Chapter 2: "Run"

After being stuck in traffic for several hours, Jake finds out the truth behind the MT90 virus.

Chapter 2: Run

“Um dad, are you sure we brought enough food and water for the trip? I mean anything could happen on the way there.”

“We only have about an hour left till we get to the hospital. What could possibly go wrong, I mean we haven’t seen any traffic at all.”

“Um dad, I think you may have spoken too soon.” Said Jake with dismay at his family’s misfortune, as the car came to a stop behind a mass of what looked like thousands of vehicles.

“Oh my god, it looks like everyone in Fulton County had the same idea we did!” said Jakes mom with a look of shock as she gazed out the window at the line of cars, trucks, and SUV’s that packed the road for miles.

The car came to a stop behind the last car in line, a minivan. A single mother could be seen inside trying to calm down her two children who were crying in the back seat. 

The line went on for at least another forty miles with no sign of the traffic letting up. Jake began to become frustrated as the hours went by with barely a foot of distance gained during their time in traffic.

“I told you we should have brought more supplies! We’ve been out here for hours and we’ve only moved what, like a foot or two! This is ridiculous! We’ll never make it out of this traffic.” A sigh left Jakes lips as he finished his rant, which considering the circumstances, was well deserved.

“I hate to say it Ron, but Jake is right. I mean if the traffic stays like this we won’t be able to make it on just some bottles of water and a few sandwiches.” Said Jakes mom, hoping to spark some sort of reaction from her husband, who up until now had not said a single word.

Jakes father looked at the traffic which seemed to go on forever, then turned his gaze to his watch which read 5:46. “Look, I get what both of you are trying to say, but think about it, how are we going to get out of this traffic? We’ve been in it for two and a half hours now and people have been packing in behind us this whole time. We couldn’t get out if we tried, so we’re going to have to just stick to it and keep moving whether we like it or not.

Jakes father was right. The traffic behind them had grown considerably over the last couple of hours, making any chance of going back home by car impossible.

“Hey dad, what the heck is going on up there?” asked Jake who pointing ahead at what appeared to be two people fighting in the middle of the street.

The fight became more intense between the two people, who could now be identified as male. One of the men was acting unusual. Instead of assuming the standard “fist fight” position, he was going berserk, flailing his arms at his opponent in a mad frenzy. 

“Oh my god!” exclaimed Jakes dad with a look of utter fear, which he never exhibited. “It’s one of the infected people; look he’s trying to bite that guy. I’ve got to go help him before he gets bitten!” 

Jake’s father opened the glove compartment of the car and grabbed his pistol, a small twenty-two caliber which he kept in the car in case of emergencies. Just as he began to leave the car his wife grabbed him by the arm.

“Are you crazy? Stay in the car, we can’t help that guy just stay out of the situation!” exclaimed his wife who was now gripping his arm even tighter. 

“We can’t just leave him there, what if he gets bitten, Then what?” Jake’s father declared as he freed himself from his wife’s grip. “Just relax honey; I’ll be right back I promise.” The car door made an audible thump as it closed behind Jake’s father, who was now sprinting over to aid the man in the street.

“Mom, what’s wrong with that guy, why is he attacking that man?” asked Jake in a serious, yet frightened tone.

Jake’s mother was about to respond when she saw something ahead. When she finally realized what it was, panic set it. 

There were more infected running towards the two fighting men. Jake’s father did not notice them as he moved closer to the fight, hoping he could get there in time. Before he had time to react, one of the infected people, a woman who was clearly very athletic, jumped onto him from the side, knocking him off balance and sending him toppling to the ground, the gun sliding out of his hand and skipping further and further away from his grasp.

Jake’s mother lunged for the passenger side door, but before she could pull the handle, an arm came crashing through the window, sending glass flying across the car and into the driver’s seat. Before she had time to react, Jake’s mother was grabbed by the neck and was now being pulled helplessly towards the passenger window as she screamed in horror at the sight of the clashing teeth of an infected man who was staring at her hungrily.

Jake acted quickly, pushing open his car door with lightning speed. He reached into his pocket for the knife that he always carried. He pulled it out and flicked it open as more and more glass chipped away from his mother’s window.

Jake put himself in a position behind the infected man, grabbing him by the shoulders and yanking him away with all the force he could muster.

It did the trick, sending the man thudding to the pavement as his arm was torn to ribbons by the jagged glass from the car window. Jake took the opening, launching himself onto the man who was shrieking in pain from the wound on his arm. Jake pinned him to the ground by pressing his arm against the man’s neck, which mad him flail his arms in a madly, splashing blood from the tattered arm onto Jakes blue shirt.

Jake took a deep breath, raised his pocket knife into the air, and slammed in down into the infected man’s eye, causing his flailing arms to cease as his body faded into a lifeless heap. 

Jake knew that this was no time to rest. He could see more infected attacking other cars, and he knew he had to get his mother away from them. He opened the car door to find his mother visibly shaken. She was mumbling to herself in such a low voice that Jake couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Mom we have to go!” yelled Jake trying to snap her out of the trance like state that she had fallen into.

That did it. The sound of her son’s voice brought Jake’s mother back to her senses. Jake grabbed his mother by the hand and pulled her up from her seat, causing bits of glass to fall from her pants. 

“We need to get out of here now!” cried Jake with concern for his mother.

They both ran as fast as their bodies could carry them, but Jake’s mother wasn’t very fit considering her age. As they ran, Jake’s mother began to fall behind until finally she fell to the ground, gasping for breath. 

Jake did not notice until it was too late. He turned around only to see his mother being bitten by another infected man.

“Run!” screamed Jake’s mother at the top of her lungs. “There’s nothing you can do for me now, just go! I love you son, but I need you to leave me behind!”

In a split second decision, Jake turned and ran. He did not look back, and he did not dare stop. He would honor his mother’s last wish, or die trying. 

Author's Note

This is very much a rough draft, so please feel free to point out any grammerical errors. Also please tell me what you think of the plot of this chapter. Was it interesting or bland, and please tell methe reason behind your thoughts.

Reviews

[Sandr]

Aw, that's so sad. Also you did a great job describing the attack scene. It was all very well worded and kept me on my feet. So great, I hope you write more soon!