Day 09: Proceed with Caution

“We need to do the humane thing and shoot her already!” Josh replied. Sumiko had been placed in one of the cages in Cell Block C awaiting the group’s determination about her.

“Wait,” Nicole yelled. “She hasn’t shown any signs of infection and the bite appears to be days if not weeks old.”

“And? Last I checked, you didn’t have a medical degree and we all know this virus affects everyone differently,” Josh continued. “We can’t take the chance she’ll infect any of us here.”

“I think we should wait,” James chimed in. “Nicole is right. The girl hasn’t shown any signs she’s sick. For all we know it could have been a dog bite or something.”

Just then, the front door opened and the group was joined by Natalie, Portia, JC and Matthew who was carrying an unconscious Aisha. “What happened to Aisha?” Jeremiah asked, rushing forward. 

“We had an accident,” Portia replied solemnly without looking up.

“Well is she ok?” he continued, watching as Matthew carried her off toward the infirmary with Natalie in tow.

“We don’t know yet, Miah. Natalie is going to look her over and we’ll know more from there. Don’t worry ok? She’s a tough girl. She’ll be fine,” JC replied, hoping to calm the young man. “What’s going on here?” he asked, noticing the tension in the air.

“We found someone in our truck,” Katrina said, as she hobbled over to a chair.

“What do you mean you found someone in the truck? Are they here? Are they hostile?” Matthew asked, hearing the tail end of the conversation.

“We don’t really know. She’s a young girl. Maybe 17. Japanese. Says she became stranded here and separated from her parents when the outbreak occurred,” Nicole said, filling the others in on what they’d learned so far. 

“She’s also been bitten,” Josh added.

“What? Where is she?” Matthew asked. “Why hasn’t she been taken care of? We can’t let her infect anyone else.” Josh threw his hands up in agreement.

“See that’s the thing,” Nicole started. “Her bit is old and she’s not sick. We didn’t want to just take her out without hearing her side of the story. We should figure out what happened first. If she really was bitten then why wasn’t she turned? How is she different than anyone else?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Josh again said. “She’s dangerous and the longer we stand here arguing about it, the greater the risk of her getting out and harming us becomes. We don’t know her or where she came from and we don’t need to know. The facts remain. She’s bitten. She dies.”

“No,” Matthew said. “Nicole is right. We need more information.”

“What? This is crazy!” Josh exclaimed.

“What if there’s a cure or something, Josh? A way to protect ourselves against whatever has infected everyone else? This girl might be the key to stopping it all or maybe shedding some light on how we can keep ourselves safe. We owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to explore that possibility.”

“Fine,” Josh sighed and shook his head. There was no winning the argument and continuing to state his opinion was futile. “You guys do what you want but when you get infected by the Trojan horse, don’t come crying to me.” He stalked off in the direction of his room, leaving the others to handle the fate of their new friend.

“Where is she?” Matthew asked.

“Cellblock C,” James replied.

“JC, can you and Theresa go and give Natalie a hand in the infirmary, please? James, Katrina, Nicole Sophia, and I will go and have a chat with…”

“Sumiko,” Theresa said. 

“Right.”

Sumiko sighed as she was once again tied down to a chair in the center of the day room. “Why don’t we start with your full name?” Matthew began.

“Fujikawa Sumiko,” Sumiko responded.

“And where did you come from? Why did you jump into our truck” he continued.

“I was here on vacation with my parents. I’d just been accepted to Oxford and as a gift, my parents brought me to America to visit the sites on my traveler’s list; places I’d always wanted to see. But something happened. While we were in New York, one of the passengers on our ferry became ill and bit someone.”

“I saw that video!” Nicole said. “Before it was taken down from YouTube!”

“We were taken back to the shore and examined by a physician before being released. Our trip was cut short and we started home with a layover here but…the infection had already spread and the airport was quickly overrun. Everything was chaos. After my parents and I became separated, I found myself alone. I didn’t know anyone here or where I could go for help. I’ve been by myself ever since. Doing whatever I could to survive.” Sumiko said.

“How long ago were you bitten?” Matthew asked, motioning toward the scar on her lower arm.

“I’d gone into a convenience store to try and find some water but, there were three of those dead things in there. I was able to bring down two of them but the third caught me by surprise and before I could hit him, he grabbed my arm and bit me. I managed to escape and get back to my hiding place and care for it,” Sumiko explained. “That was two weeks ago.”

“Are you telling us you were bitten two weeks ago and not turned?” Matthew asked in surprise. “Have you shown any signs of illness? Been sick at all or have some weird symptoms?”

“No,” she replied. “It was just a bite that’s healed over time.”

“How is that possible?” Katrina chimed in.

“I don’t know,” Sumiko said. “This one was two weeks ago, however, the first time I was bitten was on the ferry in New York…three years ago.”

<----Previous -- Continue---->

Continue Reading: "Day 09: Proceed with Caution"

Day 06: Splintered

“We have to go back!” Aisha declared as Portia checked her rearview.

“Hold on,” Portia said, performing a quick U-turn and gunning it back toward the alley.

Matthew pushed at the mob of undead, swinging and slashing with his knife, he severed fingers, ears and even a nose. The blade met true with a few skulls but he hesitated to really reach into the group for fear of being scratched or worse, bitten. Deciding it best to run for cover and wait for help to arrive, he turned up the alley and ran, gaining much needed distance between himself and the horde behind him. The sound of their ravenous moaning fell into sync with the beating of his own heart as his feet pounded the pavement. Turning down another corner of the alley he was abruptly faced by a dead-end as the pack of rancid zombies grew steadily closer behind him.

Continue Reading: "Day 06: Splintered"

Day 02: Scavenging

“Almost out,” Matthew announced as he, JC, Natalie, Aisha and Portia trudged down the murky tunnels beneath the city. In recent days, the group had discovered that the sewers were devoid of undead…well, mostly. And with them running the length of the entire town, they made for easy navigation on scavenging runs. They smelled about as foul as one would expect but, a decent shower once home cleared away the fetid stench and soiled clothing.

Looking down the dark tunnel Matthew could see a smoky silhouette of shadow in a vaguely human-like shape. He appeared stooped over some object in the distance unaware he and JC were approaching. With very little light entering into the compact space, it was difficult to make out much.

Continue Reading: "Day 02: Scavenging"

Prologue: No Escape

“Pick it up, Theresa. We have to keep moving,” Billy said as he lifted his backpack higher on his shoulder.

“I need a break, please,” Theresa huffed and nearly collapsed against the brick wall of the alley. “We’ve been running for three blocks. We had to have lost them by now.”

Billy turned to look at his sister. Her face was flushed and sweat poured down her forehead. If he didn’t agree to let her catch her breath, he’d be forced to carry her until they found a decent place to hide. “Fine. Three minutes, then we need to go.”

As Theresa took a seat on a stack of pallets, Billy paced around the area, keeping watch. He couldn’t relax, not with the horde so close. But they weren’t the only impending danger. “Do you have any water left?” she asked, tossing her bottle into the dumpster behind her.

Continue Reading: "Prologue: No Escape"

Day 31: What Now?

Group: Natalie, David, Amélia, Mike, Edward, Nicole, Josh, Matthew, Liz, Nina, Lucky, Eddie, Elise, Dominic, Mathew, Ryan, Troy, Aisha, Jeremiah, Katrina, Jake, JC
Location: BioCore Safe Zone

“They’re walking into their deaths. We need to stop them!” Elise exclaimed, but Natalie was already running forward.

“MATT!” she shouted, frantically waving her arms as she called his name, “MATT!!” It wasn’t his name that made him freeze, it was the sound of her voice. A voice he thought he’d never hear again.

Matthew glanced towards the cluster of trees. She appeared through the forest, arms outstretched and a smile on her face. Tossing Dominic his weapon, he rushed forward. They met halfway, his arms instantly enclosing her in a warm hug as she bounded into him. “I can’t believe it’s you,” he whispered against her ear before their lips met. He could feel the moisture on her cheeks as her hands slipped around his neck.

Continue Reading: "Day 31: What Now?"

Day 28: Bereavement

Group 4: Matthew, Josh, Liz, Jeremiah, Edward, Nicole, Jake, JC, Nina, Lucky, Mike, Katrina, Troy, Dominic, Mathew, Ryan, Aisha
Location: Barn/Farmhouse

Edward scratched at the bandage on his arm. That damn mongrel really did a number on him and now his skin felt like it was on fire. He eyed the animal as it trotted along beside Nina, playfully nudging her arm making her rub her head. It was bad enough he was forced to wear a dead man’s clothes but now he had to deal with that mutt; and he hated dogs. Five minutes along with that animal and he’d send it to doggy heaven where it belonged. Sensing the man’s eyes on her, Lucky looked back with a happy expression as the group continued down the road.

“It’s just up ahead,” Matthew said. The group had been walking for nearly an hour, heading to the rendezvous. Upon arrival, they could see no one was waiting, but it appeared someone had been here recently. Tire tracks, two distinct treads, were imprinted in the soft dirt. One appeared to belong to a large vehicle of some kind while the other, possibly a truck. The wide wheel base gave Matthew the impression that it could have been one of the pickups from the compound.

Continue Reading: "Day 28: Bereavement"

Day 27: Fatal Error

Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe
Location: School

The door wouldn’t budge. JC tried putting all of his weight into it, but it gave resistance. Lucky sniffed the ground, her head lowered to the floor as she followed the scent around the side of the building. She was onto something. Giving up on the barred entrance, JC followed the dog. Directed by her keen sense of smell, Lucky led him to another point of entry. She whimpered and clawed at the bottom frame. JC immediately pushed against the door. It inched away a tiny bit. Placing his gun in the waistband of his jeans, he pressed both hands to the weather-beaten wood and shoved. The door swung open with a whirling gust of air, and out with it the smell of rot.

Continue Reading: "Day 27: Fatal Error"

Day 23: Death by Design

Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe
Location: School

The group walked in silence, some breathing heavily, others taking quick shallow breaths, all trying to keep their calm which was growing increasingly hard to do. Blood dribbled through Mike’s fingers as he tightly pressed his hand against his side. They’d been running for several blocks and he felt himself growing weaker with every step he took. The shirt he wore was drenched in his own blood. He’d closed his jacket to keep the others from noticing, but it wouldn’t be long before the exhaustion made him collapse. “How much farther to the school?” he asked out of breath as he stumbled along behind them.

“Not much,” Jake replied, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

JC had made it a point to watch their rear, ensuring they’d all made a clean get-away. “We need to get off the street,” he said, redirecting them off road and through the trees.

Mike could barely lift his leg to get across the guardrail and a grunt escaped his lips. “Are you ok?” Nina asked, stealing a peek at the man and the heavy sweat beading on his forehead.

“Fine. Just tired,” he replied, trying not to exert too much breath on his reply.

Lucky trotted between them, her attention flitting between all the movements of the trees as wind caressed bare branches. Leaves rustled to the ground around them with every step they took. If she let herself, she could imagine being back at home and playing in a freshly raked pile of leaves with her mom. The sound of her mom’s laugh always made her smile and brought with it a sense of warm comfort. But those carefree moments seemed so long ago. Nina sighed and ran her hand over the soft fur on Lucky’s head. The dog returned the gesture with an affectionate lick and carried on with her excited exploration.

“Wait,” Jake instructed as they began to emerge through the other side of the forest. He took a quick look at the building across the street. He could see several dark alcoves and barred doorways. Someone had secured the location…or at least tried.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out, and everyone ducked. Instincts took over and JC whirled around, faster than he’d ever moved before. Likewise, Lucky snarled, her brown eyes shining brightly. They both bolted out of the woods towards the building.

“No!” Jake snapped as Nina took off after Lucky. “Stay down and try not to make a sound. Mike, stay with Nina.” He gave a nod watched as Jake hurried after the others.

Reacting entirely on impulse, JC reached for the handle. The door wasn’t locked and he found himself stepping in a pool of blood. Lucky, too, pushed her way inside, sniffing the air with furious concentration.

There was someone alive upstairs and they were fighting to keep it that way.

Continue---->
---------------------------------------

The polls are now open. Vote for your chance to control the action! Remember, you can add your own choice to the plot through the comments section or the poll below. Polls close at 12 noon EST tomorrow and reopen at 8 pm EST.

Continue Reading: "Day 23: Death by Design"

Day 19: Another Day

Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe
Location: School

“Mike!” Chloe yelled as she saw him fighting one of the men who’d attacked them. The man lunged at him with a knife and Mike quickly sidestepped. The blow glanced his side. The sharp edge of the blade sliced into his ribcage and his hand immediately went to his injury.

The knife-wielding fiend grinned watching the blood drip from Mike’s wound. Feeling confident, he again tried a forward attack, but this time, Mike was ready for him. The moment the razor-tipped stiletto started towards him, he leaned back, kicking his feet out fast and hard in a leg sweep and knocked his assailant to the ground.

Continue Reading: "Day 19: Another Day"

Day 15: Welcome Inn

Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe
Location: School

“It was here,” Chloe announced as she, Sara, Jake and JC made it to the corner where she was attacked. There was blood on the pavement and scuff marks in the sand, all signs pointed to a struggle; so far it seemed she was telling the truth. But no matter the amount of evidence, Jake remained wary.

“So what happened exactly?” he asked, keeping himself distanced so Chloe remained in front of him at all times.

“Like I said, Mike and I were trying to find another vehicle when this woman…she looked so desperate. She came running up to us, begging and pleading for our help. She said her son had been hurt. Right away I thought something was up. If he was hurt, why wasn’t she with him? But Mike wanted to help. He fell for it hook, line and sinker; and I followed him.”

Continue Reading: "Day 15: Welcome Inn"

Day 11: Unnecessary Complications

Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe
Location: School

“You wanna explain why you’re bleeding? Or should I just eliminate the possible risk of infection right now?” Jake asked, still aiming his weapon at the woman’s head.

“The fridge fell,” she replied, matter-of-factly. “I jumped out of the way to keep from getting smashed and landed on some broken glass.”

“And you’ve just been trapped in here this whole time?” Jake asked, looking around the room. “Are you alone?”

“Yes. It’s a little hard to make friends when everyone’s either dead or trying to kill you. In speaking of which, do you mind pointing your gun somewhere else?” She asked, breathing a sigh of relief as Jake holstered his weapon.

“Sorry about that. Have to be sure these days. I’m Jake. What’s your name?”

“Sara,” she replied and glanced over at JC who completed the introductions. “Now, if we done with that, do you mind telling me…”

Continue Reading: "Day 11: Unnecessary Complications"

Day 07: Fools Rush In

Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe
Location: School

The creature leapt out. Nina ducked just as the flash of fur lunged above her. Falling to the ground, she covered her face, waiting to feel the sharp teeth of the animal tear into her flesh. But when the pain never came, she slowly opened her eyes to find the dog had tackled a zombie ambling towards her from the other end of the alley. Nina sat up and watched as the animal ripped and snapped at the monster’s throat until it stopped moving and its head was separated from its shoulders.

Continue Reading: "Day 07: Fools Rush In"

Day 03: On the Run

Group 3: Jake, JC, Nina, Sara, Lucky, Mike, Chloe
Location: School

Cold, hard, autumn winds brushed harshly against Jake’s face as he and JC sprinted as fast as they could through the forest behind the compound. Left with very few options once the reserve tanks went up, they grabbed what little they could find and huffed it over the back fence. They had been surrounded instantly by trucks but somehow managed to get away before the men fired upon them. But now it would seem, their luck was running out.

His breathing was labored, panicked, and seemingly short. They were still being chased. That much he could tell. The sound of footsteps echoed through the woods around them and every now and again he would see the beam of a flashlight bounce in the darkness behind them. His heart thumped wildly sounding like one long, hard beat nearly drowned out by heavy panting. They were running with no real idea to where.

Continue Reading: "Day 03: On the Run"

Day 01: Enemy at the Gate

The lights could be seen from the highway. At night, the place lit up like the Rockefeller Center at Christmas. For the last two weeks, he’d been watching and planning. He’d gotten to know the ins and outs of the place rather well and everyone was set in a routine. He shut the walkie-talkie off and retrieved his binoculars from his bag. Adjusting the focus, he gave a look out over the compound, watching as his unknowing prey went about their day.

In three minutes, the two he’d come to know as ‘Spirited Redhead’ and ‘Annoying Jock’ would be making their patrol. They’d pat along the outer edge of the gate, keeping their backs to one another. When they reached the rear of the mountain path they would split up, searching opposite ends of the forest. It would take less than five minutes to make the trek around the compound before they called it and headed back inside.

Continue Reading: "Day 01: Enemy at the Gate"

Day 31: Aftermath

**Warning: Picture heavy. Um...oh and it’s long. (Info dump?)**

It was the gunshots—not the nightmare—that woke her.

Veronica had slept long past it, though not without considerable effort. Her sheets were in a ball around her feet, well below the heavy comforter, and Dominic’s pillow was between her thighs. Raising her head, she inspected the room she was in, barely blinking at the sound of more gunfire.

Continue Reading: "Day 31: Aftermath"

Day 30: No Return

“Hey has anyone seen Fadil?” Liz asked, glancing around the room. Richard screamed and the sound of falling objects exploded from the back room.

“Shit,” Matthew cussed and quickly rushed to the stock room. The door wouldn’t budge. Something had fallen and was blocking it shut. “Give me a hand here,” he said. Josh and Dominic stepped forward and together, the three men forced the door open.

Continue Reading: "Day 30: No Return"

Day 29: Loose Ends

“Looks like we’re not the only ones under attacked,” Troy said, motioning towards the bodies. “This place got wrecked!”

Matthew continued up the stairs, stepping over blood and detached limbs. “Hey! Is there anybody in there? Let us in,” he shouted, banging the shutters fiercely, hoping to get the attention of someone inside.

An odd humming sound was coming from behind them and Natalie glanced back over her shoulder. At least two dozen zombies were heading their way, groaning and hissing as they gathered closer. “Oh my god, they’re coming.”

“Open the door!” Matthew shouted again with Troy and Natalie joining in. The metal began to shake and pretty soon the three of them were staring blankly at a large group of people inside the store. Moving Natalie into the door first, Matthew turned and fired off a couple rounds at the incoming group. Three zombies fell before he jumped backwards inside the store and watched the shutters fall into place. “Thank you,” he said, as JC helped him stand. “The world’s gone to shit. It’s a madhouse out there.”

Continue Reading: "Day 29: Loose Ends"

Day 27: Friendly Fire

“Oh my god! Someone just crashed into the car where Dom is hiding!” Veronica shouted. Soon after, something that sounded like firecrackers rattled off outside and she quickly stepped away from the door. “And now someone’s shooting!”

“Shooting? Shooting what?” JC carefully stepped closer and peered out. “I see a truck…someone’s pulling into the station.”

“Who’s shooting?” Jeremiah asked.

“I don’t know. There are two…three people with guns; two guys and a girl and another girl is carrying a few bags with her. Whoa, wait…wait a second, they see Dom! They’re getting to Dom!”

Continue Reading: "Day 27: Friendly Fire"

Day 23: Serenity Prayer

“I don’t see him!” Veronica said, peering out the slats of the shutters. Panic set in. The zombies were covering both sides of the building making it impossible to open either door for Dominic. “This is your fault you son of a bitch!” Veronica yelled in Richard’s direction. She stormed away from the door and back-handed him as hard as she could. Richard’s eyes shut and he kept his mouth closed as he licked the split on his lip while struggling in the binds of the rope. “If he gets hurt, you’re next!”

“This is bullshit, why don’t we just throw him outside right now?” Jeremiah suggested, standing closed-fist beside the businessman.

Continue Reading: "Day 23: Serenity Prayer"

Day 19: Afraid of the Dark

“We killed him,” Veronica cried into Dominic’s arms. “We got him killed.”

“This isn’t our fault,” Dominic soothed, gently brushing his hand over her back. “There is no way we could have predicted this outcome, Roni.”

“It was dangerous, we knew that. Kurt’s dead because of us!”

“Kurt wasn’t doing this group any favors by sitting around drinking. His belligerence is what got him killed,” JC said, inching back another step as the body continued bouncing beneath the door. The echoes of the zombies outside reverberated against the metal shutters and he guessed there were at least five out there munching away on Kurt’s remains.

Continue Reading: "Day 19: Afraid of the Dark"