Apocalips: Episode 1- Eat and Greet

I have been a slacker over here at the blog. 

But I have been busy elsewhere and fitting in writing when possible.

:)

Apocaplips is a series I was originally going to be posting on my  FB page, but it might be better suited for the blog. Thanks for the advice, Nick Santa Rosa!

Apocalips:

Episode 1- Eat and Greet

The sounds of car alarms bring me out of my daze. There are people screaming in the distance and a lot of pounding. Although, that could be in my temples. 

Nope, someone is pounding on my windshield. 

"Son of a..."

Lifting my head from the steering wheel the world slowly comes back into focus. Only its dark now-- I know it was barely mid afternoon when I left my restaurant. There is a man approaching my window.

"Lady! Hey, you alive?" 

Was I in an accident?

"Yeah, I think, I'm fine." I answer, prodding my forehead.

"Good. We need to get outta here. Leave the car. C'mon!" He waves an expectant hand at me, all the while searching for danger over his shoulder. I search the street with him...

"Get out of here? But I can’t leave the scene of an-- Hey, why are these cars parked in the road?"

"Lady, c'mon. Fuck!" The man reaches into my backseat to grab my jacket, "Sorry. Let's get!"

"What happened? Terrorists?" I shove my cell phone and charger into my purse hastily. 

"No, this was beyond terrorism. I'm not sure but it was like... hell, I don't know. Let's get off the street. A group of people are gathering at the church over there." He points to a gothic chapel on the far corner of Main. 

"All the stores are dark."

"Power... well, everything electrical just went out. Hasn't come back yet." He grabs my elbow and starts tugging me towards the church, stopping at every car.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m checking for other survivors. This is how I found you."

"My name is Jan, by the way. Yours?"

He pauses to look me over. "Phil."

"You don't look like a 'Phil', is that really your name? I would have guessed Jason, maybe."

"Jan, was it? I don't think you are grasping the gravity of our situation! We need keep moving."

A phlegmy growl from the left, whips our attention that direction. In the opening of an alley stands a man hiding a child, presumably his own, behind his back. At his feet is a... a woman? Her body moves stiffly, some limbs moving out of sync with the rest. Now, I've seen a couple episodes of The Walking Dead, and this can't be good. She isn't entirely human.

"What is she?"

"Stay." Phil whispers in my ear then he stalks off towards the shadows behind the thing. When he emerges again it’s at a full run towards the thing. He stoops low and lifts her off her feet and slams her onto the ground. Before I can even register what is in his hand a flash of light and loud pop ring in the air. 

A gunshot to the forehead, no coming back from that. Even for these things.

The child screams hysterically, and honestly, the father isn't fairing much better. I am about to unravel, myself.

"Come with us to the church," I offer, stepping closer to the pair with my hand out, "He tells me there is a group of survivors."

Neither of them acknowledges my presence; instead they continue to cling to each other. Phil is at my side again tucking the gun in the waist of his pants. I should be second guessing my decision to follow him so readily, I had no idea he was armed, but the prospect of one of us having a gun is way too inviting to turn back now.

"The church down the road is accepting all survivors. You should be getting your daughter off the streets." When the father still doesn't spare either of us a glance, Phil starts pushing me along again. "He'll come if he is smart." 

"Phil," I grab his arm, bringing him to a stop, "What the fuck is going on here? I'm driving home from work this afternoon and then I-I- just wake up in my car, in the dark, with... with what the hell was wrong with that lady? She was about to attack her own child. I may not have a nurturing bone in my body, but even I know that isn't right!"

"I should've headed home too," Phil laughs humorlessly, "Ya know, that's not even the first one of those things I've had to kill today." He runs a hand down his face, "Like I said, I am not really sure what happened. All I know is there was a brilliant flash of light and the air felt charged, then everything went dark. Some of the people who lived started changing and the rest of us are getting the hell out of their way."

"What do you think they've changed into?"

"Truthfully, I don't know. Undead? Zombies? Demons? Your guess is as good as mine. All I do know is, to kill one you aim for the brain or heart."

"You said that wasn't the first one you had to kill?"

"I woke up to my buddy trying to eat the waitress. I tried a few no-kill shots but they barely slowed him down. Chest shot did the trick." 

"Wow." 

"'Wow', that's it?"

"What else do you say? Gee, I'm sorry your friend went cannibalistic and you had to take him out? Not likely."

I hadn't noticed we were moving again until we reached an intersection. We were close to the church now, only about a block away. 

"I want to search this school right here. You coming with me or waiting here?"

"I'll wait. Too many horror scenes start out with the line, 'I just want to check this out.'"

"Fine. Stay outta sight and take this. Remember what I said about the brain and heart."

"I'm supposed to beat a person in the head with this?" I balance the crowbar on my palm.

"No, not a person. A thing. Sit tight, I'll be quick."

A thing, right. I nod and he dips into the school while I park myself high up on the monkey bars.

Sitting on my perch I begin to think about my life. I know, it sounds cliché but when the world is coming to an end, what else can you do? You take stock. I owned a small restaurant that was barely getting by, and somehow it didn't seem that this dark days event was going to help that cause much. I was an only child of bookish parents, both of whom were gone now. I lived with two cats. I wasn't dating, or even seeing anyone, hence the cats. And forget a sex life. Let's face it, if a thing started gnawing on me right now it would be the most action I'd seen in ten months. The thought of Marty Sans being my last lover, in all the world, was a rather depressing thought.

I'm literally yanked out of my inner musings and I grab a bar just before I would have eaten sand box. An elderly thing is now actively trying to disconnect my drumstick and I can’t let go of the play set in order to whack him with my crowbar. The gentlemen, who kind of reminds me of Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace, is tugging on my pants so hard they are in real danger of coming off and maybe taking my legs with them.

"Phil! Phiiiiil, some help please!"

I use my free foot to try and push Mr. Wilson away but the old coot is surprisingly strong. My grip on the bar is slipping. Just as I am about resigned to fate, a loud thud and an abrupt jerk knocks both the 'thing' and my pants to the ground. 

"You have got to be kidding me! I said stay out of sight, Jan. Jesus."

My knuckles protest as I loosen my death-grip enough to fall to the sand below. 

"Well, I thought I would have the advantage of height."

"And you should have. So, what happened?"

"I, uh, started daydreaming, I guess."

"Daydreaming and didn't catch a snarling, flesh-eating, sack of skin walk right up to you? Must have been some dream." Hooking a hand under my arm he helps me to my feet.

"Ow! Actually, it was about regrets really. Silly timing maybe."

"You think? Ha! And what do you have to regret? Besides the fact you almost became a Sizzler buffet for senior crowd." He dusts off my pants and hands them to me. 

"Thanks. Truth?" At his shrug I continue, "My business was failing and my sex life was non existent."

"I think your button is broken." He coughs.

"Of course it is. Ugh!"

"Missing buttons aren't the worst of our problems." He stares over my shoulder.

"I don't want to turn around, do I?"

"No. You do want to run, though! Now!"

I don't have to be told twice. Taking off towards the school I almost barrel straight into a couple of 'things' snacking on the janitor. 

"He-elp..."

This is not how I had imagined my day.