This is a story that really blossomed and became something huge. As I write these words, (on 12/28/07) this fic is about 67,000 words long over the course of 31 chapters. It's already pretty big, and I hope it will continue increasing in size. I planned it as an epic, and it's certainly on the way there. If you like zombies, you'll like this fic. If you like character dramas, you'll like this fic. If you like a zombie story where you'll care about the characters, and perhaps care if they live or die, then you'll like this fic. My guess is if you're reading this, you'll like this fic. I hope you do.
The sunrise was beautiful and nearly perfect this morning. It was odd to have a sunrise so nice, but of course most people would probably ignore it completely. What a shame. It would be the last peaceful sunrise the Earth would know for an indefinite amount of time. The sunrise would be the only thing at all the same about today. The only thing predictable. The only thing familiar. Other than what was about to transpire worldwide, it seemed as just your average morning, as best friends Nick Lynch and Chad Richards awoke at the early but usual hour of six-thirty to go to school on that very luck non-foggy Wednesday morning.
Well, at least at this point the day was considered good.
Both of these guys are sixteen years of age, in the first stages of the 'prime of their life' they supposed. Chad was about five feet eleven inches tall, and weighed around a hundred and thirty pounds. He had blond, short hair, and a winning smile full of very white, very straight teeth. He was extremely lean, and is therefore a naturally built runner and is indeed very fast, having competed in track and lacrosse at his school, the school shared by his best friend. Chad was easily the more stereotypically physical attractive one of the pair. Probably the blond hair and bright blue eyes are the main reason. He was very outgoing and wild, and it is often Nick who had to be his conscience. Chad, on the other hand sometimes had to force Nick to chill out and relax. It was a well established system and it worked out pretty well.
Nick, on the other hand, was around six feet two inches tall, and weighed around a hundred and fifty five pounds. He had a very dirty blond, very short hair, which he had had in the exact same boring normal haircut as long as he could remember. When getting it cut, his request was simply "very short". Nick has some muscle, and is a bit heavier then Chad, but isn't quite as fast, but he could run for extended periods of time. Though he was perfectly physically capable, he choose to not participate in any of his school's sports. He was kind of a loner (he was always first to admite this) though he spent a lot of his time around Chad. The loner attitude almost made no sense as he was very good at interacting with most people, and he was generally well liked by most people due to his quiet non-abrasive nature.
All in all, the pair was matched up pretty well, and they rounded each other out the way best friends often do. The had been best friends for as long as both could remember, about the age of five or so, and since that point, they had been basically inseparable. And as the years went on, they bonded over common interests. Movies, guns, girls. Everything the average American teen aged guy was in to.
The pair is considered by their classmates and even most adults to be hilariously funny. Even more so together then apart.
Despite all of they're good humor and sometimes foolish if not downright stupid behavior, the pair are in fact pretty intelligent, and have proved that fact on more then a few occasions.
"Hey, man. I'm not much into the whole thing, but that was fuckin' great last night. Thanks for that and all," Nick said for nearly the thousandth time.
"No worries, man," Chad replied, "I'm the supplier of this family, remember?
They were of course, talking about the high quality pot that they had smoked last night. Compliments of Chad. Nick didn't abuse drugs all that often, but every now and again it could be fun. Chad doesn't abuse all that much either, but he does a lot more then Nick, and always has a nice stash of "the goods" somewhere.
"Dude, you know that one chick, in uh, fuckin' health class?" Chad asked, as they were getting ready for school.
"Uh, yeah. The one you keep ranting about?" Nick replied sarcastically while making his bed.
"Yeah, that one," Chad confirmed, ignoring the sarcasm," I wanna tap that shit, bro, y'know? She's hotter than hell." Chad was busy rolling up the sleeping bag he had slept in last night. That bag us folded up by him on many occasions, as he stayed at Nick's quite often. he had gotten good at rolling up that sleeping bag.
"Yeah, I know that one. Don't actually know her, or even know much about her... Seems nice enough, though. And you gotta fuckin' learn her name, dude. I mean, really. You can't sexually fantasize about a girl whose name you don't even know," Nick said, finishing with his bed.
"Yes, I fucking can. And fuck you, man. I'll learn it," Chad said smiling. "You could help out a bit, y'know."
Nick shook his head, "Nah, you're the one who wants in her pants, you have to do it yourself. And I'm fuckin' telling ya. You gotta respect woman a bit more, maybe."
"Fuck you. I just want a little bit of ass before I fucking die. Is that too much to ask?" Chad asked.
"For you, I'd say most certainly yes."
"Fuck you."
"All night, baby," Nick responded in kind cracking a huge grin. A Cheshire cat grin.
"Hey, I do respect woman. Just not when I'm around them," Chad added, joking the whole way.
These kinds of transactions were quite normal among the pair. In fact, most people would be worried if the guys didn't talk to each other in this manner.
Having completed the just-waking-up procedures, the guys got out of their nightwear and donned they're usual attire.
Nick, wearing camo shorts with a lot of pockets, and a pure black hoodie sweatshirt; no advertising or any other marks, symbols or colors. It was simple, and comfortable, and that was all that Nick asked. Chad wore faded and worn blue jeans, and and a black T-shirt that says "Fuck this" in bright white lettering, with three asterisks for the letters U C and K. It's allowed in school because the shirt edits itself, but only just barely. The clothing was topped off with the guy's backpacks. Nick's was a large black one with all the tags and markers carefully removed by him to make it pure black, just like his sweatshirt, and Chad's obnoxious yellow one which Nick had given plenty of shit to Chad about on numerous occasions. Nick wasn't very fond of it, often calling it "The most irritating fucking thing I have ever seen".
The guys had (again) stayed the night at Nick's house, again, as they often did, and Nick's parents had gone to work before the pair was even awake.
Nick and Chad had a not-so-balanced breakfast, caught the bus on time, and got to school on time, having an interesting conversation about the "plight of the modern bus driver" during the trip. Average boring fuckin' day, as the guys would probably say.
They arrived at school, stepped off the bus, and looked around for anyone they knew. They didn't have to look long. They almost instantly spotted the third part of their friendship trilogy: Mike. They usually met up with him everyday before school, and today was no exception. They approached their friend.
His full name was Mike Daniels, or as they liked to call him, Big Mikey D, or most simply and most affectionately, Big Mike.
Mike usually arrived at school before the two other guys, and he made a habit of relaxing outside the school in the cool air before the six hours of lecturing and sitting at desks.
He lived pretty close to the school in an adjoining neighborhood, and he enjoyed jogging to school as a way of starting the day, and relaxing and waiting for Nick and Chad.
Mike liked to relax whenever possible.
His nickname is accurate, because Mike is, in fact, very big. He is about six foot three, and weighs about two hundred and twenty pounds. All of it pure muscle. He played sports, football especially, but despite his intimidating size and rough an tumble lifestyle, Mike has a big heart, and is basically the sweetest guy you could meet. He is especially nice to the ladies, having a girlfriend named Molly, who he treasured more then anything else. The pair had been going steady for nearly two years. Mike wore a black pair of shorts, a bright red T-shirt, and has his pewter sweatshirt slung over his shoulder, that represents some minor-league sports team that no one had ever heard of.
"Mornin' gentlemen. What's up?" Mike asked as Chad and Nick walked up to him, completely the almost daily ritual.
"Not too much, man, yourself?" Nick, ever the diplomatic one answered, as he looked around the school at all the other students arriving.
"Aw y'know, not too much here, either." Mike paused, suddenly remembering something he had seen on T.V. that morning before departing for school. He thought Nick and Chad would be intrigued to hear about it, if they hadn't already. "Hey you guys hear about those weird reports on the tube this morning? Heard there was kind of a riot downtown or somethin'..."
"Ah fuck, man. We were out of the house so fuckin' fast, we didn't catch shit." Chad said, visibly disappointed. News of weird happenings did interest him greatly.
"What exactly's going on?" Nick asked Mike in a very curious tone of voice.
"I dunno, I had to bail outta the house to get here on time."
"Motherfucker," Chad said, glancing around, "Hey, Mike. Where's Molly?" He had been trying to spot Mike's pride and joy, who was quite normally right by his side.
"She's sick today. You believe that shit?" Mike responded in a downhearted manner.
"Yeah, I do. What does she have?" Nick asked.
"Um, the flu, I think."
"That sucks, man." Chad chimed in.
"Tell me about it." Mike answered, a hint of disappointment in his voice at not being able to see his girlfriend this morning.
"Hey Ashley?" Tracy Carter asked her best friend Ashley Roberts, getting the other girl's attention.
"Yeah?" Ashley answered, looking over at Tracy.
"Those are the guys I was talking about are right over there," Tracy said smiling as she pointed to a group of three guys standing off to one side of the main doors leading to the high school, about seventy five feet away.
"That's them?" Ashley asked.
"Yep," Tracy confirmed, her grin broadening slightly.
Ashley is a very attractive girl of sixteen years of age. She is about five feet five inches tall, and weighs around a hundred and ten pounds. She has shoulder length strawberry blond hair, which she keeps in immaculate condition. Tracy, who is sixteen as well, is also very pretty. She's about three inches shorter then Ashley, and about five pounds lighter. She has brown hair that goes almost to her waist.
Ashley wore a comfortable, yet nearly skintight pair of dark blue jeans with an angelic white sweatshirt this morning, while Tracy dressed in a jean skirt and a bright pink long sleeved shirt.
Ashley had her dark blue backpack on, which wasn't all that big, as she didn't usually pack too much. Tracy. however, preferred her black book bag to any backpack, and it was slung comfortably over her right shoulder.
"Okay, who's who?" Ashley questioned, while looking the group of three over. "I recognize the big one. His name's Mike Danny, or something..."
"Well," Tracy began, "The taller one is Nick Lynch; he's a pretty nice guy. The other is Chad Richards."
Ashley nodded several times, not taking her eyes of the one named Chad.
"Well, I guess Chad's pretty hot. He's in my health class. actually," She said simply.
"Is he really?!" Tracy responded, letting out a slight giggle, almost not believing that Chad really was in Ashley's Health class.
"Yeah, he is," Ashley said, not taking her eyes off of the three guys.
"So, how long's she been sick?" Nick asked his bigger friend.
Mike shrugged, "Dunno. She said she wasn't feeling all that great yesterday, so I think just since around then. It got a hell of a lot worse this morning, apparently."
"Hope she gets better soon. That fuckin' sucks, man," Chad said, with real empathy.
"Me too... Oh, check it out," Mike looked up over Nicks shoulder at something that Nick couldn't currently see.
"What, the bus?" Chad asked, looking at the big yellow form of transportation, which was a familiar sight to many a teenager.
"Yeah." Mike confirmed. "The girls soccer team is leaving on that bus shortly. Away game I think..." Mike trailed off, his attempt at small talk failing somewhat, "They got some kind of winning streak going or something, so go them."
"Those girls are watching us," Nick said, not taking his eyes off of Mike. Mike and Chad stared at him for mere moments, before he added, "Keep lookin' at me."
He was smiling.
"Okay, who are they?" Chad asked, a bit confused by how his friend managed to spot the girls, whoever they were, without being spotted by them. He probably noticed them when the trio had looked over at the stationary but still running school bus.
"The one with the brown hair and the pink shirt is Tracy Carter. The other is, get this shit, that chick you keep fuckin' raving about. The Health class one."
"Oh, no shit, dude!" Chad exclaimed, barely resisting the urge to spin around and confirm his best friends observation for himself. "What should we do, man?" Chad whispered, a bit nervous at being studied in such a manor by a girl he studied in a similar manor for so long.
"Health class chick? Did I miss something important, here?" Mike asked, curiously, not wanting to be left out of any loops, especially if it was loops involving his best friends.
"Long story," Chad said quietly.
"I'm about to add a new chapter, motherfucker," Nick gave a huge smile, to Chad in particular, and as always the diplomatic one of the pair, he spun around very deliberately and slowly, and said in a loud and even voice so the girls, who are a good distance away could hear him, he said, "Good morning. Would you girls care to join us?"
"Oh, you fuck!" Chad whispered, venom in his voice as Mike, sort of figuring the whole situation out, managed to turn his laughter into a loud sort of cough.
The girls pause for a moment, and then exchange glances and a few whispered words, and after a few seconds begin walking towards the three guys.
"Okay, man. I just fucking set it up. You had better knock it down," Nick muttered to Chad, who by this time, had reclaimed his composure.
Somewhat
"You're a fuckin' a prick, but thanks, buddy," Chad said, preparing himself.
First impressions are very important.
"Yeah, well fuck you, too. You had better get laid now, after all of this shit," Nick muttered back.
Mike, now certain his original guess had been correct, had to convert laughter into coughing again.
Chad didn't respond to Nick or to tell Mike to 'Shut the fuck up' as he wanted to, because he didn't have time because the girls were now within a few paces of them, and definitely in earshot.
Nick greeted them in a very formal and professional manner, "Hello, Tracy. How are you?" he said, giving a very welcoming and warm smile. "I don't believe I've met you, yet," Nick added turning to Ashley. "I'm Nick Lynch." he said, offering her his hand which she accepted turning it into a successful handshake.
"Ashley Roberts," Ashley stated, smiling slightly, trying to be as welcoming as Nick but failing.
Being as welcoming as Nick was generally a hard thing to do.
"Good to meet you. This is Mike Daniels, and Chad Richards," Nick gestured to Mike and Chad as he introduced them. They both nodded in welcome and to confirm their names as they were called.
"Hey, there," Chad said to Ashley. This was the moment.
Ashley looks at him and smiles "Hey." She said, somewhat quietly.
It is during the beginning of this exchange, when a blood curdling scream pierced the air, making everyone jump.
The five teens in unison spun around and saw the most horrific sight any of them had ever seen.
It took a few moments to comprehend just what exactly they were seeing, and it would take much, much longer to fully understand the whole concept, but there it was. They were seeing it, hearing it. If not entierly understanding it.
Three people, human beings, were quite literally tearing apart one of their fellow students. The student, whomever it was, wasn't even recognizable as male or female at this point. The people bit and ripped at the shrieking person, tearing chunk of flesh out of their body. Blood literally flew everywhere. It stained everything within five feet of this nightmarish and bizarre attack.
For a moment, no one did a thing, far too surprised and confused by what was happening, and suddenly the air was full of screams; riddled with them, as all over the school grounds, students were being attacked by people who looked almost like normal people.
Almost.
The crazed people were everywhere, and nearly every single student who was outside in front of the school was being attacked by them.
Where had they come from?
It took only another few moments for Nick (he had already lost his welcoming smile) to gather his senses and grab the nearest person to him, in this case, Tracy, and start dragging her towards the only object that seemed like a good idea: The single school bus which waited for the girls varsity soccer team.
The team would never come.
Nick had his plan formulated; get to the bus, and get on, "Let's go! Fuckin' move!" he shouted. He had no other plan except get inside something safe, and the bus would have to do. It was closest, and there was no one in their way.
Yet.
Without anything better to do, or anyone else to follow, Mike, Chad and Ashley trailed Nick and Tracy, still far too baffled to be of much help.
They had gotten maybe fifteen feet and no where closer to figuring out what was happening, when a somebody leapt out of seemingly nowhere and grabbed hold of Ashley, who in response, screamed and flailed wildly with her arms trying to break the iron grip.
Chad quickly grabbed the figure, a man, in a business suit, more of an instinctual response than a planned one, and prevented him from what looked like him trying to bite Ashley.
Suddenly Mike was right there and he was ready. He grabbed the man's shoulder, spun him around, and punched him with a right hook so hard in the front of the attacker's face, that blood flew from it.
The man, spun around, reeling from the attack, and slowly staggered back to his feet.
He charged again, this time at Mike, who was ready in a football like defensive position.
BAM!
Nick came from nowhere, just as this violent man had seconds before, his huge black backpack not seeming to slow him at all; he hit the crazed man directly in the side of the head, with what appeared the be a black metal bar.
The man hit the ground milliseconds after the blow was struck.
Nick didn't wait for him to stagger back to his feet. Or even move at all. He jumped on to the crazed man and hit him in the head, again, and again, and again. Seven times in all.
The crazed man never moved again.
"Get onto the fuckin' bus!" Nick shouted, turning to the small group of teens, his face splattered with the downed man's blood, his eyes scouring the school grounds, where all they saw were dozens of his fellow students being ripped apart by these insane attackers.
The group didn't wait any longer; all five teens charge into the bus, their ubiquitous backpacks and book bags not seeming to slow them at all. In fact, Mike was the only one who didn't have a bag of some kind, having depostied his stuff in his locker upon arriving at the school. No one else had any time to remove theirs, so they were just lugging them around.
It was during this mad sprint to the bus that a sudden realization hit Chad regarding the weapon that his best friend currently wielded, and had just used to beat some guy to apparent death.
The bar in Nick's right hand, was his baton.
The baton telescopes from three segments which fold into each other, much as the telescopes of old do. It was a pure, matte black and was made of stainless steel. It was a common sight among police and law enforcement, who used it due tto it's small size, and brutal effectiveness. It was twenty one inches long fully expanded, and about eight folded up. It didn't feel very good when a person was hit with it, as was proven moments before.
Chad had often joked to Nick about the absurdity and seeming impracticality of the weapon. Nick never went anywhere without it, and Chad would often ask if him if had ever needed it or ever used it.
The answer was always no and had always been no.
Not anymore.
Chad never had figured out why is friend was so paranoid, but he was suddenly glad for it. He made it to the bus, and sprinted past the bus driver, who was helping the small group of teens get onto the bus, looking just as frightened as they were. If not more so.
The bus driver, a young woman, who did the job for a bit of extra money here and there, was to be the last person to board the bus. The group of five had made it on, and she turned to join them.
She didn't make it.
She was grabbed screaming by a half dozen assailants, and yanked away. The plight of the modern bus driver.
Nick, already knowing the driver was gone, slammed the bus door shut, and the crazed people began pounding on the door and sides of the large vehicle.
"Chad, can you drive this thing?" Nick asked calmly but loudly, as he braced the door with his body, keeping the enraged attackers from breaking into the bus.
Chad, who nearly had his driver's license nodded, "I can fuckin' try."
"Well get on it!" Nick shouted, keeping the bus door pinned closed. he could feel each vibration of a fist slamming into the door. It was truly frightening.
Without any further ado, Chad hopped into the bus seat and familiarized himself with his surroundings. Lucky the bus was already on to warm the engine up, the key already in the ignition.
"Today would be good..." Nick said softly, viewing the attackers trying to beat their way into the bus, as he still braced the doors firmly shut.
Chad didn't wait another second. He put the bus into gear, slammed the gas peddle down, and left the crazed people behind. Some of them began chasing the bus, but most broke off to search for other, easier to catch prey.
The bus' engine rumbled; no one said anything for a moment, as the bus began building up speed, and became a bit jolty
"What's going on?..." Ashley asked after the several second recovery from the escape. She was nearly in tears as she sat next to an also freaked out Tracy on one of the bus's front seats.
No one answered at first, as no good answers to what just happened could yet be provided by anyone. The only sound on the bus for a few agonizing moments was the girls trying gallantly not to completely fall apart.
Then Nick spoke up, all the humor is gone from his voice. It is now cold and calculating. This is the Nick that even Chad has only seen a handful of times. he could be quite cool and calculating, Chad had realized, and this was one of those moments.
"Y'all want to know what I think it is?" he said, looking like he'd seen a ghost. Or maybe the gruesome deaths of a few people he had known not two minutes before.
"Yeah, I do," Mike replied after a moment, nodding from his spot in the front opposite the girls. He had almost the exact look about him that Nick had.
"This is gonna sound really fuckin' stupid... I mean, really fucking stupid but please try to bear with me here..." Nick waited for a moment, to make sure everyone was listening, and to gather his own thoughts. He took a breath, and waited a few more seconds, "They're zombies," he finally stated bluntly, standing at the front of the bus, looking gravely at his companions.
Everyone took in this impossible hypothesis for a moment.
That's bullshit, man. That can't be..." Chad trailed off as he drove the bus, not looking up from the disaster that unfolded before them all. Some buildings were starting to burn and columns of smoke started to appear here and there.
There were people running everywhere, some fleeing, others chasing.
"Yeah, probably, but I don't see why not... You saw what they did," Nick replied grimly as he folded up his baton, and put in into one of his camo shorts' many pockets. "Do you think people just attack en mass like that? And not just attack, rip and bit people apart?"
No one knew how to respond to this either. They had seen what these crazed people had done. Any explanation was a good one at the moment.
"Chad, do not stop this bus for anything. Just keep heading in this direction," Nick said, tilting his head up a bit, and spotting someone very near the back of the bus.
"Who're you?" Nick asked, raising his voice to be heard way back there.
During the commotion, no one had noticed the small red-haired girl who was the only other person on the bus before the five teens had arrived. She looked more frightened then anyone else.
Nick received no answer, and decided it best to ask louder.
"Who. Are. You?" he said very slowly and clearly.
"Ali," the girl responded, barely audible to Nick.
Alexandra Chimes, also known as Ali, is sixteen years old just like the other five teens. She was not very big at all, only about four feet eleven inches tall. She couldn't possibly weigh more then eighty five pounds or ninety pounds. He shoulder length red hair is maybe her most noticeable feature, as it is with many red-heads.
"I've seen you around..." Nick said, "I'm Nick... Come up here please." He gestured to the open space next to Mike, calmly inviting the small girl to become part of this group.
Ali, normally a very social and outgoing person (a fact this group would probably never realize) didn't respond. She simply got up and quietly moved to where Nick had directed.
"Everyone, meet Ali" Nick said simply, "Ali, everyone... Okay, Mike," Nick continued, not giving anyone enough time to actually meet Ali. "We're gonna go to your house first."
A plan had begun forming in Nick's mind. They had to do something if this was real (and it certainly seemed to be) they had to arm themselves first, and Nick knew they could do that at Mike's. From there, further ideas would have to be discussed.
"Why?" Mike asked, clearly puzzled.
"To get your dad's guns. Looks like we're gonna need them. Shit's happening, Mike, and I want to be able to shoot at it if I have to."
Mike nodded, "Yeah, let's do that." The big teen sighed.
What the fuck was going on?
"You remember where Mike lives, don't you, Chad?" Nick asked, glancing at Chad, who's eyes were locked on the road.
Chad just nodded several times, not taking his eyes off the road. He drove the bus past a dozen people beating on the front door of a house.
Mike's dad was somewhat of a gun nut. He Possessed more then a few of the weapons. Mike had actually taken Nick and Chad shooting on several occasions, where they had both done pretty well. They were just pretty good at it.
Mike himself was pretty darn good shooting having been raised around them, his dad being some kind of professional shooter or something. Neither Nick nor Chad actually knew exactly what it was that Mike's dad did for a living.
There were a few more moments of agonizing silence only punctured by the rumbling of the bus.
"What about our families, our friends?..." Tracy finally choked out between the tears that streamed down her face. She had started crying. She couldn't remember the exact moment she had, but she was now. And so was Ashley.
"Mike said something about riots today, right Mike? This is widespread across the whole fuckin' city for all we know. It could be everywhere. We almost have to, uh... assume that we're the only one's left..." he stopped for a moment, as thoughts made their way into his brain. He couldn't believe was he was saying, but for all he knew, yeah the entire city had been overrun with insane people who were indiscriminately and brutally murdering other people. And if that was the case... "We have to have the think that everyone's dead..." Nick said. Another thought hit him, "Or like them," Nick completed his response. His eyes watered slightly, more out of surprise and anxiety than fear, but he held back the tears. He felt dizzy, and it wasn't just the bus.
"Fuck..." Chad muttered from the driver's seat, he also choked back tears. So far, so good as far as driving the behemoth went. He had bumped into a couple of parked cars, but the road was mostly clear here in the suburbs, and Chad was only doing a little more than twenty miles an hour. He hoped Nick knew what he was doing on this one.
Confusion was running rampant on board this particular bus.
Ashley and Tracy were quite simply no longer able to control their emotions, and the pair just broke down in each other's arms, comforting each other. The visions of the people getting torn apart in front of them dancing like a demon in their subconscious.
Ali suffered the same fate, though was without any outside comfort.
Mike just looked tired and sad. Like a general who has just been soundly defeated. And both Nick and Chad knew full well what was on Mike's mind. Nick was amazed that Mike hadn't mentioned it yet, but then again they had only been on the road about five minutes, and Mike was most likely still in the 'too confused to function state'.
"Mike," Nick stated, trying to get his big friend's attention; he had another idea.
Mike didn't respond. He was somewhere else entirely.
"Mike," Nick said, his voice firmer, and the hints of despair now gone from him. he was surprised, but he had heard that simply doing things was a good way to fight off despair.
Mike looked up at Nick, with a defeated look.
"Yeah," he said.
"Call Molly. Right now," Nick ordered as he handed him his cell phone that he pulled from his pocket seconds earlier.
Molly lived in the same neighborhood that Mike did. It was convenient. It was another thing that had helped them stay together for so long.
"If she's sick, she'd be inside her house... Maybe she's okay," Nick finished, a glimmer of hope in his eye. he sincerely hoped Molly was okay. She had been perhaps the closest thing to a sister that he had ever had.
Mike took the phone without any argument (why would he argue?) and quickly dialed his girlfriends home number, a number he only knew so well, praying she was safe.
The phone rang and rang and rang, and finally, when Mike was nearly ready to break down himself, the phone was answered, and a frightened voice said, "Hello..?"
Twin tears of happiness made their way down Mike's cheeks, as he heard his girlfriend beautiful voice. She may have never sounded so beautiful.
"Hey baby," he whispered as Nick looked on, a smile breaking out on his face. Chad was far too busy driving to take any notice, and the three girls were too busy trying to combat how scared they were to pay Mike much head.
"Hey," The voice whispered back.
"Are you okay?" Mike asked, getting right down to it.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I thought you were... All the reports on the news, I thought I..."
I know, baby... I thought you were, too..."
"Tell her to lock her doors, and to get ready. We're coming to get her," Nick said his face all business. He turned his head to view Chad. "You okay, mate?"
"Yeah, I'm alright. Shit there's another one..." Chad trailed off as the bus leaves another of the crazed figure behind, as it tried to chase after the much faster bus. "This just ain't right... Something's just so completely wrong... They're everywhere, man." Chad reported.
Nick nodded his head once. "I know..." Nick responded, as he looked out one of the bus windows, every once in a while seeing one of the crazed people. And even a normal person being mauled by a crazed person.
Nick saw a group of people clustered around something he couldn't see, but knew what it was. "Do not stop this bus," he repeated.
"No issues there," Chad said.
Nick looked around, gauging were they were. He turned back to Mike. "Mike, we're about to your house. Tell her to turn off all of her lights, lock everything, and wait for us. Does Molly have her cell phone on her?"
Mike knew exactly how close they were, and he was all over Nick's order as he relayed the question into the phone, and waited for an answer.
"Yeah she does," Mike confirmed.
"Good. We'll call her on that when we're ready to get her. You do know the number, right Mike?" Nick hated asking such stupid, obvious questions, but he had to be sure. In a situation like this everything had to be known.
But what exactly was the situation? Nick didn't really know.
Mike nodded and relayed that to his girlfriend as well, and with a very hard goodbye, he hung up the phone and handed it back to Nick, who put back in it's pocket.
"How close are we to his house?" Ali asked. She was the first of the girls who had regained her composure, Nick noticed, and she seemed able to function again, if just barely.
"Uh... About two minutes," Nick responded, looking out at the road, and the destruction that lay in it. Crashed and overturned cars, buildings and houses ablaze.
"What about those things, won't they be there?" The tiny girl questioned in a very weak voice.
"Maybe..." Nick said... "Probably... If they're zombies, if we really are dealing with fucking zombies, then yeah. They could be everywhere... But we're out in the suburbs and there ain't too many people running around out here, so who knows?.. Looks like we'll find out."
The only response to that speech was silence.
Nick started again, thinking' it through, maybe a little too quickly, but what other choice was there at the moment? "Mike and myself will go in to the house and get what we need. Chad," he said, turning to his best friend. "You all stay low and quiet in here." Nick took a breath "Does anyone else have a cell phone?" He asked, already knowing that his two friends, Mike and Chad, do not.
"I do," Tracy whispered.
"I need the number." Nick said. It is not a request, nor is it an order. It was just a fact.
Tracy recited the number to Nick, who quickly and efficiently programmed it into his phone.
"Thanks," he said, "Let's hope there's none of those things running around... You ready, Mike?"
Mike nodded once. He was ready. Nothing was going to stop him from seeing his girlfriend again. he was going to grab his dad's guns, and they were going to go get her.
"Right. Mike, you and me are gonna go in and grab everything. Everyone else just chill the fuck out here, kay?" Nick ordered.
"Sure," Chad muttered as he slowed the bus to a halt. He was thankful he at least knew the gas and brake pedals on the thing. He turned and looked at Nick. The guy who was best friend in the world; the guy who might as well be his brother. The guy who was apparently about to leave the relative safety of the bus with another good friend to go grab some guns, and come back. And then what? He had no clue. None. He could only concentrate on one thing at a time.
They had arrived; they were parked in front of Mike's house.
"We're here," Chad said, though he knew everyone already knew. But he was far to preoccupied with a certain thought. One that was shared by everyone else in the confines of the bus.
What the fuck was going on?