Origin: Prologue

Let’s get something straight. The way movies and books depict the end of the world is nowhere close to how it actually happens. The media hypes it as a fiery end by the hands of your biblical deity come to clean house of all the sinners. But if the media knew then what we all know now…things would have ended much differently.

It all started with an incident at the Statue of Liberty. The news reported that some tourist group had been attacked by a rowdy visitor to the island. Reportedly some woman had bit a fellow passenger hard enough to draw blood. When another person on the boat tried to pull her off, she hissed and growled at him, lunging forward and scratching at his face and chest. Security guards posted at the landmark were quick to break up the fight. Others were on hand with cell phones and various devices capturing the action as it happened. It took three armed men to sedate the woman before she could be transported to a more secure area.

Speculation arose to it being another terrorist attack while others believed it was just an isolated incident; just some tourist cutting loose while on vacation. Sadly the world had become desensitized to violence in the media that no one took any of it seriously. That is until it started hitting closer to home.

It was Oktoberfest in Fairhaven and everyone was out celebrating at their local bars enjoying the festivities. Everyone, that is, except me. Opting instead to stay home in the warm comforts of my flannel pajamas and kitty slippers and catching the action on TV. Don’t get me wrong, my friends invited me. But I’m not the type that enjoys large crowds, especially when they’re drunk and loud. Armed with the remote, my cell phone, and a cup of Bailey’s Mocha Hot Chocolate, I cozied up on the sofa and prepared myself for a nice night in. 

Yolanda. My best friend. Growing up, we were inseparable. She was the daring of us two; always trying something new. I’ve received dozens of selfies from her many death-defying trips. From running with the bulls to skydiving to spelunking; Yolanda had done it all.

The messages stopped and I assumed Yolanda was on her way out with said hottie. I was twenty minutes into Sinister when I felt the buzzing of the phone beside me again. It was a video message from Yolanda.

Jumping up from the couch, I stormed over to my computer determined to put an end to this ridiculous banter. No way. There’s no way someone went all Day of the Dead and started eating people. It didn’t take long for me to locate the original post from Yolanda’s text. It was video footage from a security camera at the Highland Park Mall.

On first viewing, all you could see was sudden movement near the fountain and a large crowd gathering outside the food court. But if you slowed the video and paused it at 0:23 seconds in, a man becomes visible just on the left side of the waterfall. He appears disoriented and staggers into the water. Three people seated on the fountain turned and offered assistance. The first person to reach him pulled him out of the water. The second disappears off screen, with any luck going to find security, while the third retrieved his cell phone and began filming.

As the crowd started to gather, the sequence of events became unclear. But what I could make out was that the seemingly unconscious man suddenly sprang up. Tackling the person closest to him, he bit at the man’s neck. Bystanders gasped in unison horror as an arc of blood squirted onto the polished porcelain floor in front of them. The attack lasted nearly a minute before the man was restrained. EMTs worked quickly, clearing the area to tend to the injured victim. I watched it three times, wondering how they had made it look so real. Then I started trawling the internet for more. On a whim, I decided to try the Statue of Liberty incident. It, too, had been uploaded to YouTube. 

The video showed a woman standing beside a child waiting to exit the boat. Then there was footage of the base of the statue as the cameraman panned up the 150 foot landmark, commenting on its massive size in awe. Suddenly, a scream made him turn and again you see the woman and child by the boat. But this time, the child was crying and the woman was on the ground on top of someone. Blood covered the ground around them as the defenseless victim lay unconscious beneath her, the side of her face had been mauled down to bone.

Seconds later armed guards had her surrounded and were doing their best to pull her off. She showed no emotion as she continued clawing and ripping at the poor woman. A chunk of flesh fell from between her lips as she was rendered unconscious with a blow to the head. It was a scary and grotesque display.

Before I had a chance to play it again, the website had pulled it. It made me wonder though. Could this be real? The phone chimed and I looked down with a frown. As if she knew, Yolanda was calling back. “Yolanda, you can’t be enjoying the party that much if you’re talking to me every three seconds,” I laughed into the phone. But in return, all I heard was screaming. “Yolanda? Yolanda, are you there? What’s going on?”

“They’re going nuts!”

“What? Who are?”

The phone died and a sick feeling came over me. Quickly, I redialed Yolanda’s number but her phone went straight to voicemail. “SHIT!” I had no idea where she was or what was happening to her. Trying again, I held my breath as I listened to the ringing. “Pick up, pick up, pick up.” I waited, anxious to hear Yolanda’s voice on the other end of the phone. Desperate for her to tell me this was all some lame joke to scare me for not coming out tonight. Still nothing. I began pacing.

My mouth was dry, my stomach ached. I tried again. The silence was excruciating. Each second that passed scared me more and more. My hands were shaking. My heart raced. And suddenly I remembered the Statue of Liberty incident. What if this wasn’t a joke? What if it was all somehow connected? 

The video Yolanda sent me was from East Fairfax which was only a 20-minute drive from us. What if…? NO! I shook my head. I couldn’t let those thoughts in. Not now. Not with Yolanda out there somewhere helpless and alone. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard to clear the lump in my throat. Time ticked on.

The buzzing of the phone startled me and I jumped. “Hello? Yolanda?”

“Shit is hitting the fan here!”

“What? What is going on?”

“I don’t know. A fight broke out downstairs and before anyone realized it had become a full scale riot! The police are here trying to break it up but people are turning on them too!”

“Geez!” I sighed, breathing easy for the moment. So hyped up on those cannibal videos my mind immediately thought the worst but, from the sounds of it, it was only a bar fight. Still, Yolanda was not out of the woods. “You need to get out of there!”

“Can’t. Exits are blocked. I was able to get out of the bar itself. I’m on the balcony overlooking the dining area. Dozens of people are injured below. There’s blood everywhere!”

“Yolanda, see if there’s a fire exit up there or something! There’s gotta be another way out.” I waited on the other end as she went quiet, hopefully taking my advice. I could hear loud crashes as if furniture was being overturned and screaming…lots of screaming. I worried for Yolanda’s safety. Man. Why didn’t she just stay home? 

“I don’t see an exit. Just a bay window overlooking the streets.”

“Can you get out through there?”

“Not without breaking both legs. I’m on the second floor. Shit! They’re heading up here now!” 

I could hear the panic in her voice and it was only serving to make me even more afraid. I felt so helpless as I listened to her shaky voice and I did what I could to ensure her she’d be ok. More crashes. Glass breaking. Someone screamed duck and another loud bang echoed over the speaker. Yolanda was breathing heavily into the phone, running and dodging whatever was coming at her. Then there was a guy’s voice telling her to move. I assumed it to belong to her hottie friend. “Yolanda, be safe, please. Get someplace and hide. Wait it out!”

“I can’t. There are so many. OH MY G…”

Suddenly the phone went dead. Fear wrenched my gut as I was once again met with silence. A riot? I turned on the news hoping to catch some information about what was happening downtown. But the only thing they were showing was an emergency alert with a ticker tape at the bottom flashing areas around town. The reporter was talking about some sickness that had been infecting the city. Bold words flashed across the screen and I nearly collapsed as I read it. It wasn’t a riot. It was an epidemic.

Whatever this was, it was contagious and it was spreading quickly. We were advised to stay indoors and not to travel, to stay off the roads in case emergency services needed to get through. We were asked not to panic and to refrain from dialing 9-1-1 as the police were aware of the situation and had their hands full. The report continued. No one knew if this was manmade. As of now there were 40 cases of the outbreak within Fairhaven city limits and even more along the coast. The reporter referenced the Statue of Liberty incident and the one at the mall earlier this week. “Shit.” It wasn’t faked. The videos were real. People were losing their minds and eating each other!

I nearly dropped my phone when I heard the ding and glanced down with a sigh of relief. It was Yolanda. She said she and a few others had barricaded themselves in a stock room upstairs and were trying to wait it out. She was safe…for now. 

I glanced again at the TV. The government had declared a state of emergency but reportedly had a plan of action. Measures of control were being implemented and the situation would hopefully be resolved soon. I felt confident that Yolanda and the others trapped in the bar would be rescued before anyone else got hurt. Again the phone dinged and I lowered my eyes from the television to the small screen in front of me and gasped. Three words was all Yolanda had sent. Three terrifying words.

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*Author’s note: Video clip courtesy of George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead and Sinister. Special thanks to iPhone Clone for help with producing the text messages.*

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