from the kitchen followed by dishes shattering on the floor.
Jake ran for the kitchen.
“Holy crap, you okay?”
Abby sat wide-eyed, looking over at Nate.
She slowly mouthed, “O.M.G.”
Both of them silently wondered if they should go help,
quickly leave, or just sit it out. Jake
screamed from the kitchen. Nate hopped
off the couch and turned toward the sounds.
Instinct told Abby something was wrong.
She dropped the gaming controller and stood.
The blare of a car alarm filtered in from somewhere outside.
There was a loud grunt followed by a deep thud from the kitchen.
Abby raced into the kitchen and stepped into a scene that
seemed from another world. Brent lay on
the floor in a growing pool of blood.
Jake stood over him, holding a marble rolling pin in one hand.
Blood splattered his gray suit.
Nate stood off to the side, looking back and
forth between Brent’s body and Jake. His
mouth hung open, unable to get a word out.
Abby said, “What did you do?”
Jake looked down at the rolling pin in his hand, a confused
look crossing his face. He quickly
dropped the pin like it was a venomous snake.
“He was going crazy…rushed at me…I…I freaked out.
He’s okay…right?”
Abby started to say something, but stopped when a scream cut
through the walls from out in the apartment building hallway.
The three of them turned toward the living
room. The car alarm continued to blare
outside.
“Nate, call 911.” Abby
said. She hunched down next to Brent and
checked his neck for a pulse. He was
gone. Blood oozed out of a brutal wound
in his temple. Part of his skull was crushed
in, revealing the gruesome parts of a head that should never be seen.
His eyes were puffy, swollen, and circled by
deep red flesh.
Jake looked down, stress covering his
face. “Okay?”
Abby knew he was in shock.
She looked up and shook her head.
“Schiznits!
You guys gotta see this.”
Nate shouted from the living room.
Abby’s heart pounded in her chest.
What is
going on? She stood and followed
Jake out into the living room. Nate held
the white curtains back from the window and was peering down below.
Abby and Jake tucked in next to him to see
what he was looking at.
The street below was filled with chaos.
A blue delivery van had crashed head on into
a compact car, sending the smaller car spinning onto the sidewalk.
The car knocked a fire
hydrant loose, water gushing from the exposed hole.
The rear of the car had slammed into a
minivan, the source of the blaring alarm.
The van’s driver side door hung wide open, the seat empty.
To the side of the vehicles was a mass of
people. They were struggling with one
another, but packed into such a ball of arms and legs that it was impossible to
distinguish any individuals.
The three of them stood watching in stunned silence for
several seconds. Abby was the first to
speak. “Somebody turn the TV on.
I’m going to lock the door.”
At the front door she slammed the deadbolt
into place and stood listening at the door.
Through the wood she could hear the sounds of a scuffle and shouting.
The sudden blare of the TV drowned out the
noises.
Both Nate and Jake stood in front of the TV.
Jake had a remote pointed at the TV and was
rapidly flipping through the channels.
He stopped when he came to a news station.
The three of them stood watching the anchors
warning people to stay inside and lock their doors.
A ticker scrolled across the top of the
screen that read, “ …911 immediately and do not approach them. Urgent! If you
or anyone you know has received a flu shot within the past year call 911
immediately and do not approach them. Urgent! If you or… ”
All at once the three of them took a step away from each
other, fear crossing their faces.
Nate was the first to say it, “Either of you get the shot?”
Jake shook his head, “No way, I never put those toxins in my
body.”
“Toxins?”
Abby said while shaking her
Jake ran for the kitchen.
“Holy crap, you okay?”
Abby sat wide-eyed, looking over at Nate.
She slowly mouthed, “O.M.G.”
Both of them silently wondered if they should go help,
quickly leave, or just sit it out. Jake
screamed from the kitchen. Nate hopped
off the couch and turned toward the sounds.
Instinct told Abby something was wrong.
She dropped the gaming controller and stood.
The blare of a car alarm filtered in from somewhere outside.
There was a loud grunt followed by a deep thud from the kitchen.
Abby raced into the kitchen and stepped into a scene that
seemed from another world. Brent lay on
the floor in a growing pool of blood.
Jake stood over him, holding a marble rolling pin in one hand.
Blood splattered his gray suit.
Nate stood off to the side, looking back and
forth between Brent’s body and Jake. His
mouth hung open, unable to get a word out.
Abby said, “What did you do?”
Jake looked down at the rolling pin in his hand, a confused
look crossing his face. He quickly
dropped the pin like it was a venomous snake.
“He was going crazy…rushed at me…I…I freaked out.
He’s okay…right?”
Abby started to say something, but stopped when a scream cut
through the walls from out in the apartment building hallway.
The three of them turned toward the living
room. The car alarm continued to blare
outside.
“Nate, call 911.” Abby
said. She hunched down next to Brent and
checked his neck for a pulse. He was
gone. Blood oozed out of a brutal wound
in his temple. Part of his skull was crushed
in, revealing the gruesome parts of a head that should never be seen.
His eyes were puffy, swollen, and circled by
deep red flesh.
Jake looked down, stress covering his
face. “Okay?”
Abby knew he was in shock.
She looked up and shook her head.
“Schiznits!
You guys gotta see this.”
Nate shouted from the living room.
Abby’s heart pounded in her chest.
What is
going on? She stood and followed
Jake out into the living room. Nate held
the white curtains back from the window and was peering down below.
Abby and Jake tucked in next to him to see
what he was looking at.
The street below was filled with chaos.
A blue delivery van had crashed head on into
a compact car, sending the smaller car spinning onto the sidewalk.
The car knocked a fire
hydrant loose, water gushing from the exposed hole.
The rear of the car had slammed into a
minivan, the source of the blaring alarm.
The van’s driver side door hung wide open, the seat empty.
To the side of the vehicles was a mass of
people. They were struggling with one
another, but packed into such a ball of arms and legs that it was impossible to
distinguish any individuals.
The three of them stood watching in stunned silence for
several seconds. Abby was the first to
speak. “Somebody turn the TV on.
I’m going to lock the door.”
At the front door she slammed the deadbolt
into place and stood listening at the door.
Through the wood she could hear the sounds of a scuffle and shouting.
The sudden blare of the TV drowned out the
noises.
Both Nate and Jake stood in front of the TV.
Jake had a remote pointed at the TV and was
rapidly flipping through the channels.
He stopped when he came to a news station.
The three of them stood watching the anchors
warning people to stay inside and lock their doors.
A ticker scrolled across the top of the
screen that read, “ …911 immediately and do not approach them. Urgent! If you
or anyone you know has received a flu shot within the past year call 911
immediately and do not approach them. Urgent! If you or… ”
All at once the three of them took a step away from each
other, fear crossing their faces.
Nate was the first to say it, “Either of you get the shot?”
Jake shook his head, “No way, I never put those toxins in my
body.”
“Toxins?”
Abby said while shaking her
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