LZR-1143: Within Read Online Free Page B
Author: Bryan James
assure people that help was coming.
Then, the unthinkable began to occur. Those who had so recently perished from this rapidly onsetting disease, those who had so recently been alive and well; those whose bodies now jammed the morgues and makeshift mortuaries in hospitals and fire stations and churches across the country; those people began to rise again.
By mid-afternoon, even as Louis was closing his car door and walking the long, lonely walk to the front door of the large banking building—hours before he would stand huddled in the employee lounge bent over a small cellular phone—reports of the dead rising began to make their way to the airwaves.
***
Louis shook his head in disbelief, unable to believe that the power outage was somehow related to this story—this story that was only a blip on the news when he drove to work only hours ago. He had dismissed it then, as he was tempted to dismiss it now. Some sort of SARS, pig flu, bird flu, yada yada crap.
He never bought into that shit. It was always overhyped and overdone. Sensationalized.
It had to be something else.
But what if it wasn’t?
What if it was a plague or an epidemic or something like that? And they were all trapped in a windowless, locked, dark building together.
A building in which anyone could be infected.
He looked at Cam and back to Antonio, eyes uncertain hand shaking slightly as he handed the phone back. He stepped back until he felt his back hit the cheap gray counter next to the sink.
“What, Louis? You can’t tell me that you’re pushing this shit too, are you?” Antonio’s voice was raised and anxious, his hands moving quickly as he talked. From the room outside the lounge, a single emergency light popped and fizzled out.
Louis gestured at Cam, who handed the phone to the larger man. His eyes still dubious, Antonio took the small device and started reading. Louis turned around and walked woodenly to the soda machine, plunking three quarters in and pressing the button. Nothing happened. His quarters shot out the bottom and he tried again. Nothing. Then he remembered, the power was out.
Right.
Its funny how your body remembers motion and habitual action, even when your brain knows better, he mused.
“Well this has to be a joke, right? I mean, I saw all that bullshit on the news this evening too, but the news always makes mountains out of chipmunk asses, right?” Antonio’s hand was shaking slightly as he handed the phone back to Cam. “I remember the SARS scare and the bird flu and the monkey flu and the elephant flu and all that crap from years ago. Didn’t come to anything. Why should we think this is any different?”
His voice was aggressive, as if hoping to pummel Louis and Cam into submission on this point. They were silent, thinking of the implications. Cam was staring at the phone, trying to get the rest of the page to load.
“Shouldn’t be doing this,” he muttered, voice trailing off into a mumble as he stared at the small screen.
Antonio continued, “We have to see what’s happening outside. That’s probably where Rajesh and Tiny went, right?”
He turned, walking out the doorway leading back to the front entrance. Louis nodded mutely and awkwardly fumbled the three quarters back into his pocket, still wondering absently whether the pop inside was still cold.
Cam was staring at his screen, still muttering.
“Cam, you coming?”
For several seconds he was silent, then spoke softly.
“I think the internet’s out.” Cam’s normally boisterous voice was soft and quiet. As if such a thing we not possible.
Louis stared into space for a moment, then simply turned and left the room, leaving a confused looking young man, staring at a blank screen in the dark.
***
The first report of a bite was in Washington D.C.
A hot dog vendor on the mall was attacked from behind by a homeless man. The assailant had died the night before, huddled in the corner of a national park restroom in a pool
Then, the unthinkable began to occur. Those who had so recently perished from this rapidly onsetting disease, those who had so recently been alive and well; those whose bodies now jammed the morgues and makeshift mortuaries in hospitals and fire stations and churches across the country; those people began to rise again.
By mid-afternoon, even as Louis was closing his car door and walking the long, lonely walk to the front door of the large banking building—hours before he would stand huddled in the employee lounge bent over a small cellular phone—reports of the dead rising began to make their way to the airwaves.
***
Louis shook his head in disbelief, unable to believe that the power outage was somehow related to this story—this story that was only a blip on the news when he drove to work only hours ago. He had dismissed it then, as he was tempted to dismiss it now. Some sort of SARS, pig flu, bird flu, yada yada crap.
He never bought into that shit. It was always overhyped and overdone. Sensationalized.
It had to be something else.
But what if it wasn’t?
What if it was a plague or an epidemic or something like that? And they were all trapped in a windowless, locked, dark building together.
A building in which anyone could be infected.
He looked at Cam and back to Antonio, eyes uncertain hand shaking slightly as he handed the phone back. He stepped back until he felt his back hit the cheap gray counter next to the sink.
“What, Louis? You can’t tell me that you’re pushing this shit too, are you?” Antonio’s voice was raised and anxious, his hands moving quickly as he talked. From the room outside the lounge, a single emergency light popped and fizzled out.
Louis gestured at Cam, who handed the phone to the larger man. His eyes still dubious, Antonio took the small device and started reading. Louis turned around and walked woodenly to the soda machine, plunking three quarters in and pressing the button. Nothing happened. His quarters shot out the bottom and he tried again. Nothing. Then he remembered, the power was out.
Right.
Its funny how your body remembers motion and habitual action, even when your brain knows better, he mused.
“Well this has to be a joke, right? I mean, I saw all that bullshit on the news this evening too, but the news always makes mountains out of chipmunk asses, right?” Antonio’s hand was shaking slightly as he handed the phone back to Cam. “I remember the SARS scare and the bird flu and the monkey flu and the elephant flu and all that crap from years ago. Didn’t come to anything. Why should we think this is any different?”
His voice was aggressive, as if hoping to pummel Louis and Cam into submission on this point. They were silent, thinking of the implications. Cam was staring at the phone, trying to get the rest of the page to load.
“Shouldn’t be doing this,” he muttered, voice trailing off into a mumble as he stared at the small screen.
Antonio continued, “We have to see what’s happening outside. That’s probably where Rajesh and Tiny went, right?”
He turned, walking out the doorway leading back to the front entrance. Louis nodded mutely and awkwardly fumbled the three quarters back into his pocket, still wondering absently whether the pop inside was still cold.
Cam was staring at his screen, still muttering.
“Cam, you coming?”
For several seconds he was silent, then spoke softly.
“I think the internet’s out.” Cam’s normally boisterous voice was soft and quiet. As if such a thing we not possible.
Louis stared into space for a moment, then simply turned and left the room, leaving a confused looking young man, staring at a blank screen in the dark.
***
The first report of a bite was in Washington D.C.
A hot dog vendor on the mall was attacked from behind by a homeless man. The assailant had died the night before, huddled in the corner of a national park restroom in a pool
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