Reeling in the Zombie Apocalypse_By Jane

[MarkStanford]

Happened to read this story on zombiehunters forum. It is written by Jane_winter. She may likes fishing and zombie stories both. Here goes her story.



Part 1

The PA system crackled overhead and I looked up. Attention! Code Yellow.
I glanced at my badge since I had never heard a code yellow called before. My badge lists code yellow as an external disaster.
I glance at the shelf of medical charts. I will need to push myself today to clear the shelves if we are going to be getting an influx of people from whatever disaster is under way.
I work in the medical records department which is hidden down in the basement next to the cafeteria and the morgue. My job is to convert paper records to electronic ones. It can be boring work but it pays the bills.
I start scanning my next chart, a patient with a heart attack who was in the hospital for a week, when I hear an unusual noise. It sounds almost like scratching on the door. I don't know why anyone would scratch or even knock at the door when there is a doorbell. Still, I hear it again and decide that I should get up and at least look out the peephole of a window set high in the door.
I glance out it trying to see what is making the noise.
I blink because what I see shouldn't be. The scratching isn't my door but the respiratory department door across from me. A man in a hospital gown is standing against the door. He isn't attempting to open it, which is just as well since it is a secure department and one has to badge in. Instead, he looks as if he is trying to walk through the door. Maybe he is one of the mental patients.
His head is bent at an odd angle and I wonder if I should go out and help him but I'm not actually supposed to leave my department and I don't actually have the training for crazy people.
I go to the phone and dial the hospital operator. No answer.
I try hospital security. No answer.
I feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Is everyone trying to help whatever victims have come in from the external disaster?
I glance at the clock. It is just after ten.
I hit 9 to dial out and then I punch in my home number.
"Hello," Jenny, my wife and the love of my life, answers after only two rings.
"Hey baby. How are you feeling?"
"Tired," she says with a sigh.
"Junior didn't let you sleep?" I ask. Apparently, having a tiny person doing somersaults in your belly is not conducive to a good night sleep. Who knew?
"Actually, I just was feeling a bit strange."
"Like, going into labor strange?" I ask feeling a sense of sudden panic. She isn't due for another month.
"Not exactly. Do you remember the night my grandmother died how I told you I felt like something awful was going to happen? Well, it was like that only no one has called and I don't want to call my parents and worry them."
"Have you watched the news this morning?" I ask.
"No. Why, did something happen?"
"I don't know what but something is going on. Would you take a look for me?" I ask feeling unease. Jenny has always doubted herself but I never have. Every time she has felt uneasy there has been something bad happen. I don't remind her that the night before the September 11 terrorist attacks, she was up throwing up. Her mom was sure it was just a stomach bug but as soon as I saw the news, I knew it was her other sense though I didn't tell that to her or her mother. They are too sensible of people for all that.
"It must be a joke," Jenny says with a nervous laugh.
"Tell me," I say perhaps a bit harsher than I should.
"The reporter says there is some kind of epidemic. People who appeared dead getting up and attacking people. One of the reporters thinks it might be some mutating strain of rabies. I mean, that is crazy right." She wants me to say that I agree it is crazy but I can't because I saw the man at the door and I was raised on Zombie flicks and first person zombie shooting games.
"I need you to listen to me carefully. Call my parents and yours and tell them to lock their doors and get out of sight. Tell your dad to load up his guns. There are infected people in the streets and he may need to defend himself until we get there. We will be by to pick them up soon."
"Honey, they live eight hours away. I don't think-"
"I want you to get into the closet and pull out the suitcases. Fill them with clothes. Good warm clothes and sensible shoes. No heels. No jewelry. Bar soap."
"Honey this is crazy-"
"Then, I want you to open the door of the garage and turn on the light. If anything moves you close the door and barricade it. If not, I need you to grab the canteens off the third shelf of my camping gear and fill them with water. There should be granola nearby too. Then, if you can safely make another trip out there, and Jenny do not take any risks, I need you to grab my fishing rod, tackle box, and the two extra reels. They are in boxes labeled Piscifun. Actually, just grab anything that says Piscifun on it. I don't know what I might need. Put them with the suitcases. Don't leave the house. Don't load the Yukon. Stay in the house. If anyone tries to get in, get up to the attic."
"Alex, don't you think you are overreacting?" she asks and I am well aware she thinks I have lost my mind.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I am going to keep you safe," I vow. "I love you."
I hang up the phone and look out the peephole to see a second man trying to walk into the respiratory door.
I grab my keys from my pocket. I have no idea if the mace I have on my keychain will have any effect on the zombies since they don't need to breath. Still, it is the only weapon I have at the moment and I need to get past them. I need to get home to my wife.
I steel myself as I place my hand on the knob of the door.



To be continued...
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[MarkStanford]

Part 2
The Zombies must hear the door open because they turn around. Luckily, both are pretty battered and the stairwell is right by the door to medical records. I open the door to the stairwell and pull it closed tightly behind me. I hear the zombies scratching as they move my way but I don't wait to listen to them. I need to get to Jenny.
I run up the stairs, glad to see no other beings alive or dead on the stairwell.
I open the upper door cautiously but luckily there is no one there either. I don't see another being until I am about a foot from the exit.
The person I see is heading my way. They have the uniform of a security guard and they are running which makes me fairly confident they are not a zombie. I think about staying to ask for any information he has when I notice that his arm is bleeding.
I don't know much about the current outbreak but I do know that in Zombie movies anyone who gets bit is a goner and I have no idea how much time this guy has.
The fact that he hasn't said a word makes me super nervous. Wouldn't a normal person beg for help or call out for me to run? I don't wait around. I run through the door, not bothering to close it on my way out.
I manage to get to my car which is right across the street. I do a quick check to make sure that there is nothing moving inside the car. I am pretty confident that it is safe but I don't want to take chances.
I get onto the road and am not surprised to find edge to edge traffic. Everyone and their brother are trying to get out of the city.
I only live a few blocks away so I think I can wait until the traffic starts moving. I think we must be waiting on a red light. Of course, I don't have any such luck. After five minutes of honking cars nothing is moving. I decide to get out of my car and hoof it home. I keep worrying about Jenny being alone.
As I get to the intersection, I can see why the traffic isn't moving. There is a ten car pile up ahead and zombies are munching on the bodies of the dead and the survivors alike. Luckily, with the zombie buffet ahead no one seems to notice as I run past. Apparently, the blood and guts from the crash has drawn all the zombies from the area and I don't see anymore as I run up Cherry Street and my house comes into sight.
I open the front door.


To be continued...
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[MarkStanford]

Part 3
"Jenny?" I call. I can feel my heart pounding both from exertion and from fear.
"I'm here," she calls from the stairs. I am shocked by her paleness. I inspect her for bites or wounds but find none.
"My mom called. The outbreak is everywhere. She and my dad have locked themselves in the house but they just saw Mrs. Jones get mauled. She lost half her face. Then, she got up and started walking again. Mom saw Mr. Jones run her down with a lawnmower. It was-"
"We have to get out of here," I say, cutting her off.
Jenny just nods. She is in shock and I don't blame her.
"Did you do what I asked?"
She nods.
I grab my Piscifun gear and the bags Jenny has packed and throw them in the back of the Yukon.
"Get in the car!" I call to Jenny. She is too shocked not to obey. I wait until she is buckled into her seat before I open the garage door. Apparently, the zombie buffet ran out of bodies because in front of our door are about a dozen creatures. All of them with fatal injuries. Three of them are missing large chunks from their faces. Jenny screams beside me and I hope she doesn't pass out.
"Grab one of those reels and unpack it," I tell her. She needs something to do with her hands and it is the only idea coming to me.
She opens the reel up and hands it to me.
I hit the gas and the zombies go flying like bowling pins but that doesn't keep more from pounding on the glass. I can't risk them breaking it. Without windows we don't stand a chance.
"Steer," I order, grabbing the reel from her lap.
I put on my waterproof fishing glove. I need to make sure there is no chance of getting bitten while I am bashing in Zombie heads. I hope the glove is enough protection.
I open the window and hit the gas. Jenny seems to be reading my mind and I can tell she is horrified but she steers the car so that my gloved hand and the Piscifun reel bash the zombies in the face while they are trying to get through the open window.
Luckily, this throws them off balance and makes them tumble forward. I don't try to count how many are smashed under the wheels.
"Not the main road," I warn Jenny as we approach the end of our street. "Take the back way to my parent's house."
We turn down Chestnut Ridge and a small group of zombies run past us. I am hoping they are running to feast on their companions who we ran down so we have a chance to escape.
I carefully take off my glove. I don't want any blood to touch my skin and I toss the glove out of the window. I have dozens, thankfully. The reel I wrap carefully in a reel protection bag. We are going to need it later so I don't want to dump it but it certainly is a bloody mess.
I take the wheel from Jenny who looks grateful to give it up.
There are about twenty cars on the roads but I am hoping everyone is in too much of a panic to try to flee the city on the back roads. There will be no help out in the country but I am hoping that means that there will be few hungry zombies trying to make us into snacks either.



To be continued...
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[MarkStanford]

Part 4
I was right about there not being too many zombies on the country roads. There were a few we passed, but mostly it was a quiet drive and I was glad that Jenny got some sleep.
We were also fortunate enough to find a few gas stations along the way that were so primitive that that they didn't require an attendant.
One did and so I had to rush into the vacant station and guess which buttons on the register had to be pushed to get gas. Luckily, I had been a gas station attendant for about a month in high school.
It was almost seven at night when we got into Vermont. My parents have a little cabin in the woods and I hoped that the zombies hadn't gotten to them yet. We pulled into the driveway and knocked on the front door. I heard rustling inside and so I knew something was in there. I held my breath as I waited. Finally, my mom opened the door just a crack. I was glad she was being cautious. I had tried to call her before we came but apparently cell towers were down across the country. There were only a few radio stations that were still up and running we had learned as we drove. Most were nothing but static.
"Oh Alex," my mother cried throwing her arms around me.
"We need to get into the house," I said as I pushed Jenny inside.
"We heard about the outbreak. Is it really true?" My mom asked. In a way I was glad she was unsure. It meant that the outbreak hadn't made it here yet.
"It's true," Jenny said with a whimper.
"Let me get you in here and get you some tea dear," my mom said taking Jenny by the arm. I was glad someone else got to worry about Jenny for a few moments while I tried to clear my head.
"Where is dad?" I asked.
"Out fishing on the lake," my mother said rolling her eyes.
"You are joking," I said but she shook her head. Apparently, she wasn't.
"You may as well join him and let my poor daughter in law have a nice rest."
It sounded ludicrous but at the moment it was the only thing I wanted in the whole world. Zombies couldn't really be killing people all over the world if my dad and I were out on his fishing boat, right?
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[MarkStanford]

Part 5
I cautiously walked out the front door and drove the Yukon down to the water.
My dad was indeed out on his little boat.
He was close enough that I could see he had his Shadowcat Series casting rod. My dad is a Piscifun fan just like I am.
I wasn't sure if it was safe to call out to him but I didn't see anything around me and it seemed safe enough.
"Dad!" I shouted. He looked up and did a double take. Apparently, he wasn't expecting me.
He brought the boat over to the shore.
"Where is your rod?" he asked after looking me over for a minute. I popped the trunk and pulled out my Sphinx Series. My dad's rod is a tournament grade but he fishes much more than I do. I prefer my thin and lightweight Sphinx.
My dad took the boat out into the water and we both cast our lines.
"What are you doing out here?" I asked him. Everything now seemed so out of place with my morning.
"Well, I figured even if the reports were true, zombies can't swim. Figured they would just sink to the bottom of the water. Maybe the fish will eat them." I tried not to contemplate whether this would create an outbreak of zombie fish. I am certainly no scientist.
"Plus, I wanted to make sure we had some smoked meat to take with us if we did have to run. Not real sure where we will be going though."
"Jenny's parents have a sailboat. I was thinking we could try to see if the outbreak has reached any other continents. The news didn't seem sure. If it was contained here, maybe other places will let the survivors in as refugees. Who knows, maybe there is even some scientist working on a cure. I don't really have any idea what else we could do. What do you think?" I ask.
My dad grunts which I realize is the only response I am going to get and sigh. The dusk is starting to set in and we have about ten fish ready to be smoked when I hear the scream. I know instantly that it is Jenny.
My father seems to take forever to make his way back to the shore and at first I am in a panic. Then, I hear the sound of shots being fired. Jenny has never handled a gun in her life. Her parents didn't believe in them. I am desperately hoping it is my mom who is shooting because if it is then she may actually hit a zombie and just as important she might manage not to hit us as we make our way to the house.
My dad walked to the water so I load him and his supplies into the Yukon and then I hit the gas. I bowl over ten zombies as we make our way to the house. I am going fast enough that the force of the hit doesn't give them time to mess with the windows but I am glad I still have my reel ready to bash in zombie faces if it comes to that.
Zombie bodies are scattered around the front of the house. I am sure the smell of decay will draw more.
"How much ammo does mom have?" I ask.
"Enough," my dad s.
We kick shattered and broken zombies out of the way as we bring our fish in through the front door. Jenny is on the couch in tears.
Mom must be upstairs at a window.
"I want my mom," she whispers.
"Tomorrow," I assure her. "We are going to go and get them tomorrow. And then, we are going to find a way to get to their sailboat and get on the water. We will be safe there. Zombies can't swim," I say hoping my dad is right.
Jenny throws her arms around me and I hold her tight.
"We just have to get through this night. Then, everything will be fine," I whisper to her. She nods and I hope that she believes me.
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[MarkStanford]

Part 6
Jenny and I slept on the couch while my dad smoked the fish and my mom shot any zombies that approached. I can't say it was a good sleep. In fact, it was terribly fitful, but eventually dawn came.
"We better get on the road," my dad said shaking my shoulder a bit rougher than needed.
I nodded feeling exhausted. Jenny was still clinging to me.
I pushed her away gently and she startled awake. She looked even paler today than she had yesterday. Still, she got up and followed every direction my dad gave. We managed to get my parents and their things loaded up into the SUV though my dad and I did have to move a few zombie carcasses away from the front door before we could open the door. I was a little worried that there might still be a live one and with one bite we would be goners but my dad just laughed when I mentioned it. Apparently, my mom is an even better shot than I imagined.
She brought the gun and enough bullets to hopefully last until we got onto the water. I wouldn't have to use my reel again for zombie bashing. I wondered if I could get it clean enough to use. It was hard to guess when I would be able to buy another reel with the zombie apocalypse at hand.
The roads were different today. We did see cars but they were along the side of the road and there was no one alive in them. I had no idea if the occupants had run out of gas and had to make a run for it or what had happened. A few smaller cars were dented and crushed in places and it didn't take much imagination to imagine what had happened to those people. When we saw a crushed VW Bug Jenny had to open her window and throw up. Finally, we weren't able to stay on back roads anymore. Jenny's parent's live in the suburbs and so we had to get on Main St. Cars were backed up bumper to bumper but instead of the deafening honking from yesterday an eerie silence hung in the air. I drove along the median which was surprisingly free of cars until we were almost a mile from Jenny's parents.
A turned truck blocked our way. My first and admittedly macho impulse was to see if I could speed into it and push it out of the way but I couldn't see over it and if something big was on the other side I didn't want to risk immobilizing my car.
"We will get out and check it out," my dad said as I pulled to a stop. I nodded and put the car in park.
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[MarkStanford]

Part 7
"Should we take the gun?" I asked.
"Your mother will cover us." I nodded but grabbed the reel and a pair of gloves anyways. I wanted to make sure I had a fighting chance. I saw my dad grab his Piscifun aluminum fishing pliers. I wasn't sure that would be enough to take out a zombie but I really hoped there would be no zombies to take out.
We opened the doors with caution and listened for any sounds. It was silent which made me more confident as we moved forward. There was carnage in the road but it looked as if most of the solid flesh had either been devoured or had gotten up and walked away.
We walked around the truck and I was pleased to see that there was nothing on the other side.
"Do you think we can move it?" I asked.
"It is worth a try at least."
My dad and I put our hands on the frame of the truck bed and on the count of three gave it a shove. I was horrified by the squishing sound as it did indeed move and then we heard an inhuman squeal. I looked down and saw a head sticking out from beneath the wheel. I jumped back in terror but my father took his fishing scissors and brought them down into the soft flesh of the monster's temple with s sickening suction noise that made me nauseous. The thing didn't move after that but I was careful not to get my leg too close to it as we continued to push the truck enough that we could get the Yukon past it. I hoped that the truck was sliding because it was in some kind of mud. I hated the idea that it might be decaying human fats and juices that were creating the slick film allowing the truck to move.
I was glad when we got back into the car and even more glad when we approached the quiet neighborhood where my parents in law lived; that is, until I turned the corner and Jenny's parent’s house came into sight. The door was smashed in two and the window was shards of bloody glass. Before I could stop her, Jenny let out a blood curdling scream. My mother clamped her hand over Jenny's mouth but I knew the damage had been done.
Zombies seemed to come from nowhere. My mother pointed her gun out of the window and started shooting into the zombie crowd. I pushed my foot down on the gas and started back towards the road. The water wasn't far. If we could just get to the boat we might just make it.
"Mom!" I heard Jenny scream.
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Part 8
I turned to see her look of horror and then I followed her eyes to the creature coming towards us. Her left arm was bone and an eye was missing but the creature had indeed been my mother in law. My mother pulled the trigger of the gun and my former mother in law’s head exploded and then Jenny fainted which was probably for the best since a moment later I was forced to drive over her father. I felt bad about it. My father in law and I got along fairly well except for the fact that I was a Piscifun fan and he preferred Rapala. We didn't fish or shop together so as long as the topic didn't come up it wasn't too much of an issue. Certainly some concessions have to be made for ones father in law. Even when he is clearly wrong. I felt terrible as I heard his bones crack under the tires.
The zombies were too slow to follow the Yukon as we raced up the street.
I heard Jenny stir and saw my mother in the rearview window as she clamped a hand over my wife's mouth. I hope Jenny would forgive her later but we really didn't need the attention of any more zombies.
I turned my face back to the road but a moment later my mother tapped me on the shoulder.
"The baby is coming," she whispered. I turned around to see that my wife's pants were wet. Had she peed herself in shock?
"My water broke," she said.
"Shit," I growled slamming down on the gas. We had to make it to the sailboat, fast.
I felt renewed determination and there was not a zombie that stood a chance as I gunned the engine pushing the Yukon as hard as I could. Part of me worried a cop might come and ticket me as my speedometer reached 100 MPH but no one came and the fence to the dock was opened. The bad news was that meant that zombies might be on boats. The good news was that I didn't have to drive through a chain link fence.
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Part 9
Her parent's boat was in its spot. My dad and I jumped out of the Yukon. I have to admit that at that moment I was pretty pissed and would have welcomed a zombie to beat to death but none were on the boat. My dad and I loaded the supplies onto the sailboat before I opened the door to pick up my wife. Her face looked panicked and pale. I couldn't say I blamed her. I hoped my mom knew what to do.
I let her settle my wife in the bed in the cabin while my dad helped me to get the boat out onto the water.
"I need something to tie the cord!" My mother yelled.
I grabbed Piscifun braided line and brought it into the room where my mother was pulling a baby from my wife's body.
I didn't watch as she tied the cord and then cut it. All I could see in that moment was my wife and my son.
I knelt down beside my wife and gave her a kiss.
"He is beautiful," I said because there was nothing else I could say.
"Do you think it really matters? He won't get to grow up. We are all just going to be zombies," she said. The tears falling down her cheeks upset me. The birth of a baby was supposed to be joyous and it was apparent that even though my son was a bit small he was perfect in every way.
"We can't give up hope," I said. "We have to believe that the outbreak hasn't crossed the water. We have to hope that once we cross the water we will be safe and our son will be able to live a normal life just like we intended for him to."
"What if the outbreak is everywhere? What will we do?" Jenny asked. I gulped. I didn't want that to be the truth. It would be a hard life for us if it was. It certainly wasn't the way I wanted to raise my son, but I couldn't lie to my wife, and I wanted her to know that I was going to keep her and my boy safe no matter what.
"If the absolute worst happens, I suppose we will just live on this boat. We have enough fishing gear here to assure that we will have food at least until Junior is a teenager. Water might be an issue but my dad and I can make water runs. There have to be lots of stores with bottled water ripe for the taking. We have plenty on here now but it is a concern."
"But what about other children to play with," she said. "I want him to have a normal life. A good life. He can't live on this little boat forever fishing with his dad and grandpa," she said.
It didn't sound like such a bad life to me but I was smart enough not to say so.
"There have to be other survivors. We will find them. When we do, we will figure out how to fix this," I said. It might have been a dream, but it was the only hope we had.
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