from the house she felt she would be safe in there until she had the courage to try and go through the rest of the house.        

Marissa, quietly as she could slid the garage door open enough to roll under.  The room was empty and she was alone.  She had felt a small sense of relief at this and took a few minutes to gather her thoughts and emotions.  She rested her back up against the far wall of the garage and slid to the ground knees drawn up to her chest resting her head in her arms trying to breathe.  She had not known what this new day of horror would bring or even if she would be alive by nightfall but there had been a voice inside her that bade her to keep fighting and not to give up.  Her desire for survival was screaming in her head and with that she gathered all the courage she could muster and rose to her feet.  She walked slowly toward the door that connected the garage and the house grabbing a small hatchet her husband would use to cut fire wood that hung next to the door.  Marissa slowly opened the heavy oak door with her right hand; in her left hand she gripped the hatchet like a life line, when the door made a slight creak she paused and her heart started to jackhammer.  There was no noise in the house and she continued as slowly as she could.  She first made her way through the kitchen to the downstairs master bedroom where she had thrown herself through the window to escape her husband and daughter.

          She approached the room with caution listening for any noise that would indicate they were still in there but only silence greeted her.  With her right hand still gripping the hatchet in her left hand she swung the bedroom door inward ready to strike to defend herself if the need arose.  When the door was fully open she stepped into the room looking around for any movement, the morning sun was coming through the shattered window lighting up the room.  There was no one here, Marissa could see blood on the broken window frame that was not her own and surmised that her husband and daughter must have jumped through to take part in the carnage the night before.  Marissa had felt sick and run to the bathroom, she dropped to her knees and stuck her head in the bowl and let loose all the fear and grief in a gut wrenching stream of vomit.

After she had vomited and relieved herself she was a bit more level headed to clear the rest of the house so that she could gather supplies before trying to make her way to the local police station?  She still did not know how she was going to do that, from what she had heard outside that night those things were everywhere attacking people and killing them and she doubted her little hatchet would be enough to frighten them off or even defend herself from them.  But she had to try.

          It took her about half an hour to clear the rest of the house before she felt safe enough to put the hatchet down and begin to gather supplies and clothing.  She had made sure to close the door to the master bedroom so no more uninvited guests could get in while she was attending to other things.  After grabbing a few canned goods and bottles of water from the pantry she set about packing clothes and any medicines she could bring that might help if she got into trouble.  She then sat on the edge of her daughter’s bed for a long while just trying to adjust to the circumstances she now found herself in.  She didn’t know where her daughter was, she had been so scared she didn’t do what she should have done as a mother and make sure her child was alright, she had only been worried about her own safety and that was a horrible thing to have done, even if she had suspected her child had turned to whatever people had turned to she still should have tried to save her.

Marissa just sat there staring at a picture of her husband and daughter that she had taken in the summer time at the local park.  They looked so happy, Marissa could not grasp what they were now and just hoped this was all a bad nightmare that would soon pass and she would awaken in her own bed with them laughing at the kitchen table during breakfast.  She just wanted this to all be a dream.  That was all, just a dream. 

Marissa had been so focused on the picture of her husband and daughter she did not notice the figure slowly creeping down the hall toward her daughter’s bedroom where she was sitting.    She had been so busy absorbed in the memory of her family she didn’t even look up when the creature had entered the room.  The only thing that had brought her back into reality was a low guttural growl that emanated from the door to the room.  She had looked up and seen the thing after that and for a moment was frozen in place not sure what to do.  The creature that was standing in the doorway was none other than Dan her husband.  He was covered in blood and his clothing was torn and dirty.  He just stood there for a moment looking at Marissa growling like a wild animal.

Before she knew what she was doing she had rolled off the bed just as he had lunged at her.  The hatchet had been next to her and she was able to grab it as she rolled.  Dan had hit the bed with enough force during his lunge for her that he was temporarily confused that she had gotten away, he looked up and saw her on the floor fear in her eyes and made a move to go after her, in one swing Marissa had buried the hatchet in her own husbands head killing the man she married instantly.  Blood came out of the gash she had made staining the white bedspread where she had laid her daughter down to sleep just the night before. 

          Marissa sat there watching the blood pour from her husband’s wound staining the bedspread.  It was over.  Something snapped then in her head and she got up and grabbed her things almost in a daze and slowly walked down the stairs to the front door of her home for the last fifteen years.  She opened the door and walked out into the morning sun.  The rays warmed her face and calmed her.  In that moment the world was as it should be the horror of the past few hours forgotten in that one moment of warmth and peace.  She was ready for this to be over, she had now lost her daughter and husband and she just wanted it all to end she just wanted to stand there and soak up the sunlight and drift away to the next life.  For her it was over. For her she was already dead, why fight it, why fight at all?

          Marissa could hear the grunts and growls of other creatures coming toward her but all she wanted to do was to stare at the sky and imagine the world was as it should be, she only hoped the end would come quickly and she would be spared too much pain.  She could hear them getting closer now, their noises becoming louder and more excited.  She knew they would soon be upon her.  It was then she noticed the large red planet that hung in the sky casting its shadow upon the earth.  This brought her back to reality and her senses became acute in the knowledge that this was not the world she knew and there was a sickness spreading that she was free of for the moment. Now she wanted to live and she would fight to survive.  A strength she did not recognize mustered in her soul pushing her to move her feet and to flee these animals that were bent on tearing her to pieces.  No one would remember her or her family if she allowed things to end here, their memory would fade and be forgotten and their pictures would soon turn to dust erasing them from history, she must fight, she must survive.

          She looked back to street level and saw several of her neighbors who had been overcome by this infection begin to run toward her like hungry predators attempting to catch their morning meal.  She took off at a speed she didn’t know she was capable of dodging her once friends and leaving them to chase her in a wild display of animal drive.  She ran down the road between wrecked cars and what she now saw were burning and destroyed homes.  In her fear she had not realized all the devastation that had wreaked havoc the night before.  On she ran as these creatures took up chase, she could hear them getting closer their grunts and growls sounded almost like the barks and cries of wild dogs.  They were very nearly upon her and soon she knew they would be upon her if she did not find an escape.  While continuing to run, her eyes darted about her neighborhood for a place she could get to safety.  She saw nothing.

          She ran and ran and was about to run out of breath and collapse when she saw it.  One of her neighbors had been re-shingling the roof of his home and the ladder that he had been using was left propped against the house.  Marissa had turned and made for the ladder cutting sharply across the path of her assailants, causing more than a couple of them to lose their footing and crash to the ground in a mesh of tangled limbs and guttural barks.  She got to the ladder as they were tripping over each other trying to regain their footing and resume the chase.  Marissa scurried up the ladder and kicked it to the ground as she reached the roof of the small two story house that her neighbor had occupied.

          In the next few minutes all the creatures that had been searching for food in the streets had seen Marissa’s dash for safety and had come running.  The house where she had sought refuge was now surrounded by a dozen creatures that were now clawing and growling at her like a meal just out of reach.

          Marissa had to spend the night on top of that house listening to the sounds of the creatures that were trying to get at her.  Luckily their sense of logic must have gone out the window when they turned because they were stepping all over the ladder and none of them had the idea to use it to climb up and get her.  At this Marissa was grateful, she may die up on this roof but at least she would not be a meal for those things down there.  As night fell Marissa laid down on the roof staring at the new sky.  The stars were just beginning to shine and the red hue of the mystery planet now began to glow brighter in the dimming sky.  The moon was also full tonight and combined with the red hue to make an almost silvery red glow upon the earth like wet blood, it chilled her to the bone.  This new world was hell and she just wanted to see the sun rise on the next day.  Hopefully this was only temporary and all would be well in time.

          Marissa had been on the rooftop for almost two days and her supplies were running thin.  There were no helicopters in the air she could signal and no cars moving on the ground.  Her hopes that someone would rescue her dimmed with each passing hour.  The creatures had mostly given up on their meal that was out of reach and went hunting elsewhere.  Marissa could sometimes hear far away screams as survivors were torn into by people they once loved and trusted.  The screams clawed at Marissa’s ears, a sound she knew she would never shake as long as she lived.

          By day four on that roof she was sunbaked and dehydrated her water had run out the day before and she dare not leave the roof for fear of becoming one of those screaming people that would pierce the wind every so often.  She knew she could not wait for rescue much longer before being forced to leave the roof and seek refuge elsewhere.  Her desire for survival had protected her so far but she did not know how long that instinct would carry her before all hope was lost.  She was about to climb down from the roof and take her chances with the creatures when she heard gunshots ring out across the neighborhood, they were close by her reckoning.  She stood up on the roof trying desperately to see anyone, but they were thus far out of view.  More gun shots rang out this time closer than before.  Marissa began waving her arms and yelling for help.

“HELP!  WHOEVER IS THERE, PLEASE HELP ME!!”  She screamed hoping that whoever was near her could help her off this damn roof where she had now gotten stuck.  It felt like another hour before she got a reply to her cries.

          “Who is that?  Where are you?” said the disembodied voice echoing through the neighborhood keeping her from pinpointing the source.

          “I’m up on a roof near the end of the neighborhood, please help me; I’m stuck up here and can’t get down!”

A few minutes later a man appeared carrying a rifle on his shoulder and a gun in his hand.  He was tall, about six feet with a clean shaven face and trucker cap.  He looked up at Marissa who must have looked a sun baked mess on top of a roof in her pajamas, his blue eyes shone like a ray of hope to her, they were kind and gentle.

          “What are you doin up there?”  He said looking at the poor woman with amusement.

“It was the only way I could escape from those things, not the best choice but at least I’m still alive.”  She tried to add a chuckle to hide her embarrassment.  “Is it safe to come down?   Can you help me?

The man looked around the immediate vicinity and spotted the ladder.  He lifted it and set it against the house for Marissa to climb down.  “You better hurry, this place won’t be safe for very long, I got some people watching for trouble but you never know what’s coming.”

          She grabbed the ladder and with shaky legs slowly climbed down from the roof that had been her prison for the last four days.  Her feet finally touched solid ground and the man had to steady her so she would not fall to the ground, the cool grass felt good on her feet. The man handed her a bottle of water and Marissa began to greedily swallow it down.

“Wow how long have you been up there miss?”  Trying to steady the poor woman who was still having trouble regaining her balance.

“Four days.”  She said out of breath from practically drowning herself in water.

“What’s your name? Mine’s John.”

“Marissa.”

“Well it is nice to meet you mam, but it is not safe around here, we have a small group of people who survived and were trying to make out way to a hospital to get some medical attention and safe harbor.  You can come with us if you like.”

          “I would love that, thank you. Thank you so much.”  She said now regaining her wits and alertness.  The man seemed genuinely kind and Marissa felt that she could trust him, but at this point it would not have mattered to her.  Anyone who was not a creature was a friend in this world.

“We have to get back to the others.” Said John. 

Marissa grabbed her empty bag that had held her supplies off the ground and began to follow the man who had rescued her from the roof.  “What’s happening here, and what is that huge object in the sky?”

“Best we can tell before the television and radios went dead is it’s the planet Nibiru; obviously the conspiracy nuts got one right.  Its wreaking havoc on electrical equipment and making anything combustible explode.  Its making some kind of electrical discharge in the atmosphere so just about anything you touch can shock you so be careful, it’s best to find some gloves to protect yourself.  We lost a group member cause’ he touched a car and it exploded in his face.”

“Oh my god.”  Said Marissa.  “I guess it was a good thing I was up on the roof protected from this for a while.

“Yea I guess, also don’t let the Static touch you, if they do, their touch shocks you and knocks you out. Or if your real lucky it will stop your heart.”

“The Static?”

“Yea it’s what we call the infected, when the planet appeared people began to go haywire and act like animals attacking and eating others, in one night the entire world went to hell.  Even the governments couldn’t protect themselves, everything fell.”

“Oh my, so it’s over?  There is no help coming?”

          “Nope, this is a situation where the un-infected need to help themselves, we need to survive and stick together or well all die.”

John led Marissa back to the group; there were fifteen people and one little girl in the group all sticking together trying to survive.  John told everyone to rest for a few minutes then they would be heading out.  They were trying to make it to a hospital in Monroeville in hopes that it would be a safe haven from the destruction and horror out here.  If they were lucky it would have a staff capable of helping them.  Marissa had hoped they would make it but with all the infected John said were out there the odds of making it to the hospital were ever diminishing.

To My Readers

Hello my friends, I hope my work has been enjoyable for you.  I am writing this because I would love to hear from you and your thoughts about what I have written.  Positive or Negative all comments are welcome.  I write these stories because writing makes me happy.   Everything I write is dedicated to my daughter's whom I love very much, they are who made me the writer I am today.  Weather I am a good or bad writer makes no difference.  Because of their inspiration I have been motivated to do something more with my life than just sitting and watching the worked pass me by.

I hope that I have given you joy as well.  I would love to hear from you in the comments or my personal email jackisgar.author@gmail.com

I hope to hear from you, and any thoughts on what my next story should be about or a particular direction you hope one of my series takes or just a nameless thought I would love to hear it.

Jack Isgar