<strong>May 23, 2012 – 3:40 p.m. – Peterson High School, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>Rebecca was talking with Meagan near their lockers.  It was the last Wednesday of their senior year.  Finals were nearly over.  Prom had come and gone, and she didn’t even want to think of her soccer season, which had ended abruptly and disappointingly.  Another week and they would be done with this place.  Rebecca had already been accepted into the University of Wisconsin, and Meagan was planning to attend a school in Iowa which would only be a six hour drive.  In three weeks, they would leave for the senior trip to Jamaica, which promised almost no adult supervision.  To say she was a ball of nerves would be an understatement.  The only thing really preventing her from the rest of her life was a Trig final and an English paper.<br/><br/>She excused herself from Meagan’s company, and gave her BFF a brief hug when she saw Tony approaching.  She covered the distance between herself and her boyfriend quickly, threw her arms around his neck, and then kissed him fully on the mouth.  It wasn’t like the teachers were going to do anything this close to the end of the school year.  She swatted him and laughed when his strong hand squeezed her ass.<br/><br/>Minutes later they were hand-in-hand, walking across the student’s parking lot to his Jeep Wrangler, and fifteen minutes after that they were parked in front of her house kissing again.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 23, 2012 – 5:27 p.m. – Lawson’s Residence, 32 Reno Street, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>Rebecca was texting both Tony and Meagan as her mother ran around, as she normally did, before she left for work.  Becka was only distantly aware that her mom was wearing the pink and tan scrubs she’d bought for her last Christmas.  They looked cute on her mom, though she wouldn’t ever tell her that out loud, not unless it was a special occasion.  The eighteen year old, was also distantly aware that her brother was in the entertainment room playing Left 4 Dead II on his 360.  The sixteen year old’s curses through the mic to his "supposed" friends was simple white noise.<br/><br/>“Becka.  Can I get your attention for five minutes?”  Her mom asked in an exasperated tone.<br/><br/>Rebecca rolled her eyes and glanced at her mother for five seconds before glancing back at her mobile phone.  Meagan was going to hook up with Jason at the Friday night party.<br/><br/>“Rebecca!” her mother snapped.  “Dinner is in the oven. Your father will be home around his normal time.  Don’t let the food burn.  Your brother needs to get off the Nintendo in an hour.”<br/><br/>This actually caught Rebecca’s attention and she even replied.  “Mom, he doesn’t listen to me.”<br/><br/>The edges of Rebecca’s lips curled up into a small, triumphant smile when her mother yelled at Max to listen to his sister.  Even if it did little good, it was always nice to know that she could get him into trouble.<br/><br/>“Okay, I’m going to be late.”  Her mother stated to herself more than Rebecca.  “Do you need any money or anything for tomorrow?”<br/><br/>Rebecca shook her head indifferently.<br/><br/>“I love you.”<br/><br/>An indifferent nod.<br/><br/>Then her mother disappeared though the door that led to the garage and a moment later her green Toyota Camry pulled out of the driveway and she headed to her shift at Mercy Hospital.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 23, 2012 – 6:26 p.m. - Lawson’s Residence, 32 Reno Street, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>It had been a fight to get Max off of the Xbox, during which she’d let the lasagna her mother had left in the oven blacken around the edges.  Still it had tasted good enough; when she and Max had sat down to eat.  He spent all of fifteen minutes on his homework afterwards.  Meanwhile her head had begun to slowly throb as she hovered over her Trigonometry book.  By the time Max was killing zombies, Rebecca had already texted Tony to come over and help her study.<br/><br/>Forty minutes later they had gone to her room.  Ten minutes later they were doing everything but studying.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 23,2012 – 9:29 p.m. -  Lawson’s Residence, 32 Reno Street, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>David Lawson pulled into his driveway, exited his vehicle, and entered his home.  He was greeted by a string of profanity from his sixteen year old son, along with simulated gunfire flowing from the Bose speakers of his entertainment system.<br/><br/>He dropped his briefcase to the floor and sighed irritably before yelling into the room Max occupied. “ Max turn it off.  I want to see your homework and then you’re to be in bed in thirty minutes.”<br/><br/>He hated being the “bad guy”, but it wasn’t fair to Rebecca to have to deal with a sixteen year old boy, and his wife, Nancy, had decided to go back to the night shift years ago so that the kids wouldn’t come home to any empty house.<br/><br/>David loosened his tie and walked into the entertainment room, stared at his son until the teenager turned off the gaming system, and then switched the television to the local news.<br/><br/>“Where’s your sister?”  David asked.<br/><br/>“She’s in her room with Tony,” Max said with a smirk.  It was time to pay his sister back.<br/><br/>David had seen Tony’s Jeep parked in front of their home, but it was such a common occurrence that David hadn’t noticed.  He took the stairs two at a time and paused only briefly to listen before he knocked on his daughter’s door and entered without waiting for a reply.<br/><br/>Rebecca lay on her stomach at the foot of her bed, Tony sat beside her and they both had their attention on the screen of her laptop.  The sheets and covers of her bed were sloppily tossed back, but that seemed to be the normal state of his daughter’s bed these days.  Rebecca’s hair was back in a tail, normal enough, even if her soccer season had ended three weeks ago.  The only thing David saw that was suspect was that Tony’s hand was under the back of his daughter’s shirt and resting on the small of her back.<br/><br/>“Tony, hands above the clothing, please.”<br/><br/>David smiled at the quickness with which the boy removed his hand completely from his daughter’s back and the crimson blush which flushed his daughter’s face.  It was all the reassurance a father needed that his little girl was still a little angel.<br/><br/>“Rebecca, keep the door open.  Tony, how’s your family?  Tell your dad we’re still on for this weekend.”<br/><br/>Tony nodded, said everyone was fine, and that his dad was looking forward to it.<br/><br/>David glanced around the room once more, not exactly sure what he was looking for.  The smell of cinnamon made him struggle with his suspicions, but Rebecca and Tony were both athletes.  She was a girl and girls liked nice smelling things.  The waste bin was empty, and he had no reason to believe that they were doing anything but studying, except that the door had been closed.  With as loud as Max had had his game, maybe they were just trying to focus on their studies.  It was finals week after all.<br/><br/>David made sure the door to Rebecca’s room was open wide before he made his way to his room and changed out of his shirt, slacks, and tie.  Moments later he was in the kitchen, eating the burnt lasagna.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 24, 2012 – 5:00 a.m. – Lawson’s Residence, 32 Reno Street, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>It was a normal morning for the family.  Rebecca was taking her time, getting ready for the day, in the bathroom.  Max was still asleep, and David was in his own bathroom shaving before he planned to hop into the shower.<br/><br/>The only thing that seemed odd was when an ambulance passed the house with lights and sirens.  David may’ve even missed it had he not been pulling out of his driveway at the time.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 24, 2012 – 6:40 a.m. – Lawson’s Residence, 32 Reno Street, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>Tony pulled his jeep into the driveway of Rebecca’s house and honked twice.  His thoughts were still on the night before.  She was so hot, and he was so lucky that she was with him.  It seemed like Homecoming had been years ago, the night they had fist done it in the hotel room he had rented for the occasion.  The coming summer and Jamaica was going to be awesome.  Then he’d be off at college and having the time of his life.  Sure, it would suck that Becka wasn’t going to be with him, but they’d still see each other on holidays.  He knew the long distance relationship wasn’t going to work, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care for her.  Hell, he even liked her punk brother.<br/><br/>His mind drifted to lunch, and he wondered where Rebecca would want to go.  He also wondered if she’d be willing to skip fifth period and hang out at his house for awhile.  His parents were always gone during the day.<br/><br/>Rebecca and Max exited the front door and made their way to Tony’s Jeep just as their mother was pulling into the drive.  The passenger side window rolled down and she spoke to both of her children momentarily before waving politely at Tony.  A wave he quickly returned.  Then the Camry finished pulling into the garage.<br/><br/>Tony watched as Mrs. Lawson exited her vehicle, and had to admit that she was sort of a MILF.  If he and Rebecca stayed together, he knew she’d still be hot when she was old.  He leaned over and kissed Rebecca good morning, even as Max made a guttural protest, then made sure they were both buckled before pulling out of the driveway and heading to school.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 24, 2012 – 6:00 p.m. – Lawson’s Residence, 32 Reno Street, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>Max was racking up the kills.<br/><br/>“Dude, you fucking suck,” he shouted at zombierex229 over his headset.  Then followed his double head shot kill with a melee kill to a noob.<br/><br/>“What the fuck?”  He yelled at his sister when she turned the channel to the news.<br/><br/>Max quickly glanced around the room to see if their dad was home.  He was the only one who watched that boring shit.  “Becka, I’m serious switch it back,” he said with a mildly threatening tone.<br/><br/>When his eyes returned to the television, he noticed that the American flag was waving in the background and some guy who the text at the bottom of the screen labeled Mayor of New Angeles was getting ready to talk.  He grimaced as he heard the sound of his avatar’s death and the taunting of some poser through his headphones.<br/><br/><hr/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: courier;">“Dear citizens of New Angeles... Today a virus was detected in our beloved city, which is currently spreading at an alarmingly rapid rate. Effective immediately I am declaring a state of martial law. Nobody is allowed to enter or leave the city any longer.<br/><br/>“All flights at New Angeles Airport will be canceled effective immediately and all exits and entrances to the city will be guarded by the National Guard. I am also setting a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., anybody out after these times will be arrested. <br/><br/>“Currently we are unaware of what caused this virus, but we do know that it is airborne. The first symptoms of the virus are coughing and a slightly raised temperature, while in the next phase your skin becomes itchy and the coughing turns into a hacking cough. You will also start sweating profusely. If you noticed any of these symptoms, then I strongly urge you to stay inside, least you infect more citizens.<br/><br/>“I also strongly recommend that everybody covers their mouth with a mouth mask, or whatever else is available. If you do not have to go outside, then stay inside your home. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid contact with other humans as much as possible. A special telephone number will be activated shortly, which you can call to indicate that you were infected. I urge you all not to go to the hospital or to visit a doctor, since they are already flooded with patients and are unable to take on any new patients.<br/><br/>“It is understandable that this is very inconvenient and if it were an option to take less drastic measures then we would most certainly do so, but we all have the duty to prevent this disease from spreading any further.” <br/><br/>The Mayor didn't look pleased at all with the announcements he had to make so far.<br/><br/>Looking straight into the camera, he finished his message with, “More information will follow with the regular eight o'clock news. People of New Angeles, know that the thoughts and prayers of America are with you. Stay safe, have faith and know that together we will survive.”<br/></span><br/><hr/>“No, fucking way,” Max laughed.  “Dude, you fucking hear this?  New Angeles has a virus outbreak.  We’re ground zero, man.  It’s like Raccoon City.  We’re going to have fucking zombies and all kinds of shit.”<br/><br/>Max had momentarily forgotten his game and was simply speaking to the other players through his headphones.   When he glanced back at his sister to see if she thought this was as funny as he did, he noticed that the color had drained out of her face.<br/><br/>“What’s wrong?”  The first sincere thing he’d likely said to her in months.<br/><br/>“Mom… she left for the hospital thirty minutes ago.”<br/><br/>Max was self absorbed, arrogant, and a pretty big jerk at times, but he wasn’t stupid.<br/><br/>“What the fuck?  Call her.  Call the hospital.  Do something.”<br/><br/>He himself pulled out his phone and quickly dialed his mom’s cell.  It went straight to voice mail.  He dialed the hospital and got the annoying recording about all operators being busy and the bullshit about his phone call being important.  The fucking wait time was thirty minutes.<br/><br/>“Fuck!”  Was all he could say as he tossed his phone across the room where it hit the wall and shattered into several large pieces, and caused Rebecca to scurry off like a scared rabbit.<br/><br/>He couldn’t really blame her.  His temper was fierce and he made her life miserable when he was angry.  That realization just made him angrier and he flipped the television back to the auxiliary and returned to his game.<br/><br/>His mind wasn’t really in it, and his scores were reflecting that.  What the fuck was he supposed to do though?  Not thinking about it was for the best.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 24, 2012 – 6:50 p.m. – McGavin, Baker, and Louis Office Buildings, downtown, New Angeles</strong><br/>David had seen the Mayor’s speech.  He knew the kids were likely frantic by now.  He’d tried to call Nancy’s phone and the hospital, but couldn’t get through.  He waited until his latest coughing fit subsided, wiped his brow of the excess sweat, and then dialed his daughter’s phone number.<br/><br/>She answered it after the first ring, “Dad?  Dad, I can’t get a hold of mom.”<br/><br/>The panic in her voice made his chest ache.  He covered the mouthpiece of his phone as a series of coughs rattled his lungs again.<br/><br/>“Honey, I need you to calm down.  Your mom is going to be okay.  I just talked to her.  They’re extremely busy but she’s all right.  Listen, honey, I’m not going to be coming home tonight.”<br/><br/>Between the constant coughing and the pain he felt when he heard her concern he felt his voice weaken.<br/><br/>After a drink of water from the glass on his desk, he continued, “Honey, I can’t come home because I’ve got a cough.  It’s nothing really.  Look I need you to be strong and brave.  Look after Max, okay.  I’m going to call Mr. Burkhart and ask him to look in on you before you go to sleep tonight.  Honey…  Rebecca, listen.  I’m going to be fine.  Your mom said they were working on a cure.  She said they were already giving it to the patients.  You have nothing to worry about, okay?  Just stay inside and do as the Mayor said.  Make sure your brother does too.  I’ll see you in a few days.  We’ll look back at this and laugh.  Rebecca, I love you.  I’m proud of you.  Do as I said.  Bye.”<br/><br/>David collapsed his phone and set it on his desk just as another coughing fit overwhelmed him.  He hated lying to Rebecca, but it was better that she held on to hope.  He would call Todd.  If there was anyone in the entire world that he could trust the safety of his children with, it was Todd Burkhart.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 24, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. – Burkhart Residence, 1420 Stafford Court, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>Todd Burkhart was overseeing the preparations his wife, Mary, and son, Tony, were working on when his hunting buddy David Lawson called.  Todd answered the phone on the second ring and immediately left the room where his son and wife were taking stock of their supplies.  He moved to the other side of the house and closed the door behind him.  The sound of David’s voice wasn’t good.  It reminded him of the last words of a dying man, and he was momentarily taken back to his tour in Iraq.<br/><br/>“Hey buddy.  Yeah, no, don’t worry about that.  I’ll take care of them.  Hey, you can’t stand me up for this Saturday.  I guess I’ll just have to take the kids fishing without you, huh?  Yeah, she’s a good girl.  Tony likes her a lot.  No, I haven’t heard anything about the hospitals.  Hey, I know they said not to, but go to the hospital.  Look, C.D.C...  F.E.M.A. they’re at the hospitals.  They’ll have antidotes or vaccines for this.  Those people have stockpiles of the stuff for just this occasion.  David, look, drink lots of fluids, keep yourself hydrated.  If you can’t get to the hospital, than get to a clinic or something else.  Okay, then.  Save your strength tonight and make your way in the morning.  Leave early to avoid everyone else.  You can pull through this.  Yeah.  Hey David, one more thing, where do you keep your hunting rifle?”<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 24, 2012 – 7:15 p.m. – Lawson’s Residence, 32 Reno Street, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>Rebecca answered the door after she had peered out the window and saw Tony and himself on David’s doorstep.  Todd allowed her to hug his son before he pushed both teenagers into the house and locked the door behind them.<br/><br/>“Rebecca, I need you and your brother to pack some clothes.  You’re going to stay at my house tonight.”<br/><br/>Todd moved through his hunting buddy’s house efficiently.  Nancy had always kept a clean house, and the kitchen was no different.  Todd moved to the pantry and began emptying the shelves into a backpack he had brought.  After clearing the second shelf, he glanced up to see Rebecca staring at him dumbfounded.<br/><br/>“Rebecca, write your mom a letter telling her that you’re with Todd and Mary.  She’ll know who you mean.  Tell her Max is with you and that she’s to join us there.  Your dad already knows what’s going on.  We’re going to hold up at my house until this all blows over and we need supplies.  Tony, help me gather canned food and nonperishables. “ Todd had to smile when Rebecca nodded, disappeared, and returned a moment later paper and pen in hand.  Tony traded places with him at the pantry, and Todd patted his son on the shoulder.<br/><br/>“Mom just went shopping.  We have a fridge full of food,” Rebecca added helpfully as she finished the letter.<br/><br/>Todd smiled and nodded, “okay, we’ll get that after you get packed.  Bring some clothes for any type of weather.  Like you’re going hiking, Rebecca.  I know your dad has taken you hiking before.”<br/><br/>Getting Max to cooperate was a different story.  Hell, getting him to leave his blasted game was a struggle.  Todd didn’t like putting hands to David’s boy, but he didn’t have time to rationalize and explain to a sixteen year old spoiled brat.<br/><br/>Todd stood at the bottom of the stairs for a moment until he was certain that Max had gone to his room.  Then Todd opened the door to the Lawson’s garage and opened both mechanical garage doors with a push of two buttons.  He moved through David’s garage with the same efficiency he had shown in the house.  Hammers, nails, fishing gear, camping gear, a half filled gasoline tank, and David’s propane gas stove and lantern all went into the back of Todd’s SUV.  He then went into the kitchen, instructed Tony to put the rest of the supplies into brown paper sacks, and carried the backpacks to the vehicle.<br/><br/>After adding more provisions and equipment to the trunk of the SUV, Todd paused aand glanced both ways down the street.  The street was calm and silent.  No one was out, and no one seemed to be reacting the same way he was.  He wondered for the first time if he was actually overreacting.  He had felt silly, and Mary had been giving him plenty of flak before David had called.  There had been something in David’s voice though.<br/><br/>If this was a terrorist act against the United States, then it was pretty big.  Even if this was an accident, it was large enough for the Mayor to give a public address.  They had closed off the entire city after all.  That meant no F.E.M.A. relief effort.  If things lasted for a few days, it’d get pretty bad.  Looters and rioters would be just the beginning.  People were under feet of water in New Orleans, and they had still turned into crazed animals.  He’d make sure nothing bad happened to his family, or David’s.  He’d made a promise.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 25, 2012 – 6:00 a.m. – Burkhart Residence, 1420 Stafford Court, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>The police scanner announced that S.W.A.T. teams were being deployed to Mercy Hospital with orders to use extreme prejudice against openly hostile individuals.<br/><br/>Todd turned down the volume as to not wake Mary, before he slipped out of bed and checked on the children.  They had given Rebecca the guest room, and he’d had to chase Tony out of the room three times that night.  The world was ending, and the damn teenagers were only worried about getting laid.  He had to snort at the ridiculousness.  Max was asleep in Tony’s bed, and Tony had bunked on the couch.  It hadn’t been difficult to convince Tony to give up his bed.  Likely because he thought he’d share Rebecca’s.  Todd shook his head once more and cursed David.  Why his buddy had gone off and gotten himself sick, God only knew.  God sure knew that Todd had no desire to play chaperone to two horny teenagers and an obstinate brat.<br/><br/>Todd continued to the ground floor of his house and peered out the window.  It was promising to be a sunny day, much like the day before.  He wasn’t quite sure if he had expected fire and brimstone or an active war zone.  Either way, it seemed surreal that birds were singing and the paperboy had delivered right on time.<br/><br/>Todd double bolted the front door and put the chain on after he had retrieved the newspaper.  The mayor’s address was on the front page.  There was nothing concerning any breakthroughs for a cure, though it was promised they were close.  No address from the President.  Three different articles on how the National Guard was covering every major entryway into New Angeles finished off the front page.  Todd idly wondered if they were covering the dirt roads and the hiking trails.  He also noted that the obituary page was oddly absent.  That likely wasn’t a good sign.  He performed a perimeter sweep of the interior before returning to bed, his mind too busy to return to sleep.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 26, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. – Burkhart Residence, 1420 Stafford Court, outskirts, New Angeles.</strong><br/>Rebecca had finally talked Mr. Burkhart into allowing her to return to her house for her phone charger.  She had hoped she'd be able to get away for a short time and maybe be alone with Tony.  She needed him to just hold her, and it felt extremely awkward to even embrace with Mr. and Mrs. Burkhart watching them 24/7.  Unfortunately, Mr. Burkhart had insisted on accompanying her.  Nevertheless, her phone was charged when Meagan sent her a text.<br/><br/>9 p.m.  Protest.  Downtown.<br/><br/>Rebecca didn’t hesitate to call her friend.  What was Meagan thinking?  Mr. Burkhart had agreed with the Mayor that they should stay inside and avoid people.  Aside from a few short walks around the house and talking to neighbors through the fence, that’s exactly what they had done.  It had been two days of movies, which in all truth, had become extremely boring.   Still, she knew something had happened at Mercy Hospital, but neither Mr. nor Mrs. Burkhart were willing to tell her, and none of her friends knew anything either.<br/><br/>All she had learned was that the S.W.A.T. team had been called and a lot of people had been shot.  Survivors had been taken to another hospital, supposedly.  When she asked, Mr. Burkhart assured her that both of her parents were okay, but that she couldn’t go see them because of the outbreak.  She didn’t fully believe him.  She knew they would have wanted to talk to her.  Above everything, these last few days, she wanted to believe that they were okay.  Her desire to believe that they were alright was the only thing that was helping her keep it together.<br/><br/>Now, on top of everything else, Meagan wanted to go to a protest in downtown.  Rebecca’s friend finally picked up after the fifth ring.<br/><br/>“Meagan, are you nuts?  You need to stay home.  I don’t care.  Stay home.  What?  No, I have to watch Max.  Besides I’m with Tony.  No, his parents are here too.  Just promise me you’re not going to go.  Promise.  Okay, I’ll talk to you later.”<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 27, 2012 – 3:00 a.m. – Burkhart Residence, 1420 Stafford Court, outskirts, New Angeles.</strong><br/>Rebecca was woken by the insistent ring of her phone.  Half asleep, she answered it.  Static and confusion poured through the phone and into her ear.  Rebecca eyes opened wider as she heard screams, and gunshots.<br/><br/>“Hello?  Meagan?”<br/><br/>Meagan’s sobbing voice finally came through the earpiece, “Rebecca they’re everywhere.  They’re attacking people and biting them.  They got Jason.  There was so much blood.  They took him right out of my hands.  They’re cannibals.  They’re eating everyone.  I… I saw him die.”<br/><br/>Rebecca had to mentally replay what Meagan had just told her.  If this was some practical joke, she wasn’t in the mood.<br/><br/>“Meagan, what are you talking about?  Whose killing people?  You’re downtown, aren’t you?  I told you not to go,” before Rebecca could really start in on the lecture Meagan screamed and a loud growl was heard over the phone.  What she heard over the phone next made Rebecca scream which woke the entire house.<br/><br/>It took Max, Tony and his mom all night and late into the morning before Rebecca calmed down, and finally cried herself to sleep  The radio had confirmed what Rebecca had heard, and was urging people to avoid the downtown area.  After that, it didn’t take Rebecca long to put everything together.  Then, she had become hysterical.<br/><br/>Later in the day, Max quite offhandedly admitted that he believed their parents were gone a day or two ago, and his casual confession had caused Rebecca to hate and despise him.<br/><br/><br/><strong>May 29, 2012 – 12:00 p.m. – Burkhart Residence, 1420 Stafford Court, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>Rebecca hadn’t talked to him since yesterday morning.  He hadn’t meant how uncaring what he had said sounded like, but it had been pretty obvious that something had happened to their parents.  He knew his biological warfare and plague scenarios all too well.  He had even accepted that if a biological terrorist attack or catastrophe ever truly happened, his mom, and most other medical professionals, would be among the first casualties.  He had figured it all out the first time he had ever played Resident Evil Two.<br/><br/>He wasn’t uncaring, or heartless.  It was just the bitter truth.  It didn’t do anyone any good to ignore the truth.<br/><br/>Max himself hadn’t talked to anyone since the previous day.  Not really, anyway.  Todd had tried, but Max had simply told him he was fine.  It was odd, really.  For the first time he could recall, he wasn’t angry.  He just felt numb.<br/><br/>He had always thought that it was a cool effect when games showed a peaceful, tranquil place only blocks away from a war zone.  It seemed like the developers had finally gotten something right.<br/><br/>More gunfire echoed in the distance and Max tried to place the type of gun that was being used.  He didn’t think of himself as a gun expert.  Hell, his dad had only allowed him to shoot his father's hunting rifle a few times at the range.  Dad had said that he wasn't responsible enough for a gun of his own, yet.  Dad had said that Max had thought everything was a game.<br/><br/>Max picked up the gravel from the Burkhart’s house’s shingles and tossed it off the edge of the roof.  Todd Burkhart had commanded them to board and seal up all the windows and doors on the ground floor.  Since then, they’d begun to use the access from the second story to the roof as a type of lookout.  Max knew that Tony had used this same route to sneak out and visit Rebecca during this entire last school year.  Neither of his parents believed him when he told them.  They'd died believing Rebecca was their innocent angel daughter.  Even those thoughts didn't cause an emotional response in him.<br/><br/>Max didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking out for.  When they were boarding up the doors and windows, Max had been quite certain that Todd was out of his mind paranoid.  Now, with the constant gunfire in the distance, Max had to grudgingly admit that it hadn’t been a bad idea.<br/><br/>He was tossing another handful of pebbles from the roof when he saw him.  Max thought it was a him.  It was a solitary figure two blocks down the street, and even at this distance Max could tell the person had been maimed and disfigured.  The man, Max was sure it was a man now, was wearing torn and shredded clothing.  The sixteen year old gamer had to stand for a better view.  The figure, or man, looked as if he was in a daze, and Max swore to himself that the person was a zombie.<br/><br/>It wasn’t until Max’s Social Sciences teacher, Mr. Mau, exited his house and approached the figure that Max began to holler.  He was yelling well before the zombie turned in Mr. Mau’s direction and bolted toward him, latched onto the teacher’s throat and began to feed.<br/><br/>Max wasn’t even sure what expletives he was saying as he hurried back into the house to get Todd.  Todd didn’t believe him at first, but Max was persistent and finally grabbed Todd’s hand and pulled him to the window.<br/><br/>Even with the surreal scene happening down the street, Max had to admit that the military grade binoculars Todd was using were pretty dope.  He momentarily wondered what type of zoom they had.  If he was bothered at all by what he'd just witnessed he wasn't showing any outward signs of it.<br/><br/>“See I told you.  We've got to go kill them now,” Max said with an unhealthy bit of excitement in his voice.  A single look of disgust from Todd reeled Max back in, but just barely.<br/><br/><br/><strong>June 1, 2012 – 6:00 p.m. – Highway 40, outskirts, New Angeles</strong><br/>More and more zombies had appeared over the last few days.  Todd had blamed himself.  He hadn’t been quick enough to kill the first one, or Mr. Mau.  They’d both bitten two more people by the time he had gathered his gun and exited his house.  Two had turned into six which had turned into fifteen and soon the zombies were all over the neighborhood.  He should have been better prepared.  He should have had more supplies loaded in the car.  As it was, he had been lucky enough to escape Mr. Mau, Mrs. Mau and their fourteen year old daughter.  All of whom had gone bloodthirsty mad.  He been even more fortunate to drive his family, and David's kids out of there.<br/><br/>Fortune had quickly run out on him after he had decided to take the highway to the old hiking trail he and David knew about.  Thousands of cars were stopped end to end on all four lanes of the highway.  Over half of the vehicles had been abandoned, and more than enough clogged the greenbelts between the east and west bound roads.  It was eerie to see not a single car for miles on the other side of the highway, the road that traveled into the city.  The National Guard had done their job well.  The five of them had slept in the SUV that night.<br/><br/>Now, Todd and the boys were pushing vehicles out of the way so that Nancy and Rebecca could drive the SUV through the greenbelt between the east and west bound highways.  A bit of muscle, and a good piece of driving by Mary, and the SUV was now on the opposite highway.  Todd took the wheel again and pointed the vehicle away from New Angeles.<br/><br/>Thirty minutes later they were at the roadblock and meeting extreme hostility.  A hundred vehicles or more had drivers who had had the same idea as Todd.  A Sergeant with a bullhorn continued to announce that people would need to turn around and vacate the premises or be prepared to be fired upon.  None of the drivers of the vehicles in front of them seemed to be listening, and Todd wasn’t about to either.  The United States Army wasn’t about to open fire on American citizens.  Even with that assurance firmly in his mind, Todd had a nagging feeling.<br/><br/>He noticed that vehicles on the other side of the highway had been torched.  It also appeared as if a number of cars on the opposite road had a few holes in their windshields and opened doors.  Not wanting to risk the lives of his family on an exit that didn’t seem to be panning out, Todd put the SUV in reverse and turned it around.<br/><br/>He hated watching the roadblock disappear in his rear-view mirror, but Mary’s reassuring hand on his arm helped him feel he had made the right decision.  There was another way to the hiking trail that led to a remote spot that was known to him and David as a good hunting, fishing, and camping area.  He’d just have to drive around the city to get to it.  His largest fear, though, was that they would need to travel close to the downtown area to get there.