said with a smile. “We’ve just received more information regarding the emergency closure of Interstate 37 to the south of our viewing area. TXDOT and hazmat officials have informed us that an overturned chemical tanker has multiple lanes blocked as authorities continue to clean up the spill. The work is expected to last throughout the night. Luckily, no fatalities have been reported. There has been no indication when the interstate will reopen, but as of now all thru-traffic is being diverted off of the interstate and onto state highways and farm roads. The towns affected by the closures are Tres Rios, Pleasanton, and Beeville.”
She looked into the camera and smiled as a video of an elderly woman petting a dog played in the top corner of the screen.
“In other news tonight, a woman in Leon Valley has been reunited with an old four-legged friend who she thought ran away months ago. The fairytale reunion happened after the man who was taking care of the stray happened to spot a faded posted inside the HEB located on Bandera and–”
John turned off the television and sighed.
He was tired of waiting.
“To hell with this,” he grumbled as he forced himself to sit up.
His head swam.
He closed his eyes and waited for the vertigo to subside before reaching for his cellphone to check the time.
One unread text message.
Becky.
Yawning, he clicked on the message and read it…
As he read it, his face grew pale and his eyes grew wide.
Help. In the cafeteria. 2nd floor. Very scared. Men holding us at gunpoint. When you get
The message stopped abruptly.
He tried calling her phone.
It rang, but nobody answered.
He called again… and again… and again.
No response.
He picked up the bedside phone and put the receiver to his ear.
The landline was dead.
John threw the receiver down and tried calling ‘911’ on his cellphone.
There was a busy tone.
Panicked, John put his phone away, stood up, and hurried towards the door.
The pulse monitor slid off of his finger as he stumbled towards the door.
The machine made a steady alarm tone.
As John approached the door, he heard a commotion in the hall.
He tried turning the knob.
It was locked.
“HELLO?!” John shouted as he started banging against the door. “IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?! OPEN THE DOOR! LET ME OUT!”
No response.
“Fuck!” he said in frustration. He tore off his hospital gown, grabbed his work uniform off of the table, and hastily changed clothes. He slid on his boots as he hopped his way back towards the door one foot at a time, struggling to get the weathered boots over his sockless feet.
He heard gunfire outside.
Panicked, John started kicking the door, screaming and shouting.
“LET ME OUT!” he repeated over and over as he kicked.
Something slammed back against the door, startling him.
John stepped away from the door in confusion.
Whatever was on the other side was snarling as it bashed frantically against the door.
The cheap door started to splinter and crack off of its hinges.
John backed against the bed, momentarily forgetting about his wife and the armed men holding her captive. His attention was fixated on the thing smashing against his door…
The door finally broke into wooden slivers as a naked, overweight man rushed into the room. The man had a large scar running down the center of his abdomen and the area was covered with surgical markings. His eyes were pitch-black. The man didn’t seem to mind as the pieces of wood sliced into his body and gouged into his robust body, making him look like some grotesque porcupine.
“Get the fuck back!” John ordered as he stumbled backwards and pushed the bed against the wall.
The obese man charged towards John, screaming.
John dove out of the way.
The obese man crashed against the flimsy hospital bed and broke it to pieces.
John ran towards the door, looking over his shoulder in fright and disbelief.
The obese man got up with unnatural speed and chased after John, quickly
She looked into the camera and smiled as a video of an elderly woman petting a dog played in the top corner of the screen.
“In other news tonight, a woman in Leon Valley has been reunited with an old four-legged friend who she thought ran away months ago. The fairytale reunion happened after the man who was taking care of the stray happened to spot a faded posted inside the HEB located on Bandera and–”
John turned off the television and sighed.
He was tired of waiting.
“To hell with this,” he grumbled as he forced himself to sit up.
His head swam.
He closed his eyes and waited for the vertigo to subside before reaching for his cellphone to check the time.
One unread text message.
Becky.
Yawning, he clicked on the message and read it…
As he read it, his face grew pale and his eyes grew wide.
Help. In the cafeteria. 2nd floor. Very scared. Men holding us at gunpoint. When you get
The message stopped abruptly.
He tried calling her phone.
It rang, but nobody answered.
He called again… and again… and again.
No response.
He picked up the bedside phone and put the receiver to his ear.
The landline was dead.
John threw the receiver down and tried calling ‘911’ on his cellphone.
There was a busy tone.
Panicked, John put his phone away, stood up, and hurried towards the door.
The pulse monitor slid off of his finger as he stumbled towards the door.
The machine made a steady alarm tone.
As John approached the door, he heard a commotion in the hall.
He tried turning the knob.
It was locked.
“HELLO?!” John shouted as he started banging against the door. “IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?! OPEN THE DOOR! LET ME OUT!”
No response.
“Fuck!” he said in frustration. He tore off his hospital gown, grabbed his work uniform off of the table, and hastily changed clothes. He slid on his boots as he hopped his way back towards the door one foot at a time, struggling to get the weathered boots over his sockless feet.
He heard gunfire outside.
Panicked, John started kicking the door, screaming and shouting.
“LET ME OUT!” he repeated over and over as he kicked.
Something slammed back against the door, startling him.
John stepped away from the door in confusion.
Whatever was on the other side was snarling as it bashed frantically against the door.
The cheap door started to splinter and crack off of its hinges.
John backed against the bed, momentarily forgetting about his wife and the armed men holding her captive. His attention was fixated on the thing smashing against his door…
The door finally broke into wooden slivers as a naked, overweight man rushed into the room. The man had a large scar running down the center of his abdomen and the area was covered with surgical markings. His eyes were pitch-black. The man didn’t seem to mind as the pieces of wood sliced into his body and gouged into his robust body, making him look like some grotesque porcupine.
“Get the fuck back!” John ordered as he stumbled backwards and pushed the bed against the wall.
The obese man charged towards John, screaming.
John dove out of the way.
The obese man crashed against the flimsy hospital bed and broke it to pieces.
John ran towards the door, looking over his shoulder in fright and disbelief.
The obese man got up with unnatural speed and chased after John, quickly
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