Beware the Night by Sonny Collins

***
      George was just getting out of bed when the sirens went off. He grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt from the floor and quickly dressed before heading into the living room. His parents were sitting motionless in front of the television.
      “What’s happening? A tornado?”
      His father motioned for him to hush. He moved around so he could see what they were watching. The news reports were like something out of a horror movie. A plague cloud was moving swiftly across the country. Millions of people were already dead with the death toll expected to rise much higher. Only about ten percent of the population seemed to be unaffected by this new virus that was killing people within mere minutes of acquiring it.
      “We have to get out of here.” His father stammered.
      “But where would we go?” George asked. “We can’t outrun a virus.”
      His father turned to him with a look of sheer fear upon his face. “You missed the first part of this newscast. The dead are not staying dead. Whatever this disease is, it is turning people into zombies.”
      “Don’t be crazy,” George smirked. “There are no such things as zombies. You sound more like my nerdy friends from school than a reasonable adult.”
      His mother pointed to the screen. There were scenes of mass destruction as fallen bodies began to rise and attack healthy looking people. But George realized all of this was happening in the dark of night. It was only 7:30 in the morning.
      “None of this is real. Don’t you get it, that is a scene from some movie or something. That can not be happening right now because it’s at night.”
      “This all started last night,” his father explained. “The footage we are seeing was filmed then. The newscasters have now lost all contact with everyone back east. This plague is heading our way. We need to find a place to be safe from the zombies.”
      “This is all to surreal to believe.”
      His father gave him a hug around the shoulders. “Our best bet is to go where there are less people. I think we should head up into the mountains. We’ll load the car with provisions and get out of here.”
      “But what about my friends from school?”
      “I’m sure their parents are gathering them up and figuring out what to do right now. Time is of the essence. We need to pack and leave.”
      George knew his parents were right. He ran to his room to gather up his backpack and load it with some clothes. Then he headed for the kitchen to help his mother load some boxes of food. As they put everything into the car, the sirens suddenly went silent.
      “Could that mean it’s over?” George wondered aloud.
      “Or it’s already here,” his father whispered.
      “We could get more stuff in the car if I ride my cycle,” George pointed out. “I can easily follow behind you.”
      His father thought about it a moment and then agreed. They quickly loaded the car down with as much food and clothing as it would hold. Opening the garage door, they were met by chaos. Everyone on the street was packing their vehicles and running around in panic. George realized his family was going to be one of the first to get out of the neighborhood as his parents got in the car and backed out. He put on his helmet and followed closely behind.
      They had barely reached the edge of town when the sirens once again blared out loudly, but this time instead of a steady noise, it beeped on and off. George wondered what that could mean as he pulled up beside his parents.
      “Why is the siren sounding different than before?”
      His mother just pointed at the sky to the east of them. A bluish cloud was billowing in front of a massive storm. It was like nothing they had ever seen before. And there was no way to outrun it. The wind blew with almost hurricane force, pushing George and his cycle over against the car. He closed his eyes as wind whipped all around him with such power that he could no longer hold up the