Matt watched the reporter, seemingly alone in the streets, shouting about the rise of these “disturbances” which involved the victim almost always getting pieces of them chewed off, sustaining deep scratches, and pretty much just messed up in some way. Matt had heard about this way too much. Sipping his juice box with indifference, he sat there watching the reporter.
“I AM HERE TODAY IN BLEEP, WHERE THERE HAS BEEN A RISE IN VIOLENT RANDOM ATTACKS…”
“Why did they bleep out where he was?” Matt thought to himself. “They never did that before, and why he is completely alone?”
The reporter continued.
“WE ARE ON THE STREET RIGHT NOW, WHERE THE TOWN HAS BEEN ALL BUT ABONDONED. STRANGELY ENOUGH,THE ATTACKS HAVE SPREAD TO OTHER ADJACENT CITIES…”
“Why do reporters always shout when they do the news?” Matt thought out loud.
Matt watched the reporter move around, of course, being followed by the camera with a lovely shaky effect. The reporter finds a resident dragging his feet, arms down at his sides, pretty much looking at the ground.
“This guy looks way off.” Matt said aloud.
“WE ARE HERE WITH A LOCAL RESIDENT. SIR! SIR! EXCUSE ME, SIR! IF WE COULD HAVE A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME! NOW, MOST OF THE TOWN HAS EVACUATED, WE ARE WONDERING WHY YOU DECIDED TO STAY BEHIND?”
Matt watched the man slowly turn around, revealing congealed eyes and an open mouth with brown stains around his lips. Matt was grateful for the protection his television offered. The man became fixed on the reporter, who was now too busy looking into the camera to describe the desolate scene.
“uuunnh,” Was the response that the man gave to the reporter. A low moan that you could hear scraping it’s way through his throat.
The reporter put his microphone to the man’s face and awaited an answer while talking into the camera about the man’s bravery for staying.
There was a difference between bravery and foolishness and Matt could easily see the difference today.
In what looked like a few seconds, the man lunged at the reporter, his weight knocking him to the ground. The cameraman stood focused on the scene. He backed away and recorded the reporter’s desperate screams for help. There was still time. The reporter was fending off the hungry beast. The inaction of the cameraman cost another life and added another infected to the ranks.
The camera caught it all; the reporter’s screams as he desperately tried to slap the man away, his flailing kicks attempting to land a blow on him. It wouldn’t matter though, these things don’t feel pain. Matt had seen videos online of these things becoming dismembered and still marching on like nothing had happened.
Matt heard the sickening crunch, and watched the man chew off a chunk of the reporters arm, sleeve and all. The man screamed with tears in his eyes. His scream was heart rending that Matt had to turn away. The man screamed and cried at the same time, the camera caught the reporter reaching up to try and reclaim the piece of his flesh that the man was chewing on and swallowing right in front of him. The fingers, so close to his lost flesh, were gnawed off in front of the reporter. He had lost too much blood to keep fighting the man off.
The reporter stopped moving. His nerves kept him shaking. The cameraman slowly backed away from the scene. He was breathing heavily as he tried to make his way to the news van. He kept his eyes and camera focused on the scene.
There was another person breathing behind him.
He froze in his tracks.
He turned the camera and himself around slowly.
Right in front of the lens was a woman missing the flesh around her mouth and missing a cheek. Few sharpened teeth remained in her mouth and her clothes were torn and tattered. She was pale and her hair was almost all there.
“She’s a fresh one,” Matt thought.
The reporter dodged a lunge and watched the pathetic form of the woman fall over. She looked up and crawled towards him, reaching for his legs. He backed away, forgetting about what he was walking away from not a moment ago.
The reporter’s corpse rose.
He and the man turned towards the cameraman, who spun around in just in the nick of time.
The sight of someone who was just obviously killed, risen and coming at you with extended arms is enough to shake anyone and the cameraman was no exception.
He dropped the camera.
He made a mad dash for the news van.
The blonde woman had finally grabbed his ankle and it sent him down to the ground. He desperately flailed around trying to kick her off. He succeeded in landing a few blows to her face, but her job was done. She bought the man and reporter enough time in catching their prey. One wouldn’t expect much grace from the walking dead. The reporter fell on the cameraman who was already busy reeling in pain from have his leg chewed on by the blonde woman.
His echoing scream was being muffled by the reporter chewing out his cheek, his lips, and then pulling off his tongue. The cameraman’s screams became a loud gurgling noise and Matt watched as his legs kicked with less and less strength, ultimately giving up the fight and allowing his death.
“Oh shit.”
Matt changed the channel.
Jason and Dave
Jason and Dave had known each other for about 10 years now, so it was no surprise that one was at the other’s house.
It was to everyone’s surprise about what the news had just played. They both stood there together, stunned at the broadcast. They had not changed the channel and grew a bit afraid at the anchor’s attempts to play it off as technical difficulties. You could hear the crew in the back chattering about the incident.
The friends both grew even more worried when they realized that the news van from the broadcast was in the next town over.
They were both aware that their town had taken in many refugees from that area and their area was growing less and less safe by the day. There were reports of a few “attacks” in the vicinity, but none of them had paid any mind. They knew better than to go out at night, especially around these times.
Jason turned to Dave, “Dude, what is going on? I don’t even know anymore.”
Dave replied, “I thought this was all a bit of a publicity stunt at first. I am a bit scared. I mean, seriously, doesn’t this kind of thing happen in movies?”
Just then, a terrible scream rang out. Jason and Dave both ran to the nearest window. It was puzzlement or terror that kept them from looking away. Jason’s neighbor, Beth, ran outside of her house screaming and flailing her arms around. Her bare feet smacking into the concrete almost echoed in the friends’ ears. She began to grab at her shoulder; her blue blouse was stained with her blood, pouring out of a large open wound.
“Wait a minute, Jay, look at her hand.” Dave was barely able to make out the words.
“Her fingers, they’re gone. It looks like they were chewed off. We need to call 911 now!” Jason replied.
Jason ran to the phone, while Dave stood at the window, keeping an eye on Beth. Jason was having a hard time getting through to the paramedics.
Dave then saw what appeared to be her husband nonchalantly limp his way over to his bleeding wife. She screamed even louder as he fell on top of her and began…