Dead In The Street/Chapter 3

This is a special longer chapter. Enjoy

Crazy in College
Fancy

She stared up at the ceiling of her dorm remembering the better days. She couldn’t believe she emigrated from a 3rd world island in the Caribbean to what she was facing now. She only heard about such incidents from the old folks and a few adults. People would go crazy, kill and eat. “Lougarou” is what her grandmother called them. She barely spoke any English when she got here, but she met a girl named Natalia who shared her Haitian ancestry and taught her how to survive in America, independently from her parents. She always wanted to get away from her slum in O’kab. Now this is the only place she could think of going back to.

“AAAHHHHHH!!! GET AWAY GET AWAY!!!”

There was a scream coming from down the hall. She jumped up and ran to her front door to make sure it was secure. One thing Natalia taught her; in times of disaster, don’t try to be a hero. She slammed her door shut, locked, and blocked it with her body weight. She could hear the fight on the other side. What sounded like swings of a metal bat and loud crunching of what she guessed was a skull. The sounds disgusted and frightened her, but she knew she was safe for now. Things got quiet outside for a few minutes. She assumed those crazy people must be having their feast, so it would probably be a good time to make a run for it. She had memorized where all the back stairs were and where they led to in case she needed to sneak out.

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”

The loud pounding on her door knocked her back. She figured it must have been one of the lougarous coming for her next. Whoever faced it must have died. She would have to use a skill learned as a child escaping punishment from adults in Haiti; hiding. She looked around for her best options and realized her roommate had a concealed closet in her part of the dorm. She ran inside and hid, careful not to make any noises. The door busted open, but what she saw with the limited vision the small holes provided wasn’t a lougarou. It was another girl, about her height, wielding a baseball bat with blood at the end of it. She must have been the one outside her door.

“You can come out. I killed them” the girl said. But she wasn’t ready to just trust her. It could have been a trap and she couldn’t take that chance. Fancy was never ill-prepared though. She still carried the taser and switch blade she was given by Natalia after some assholes tried to rape her. “C’mon…I know you still here. This dorm has a bunch of those things coming and you don’t want to be alone when it happens…Natalia is a friend of mine, that’s how I know you’re here.” That revelation surprised her. She realized then that she recognized the girl. They only met a few times, but she seemed nice enough. If she wasn’t, Fancy’s blade, Mr. Stabby was on deck. She opened the closet and stepped out.

“Where do you have in mind to go?” ____________________________________vVv___________________________________________

Stacy

She was not about to let these crazy mothefuckers eat her alive. She was going to survive no matter what. Her mama raised her better to just give up and die. Fuck that!

“Come at me, bitches!” she screamed defiantly at the three crazies staring her down. She wielded her metal softball bat that she had grown extraordinarily efficient at swinging. She was a top softball competitor, so a target five times the size of the ball would be no issue. They all rushed towards her and with three effective swings cracked all their skulls, putting them down permanently. She knew she had to leave soon as the university was becoming more and more of a hot bed of infected and frat boys who were using the dangerous situation to kidnap and rape girls. Sorority girls were even helping. She would leave soon, but there’s one thing she had to do. She wanted to find Fancy, Natalia’s friend who just arrived from Haiti about a year ago. Fancy learned quickly, but she was still fairly new to America. Stacy just couldn’t leave her to fend for herself while sexual predators were still wondering around looking for fresh new pussy to ruin. She made her way towards the northern dorms, cracking as much heads along the way as possible.

She ran up the stairs to the second floor, where Fancy’s dorm was. The hallway was dark, only a few lights still lit. Stacy started to make her way down the hall, but didn’t notice the Gamma Betas waiting for her in the broom closet. As soon as she passed by, one jumped out and grabbed her from behind. “AHHH! GET AWAY GET AWAY!” she screamed but to no avail. She was relatively short and he outweighed, towered over, and was able to pick her up easy. She noticed Fancy had slammed and locked her door. Smart girl, she thought to herself. But how the fuck am I getting out of this?? The bat fell about a foot ahead of her. She needed to figure out a way out of this or become this frat’s new poking piece.

“Well what do we have here? Mmm…you got a FAT ass! You’re gonna make a nice addition to our collection” he said. He stunk to high heaven. Stacy almost gagged. His friend stepped out the closet afterwards, like a coward of course after the fight had apparently been won.

“Yeah, she a little good looking piece alright. I’m gonna enjoy fucking this one” he placed his face close to hers. At such proximity she could smell his horrendous breath. This time she did gag. Jesus Christ, what the fuck?? Did these dudes just DECIDE that taking a damn shower was unnecessary? I’m about throw up. She was utterly disgusted at the severe lack of hygiene displayed. But it was her stroke of luck that he came so close. She would be able to fight them off this way. In one swing of her free leg, she bashed him right in his testicles and he fell over in pain. She swung her head back, crushing her assailant’s nose which loosened his grip. She then broke herself free from his hold. It wasn’t time to hesitate; she reached for her bat and swung downward at the boy still on the ground. The top of his head burst, exposing the tendons and the ligaments under his scalp. He convulsed from the shock. She turned and swung at the other attacker, crushing his jaw and deforming his entire face. Someone was fucked, but it wasn’t Stacy.

She continued to bash at the motionless corpse until there was nothing left but a pool of blood, and broken bones. She had never killed anyone before and was in absolute shock at what she’s just done. The world was different now. This was proof of it. Her heart raced and her breathing became heavy. She knew what this was, an anxiety attack. The adrenaline from killing the two boys must have taken its toll. “No no, not now” encouraging herself to be strong, and survive the circumstance. She grabbed onto the wall and artificially slowed her breathing. Even while shaken she was still able to get enough composure to knock on Fancy’s door. ____________________________________vVv__________________________________________

Wilson

He was being a quiet observer at this point of the trip; there wasn’t much else to do. They were on their way to Natalia’s university and Wilson noticed how Jay made it a point to follow her directions to the T. He couldn’t stop laughing at his constant failures to make small talk with the girl. Wilson had known Jonas for almost 8 years now. That goes back to when he started working for the news station. He was the only cameraman willing to work with a new reporter. He knew Jay had an alternative photography business and shot plenty of models, but his favorites were always the deep chocolate skinned ones. He himself could not deny that Natalia was a magnet in the art of attraction with her sexy features, including a flawless brown skin. She was the exact type of girl Jay went for. Whatever happiness his friend could find in this new world, he would approve of. He was just wary of the coming times. Emotions can easily sway rational decisions. He had to make sure this group had a good head on their shoulders.

Jerome seemed rational enough. Their personalities were similar. He sat at the end of the van, reading a book. Haha, reading at a time like this. Then there was Daniel, the only medical expert they had. He’s no doctor, but he’s going to have to make due. Natalia was the first female they ran into. She seemed tough as nail, but she would have to earn her spot amongst them. Then there’s Jay. Oh, Jay. He’s a gun fanatic and a bit of a hot head, but he’s also loyal and a crack shot. That’s going to be needed. He just hoped one of them had a strategy or idea on how to survive all this, because he was fresh out.

“Make a left at that light, then your first right.” Natalia instructed. “Follow all the way to the end and make another left and you’ll reach the dorms.” Wilson guessed the dorms were a good place to go. There should be some medicine, probably food from the vending machine, and plenty of beds to sleep. Who knows, they may even meet other survivors.

“So you’re picking up a friend, huh?” Jerome asked from the back of the van. That revelation was surprising. How did he know that?

“What you talking about?” Natalia asked him.

Jerome looked up from his book, “Don’t game me, girlie. You took us to a dorm where barely any medicine is kept; probably just one first aid kit. The cafeteria is on the other side of the campus where all the food is. The dorms were probably the first things evacuated when all this mess happened. So far we passed by at least 10 of those things and it’s only getting denser. By the looks of the campus, things didn’t go so well and plenty of people have already left. The only reason we would be here is if you’re looking for something or someone important. Now, what is it exactly?”

Everyone was surprised at his astuteness. A thought roamed through Wilson’s head:” I Guess we found our strategy guy.” Apart from being a keen observer, he was also right, what exactly IS she doing here?

“Alright fine”, she resigned, “I’m looking for my two friends. One of them I went to high school with and the other just moved to this country. The girls have been like sisters to me and I couldn’t leave them here to die. I don’t even know if they stayed in the dorm or not, but I couldn’t just leave them…I had to put down both of my parents and a little brother. They’re the only thing I have left now. They’re my only family.”

The boys remained silent until Wilson spoke up. “I could respect that. The world basically went to shit, and people are abandoning their families. If you can care enough to come back for girls that aren’t even your blood relatives, I guess there’s hope for humanity after all.”

“Well”, Jerome cocked his weapon, “until that day comes, we still got crazy, cannibal motherfuckers to deal with. I think we should talk about how we are going to do this”

---vVv---

Wilson, Daniel, & Natalia hopped out the backseat, guns pointing. The infected that remained in the dorm yard were attracted to the light coming from the van and would soon be on their way. Wilson went around the front and pounded twice on the door giving the all clear signal. The van started up and sped off in the other direction, honking its loud horn on the way. The infected started to give chase, ignoring the three that were on their way inside the dorm.

“Her room is on the second floor” Natalia explained. “I just hope they stayed safe”

They got to the second floor and were greeted with two dead bodies. Frat boys it looked like from the lettermen they were wearing. Their skulls had been completely crushed in; Wilson had to put his hands over his nose to block the smell. It was a gruesome sight. Natalia ran into an open room to continue the search.

“Fancy! Stacy! You guys here?? Helloooo??”

She searched the room but to no avail. They were gone. Wilson and Daniel kept a look out just outside the door. She later stepped out with a disappointing look on her face.

“Look I’m sorry” Daniel told her, “but we need to leave. We don’t know who else is left here and from the looks of these niggas”, he pointed towards the bodies, “we don’t want to know.”

“He’s right” Wilson chimed in. “We need to leave.”

She relinquished and nodded her head. They made their way towards the drop point, where they all agreed to meet Jerome and Jay. Wilson felt bad for Natalia. He had really hoped she would find her friends. Perhaps he needed some of that hope himself. But for now, the main priority was to get to the drop point and get off the campus quickly

______________________________________vVv__________________________________________

Professor Keisha & Co.

Two more students showed up at her door, Stacy and Fancy. Professor Keisha stayed in her classroom during the collapse, as she calls it. Her brother Nathan came to “visit” her that day, although she knew he was only there for the coeds. The two other students were her two favorites, Sally & Renae, including her, bringing their number to six; six people, sitting and waiting. She didn’t know what to do. Keisha was a professor of design so this situation was way beyond her pay grade. The only thing she could rely on now was her street smarts.

The classroom won’t hold them for long, nor is it safe. She heard from Stacy that the frat boys were roaming around looking for fresh meat. She was going to make sure she wasn’t one of them. More than a few had already propositioned her for sex in exchange of grades, so that was more than enough reasons to be weary. Suddenly, large amounts of gun fire were heard just outside in what seemed like the courtyard. Everyone hit the deck to avoid any stray bullets that might come. The parking lot was right across and she hoped her car wasn’t damaged. Seems silly to worry about that, but it was their only mode of transport at that point. Nathan was the first to his feet.

“We need to leave” Nathan he spoke up. “Stayin here is only gonna make us get killed and I ain’t gonna be no frat boys butt buddy. Man we out.”

Renae agreed. “Yeah he right. These dudes around here fucked up, I ain’t trying to be next.” The group seemed to be in agreement, so Keisha made her move. She instructed them to gather any makeshift weapon they can and moved out. Sally didn’t gather any. Unsurprising, Keisha thought. Sally was always a pacifist.

“Alright everyone, we need to stay low and move quick”, she said, “stay together, move to my car in the parking lot. If you fall behind, I’m sorry but you gonna have to find your own way off this campus.” She meant it too. There was no way she was going to end up one of those things or a play thing for a frat. She opened the door to the dark corridor and started to move.

Foot by foot they moved quickly and as silently as possible. They barely avoided the infected a who were wondering aimlessly through the grounds. Some infected gathering makeshift weapons of their own, ready to kill the next potential target and feast on its flesh. They finally reached the backdoor to the courtyard. Just a few more feet and we’ll be at my car, she thought to herself. I don’t know how we all gonna fit, but fuck it. Haitians find a way.

She opened the door and was treated by a horrible sight. Dozens of infected lay on the ground, riddled with bullets. Some of their heads had even exploded and their brains were sprawled out for all to see. Gruesome.

“Oh my God”, Sally spoke up. “Look at all these dead people! Who did all this?” “You feelin sorry for THEM?” Stacy asked. “These aren’t people anymore. All they can do is go after people and kill them! We need to protect ourselves and I’m sure whoever did this was doing the same.”

“Don’t you know what they have? It’s Pale Fever. It causes them to go crazy, but they’re just sick. They’re sick people who need help. We don’t need to kill them or treat them like this. It’s crazy.”

“Hey, if someone is trying to kill me, I’m gonna kill them first. I don’t think – “

“Enough y’all!” Keisha interrupted. “This ain’t time for no civil debate. We need to get the fucks up outta here. Now c’mon, my car is right up ahead.”

They started marching towards her Lexus when Fancy noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It seemed like it was a news truck. But more than that, there were three people walking towards it. Two guys and a girl that was familiar to her. Fancy stopped in her tracks to get a better look. There was no doubt about it, it was Natalia! She waved her arms frantically towards her friend.

“Talia!! Talia!!”

_____________________________________vVv__________________________________________

Daniel

Damn it’s messed up we didn’t find her friend, Daniel thought to himself. Even though we just met something about her makes her sisterly to me. I guess it’s just one of those things when a person is supposed to be in your life.

They were headed to the courtyard, the area Jerome told them to meet. The plan was simple enough; him and Jonas would drive in the other direction honking their horns attracting all the infected. They would use the terrain of the school and drive the van close to barriers like walls and trees the infected would crash into and die, and then Jonas and Jerome would kill the rest off. They already heard the gunfire about five minutes ago, so he was sure they were ready for them.

When they got to the courtyard they saw the van and the decimated infected. Daniel hopped in, but noticed something. Where were Wilson and Jonas? Did these dudes go for a bathroom break or something? Dammit we need to leave!

“Talia!! Talia!!” he heard from the distance. He looked across the courtyard and saw six people with two of them running towards their new friend Natalia. It seemed they did find her friend after all. The three girls greeted and hugged each other. Daniel was happy for her but he couldn’t help but notice the gorgeous thing standing towards the back of the group. She was petite and Daniel loved him some petite girls. But right now he had to focus on the task at hand, finding Jerome and Jonas. He’ll get at her later.

“Sorry to interrupt”, he said. “But we need to find out what happened to our two friends. They were driving this truck and now they’re gone.”

“Well, I’m sorry, your friends ain’t got nothing to do with us” one of them spoke up. “My car is across the yard and we need to leave.” Who the fuck is this bitch, he thought to himself. She seemed a bit older than the rest.

“No one leaves until we find out what happened to them.”

“Excuse you??”

That’s it, he thought. He raised his glock-9 to her face and repeated himself. “No one leaves. I don’t know y’all motherfuckers. How I know they didn’t get set up by y’all??”

“Daniel, calm down”, Wilson told him. “Look, blaming them is not gonna solve anything and it obviously wasn’t them.”

“How do you know that for sure?” he answered gun still in Keisha’s face.

“Because they came out the building around the same time we did; I was watching. Besides even if it was them, they would have killed us already when you raised the gun. Now c’mon, drop it. Let’s just find out what happened.”

Daniel holstered his gun and decided to listen to Wilson. Seemed he had become the reluctant leader, but it was fine. Daniel never liked positions of leadership and Wilson seemed to be the smartest out the group besides Jerome. He would let him lead. For now.