Beethoven’s Virus
Today was a good day. Today would be a good day for any writer that just sold their first book. Autumn walked down Patterson Street to get to her bus that would take her out of New York City and back home to New Jersey. She walked with a pep in her step and a proud smile playing across her face as the sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. She didn’t think this day could get any better; ironically it was a Monday, a day that most people hated.
Yet even the fact that it was Monday didn’t seem to phase Autumn’s spirit. As a new budding author it’s almost impossible to get a new book published on the first try. Publishers usually like their writers to have a couple years of independent writing under their belt, Autumn only had only been in the independent writing business for a couple of months. Twenty year olds would never get a book into bookstores like Borders but Autumn was that lucky exception. Only twenty years old and she had a degree in journalism, and she was in an internship for channel 7 news.
Everything was going right for her, the proud she wore didn’t seem like it was going to fade anytime soon. She hummed a song as she neared her bus stop. Her stop was two blocks away from where she was now.
Along the way was one of her favorite boutiques, Confidence. It was one of many boutiques in New York that was owned by her friend Fenay. Autumn loved to stop by the store every once in a while to see how it was doing and, of course, buy a little something for herself.
A small bell rang at the top of the front door, letting whoever was manning the small boutique that a new customer had entered the shop. From the speakers a DJ remixed version of a Beethoven song Autumn couldn’t quiet remember was playing. She had heard that song everywhere but she couldn’t remember the name.
The store was empty, no customers in sight, but there was a tiny pixie haired teenager leaning over the front counter, smacking her lips on bubblegum making that hideous popping noise that Autumn hated every now and again. Autumn ignored the teenager and browsed the racks to see what crazy creations her friend came up with for this season. Fenay was no amateur when it came to fashion. The young designer was rated one of the top designers at New York’s fashion week along with Louis Vutton and Michael Kors and she was still working hard to maintain that number one spot.
Hearing a door open somewhere in the back of the shop snapped Autumn back into reality. She looked up from the clothes a saw a petite bleached blonde haired woman striding towards her. The model-esque looking woman was Rochelle, the current manager of the boutique.
Rochelle walked up to Autumn, giving her a double kiss on her cheeks when she reached her, “Long time no see Cherie! How are things?”
Autumn hugged Rochelle and sighed. “Very busy. But on the bright side, I’m finally going to get my book published after months of rejections.”
“You mean the romance novel? I loved you idea, I’ll definitely be first in line for a copy.”
Autumn giggled at the woman’s French accent as she looked through another rack of clothing. “So how are things with you?”
Rochelle sighed. “Aside from this splitting headache things have been going well,” the French woman said, rubbing her temple between her nose.
“A headache? Do you want to take a personal day and let me man the store?” Autumn asked worried for her friend.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Rochelle said in a stern tone, “I’ve lasted this long, I can last the rest of the day.”
“Alright but my offer still stands.”
There was now silence between the two as Autumn moved through more racks of clothes. As the remixed song played again Autumn finally remembered what the original version of the song was. Beethoven’s Symphony. Just as Autumn was mentally congratulating herself for remembering the song she noticed that Rochelle had dropped to the floor, lying unconscious on the expensive carpeting.
Autumn dropped to her knees, her face an expression of growing concern. “Oh my God! Rochelle! Rochelle wake up! Wake up!” Autumn cried shaking her friend out of panic.
She turned to tell the teenager to go get help but the girl was conscious as well, half of her body lay across the checkout counter. With both girls unconscious Autumn was going into a state of panic. She reached in her pocket for her phone with shaky hands but when she dialed 9-1-1 all she heard was the DJ remix of Beethoven’s symphony as the dial tone. She threw her phone across the room out of sheer panic and fear. It was the song. She didn’t know what it had to do with Rochelle and Check out girl but that was the only thought that was going through her mind.
She thought she was going to pass out herself when suddenly both Rochelle and Check out girl woke and stoop up as if nothing had happened. Yet there was something different about the two women. It was their eyes; they were completely black as if they had no soul.
They neared Autumn slowly, and then charged like hungry animals ready to rip her heart out without any regret. Autumn ran, she ran as fast as her tiny ankles could carry her. She thought she was going to make it out until she tripped on lose carpeting sending her falling face first to the ground. She turned hastily and saw Rochelle was the one to make her move. The woman Autumn once thought of as her friend charged at her with the intent to kill.
Zombified Rochelle leap on top of Autumn, bearing pointed teeth, growling viciously like a dog with rabies. Check out girl was right behind Rochelle finding any free part of Autumn that she could sink her teeth into making autumn scream in pain. Autumn thrashed wildly wanting so bad to get out of the shop. With a free arm she punched Zombie Rochelle in her side sending her across the room. She used her free leg to kick check out girl, which was chewing on her other ankle, just hard enough to push her off of her body.
This gave Autumn enough time to scramble to her feet and just barely make out of the store and out onto the street. As soon as she saw the mayhem out on the street she wished she was back in the store. It was nothing but chaos. People ran rampid through the streets, cars skidding out of control, building burning. Autumn was the only human that existed in all of New York City and possibly the United States, the rest were ravonness cannibals; zombies.
Autumn knew then and there that it was the song that was causing this. It was Beethoven’s Symphony; Beethoven’s Virus. When Autumn realized this Rochelle and Check out girl burst out of what use be Autumn’s favorite boutique and Rochelle gave a long dragged out howl as if she was a wolf howling at the moon and then the commotion stopped. All of the other cannibals that were in earshot stopped what they were doing turned to Autumn and started walking slowly towards her just as Rochelle and Check out girl did, closing in on her.
They didn’t stop until they had all formed a circle around the poor girl. She heard them growling, saw the blood dripping from every single mouth and said a silent prayer. As soon as she said Amen they attacked, ripping her limb from limb and she let them. Who would want to be the only human in a world that zombies ruled. Who would want to be the only person to survive a zombie apocalypse? Who could?
