Chapter 5

It was a lovely September day. The surrounding was quiet as usual and the chirping of birds could be the only sound you'll hear. The sky was clear and blue, with not a cloud in sight. The leaves had begun to turn crimson and yellow, painting the world in the rich colors that Amsterdam was famed for. The summer grass was still green, but a few leaves had fallen, and a guy with one arm was approaching my vehicle window. For some reason, his other left arm was missing. I looked outside my window to inspect his situation, and just like how I saw Josefa, I noticed that he's very similar to her. Only that his eyes were quite... pale yellow. I exclaimed. What the hell on earth was really happening? My brief relief exploded and deflated, leaving disappointment in its wake. When I was still in that building before, I thought that whatever was happening was only limited to our office. But now that I've seen it, it dawned on me that it wasn't the case. While it had occurred to me that what was happening may be widespread, it hadn't hit me until that moment. This time, I truly glanced about, soaking it all in. It was spreading really fast just like it was a virus or something I cannot explain without a scientific basis. The typically crowded parking lot was only half full, and some of the vehicles seemed to have been scuffed or broadsided. A few meters away, there was blood on the glass of a car, and smoke billowed up from the trees, tarnishing the sky. The man with one arm moved closer to me, his attention fixated on me as he scratched and banged on my window glass. I backed away from him. He didn't appear to know how to unlock doors, so I quickly closed mine. "Did you see that? They're crazy!" Peter exclaimed as soon as Justine maneuvered the car. Justine exhaled a sigh and glanced at me. "Are you okay?" I did not respond to him. Instead, I kept my gaze outside the car and watch as those creeps run towards us. Why? Do I look like okay to him? I even still could not process nor digest everything on my mind. I cannot accept that this was happening. I mean, I was just busy badmouthing my officemates and boss at my office, I was busy thinking of printing my resignation letter, moving out, finding someone who could give meaning to my dark life, travel outside the borders of the United States, and then one day, this happened. It's just so surreal to me because I just watch this kind of epidemic in movies. It's way too real for me! As we drove out of reach, the automobile backed out of its position, and I watched the thing's claws glide over my window. Justine placed the vehicle in drive, and we were on our way. From the passenger seat, I could now then hear Peter sniffling as he sobbed into his palm. He was busy badmouthing those things earlier, and now, he's weeping out like a kid.  "They killed Marina, and Daniel too," Peter started which made the two of us silent inside the car. Justine was busy driving and focusing on the road, while Peter started talking. I didn't even bother opening my mouth because I feel like the moment I did that, I would just burst into tears. "They were killed by those people," he added. I bit my lips and exhaled a deep sigh. "Those were not even people, Peter. They're not people," I spoke, emphasizing the word people to him. Peter glanced at me then back to Justine who wasn't even saying anything. "If they're not people, then what they are? Tell me!" he screamed, startling me a little bit. "I wonder how many people they've killed and eaten! And now, there's a lot of them here outside. I don't even know If I could survive... if we could survive here," Peter added, as he wiped his tears from his eyes. I shut my mouth and closed my eyes tightly from the pain, anger, sadness, and hatred I'm feeling. I was busy thinking of what has Peter said, and my hope was slowly vanishing when Justine suddenly spoke out of the blue which stopped Peter from wailing in the corner. "We will, Peter. We will survive," in a mediocre tone, Justine spoke. Peter shut his eyes and nodded to him. He silently continued wiping his tears as he looked outside the window. And I cannot blame him for that. Because so do I. I, too, wanted to weep, but my feelings were so muddled that I didn't even believe I could. Now that I'm thinking about it, I remembered everything that happened earlier. Oh my goodness, Marina. She had appeared to be a good person, and no one deserved to die in such a way. The more I thought about what had happened, the more absurd it all looked to me. Josefa didn't only murder Marina, she was eating her. These psychos we'd seen were losing bodily parts. It looked like something out of a zombie film. I winced. I didn't want to believe it was feasible, yet my thoughts kept returning to it. Zombie... Walking dead. Yeah, zombies! They're very similar to them! When I was still a child, I remember that my sister likes watching sci-fi movies. And one of her favorite genres was those zombie movies. I always used to fight with her when we were still young because she always watches those gory scenes. "Aren't you exhausted watching that kind of movie?" I asked one day when I saw my sister watching at the sala. She rolled her eyes as she grabbed some cheerios on the table. "No, why would I?" I looked at her with disgust as I watched her eat those high-carb foods. Ugh! When will I ever get used to her anyway?  "And when will you stop eating trash foods anyway?" I asked, with a hint of disgust in my tone. "Ugh! Jesus. Will you please stop bothering me, Clem? Go ahead on your business and let me watch in peace, please?" she begged, rolling her eyes. "And oh, by the way, zombie movies were fun to watch. If ever something like this happens in the future, I'll learn how to survive." I rolled my eyes. "Like it'll happen, Georgia? Really?" "Why not? It's possible, Clem!" I scoffed at her. "Wait, are you perhaps manifesting it?" Her eyes widened and threw a pillow at me. What the hell? I really don't have any idea why she's so aggressive. I glared at her. "Of course, not! Are you crazy? I'm just saying that it's possible. Goddamn, Clem. What's wrong with you?" she replied, rolling her eyes back and forth. "No, it's not! The possibility of having a zombie apocalypse is slim to none, okay? Stop watching those kinds of movies. You're harvesting something ridiculous and impossible in your mind," I said, leaving her alone in the living room. The reason why I don't believe such is because of my own knowledge about it. When I was still in high school, I admit that I don't like studying that much, but I'm not on the honor roll for nothing. If I wasn't smart. We used to have a biology subject before, and my biology teacher once told us about zombies. He taught us the whole concept of Chemistry and biological organisms.  To begin with, muscles are little machines that run on organic nutrients. Myosin and actin make up muscle fibers. He once taught us that Myosin is analogous to a crew racing shell, and actin is analogous to paddles. When something alive dies, it starts to decompose. And when this happens, the proteins start to liquefy. In other words, the boat and paddles get submerged in water. Rather rapidly. The true cause, however, is this molecule. The ATP. This molecule, Adenosine Triphosphate, serves as the cell's "battery." A zombie would be no more likely to function than just an out-of-battery iPhone in Classical Times if this molecule is not unceasingly replenished by the functions of living (breathing, blood pumping, blood pressure is maintained, a functioning nervous system, eating nourishing foods, not walking around with deadly injuries, etc.). That's why zombies are totally incredibly cool and intriguing to consider. And completely ridiculous. I closed my eyes tightly and kept on thinking about those days. I don't want to think that it's true. That it's happening. But nothing explanation would be suitable for it aside from that. I don't want to think that my sister was right. But I feel like that was the case... now. I mean, it's also true that rabies-like neurological disease could develop to the extent where it allows the host to reside for a longer length of time dominating the motor and cognitive areas of the brain so that the victim attacks, bites, and starts eating everyone within range of it while causing fast-moving necrosis of the limbs, trunk, and face. Then course, recipients of such type of sickness would be alive until the condition advanced to the point that the body could no longer perform metabolic or mechanical functions, but they would appear dead. But it seems really silly and impossible! I mean... I've only seen those things in movies, so it's surreal to watch it occurring in real life. Oh my god. If, and this is a big if, there is a zombie outbreak or anything similar, how am I supposed to protect myself? I've never been a sports fan! In addition, I had only attended one self-defense class in my entire. Fortunately, I'd taken it last year, but a kick to the balls wasn't going to slow those things down. I'd never ever seen, let alone touched, a pistol or any gun or weapons in my life. I was quite sure the officers in the little town where I grew up didn't even have them. Or, if they did, I wouldn't be shocked if they merely squirted water at me; I'd be screwed. And, God. My mother and sister! My heart pounded frantically in my chest. I needed to go to my mother. She'd be working from home just two towns away. She had always been there for my sister and me since my father died in a car accident when I was six years old. My sister and her husband relocated to Massachusetts immediately after their marriage, where they should be protected, but my mother would be alone. And as far as I know, my sister went back here in NYC to get something from our house. I want to go there, but the vehicle is on the go. "Wait, where are we going?" I asked. I had no notion how long we had been driving, nor did I know where we were. Though, to be honest, I was so lousy at instructions that it may have been my fault. That's another reason why I'm screwed. Justine and Peter remained silent, perhaps buried in meditation or preferring to ignore me. We were rushing along rural roads with trees towering above us, giving the impression that we were far from downtown. I didn't want to know what was going on there. We eventually arrived at an elevation from where we could see over some of the trees. I quickly identified the source of the smoke in town. There was a charred ground track from what seemed to be a wrecked airplane. The accident appeared to have destroyed multiple businesses as well as a cell tower. That explains why we didn't hear back from our loved ones. We were so concentrated on what was going on in the elevator that we probably heard the crash and imagined it originated from within the office building. Now that I think about it, I need to get home, right now. I have to check on my family. "Justine, where are we going?" I questioned once again. But he didn't say anything. "Justine!" I repeated. "My place. We're heading to my place. It's an apartment complex, but it's nearby "Justine said slowly, clearly focused on the road as he rushed around curve after corner. My forehead creased because of that? We're going to his place? No. I have to go to my Family. "What? No, no, no. I have to get home, Justine. My mom is alone." Justine sighed exasperatedly. "Right now, we need to find a secure place to stay until we figure out what the hell is going on." "What? But-" Peter cut me off before I could even complete what I was saying. "We, too, have families." That put me a stop to it. They had their families they cared about, of course. I learned that my family, especially my mother, was no different from everyone else's. Except in my case. I'd have to get my mind straight quickly because it appeared like I'd be going at this alone. My mother would want my assistance, and I would not disappoint her. If it meant I'd have to leave these men behind, so be it. I'd figure out a way to get home. I couldn't help myself. Justine made another quick curve, causing me to land on the seat in front of me. We were now on the major highway, speeding by office buildings and businesses. We occasionally had to avoid an abandoned car. We made it approximately a third of a mile before hitting traffic. The vehicles in front of us had come to a complete halt. Lanes that were supposed to be two-way were clogged with automobiles all wanting to get out of town. We could hear horns blaring further up, but it appeared like many of the automobiles around us had been abandoned. There was no getting around that. "How far away is your apartment?" Peter asked, turning to face Justine. "It's four blocks." I closed my eyes firmly, knowing that we'd have to walk.