Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 01 (3 page)

"Thank you," Janet said uneasily, not sure if Morgan was being truly courteous. She carefully entered the apartment glancing from side to side as if looking for something, or someone.

"What can I get you?" Morgan asked playing the good host. Morgan did not like Janet, but there was not reason to be rude. Both of them were worried about what was going on at the school and concerned that they had not heard from Alex. Each of them could use some company right now.

"Nothing, thank you," Janet said absently. She was staring at the TV, intently watching the news reporters and the breaking news scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Morgan picked up the remote from where she had placed it and unmuted the sound. Janet jumped from the sudden noise now coming from the TV set.

"City officials are still very vague as to the actual events that are taking place within the barricaded area. Word of a possible terrorist bombing have been circulating around the crowd gathered here, including some of the police officers that have been patrolling the barricade. In the last thirty minutes, the Texas National Guard and Austin police have pushed back the barricaded area almost three city blocks. Anyone outside of the restricted area have been asked to disperse and go home. All residents and employees within the barricade have not been allowed to leave."

"My god," Janet whispered from behind her hand.
 

"As we reported earlier, a small amount of gunfire could be heard. There is no word yet if that gunfire had come from within the restricted area or outside it. National Guardsmen and city police have been rather hostile towards those who have been gathering around the barricades, many of whom claim to have loved ones trapped inside the area."

"Morgan," Janet's voice was shaking and tears had begun to roll down her cheeks. "Morgan I need to find Alex.
We
need to find Alex. I need my baby." Janet's voice was raising to an almost hysterical pitch and she began gesturing with her hands frantically.

"Janet, you need to calm down. What do you plan on doing and where would you go? Alex probably has the girls now and is headed here. If you leave now you'll miss them in passing and just cause more problems at the school than needed. I'm sure you're not the only parent who went to get their kid -- or sent someone." There was a venom that crept into Morgan's voice. She shook her head trying to clear the irrational thoughts from her mind and to speak calmly to Janet. "With everything that is going on I'm sure the phone lines are probably all jammed up. I'd bet that is why Alex hasn't called. I'm sure he's been trying and he'll get through soon.

Janet was wringing her hands and if she were trying to remove some invisible substance stuck to them. She was panicking and searching around the apartment for something for her mind to latch on to. Behind her gunfire erupted from the television. Both women started from sudden assault on their ears and senses, then gathering their wits ran into the other room to see what was happening.

The news reporter on at the scene was frantically speaking into the camera as the gathered crowd began to run in every direction.
"...gunfire can be heard coming from the barricaded area. No one knows what is happening in the area and there is utter chaos..."
One of the crowd ran into the reporter knocking him off his feet. The man continued forward, his momentum carrying him straight into the cameraman and also knocking him to the ground. The image on the screen shook violently as the camera was dropped, coming to rest on its side with the National Guardsmen and police in view. Some of the gathered crowd were running into the restricted area instead of away from it, hoping in the confusion to be able to get through to their loved ones trapped inside. Horror gripped Janet and Morgan as the Guardsmen and police fired upon those entering the restricted area.
 

Blood sprayed from the back of those hit, knocking them off their feet to land face first on the hard pavement. The guns of the guardsmen continued to belch forth their lethal contents striking others in their flight and continuing to punch bloody holes in those that had already fallen. Boots came in the the cameras field of view blocking the image. Shouts and orders could be heard, most likely from the man standing over the camera. Someone was demanding that the camera be turned off, to hand them over. The camera's view shifted again as if being picked up. Gunfire exploded near the camera and the view once again tumbled to the ground. A hand covered in blood fell into view just before the network signal cut out completely.

"Oh my god...oh my god..." Janet was muttering to herself over and over; Morgan simply sat staring at the screen.
 

"What just happened?" Morgan whispered and absently reached for the phone. She had to get in touch with Alex. She had to make sure everything was alright. Morgan was dialing the phone when Janet collapsed to the floor unconscious. "I don't need this," she sighed and placed the phone down next to her. As she bent to help Janet she said, "I need to find Alex and Gemma."

-----

Gunfire was still popping behind them, but far in the distance now. It was just over two miles from the school to the apartment and Alex felt as it was on the other side of the world. Alex had been on the run for almost an hour now and had only covered a few blocks. On the run was not actually the right way to put things. Carrying two girls was no easy task, no matter how small they were. He was panting with the effort and needed to stop for a moment to catch his breath.
 

"Girls, I need to put you down for a minute," Alex gasped. Both of the girls clung to Alex tighter, choking him in the process. "Girls, girls...I can't breath. I just need to put you down for a minute, then we'll head home. Okay?" The little arms around his neck eased a bit and he bent to put them on the ground. Alex's back flared with pain and he groaned with the effort. "Alright," Alex sighed. "Just a minute and we'll get going again." He sank heavily to the ground and held his head in his hands trying to clear the thoughts fighting for control in his mind.
 

Alex was unsure how long he had been sitting there before he shook his head to focus again. The two girls were standing in front of him, still staring down at Alex, waiting for him to take them home. He looked up at them and smiled a little smile. "Okay, you two ready?" The girls nodded their heads slightly and looked as if they would cry at any moment. "Come on," Alex said and struggled to get off the ground. "Each of you take a hand. Let's go."

Another block over Alex and the two girls came to a shopping center. Alex's eyes were drawn to the big red letters proclaiming "GUNS" and stopped abruptly. "We need to make a stop," Alex told the girls. Each of the girls began to protest weakly and Alex shook their hands. "It will just be a minute. We just need to stop for something important." The girls relented, too young and too scared to protest much.
 

The bell above the shop door tinkled as the trio entered. The man behind the counter jerked in their direction and pulled the pistol from the holster at his hip.

"What the hell are you doing?" Alex yelled as he pulled the girls behind him to shield them from the man. The shop owner was shaking, the gun hopping up and down in his hands as he aimed at Alex. "Put the gun away, man! I've got too kids here!"

The shop owner seemed to snap out of his fright at the mention of the children and he lowered the gun. "I'm...sorry. I'm sorry. Aw shit, man...sorry," he stammered.

"Put the gun away," Alex ordered.

"O...okay...yeah, yeah," the man continued to stammer until he finally holstered the pistol again. "Wha...what do you want?"

Alex relaxed his stance and met the man's gaze. "I want you to relax. I've got two kids here and you are not going to hurt anyone, got it?" Alex's voice was low and commanding. "I need some supplies. Have you got any .38 special ammo? I also need some .22 hollow-point and some .410 shotgun shells."

The man behind the counter looked towards the TV and back to Alex, a look of shock and surprise on his face. "Dude, have you seen what's going on out there?" The question was serious. So was the look on Alex's face.

"I'll take ten boxes of each, please. Have you got them?" Alex stared at the man, anger radiating out from his body.
 

"Oh, yeah. I guess you have." The man licked his lips and actually looked even more nervous than when they had first entered the store. Alex didn't believe that possible. "Sorry, man. I think we are all out." He spread his hands wide as if there was nothing left to say.
 

Alex looked as if he had been slapped across the face. He craned his head as if he were struggling to see the shelves behind the man. There were stacks of ammo in every caliber. "Do you think you could check in the back? Maybe you have some there." The sarcasm dripped from Alex's voice.

"I'm sorry, man. There's nothing that I can do for you." The man was trying to sound sympathetic towards Alex and his problem, but the gesture fell short. The amount of ammo stacked behind the man was enough to start his own revolution.

"Hey girls. Would you mind waiting right over there in that corner? I need to talk to this man about something. Wait right there, okay?" Alex nudged the girls slightly in the direction he indicated, then turned to face the man behind the counter. "So how about those boxes?" he asked as he crossed the room.

"Listen," commanded the shop owner. "I told you that we were all out of those. So if you wouldn't mind..." His hand moved to his hip and the pistol holstered there.
 

Faster than the man could react, Alex reached across the counter and grabbed the shop owner by the front of his shirt. Alex yanked the man off balance and reached behind his back for the revolver stuck in his belt. The metal of the gun flashed in the light as Alex brought the barrel to the man's forehead. The smell of urine hit Alex's nostrils and he winced. "I would like to purchase some ammo from your fine establishment. Do you think you could help me?" The shop owners eyes were crossed as he tried to focus on the barrel of the gun pressed against his forehead. After a moments hesitation he nodded his head in agreement. "Good. Now, slowly take the gun and place it on the counter." The man hesitated a moment, his eyes flicking to Alex. "I don't want your gun. I just want to make sure you don't use it." The shop owner slowly removed the pistol from the holster and gently placed it on the counter. Alex released the man's shirt and straightened.
 

"Alright. Now, I need ten boxes each of .38 special, .22 hollow-point, and .410 shotgun." Alex reached and picked up the pistol from the counter, setting down the revolver in his right hand. With a practiced hand Alex released the clip, checking its contents and slipping the clip back into the gun. "Oh," Alex said almost absently, "and I'll need a couple of boxes of ammo for this. I think it's a .357?" The jaw of the shop owner dropped. "What? You think I'd actually point a loaded gun at another person? I'm desperate, not crazy."

-----

The plastic bags banged up against Alex's leg with every step he took. Gemma held her dad's hand and Becky held Gemma's. The girls walked in silence taking two steps for every one of Alex's. They had been walking for almost an hour now and neither of them had said a word since leaving the gun store. Alex's attempts to engage the girls in small talk had been futile and pointless, each of them too scared of Alex and terrified from what had happened throughout the day to have anything to say. In reality, Alex wasn't much for talking at the moment. He was too embarrassed by his actions back at the store and didn't feel like trying to make small talk with anyone.
 

"We're almost there," Alex said as a matter of fact. The sky was quickly getting darker and the street lights were beginning to hum to life, spilling their warm light and illuminating the shadows. Gun shots could still be heard in the distance and there were cars speeding everywhere. The sight of Alex and the two girls walking almost calmly down the sidewalk on their way home was nothing less than surreal. The world around them was falling apart.

The apartment complex came into view as the trio rounded the corner of the block. The sight of home lightened everyone's step and they all moved a little quicker. "We're almost home," one of the girls whispered quietly, the first thing that either of them had said in a long while.
 

Alex smiled down at the two. "Almost there," he said, an overwhelming sound of relief clouding his voice. "I bet your moms are going to he happy to see you." He tugged at Gemma's hand. "You ready to see momma?" Gemma's face scrunched up and she began to cry. Alex knelt down and put his hands on Gemma's shoulders. "What's wrong, baby? What's the matter? We're almost home."

"I wanna see momma!" Gemma wailed throwing her arms around her father's neck. Becky couldn't contain herself either and began crying too. Alex dropped the bags he'd been carrying and reached out to pull Becky into his arms. The two girls cried uncontrollably into Alex's neck and it was soon too much for even him. Alex started to cry as well, the three of them overcome by the events of the day.

After a few minutes for release Alex hugged the girls a little harder and pulled away. "You girls okay?" he asked through the tears. Each of the girl nodded their agreement in their own time, sniffling and hiccuping after their crying jag. Alex wiped away the last of the tears off of their faces and reached to pick up the bags at his feet, hanging them in the crook of his elbow. "Okay," Alex said taking their hands. "Lets go home." The three turned towards the apartment complex and walked quickly home.

CHAPTER TWO

Outbreak

"I don't give a damn what you think, Morgan. Get on the phone and call them," Alex's anger was at the tipping point. Something was very wrong with what was happening downtown and Alex couldn't wait on the city officials to fess up to what was really going on.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that Alex. This is ridiculous. What am I supposed to tell them, 'My ass of a husband says that we all have to get out of the city. He won't tell me how or why, but goddammit, don't fuck with him 'cause he's the man-with-the-plan?!'," she retorted.