05: Cover Up

Three vans poured into the center of Fairhaven, all of them with the BioCore logo embossed on the side. Residents went on about their normal routines, unaware of the dangers that lurked nearby. A hose was shoved through the sliding door of one of the vehicles aimed at the park where several families had gathered for the Fairhaven Round-up. It was an annual event that hosted competitions ranging from bull riding to pig wrangling to ‘roping’ or lasso techniques. There was even a petting zoo for the kids and a mechanical bull for adventurous adults.

Several charities were on hand hoping to rouse a few new donors for their cause. There were even booths set up for Girl Scouts to peddle their cookies and homemade friendship bracelets. The sun shone above like a radiant gem in the sky. For the middle of summer, the day was cooler than usual. The slight breeze fanning through the mix of maple, oak and fir trees provided a level of comfort that made the day absolutely perfect for this event.

Stopping just at the edge of the square, the driver put the vehicle in park and waited. The canister concealed in the back of the bed whirred to life, choking out a thick, odorless, tasteless liquid into the air. The mist fell down like rain. Several people ran for cover while others, children mostly, played beneath it in sheer delight. It lasted for a few minutes before the spout recoiled back inside the vehicle and the BioCore vans drove out of the area.

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04: Critical Mass

Moving with purpose, Raymond’s feet carried him up the stairs to the Executive wing, passed the conference room packed to capacity with potential buyers and into the lavish office floor of the higher-ups. Each step burned with determination and anger all centered on one person. “What the hell is this?” Raymond demanded, storming into Ericka’s office and tossing a handful of photos on her desk. Photos taken by his assistant who had the gall to defy her Project’s Supervisor and sneak back into a restricted area three nights ago.

“And a good morning to you too, Dr. Bell,” Ericka said, pushing the images to the side as she casually sipped from her morning tea.

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03: Deadly Vices

*Warning: Some NSFW ahead*

“Kenji, do you have the slides from Sample A ready?” Rylie asked, leaning over his station. “Kenji? Yo, Ken? Earth to Kenji!”

“Hmm, what?” he finally said, coming out of a daze as he realized he’d been staring blankly at her. “I’m sorry, yes I…um…one—one second.” He shuffled through a few test tubes on the counter beside his microscope before handing her a tray of vials with multiple colored liquids. “The documentation is on your desk. I finished it this morning but was still running a follow-up analysis on two of them. I should have that printout for you soon.”

“Thanks, Kenji. What would I do without you?”

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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.

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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.”

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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!”

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Day 26: Night Terrors

“Where are we going?” Liz asked as Johnathan sped down the road. She and Nina took over the backseat and she held the little girl’s hand as they watched the scenery go by in blurs of green and gold. The occasional zombie would stray out in front of Johnathan’s bumper and he’d plow them down without hesitation.

“I don’t know. Anywhere we can find life.”

“Well, it’ll have to be somewhere with a gas station. You’re almost on E,” Fadil replied.

“Damn it, you’re right. This is why Nina and I ended up at the Roadhouse in the first place,” Johnathan said, kicking himself. “Great. Now what are we going to do?”

“There’s a station coming up soon, turn here,” Fadil directed.

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Day 22: Kill it with Fire

“Are you going to explain yourself or should we throw you outside to that creature?” Reggie asked, taking a closer step towards Johnathan.

“No! You can’t hurt my daddy!” Nina exclaimed and rushed into Johnathan’s arms. “Please. He’s all I have left.”

Johnathan kissed her cheek and bowed his head with a sigh. “You’re right, Reggie. I haven’t been completely honest with you,” he started as Fadil entered the room. “I told you all that I was the projects supervisor. What I didn’t say was there were several projects happening over the course of eight years.” He took a seat as the others gathered around him. “The original working project was to find a cure for cancer and other diseases that manipulate cell structure and DNA and we were close…at least I thought we were.”

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Day 18: Deadly Secret

“Liz, hand me that shovel,” Fadil groaned as he struggled to keep the doors shut. She rushed over to the wall and snatched the gardening tool from the rack. Fadil shoved it between the handles of the door and quickly backed away. “We have three maybe four minutes tops before whatever’s out there gets inside. Look for something, anything that can be used to fight them off.”

“What about the riding mower?” Liz suggested. Fadil took a look at the gas gauge and sighed.

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Day 14: Sticky Situation

“We don’t have weapons! We can’t fight them all!” Fadil shouted as he checked the security monitors again. “There are too many of them.”

“Why are they all coming here?” Liz asked, moving beside Fadil. “What do they want?”

“Weren’t you listening earlier?” Fadil sighed and turned to face the group. “We’re their food source. They’re probably guessing the best place to feed is a restaurant.”

“Great! That’s just fucking great!”

“Daddy, are they gonna get inside? Are they going to hurt us like they hurt Mommy?”

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Day 10: On Parade

“I’ll go,” Reggie spoke up. “It’s my restaurant, I know what to do. But, I’m not going alone. Someone needs to be lookout in case there are more of them on the roof. Someone, preferably with a weapon.” He glanced towards Johnathan and sighed. “Well don’t all speak at once.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Daddy, no!”

“Nina, you’ll be fine. I’m not going far, I promise.” Johnathan stood and slowly approached Liz. “Keep an eye on her for me, please?”

“Sure.”

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Day 06: Aim for the Head

“Nina!” Johnathan rushed forward and pulled his daughter back. Moving towards his luggage, he quickly sifted through the piles of perfectly folded shirts and grabbed the 9mm handgun from beneath. Hurrying back to the restaurant’s main entrance and the rapidly disintegrating glass doors, he aimed and fired two shots. The first went wide. The second shot hit the approaching zombie center mass. “Damn,” he growled and moved a little closer.

Aiming his weapon once more, Johnathan caught the man in the forehead and he instantly dropped to the ground. The growling and smashing stopped and the group appeared safe…for now. “What the hell…did you see that?” Liz stammered, clambering to her feet. She’d dropped beneath a table as the shooting started but kept an eye on the action. “He…you shot him but it didn’t seem to have an effect. He just kept coming!”

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Day 02: Infected

“Everyone get away from the windows!” Johnathan Young instructed as the sound of screeching tires echoed through the walls. Another car joined the pile of twisted metal on the end of the highway in a large fireball that lit up the sky. Countless residents wandered the streets, screaming and running from other townies that appeared injured and disoriented. They were attacking without provocation; biting and scratching innocent bystanders and tearing through car windows and front doors.

“They’re insane!” Liz Parnell shrieked as she stood up from her favorite corner booth and moved closer to the action. “All of them! Look at their eyes! They’re like animals.”

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