Welcome to Hell, Population: Five

“Justin! Give me the binoculars it’s my turn use them.” Complained Randy as he shifted around trying to get comfortable.

“There are no turns!” Snapped Justin, “Now just sit there quietly and don’t move. This isn’t like when we use to play spies in the park.”

“But how I am going to see where the zombies are if I can’t move.”

“They’re not zombies Randy; they’re just have a bad disease.”

“They look like zombies to me.”

“Well there not okay! Shh one is coming towards us.” Justin 

put his finger to his lips and locked eyes with his brother. Randy nodded to show he understood just how important silence was at this moment.

Justin looked outside of the window of his parents window at the growing mass of diseased people in the streets. Luckily they didn’t seem to interested in their house but he could tell that they were getting agitated. Justin scanned over their faces using his binoculars trying to see if he recognized any of them. The binoculars were pointless but Justin knew that if he didn’t pretend like he needed them his brother would complain again.

Randy shifted around on the ground next to him and Justin looked down at him. He smiled and rubbed his hand in Randy’s hair.

“Everything is going to be alright bud.”

A shout in the street brought Justin's attention back to the horde of people. A family that must have been in one of the other houses had tried to make a break for it. Two boys and a girl along with their parents ran towards the far end of the street followed closely by the horde. The father shouted something that Justin couldn’t understand and turned around to face the horde. In his right hand he had a pistol and in his left hand he had a shovel.

“No,” Justin wanted to shout at the man. The noise of the pistol being fired would only agitate the horde and attract more diseased people.

“What is it Justin? What's happening out there?” Randy asked wide-eyed,

“It’s nothing just stay out of sight and we’ll be fine.” Justin said and he grabbed Randy’s hand in his. He felt Randy shift closer and press up against his body. Justin turned his attention back to the street as the father fought of some of the braver members of the horde.

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Scientists hadn’t been able to explain the diseased peoples need for human flesh. In the beginning, only one month ago when people first started to get sick they knew what they were doing was wrong. They tried to stop and went to doctors and therapists to get help but no one could find a cure. The disease spread rapidly as people found out that a bite or blood contact spread the disease. About a week after the disease started scientists miraculously found a cure and began handing out vaccines. And for a second Justin thought that would be the end of it all. Everyone in his family had got a vaccination. But there was still all of the diseased people wandering around killing and eating people. The vaccine helped unless someone took a good bite out of you. The problem was that if any of them got a hold of you they took a good bite, and so the disease continued to spread.

Into the second week everything was somehow still working. There was electricity in the morning and evenings, there was TV even if it was only the news channels. There were airplanes flying around carrying scientists and doctors from one place to another. Again Justin thought that this living nightmare would end.

Then the scientists made a discovery, the disease was slowly evolving and soon everyone who was vaccinated would still be at risk and to make matters worse the disease was now airborne. Most of the people in the city left towards New York City where the government created a safe haven for non-infected individuals. Justin’s parents felt that New York would be too crowded and chose to stay home. Another week past by and thing began to get progressively worse. Some of Justin’s non vaccinated neighbors began to get sick. Within two days most if not all of the non-vaccinated people had become ill with the new disease. The next morning Justin woke to the sound of his parents arguing. His mother wanted to leave for New York believing it was safer there with the majority of people. His father argued that the more people the bigger the target for the diseased people. In the end they stayed put.

In the fourth week Justin heard someone yelling in a bull horn. His father went out to investigate. It turned out that scientists had come up with a new vaccine that would make a person permanently immune to the disease. Of course it only worked if you got scratched or bitten lightly by a diseased person. If they ripped you open then you would end up being diseased if you didn’t die first. On the twenty fourth day after the disease started Justin and his family headed out to get vaccinated. They headed out to the center of the city where the scientists were waiting. After they got vaccinated they started to head back towards their house when they heard a gunshot. Justin’s parents told him to take Randy to the house and they ran back towards the center. Justin hurried home and waited for his parents to arrive. He waited for five days until he accepted the fact that they weren't coming back.

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This was his second day looking out for his brother by himself. ‘Tomorrow we have to go find help.’ Justin said in his head and he watched the father turn his back on the horde and run. He had bought his family enough time to get away to the safety of their car.

‘That’s one advantage we have over them.’ Justin thought to himself, ‘We can move faster than them.’ Even though Randy was only twelve he was pretty fast for his age and shouldn’t have any trouble keeping up.

Something flashing on the street caught his attention and he looked down trying to see what had reflected the suns light. He looked for a broken bottle or a shattered window that would explain the flash but there wasn’t anything there. Again, he saw the flash out of the corner of his eye. This time he located it. Staring at him from a house across the street were three kids. Two boys and one girl holding up a sign that read: HELP US!

Justin looked down at Randy who was sleeping.

“Wake up Randy,” Justin whispered, “Come look outside.”

Randy groaned and lifted himself up so he could see out the window.

“Are we going to help them Justin?” He asked as he waved to the kids across the street.

“We’re going to try but I don’t know how much of a help we’re going to be.

Justin gathered all of their essential belongings because he figured that they would be safer if they moved in with the other kids. He groaned as he lifted his suitcase down the stairs. Randy followed him closely behind. Justin snapped his fingers.

“I almost forgot,” He said as he ran into the kitchen.

A minute later he returned with a pack of about two dozen water bottles.

“Time to go bud.” He said to Randy.

“What if mom and dad come back looking for us?”

“I don’t think they’re going to come any time soon.”

Justin individualized the water bottles and put them in a backpack.

“Here Randy,” He said handing over the backpack. “I need you to carry this across the street.”

“But it’s so heavy.” Complain Randy as he tried to lifted on his shoulders.

Justin was about to reply when something happened to freeze the words in his mouth. A loud banging sound outside followed by a scream.