Day 01: Welcome to Cabot Creek

“Call me crazy, Kat, but I don’t think you’re going to need 40 pairs of socks in Los Aniegos. This is a vacation, we’re not staying forever,” Josh Mojica teased as he watched his cousin frantically trying to stuff her entire wardrobe into one suitcase. “Hey, wait a second, isn’t that my Celtic snake?” he asked, snatching the necklace from the front pocket of her bag. “I’ve been looking everywhere for this!”

“Oh yeah. I…um…I found it,” Katrina Jordan replied, looking away from his accusatory glare.

“Really?”

“Yes, really!”

“Ok. Where?”

“What do you mean where? I found it, that’s all you need to know.” Josh folded his arms into his chest and stared at her with his damning gaze until she finally caved. “Ok, fine! I thought it was pretty and you always carry it tangled around your stupid keychain anyway. I didn’t think you’d miss it; obviously you didn’t.”

“Whatever,” he smiled, tossing the necklace back towards her. “Keep it. It probably looks better on you anyway.”

“I know it does,” she retorted with a smirk of her own. Josh jumped back onto the bed, landing in the sea of pillows and teddy bears as Katrina moved to the next drawer of her dresser. Pulling up his media app, he paused on the news as a large red ticker caught his eye.

“Hey, check this out.” Josh turned up the volume on his tablet and Katrina dropped to her bed beside him as she listened to the broadcast.

“During his press conference earlier this morning, Governor Flynn declared Cabot Creek a State of Emergency. All forms of public transportation have been shut down and the DOT has posted detour signs closing off much of the highway.  Many residents have taken to the streets to evacuate and everyone is being asked to remain indoors while the policy remains in effect. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army will be on hand to address any emergencies.”

“Well,” Katrina sighed and threw another pair of socks into the open bag. “It looks like we’re not getting out of here anytime soon.”

The building shook as a thunderous explosion rocked the ground and the blaring sound of horns, screeching tires and crunching metal echoed through the walls. “What was that?” Josh asked, rushing to the window to take a look. He watched as a blazing ball of orange flame engulfed the road in front of the university. “Whoa! Kat, call the police!” he excitedly instructed her as he started for the door.

“Why, what’s wrong? Where are you going?” Katrina asked nervously, peering over her cousin’s shoulder to get a better view. Screams could be heard from the quad as alarmed students hurried away from the ever growing inferno. “Josh, wait!” Grabbing her cell phone, she took off after him down the hall, slamming the door behind her as she moved. 

They stopped a few paces away from the fiery ball of glass and metal as intense, angry flames licked at the roofs, melting away the acrylic enamel paints. Thick, black smoke curled over the accident scene, climbing above trees like a billowing flag of death. It was fairly evident by the condition of the twisted frames of each car there were no survivors.

A young woman standing beside them quickly retrieved her camera and started recording the action. “Hey, what are you doing?” Josh asked, pushing the eager filmographer away from the fire. 

“Are you kidding? I’m documenting this for future generations,” Elise Chun sarcastically replied, stepping away from Josh’s encumbering grip. “What does it look like? I’m sending this to the news. Do you have any idea how much they’d pay for an exclusive like this? I have student loans to pay.”

“You should probably step back unless you want to be the headline on that story. Those flames are only going to get worse,” Josh again warned, but his advice fell on deaf ears as Elise continued filming, inching ever closer to the smoldering cars.

Several moments passed and the fire continued growing taller and wider, engulfing more of the university’s front lawn. The wail of sirens could be heard in the background as a few students did what little they could to help control the blaze with water bottles and water guns. Suddenly, the doors of three vehicles burst open and the burning, mangled bodies of drivers crawled from the wreckage.

A handful of students hurried to the injured to help them to safety, but the seemingly confused men and women turned and instantly attacked. “SHIT!” Josh exclaimed, watching as a woman clamped down on a student’s neck with her teeth. In a matter of seconds, she’d torn through her flesh as she screamed in terror, fighting to push her away.

Blood squirted from the gaping wound and the woman fell to the ground, convulsing from the rapid loss of blood. “HOLY SHIT!” Elise gasped, dropping her camera as she stumbled back and away from the crazed man. Hearing her shout, the woman turned her bloodshot gaze towards the group and growled. Through her parted lips, a chunk of the student’s flesh fell to the ground.

“Kat, run!” Josh shouted, taking off towards the parking lot. With Elise hot on their trail, they made it to his Hyundai and the girls waited for him to get the doors unlocked. “Get in, hurry!” 

“Josh, where are we going?” Katrina asked as he started the engine and backed up without looking.

“I don’t know, somewhere! Your parents place is over an hour away and I’m sure the police already have their hands full,” he replied, peeling out of the parking lot. Elise continued recording on her cell phone, watching in horror as more students fell under attack by the growing number of infected.

“They’re eating each other!” she yelled excitedly from the backseat. “Why the hell are they eating each other?”

“Josh, stop!” Katrina yelled as a man dressed in a baseball shirt and jeans ran out in front of the car.

“Wait, let me in, please!” Jake Mason begged, hurrying to the passenger side. He jiggled the handle for a moment before Elise reached over, unlocking the door and slid to make room.

“What the hell are you doing?” Katrina shouted, turning angrily to face Elise. “He could be one of them!”

“Do I look like a blood-thirsty cannibal to you?” he asked, rolling up his sleeves to show he had not been bitten. “My name is Jake. I was here looking for my girlfriend but I have no idea where she ran off to and I don’t have time to look. I need to get out of here.”

“Oh nice. So you’re a not cannibal, just an asshole,” Katrina summarized with an eye roll.

Josh sped through the streets, dodging panicked students as they rushed in droves through the university’s front gates, trying to get away. The roads were crowded with several other motorists all fleeing the scene and hoping to find a safe place to run. Taking a back road, he accelerated through a school zone, raced through alleyways to side streets and narrowly missed mowing down three people. “Dude, where the hell did you get your license the bottom of a cereal box?” Jake mocked after his head hit the back of Josh’s seat.

Ignoring his comment, Josh continued to accelerate, taking the hazardous slope near Dale Road at dangerous speeds. Barreling around a curve he lost control of the car, plowing through four consecutive mailboxes and a hedge. A woman barely escaped the heat of the car’s engine as she dove quickly to safety. Josh swerved the wheel. Slammed through more shrubs and plants before coming to a stop on her front porch.

“Are you insane? You just destroyed my rose garden and almost ran me over in the process!” Georgia Small chided the teen driver as she stepped down from her stoop.

“I’m sorry!” Josh replied, hopping out of the disabled vehicle. “I’m so sorry, but we’re in a hurry…”

“Do you have some place where we can hide?” Jake interrupted.

“Hide? No, I’m not getting involved in whatever it is you did,” Georgia replied, nervously backing away from the group. “You need to turn back around and go! Whatever you’re running from, I want no part of!”

“You wanna see what we’re running from, huh?” Elise replayed the last part of the video she’d shot and the expression on Georgia’s face dropped.

“Oh my god. That’s sick! What is this some sort of prank?” she asked. Desperate moaning echoed from behind them and Josh and Katrina turned.

“Oh shit! They’re coming!” Josh exclaimed, watching a small group make its way over Dale Road.

“You see that, lady? This isn’t a fucking prank, those people went wacko and started eating each other!” Jake shouted, growing annoyed by the woman’s hesitance to help. “Now do you have a place to hide or not?”

“Get inside, hurry,” Georgia led them up the stairs, hopping around the blue Hyundai and Josh quickly shut the door. “We should be safe…”

Georgia’s sentence was cut short as glass shattered from behind her. Springing to action, Josh pushed the unlocked door shut. Katrina swiftly jumped to his aid, feeling resistance from the other side. “How many are out there?” Elise screamed.

Jake and Georgia gawked in sheer terror at the horror just on the other side of the door. “Are you crazy? Get up and help us, dammit!” Katrina shouted as she and her cousin struggled to keep the door closed.

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