by Morris, SJ
Marie wasn’t expecting that question, but at ten years old, she probably should have. The inquisitive minds of children and all.
“Truthfully, guys, I have no idea. I barely understand what’s going on, but I do know that it’s my job to keep you two safe, and that’s what I’m going to do.
Marie pulled up to the rusty old red gate that blocked her parent’s driveway. She put the truck in park, got out, left her door open, and removed the heavy metal chain to swing the gate inward. Marie jumped back in the SUV, drove through, and stopped again to close the gate. After everything she had seen, she was going to take every precaution available to keep the zombies out. She just hoped there weren’t going to be too many of them out here. Otherwise, the gate and the wooden slat fence around the property wouldn’t stand a chance.
Marie’s mother and father stood on the front porch waving happily as she pulled the truck up to the front porch. She backed the car up to the front of the steps preparing to make a quick getaway should the need arise.
“What an unexpected surprise!” Vicki, Marie’s mother, said as she opened the driver’s side door, giving her daughter a quick hug.
Mason and Phoebe jumped out of the back doors running up to their grandfather, yelling, “Pop-pop!” in unison.
The kids were so excited they almost knocked their grandfather to the ground.
“Woah there, guys! What are you all doing out here? We’re happy to see you, but don’t you guys have school? Did something happen with Bill? Whose truck is this?” Greg, Marie’s father, asked, looking at his daughter with anxious eyes.
Her parents had no idea what was happening. Marie was exhausted at the mere thought of having to explain what had happened to her husband but explain she did. They walked inside, settling at the kitchen table while Maire recounted the last twenty-four hours, and the kids played with Prince, her parent’s German Shepherd. Her parents were completely and utterly shocked. Being out in the middle of nowhere, they had no clue what was going on. Greg and Vicki barely ever watched TV. They only really even had one for when the grandkids came to visit. They liked to watch old movies together and eat popcorn on the floor. It was something they had done ever since the kids were old enough to sit through a whole movie without getting up and bouncing all over the place from boredom.
Greg turned the television on now, just to see what would happen, and there was nothing but static. No Emergency Broadcast System, nothing on every channel.
Greg turned the TV off and looked back at his family. “Well, you came to the right place. If the power goes out, we have the generator, and I still have plenty of gas from the last storm that passed us over since we didn’t have to use it. We have plenty of food stored in the basement and the well for water. You’re Mom’s gotten pretty good at making preserves. She’s been selling them at the farmers market on Sundays,” Greg said, hoping to put everyone’s mind at ease that they were safe now. “There ain’t much out here except farms, and the closest house is about ten miles up the road, so we should be far enough out of the way that we don’t see many of those... zombies is what you called them?”
Marie cringed at the word. “Yeah. I have no idea what else to call them, Pop. They shouldn’t be alive, but they’re up walking around and biting chunks out of people, so there it is. Zombies.”
“Who wants to help Nana make some pancakes and eggs?” Vicki chimed in to distract the children.
Both Mason and Phoebe jumped up excited to help. Greg and Marie walked out into the living room again.
“Dad, I think we should board up the windows just in case and put a bar or something over the doors to give them extra strength.”
Greg looked at his daughter sideways. “Like a bolt on a medieval castle?” he asked.
“Yes, just like that. I’ve seen these things batter their way through blocked gates, doors, and windows, so I’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to fortifying this place. I hope to Heaven that we don’t see a single one of those monsters out here, but I’m not taking that chance. I’ve already lost Bill. I’m not losing anyone else.
“I hear you, Marie. But are you sure this is what’s going on? I mean, zombies, really? I’m still trying to wrap my head around what you’ve told us.”
“Dad, I don’t want to, but if you don’t believe me, I’ll take you for a drive into town. I’ll bet there are plenty of those creatures there if the town isn’t completely overrun already.”
“No, I believe you. It’s just... how the hell did this happen?”
“I don’t know, Dad. I don’t think we’ll ever know, but whatever it is, is happening, and we have to do everything possible to keep each other safe,” Marie replied, grasping her father’s hand tightly.
Chapter 6
Over the next few weeks, everyone got into a solid routine. The kids would wake up early to feed Prince and help their grandmother take care of the chickens and collect the eggs. While Mason, Phoebe, and Vicki made breakfast, Marie and her father would check the front gate, which they fortified with additional fenceposts, to be sure it was still secure and then take care of the rest of the livestock.
Breakfast was eaten and cleaned up by nine-thirty. Then the rest of the chores were done throughout the remainder of the day. The children learned how to grow tomatoes, green beans, and other various vegetables. Vicki also taught them how to preserve food, so it would last longer.
Marie and her father had boarded up all of the windows on the first floor, added a bolt to all of the doors, and made sure to stock supplies in the basement should they ever find themselves needing to take refuge down there. Every day there was something else that needed to be done to prepare themselves for when the infected made their way out to their homestead. Marie had a gut feeling that it was only a matter of time before they had to deal with a large number of the undead.
As each week passed, Marie’s father grew more and more suspicious that Marie was mistaken or had some kind of mental break that caused her to think the world was ending since they hadn’t seen or heard anything about zombies. That was also the only reason Greg believed his daughter. No mail was delivered, the radio and the television didn’t work and a few days after Marie and the children arrived the power had gone out. Something was going on, but Greg wasn’t sure he believed it was zombies.
Greg and Marie were making a repair to one of the fences caused by a meddlesome goat when they first saw them. Hundreds of the undead herded like cattle up the dirt road that ran along the barbed wire and stakes protecting the farm. Greg’s mouth hung open at the sheer number of them when the wind changed direction. The breeze picked up and blew the stench of death right in their faces.
Marie looked at her father, “Do you believe me now?” she asked him.
“I’ll never doubt you ever again,” Greg replied, pulling his shirt over his nose and mouth to avert the rancid smell. “We should get out of here,” Greg said.
“Hopefully, if they don’t see us, they won’t come looking, and they’ll pass right on by.”
Greg and Marie sprinted back to the house and gathered everyone in the basement to wait out the stampede of the undead. They had a fun sleepover in the basement that night. Phoebe and Mason loved it. They played every single board game they had and then played cards as well.
Greg taught the children how to play poker and blackjack even though Marie said teaching the children how to gamble wasn’t a good idea. Even though they were hiding from the monsters outside, they all had a relatively enjoyable and quiet night.
The next morning, Greg and Marie were the first ones to go upstairs and have a look around to see if the coast was clear. They needed to find out if the undead mass had passed them by, or if they were going to need to spend more time in the basement.
Greg had an old double-barrel shotgun, and Marie carried a newer Glock Nineteen that Greg had picked up at a gun show last year.
Marie had shot a gun in the past but was nowhere near as proficient as her father, who had spent
time in the Army in his youth. For Marie, the weapon was more for a feeling of protection and a last resort than anything she expected to use.
They peeked outside, and all seemed to be quiet. Greg undid the bar on the door, and Marie stepped out onto the front porch. The smell of death was still prevalent in the air, but there were no undead in sight.
Greg and Marie headed to the front gate to be sure it was still intact, and thankfully, it was. They walked the entire fence surrounding the property, and they came across one infected tangled in the barbed wire.
What used to be an athletic young woman was now a disgusting mess of black oozing open wounds and matted blonde hair that reached up at them, moaning, and gnashing its teeth.
Greg studied the creature in fascination while it was subdued.
“Look at the way it moves. It looks like it’s still alive, but it can’t be. The poor girl is missing an eye and half of her face. How is she still functioning?” Greg asked.
Marie had already seen enough of the dead that first day, so she wanted nothing to do with the thing.
“I don’t know, Dad, but... can we kill it and go. I don’t want to be hanging around for too long just in case m...more of them show up,” Marie stammered as she looked around frantically.
The undead wiggled and reached out, untangling one of its legs from the wire in the process. Greg jumped back, narrowly avoiding one of the zombie’s arms sweeping at his chest.
“Dad, just shoot it and get it over with before it gets free.”
Greg responded by lifting his shotgun level with the monster’s chest and pulled the trigger. The blast from the shot echoed across the field, making the world feel vast and infinite. Marie turned away before the shot but was pulled back to the gruesome scene when the infected creature gargled a muffled groan as it refused to die.
Greg gasped at the infected’s pertinacity.
“How the hell is this thing still alive? I shot it in the chest... I... I don’t understand.”
Marie raised the handgun, pointing it at the bobbing head of the undead and pulled the trigger. The bullet ripped through the temple of the creature, and it slumped into the fence, unmoving.
“I guess the movies were right. You have to kill the brain,” Marie said flatly as she walked away from the grisly scene.
Chapter 7
Another week went by, and the family primarily stayed in the basement just to be safe. They had only seen a few infected here and there, but the fences kept them away. Mason and Phoebe were getting antsy from being kept inside for so long.
After a lot of begging, Marie finally agreed to let them outside but only under the supervision of herself or their grandfather, who were now armed at all times.
Phoebe was chasing after the goats when Prince let out a long succession of angry barks. She looked to her grandfather, who was sitting in the rocking chair on the porch sleeping in the midday sun. Phoebe didn’t want to wake him, so she ran to the other side of the house to see what Prince was barking at. The dog ran up to her, wagging his tail, but he was covered in black goo. Phoebe ran her fingers through his sticky matted fur.
“Eew, Prince. You’re filthy!” Phoebe exclaimed as the dog jumped, licking her face. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Phoebe took the dog to the barn where there was a hose and a metal tub. Prince jumped into the bath on command, and Phoebe hosed him off with the cool water. She grabbed a bar of soap from the sink and scrubbed the canine. As she rubbed the detergent into the dog’s fur, she scraped her arm on the side of the tub, ripping a small scratch into her forearm.
Phoebe barely noticed her injury other than the sting, and the small drop of her blood that blossomed from her broken skin. She hosed it off and didn’t give it another thought as she continued to wash the dog.
Prince shook off, splattering dark colored soap all over Phoebe and the barn making her laugh.
“Prince! You made such a mess, boy,” she giggled as she sprayed the dog down again.
The two ran out of the barn, chasing one another in the bright summer sun. Prince rubbed himself in the bright green grass, and Phoebe rolled with him.
“What are you two doing?” Greg laughed.
“I’m a puppy just like Prince, Pop-pop!”
“How did you get all wet, Phoebe?”
“I gave Prince a bath, he was all dirty,” she laughed.
“Well, I think you need a bath of your own there, puppy. You are covered in grass, and your Nana is never going to let you at the dinner table like that.”
“Now, I get to be a dolphin or a seal!” Phoebe exclaimed excitedly.
Greg took his granddaughter inside and set her up with a warm bath. She played for almost an hour before she asked to get out. Phoebe was slow to get dressed, and Greg noticed a significant change in her usual upbeat attitude.
At dinner, Phoebe barely ate anything but drank four full glasses of water and was complaining that it was too hot in the house. Greg pulled a fan from the attic for his granddaughter and set it up in her room. The windows were all open, and the cool summer breeze filled the room.
Marie sat with her daughter and dabbed her with a cold washcloth, but Phoebe was burning up uncontrollably. They gave her medicine for the fever, but it only seemed to climb higher.
Phoebe became delirious, complaining of her body being on fire and seeing bright white lights behind her eyes. Marie, Greg, and Vicki didn’t know what to do for her. The only thing they could do was make Phoebe as comfortable as possible.
Marie stayed with her throughout the night but fell asleep at her bedside just after midnight when Phoebe finally settled. Marie slept as Phoebe took her last strained breaths as a human, and the virus overtook her.
What was once the body of a bright, energetic, and full of life eight-year-old was now the vessel of a ravenous creature with one need driving it, to spread the virus. Phoebe’s body sat up and wheezed as she sucked air into her now dead lungs. Marie stirred slightly in her sleep, and the small movement aroused Phoebe’s new instincts as she leaped onto her sleeping mother.
Marie screamed as what was once her daughter latched onto her biting down on her shoulder and ripping away chunks of flesh before chewing and swallowing. Blood gushed from the wound through Marie’s fingers as she tried desperately to hold the injury closed and push Phoebe off of her. Vicki rushed into the room with Greg right behind her. Phoebe crawled off of her dying mother and towards her grandparents.
“Phoebe, Marie, what’s going on in... oh, my God!” Vicki screamed as she saw the blood pooling on the floor, and her granddaughter’s face smeared with it. “Greg, she’s one of those... those... things. We have to help her. You have to do something!”
Phoebe lurched at her grandmother, clawing her face and pulling her to her mouth before Greg or Vicki had any chance to react. Phoebe sunk her teeth into her grandmother’s face tearing away pieces of her cheek and nose while Greg watched, unable to move.
Mason ran down the hall towards where the screaming had come from and bumped into his grandfather, who was slowly backing out of the doorway to his sister’s room. Greg cleared the doorway enough to give Mason a good view of the carnage inside. His Nana and mother lay bleeding out on the floor, and his sister, Phoebe, rose with blood dripping from her chin and pieces of flesh strung between her teeth. Mason grabbed his grandfather, pulling him away from the room as tears streamed down his face.
“The monsters Pop-pop, Phoebe’s one of them! We have to go. Close the door, please Pop-pop,” Mason begged.
Greg snapped back to reality and reached to close the door a second too late. Phoebe’s tiny arm sprang up, blocking the door from closing fully, and Greg let it go as he turned to run. Mason and Greg ran down the hall heading for the basement when Greg tripped and fell over a crease in the rug pulling Mason down with him.
Phoebe, Marie, and Vicki lurked in the hall, watching Greg and Mason struggle to rise before they fell on top of them, and the three began tearing their family to
pieces.
Prince barked at the front door, jumping and trying to get inside, but there was no longer anyone alive inside the once happy home to let him in.
The End
Thank you so much for reading Before the Outbreak. I hope you enjoyed the series of short stories in the Z-Strain universe. I kindly ask that you take a few moments to leave a review, every single one of them is much appreciated! Also, please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, or ideas that you would like to see our beloved characters run into next. You may contact me at [email protected]
You can expect more stories to be released soon, so keep an eye out and follow my Author Profile on Amazon for notifications on my upcoming releases. Thank you very much for your continued encouragement. As an indie author, your support means everything to me.
Other available titles:
Z-Strain Book One of the Z-Strain Trilogy
Z-Strain: Book Two - The Road to Perdition
Z-Strain: Book Three - Fallout
Richie’s Ghost Squad: Book One - Ghost Cat
Please check out my website for information on my upcoming books and events: SJMorrisAuthor.com - You can also find details on my author page at http://forevermorrispublishing.com/sj-morris
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SJ Morris was born in Anchorage Alaska, on Elmendorf Airforce Base, but now resides in Bordentown, New Jersey, with her husband, their two children, and two dogs.
SJ Morris has written short stories for as long as she can remember. However, it wasn’t until 2013 that she started to focus on writing her debut novel, Z-Strain.
When she is not writing, SJ Morris enjoys spending time with her family as well as their pets, hitting the gym, playing video games, and whenever possible, lounging on the beach, completely immersed in a good book.
