End of the Line | Part 1

by Levi, Casey

  “We need to lose them Brady. If we show up with them, they’ll kill us… and I’m not ready to die.” Scarlett said to Brady in a low whisper, but Kristen still heard her.

  “Who is going to kill you?” Scarlett jumped at the sound of Kristen’s voice.

  “What?”

  “I overheard you. Who is going to kill you if we show up with you?”

  “Look, we can’t tell you anything else. You guys already know too much.” Scarlett turned away from her to look over at Brady.

  “I’m not going to drop this. Either way, we are going with you. We will find out what’s going on.” Kristen bit out.

  “You kids are biting off more than you can chew. These people don’t mess around, and they’ll kill all of us with no hesitation.” Brady looked over at her.

  “Then why go back?”

  “We have to. We started this and we need to fix it.” He did not look away from her as he spoke, and she could see the sorrow in his eyes.

  Kristen felt so confused. The information that Brady and Scarlett had given them just was not adding up to her. “How did the virus get out Brady? You said the place burned down.”

  Brady let out a sigh. “I don’t know who actually got out. After Owen attacked Allisa, I had to get to my office and fax all my work over to the Vegas facility. I didn’t have time to contain the virus.”

  “But your story doesn’t make sense… how could a rat cause all of this?” She waved her uninjured arm out in front of her.

  Scarlett spoke before Brady could answer her. “Because we were testing the virus on the rats. We did not know that it could spread to humans yet. We never made it to the trial.”

  “What are you talking about? The cancer virus? Brady said it was a rat that was infected…” Kristen was even more confused now.

  Scarlett looked up at Brady as she spoke. “It was a rat, but you have to understand. The government has been trying to create a controlled zombie outbreak since the early nineteen-twenties. With technology being less advanced it was not possible back then, but now it is. They thought it would be possible to create a virus that would spread fast enough, and that we would have a cure for it.”

  “But why?”

  “Because of the possibility of a zombie outbreak ever happening, they wanted to know there would be a cure for it.”

  Kristen did not know what to say to that so, she said the next best thing that came to mind. “You guys are idiots.”

  “That’s exactly what your friend said. Look, you can blame us all you want, but this is not our fault-”

  “Not your fault! You created this. How is it anyone else’s fault but yours?” Kristen was infuriated with them, and she did not know if she could sit and talk with them any longer.

  “We can find a cure, but we must get to Vegas, but you guys can’t come with us. The government owns this operation now, and we have to do what they say.” Scarlett looked up at her with regret.

  Kristen did not say anything else to them and turned around to walk away. She sat on the curb by the back of the SUV. How could the government create such a virus? A virus that would wipe out the whole country; or worse, the entire world. She did not understand any of it. She just hoped that the two people sitting a few feet away from her were telling the truth, and that they would find the cure. She had seen plenty of zombie movies, and it usually did not turn out so well for anyone.

  “Okay we got it. Let us get everything loaded back up.” Reed said breaking her out of the nightmare her thoughts were beginning to turn into.

  She closed her eyes and thought about everything that was going on, and everything that had happened in her life. This was not the vacation she had planned on, but she was thankful to be with Reed, Julie, and Aran. She would not even know where to begin if she had to do this on her own. The thought terrified her.

  Brady and Scarlett had grown quiet, and Kristen was sure that it was because they did not want them to hear any more information. At that point she did not know if she wanted to hear anything else that they had to say. If what they had told her was true, then whatever else they had to say could not be any worse.

  “Everyone get in the car!” Aran shouted.

  Kristen snapped her eyes open and looked up to see a group of shadows running in their direction. They were running at a fast pace, and she found it hard to get her legs to follow her. Reed appeared in front of her and grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to her feet. They ran to the front passenger door, and he opened it up and shoved her into the seat. Kristen turned to see if everyone else had made it into the vehicle, and she noticed that Jesse was trying to help Zac get into the back. She let out a cry when a man grabbed onto Jesse and pulled both he and Zac out of the SUV.

  Jesse let out a horrific scream, and Kristen watched as Zac took off running down the street. She began to open her door when Brady started yelling for help. She swung around to see a woman attacking Scarlett and a man was grabbing for Brady. Julie kicked her foot across Brady’s lap, and kicked the man out of the door. With no time to waste, Reed slammed the vehicle into drive and took off down the road with the back tailgate still hanging open. Julie climbed over the seat to shut the tailgate, and then climbed back over to sit between Brady and Aran.

  “Where the hell did they come from? And did you see how fast they were running?” Kristen asked, puzzled.

  “I don’t know… how the hell are they faster? And they were obviously a lot stronger too.” Reed said as he hit into the fence and flew up the hill to the highway.

  Kristen began to freak-out on the inside. She tried not to show it, but with Reed’s crazy driving added she wanted to scream. They had lost three more people, and with Scarlett gone they only Brady as leverage. She could not stop the fear for Zac. He was only a child, and he would not be able to survive on his own. Then there was Jesse. She could not think about it. She had to force her mind away from it all because if she did not, she was going to lose what was left of her sanity.

  She turned around in her seat to face the back passengers. “Brady why were those people running faster?”

  “I don’t know… unless…” He trailed off.

  “Unless what dammit?”

  “Unless the virus is becoming stronger and multiplying with each human it feeds from. It would all depend on the person and their cell system.”

  “English Brady.” Kristen snapped at him.

  Brady rolled his eyes at her. “Everyone’s immunity system is different. Just like everyone’s health. The healthier you are, the weaker the virus is going to be. Just like the weaker you are, the faster the virus is.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. Then how does it spread so fast?”

  “The virus is still in the testing stages. We don’t know exactly how it works from human to human.”

  “So, you haven’t done human trials?” Kristen looked at him doubtfully.

  “Are you kidding me? No, we have not. The virus is not even close to human trials. We only tested animals, and so far, only the rats took. Every other animal that we tested died.” Brady sounded offended by accusation.

  Reed spoke up. “So how do you plan to find a cure if you have no idea how it works with the human body?”

  “This is what I’ve been trying to tell you. I need to get to Vegas and find out.”

  Reed took in a deep breath and then let it out. “Well, Vegas, here we come.”

  24

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Kristen sat on the edge of her seat. Anticipation building up as they drove through the downtown part of Las Vegas, Nevada. So far, the streets had been mostly empty, but as they drove closer to the Vegas strip, ‘zombies’ began to appear behind every corner. Reed was still going at a fast pace but seeing more of them was beginning to make her sweat.

  “There are so many…” Julie mumbled.

  “Where is this facility? Reed asked Brady as he swerved around a man that had been standing in the middle of the road.

  Brady leaned fo
rward so he was in between the driver and the passenger seat. “You drive up to the top to the strip, and then you make a left turn. Take that road for a few miles, and then you’ll see it.”

  “You sure?” Reed questioned.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Brady said as he sat back in his seat.

  Reed slowed the vehicle down as they approached the bottom of the strip. Kristen looked out her window and up to the top of the Stratosphere. The casino was huge, but she did not have time to admire it as more zombies started covering the strip. They seemed to be walking at a slow staggering pace. She gripped her seat in fear as they continued to drive up the strip. She did not like this. The city was too big, and those things would be crawling everywhere the further they went up.

  “Reed look out.” She gripped her seat tighter.

  “Don’t worry. I see them.”

  Kristen flinched as they drove by a group, and they began hitting at the SUV. She really did not like this. They needed to drive faster- not the twenty miles an hour that Reed was currently driving. She feared that the zombies would break the glass and get in there. Then they would all be goners. That thought did not sit too well with her.

  “There’s too many of them. Is there another way around?” Reed called back to Brady as he swerved around another group.

  “Yes, but I’m not sure how to get there. We could get lost.”

  “Why don’t you just run their asses over?” Aran laughed. Obviously, he was the only one who had thought it was funny.

  “Yeah so we can crash. That’s a brilliant idea.” Julie glared at him.

  Reed swerved around another group. “She’s right. The groups are getting bigger… Brady we need to find that other way.”

  Brady leaned forward again. “Turn up there at that light.” He pointed to a light that was about two blocks away.

  Kristen sat back a little. She hoped that, that way around would not be filled with so many like the strip was. Her whole body was tense, and she was filled with nervous anxiety. Not just because the city was crawling with zombies, but also because she did not know what would be waiting for them when they got to the science facility. She prayed for the best and hoped that even if it were the government that was in control, that they would still have their humanity and let them in. She would like to think that they would want to save as many people as they could.

  Reed pulled onto the road Brady had pointed out but slammed on the breaks. Kristen stared in disbelief at the wreckage in front of them. The road was blocked off by a pile of crashed cars, and there was no way of driving through it.

  “Now what?” Reed flipped the car into reverse. “Holy shit!”

  Everyone turned around in their seats and froze. A large group of more than three dozen people were running their way, and they were blocked in. Kristen’s breathing hitched and she knew that this was going to be the end for them. There were too many and they had nowhere to go.

  “What do we do?” Julie cried.

  “Run!” Reed shouted.

  They all jumped out of the SUV and started running for the wrecked cars. They began climbing over the wreckage to the other side of the street. Once they made it over, Reed grabbed Kristen’s hand and pulled her along the road like a rag doll. She could hear the angry groaning behind them as they ran, but no way had she dared to look back.

  “Turn right on the street that’s coming up!” Brady yelled.

  They ran up the road and turned down the street Brady said. As they turned, another heard spotted them, and Reed made a sharp left- running across the parking lot of a small chapel. Kristen let go of his hand as they jumped over a car blocking the entrance to another parking lot. They managed to run around the group, but she could hear more of those things trailing behind them. She knew that they were gaining on them, and she tried to pick up her speed.

  “Brady how far?” Reed asked as he jumped over a garbage can.

  “About a half mile up this road…”

  “Reed, look?” Kristen pointed to the right side of the road.

  “Brady, we don’t have a half mile.”

  Kristen knew that with all these zombies gaining on them left and right, that there was not going to be anywhere left for them to run. She could not spot a way around them and running through them was not an option. Her breathing seemed to stop for a few seconds, and she could feel the sting of tears behind her eyes. This was not how it was supposed to be.

  “Hey there’s a parking garage coming up.” Julie pointed up the street to a building with an underground parking lot.

  Picking up their pace, they ran faster to get to the building. Once inside they stopped and looked around. The first level was cleared of all the cars, and all the ramps that led to the upper and lower levels were blocked off with metal gates. Kristen noticed a set of stairs to the right of them and ran for the door.

  “Dammit it’s locked.” She kicked the door in frustration.

  Reed pulled his shirt off and wrapped the material around his elbow. He elbowed the small window in the middle of the door repeatedly, and as they waited, Kristen turned around but had to stifle her scream as the heard of zombies ran towards them. Reed hit the window over and over until it finally cracked. The zombies ran across the parking garage towards them, and Kristen backed herself up against the wall.

  “Kristen come on!” Reed yelled as he grabbed her.

  He picked her up by her waist, and Kristen kicked the glass out of the window. She put her feet through the broken window first but tried not to bump her shoulder in wiggling through the small hole. The space was a tight squeeze for her to get through, and she could feel her stitches stretching.

  Once Kristen felt the sturdy concrete beneath her feet, she dropped to the ground and turned to unlock the door. As she opened the door, a man lunged at Brady, and he and the man fell to the ground. Reed and Aran rushed to help him as Julie ran through the door screaming. They pulled Brady free, and dragged him through the door. Kristen wasted no time, and slammed the door shut behind them.

  “Is anyone hurt?” She turned around to stare at them.

  “Damn…” Reed breathed as he fell back and ran his hands over his face.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Kristen asked in a panic.

  “Brady’s been bitten.” Aran sat down on the bottom step next to Reed.

  Kristen felt defeated. Their last hope was now going to die, and it could be within a matter of minutes. She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. If they had any chance left, they needed to take it now and get the hell out of there.

  “We need to move now before he turns. He is our last chance.” Kristen stood firm.

  No one needed convincing. Reed and Aran grabbed Brady and helped him up the flight of stairs while she and Julie followed behind. When they reached the second story, Reed and Aran sat Brady down on the cement floor so they could find a car. Kristen knew that time was running out for Brady- they really needed to get to the facility now, and hopefully someone could help Brady. She prayed that they would not be too late.

  The sound of an engine roared to life across the parking lot, and the three of them waited for Reed and Aran to pull up. She helped Julie get Brady back up to his feet, and into the back seat of the car when it came to a stop, then she and Julie climbed in on either side of him. Kristen was not sure how many of those things would be down there now, but she hoped they would be able to get out of there.

  Reed pushed the button on the gate opener and the metal gate creaked as it began to slowly lift. A few of those things came running through, and they started to surround the car. They waited impatiently for the gate to slowly lift, but about halfway up it stopped.

  “Really? This is really some bad luck we’re having today…” Reed put the car in reverse, and then back into drive. “Hang on!”

  Kristen braced herself as Reed smashed the gas and sent the car flying through the parking garage. They hit into a man who was standing in front of the gate, and she could hear the awful high-pitc
hed scratching of metal on metal as they went under the metal gate. Reed swerved the car around the parking garage and flew out the exit.

  “How’s Brady?” Reed turned to look and then he turned back around

  “Not so good. We need to hurry.” Julie said, panicked.

  “Brady, I need to know where I’m going.”

  “W-what street…”

  “Were about a block up from the parking garage.”

  “Left… turn… o-one block…” Brady’s breathing began to deepen, and Kristen knew that they were running out of time.

  “In one block turn left?”

  “Yes…”

  “Then where?” Reed looked back at them from the rearview mirror. “Brady, then where do I go?”

  “K-keep going… right side…”

  Reed turned left and followed the road straight. It seemed like they had been driving forever, and Kristen was starting to wonder if Brady knew what he was talking about. She hoped so, for his sake. Brady had grown quiet after a while, and she knew what that meant. They needed to hurry and get there, because if he turned into one of those mad, flesh eating zombies, she so was not going to be sitting next to him.

  “Kristen?” Julie grabbed her arm in a death grip.

  “Owe. What?” She looked over at Julie’s frightened expression and then at Brady.

  “He’s not breathing…” She said in a hushed, harsh whisper and then she screamed. “OH MY GOD HE’S NOT BREATHING!”

  Kristen and Julie both jumped over the middle console at the same time. The action caused Reed to swerve the car all over the road, but they both continued to claw their way forward. Julie managed to climb into Aran’s lap by the time Reed got the car under control, and he hurried and pulled over. Reed and Aran opened their doors and climbed out of the car followed by Julie, and Kristen jumped over her seat and scrambled out the open door.

  She ran in front of the car next to Julie while Reed and Aran went for Brady. He was still lying there, and Kristen knew it was only a matter of seconds now before he would come back. She and Julie watched as the two men pulled Brady from the car and dropped him on the ground across the street. The four of them made quick work of getting back into the car and taking off down the road.