Loud sounds of crashing startled me awake from my after school nap. Rubbing my eyes, I looked around, trying to detect where the sounds were coming from. It was from the window outside. Leaning on my elbow, I looked out and saw fire and mayhem tearing up the neighborhood. Cars speeding, some crashing into people. Others setting things on fire, a gang of boys smashing a window to a house.
"Janie! Get down here!" my dad yelled. Wide awake and shaky with fear, I got up and put my shoes on. We may need to leave the house soon, if the outside was any clue.
"Jan—" Dad started to yell up the stairs as I appeared at the landing above him, walking down the steps quickly. "Good, we need to get in the car."
"But what if those people—" I began to say.
"Just get in the car, this place isn't safe!" he said, turning around to grab a few more things. I saw several guns were among the things he gathered. With two cases full of bullets weighing 15 pounds each.
"…What do you want me to grab?" I asked, looking around. "What about mom and my brothers?"
"They're… they're out there. I don't know, I'm hoping we'll run into them."
"You can't call them?" I asked.
"Get in the car!" he said after a moment of trying to restrain himself. I went out to the door leading to the garage. I stared at the SUV. It did not look safe enough against those maniacs outside. There were still sounds of crashing, yelling, and explosions.
"Get in!" he yelled, walking up behind me. I jumped and opened the shotgun and buckled myself in. He opened the back passenger and threw two suitcases and a duffel bag in.
"When did you have time to pack all that?" I asked, somewhat impressed.
"I always knew this day would come, so I had everything in one location to pack, should the need arise," he replied, getting into the driver seat and turning the ignition. He pressed the remote button to the garage door.
"The house is going to catch fire in about two minutes," he said, backing the SUV out. "No sense letting the looters have our stuff."
Once on the road, he handed me a gun. "If anyone tries to mess with us, you point at them, and hopefully they get the hint. If not… shoot."
I stared at the gun, hoping I would not have to use it."
"OK, daddy," I whispered, keeping my eyes down. I didn't want to see all the people he was clearly driving over. The bumpy ride did not stop until we got to the highway.
"You can look now," he said. "No more people in our way."
"What's going on, daddy?" I asked, looking up and stared at the horizon. There was fire from every direction. Buildings on fire.
"The zombies, they've come to hunt us," he said. "It happened while you were at school, but then it hit our area fast in the last half hour. I saw it on the news. That's another reason why I was able to have a little more things to pack. I didn't want you to miss your nap—you'd need the rest because we'll be up all night, making sure no one—no one—messes with us. And hopefully find your mom and brothers while we're out here."
"So, mom's still at work?"
"Hopefully, if she hasn't already left…" he replied, his fists clenched on the steering wheel. "Your brothers are with friends."
The SUV slowed as a bottleneck traffic jam caused the cars to stop driving at high speeds. There was a lot of honking. Dad was honking his wheel too.
"Son of a…" he began and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "We'll get through this, Janie."
I nodded mutedly, watching the fire burn the sky around them, making it darker than the cold sunset.
"Have you tried calling them?" I asked after a moment of slow driving, cars still honking angrily around them, dad included.
"I did, no answer. Can you call them?"
"Sure," I said, taking my phone out and before I dialed a number, I saw a strange symbol in place of bars for reception. It was a circle with black outline of something. Peering closer, I saw that it was a skull. Feeling chilled to the bone, I looked up at dad.
"Daddy… the bars on the phone," I wavered in my voice. "It's…"
"No reception?" he guessed.
"No, it's something else. It's a circle with a skull on it. No bars. Sh-should I try calling?"
"Give me the phone," he said, and during one of the pause in traffic, he studied it for a moment. He pressed the dial button to call mom. He listened to it for a moment, then his face turned white and immediately hung up and threw the phone into the backseat behind him.
"What—?"
"They've somehow… they somehow took over."
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