Detour: A Post-Apocalyptic Horror Story
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“I said it already, the news isn’t news. They’re companies structured around selling advertising, and they’re no different than scripted shows. Ever notice how they’ll tell you about a story, give you a juicy bit, then have you wait until the end of the segment to play it, and it ends up being nothing at all, but you suffered through boring car or laundry detergent commercials.”
“I know they need to sell ads, but—”
“Meg, I’m in advertising; I know what I’m talking about. Now come, let’s enjoy our evening, and that includes keeping your phone off,” Kevin said, taking her phone and turning it off. “Tonight you’re mine.”
“But what if someone needs to get in touch with me?” she said, finding it hard to detach from her phone.
“Who?” he asked, brow furrowed, waiting for a plausible excuse, which he knew didn’t exist.
“Paul might need something,” she said.
“Paul is a grown man. He’ll be fine for one night.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Positive. I don’t want our night to be interrupted. Plus it’s not like the world is going to end tonight. Whoever needs us can reach us tomorrow,” he said, taking his phone and turning it off as well.
***
Megan rolled over and caressed Kevin’s chest. “Thank you for the dinner and the dessert,” she purred.
“My pleasure,” he quipped.
Megan suddenly went quiet.
After a long pause, Kevin asked, “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“I know you, something is wrong,” Kevin said, nudging her.
“It’s nothing, I swear,” she said, rolling onto her back. She stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.
Kevin propped himself up on his elbow and said, “When a woman says nothing, it means something.”
“Do you love me?” she asked.
“Of course I love you,” he replied.
She again fell silent.
“Meg, what’s wrong? Have I said or done something? Was it because I turned off your phone?”
“If we get married, I’m not saying we will, but if we do, will you promise to take care of Paul?” she asked, referring to her younger brother.
“Take care of Paul? I don’t understand,” Kevin said, sitting up, his back against the headboard.
Megan followed suit, her hands folded on her lap. “You know Paul, he’s…oh, how do I say it? He just needs help.”
“He’s just slower than others, but I think he’s done a good job settling in at the video game store. He really seems to like it.”
“Ever since he was little, he’s been different. Then after my parents died, I’ve had to step up and be his mother and father. He needs someone like you to help him through tough times, as I may not always be around.”
“Damn the news,” Kevin growled.
“Why would you say that?”
“You’re worried that this crap on the news is going to kill you, and now you’re having life-and-death thoughts cross your mind.”
“It’s not that, I swear,” she said, tucking a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear. “We’ve been together for a year now, and if you ask me, I think we might be headed towards the big M word, and I wanted you to know that I’m a package deal. You marry me, you get my brother too.”
Kevin took in everything she said and thought. She was serious, more so than he’d ever seen her. He wasn’t opposed to such conversations; he just hadn’t expected it tonight.
“Now you’re quiet,” Megan said, her gaze fixed on him.
“You hit me with a lot. To be honest, I thought tonight would be just good food, great sex and fun conversation.”
“Sorry I destroyed your evening,” Megan moped.
“You didn’t destroy anything; I’m just taking it all in. You kind of hit me with a ton to think about.”
“So you need time?” Megan asked.
He turned, faced her and said, “I don’t need time to think about how much I love you and that I too have been thinking about marriage. I see us together for a long time, but when you said the thing about taking care of Paul, are you meaning financially? Like one day he could come live with us?”
“He might. You never know what life throws at you,” Megan answered.
He pondered her comment and said, “I love you, Megan, with or without Paul. And if you’re a package deal, then I take the entire package. If one day we’re to become a family, then Paul is also my family.”
“So you promise to take care of him, no matter what, treat him like a brother and a son when he needs that type of support?”
“I do.”
She leaned in, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and squeezed. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
CHAPTER THREE
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
MAY 31, 2020
Loud banging on the front door woke Kevin first, followed by Megan, who opened her eyes and mumbled something unintelligible.
Kevin sat up and looked at a still-drowsy Megan. “Who do you suppose that is?”
Megan reached for her phone, which normally sat on the nightstand but wasn’t there. “My phone is in the kitchen and off.”
“Mine’s in there too,” Kevin said, dragging himself out of bed. He slipped on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and headed to the front door.
The banging on the front door continued.
“Hold on, hold on!” Kevin hollered. He reached the front door and peeked through the peephole to find Paul there. He sighed loudly then unlocked the door. When he opened it, Paul raced in.
“I thought you two were dead or worse,” Paul said, panting, his large belly heaving with each step and breath he took.
“What can be worse than dead?” Kevin said, slamming the door.
Sirens blared in the distance, but Kevin ignored them, not thinking anything of it.
“They’re attacking people everywhere, and the ones who don’t die turn into them. Yep, they turn and, like, fast. It’s a horror movie come to life!” Paul said frantically.
Shocked by Paul’s rambling, Kevin said, “Have a seat. Can I get you a glass of water?”
“Kevin, where’s Meg?” Paul asked.
Megan appeared in the hallway. “I’m here, Paul. What’s wrong?”
“Oh, Meg, you should see it. People are going crazy, people attacking each other, biting them, others turning crazy and then attacking. The world has gone insane!”
“Calm down. What are you talking about?” Megan asked, a look of fear stretched across her face.
Kevin found the television remote and turned it on. The last channel that Megan was watching had been news, and when the picture appeared, it was full of images of chaos and destruction.
Megan walked towards the television to get a better look, her hand covering her mouth. “Oh my God, Kev, this is what I was talking about last night, but it’s gotten worse.”
“It’s the end of the world,” Paul bellowed.
“Don’t say that, Paul,” Kevin warned.
Gunshots sounded just outside their apartment building.
“What was that? Was that someone shooting?” Megan exclaimed.
“Guys, that’s what I’ve been saying—the world is ending. The shit is hitting the fan right fucking now!” Paul yelled.
Megan turned to Kevin and asked, “What should we do?”
“Ah, they normally recommend to shelter in place…” Kevin said but stopped when he heard the newscaster repeat the exact words he said. “See, they said shelter in place.”
“But I thought you didn’t trust the news,” Megan said.
“I don’t, but…shit, let me think,” Kevin said, his eyes glued to the grisly scenes playing out on the screen.
Another series of gunshots sounded outside, this time closer.
Kevin ran to the window and looked down from his fifth-story perch. On the street below, people were racing around, frantic. In the distance he heard m
ore gunfire, sirens, and saw several smoke plumes rising high into the sky.
Megan came up behind him and looked out. “Dear God, it is the end of the world.”
“Told you,” Paul said.
“We have to leave,” Megan said.
Kevin looked at her, nodded and said, “You know something, I agree. Go grab clothes for us. I’ll grab some other items we’ll need.” Kevin took off for a closet in the second bedroom while Megan went to the bedroom.
Megan appeared in the living room with two suitcases.
Kevin emerged from the second bedroom, a shotgun in one hand and a Glock 17 tucked in his waistband. On his back, a large pack was strapped; in it he had a tent, two sleeping bags, and other camping necessities.
Megan gave him a shocked look and barked, “Guns? You’ve had guns in the apartment?” Her attention focused on the firearms, she didn’t see the enormous backpack.
“Yeah,” he answered nonchalantly, going past her and into the kitchen. He placed the shotgun on the counter, removed the pack, and took a trash bag from underneath the counter. He began to fill it with canned food from the pantry. He gave Paul a look, tossed him a spare bag, and said, “Start packing the dry goods and canned food.”
Megan stepped in behind them and kept questioning him. “You had guns and never told me?”
Not turning to look at her, he simply replied, “Yes.”
“Someone could have gotten hurt,” she said.
“Who? I had them locked in that wall locker,” Kevin said.
“Well, someone could have,” Megan snapped.
Gunshots sounded from outside the building again.
He looked back and said, “You hear that? Don’t you think it’s a good idea we have some weapons to defend ourselves?”
“That’s not the point,” she blared.
Annoyed with her questions, he tossed a bag at her and said, “How about helping us instead of talking.”
Her face turned flush, but she kept her mouth closed, took the bag, and began to load up essential items in the kitchen.
After packing, they had two suitcases and five large bags of food, as well as Kevin’s firearms and a backpack with extra ammunition.
Megan was positioned at the window. She was still in shock at the utter chaos still unfolding on the streets below.
“It’s time to go!” Kevin cried.
“Where are we going?” Paul asked. He was standing next to the front door, both arms holding bags of food.
“North out of town, we can head to Bear Lake maybe,” Kevin said. Bear Lake was a large natural freshwater lake. It was over one hundred and nine square miles and equally spanned land in northern Utah and southern Idaho.
“I’ve never been to Bear Lake. I hear it’s nice,” Paul said.
“There’s always a first,” Kevin quipped. He gave Megan a glance and said, “Meg, it’s time to go.”
Still glued to the window, Megan was having a hard time looking away from the violence exploding on the street.
“Meg, time to go!” Kevin hollered.
Megan snapped out of her trance, turned and said, “Let’s go before it gets worse.”
The trio raced down the stairs, opting to avoid elevators for safety reasons. Their destination was the parking garage below.
They stepped onto the garage level only to run into a bloody and panicked man running towards them.
Kevin dropped what he was carrying, pulled the pistol from his trousers, and raised it at the man. “Don’t come close to us or I’ll shoot.”
The man, who was wild eyed and clearly fleeing something, cried out, “Please help me!”
“Get away,” Kevin warned.
The man stopped, held his hands high and said, “Please help me. It’s coming, it attacked me, and I managed to get away, please.”
“We’re trying to get to my girlfriend’s truck. Step to the side,” Kevin barked.
“Please help me,” the man begged.
The heavy pitter-patter of feet echoed off the garage walls.
Kevin looked but didn’t see what it was until the very last second.
Out of the shadows a man appeared. He leapt at the other and took him to the ground. Within seconds he began to bite and claw at the helpless man who had been pleading for help.
The three recoiled from the sight.
Megan started to run back up the stairs, fearful that soon they’d be a target.
Paul stood frozen in shock and terror.
Kevin, on the other hand, knew the only way to get out of town was in Megan’s truck, and the only thing in his way was the person savagely attacking the man. He advanced, gun cradled in both hands, took aim on the attacker, and squeezed the trigger. The nine-millimeter round struck the attacker in the shoulder.
It looked up, blood covering its body and face. It snarled at him and stood up as if it hadn’t even been shot.
Kevin was in shock.
“Shoot him!” Megan screamed from the stairwell.
Paul still remained fixed to his spot.
Kevin squeezed off several more rounds, each striking it in the upper torso.
It took a single step before its knees buckled and it fell to the floor dead.
“Hurry, I think he’s dead,” Kevin shouted, his hand shaking. He’d never shot anyone before, much less killed anyone.
Megan took the cue and sprinted back down the stairs. She grabbed Paul’s arm and dragged him along. They reached Kevin, who had walked over to the first man, who was still alive but badly injured from the attack.
“Help,” the man said, his voice weak.
“We need to help him,” Megan said.
“And do what with him?” Kevin asked.
“Drop him at a hospital,” Megan snapped.
“I think we need to keep moving, get out of town,” Kevin said, his thoughts coming purely from self-preservation. Any additional stops could jeopardize their ability to get to a safe place.
“Are you crazy? The man is in need of help. What kind of person walks away from someone in need?” Megan scolded.
As the two bickered, Paul watched as the man gasped his last breath, and said, “Hey, guys.”
Megan and Kevin didn’t hear Paul above their back-and-forth.
Speaking louder, Paul said, “Hey, guys!”
Kevin looked at Paul and asked, “What?”
“He’s dead. The guy is dead,” Paul said, pointing at the man, who lay with his eyes wide open.
“Problem solved,” Kevin said. “Come on, we need to go.” He took off running towards the truck, with Paul and Megan close behind.
They reached the truck without further incident and got in.
After Megan closed her door and put on her seatbelt, she gave Kevin a sour look and said, “When we get to wherever we’re going, you and I need to have a talk.”
Ignoring her, Kevin started the truck, put it into gear, and slammed his foot against the accelerator. The truck’s rear tires spun on the slick concrete floor of the garage before gripping and lurching forward. Kevin turned the wheel hard to the right; up ahead was the exit.
A man covered in blood jumped out in front of them. He had the same deranged look on his face.
“Kevin, watch out!” Megan screamed, pointing at the man as if Kevin didn’t see him.
Narrowing his eyes and clenching his jaw, Kevin applied more pressure to the gas.
“Watch out!” Megan cried, not expecting that he’d try to hit the man.
The man bounced off the grille of the truck and hit the ground just in front of them. Kevin kept the gas pedal down and ran over him.
“Oh my God, you…you ran him over!” Megan shouted in disbelief.
“What would you rather I do, give him a lift?” Kevin countered.
They exited the parking structure and onto the side street. Now they had a full view of the chaos erupting.
Kevin turned the steering wheel hard to the left. The truck strained under the maneuver and tossed Megan and Paul
against the right-side door.
“Hold on!” Kevin hollered.
“Don’t kill us trying to save us,” Megan snarked.
Kevin quickly navigated a few side streets until he had gotten them to the on-ramp for Interstate 15. He prayed the freeway wasn’t busy as he sped up the on-ramp. When he had a full view of the six lanes heading north, he sighed in relief, as his prayers were answered.
The interstate had minimal traffic. It was expected, as it was a Sunday, but after waking to the events this morning, he could have also imagined a clogged freeway with everyone trying to do what he was doing.
A surge of joy ran through him as he felt they had escaped what could have been a tragic day for them. He reached over and touched Megan’s hand and asked, “Are you okay?”
She smiled and said, “No, I’m not. I don’t know what’s going on, but we should find out.”
“Turn on the radio,” Paul suggested, leaning over the front bench seat.
“Good idea,” Megan said, hitting the power button on the radio. She then gave Kevin a look and said, “And good idea on having a gun, I change my opinion on that matter.”
Kevin gave her a quick glance and quipped, “See, sometimes I’m right.”
She tuned to the FM dial and quickly found an announcement. “The following message is being transmitted by the Emergency Broadcast System. By order of the Department of Homeland Security and all state and local authorities, all individuals living in the United States should seek shelter and wait for further instructions. If you are outside, it is advised to promptly find shelter. This is not a test. This is an actual national emergency. Repeat, by order of the Department of Homeland Security and all state and local authorities…”
Megan turned the channel with hopes of finding a live broadcast that could help tell them what was happening. She tuned to a local rock station and found a disc jockey talking.
“…sure how long I’ll be on the air, as the general manager has told us to evacuate to our homes or shelters, but to anyone listening out there—go find someplace safe, get off the streets. I had callers trying to reach us, but now the phone lines are so jammed they’re down. People, please listen, go find someplace safe. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but people are going fucking crazy. Yes, I just cursed and I’ll take the fine. Listen, I don’t think this is some zombie apocalypse, as some have said. The people that are attacking others aren’t dead, they’re very much alive and can be killed like anyone else. I don’t know if they’re hopped up on drugs or there’s some sort of brainwashing. Right now your biggest concern should be finding a place to go and get off the streets.”