Running With the Dead

 

 

Running With The

       Dead

 

By: Colleen Tremain + friends + Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“ Professor Gill I’ve analyzed the data from patient 1.3. You should take a look.” 

“ Alright then......” he took the clipboard from professor Alice. His eyes widen as he read the report. “ Are you sure this all true?”

“ Yes sir, the chemicals that were in the salt contained a certain element that changes the mind of the human body.”

“ Change how? Looks like the element are a type of drug right?”

“ Yes sir but the drug here does more than just change the mind.” Professor Caroline said standing up. “ If you could please follow me.” She led professor Gill down a long hallway with walls made of metal that showed their image as they walked. On each side of the wall they past tall doors with a very small viewing windows and a title for what each door represent. They past doors that had to do with plant growth, brain waves, and other stuff that were important in their jobs but also experiments that were kept privet from the government, like patient 1.3. It was an experiment containing bath salts and a drug called LSD. Mixing the two created a violent person with super human strength that would also make them eat human flesh and past the disease with a single bite. They learned that damaging them in the heart did absolutely nothing but giving them in the brain however stopped them completely. They were down to three patients and were just about to destroy evidence that they ever existed. But today when Professor Caroline walked to the door of patient 1.3 the door had been torn and flung open wide! Screams came from down the hall with running footsteps that were getting closer and closer towards the professors. With no way to protect them selves they ran down towards the other end of the, but were cut off by more of patient 1.3 and also doors that held animals were now being torn or knocked down letting the animals that were mostly carnivores go on a rampage. There was no way to get away and patient 1.3’s ran closer and closer to them until they were chewing and clawing apart the two professors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1: A few months after 

“Wow nice shot!” Matt said.

“ Nah I could do better,” said Rosemary. Rosemary and her friend Matt were practicing shooting and archery at the Vamey’s Clay Sports shooting range.

“ Are you kidding me you’re like The shooter I’ve ever seen.”

“ As if you’re just as good as I am.”

“ Not even close.” 

“ Well I’m all set here. You?” 

“ Yeah I’m good. Hey why don’t we all meet at the tree house later?”

“ Sure sound good to me. I’ll send everyone a text.” She said as she took out her cell.

“ Well hey, no need to send me one too.” He said laughing as he took out his phone.

“ Hehe oops sorry.” They got into rosemary’s car and headed back to Brunswick. 

“ Hey when we get there I have to tell you guys some news I heard.”

“ Really like what?”

“ Top secret stuff that I just happen to stumble on.” Matt was like a computer whiz and can find almost anything online either through chat rooms or web sites he finds while goggling some random stuff. He’s also just smarter than most of his friends. 

“ Top secret huh? Wanna give me a little sneak peak?”

“ Sorry Rosy you gotta wait like every one else.”

“ Damn,” She giggled, “ And don’t call me Rosy you know how much I hate that nickname.” Matt laughed at her, and in a few moments she pulled into the driveway of an old park. They walked though the woods with a bright flashlight because it was getting darker as they walked deeper into the woods. 

“ Hey I can see some light up ahead.” Rosemary said.

“ Must be Daniel.”

“ Yeah probably.” They walked for about three more minutes and finally came to the rope ladder. 

“ Ladies first.” Rose smiled and started climbing the ladder to the medium size hole in the bottom. Rosemary peaked her head up to find Daniel reading on the sofa. “ Hey Dan,” she said as she pulled the rest of herself in. 

“ Long time no see.” Dan was the high school quarter back in football no else but four other people know he hangs out with her gang, which is sad because he loves hanging with her and the other guys than the rest of the football team. Rose also notices that he would glance back at their table during launch. 

“ Hey Dan.” Matt said coming in. 

“ Hey Matt.” He and Matt had been friends forever but never could show that during school. “ We need a few more people, Natasha and Natalie.” Our group has been together since the time a bully back in grade school decided to pick on Matt. Rose was the first to back him up and then when Sam River wouldn’t stop the rest just kinda showed up. They stuck together ever since. 

“ Hey what’s up,” Natasha was coming up along with Natalie. 

“ Hey guys,” Natalie said. 

“ Hey, Matt got some top secret news he wants to share.” Rose said.

“ Oh like what?” Natasha asked. 

“ Top secret lab stuff. One of my chat room friends gave me this link to a video he found on with a long paragraph saying that the scientist were holding on to this homeless guy because he had this weird virus in him.” He paused to make sure his friends were keeping up. “ The virus gave him this weird food cravings and he ate real human flesh insides and all. He was like a modernized zombie freak I also heard that the “ patient” got loose a few days ago so now there’s a mad man running around.”

“ What! no way!” Natasha said.

“ No really it’s true.” He took out his laptop that he leaves here from time to time and showed us the web site and a news feed. “ Just watch this news clip and you’ll see.” Not every one watch the news but seeing this mad us want to. Rose could see it in everyone eyes. A cell phone went off. It was Matt’s because everyone knew his ring tone, What do want from me by Adam Lambert. He started texting. “ Hey you guys I gotta get going I totally forgot that my parents were going dancing tonight and that I needed to watch my little brother.”

“ Well that’s to bad we only just got here,” Natalie said.

“ It’s alright by me I have a big game coming up so I need to get home too.” 

“ Hey can I catch a ride? We live like a mile apart.”

“ Yeah sure no problem.” So off they went down the hole.

“ Hey you girls wanna come over tonight?” Rose and Natalie looked at each other and they both said yes.

“ Cool see you guys soon,” Natalie said as we left the parking lot. 

Rose was driving down route 95 and came across a car accident. She pulled over knowing it was the right thing to do and found a laptop similar to Matt’s lying on the ground a few feet away. 

“ Matthew!” She screamed as she ran over to the car tears cam down her eyes in relief to see that it wasn’t Dan’s car. She dialed 911 to call an ambulance. 

“ Hello this is 911 what’s your emergency?”

“ There’s been a car accident.”

“ Can you tell me your location?”

“ Route 95 going down through Brunswick. Two males in a black car are injured.”

“ Ok Please stay calm we have an ambulance heading your way.”

“ Thank you and she hung up.” Rose did her best to help the guys in the car out. She reached for the buckle in the car. 

“ Help..” The one guy in the Passengers seat woke up.

“ Don’t worry help is on the way.” He started to shake a little. She finally pulled him out of the car. She went to the drivers side to pull him out. The seat belt was stuck. 

“ Shit,” She said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Swiss army knife. She started cutting the belt when she heard this weird wailing sound. What ever it was she new it wasn’t a good thing. Her heart started racing and she quickly picked up her pace. Not a moment to soon as she started dragging the guy from the seat she heard sirens and saw blue and red flashing lights. She sighed in relief to see the truck pull over.  A guy wearing a blue shirt came out of the back with two other guys and one of those beds on wheels. 

“ Miss everything ok here?”

“ Yeah I think so. I dragged the two guys from the car over there.” She pointed to the males leaning up against each other. He nodded and walked over to them Checked their pulse and gave his friend a hand sign to signal him to come over. They carried them over to the beds and asked her some questions, like what my name was and where she lived and how she found them stuff like that they weren’t badly injured thankfully but they did rush them off to the hospital. She breathed easily again and she finally went home. She did however call Matt to make sure he really was ok and living. That car looked so much like Dan’s she couldn’t help but call.

“ Hey it’s me.”

“ Oh hey Rose what’s up?” 

“ I just helped out a car crash and I totally thought you were in it.”

“ Wait seriously?”

“Seriously. It looked a lot like Dan’s car.” 

“Where was it?”

“ Over by route 95.” 

“No one was there and the lights were out.”

“ No way!”

“ Seriously I’m telling the truth.”

“ You totally called to check up on me didn’t you.” He said teasing.

“ Well.....”

“ Come on admit it.”

“ No I just called to tell you all that info I just thought you might like it.” She lied.

“ As if you wanted to check up on me. Come on say it.”

“ Oh fine I called to check up on you.” she hesitated.

“ Aw how sweet.” He was teasing again.

“ Whatever.”

“ Were you crying too?” He asked like he didn’t want me to worry that or he was teasing again. when it comes to accidence like these she can’t help but cry and worry more she already lost someone in a similar accident she didn’t want it to happen again 

“ Promise not to tell anyone?”

“ Have I ever told anyone your secrets?”

“ Yes I cried, and yes I was scared to hell thinking that it was you in that car.” She said with a worry tone. “ I....I car about you so much that I don’t want to lose you.” It stayed quiet on the other line for a time.

“ I...I....I got to go some came up. I promise I wont tell,” and just like that he hung up.  She didn’t really know how she felt about him but she knew she cared about him.

“ Loser,” she said a loud. She dialed Natasha’s cell. Then again Matt can be clueless some times.

“ Hey where are you we’ve been waiting like an hour.”

“ Sorry I had a flat tier so I fixed it,” she lied.

“ A flat tier?”

“ Well yeah.”

“ Oh come on you’re so lying. Were you hanging out with Matt again?”

“ Totally not.”

“ As if come on you don’t even know how to fix a flat tier let alone know how to operate a jack.”

“ My dad taught me how. Hey listen I’ll call you back it’s heading for ten and if I don’t check in by then they start to freak out.”

“ Ok see if you can come over though we’ll wait for yah.”

“ ok.” She drove past Natasha’s house and went to her driveway. She liked the fact that they lived close by so the whole sleep over thing should be a piece of cake. she parked her blue explorer behind her dad’s Subaru outback car and turned it off. She grabbed her purse and walked up to her door.  Her dad was in the kitchen reading his book about the wild west. 

“ Hey there you are.”

“ Hey dad sorry I’m late.”

“ Hey no big. There’s dinner in the oven for you.”

“ Thanks would you mind if I spent the night over at Natasha’s?” She asked as she sat down with a plate full of white rice and sausages.

“ It’s ok with me. Mom’s out on the back porch you can check with her too.”

“ Ok she said as she finished her dinner. Rose walked passed the living room to the large sliding glass door to see her mom leaning on the railings.  “He mom.”

“ Hey.”

“ I’m gonna spend the night at Natasha’s tonight and I just wanted to let you know.”

“ Sure thanks for letting me know say for me ok.”

“ I will mom.” even though it’s late her mom look a little sad and pale. So she walked up the wooden stairs and to the white door on the left.  She grabbed her duffle bag filled it with cloths and headed out. On Friday nights there’s nothing good to do so she headed out the door with one last good bye and headed over to Natasha. When she got to the door she rang the door bell knowing everyone would still be awake. 

“ Hey! Come one in, my mom been waiting to see you.” 

“ She has?”

“ Yeah she has something she wanted to give you. Probably the same thing  me and Natalie got.”

“ What did you guys get?”

“ Hand made dress that were actually really cute.”

“Huh cool. But you know I’m not into that dressy stuff right.”

“ Yeah we know.”

“ Well can I come in now?”

“ Oh yeah haha sorry.” They walked into the living room where her mom and dad were sitting on the couch. 

“ Oh Rosemary I’m glad you’re here.” Miss Hanson said.

“ Hi Miss Hanson. My mom wanted me to tell you she said hi.”

“ Well that’s nice how is your mother?”

“ She good.”

“ Here I wanted to give you this.” Miss. Hanson gave Rosemary a white box with colorful ribbons wrapped around it. She gently opened the box to see a dark blue dress with bow hanging from the side of it. She took out the dress to see the whole thing. The dress was knee length made from soft fabric, sleeveless with a beautiful bordered pattern on the bottom. 

“ Wow thank you Miss Hanson.” She really liked the dress. 

“ You quite welcome I gave one to Natasha and Natalie too same dress but different colors.”

“Yup but the designs look so much better on your dress.”

“ Where’s Natalie?”

“ Oh she’s  up stares getting herself ready. Come on lets go up stares.” She brought her up to her room which in her sense has way to much pink in it. Mostly everything in her room was pink from the walls to bed covers and pillow cases.

“ Let me guess the color dress you got was pink?” Rose said.

“ You guessed right,” and she pulled out her dress that was floor length with the same designs and all but pink. wouldn’t it look we look cute if we wore it to prom?” Whoa prom was like one year away here she didn’t want to have to think about the end of school till it came. 

“ Hey Rose!” Natalie said giving her a big hug. 

“ Hey.”

“ So can you please tell us why you were really late??” Natalie begged.

“ Lets play a game or something I’m getting bored.” Rose suggested. She so did not want to talk about Matt at the moment.

“ Nope you’re gonna tell us.” Natasha said.

“ Alright, alright.” She finally gave in.

“ So on my way back I stopped at the store to pick some stuff up, and on the way back here I saw a car flipped over so I thought I help the person in the car.”

“ Wow so you called 911 and everything to save them right?”

“ Yeah pretty much.”

“ What happened after that?” Natasha asked.

“ I called you.” She lied again. How many lies can one person take? Natasha stared at Rosemary for along while. squinty eyes and all, trying to see if she was lying or not. which she was. “ I can still tell that you’re lying but whatever since you wont tell lets try something else.... 

“ Oh no.....Not that game.....!”

“ Oh yes that game.”

“ Damn it.”

“ Natalie truth or dare?” Natasha asked. 

“ Dare....”

“ I dare you to not wear lip gloss for one week.”

“ Natasha. Don’t be so mean!”

“ Hey you’re the one who picked dare .”

“ You're so mean!." Rose truth or dare?”

Well if they really want to know.... “ Truth.”

“ Why are you lying to us?”

She took in a deep breath and said,” Because when I saw the car crash I started panicking thinking it was Dan’s car, because it look just like it and so I started crying my heart started racing and I kept thinking about Matt and how he could have been in that car accident, so I started crying as I ran over to the car luckily it wasn’t him or Dan, but after that I called Matt to make sure I ok and to hear his voice to calm me down but it didn’t help because I don’t know how I really feel about him and..... and .... and GOD DAMN IT I THINK I LOVE HIM!!!!!” She said it so fast her friends could barley keep up. They both just stared at her with a blank face. “ Damn it I think I love him..... at the last part of our conversation I told him I...”

“ Rose calm down you don’t have to tell us what you said.” Rose shook her head. 

“ I told him “ Yes I cried, and yes I was scared to hell thinking that it was you in that car, and that I....I...I  care about you so much that I didn’t want to lose him.”

“ Oh Rose....” Natalie was starting to feel sorry for asking now.... Natasha walked to her door opened it a little and said,

“ Hey mom can you bring up some hot coco please?”

“ Sure sweetie would you like it made with milk or water?”

“ Make it milk,” then she closed her door. Rose had a sad look in her eyes, her heart was now pounding in her chest and was wrapping her arms around herself“ Rose....”

They had a group hug, “ Natasha truth or dare? ”Rose asked unevenly.

“ Dare.”

“ I dare you to call Dan and tell him you have a crush on him.”

“ Wait just a minute now I so don’t have a crush on him!”

“ Do to! you’re always twirling your hair and staring at the ground half the time you see him,” Natalie said, “ and besides you’re the one who picked dare.”

“ Grrrr fine!” she got out her cell phone and dialed Dan, “ It’s ringing. Hey what do I do if it goes to....she paused.

“ Hello? Natasha you there?”

“ Uh yeah Dan hi I..I...I just wanted to tell you something......is this a bad time?” she put him on speaker.

“ Not really go ahead.”

“I....I....”

“You what?”

“ I love you!” and hung up really fast. They all laughed. “ Oh boy I can’t believe I did that what’s he going to think?”

“ Natasha the coco is ready.”

“ Coming mom.” she opened her door and brought in the coco.

“ Oh Matt stopped by he’s at the door would you like me to let him in?” Rose eyes went wide and she stared at the floor, 

“ Let him in.” Rose said. 

“ You sure?” She nodded her head. “ Ok I’ll send him up.” Natalie checked her watch. 

“ It’s like almost 2:30?! It’s amazing how....” She stopped knowing that she might say something to make it worse. A knocking came from her door. 

“ Rose Can I talk to you alone?” He asked. His eyes looked confused yet she went anyways, she walked with him to the front door and walked to the backyard. That’s dumb now Natasha and Natalie will hear us. She thought.

“ Matt about what I said....” She stopped, at that very moment she knew she meant it and she knew that deep down she loved him there was nothing else to it.

“ Did you mean it?” he said looking up at the sky.

“Well I.”

“ Did you really mean what you said?” he was now looking at her. His eyes were a dark blue that seemed to sparkle.

“ Yes I meant it.” She still felt confused of her feeling towards him but she knew she meant what she said. She cared for him. He was standing closer to her now two inches from her. His blue eyes slightly covered by his bangs, his hair reached to just about his ears. He put hi hand on her cheek. His hand was warm and soft his lips met hers and the whole world seemed to just vanish. They kissed deeply and Longley, knowing that it was true that they belonged. They’ve been friends for so long, but they knew this was right.

 

Chapter 2 Reality and Dreams

 

Last night was just the beginning of change. Rosemary still had this weird feeling that something bad was going to happen. It’s Monday morning summer vacation had officially started. She woke up however in Matt’s room, on his bed, she still wore the same cloths she changed into over at Natasha’s. Then it all came together. She and Matt had kissed last night. Wonderful long kiss and she decided to go over to his place. Well that was strange now wasn’t it? She rolled over to see Matt’s side of the bed empty. She sat up and stretched her arms and stood up to stretch her legs. A moment later Matt walked in his room with breakfast made and a big smile on his face with his little brother Andrew holding a two glasses of orange juice. 

“ Good morning,” Matt said.

She smiled and said, “ Good morning to you and to you Andrew.”

“ Good morning!” he said happily.

“ Made you some breakfast, Eggs toast and pancakes.”

“ With a glass of orange juice and some flowers he picked out.” Matt blushed and looked away. Rose simple giggled. 

“ Yeah well anyways. My parents are gonna be home all day so Andrew can stay here with them.”

“ Yeah which is kinda sad I wanted to hang with you guys. So when did you two get together?”

“ Ahhh last night,” she said.

“ Huh, I so knew it was gonna happen sooner or later.” 

“ Yeah you can leave now,” Matt said still blushing. Rose giggled again. She kinda wished that she wasn’t an only child. it seemed like fun having a younger sibling.

“ Fine what ever.” Rose was just about to Finnish her breakfast and before he walked out the door she said,

“ Thank you for the juice Andrew.” He turned to her and smiled. As he left the room Matt looked back at Rose and smiled still blushing. “ did anyone ever tell you that you look cute when you blush?” she said smiling. “ Thanks for breakfast.”

“ You welcome. Hey remember when I told about that patient that got loose a few days ago?”

“ Yeah I remember.”

“ Apparently he’s around our city.”

“ No way.”

“ Way. So what are we doing today?”

“ Well its summer vacation what can’t we do?”

“ Good point, everyone else is probably still a sleep so I don’t know.” Then Rose’s cell phone rang,

“ Hello?” She answered.

“ Excuse me are you Rosemary Andalin?”

“ Depends on who’s asking.”

“ Oh this is Dr. Gabriel calling about the car incident.”

“ Please hold.”

“ Who is it?” Matt asked.

“ Remember yesterday when I called you about that car crash?”

“ Yeah.”

“ Well some doctor is asking for me, what should I do?”

“ Well take it and see what happens.”

“ Ok.” She put her phone back to her ear. “ This is Rose.”

“ Hello Rose I wanted to call you to let you know that the professors you found are doing well and they would like to speak to and say thank you. Do you think you can stop by?”

“ Wait they were professors?”

“ Yes and they’re vary grateful that you helped them.”

“ Please hold.” She covered the cell on her shoulder, “ Those guys were professors  of some sort!”

“ No way! And they want you to see them!?

“ Yeah apparently.” 

“ You should so go.” She smiled,

“ I’m sorry for the wait um what time would they like me to come?”

“ Any time really. They have some pretty bad injuries so they can’t leave for some time,”

“ What kind of injuries?”

“ Well One has a broken arm and the other has a massive bruise on the back of his left arm with bad blood loss so he needs more transfusion.”

“ Ok I’ll stop by soon would it be ok to bring a friend?”

“ Sure no problem.”

“ Thank you,” she hung up her cell.

“ Well I can bring a friend with me if you wanna come?”

“ Sure.” So Rose got dressed and so did Mattie. They got into Rose’s Blue Explorer car and headed for Mid Coast Hospital. Matt went on talking about that patient that’s now running loose in Augusta, Maine.

“ Twenty-five people already have been hospitalize it’s so strange even my friend from the chat room!”

“ This is so big what do they think it is?”

“ They don’t know but I can tell you this I’m pretty sure it’s you know what.”

“ What no way it could never be that.”

“ How do you know? It could happen.” As much as she hated to admit it he could be right But starting an apocalypse now? There’s just no way? 

“ There’s a video and a picture now on YouTube with a few guys trying to catch the guy.” His eyes widen with surprise and wished he could show her the video too. “ You couldn’t really see the guys face but you could see that the patient was so not human.”

“ Ok, ok I believe you a little bit.” He gave her the puppy dog face that always seemed to work on her. “ Alright I tell you what we’ll call the gang meet up at the tree house and we can all watch.” 

“ Ok sounds good to me.” He had on the biggest smile when he said that. when it comes to proving things they can most likely count on Matt on finding the proof.  We were just about to make a right on 201 when they heard a cry for help. Rosemary Stopped the car quickly making the tires screech and leaving black lines making a sharp turn on 196 on Blueberry LN. 

“ Hang on!” She shouted

“ Yeah thanks for the warning.” Matt said as he tried to straighten himself out. She drove for about quarter of a mile down the road. She didn’t see anything at first but after another two minutes or so she found a spot on the road with a dead body and something munching on it.

“ whoa!” She shouted as she came to squealing stop.

“ No way!” Matt was looking at the same thing she was. Right? Rose couldn’t believe her eyes when she really actually saw a one of them that was so not a movie. She could smell blood....lots of it. she could see it chewing on the skin and hear it make loud chewing noises.... Oh so gross. “ Rose get out of here..... Get to the hospital we need to see those professors of yours.”

“ Yea but what about.......”

“ Just get out of here!” She put the car in gear and raced out with creature following her.  She drove to the light, it was red. she had to stop.

“ Rose get down and stay quiet.” Matt whispered. It ran up to the driver’s side window slamming its hands on the windows leaving smears of blood on the clear glass. Rose couldn’t help it she screamed in terror. She stayed down but she screamed and it made the creature more hungrier. Matt tried to keep her quiet but failed, finally he kissed her to see if would help calm her down, luckily it did and she stayed quiet after that and stayed vary still. Rose couldn’t stop thinking of that kiss. Matt caught her by surprise, she still wanted to scream but she couldn’t. It was like that kiss took that screaming voice away. Matt was calm and smart but she could see that he was scared too. Finally another car went by and the dead chased after it. Matt sat up straight first and checked the area around the car. He gave rose a nod telling her it was ok to start the car again. She let herself breath again and put the car in second gear and headed straight to Mid Coast Hospital. 

“ You ok?” Matt asked her.

“ To tell you the truth, no.” She had one hand on the steering wheel and one on the arm rest Matt wrapped his hand around that one and held it tight. It started raining as the car came to a screeching halt. Rose saw nothing but thick gray smoke hovering around her. Matt was passed out next to her with his head against the window she could see small trickles of blood run slowly down it as she came through blinking slowly not knowing what’s happening. Matt was sitting there soundlessly with deep heavy breathing. As she slowly sat up from the steering wheel her breathing got heavier and harder when she finally saw the cause of the crash. It was that creature. The creature that came from beneath the earth. The thing that’s living but at the same time it was dead. Rose wanted to scream but her voice was lost within the smoke. Surrounded by three cars g the ground. The creature slowly started to rise off the pavement, it twitched its fingers then slightly moved its arms and used its hands to get on its knees and finally rising up on its feet. She could hear the loud breathing sound as it turned its head toward her. Slowly did it walk over to her. She could see its deadly black colored eyes and its teeth that were covered in blood. Finally she found her voice and screamed so loud that the people across town could probably hear her.  Matthew, slowly lifted his head off the window with his eyes closed and his hand against his forehead. Rose screamed louder 

“R..R..Rose?” She caught her breath.

“ Matt?” She looked at him with sad eyes. The creature was now by her window. It let out a terrible cry. It stared at her for long time until Rose finally realized that the doors were unlocked and some of the windows were half way down. Rose was completely terrified. Rose looked a head of her. Two cars and her front end of the car was completely smashed from hitting that thing. She was buckled in and her arms wouldn’t even budge. She held on to the wheel and wouldn’t let go. The creature quickly grabbed hold of her trying to get her out of the car. Again did she scream. louder this time struggling to break free of its grip. She felt the nails digging into her skin and felt as if her upper part of her body would just tear apart. 

Matt tried to unbuckle but he couldn’t it was stuck.

“ Rose!” He shouted. Rose kept screaming and crying, the dead kept pulling harder and harder. Up and down her arms, covered in thick red blood.

“ Rose! Rose!” Matt was still trying to unbuckle. It started to reach its mouth to her head. Roses’ face was covered with tears. 

“ Rose! Rose wake up! Rose!” Rose woke up screaming. “ Rose! Rose!” She opened her eyes. 

“ Matt?”

“ Rose are you ok?” She looked around.

“ Where are we?”

“ The tree house. Rose what exactly were you dreaming about? You were screaming so loud I’m sure people two miles could would have heard you.”

“ Matthew?” She stared at him with a blank face not knowing what happened. “ But.... W....we were just in a accident, and there was this thing... and and and it was going to to to....” She was talking so fast she didn’t even realize it.

“ Whoa Whoa Rose slow down it’s ok it’s  going to be alright.”He hugged her holding her close as comfort.

“ It felt so real.” She started to cry, tears were forming with in her eyes.

“ It’s ok I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen to you” She sat there holding onto Matt and crying in his arms.

She let go and sat up right with a sad smile on her face, “ What time is it?” she wondered. Matt checked his watch.

“ Half past 3.”She nodded and said,

“ Lets go back to sleep.” He nodded back.

It was now twelve in the afternoon. Matt and Rose were just pulling into a pizza joint to join the rest of their friends. Matt opened the door for Rose and followed her in to meet Dan at a round table reading a book, with the menus on the table.

“ Hey Dan,” Rose said as she sat down.

“ Hey what’s up?” He asked putting the book down.

“ Nothing really.” Rose said.

“ Where are the other girls?” Matt asked.

“ They’re not here yet,” He said.

“ Do you know where they are?” Rose asked

“ Nope.”  Matt stared at Rose. She looked a little pale.

“ Rose you feeling ok?” Matt asked.

“ Yeah why?’ Matt put a hand across her forehead. She felt cooler than the regular body temperature. Her eyes showed some signs of fear. 

“ Rose are you still thinking of that nightmare you had last night?” her eyes widen more fear came to her eyes and she could feel her heart racing. She played that last scene in her head as though it was a movie replaying itself. “ Rose?” Matt said her name. She snapped out of her head.

“ I can’t seem to shake it off.”

“ Rose???” Dan was looking confused, he was trying to process what was going on between Matt and Rose. Dan had this worried feeling and suspected that maybe something was wrong. “ Guys what’s going on?” 

“ Me and Rose got together last night,” Matt said, “ We spent the night over at the tree house. Rose had this nightmare us and well….”

“ I haven’t been able to shake it off. I have this feeling that something might happen,” Before Dan could say anything some of the people started screaming, glass started breaking into little shards. Rose quickly hit the floor and crawled under the table screaming,

“ What’s going on?!?” Dan and Matt looked over at the door. They saw what looked like a person but he didn’t look human. Parts and pieces of his skin was pealing off, his right eye was falling out of the socket, his left arms was missing and was dripping dark red blood, his clothes were ripped and his mouth hung wide open showing his teeth which was missing some and was also covered in blood with large ripped skin pieces hanging out. Rose screamed again. Rose saw that thing and brought her back to her dream. 

“ Wake up Rose wake up!” She told herself. Tears fell down her cheek. As Rose went into shock she felt someone lift her up. 

“ Rose! It’s ok I’m right here!” It sounded like Dan.

“ Dan let’s go! I found an opening!”

“ Alight we’re coming!” Dan carried Rose in his arms holding onto her tightly yet it felt gentle. “ Rose it’s going to be alright.” He said gently. No it wont. She thought. We all know it’s not going to be ok. The human race is going to die off and she knows that one way or another they were all going to die. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 3 Ten weeks later

“ Dan how’s she doing?” Matt asked as he climbed in the back seat of the Black Hummer with a brown paper bag of caned food and some bottled water he found in an abandon gas station, “ Here there wasn’t much left.” Matt stared with worried loved eyes as his breath started to get heavier.

“ Matt she will wake up and she will be ok, she wont stay this way.”

“ It’s been ten weeks Dan….” Matt said sadly. 

“ Where’s Natalie?” 

“ She’s using the bathroom I told her I’d be right back so …” 

“ Go I’ll be here.”

“ Thanks man, for everything.” Dan gave him a smile that was promising that everything will be ok.

 Looking back about five day’s ago when they found Natalie trapped in a closet Dan remembered that they had to look after her because she couldn’t really handle much on her own. Matt saw a group of LSD druggies banging on a door and hovered over Natasha’s dead body.  Running over everyone of them twice they told her to open the door. 

“ NO!!!” she screamed. She was crying heavily. 

“ Natalie it’s us! Matthew and Dan!”

“ NO! GO AWAY!”

“ Natalie it really is us,” Dan said gently. He was always gentle and kind with matters like this, staying calm when really he should be freaking out too. Dan wanted to freak out but he knew his friends needed someone to rely on a leader of some sort and since he was captain of the football team he thought he should take that part.    “ Natalie I promise it’s us and Rose is in the car too.”

“ Rose?”

“ Yes but Natalie she needs you right now so please come out.” 

“ Please Nat.” She opened the door just a crack then she burst out hugging Matt then Dan. They helped her to the car so she could see Rose. After Rose went into shock she fell a sleep and hasn’t woken up since.  Rose layed on the back seats on her side wearing what she had ten weeks ago, along with the rest of them, she wore a set of dark blue jeans that went past her feet, a navy blue tank-top and a light brown blazer. 

“ How is she doing?” Natalie asked.

He shook his head, “ No change yet.”

“ Oh Rose.” 

“ What do you have in you’re hand?”

“ A few candy bars,” She handed him one, “ They don’t expire until a few more days, they were hidden under the shelves,”

“ Nice find.”  Natalie smiled.

“ Alright everyone ready?” Matt asked as he climbed in the drivers seat. 

“ Matt why don’t you let me drive for a while, you should be next to rose, you know incase she wakes up.” Matt didn’t answer he sat there, staring at the floor,

“ Ok,” he said. He moved himself from the front seat to the back as Dan switched places with him. He brushed off some hair off her face. “ Rose, Please, wake up soon, I love you.” He whispered in her ear. 

“ Here try this,” Natalie said handing him a book, “ It’s her favorite book, Vampire Academy,” Matt took the book from her,

“ Think she’ll e listening?”

“ I know she will,” She said. Matt opened the book and started reading. It must have been around ten pm when Dan decided to pull over. 

“ What is it?” Matt asked. He nodded over to Natalie who was pasted out in the front seat. 

“ Think it’s time to get some rest. That and you’ve already read Rose about four chapters in the book.” They both laughed. 

It was half past twelve when Matt woke up. The dark puffy clouds slowly drifted across the sky showing the stars and hiding them again. Matt has been having a hard time sleeping lately. He wanted to sleep but something keeps him up. “ Rose.” He said softly. She wiggled her head to the left blinked her eyes a couple of times and laid very, very still. “ Rose?” 

“ M..Ma..Mattie..” She croaked. She lifted her eye lids slowly. Her mind was racing and she felt dizzy, she couldn’t make out anything when her world was spinning. 

“ Rose?!” Matt said with wide eyes.

“ wh..wha..what happened?”

“ Rose!” Matt said hugging her, “ You’re awake! You’re really awake!”

“ Huh?”

“ DAN! NATALIE! WAKE UP!”  He shouted happily.

“ What? Are there LSD’s around?” 

“ LSD’s?” Rose said questionably.

“ Rose!” Natalie said happily. She moved herself to the back seat and gave her a big hug.

“ Holy shit Rose!”  but they forgot is that they were making so much noise that they attracted the near by walking dead.  Right now they are listening to the screams and are tuning into the smell of flesh. It’s what they live for. Eating anything with a beating heart.

“ What’s going on?” Rose asked.”  

“ Rose what’s the last thing you remember? Matt asked.

“ The last thing I remember?” she asked. Matt nodded his head. Rose stared blankly out the left side window getting images of what she last remembered, seeing the images of the horrid creature smashing in the restaurant. “ We were at Amato’s. Then something came smashing the glass window.

“ We called them LSD’s,” Dan said.

“ LSD’s? But isn’t that a drug?”

“ It is but there was another type found and it basically turned them crazy enough to eat people.” Natalie said.

“ The news people called it Bad LSD. It can be found as a regular drug or bath salt.” Matt said. Then a loud screeching sound came. It wasn’t far in fact it sounded as if they were just seconds away.  Over the horizon little dark figures peeped up, their shadows moving fast and in about sixty seconds they would be surrounded. Rose still had know idea what was going on. Ten seconds had already went by and they still didn’t notice. 

“ By the third week the drug had spred more than the police or who ever could handle them,” Dan said. 

“ That third week was when we all went to meet up at Amato’s,” Matt paused “ It was the reason why Natalie and Natasha didn’t show up.” Rose looked around, she saw Dan, Matt, Natalie, but no Natasha.

“ Where’s Natasha?” Everyone stared at the ground with sad teary eyes. Within seconds before anyone could speak LSD’s came rushing hitting the car as they banged on the glass windows, pounding and slamming their fist trying to get in. The girls screamed loudly as the boys try to calm them down to think of a plan to get out. One of the windows started to crack.  Dan looked around the car to see how many were around. The window smashed into tiny shards. One of the groups of LSD’s grabbed Rose by her shoulders. She screamed even louder. 

“ NO LET ME GO! LET ME GO!” She could feel the jagged nails dig deeper into her skin the more she tries to struggle. 

“ Rose! Rose hold on!” The LSD’s were trying to drag her out through the window where there were sharp spikes of glass from when they smashed in. Everyone was calling her name, Matt fiddled around the floor looking for his gun he searched under the seats but could not find it, Dan however found his gun right a way and shot one out of five. “ Dan give me your gun!” He shouted. Dan shot another one in the head this time letting its body tumble to the ground and get smashed by other LSD feet. “ DAN!” he shouted again. He just kept on shooting nearly miss Roses arm Dan realized that he was almost out of bullets and another window was about to crack. Rose was covered in blood by now and Dan finally threw Matt his gun and duct under the wheel of the car. “ Dan what the hell?”

“ You’ve got about three shots left!” He shouted as he tried to wire the car again, “ Make them count!”  Dan Got the wires while…He noticed that only one was screaming…. “ Natalie!” He looked over the seat she was hiding. Dan got the wires and heard the engine roar. He sat up and Slammed his foot on the gas peddle. Matt shot the last three bullets in time and as Dan drove off Rose was finally let free. Her arm was slashed and was bleeding heavily. Matt took off his shirt and ripped it apart to use as bandages. Rose was leaning on the passenger’s front seat with her arms hanging down and her eyes wide.

“ I’m sorry you had to wake up to this,” He said sadly he was almost crying. He touched her arm gently using parts of his shirt to carefully wipe off some of the blood. He wrapped up her left arm as quickly as he could so he could stop the bleeding. Rose was shaking. Terrified of what she had experienced. Her breathing was fast and she couldn’t blink, “ I’m sorry,” he said again, I broke my promise,” 

“ Matt it’s not your fault.” Dan said.

“ I promised nothing bad would happen.”  Dan stayed quiet and let him finish helping Rose. They drove on in silence knowing there was nothing else to say. 

 By the time they saw Tennessee border it was already close to five the next morning. Matt sat on the left side of the car as Rose held her knees in tight looking out at the window still sitting in her own blood. 

“ Matthew…..”

“ Rose?” He was surprised that she even talked to him.

“ Thank you,” she said sadly. They started driving by LSD’s, when they saw the car driving by they chased it running to catch up.  To Matt’s eyes he could see Rose covered in dry blood but the thing that caught his eyes the most was the fact that she was turning pale. He scooted further towards her placed a hand on her head. She still had a normal body temperature. With worried eyes he slid his hand over to her cheek. Still holding the normal body temperature. Her lips were bright red up against her skin and her eyes were still that same lightly colored green. Her hair was a mess but he didn’t care. With a single kiss on her cheek she gave a light smile. 

“ There’s a Walmart coming up soon should we stop?” Dan asked as he slowed down.

“ Yes please,” Rose said quietly. Dan drove about three miles down and made a slow left. When he pulled into the parking lot they could see nothing but LSD’s and damaged cars. Dan hit the gas pedal and drove out of there.  Natalie crawled back under the dash bored and hid. Dan sighed and quickly drove away. “ Damn LSD’s.” He mumbled. Trying to find a store with out LSD’s is hard but after few more hours they found a store called BB’s Stocks with only a couple dozen LSD’s. Though there was only a few dozen they were all fast. They ran toward them Dan drove in a circle trying his best to avoid them running some over as he went along.  One of the LSD’s caught up with the car and held on to Rose’s broken window. Letting it’s fingers get caught on the broken glass. Rose screamed and moved away closer to were Matt was sitting grabbing hold of him. Natalie tossed her 9mm handgun over to Matt. 

“ Shoot it!” She cried.  Matt aimed for the head and fired letting the body flap around and slowly tare itself apart. Dan slowed the car down right in front of the doublewide door and they busted down the door. They stayed quiet for ten minutes listening to any unwanted sounds. 

“ Sounds like its all clear.” Dan said, “ But try stay with in whispering mode if you see anything just yell.” They all nodded and went separate ways. Natalie stuck around with Rose looking through the clothing department and Dan and Matt in the Out door stuff.  

“ So Rose what kinda of stuff you looking for?”

“ Not much. Maybe a pair of shorts and a loose top would do.”

“ Ok  how about these shorts and this red tank top?”

“ Yeah it’ll work.” 

“ By the way how are your arms?”

“ They still hurt.”

“ We should change the bandages while we’re at it.”

“ Ok.” The two of them walked around looking for first aid and they weren’t paying any attention and bumped into someone.

“ Ooops sorry about that.” Natalie said as he turned around. The guy they saw was about five foot 5 inches tall and had black wavy hair that seemed to have, bright green eyes, and was holding a Remington style shot gun. What one Rose couldn’t tell. 

“ Nice gun.” Rose said wide eyed.

“ Thanks.” He said with a smile. He looked to be in his early twenties.

“ Remington right?”

“ Yeah best guns ever made.”

“ Sorry I’d have disagree.”

“ Oh?”