Along with US.

CHAPTER 1 - CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS  It was a fine day. The weather was nice and cloudy, but no signs of rain. The people were busy, and so were the roads since it was a Wednesday. Checkpoints were all over the place, causing more traffic jams.   I was in my truck on the way to work. Listening to some uplifting songs when a reckless person came running down the intersection and crossed even when the signal was green.   I immediately stepped on the brake cause the man looked like he wouldn't stop crossing, but it was late cause I had already hit the poor man. Thinking about the damage I inflicted on the man, I unbuckled my seatbelt to come rushing down to him.   Geez! What a lucky day! Hope this wouldn't cost me much.   I looked at the man before closing the door, and my body automatically stopped moving as his eyes met mine.   My breath hitched, realizing his eyes were literally pure white-- no iris at all. Then his jaw snapped like he had just found his supper as he walked towards my bumper while his hands were flailing, trying to grab something while still looking in my direction.   Was it a cataract?   I was stunned for a minute. I couldn't even move away when something hit my car so hard. The impact made my car jerk forward, hitting the strange man again.   I, too, almost got sideswiped by my car, but that didn't concern me. The man looked like he wasn't pained at all.   He was shoved a few steps away from the pedestrian. I squeaked, seeing he was again bumped by another car running horizontally, sending him on the ground only to be ram over by a truck, smashing its head to death.   I was stilled and shocked for hours that I didn't even contemplate I was already in the hospital, sitting on the edge of the bed, nose bleeding and shaking.   I still couldn't believe what I had seen. The man sure was moving, yet seemed lifeless. His pale, greyish skin and nerves looked like they were about to pop or something. His coagulated dark brown blood could be mistaken as black jelly.   I was busy trying to calm myself when I heard loud crashing sounds followed by the panicked voices of the nurses. They hurriedly ran into a room while the civilians were frightened. Not sure if hospitals were usually this busy, but this one surely was.   The curtain separating me from another patient was pulled, revealing a pale person with nerves starting to pop out, just like the strange man in the intersection. I noticed the tape on its wrist with a handwritten 9:47AM, making me realize I was late for work.   I looked at my watch and saw it was only 9:48, then looked back at the body beside me.   I was startled to hear the approaching nurse say, "I'm sorry you have to see that." She came to cover the woman's body before pulling the curtain back, keeping the body out of my sight. "If you can, you're good to go. Do you have anyone to fetch you?"   I smiled sadly as I shook my head and stood up to get my things. My knees were still wobbly, but seeing how busy the hospital was, I decided not to prolong my stay there since there were people who really needed the help more than I did.   I stopped in the restroom to wash my face and fix myself before I went to work. I combed my tangled hair and tied it up. I was putting some tint on my lips and cheeks cause I could pass for a zombie look with my pale skin when I saw something in the reflection.   I hastily put all my things inside my bag and got my pepper spray in my pocket.   I took a deep breath, preparing myself for a possible threat, before slowly walking towards the third cubicle.   I kneeled and peeked through the door, only to find a girl wearing a hospital gown lying on the floor. Blood from a large cut on her forehead was running down her face and gown.   I jolted and hit my head on the door when I heard a loud bang from the first cubicle like someone was trying to open the door.   "Need some help?" I asked, scrutinizing the door as I walked closer to it.   I heard some mumbling, but I wasn't sure what she said 'cause it wasn't clear, and her continuous banging on the door overpowered her voice.   "Stay away from the door. I'll break it open." I shouted so she could hear me. I took a few steps back to spurt before kicking the door open.   But before I could actually kick it, someone crawled under the cubicle door. I mentally facepalmed, realizing I could've asked the person inside first if she could crawl under before trying to break the door open. Of course!   I reached for her hand to help her out, and she grabbed mine. I was about to pull her up when she gripped my wrist tightly and brought it to her mouth.   That's when I finally realized what she was trying to do.   This b***h is tryna bite me!   I immediately pulled my hand with so much force. Thanks to the adrenaline rush. But the girl held on tightly that she slid out of the cubicle as I pulled my hands away. Fck!   I crawled backward until my back hit the wall. That, my friend, was when I realized I was trapped at the bathroom wall, away from the door. She was still on the floor in front of the first cubicle, so there was no chance for me to run.   The woman tried to stand slowly. My eyes landed on the nametag on her nurse uniform that said Schneider, Danica. I watched Danica as she snapped her neck, with bone-cracking sounds thru every move. Then she opened her jaw, dark blood with greenish saliva dripping from her mouth.   I tried not to puke at the stench smell and sight of her. I wasn't sure if she was sane, but my instinct told me I should start looking for a weapon if I wanted to survive. My things were on the sink near Danica, and I couldn't risk grabbing it like a boss.   I stomped my feet out of irritation and got my head hit the wall hard, so I grunted.   Danica growled in return before running towards me.   "Sh*t! Sh*t!" I panicked.   I immediately stood up as I watched her run towards me. Fck it! Whatever it takes!   I waited for the right timing- until she was about my reach- I grabbed her head, and with all my force and her speed, dragged it on the wall, producing a loud sound and c***k on the tiles.   I saw blood dripping on the cracked wall as she turned to me. I ran as fast as I could, but she was able to grasp my hair. I pulled my hair off her hands -- a handful of strands was left on her fingers, though, before I kicked her knee, sending her down.   I tried to run again but accidentally stepped on her slimy saliva and tripped. She crawled towards me as I did backward.   I saw the bowl's tank lid on the floor of the third cubicle where the other girl was lying.   I grabbed it, lifted it, and smashed Danica's head with it. I dropped the tank lid when I noticed blood flowing from her deformed head.   I killed her. I killed Danica!   I immediately stood up to get my things, then hurriedly ran outside.   As I opened the door, I bumped into a policeman. Fck!   Out of panic and fear that he might've seen the crime I had just committed inside the restroom, I grabbed his hand and took him away. He kept on hissing and asking questions that I couldn't even understand cause I was busy trying to get us outta there. Luckily, he just let me drag him wherever I go.   I brought us to the fire exit. I let go of his hand and sat on the stairs, grabbing my head with both hands, and started thinking how I would explain what happened without him thinking I was insane. Like how could I tell the policeman a zombie tried to attack me when they never even existed in real life.   "Miss, you okay?" He asked, walking towards me.   I looked at him, my head still in my hands. "I.." I paused, ruminating whether to tell him or not. If he didn't believe me, I would get to jail. "I think.. I --"   I wasn't able to continue cause we heard a loud growl followed by a lot of screaming and a few gunshots. Then the sound of footsteps became louder, and so were the screaming, like they were coming our way.   Proving my hypothesis, the fire exit door flew open, revealing people running and racing down the stairs.   I stood up, trying to know what happened but got swarmed by the people rushing down. Some came from our floor, and some were from the upper. The hospital alarm went on, increasing the number of people trying to get out of the building.   "Mommy! Monsters! Monsters!" A kid screamed and cried out of fear while her mom's holding her tight as they headed down. People were screaming and shouting names, looking for their family or friends as they headed down.   Adding to their panic, a familiar guttural growl was heard, not just from one but from a few. The sound knocked me back to my senses. I knew zombies were non-existent, but I'd just think about what they could possibly be later on. For now I knew I had to focus on escaping.   I grabbed the police's hand and joined the swarm of people escaping. "Where's your car? We need a car!" I shouted cause he couldn't hear me through the screaming.   "Follow me!" He shouted back, then he ran down, quicker than the others. He stopped at the second floor and pushed the door open to the car park.   A few cars were still parked. Some were racing to get out of the building. While some were deafening the people with their earsplitting alarms, all at the same time.   I saw someone got hit and run, but all of us were too busy to even think about how he was. Though, as an old military member, my priorities were set.   I let go of the police's hand and ran towards the guy. Only to stop mid-way when I saw the guy on the floor stood up like nothing had happened. Realizing it was acting strange, I already knew it wasn't human.   I turned around, running back in the direction where the police were.   He looked back at me, checking if I was still behind him. Once we reached his black Rover Range, he opened the passenger seat for me, which I found very surprising since we were both hurrying to get out of this place.   Really, Dani? That's what you've noticed? How about the zombies running in your direction?   I quickly dismissed the thought. Especially when I heard him shouted, "Come on. Get in!"   He left the door ajar before he jogged to the driver's. I scooped in, locked the door, and buckled my seatbelt while he adjusted the rearview mirror, and revved the car.   The scene was utterly chaotic, so I really wanted to get out of the hospital, silently wishing the outside didn't look like this or we'd be doomed. I turned to him quizzically when he suddenly turned the engine off.   "What's the matter?" I asked.   "My fiance's still in there." He said, unbuckling his seat belt and opening his door.   I quickly unbuckled mine and leaned towards him to reach and pull his door close. "No. No. Look!" I pointed my head at the panicking crowd, "People are trying to leave the hospital. She could've left the hospital too." I coaxed, trying to convince him to leave.   "Do you have a phone?" I asked. "Drive off, then try to contact her so we can just meet her outside."   He hesitated for a second but still revved the car again and started driving with one hand while he used the other to contact his fiance.   Once we were outside the hospital, he started looking around. He quickly stopped at the hospital entrance and looked for his girl. "Come on. Pick up the phone." He grumbled through his gritted teeth.   He was agitatedly tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. He might've not noticed it himself, so when he saw me watching him, he stopped and tried to compose himself.   Now I was thankful I lived on my own. I didn't have to look after someone or get worried if something happened to them, especially at times like this.   I gulped at the sight of the haywire. I knew something was going on, but I didn't expect it to look like this. This escalated dangerously fast.   Fortunately, he knew a lot of shortcuts to avoid the traffic, the car crash, and everything. We were able to get away from the hospital when he cursed, "Goddamn it! Answer the phone, Danica!"   Chills ran down my spine as I stiffened at the mention of his fiance's name. Could it be -- No! I dismissed the thought. There could be a hundred Danica in the world.. It's not her--   "Hey, this is Danica Schneider. I'm on duty, so please just leave your messa--" the voicemail was cut off when he threw his phone at the backseat.   "We need to f*****g go back to that hospital." He exclaimed before taking a U-turn, not minding the wrong lane- he just counterflowed.   "No!" I stopped him, holding his arm. "She might be somewhere safe. She-- she wasn't stupid to stay in there. She would run for her life!" I tried convincing him again.   Too bad he seemed fully decided on coming back for Danica. He nudged my hand away, "What do you mean no?" He barked, simultaneously glaring at me and to the road. "My car, my decision." Then his jaw clenched.   I sat still in my seat. Looking outside the window, deciding whether to tell him or not.   If I told him I killed her, chances were: he was going to kill me or ask me to get out of the car. But If I just let him go back to the hospital, we'd both get in danger, and he'd also leave me on my own since he was going to find Danica.   As we were getting closer to the hospital, I still couldn't make up my mind. I looked around the area. Watching the people running away. There were smokes from car crashes, most of 'em were abandoned, blocking parts of the road. Bloody bodies were splattered, but I didn't spot any infected or, if there were some, they were busy devouring people.   I'll be on my own either way. I'd be fine if he would ask me to get out of the car. I thought as I've made my decision. I took a deep breath and composed myself before turning to him. "I killed her."   The car came to a sudden halt, making me jerk forward, almost hitting the windshield.   "Who?" He asked, already expecting my answer but still hoping he was wrong.   "The nurse." I slowly said, calculating his reaction, looking out for his gun or any weapon he could use to kill me just in case. "Danica Schneider."   He hissed. "You did no such thing." His jaw clenched as he shook his head in anger and disbelief. His eyes made me want to just get out of his car in an instant, not minding I was out in the open.   "She tried to bite me!" I explained, defending myself but still.. I knew he wasn't gonna believe me.   "Get out." He drawled through his gritted jaw. "I said get out!" He shouted when he noticed that I was still going to try explaining to him.   I heaved a breath and looked outside to see if there were infected near us. Then I unbuckled my seatbelt, quickly stormed out of his car, and started running away from the direction he was going to take-- the hospital. At least I could be away from that helluva place.   If this thing started from a sick person, then hospitals wouldn't be a good place to come near to.   But then the window of a restaurant nearby suddenly broke, and an infected just showed up. I have no choice but to turn back pretty fcking fast!   I looked back to the sick person as I ran to check our distance, but when I turned to face front, my head hit a light post, sending me down on my stomach. I flipped myself as quickly as possible to see the infected, but as I moved, he jumped at me and tried to bite my face.   Luckily, I caught its face --from nose to forehead, avoiding its mouth -- away from me. I was struggling for my life while the man struggled for his food.   "Aaah!" I shouted when I felt its upper teeth against my palm. I was already having that 7-minute flashback of my life when I heard a gunshot. Feeling the explosion of something above me, I opened my eyes and saw a mutilated face lying on my palm. My stomach tightens at the sight.   "Bitten?" He asked. I turned to the man on the car, but before I was about to answer, "Get in! Quick!" He shouted.   Afraid of his sudden change of mind, I immediately pushed the body away and stood up, simply wiping my palm on my pants, keeping the teeth mark from his sight. Good thing it wasn't bleeding, but it definitely left a mark.   "Were you bit?" He asked again once I got inside his car.   "No." I answered, busying myself to buckle my seatbelt just so I could avoid his curious stares.   "Good." He said before driving again. "The radio mentioned there's a safe evacuation in D.C and I'll drop you there." He said, before making another U-turn at the nearest intersection. He believed me but that didn't mean he wasn't mad. He could still kill me if he wanted to.   We heard an ascending earsplitting honk followed by a loud crash on my side. I grunted as my body flew sideways from the impact, but the seatbelt kept me in place, and that's the worst kind of pain caused by a seatbelt.   The driver of the customized Chevy Silverado came rushing to us and kept on shouting profanities, kicking our car's bumper. "Get out of the way, motherfucker!"   The police unbuckled his seatbelt and came out of the car, but was taken aback when a woman attacked the other driver.   "Sht." He mouthed, running back to the car to revive the engine, but it didn't even make a sound. "Sht" He cursed again, punching the steering wheel. He didn't look panicked -- he looked mad, though -- but deep down, I knew he was panicking.   I looked around and noticed that the Chevy wasn't at all damaged since it was lifted.   "Get on his truck," I said, pointing at the guy's truck.   He went out of the car with his gun and secured the area-- killing both the attacker and the eaten driver. I crawled my way out through the driver's cause mine was blocked by the Silverado. He quickly checked the car for any damages while I checked the backseat before we got inside.   As we go along, we watched the people run for their lives, cars were being abandoned in the middle of the road causing traffic jams. Zombies were everywhere and relentlessly shambling towards the Silverado.   He looked calm, stepping on the gas and rammed through the group of zombies who got in our way, while I, on the other side, grimaced at the sound and feel of their cracking bones and bodies.   "Just a speed bump." He said, trying to make me feel better.   "Yeah." I airy purred, trying to convince the both of us. "A lot of speed bumps." I added. But in my mind, I knew they were human speed bumps.   A few weeks ago, there had been a talk about some fast-spreading epidemic in South Africa, and based on what I see right now, it was already here in New York.   Who knew how many states in America were affected by the epidemic.. Worse, the whole of America. I just couldn't believe how NY was actually fine a few hours ago, and now I'm not even sure if this is still 'The City That Never Sleeps' or 'The City Full of Dead'.   When we already made quite a distance from the city, I realized we were heading a different way. "Hold on. This ain't going to DC."   He just shrugged his shoulders while still driving. "I know."   We're now in Manhattan, going SE. "It'll take half a day of driving if I'm gonna drop you there today. Let's just crash my place for tonight."   "Are you sure it's safe there?" I asked, looking for any assurance on his face.   "The state could be infected, but my place is safe." He said coolly.   My brows rose at his cocky reply. "How so?" I snorted. Seeing how NY turned out, I'm not sure if there were still safe places.   "You'll see."   Going to MA wasn't as bumpy since the road wasn't actually that disastrous.. And by that, I meant Not as disastrous as NY. Although there were a few infecteds walking or scattered along the roads, but nothing was unbearable.   We were now in Wellesly, and it seemed peaceful. I might consider it sick-free if not for those piles of dead bodies covered with white cloths along the streets we passed by.   We got in to a gated area with big houses, and when I said big, I meant big-big.   My mind was snatched for a minute after seeing where we stopped. Don't get me wrong, my parents also had an appealing house, but their house was a B-lister compared to his.   It was composed of red and white blocks with lots of glass windows-- definitely a no-no for times like this. His fencing, though, could secure the whole house since it was a combination of tall bricks and thick pallet woods. Not to mention the surveillance cameras.   "Close your mouth. We still don't know if it's airborne." He said, devoid of emotions, so I couldn't tell if he was joking or what.   I followed where I saw him enter earlier.   I found him sitting on a cozy white spinning couch, which I think was too girly for his liking, hugging and sniffing a Chanel throw blanket which I assumed was Danica's.   I stood there for quite a while, not wanting to interrupt his moment to feel her presence through that throw blanket. But then he was interrupted by a couple of gunshots. The sounds were loud but definitely from afar.   "Those were from the boot camps." He said a matter of factly, "I am confident about this town's safety since it's surrounded by two military camps. Some of 'em live here." He explained, gaining a nod from me.   I felt relief knowing that I'm safe.. But until when?   Silence started blanketing the both of us. I didn't know what to say, especially now that I was in his house, and he could just kick me out anytime he wanted. But I just felt like I badly needed to apologize for what happened.   I walked towards him, closing the door beside me. "Look.." I paused, weighing the possibilities, whether to continue or not. "I'm sorry about.." I stopped, couldn't find the right words to say, "I have to do it or she'll--" but he cut me off.   He stood up from the couch, carrying the throw blanket with him. He walked through the long hallway, and I followed him. "Tomorrow I'll drop you at DC before I go to GA for my duty." He then opened the door to a room and said, "You can use this room for tonight."   Seeing the cozy room, I sighed in relief.   We're safe.. for now.