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I Thought It Was Just The Flu. Then The Dead Woke Up. · Creepy Stories to Fall Asleep To

• 0:01
  I was on the couch next to Autumn, my feet propped on the
• 0:04
  coffee table. The news anchor reported on a
• 0:07
  new outbreak overseas. Officials in Beijing have
• 0:12
  confirmed over 30 deaths related to the mysterious illness, with
• 0:17
  similar reports coming from Moscow.
• 0:19
  She said the World Health Organization has dispatched
• 0:23
  teams to investigate, but details remain scarce at this
• 0:26
  time. Autumn sat up straighter, her
• 0:30
  hand pausing mid reach for her tea.
• 0:33
  That doesn't sound good. I grabbed the remote and turn
• 0:36
  the volume down a notch. It's just the news doing what it
• 0:41
  does best, scaring people for ratings.
• 0:44
  Remember bird flu, swine flu, SARS, they all got the same
• 0:49
  breathless coverage. Those were all serious diseases,
• 0:53
  she pointed out, tucking a strand of Auburn hair behind her
• 0:57
  ear. Sure, but not the global
• 1:00
  catastrophes they were made out to be.
• 1:03
  I put my arm around her shoulders and gave a gentle
• 1:05
  squeeze. The media loves a good health
• 1:08
  scare. Next week they'll be on to
• 1:11
  something else. She stared at the screen showing
• 1:14
  footage of hazmat suited workers at a Chinese hospital.
• 1:18
  I noticed her shoulders tense. Hey.
• 1:22
  I said, changing the subject. Tucker, how was baseball
• 1:26
  practice today? Our 12 year old looked up from
• 1:30
  his phone where he'd been scrolling through something,
• 1:33
  completely oblivious to both the news and our conversation.
• 1:39
  Oh, it was fine. Coach says I might pitch in
• 1:42
  Saturday's game. That's great.
• 1:45
  I said with genuine enthusiasm. First time on the mound this
• 1:49
  season, right? Tucker nodded, a small smile
• 1:52
  breaking through his usually serious expression.
• 1:56
  Yeah, I've been working on my fastball.
• 1:59
  And Martha? I turned to my 10 year old
• 2:01
  daughter who was sitting cross legged on the floor with a book.
• 2:05
  How's that science project coming along?
• 2:09
  Martha looked up, her blue eyes bright.
• 2:12
  Good. Miss Pearson said my hypothesis
• 2:16
  about plant growth was really interesting.
• 2:19
  I need more pictures for my poster board though.
• 2:23
  We can take some tomorrow after school.
• 2:25
  Autumn said, visibly relaxing as the conversation shifted away
• 2:29
  from mysterious illnesses. She reached for the remote and
• 2:33
  changed the channel to a cooking show.
• 2:36
  Who wants ice cream? Both kids immediately perked up,
• 2:40
  the news and its worrying implications completely
• 2:43
  forgotten. I wished I could forget it as
• 2:47
  easily. Three weeks later, I couldn't
• 2:51
  ignore the news anymore. What it started as distant
• 2:55
  reports had become a steady drum beat of alarming updates.
• 3:00
  Cases had been confirmed in Toronto, Vancouver, Seattle and
• 3:04
  New York. The official statements remained
• 3:07
  measured, talking about containment and appropriate
• 3:10
  precautions. But the footage told a different
• 3:13
  story. I sat at my desk at work,
• 3:17
  staring at my computer screen without really seeing the
• 3:20
  spreadsheet I've been working on.
• 3:22
  My office door opened and Louis stuck his head in.
• 3:27
  You see this? He asked, his voice tight.
• 3:31
  Without waiting for an answer, he came in and placed his tablet
• 3:34
  on my desk. The video showed what looked
• 3:37
  like body camera footage from a police officer.
• 3:41
  The officer approached someone stumbling along the street,
• 3:44
  calling out to them. When the person turned, their
• 3:48
  face was pale, with dark veins visible beneath the skin.
• 3:52
  Their movements were jerky, uncoordinated.
• 3:56
  The officer asked if they needed medical assistance, but instead
• 4:00
  of answering, the person lunged forward with shocking speed.
• 4:06
  Jesus, I muttered as the camera view tilted wildly.
• 4:10
  There were shouts, then the sound of gunshots.
• 4:14
  That's from Boston yesterday. Lewis said, pushing his glasses
• 4:19
  up his nose with a shaky hand. It's not just overseas anymore,
• 4:23
  Axel. I handed the tablet back to him.
• 4:27
  Where did you get this? It's all over the Internet.
• 4:31
  Official channels are being careful about what they show,
• 4:35
  but people are uploading footage faster than it can be taken
• 4:38
  down. He took a deep breath.
• 4:42
  My sister's in Philadelphia. She says the hospitals there are
• 4:46
  overwhelmed. I rubbed my face, suddenly
• 4:50
  feeling very tired. You think we should be worried?
• 4:56
  I think we should be prepared, Lewis answered.
• 5:00
  Whatever this is, it's spreading fast.
• 5:04
  I nodded, making a decision. I'm heading home early.
• 5:08
  You should too. The drive home took longer than
• 5:12
  usual. Traffic was heavy for a weekday.
• 5:16
  I tried calling Autumn twice, but got her voicemail both
• 5:19
  times. I worried.
• 5:22
  When I finally pulled into our driveway, I noticed both our
• 5:25
  cars were there. I hurried inside to find Autumn
• 5:29
  in our bedroom, pulling suitcases from the closet.
• 5:33
  Thank God, she said when she saw me, dropping a stack of clothes
• 5:38
  on the bed and coming over to hug me tightly.
• 5:41
  I've been trying to reach you. What's going on?
• 5:45
  I asked, though I already had a pretty good idea.
• 5:50
  She pulled back, her face pale but determined.
• 5:53
  It's in Chicago, Axel, less than two hours away.
• 5:58
  I think we need to leave. Leave.
• 6:01
  Where would we go? My sister's place in Tennessee.
• 6:05
  It's rural, isolated. We'd be safer there than in the
• 6:08
  suburbs. She returned to packing, folding
• 6:12
  clothes with quick, efficient movements.
• 6:15
  I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to process everything.
• 6:19
  The kids, I picked them up from school.
• 6:23
  Half their classes were empty anyway.
• 6:26
  They're in their rooms, packing bags.
• 6:30
  She paused, looking at me directly.
• 6:33
  This isn't a drill, Axel. You've seen the news, right?
• 6:38
  Yeah, I said. Louis showed me some footage
• 6:41
  today. It's bad.
• 6:45
  It's worse than they're saying on TV.
• 6:48
  She lowered her voice. People who get infected, they
• 6:53
  change. They attack others.
• 6:56
  The bite spreads it. I wanted to tell her she was
• 7:00
  overreacting, that it couldn't possibly be as bad as she
• 7:03
  thought, But the words wouldn't come.
• 7:07
  Instead, I asked how long before we're ready to leave.
• 7:12
  An hour, maybe less. I've been packing food, water,
• 7:16
  first aid supplies. She looked relieved that I
• 7:20
  wasn't arguing. Before I could respond, a harsh
• 7:24
  electronic tone blared from both our phones simultaneously.
• 7:28
  The sound made me jump. I pulled mine from my pocket to
• 7:32
  see an emergency alert. State of emergency declared for
• 7:35
  Illinois. Stay in your homes.
• 7:38
  Avoid contact with infected individuals.
• 7:41
  More information to follow. Autumn and I looked at each
• 7:44
  other, the same thought reflected in both our faces.
• 7:49
  We were running out of time. Let me check on the kids, I
• 7:53
  said, standing up. Then we'll figure out what to
• 7:57
  do. I lay in bed that night, unable
• 8:01
  to sleep despite my exhaustion. Autumn slept restlessly beside
• 8:06
  me, occasionally murmuring incoherently.
• 8:10
  We had decided to wait until morning to leave, hoping For
• 8:13
  more information and clearer roads.
• 8:16
  My phone glowed in the darkness as I scrolled through news sites
• 8:20
  and social media. The official channels were still
• 8:23
  using careful language. Public health emergency,
• 8:27
  aggressive contagion, civil unrest.
• 8:31
  But first hand accounts told a more terrifying story.
• 8:34
  People were calling them the infected in news reports on
• 8:39
  social media. Another term was spreading just
• 8:42
  as fast as the disease itself. Zombies.
• 8:47
  I didn't want to believe it, but the videos were hard to argue
• 8:51
  with. People with Gray skin and black
• 8:54
  veins moving with unnatural jerks and twitches.
• 8:59
  People who took multiple gunshots to the body and kept
• 9:02
  coming. People who only stopped when
• 9:04
  their brains were destroyed. A notification popped up.
• 9:08
  Another emergency alert. Remain indoors, lock all doors
• 9:13
  and windows. Do not attempt to help infected
• 9:16
  individuals. Await further instructions.
• 9:19
  I heard multiple sirens in the distance.
• 9:22
  I got out of bed quietly, trying not to wake Autumn, and went to
• 9:26
  the window. The night sky glowed orange.
• 9:29
  Fire somewhere, maybe. Several sirens wailed, some
• 9:33
  fading, others approaching. I thought about our
• 9:37
  neighborhood, the schools, parks, and shopping centers.
• 9:41
  I thought about our neighbors, people we'd known for years.
• 9:46
  How bad would it get? How quickly would it spread?
• 9:52
  Would the authorities contain it, or were we already past that
• 9:56
  point? I checked on the kids, finding
• 9:59
  them both asleep, Tucker sprawled across his bed, one arm
• 10:04
  hanging off the edge, and Martha curled up with her favorite
• 10:07
  stuffed rabbit clutch to her chest.
• 10:10
  They looked so peaceful, so normal.
• 10:14
  I wanted desperately to keep them that way.
• 10:18
  I heard the sirens again. Closer now.
• 10:22
  Police lights flashed across the living room wall as a vehicle
• 10:24
  speed down our street. I returned to bed but couldn't
• 10:28
  sleep. I scrolled through news as the
• 10:31
  world unraveled. Tomorrow we would leave for
• 10:34
  somewhere safer. Tonight, I listened to sirens
• 10:39
  and wondered how much normal life remained.
• 10:43
  I woke up to silence. Not the peaceful kind, but the
• 10:47
  unsettling absence of the hum that usually filled our house.
• 10:51
  The refrigerator, the air conditioning, the digital clock.
• 10:56
  I reached for my phone on the night stand at 3:27 in the
• 11:00
  morning. The battery showed 42%.
• 11:04
  Power's out. I whispered, though Autumn was
• 11:08
  already awake beside me, her eyes reflecting the blue glow
• 11:11
  from my screen. The whole neighborhood?
• 11:16
  She asked. I got up and went to the window,
• 11:19
  pulling back the curtain. The street lights were dark and
• 11:23
  none of the houses had lights on.
• 11:26
  The only illumination came from a car's headlights moving slowly
• 11:29
  down the street. Looks like it.
• 11:33
  Autumn sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.
• 11:37
  Do you think it's related to everything else?
• 11:42
  I didn't answer right away. We both knew it probably was.
• 11:47
  I'll check outside, but I saw. I said, pulling on a pair of
• 11:50
  jeans and AT shirt. I walked through the dark house
• 11:53
  using my phone as a flashlight. The living room looked strange
• 11:57
  in the beam. I unlocked the back door and
• 12:00
  stepped onto the deck. I walked to the edge of the deck
• 12:04
  and look toward downtown. My breath caught in my throat.
• 12:09
  Thick columns of smoke rose against the night sky, backlit
• 12:13
  by an orange glow. At least three separate fires
• 12:17
  burned somewhere in the city center.
• 12:19
  In the distance I heard sirens, but they sounded scattered and
• 12:25
  disorganized, not the coordinated response you'd
• 12:28
  expect. Jesus.
• 12:32
  I muttered. The sound of a door opening next
• 12:35
  door made me turn. Clyde stepped out onto his
• 12:40
  patio, also looking toward the smoke.
• 12:43
  He noticed me and walked over to the fence between our yards.
• 12:48
  You seeing this? He asked, his voice low.
• 12:52
  Yeah, any idea what's going on? Clyde ran a hand through his
• 12:58
  hair. My brother-in-law works for the
• 13:00
  city, called me about an hour ago.
• 13:04
  Said it's bad downtown, really bad, The infection spreading
• 13:08
  faster than they can contain it. What are people doing?
• 13:12
  I asked. Military set up at the high
• 13:15
  school. They're organizing evacuations
• 13:18
  starting at dawn. Clyde leaned closer to the
• 13:22
  fence. Keith said we should get there
• 13:25
  early, they're prioritizing families with kids.
• 13:30
  I nodded, trying to process this.
• 13:33
  Thanks for letting me know. No problem, Lily and I will head
• 13:37
  over around 5:00, maybe we can. Caravan sounds good, we'll be
• 13:43
  ready. Back inside, I found Autumn
• 13:45
  waiting in the kitchen, a battery powered Lantern casting
• 13:49
  a soft glow across the counter. What did you see?
• 13:53
  She asked. Fire's downtown and I talked to
• 13:57
  Clyde. There's a military evacuation
• 14:00
  point at the high school. We need to be there by dawn.
• 14:05
  Autumn's face remained calm, but I saw her hands tighten around
• 14:09
  her coffee mug. I'll wake the kids and help them
• 14:12
  pack one backpack each. Yeah, essentials only.
• 14:19
  We moved through the next few hours with focused efficiency.
• 14:22
  Autumn woke Tucker and Martha, explaining in simple terms that
• 14:26
  we needed to leave for a while. I gathered our emergency
• 14:30
  supplies, first aid kit, water purification tablets, matches,
• 14:35
  flashlights, batteries, and divided them between our bags.
• 14:40
  By 4:30, we were all dressed and sitting in the living room,
• 14:44
  backpacks at our feet. Martha clutched her stuffed
• 14:48
  rabbit, its ear pinched between her fingers.
• 14:52
  Tucker sat unnaturally still, his eyes fixed on the dark
• 14:55
  television screen. We should eat something before
• 14:59
  we go. Autumn said, breaking the
• 15:01
  silence. She went to the kitchen and came
• 15:04
  back with granola bars and apples.
• 15:07
  No one had much appetite, but we ate anyway, knowing we needed
• 15:10
  the energy. As we finished, the first hint
• 15:14
  of dawn lighten the sky outside. Then we heard the gunshots.
• 15:20
  They came from nearby, Too close.
• 15:23
  Martha jumped, and Tucker's head snapped toward the window.
• 15:27
  Stay here, I told them, moving to look outside.
• 15:31
  Three police cars had pulled up in front of Clyde's house,
• 15:35
  lights flashing silently. Officers crouched behind their
• 15:39
  vehicles, weapons drawn. I couldn't see what they were
• 15:42
  aiming at. What's happening?
• 15:44
  Autumn asked, joining me at the window.
• 15:48
  Before I could answer, a sharp knock came at our front door.
• 15:52
  I exchanged to look with Autumn. I'll get it, I said.
• 15:56
  Keep the kids back. I approached the door cautiously
• 16:00
  and looked through the people. A female police officer stood on
• 16:04
  our porch, her hand near her holster but not on it.
• 16:08
  I opened the door part way. Yes, Mr. Williamson, she asked.
• 16:14
  Her name tag read Simmons. I'm Officer Natalie Simmons, I
• 16:19
  need you and your family to stay inside for now.
• 16:23
  What's going on at my neighbor's house?
• 16:26
  Officer Simmons glanced back toward Clyde's place.
• 16:30
  The residence is compromised. We've got 4 infected individuals
• 16:33
  inside. My stomach dropped.
• 16:37
  Clyde and Lily, I can't give you details Sir, but I need you to
• 16:42
  get your family ready to evacuate.
• 16:44
  Pack only what you can carry. One bag per person will escort
• 16:48
  you to the high school once we've secured this area.
• 16:52
  We're already packed. I said.
• 16:55
  She looked surprised, then nodded.
• 16:57
  Good, that's good, stay put until I come back for you.
• 17:02
  As she turned to leave, I called after her officer.
• 17:06
  My neighbor told me there were evacuations planned from the
• 17:09
  high school. Is that still happening?
• 17:13
  Yes, Sir, military transport is coming at O 800, but you need to
• 17:17
  be processed before boarding. I closed the door and returned
• 17:21
  to my family. What did she say?
• 17:24
  Autumn asked, her arm around Martha's shoulders.
• 17:29
  Clyde's house is there are infected people inside.
• 17:34
  I tried to choose my words carefully, with the kids
• 17:37
  listening. The police will escort us to the
• 17:40
  high school when it's safe. Tucker looked up at me.
• 17:45
  Is Clyde OK? I don't know, buddy.
• 17:49
  I put my hand on his shoulder. But we need to be ready to leave
• 17:53
  as soon as the officer comes back.
• 17:56
  We waited, intense silence, listening to occasional shouts
• 18:00
  from outside. After what felt like hours, but
• 18:03
  was probably only 20 minutes, another knock came at the door.
• 18:08
  This time Officer Simmons stood with another officer, a younger
• 18:13
  Asian woman whose tag read Chen. Mr. Williamson, we're ready to
• 18:18
  move you now. Simmons said.
• 18:21
  Is your vehicle fueled up? Yes.
• 18:23
  The SUV in the driveway is full. Good.
• 18:27
  Officer Chen will escort you to your vehicle.
• 18:30
  Follow her cruiser to the high school.
• 18:32
  Do not stop for any reason. Understand?
• 18:36
  I nodded. We understand.
• 18:40
  Officer Chen stepped forward. Stay close to me, move quickly,
• 18:44
  but don't run, don't make noise. We shouldered our backpacks.
• 18:50
  I carried the small duffel with our important documents and some
• 18:53
  extra supplies. Autumn took Martha's hand while
• 18:57
  I put my arm around Tucker's shoulders.
• 19:01
  Ready. Officer Chen asked.
• 19:04
  We nodded and followed her. Outside, the morning air felt
• 19:08
  cool, the sky now a pale blue. More police cars.
• 19:11
  Had arrived and an ambulance sat at the end of the street.
• 19:15
  It's back doors open. Walking to our.
• 19:18
  Suvi, look toward Clyde's house. The garage door stood open and a
• 19:23
  figure stumbled into the driveway.
• 19:27
  It was Lily, but not the Lily I'd known for three years.
• 19:32
  She moved jerkily. Her head tilted at an unnatural
• 19:36
  angle. Even from here I could see dark
• 19:39
  lines spreading across her neck and face like black veins.
• 19:45
  Keep moving. Officer Chen said sharply,
• 19:48
  placing herself between US and the sight of Lily.
• 19:52
  But I couldn't look away. Lily took another stumbling step
• 19:57
  forward, her mouth open in what looked like a silent scream.
• 20:02
  Officer Chen. Raised her weapon.
• 20:05
  Get in your car now, she ordered.
• 20:07
  I hurried my family into the SUV, helping Martha with her
• 20:11
  seat belt while Autumn started the engine.
• 20:14
  Through the windshield. I saw Officer Chen backing
• 20:17
  toward her cruiser, her gun still trained on Lily.
• 20:21
  Dad, Tucker said, his voice small.
• 20:25
  Was that missus Lane? I swallowed hard.
• 20:30
  Just look forward, Tuck. We need to follow the police
• 20:33
  car. Officer Chen.
• 20:36
  'S cruiser pulled away from the curb and we followed, driving
• 20:39
  past Clyde's house without looking.
• 20:43
  In the rear view. Mirror I caught a glimpse of
• 20:45
  Officer Simmons raising her weapon.
• 20:47
  I didn't hear the shot over our engine.
• 20:50
  The drive to the high. School took 10 minutes.
• 20:53
  The streets were mostly empty. Smoke rose from downtown,
• 20:57
  thicker now. The high school parking.
• 21:00
  Lot had been transformed into a processing center.
• 21:04
  Military vehicles lined the perimeter and soldiers with
• 21:07
  rifles stood at checkpoints. Officer Chen LED us to a drop
• 21:12
  off point where a man in scrubs waited.
• 21:15
  Family of four. For screening, she told him.
• 21:18
  Then turn to us. Doctor Moss will check you
• 21:21
  before you enter the building. Good luck, the Doctor.
• 21:27
  Approached as Officer Chen returned to her cruiser.
• 21:30
  He was middle-aged. With tired eyes behind wire
• 21:33
  rimmed glasses. I'm Doctor Evan.
• 21:36
  Moss, he said. I need to screen.
• 21:39
  Each of you before you can enter the safe zone, it's quick and
• 21:43
  painless. He checked our temperatures with
• 21:46
  a digital thermometer, examined our eyes with a pen light, and
• 21:50
  looked at our arms and necks for any marks or scratches.
• 21:54
  You. All look clear.
• 21:55
  He said finally. Head through those doors.
• 21:58
  To the gymnasium. You'll be assigned temporary
• 22:01
  quarters there. The gymnasium had.
• 22:03
  Been divided into sections with portable walls and curtains.
• 22:08
  Hundreds of people. Sat on cots or the floor,
• 22:11
  surrounded by whatever belongings they'd managed to
• 22:14
  bring, National Guard soldiers patrolled the perimeter while
• 22:18
  volunteers distributed water and snack bars.
• 22:22
  A young soldier. Directed us to an area near the
• 22:25
  back where a few empty cots remained.
• 22:28
  We claimed them, placing our backpacks underneath to mark our
• 22:31
  space. I'm going to see if I can find
• 22:34
  out more information, I told Autumn.
• 22:37
  Will you be OK with the kids? She nodded.
• 22:41
  We'll be fine, just come back quickly.
• 22:44
  I made my way through the crowded gym, listening to
• 22:47
  conversations, trying to piece together what people knew.
• 22:51
  Most seemed as. Confused as we were.
• 22:54
  Though I overheard. Mentions of other cities
• 22:56
  falling, of the infection spreading faster than anyone had
• 23:00
  predicted. The gymnasium filled with
• 23:03
  families on cots as night neared.
• 23:06
  Children cried while adults argued over space and supplies.
• 23:11
  Military personnel kept order, sometimes forcefully.
• 23:16
  We ate Mr. ES. For dinner, my first time trying
• 23:18
  military rations, the kids picked at the unfamiliar food
• 23:23
  while Autumn and I forced ourselves to eat, knowing we
• 23:26
  needed the strength. Just after 8.
• 23:29
  A woman in a military uniform entered the gymnasium and
• 23:33
  climbed onto a raised platform at the center.
• 23:36
  The crowd gradually. Fell silent as she raised her
• 23:39
  hand. I am major.
• 23:42
  Papi Santos, she announced, her voice carrying across the large
• 23:46
  space. I'm the commanding officer of
• 23:49
  this evacuation point. I need your attention.
• 23:52
  For important information, the gymnasium became completely
• 23:57
  quiet. First, I must inform you that
• 24:02
  Springfield has fallen to the infection.
• 24:05
  Downtown is no longer under government control.
• 24:10
  A murmur ran through the crowd. Someone near the front called
• 24:13
  out. What about the evacuation?
• 24:16
  The evacuation will proceed, but with a change of destination,
• 24:20
  Major Santos continued. Instead of the.
• 24:24
  Civilian refuge centers. You will be transported to a
• 24:27
  military installation in Kentucky where we can better
• 24:30
  ensure your safety. More whispers spread through the
• 24:35
  crowd. I looked at Autumn, who had
• 24:37
  pulled Martha onto her lap. Tucker sat close to her side.
• 24:42
  Transport will begin at O 500 tomorrow.
• 24:45
  You will. Be assigned to.
• 24:46
  Vehicles based on family units. Each person is allowed one bag
• 24:51
  only. Major Santos paused, scanning
• 24:54
  the crowd. Now I need to brief you on what
• 24:58
  we know about the infection. The room grew even.
• 25:02
  Quieter. The pathogen spreads through
• 25:05
  direct fluid contact, primarily bites from infected individuals.
• 25:10
  Once infected, transformation occurs within 12 to 24 hours.
• 25:16
  There is currently no. Known cure or treatment.
• 25:19
  A woman near us. Began to cry softly.
• 25:23
  Her husband put his arm. Around her shoulders, infected
• 25:26
  individuals are extremely dangerous, Major Santos
• 25:30
  continued. They will attack without
• 25:33
  provocation and show no recognition of former family or
• 25:36
  friends. They feel no pain and will
• 25:40
  continue attacking despite injuries that would incapacitate
• 25:44
  or kill an uninfected person. She took a deep breath.
• 25:49
  The only way to. Stop an infected individual is
• 25:52
  to destroy the brain. Headshots are the only effective
• 25:56
  method. Her blunt words.
• 26:00
  Reminded me of Lily stumbling from her garage and Officer Chen
• 26:04
  raising her weapon. Get some rest.
• 26:07
  Major Santos concluded tomorrow will be a long day.
• 26:11
  That is all. As she stepped down from the
• 26:14
  platform, the gymnasium erupted in conversation.
• 26:19
  The parents pulled their children closer.
• 26:21
  People argued about what they just heard.
• 26:24
  Others sat in stunned silence. I returned to our cots, where
• 26:28
  Autumn looked at me with wide eyes.
• 26:31
  Kentucky, she whispered. At least it's away.
• 26:35
  From here, I said, sitting beside her.
• 26:39
  Martha had fallen asleep against Autumn's shoulder.
• 26:43
  Tucker stared at the. Floor, his face unreadable.
• 26:47
  Try to get some sleep, I told them.
• 26:50
  I'll keep watch for a while. As my family settled onto their
• 26:54
  cots, I sat with my back against the wall, watching the gymnasium
• 26:59
  full of scared, exhausted people.
• 27:02
  Outside, the world we knew was falling apart.
• 27:05
  Tomorrow we'd leave our home behind.
• 27:08
  Maybe forever. I didn't know what waited for us
• 27:11
  in Kentucky. I climbed onto the.
• 27:14
  School bus behind Martha, my hand on her small shoulder as we
• 27:18
  made our way down the aisle. The interior lights were off,
• 27:22
  leaving the bus in pre dawn darkness except for what little
• 27:26
  filtered through the blacked out windows.
• 27:28
  Autumn followed with Tucker close behind her.
• 27:32
  Find seats together. I whispered.
• 27:35
  Guiding Martha to. An empty row halfway down the
• 27:39
  bus smelled of sweat. Families huddled together,
• 27:42
  children sleeping against their parents shoulders or watching
• 27:45
  silently. No one spoke.
• 27:48
  Above a whisper. Autumn slid into.
• 27:51
  The seat across the aisle with Tucker.
• 27:54
  She reached across the space between US and squeezed my hand,
• 27:58
  her fingers cold despite the warm morning.
• 28:01
  We're going to be OK. I said, not entirely believing
• 28:05
  it myself. Martha pressed against.
• 28:09
  The window, her small fingers working at a tear in the black
• 28:12
  material covering the glass. I gently pulled her.
• 28:16
  Hand away. Leave that sweetie.
• 28:19
  The soldiers want them covered for a reason.
• 28:22
  She nodded. And.
• 28:23
  Clutched her stuffed rabbit tighter to her chest.
• 28:27
  The poor thing was looking worse for wear after being dragged
• 28:29
  through our hasty evacuation. But Martha wouldn't.
• 28:33
  Let it go. The bus engine.
• 28:36
  Rumbled to life beneath us. Our driver, a heavyset man with
• 28:40
  thinning Gray hair who had introduced himself as River,
• 28:43
  turned in his seat. Everyone seated.
• 28:47
  We're pulling out in 2 minutes. Military escorts.
• 28:51
  Getting into position. Outside.
• 28:54
  Soldiers loaded into Humvees and trucks.
• 28:58
  Through the windshield. I watched an officer directing
• 29:01
  the lead vehicles for our departure.
• 29:04
  Major Santos boarded our bus briefly, clipboard in hand.
• 29:09
  Remember the rules. Windows stay covered, no loud
• 29:13
  noises if we stop for any reason.
• 29:16
  Stay on the vehicle unless directly ordered to evacuate by
• 29:19
  military personnel. Her eyes swept.
• 29:23
  Over all of us, Kentucky is approximately 4 hours away.
• 29:27
  Under normal conditions. We expect delays.
• 29:30
  Be patient and follow instructions.
• 29:34
  She stepped off and moments later our convoy lurched
• 29:38
  forward. I counted the vehicles as we
• 29:40
  pulled out of the high school parking lot. 4 buses including
• 29:44
  ours, 6 military humvees, 2 transport trucks and what looked
• 29:49
  like a medical van at the rear. Not nearly enough.
• 29:53
  For all the people who needed evacuation.
• 29:56
  Martha tugged at the. Window covering again, creating
• 29:59
  a small gap. She could peek through.
• 30:02
  Martha, I warned Dad there are people running after us, she
• 30:08
  whispered. I.
• 30:10
  Leaned over to. Look through the small tear in
• 30:12
  the covering. Outside Gray.
• 30:14
  Morning light revealed several figures sprinting alongside our
• 30:18
  slow moving convoy. Not people infected.
• 30:23
  Their movements were wrong, jerky and desperate.
• 30:26
  One was missing an. Arm black fluid staining its
• 30:29
  tattered shirt, another had its jaw hanging at an impossible
• 30:33
  angle. A soldier in the.
• 30:35
  Humvee beside us raised his rifle and fired 3 precise shots.
• 30:40
  The closest infected dropped. I pulled Martha away from the
• 30:44
  window. Don't look, I said, tucking her
• 30:48
  head against my chest. She didn't cry, just held her
• 30:51
  rabbit tighter. Across the aisle.
• 30:54
  Tucker had found his own tear to look through.
• 30:57
  His face was pale. But composed.
• 30:59
  As he watched the soldiers dispatch the infected pursuing
• 31:02
  us, Autumn caught my eye, her expression grim.
• 31:07
  We'd sheltered the kids from the worst of it so far, but that
• 31:11
  protection was wearing thin. The convoy picked.
• 31:15
  Up speed as we cleared the town limits heading West toward the
• 31:18
  Interstate. For the next hour.
• 31:21
  We rode in silence, occasional gunfire outside the only sign of
• 31:26
  what we were passing through. I checked my watch.
• 31:29
  Repeatedly tracking our progress by time since I couldn't see
• 31:33
  outside. Dad, Tucker whispered from
• 31:37
  across the aisle. Where exactly in Kentucky are we
• 31:40
  going? A military installation, I
• 31:43
  answered, remembering Major Santos's briefing.
• 31:46
  It's supposed to be secure. They'll have food, medicine,
• 31:50
  proper shelter. What happens after?
• 31:53
  That he asked. I had no answer.
• 31:57
  That wouldn't sound like a lie. We take it one day.
• 32:00
  At a time, bud. The bus slowed.
• 32:04
  Suddenly, and murmurs rippled through the passengers, I risked
• 32:08
  a peek through the tear in the window covering.
• 32:11
  We were on the Interstate now, but our progress had slowed to a
• 32:15
  crawl. Abandoned cars littered the
• 32:18
  road, forcing our convoy to weave between them.
• 32:22
  What's happening? Autumn asked, leaning across the
• 32:25
  aisle. Traffic jam.
• 32:27
  Dead traffic jam, I clarified, noting the empty vehicles.
• 32:32
  The bus came to a complete stop. River turned in his seat again.
• 32:36
  Folks, looks like we've hit a bottleneck.
• 32:39
  Military's clearing a path. Sit tight.
• 32:42
  I watched Soldiers. Exit their vehicles and clear
• 32:45
  abandoned cars from the road, making space for our convoy.
• 32:50
  Two soldiers kept guard weapons ready.
• 32:55
  A woman's voice called. Out from the front of the bus.
• 32:58
  Is that Terre Haute? Up ahead, I checked my mental
• 33:01
  map. We've been traveling W for about
• 33:03
  two hours. Terre Haute IN made sense.
• 33:08
  River answered. Yes, ma'am.
• 33:09
  Outskirts of it we're. Going to skirt.
• 33:12
  Around the city, stick to the bypass.
• 33:15
  The news rippled through the bus, people murmuring to each
• 33:18
  other. Someone mentioned family in
• 33:21
  Terre Haute. Someone else wondered if the
• 33:23
  city had fallen like Springfield.
• 33:26
  The convoy started. Moving again slowly, navigating
• 33:30
  the obstacle course of abandoned vehicles, I kept my eye on the
• 33:34
  small tear in the window covering.
• 33:37
  Watching a suburban. Sprawl gave way to more
• 33:39
  commercial areas. We were definitely.
• 33:42
  Approaching Terre Haute, Axel Autumn whispered, her voice
• 33:48
  tight. Something's wrong.
• 33:52
  I looked up to see. River on the radio, his
• 33:55
  expression grim. The bus slowed.
• 33:58
  Again, and this time I could hear shouting outside.
• 34:02
  The tear in the window covering was too small to see what was
• 34:05
  happening. I stood slightly, trying to see
• 34:09
  through the front windshield. Up ahead, something blocked the
• 34:13
  road completely, overturned trucks creating a barricade
• 34:17
  across all lanes. Everyone stay in.
• 34:20
  Your seats, River called out, his voice steady despite the
• 34:24
  tension. Military's assessing the
• 34:26
  situation. I sat back.
• 34:29
  Down, but kept my hand on Martha's shoulder.
• 34:32
  Across the aisle. Autumn had her arm around
• 34:35
  Tucker. The bus had gone.
• 34:37
  Completely silent, everyone straining to hear what was
• 34:41
  happening outside, gunfire erupted.
• 34:45
  Frantic, continuous fire, Not the controlled shots from
• 34:49
  earlier. Shouts and screams followed.
• 34:53
  Through the torn window. Covering I saw soldiers taking
• 34:56
  defensive positions around our convoy.
• 34:59
  They're coming from the. Woods, someone shouted outside.
• 35:03
  More gunfire. Closer now a soldier ran past
• 35:07
  our bus, shouting into his radio.
• 35:10
  Sweat poured down his face, his eyes wide with panic.
• 35:14
  The. Door of our bus.
• 35:15
  Swung open and a young soldier leapt aboard.
• 35:19
  His name patch read Hubbard. He couldn't have been older than
• 35:22
  25. Everyone remained calm, He said,
• 35:27
  though his own voice shook slightly.
• 35:30
  We've encountered a. Roadblock that appears to be a
• 35:32
  deliberate trap. We're going to reverse.
• 35:35
  Course and find an alternate route.
• 35:39
  A woman toward the. Front of the bus stood up.
• 35:42
  My daughter's on the second bus. What's happening to them?
• 35:47
  All buses are. Receiving the same instructions,
• 35:49
  Ma'am, please sit. A tremendous crash cut him off
• 35:54
  as something slammed into the side of our bus.
• 35:57
  The vehicle rocked and people screamed.
• 36:00
  Private Hubbard steadied himself against a seat.
• 36:03
  Stay down, he ordered. Then turn to river.
• 36:07
  Start backing up when I give the signal.
• 36:10
  He jumped back off the. Bus rifle ready.
• 36:14
  Through my small. Window view I watched him take
• 36:16
  up a position beside our bus, covering the tree line where
• 36:19
  shapes were emerging, dozens of infected running at full speed
• 36:23
  toward our convoy. The soldiers formed.
• 36:27
  A perimeter firing continuously, the infected fell but kept
• 36:31
  coming wave after wave. Private Hubbard held his
• 36:36
  position, dropping infected one after another with controlled
• 36:40
  shots. Then I saw it.
• 36:43
  And infected, wearing the tattered remains of a police
• 36:47
  uniform charged from Hubbard's blind spot.
• 36:51
  The young soldier. Turned too late.
• 36:53
  The infected slammed into him, both of them tumbling to the
• 36:56
  ground. No, I whispered, unable to look
• 37:01
  away. Hubbard fought desperately,
• 37:04
  keeping the infected's snapping teeth away from his face.
• 37:08
  He managed to push it off momentarily reaching for his
• 37:11
  sidearm. But two more.
• 37:13
  Infected pounced before he could fire, dragging him down in a
• 37:17
  tangle of grasping hands and gnashing teeth.
• 37:21
  His scream cut. Through the chaos outside, Daddy
• 37:25
  Martha's voice pulled me back. She was looking up at me, not
• 37:30
  out the window. Thank God.
• 37:34
  It's OK, I lied, pulling her close.
• 37:37
  The soldiers are protecting us. Another soldier appeared at our
• 37:41
  bus door, older, with Sergeant stripes on his uniform and hues
• 37:46
  on his name patch. His face was streaked.
• 37:49
  With dirt and what looked like blood.
• 37:52
  Everyone back on the. Buses now, he shouted,
• 37:55
  presumably to soldiers outside, then to river.
• 37:59
  Get ready to move. We're abandoning the roadblock
• 38:01
  approach. What about the other?
• 38:04
  Buses. River asked.
• 38:05
  Everyone's getting the same orders.
• 38:08
  We're scattering and regrouping at checkpoint.
• 38:10
  Bravo, now go. The bus engine.
• 38:13
  Roared as River threw it into reverse.
• 38:16
  People grabbed seats to steady themselves as we backed up a
• 38:19
  dangerous speed. Through the front.
• 38:22
  Windshield. I could see other vehicles in
• 38:25
  our convoy doing the same. A chaotic retreat.
• 38:30
  Sergeant Hughes remained at the door, firing at approaching
• 38:33
  infected. Go, go, go, he shouted.
• 38:39
  River managed to. Turn the bus around on the
• 38:41
  highway. Tires screeching, we accelerated
• 38:45
  away from the roadblock, leaving the overturned trucks behind.
• 38:49
  Sergeant Hughes jumped aboard at the last second, pulling the
• 38:52
  door closed behind him. Keep driving, he ordered.
• 38:55
  River. Don't stop for anything.
• 38:58
  He moved down the aisle, checking passengers.
• 39:01
  Is anyone hurt? Anyone bitten?
• 39:05
  No one answered. We were scared, but intact.
• 39:09
  What happened back there? Someone asked.
• 39:12
  Hughes's face hardened. Ambush.
• 39:16
  Someone set up that roadblock to trap vehicles infected were
• 39:20
  gathered in the woods, probably attracted by noise or something.
• 39:25
  He paused. We lost people.
• 39:29
  The other buses? Autumn asked.
• 39:31
  They got away, but we're separated now.
• 39:35
  Each vehicle has instructions to head to designated rally points.
• 39:40
  He moved to the front of. The bus to confer with River, I
• 39:43
  couldn't hear what they were saying, but their expressions
• 39:46
  were grim. After a few minutes, Hughes
• 39:49
  returned to address us. Change of plans.
• 39:52
  We can't make it to the primary rally point without going
• 39:55
  through populated areas. We're low on fuel, so we're
• 39:59
  heading to a secondary location to regroup and resupply.
• 40:03
  What about the military? Base in Kentucky?
• 40:05
  Someone asked. Hughes's expression told us
• 40:08
  everything. That route's.
• 40:10
  Compromised. We need to reassess.
• 40:14
  The next hour passed intense silence as River navigated back
• 40:18
  roads, avoiding the main highways.
• 40:21
  Martha fell into. An exhausted sleep against my
• 40:24
  shoulder. Tucker remained.
• 40:26
  Awake, watching Sergeant Hughes as he alternated between helping
• 40:30
  River navigate and checking outside through small gaps in
• 40:33
  the window coverings. The bus slowed.
• 40:37
  Turning onto a smaller Rd. Through my window.
• 40:40
  Tear I saw we were approaching an abandoned gas station, a
• 40:45
  small rural one with just two pumps and a convenience store.
• 40:50
  The parking lot was. Empty except for a single pickup
• 40:52
  truck with a flat tire. Everyone stay on the.
• 40:56
  Bus Hughes ordered as we rolled to a stop.
• 40:59
  I'll. Check the perimeter.
• 41:01
  He exited with his rifle ready, moving methodically around the
• 41:05
  gas station. After a few minutes.
• 41:08
  He signaled to River, who opened the door.
• 41:11
  It's clear. Hughes announced.
• 41:14
  But we need to be quick and quiet.
• 41:17
  This is just a temporary stop to figure out our next move and
• 41:20
  check if there's any fuel left. A woman stood.
• 41:24
  Up near the middle of the bus. She was in her late 30s with
• 41:28
  black hair pulled back in a practical braid.
• 41:31
  I need to use the restroom. Others probably do too.
• 41:36
  Hughes nodded. 2 at a time. And be quick, I'll escort you.
• 41:42
  People began taking turns using the gas station bathroom while
• 41:45
  Hughes stood guard. When it was our family.
• 41:49
  'S turn I took Martha while Autumn went with Tucker.
• 41:53
  The bathroom was. Filthy but functional.
• 41:56
  I kept Martha close, trying not to touch anything more than
• 42:00
  necessary. Back on the bus.
• 42:03
  The woman who'd spoken up earlier approached Hughes.
• 42:07
  I'm Heather McDonald, I'm a nurse.
• 42:10
  If anyone needs medical attention, I can help.
• 42:13
  Hughes seemed relieved. Thank you.
• 42:17
  We lost our medic at the roadblock.
• 42:20
  I have another. Suggestion, Heather continued.
• 42:24
  My uncle has a. Property near Nashville.
• 42:26
  It's isolated, self-sufficient, with good defenses.
• 42:31
  It's a community of about 20 people, all family or close
• 42:35
  friends. They take us in.
• 42:39
  Hughes considered this. How far?
• 42:42
  About four hours South of here, assuming clear roads.
• 42:46
  It's called Hillview. Hughes and River.
• 42:49
  Consulted a map spread across the driver's seat.
• 42:53
  After a few minutes. Of discussion Hughes addressed
• 42:56
  the bus. Here's our situation.
• 42:59
  We're low on fuel. The convoy is scattered.
• 43:03
  Our original destination is no longer viable.
• 43:07
  Miss McDonald has. Offered an alternative, a secure
• 43:10
  location near Nashville, He paused.
• 43:14
  I believe it's our best option right now.
• 43:18
  No one objected. What choice did we have?
• 43:22
  We need fuel. First River said.
• 43:25
  Station's dry. I already checked, but there are
• 43:28
  cars on the back roads we passed.
• 43:30
  We might be able to siphon enough to get us moving.
• 43:33
  I can help with that, I offered standing up.
• 43:37
  Several other men. Volunteered too, Hughes nodded.
• 43:41
  4 of you with me the. Rest stay.
• 43:44
  Here with River, we'll be. Quick, I kissed Autumn.
• 43:49
  And told the kids I'd be right back.
• 43:51
  Outside the air. Felt different, no birds, no
• 43:55
  traffic, just the occasional breeze.
• 43:58
  Hughes LED our small GroupMe a middle-aged man named Frank, a
• 44:03
  younger guy called Miguel, and an older gentleman who
• 44:06
  introduced himself as Daryl. Back down the road.
• 44:10
  We traveled, we moved quietly, Hughes in front with his rifle
• 44:14
  ready. About 1/4 mile.
• 44:17
  Back we found what we needed, a cluster of abandoned vehicles at
• 44:21
  a rural intersection. Hughes positioned Darrell as a
• 44:25
  lookout while the rest of us got to work.
• 44:28
  You know how to siphon? Gas.
• 44:30
  Hughes asked me. In theory, I admitted.
• 44:34
  He pulled a length of hose from his pack.
• 44:36
  Let me show you. Under Hughes's instruction, we
• 44:40
  moved from vehicle to vehicle, siphoning what fuel we could
• 44:43
  into plastic containers we brought from the bus.
• 44:46
  The taste of gasoline lingered in my mouth, despite being
• 44:49
  careful not to swallow any. We worked quickly, constantly
• 44:53
  scanning our surroundings. Sergeant, I said quietly as we
• 44:59
  finished with the 4th car. What really happened?
• 45:02
  Back there at the roadblock, Hughes paused, wiping sweat from
• 45:07
  his forehead. Someone said a trap.
• 45:11
  Could have been desperate survivors trying to get
• 45:13
  supplies. It could have been something
• 45:16
  worse. Either way, they use the
• 45:19
  infected as weapons. He met my eyes.
• 45:24
  This isn't just about the infected anymore.
• 45:27
  It's about what people do when society breaks down.
• 45:31
  We gathered what? Fuel we could about 15 gallons
• 45:35
  total and hurried back to the gas station.
• 45:39
  River was waiting. Looking relieved to see us.
• 45:43
  This should get us. Halfway to Nashville, he said,
• 45:46
  helping pour the fuel into the bus tank.
• 45:49
  We'll need to find more. Hughes gathered everyone
• 45:52
  together. We're leaving in 10 minutes.
• 45:55
  Take care of any needs now where we're going.
• 45:58
  We'll be safer than trying to reach a military outpost.
• 46:02
  But it's not without risk. People dispersed to use the
• 46:06
  bathroom one last time or stretch their legs under
• 46:10
  Hughes's watchful eye. I found Autumn and.
• 46:13
  The kid sitting on a curb near the bus.
• 46:16
  Are we really going to Nashville?
• 46:18
  Tucker asked. Near there, I corrected.
• 46:21
  Somewhere safe, according to the nurse.
• 46:24
  Heather Autumn looks skeptical. Can we trust her?
• 46:29
  I don't think we have much choice, I replied.
• 46:32
  The military evacuation plan has fallen apart.
• 46:35
  We. Need somewhere to.
• 46:36
  Go. Heather approached.
• 46:39
  Us overhearing the last part of our conversation.
• 46:43
  My Uncle Calvin. 'S place is good, she said.
• 46:47
  They've been preparing. For years.
• 46:49
  Not for for this exactly, but they're ready.
• 46:52
  They have their own wells, solar power gardens, livestock.
• 46:57
  They've been off grid for years. How do you know they're still?
• 47:03
  Autumn hesitated, not wanting to finish the thought in front of
• 47:06
  the children. I got a message on.
• 47:09
  The emergency radio frequency three days ago, Heather said.
• 47:13
  They're alive and holding their ground.
• 47:16
  Before we could ask. More questions.
• 47:18
  Hughes called everyone back to the bus.
• 47:21
  As we boarded, I noticed River talking with a soldier I hadn't
• 47:25
  seen before, a woman with Sergeant stripes in the name
• 47:29
  Torres on her uniform. She must have been on our.
• 47:32
  Bus the whole time, though I hadn't noticed her until now.
• 47:37
  We're taking 3. Vehicles, Hughes announced once
• 47:40
  everyone was seated. This bus the.
• 47:43
  Pickup truck outside and Sergeant Torres found a working
• 47:46
  SUV behind the station. We'll travel in convoy, stick to
• 47:51
  back roads, avoid population centers.
• 47:56
  He laid out simple. Rules stay together, maintain
• 48:00
  radio contact between vehicles, and, if we got separated,
• 48:04
  continue toward Hillview using the map he'd given to each
• 48:07
  driver. We set out.
• 48:09
  As the sun climbed higher in the sky.
• 48:13
  River drove our. Bus with Hughes riding shotgun
• 48:16
  Sergeant Torres took the SUV with several passengers, while
• 48:20
  the pickup carried 4 men who'd volunteered to ride in the
• 48:23
  exposed truck bed as lookouts. Martha fell asleep.
• 48:27
  Against me again as we drove, Tucker stared out through his
• 48:31
  small window tear, watching the landscape change.
• 48:36
  Autumn reached across. The aisle to hold my hand.
• 48:39
  Her fingers warm now. What do you think?
• 48:43
  She whispered about Hillview? She nodded.
• 48:49
  If it's real, if it's what Heather says it is.
• 48:53
  I paused, considering my words carefully.
• 48:57
  It might be our best chance. The morning passed.
• 49:00
  Slowly, as we navigated rural roads, occasionally stopping to
• 49:05
  clear abandoned vehicles or siphon more gas, we gave
• 49:09
  Louisville a wide berth, staying on country roads well east of
• 49:13
  the city. Even so.
• 49:15
  We caught glimpses of smoke rising from the direction of the
• 49:18
  city center. Around midday, we rounded a bend
• 49:23
  and came upon a grim scene. A minivan overturned in a ditch,
• 49:28
  surrounded by infected. They were hunched over.
• 49:32
  Something, and even from inside our bus, the nature of their
• 49:35
  activity was clear. They were feeding.
• 49:40
  River slowed but didn't stop. Hughes raised his rifle, ready
• 49:45
  to fire if any infected approached our vehicles.
• 49:49
  Don't look, I told Martha, who had woken up.
• 49:53
  But it was Tucker. Who had the better view?
• 49:56
  His face went pale. Dad, there's a kids backpack on
• 50:00
  the road. I saw it too.
• 50:03
  A small blue backpack with cartoon characters on it.
• 50:06
  Content spilled across the asphalt.
• 50:09
  A family just like us who hadn't made it.
• 50:13
  River accelerated past the scene in the side mirror.
• 50:16
  I watched the infected raise their heads at our passing,
• 50:20
  faces smeared with dark fluid. But they returned to.
• 50:23
  Their grisly meal rather than giving chase.
• 50:27
  I felt sick. We should stop and help, Tucker
• 50:31
  said quietly. There's no one left to.
• 50:34
  Help, son, I replied, my voice hollow.
• 50:38
  The convoy continued S, the landscape gradually changing as
• 50:42
  we entered Tennessee. The rolling hills offered better
• 50:45
  visibility, which Hughes said was both a blessing and a curse.
• 50:52
  We could see danger. Coming, but we were also more
• 50:55
  exposed. We reached Nashville by late
• 50:58
  afternoon. From the Hilltop Rd.
• 51:00
  We saw the ruined city with fires burning everywhere and
• 51:04
  black smoke rising even. From miles.
• 51:07
  Away we could see how much had been destroyed.
• 51:10
  My sister lived. There, someone behind us said
• 51:13
  softly. River navigated around the
• 51:16
  city's perimeter, keeping to rural roots.
• 51:21
  As the sun began. To set, Heather moved to the
• 51:23
  front of the bus to help guide River through the final stretch
• 51:27
  to Hillview. It's about 20.
• 51:30
  Miles southeast of the city, she explained, pointing to roads on
• 51:34
  the map. Up in the hills there's only one
• 51:37
  Rd. in and they keep it watched. The last hour.
• 51:42
  Took us through remote countryside.
• 51:44
  Roads changed from paved to gravel, then dirt.
• 51:48
  The bus struggled on steep sections, but River handled it
• 51:51
  skillfully. Almost there.
• 51:54
  Heather announced as we turned onto a narrow Rd. that wound up
• 51:58
  into heavily wooded hills. They'll have spotted us by now.
• 52:03
  Sure enough, about 1/2 mile up the road, we encountered A
• 52:07
  barricade, logs and old vehicles positioned to create a
• 52:10
  checkpoint. Armed figures stood behind the
• 52:14
  barrier watching our approach. River stopped the.
• 52:18
  Bus 50 yards from the checkpoint.
• 52:21
  Hughes stood addressing us all. Stay calm and.
• 52:25
  Follow my lead. No sudden movements when we exit
• 52:28
  the vehicle. He stepped off the bus.
• 52:31
  First hands visible, rifle slung across his back, Heather
• 52:36
  followed immediately. Uncle Calvin.
• 52:40
  She called out, waving to the figures at the barricade.
• 52:44
  One of the armed. Men lowered his shotgun and
• 52:46
  stepped forward. He was in his 60s, with silver
• 52:50
  streaked black hair and the weathered look of someone who'd
• 52:53
  spent a lifetime outdoors. Heather, His voice carried.
• 52:58
  Disbelief and hope and equal measure.
• 53:02
  She ran to him. And they embraced briefly before
• 53:05
  he held her at arm's length, checking her over.
• 53:08
  Are you hurt? Bitten.
• 53:11
  No, I'm fine, she assured him. These people saved me.
• 53:16
  Their convoy was attacked. We need shelter.
• 53:20
  Calvin studied our vehicles, his expression guarded but not
• 53:24
  hostile. He spoke briefly with Heather,
• 53:27
  too low for me to hear, then approached our bus.
• 53:31
  I'm Calvin McDonald, he called up to River.
• 53:35
  Heather says you folks need a place to stay.
• 53:39
  Hugh stepped forward. Sergeant Zaden Hughes, United
• 53:42
  States Army. We were transporting civilians
• 53:45
  to a secure facility when our convoy was ambushed.
• 53:49
  Your niece offered. Hillview as an alternative.
• 53:53
  Calvin nodded slowly. How many of you?
• 53:58
  32 total. Four children.
• 54:01
  We have some supplies, but not much.
• 54:05
  Calvin conferred. With the other armed men at the
• 54:07
  checkpoint then turned back to us.
• 54:10
  We can take you in. But I need to be clear about our
• 54:13
  rules. Everyone gets checked for bites
• 54:16
  or scratches. Anyone showing symptoms stays
• 54:19
  outside the perimeter until we're sure they're clean.
• 54:23
  Everyone contributes to the work, no exceptions, and if
• 54:27
  anyone threatens our safety, they leave immediately.
• 54:31
  Hughes nodded. Understood.
• 54:36
  Calvin signaled and the barricade was partially opened,
• 54:39
  just enough for one vehicle at a time to pass through.
• 54:44
  Drive up to the main. House.
• 54:45
  We'll check everyone there. Our bus pulled.
• 54:49
  Through the checkpoint into Hillview.
• 54:52
  The property at. Several buildings clustered
• 54:54
  around an expanded farmhouse. Fields of corn and other crops
• 54:58
  grew in rows on one side, with a large garden in another area.
• 55:03
  Solar panels covered the rooftops.
• 55:07
  A perimeter fence. Surrounded the compound with
• 55:10
  watchtowers positioned around it.
• 55:13
  We parked in a gravel. Area near the main house.
• 55:16
  As we filed off the bus, Calvin and several others, all armed,
• 55:21
  directed us to form lines for inspection.
• 55:25
  Heather moved among. Us performing medical checks
• 55:28
  alongside an older woman who Calvin introduced as his wife
• 55:31
  Eleanor. When it was our family.
• 55:34
  'S turn, Heather examined each of us carefully, checking for
• 55:38
  any signs of bites or infection. She was gentle with.
• 55:42
  Martha, making the process feel more like a game than a life or
• 55:46
  death screening. They're clean.
• 55:49
  She reported to Calvin, who nodded in approval as the sunset
• 55:55
  completely lanterns were lit around the compound, casting a
• 55:59
  warm glow over the gathering. Once everyone had been.
• 56:03
  Cleared, Calvin addressed the group.
• 56:06
  Welcome to Hillview. He said, his voice carrying
• 56:10
  across the yard. We're a community of 26 people,
• 56:14
  31 now with Heather back and 63 with all of you.
• 56:19
  We've been preparing. For hard times, for years,
• 56:22
  though, none of us expected this particular version of the
• 56:24
  apocalypse. A nervous laugh.
• 56:27
  Rippled through the crowd. We have food.
• 56:31
  Clean water, shelter and security, Calvin continued.
• 56:35
  We. Grow our own.
• 56:36
  Crops raise, livestock generate our own power.
• 56:40
  We've been self. Sufficient for nearly a decade.
• 56:44
  He paused, looking us over. Tomorrow we'll figure out
• 56:50
  sleeping arrangements and work assignments.
• 56:53
  For tonight, we'll set up temporary beds in the community
• 56:57
  hall. He gestured to a large building
• 57:01
  behind the main house. It's not the Hilton, but it's
• 57:05
  safe. The walls are solid, the roof
• 57:09
  doesn't leak, and nothing's getting in without us knowing
• 57:12
  about it. As people began.
• 57:15
  Moving toward the community hall, Calvin approached our
• 57:18
  family. He studied us for.
• 57:21
  A moment then focused on me. Heather says you.
• 57:25
  Helped organize the fuel collection.
• 57:28
  That you kept a level. Head when things went bad.
• 57:32
  I shrugged. I just did what needed doing.
• 57:36
  Calvin nodded as if my answer confirmed something for him.
• 57:41
  What did you do before all this? Project management for a
• 57:45
  construction firm, I replied. Nothing special.
• 57:50
  Everyone's special now, Calvin said.
• 57:53
  Everyone who survived this long has something to offer.
• 57:57
  He. Looked at Autumn.
• 57:58
  And you, ma'am? Elementary school teacher.
• 58:02
  She answered. 5th grade. Calvin's expression brightens
• 58:06
  slightly. We have children here, they need
• 58:10
  education, structure. And you too.
• 58:14
  He looked at Tucker and Martha. Tucker straightened.
• 58:18
  I'm 12, I can work. Martha clutched her rabbit,
• 58:22
  suddenly shy. Calvin's weathered.
• 58:25
  Face softened. We have a place for.
• 58:28
  Everyone here, even stuffed rabbits.
• 58:31
  He turned back to me. Rest tonight.
• 58:34
  Tomorrow, we'll talk more about how you fit in at Hillview.
• 58:38
  As he walked away to. Greet other newcomers.
• 58:41
  Autumn squeezed my hand. What do you think?
• 58:44
  She whispered. I looked around at the compound,
• 58:48
  the solid buildings, the gardens, the armed guards at the
• 58:51
  perimeter. It wasn't perfect, but it was
• 58:55
  better than. Anything we'd seen since leaving
• 58:57
  home. I think we might have.
• 59:00
  Found somewhere we can stay for a while.
• 59:02
  I said. Somewhere safe.
• 59:05
  Martha tugged at my sleeve. Can we sleep now, Daddy?
• 59:10
  I'm tired. I picked her up, feeling her
• 59:13
  small arms wrap around my neck. Yes, sweetie, Let's go find our
• 59:19
  beds. We followed the others.
• 59:22
  Toward the community hall, joining the stream of exhausted
• 59:25
  travellers who, like us, had been running for too long.
• 59:30
  Behind us, the perimeter guards closed and secured the gate,
• 59:34
  shutting out the dangerous world beyond Hillview's boundaries.
• 59:38
  For the first time. Since the evacuation began, I
• 59:42
  felt something close to hope. I spent three weeks at Hillview
• 59:47
  before I realized how fragile safety could be.
• 59:51
  The routine had. Started to feel almost normal.
• 59:54
  Working the fields. By day, eating communal meals in
• 59:57
  the evening, sleeping in the converted storage room Calvin
• 1:00:01
  had assigned us. The four of us shared.
• 1:00:04
  The small space, but after what we'd been through, tight
• 1:00:08
  quarters felt more secure than spacious ones.
• 1:00:12
  Looking good, Calvin said, walking between the rows of corn
• 1:00:16
  where I was pulling weeds. The morning sun.
• 1:00:19
  Beat down on my back and my shirt stuck to my skin.
• 1:00:23
  You've got a knack for. This.
• 1:00:25
  I wiped sweat from my forehead with my forearm.
• 1:00:29
  Not sure about that. Just doing what needs doing.
• 1:00:33
  Calvin nodded, squinting at the horizon.
• 1:00:37
  His weathered face. Had become a familiar sight,
• 1:00:40
  always checking on everyone, making sure the work got done.
• 1:00:45
  That's all any of us. Can do now.
• 1:00:48
  The field stretched. Out around us, neat rows of
• 1:00:50
  vegetables and grains that would feed the community through
• 1:00:53
  winter. Beyond the field.
• 1:00:56
  Stood the perimeter fence, wooden posts with chain link and
• 1:01:00
  barbed wire with lookout platforms at each corner.
• 1:01:04
  I'd taken my turns. On watch scanning the tree line
• 1:01:07
  for movement for anything that walked with that wrong broken
• 1:01:11
  gate. Autumn's doing well.
• 1:01:14
  With the canning crew, Calvin said, Woman knows her way around
• 1:01:18
  a pressure cooker. She grew up helping her
• 1:01:21
  grandmother preserve everything from the garden, I said, feeling
• 1:01:25
  a small surge of pride. Never thought those skills would
• 1:01:29
  become survival necessities. Old ways coming back, Calvin
• 1:01:35
  replied. The world's resetting itself.
• 1:01:39
  That evening I sat with Autumn on the porch steps of the main
• 1:01:42
  house, watching Tucker help younger kids collect eggs from
• 1:01:46
  the chicken coop. Martha.
• 1:01:48
  Stood. Nearby, clutching her now dirty
• 1:01:51
  stuffed rabbit, giving instructions like she'd been
• 1:01:54
  raising chickens her whole life. Julia says Tucker has a real
• 1:01:59
  aptitude for math. Autumn said, leaning against my
• 1:02:02
  shoulder. And Martha's reading has
• 1:02:05
  improved. She's working above grade level
• 1:02:08
  now. Julia Garrett.
• 1:02:11
  Had set up a makeshift school in one of the outbuildings,
• 1:02:14
  teaching the children for four hours each morning.
• 1:02:18
  The routine gave. The kids, something normal to
• 1:02:20
  hold on to, something beyond survival.
• 1:02:24
  That's good, I said, watching Martha laugh at something one of
• 1:02:28
  the other children said. They seem.
• 1:02:32
  OK, considering kids adapt, Autumn replied.
• 1:02:37
  Sometimes better than we do. Later that night.
• 1:02:41
  After the kids were asleep on their mats in our room, I sat
• 1:02:45
  with Calvin and a few others around a battery powered radio.
• 1:02:49
  The shortwave broadcasts were our only connection to the wider
• 1:02:53
  world. And the news?
• 1:02:55
  Was never good. Eastern Seaboard.
• 1:02:58
  Is mostly dark, said the Crackling Voice.
• 1:03:01
  CDC estimates 80% of the US population is dead or infected.
• 1:03:06
  Military holdouts remain in parts of North Carolina, Florida
• 1:03:10
  coast and isolated bases throughout the Midwest.
• 1:03:14
  If you're receiving this, stay put.
• 1:03:16
  If you're safe, help isn't coming.
• 1:03:21
  Calvin switched off the radio. Same as yesterday, same as the
• 1:03:24
  day before. I stared at the.
• 1:03:27
  Silent Radio 80% at least, said Eleanor, Calvin's sister-in-law.
• 1:03:35
  Probably more. By now, that broadcast could be
• 1:03:38
  days old. I thought about all the.
• 1:03:41
  People I'd known, Co workers, neighbors, friends, the odds
• 1:03:46
  were overwhelming that most of them were gone.
• 1:03:49
  I'd stop letting. Myself think about it most days.
• 1:03:53
  There was too much work. To do too much focus needed on
• 1:03:56
  keeping my family alive. We're doing OK here.
• 1:04:00
  Calvin said, reading the room 36 days without seeing an infected.
• 1:04:07
  Crops coming in. Good, we've got a chance.
• 1:04:11
  I nodded, but something cold had settled in my stomach. 80% The
• 1:04:18
  numbers were too big to really comprehend.
• 1:04:22
  The next morning. Dawned clear and cool.
• 1:04:25
  Autumn kissed me. Before heading to the kitchen
• 1:04:27
  building where she'd be canning tomatoes all day.
• 1:04:31
  The kids ran off. To Julia's schoolhouse, Tucker
• 1:04:34
  calling over his shoulder that they were starting on fractions
• 1:04:37
  today. I was halfway to.
• 1:04:40
  The fields When I heard the commotion at the gate, Hudson
• 1:04:44
  Bridges had returned from his supply run two days early, his
• 1:04:48
  truck loaded with boxes. Four people gathered around
• 1:04:53
  helping unload while Hudson talked animatedly, gesturing
• 1:04:57
  with his hands. Found a warehouse.
• 1:05:00
  That hadn't been touched, he was saying as I approached.
• 1:05:04
  Food medicine tools. Jackpot.
• 1:05:09
  Any trouble? Calvin asked, examining a box of
• 1:05:12
  antibiotics. Nothing I couldn't.
• 1:05:16
  Handle, Hudson replied with a grin.
• 1:05:19
  Got cornered by three of them in a pharmacy but I'm too quick.
• 1:05:24
  I helped unload. The truck carrying boxes to the
• 1:05:27
  storage building where Eleanor cataloged everything.
• 1:05:31
  Hudson had found. Canned goods, medical supplies,
• 1:05:34
  batteries and even children's clothing.
• 1:05:38
  It was the biggest. Haul anyone had brought back in
• 1:05:41
  weeks. That night at dinner, the mood
• 1:05:45
  was celebratory. The community hall.
• 1:05:49
  Buzzed with conversation as people ate Stew made from our
• 1:05:52
  garden vegetables and some of the canned meat Hudson had
• 1:05:55
  found. Julia Garrett sat at our table
• 1:05:59
  telling Autumn about Tucker's progress with multiplication
• 1:06:02
  tables. He's got a mind.
• 1:06:04
  For numbers, Julia said, her Gray Bob swinging as she nodded.
• 1:06:10
  Could be an engineer. Someday.
• 1:06:13
  I smiled at the. Thought of someday, that there
• 1:06:15
  might be a future where such things mattered again.
• 1:06:18
  Hudson sat across the room telling stories about the supply
• 1:06:22
  run to a group of listeners. He looked flushed.
• 1:06:26
  And kept wiping sweat from his forehead.
• 1:06:29
  You OK? I overheard Calvin ask him.
• 1:06:33
  Just tired, Hudson replied, rolling up his sleeve.
• 1:06:37
  Been driving all day. I glanced at my.
• 1:06:41
  Family, but Hudson's unsteady movements caught my eye.
• 1:06:46
  When he stood to get. Water.
• 1:06:47
  He stumbled. Halfway through the.
• 1:06:50
  Meal Hudson dropped his cup it. Clattered to the.
• 1:06:54
  Floor water splashing across the wooden planks.
• 1:06:58
  The room went quiet as he bent to pick it up, then froze
• 1:07:02
  halfway down. Hudson.
• 1:07:05
  Calvin said, standing. Hudson straightened slowly.
• 1:07:10
  His eyes had changed, the whites now veined with black, his
• 1:07:13
  pupils dilated. He opened his mouth as if to
• 1:07:17
  speak, but only a low moan escaped everyone back.
• 1:07:22
  Calvin shouted, reaching for the pistol at his hip.
• 1:07:25
  Hudson lunged across the table faster than seemed possible,
• 1:07:29
  grabbing Julia by the shoulders. His.
• 1:07:32
  Teeth sank. Into her neck before anyone
• 1:07:34
  could react. Her scream cut.
• 1:07:37
  Through the shocked silence, then turned to gurgling as blood
• 1:07:40
  poured down her cardigan. Get down, I yelled, pulling
• 1:07:45
  Martha under the table while Autumn grabbed Tucker.
• 1:07:49
  Calvin fired twice. The shots hit Hudson in the
• 1:07:52
  chest, but he didn't stop. He turned from Julia, who
• 1:07:56
  collapsed to the floor and lurched toward the nearest
• 1:07:59
  person. People scattered, running for
• 1:08:02
  the doors. Someone overturned a table for
• 1:08:05
  cover. Hudson moved with a jerky,
• 1:08:07
  unnatural gait of the infected, grabbing at anyone within reach.
• 1:08:13
  Headshot, someone shouted. It has to be the head.
• 1:08:17
  Calvin adjusted his aim and fired again.
• 1:08:20
  The bullet caught Hudson in the temple and he dropped, but it
• 1:08:24
  was too late. Julia lay on the floor, blood
• 1:08:28
  pooling beneath her and outside. Bakri Nisu Nanat Sabai.
• 1:08:33
  Screams erupted from the direction of the gate.
• 1:08:38
  The fence is. Down, a voice shouted.
• 1:08:40
  They're inside. Calvin ran to the window.
• 1:08:44
  Christ must have followed Hudson back.
• 1:08:47
  Everyone arm up. I.
• 1:08:49
  Looked at Autumn. Saw the same realization in her
• 1:08:52
  eyes. Hillview was falling.
• 1:08:55
  We had minutes, maybe seconds. The barn, I said.
• 1:08:59
  Side door leads straight to the back Rd.
• 1:09:02
  Autumn nodded, already gathering the kids.
• 1:09:06
  I. Grabbed our go.
• 1:09:07
  Bags from under the table, we'd kept them packed just in case.
• 1:09:11
  Just in case had arrived. Calvin, I called.
• 1:09:16
  We're making for the barn. He nodded grimly, organizing a
• 1:09:20
  defense line near the door. Go, we'll hold them here.
• 1:09:25
  We slipped out the back of the community hall.
• 1:09:28
  The night had erupted into chaos.
• 1:09:31
  Gunfire crackled from the direction of the main gate.
• 1:09:34
  Dark figures moved across the compound, some running, some
• 1:09:38
  with that terrible broken gate that meant they were already
• 1:09:41
  turned. Stay low, stay quiet, I
• 1:09:45
  whispered, leading my family along the buildings.
• 1:09:49
  We weren't the only. Ones with the same idea, The
• 1:09:53
  Martinez family. Carlos, Maria and their son
• 1:09:55
  Diego fell in behind us, moving quickly and silently.
• 1:10:02
  The barn, Carlos whispered. We have a truck.
• 1:10:06
  We made it to the barn side door just as a group of infected
• 1:10:10
  broke through the tree line behind us.
• 1:10:13
  I yanked the door. Open, ushering everyone inside,
• 1:10:16
  then slammed it shut, dropping a wooden bar into place.
• 1:10:21
  The barn was dark. Except for moonlight filtering
• 1:10:24
  through the high windows. Carlos moved.
• 1:10:27
  To a blue pickup truck parked inside and opened the driver's
• 1:10:30
  door. Keys are always.
• 1:10:32
  In it, he explained emergency escape vehicle smart, I said,
• 1:10:39
  helping the kids into the truck bed while Autumn climbed into
• 1:10:41
  the back seat with Maria. Carlos started.
• 1:10:45
  The engine while I raised the rear barn door just enough for
• 1:10:48
  the truck to slip under. Ready.
• 1:10:52
  Carlos asked. I nodded.
• 1:10:55
  Climbing. Into the passenger seat go.
• 1:10:58
  He gunned the engine and we shot out of the barn.
• 1:11:01
  The headlights illuminated a scene from a nightmare infected
• 1:11:06
  swarming across the once peaceful compound.
• 1:11:09
  People running, fighting, falling.
• 1:11:13
  The fence had been. Completely overrun on the east
• 1:11:15
  side. Carlos didn't slow.
• 1:11:18
  Down. He drove straight.
• 1:11:20
  For the back Rd. bouncing over the rutted dirt path that led
• 1:11:24
  away from Hillview. I looked back.
• 1:11:26
  One last time at the place that had been our home for three
• 1:11:30
  weeks. Fires had broken.
• 1:11:33
  Out in two buildings. The screams faded.
• 1:11:36
  As we put distance between US and the chaos.
• 1:11:40
  Where to? Carlos asked, his knuckles white
• 1:11:43
  on the steering wheel. Calvin mentioned a.
• 1:11:46
  Cabin, I said. In the Smoky Mountains, said if
• 1:11:51
  things ever went bad, that's where he'd go.
• 1:11:54
  You know where it is. I think so.
• 1:11:57
  He showed me on a map once. We drove through the night, the
• 1:12:02
  trucks headlights cutting through darkness on empty back
• 1:12:05
  roads. The kids eventually fell asleep,
• 1:12:08
  Martha curled around her rabbit, Tucker with his head on autumn's
• 1:12:12
  lap. Maria stared silently out the
• 1:12:15
  window, tear tracks drying on her face.
• 1:12:19
  What happened back? There.
• 1:12:20
  Carlos asked quietly. How did it fall so fast?
• 1:12:26
  Hudson must have been. Bit on his run, I said hit it,
• 1:12:30
  maybe. Didn't realize how quick it
• 1:12:32
  would take him, and he led them right to us.
• 1:12:36
  Carlos nodded grimly. One mistake.
• 1:12:41
  That's all it takes now. We reached the smoky.
• 1:12:44
  Mountain foothills At dawn I guided Carlos along narrow
• 1:12:48
  roads, following Calvin's landmarks, a lightning struck
• 1:12:52
  oak, a bridge over a Creek and a bear shaped rock formation.
• 1:12:57
  The cabin appeared around a bend A2 story structure of logs and
• 1:13:01
  stone set back from the road among trees.
• 1:13:05
  A Creek ran. Alongside it with a woodshed
• 1:13:08
  nearby stacked with logs. This is it.
• 1:13:12
  I said. Carlos parked the.
• 1:13:15
  Truck and we all sat for a moment, exhausted from the
• 1:13:18
  night's journey and the horror we'd fled.
• 1:13:22
  Do you think anyone? Else made it out?
• 1:13:24
  Autumn asked quietly. I didn't answer.
• 1:13:29
  I couldn't lie to her, and the truth was too heavy to voice.
• 1:13:34
  The cabin door was locked, but Calvin had told me about the key
• 1:13:38
  hidden in a fake rock near the porch steps.
• 1:13:41
  Inside the cabin was basic but well stocked.
• 1:13:45
  Canned food, firewood, propane tanks for the stove, even a hand
• 1:13:49
  pumped well for fresh water. We can stay here.
• 1:13:54
  I told the others. At least until we figure out our
• 1:13:57
  next move. And so began.
• 1:13:59
  Six months of isolation in the mountains.
• 1:14:03
  Calvin arrived three days after us, with Eleanor, Heather and
• 1:14:07
  four others who had escaped the fall of Hillview.
• 1:14:11
  The cabin was crowded. With 13 people.
• 1:14:14
  But we made it work. We built additional sleeping
• 1:14:17
  shelters, expanded the garden Calvin had started years before,
• 1:14:21
  and set up a security perimeter with alarms made of tin cans and
• 1:14:26
  fishing line. Calvin taught me.
• 1:14:28
  To hunt. I'd never fired.
• 1:14:31
  A rifle before the world changed, but necessity proved a
• 1:14:35
  quick teacher. We tracked deer.
• 1:14:38
  Through the forest, set snares for rabbits and fished in the
• 1:14:42
  Creek. Every day was.
• 1:14:44
  Focused on survival, gathering food, chopping wood, maintaining
• 1:14:49
  our shelters. You're getting good at.
• 1:14:51
  This, Calvin said one day as I feel dressed a deer we'd taken
• 1:14:55
  down steady hands. Not much choice, Masis, I
• 1:15:00
  replied, carefully separating meat from bone.
• 1:15:04
  Learn or starve? Most people would have.
• 1:15:07
  Broken by now, he said. Seen it before, but your family,
• 1:15:13
  your adapters. I thought.
• 1:15:15
  About Tucker, who now helped Carlos maintain the truck and
• 1:15:19
  had learned to set snares on his own.
• 1:15:22
  About Martha, who had started a small herb garden and could
• 1:15:26
  identify edible plants in the forest.
• 1:15:29
  About Autumn, who organized our food stores with military
• 1:15:33
  precision and had taken over teaching the children.
• 1:15:37
  We do what we have. To, I said.
• 1:15:40
  Winter came harsh to the mountains.
• 1:15:43
  Snow piled high around the cabin, and we huddled near the
• 1:15:46
  wood stove, taking turns reading aloud from the small collection
• 1:15:50
  of books Calvin kept. Game became scarcer and our food
• 1:15:56
  stores dwindled despite careful rationing.
• 1:15:59
  By spring. We knew we couldn't stay
• 1:16:02
  indefinitely. The mountains had.
• 1:16:05
  Protected us through winter. But our supplies?
• 1:16:08
  Were running low and 13 people needed more than this small plot
• 1:16:12
  could provide. It was Tucker who.
• 1:16:15
  Spotted the Ranger station. He and I had ranged farther than
• 1:16:19
  usual looking for game when we came across the small building
• 1:16:23
  nestled in a clearing. It looked untouched, no broken
• 1:16:27
  windows, door still locked. Should we check it out?
• 1:16:32
  Tucker asked, his voice deeper now than when we'd fled our home
• 1:16:35
  months ago. I nodded, approaching
• 1:16:38
  cautiously. The.
• 1:16:40
  Door was locked. But a rock through a side window
• 1:16:43
  gave us access Inside. Dust covered everything, but
• 1:16:48
  otherwise it was pristine, as if the Rangers had simply walked
• 1:16:53
  out one day and never returned. The real find was.
• 1:16:58
  In the backroom, radio equipment still connected to a solar panel
• 1:17:02
  on the roof. Do you think it works?
• 1:17:05
  Tucker asked, eyes wide. One way to find out.
• 1:17:10
  I fiddled with the dials while Tucker kept watch.
• 1:17:14
  Static filled the room and I worked through frequencies
• 1:17:17
  sending out calls. This is Axel.
• 1:17:21
  Williamson at Blue Ridge Ranger Station.
• 1:17:24
  Anyone receiving? After an hour of.
• 1:17:27
  Trying. A voice crackled through the
• 1:17:29
  static. This is Captain.
• 1:17:32
  Reyes Fort Campbell Outpost. We read you.
• 1:17:37
  My heart jumped. We have 13 survivors at a cabin
• 1:17:41
  in the Smoky Mountains. Seven adults, six children.
• 1:17:46
  All healthy. No infection.
• 1:17:49
  There was a pause. Before the voice returned.
• 1:17:52
  We can send extraction helicopter pickup, but we need
• 1:17:56
  coordinates and a clear landing zone.
• 1:18:00
  I looked at Tucker, saw the hope in his eyes that mirrored my
• 1:18:03
  own. We'll clear a landing.
• 1:18:06
  Zone give me 24 hours to send coordinates we.
• 1:18:10
  Return to the. Cabin with the news For the
• 1:18:13
  first time in months, I saw real hope on everyone's faces.
• 1:18:18
  Calvin and I spent the next day scouting for a suitable landing
• 1:18:21
  zone, finally finding a Meadow about half a mile from the cabin
• 1:18:25
  that would work. I returned to the.
• 1:18:28
  Ranger Station and radioed the coordinates.
• 1:18:31
  Captain Reyes confirmed pick up for the following morning at O
• 1:18:35
  800 hours. That night we packed what little
• 1:18:39
  we had and prepared to leave our mountain sanctuary.
• 1:18:43
  The mood was a mix. Of excitement and anxiety.
• 1:18:47
  None of us had encountered. The outside world in six months.
• 1:18:52
  What if it's a trap? Carlos asked quietly as we sat
• 1:18:55
  around the fire. Could be, Calvin admitted.
• 1:19:00
  But we're running out of options here.
• 1:19:03
  Food's low, medicine's gone. Winter's coming again soon.
• 1:19:08
  The military is. Still functioning, I added.
• 1:19:11
  That means organization supplies protection.
• 1:19:16
  And what if the place? They're taking us is worse than
• 1:19:18
  here? Marie asked.
• 1:19:20
  No one had an answer for that. Morning came clear and cold.
• 1:19:25
  We hiked to the Meadow. Arriving an hour early to set up
• 1:19:29
  the landing zone, Calvin and Carlos had marked the corners
• 1:19:33
  with bright orange hunting vests tied to poles.
• 1:19:37
  We heard the helicopter. Before we saw it, the steady
• 1:19:40
  thump of rotors echoing off the mountains.
• 1:19:44
  Then it appeared over the Ridge, a black dot growing larger as it
• 1:19:48
  approached. That's when we heard the.
• 1:19:50
  Moans. They came from the trees across
• 1:19:53
  the Meadow. 20 infected, drawn by the helicopter.
• 1:19:58
  They stumbled into the open, their Gray skin and black veined
• 1:20:01
  faces visible from a distance. Get back, Calvin shouted,
• 1:20:06
  raising his rifle. Everyone to the landing zone.
• 1:20:10
  The helicopter descended, kicking up dust.
• 1:20:14
  A soldier leaned out the side door, surveyed the scene, then
• 1:20:17
  shouted to the pilot. They're going to abort.
• 1:20:21
  I realized they see the infected.
• 1:20:25
  Not if we can help it, Calvin said.
• 1:20:27
  He turned to me. Get them to the chopper.
• 1:20:30
  I'll hold the line here, Calvin. No time to argue, son.
• 1:20:35
  Your family needs you. The helicopter landed at the
• 1:20:39
  Meadows far end. The infected approached from the
• 1:20:42
  opposite side, 200 yards away. Go.
• 1:20:46
  Calvin shouted. Firing his first shot and
• 1:20:49
  infected dropped, but the others kept coming.
• 1:20:53
  I turned to the others. Run for the helicopter now.
• 1:20:57
  Autumn grabbed Martha. 'S Hand and Tucker helped Maria
• 1:21:00
  with her pack. They sprinted across the Meadow
• 1:21:03
  toward the waiting helicopter. I fired a few shots to support
• 1:21:07
  Calvin, then began backing toward the landing zone.
• 1:21:11
  Calvin, come on, I shouted over the roar of the rotors.
• 1:21:15
  He shook his head, still firing too many.
• 1:21:18
  I'll draw them off. The infected closed in.
• 1:21:23
  Calvin dropped them one by one, but they outnumbered him.
• 1:21:27
  For everyone that fell, two more emerged from the trees.
• 1:21:32
  I reached the helicopter as the others climbed aboard.
• 1:21:35
  Sergeant Catherine Finley provided covering fire from the
• 1:21:38
  door. We.
• 1:21:40
  Need to go now. She shouted.
• 1:21:42
  More incoming from the East. I looked back at Calvin.
• 1:21:47
  He had retreated to. A boulder and kept firing, but
• 1:21:49
  the infected had closed half the distance to him.
• 1:21:52
  Wait, I yelled to the pilot. One more. 30 seconds are.
• 1:21:57
  We dust off, came the reply. I raised my rifle.
• 1:22:01
  And fired at the infected nearest to Calvin, then waved
• 1:22:04
  frantically. Calvin Run.
• 1:22:08
  He looked back. Made a decision and sprinted
• 1:22:11
  toward the helicopter. But he'd waited, too.
• 1:22:14
  Long the infected swarmed around the boulder, blocking his path.
• 1:22:19
  Go. He shouted, turning to face
• 1:22:22
  them. Get your family out.
• 1:22:25
  The helicopter lifted. I stood in the doorway, watching
• 1:22:28
  Calvin disappear under grasping hands and snapping jaws.
• 1:22:33
  His rifle fired once, then went silent.
• 1:22:38
  Sir, we have to go. Sergeant Finley shouted, pulling
• 1:22:42
  at my arm. The helicopter rose.
• 1:22:45
  I realized I was about to be left behind as the door began to
• 1:22:49
  close. I grabbed the door frame and
• 1:22:51
  pulled myself halfway in. Sergeant Finley seized my
• 1:22:55
  jacket, hauled me inside and fired her weapon at the infected
• 1:23:00
  reaching the landing zone. I collapsed onto the.
• 1:23:03
  Floor as the helicopter banked away from the Meadow.
• 1:23:07
  Through the open door. I saw the infected overrun
• 1:23:11
  Calvin's position. There was no sign of him.
• 1:23:15
  The door shut. I lay on the floor.
• 1:23:19
  Gasping as the helicopter rose and turned E Autumn knelt beside
• 1:23:24
  me, crying. Martha and Tucker huddled on a
• 1:23:27
  bench seat, silent. You made it.
• 1:23:31
  Autumn said, helping me sit up. You made it, but Calvin hadn't.
• 1:23:37
  I looked around at the survivors from our mountain refuge, the
• 1:23:40
  Martinez family, Eleanor, Heather and the others from
• 1:23:44
  Hillview. 13 had planned to leave this morning. 12 were on
• 1:23:49
  the helicopter. Sergeant Finley handed me a
• 1:23:53
  canteen of water. Fort Liberty, NC, she said.
• 1:23:58
  Two hours flight time. You'll be safe there.
• 1:24:03
  I nodded, unable to speak. Safe.
• 1:24:07
  The word had lost its meaning months ago, but as the
• 1:24:10
  helicopter carried us away from the mountains, away from Calvin
• 1:24:14
  and our life there, I hoped we might find something like safety
• 1:24:18
  again. I looked at my.
• 1:24:20
  Family exhausted, traumatized but alive and knew we would face
• 1:24:26
  whatever came next together. We had survived.
• 1:24:30
  This far and would keep surviving.
• 1:24:34
  I stood on the tarmac with my family, squinting against the
• 1:24:38
  coastal sunlight as we stepped off the military helicopter.
• 1:24:43
  The resort rose. Before us, a sprawling 12 story
• 1:24:47
  building curved like 1/2 moon. Its once white.
• 1:24:51
  Exterior now weathered, Gray armed guards patrolled the
• 1:24:55
  perimeter fence that stretched from the building down to the
• 1:24:58
  shoreline. Beyond them, the Atlantic spread
• 1:25:03
  endlessly, deceptively peaceful. Welcome to Sandpiper Bay, said
• 1:25:10
  Captain Reyes, a compact woman with close cropped hair who'd
• 1:25:14
  coordinated our extraction from the mountains.
• 1:25:17
  It was a luxury resort before. Now it's one of our last secure
• 1:25:22
  zones on the Eastern seaboard. Martha tugged at my sleeve.
• 1:25:27
  Dad, is this where we're staying for real?
• 1:25:33
  I nodded, still processing the site myself.
• 1:25:37
  After months in. Calvin's cramped cabin.
• 1:25:39
  The scale of this place seemed impossible.
• 1:25:43
  Follow me, Captain, Reyes said. We'll get you processed and
• 1:25:47
  assigned quarters. We walked toward the.
• 1:25:50
  Main building, passing teams of workers, reinforcing concrete
• 1:25:54
  barriers. Military personnel moved with
• 1:25:57
  purpose, some carrying supplies, others monitoring communications
• 1:26:01
  equipment. It looked organized,
• 1:26:04
  established, something I hadn't seen since before everything
• 1:26:07
  fell apart. How many people are here?
• 1:26:10
  Autumn asked, keeping close to Tucker, who stared wide eyed at
• 1:26:14
  everything. Just under 800 civilians, plus
• 1:26:19
  military personnel. Captain Reyes replied.
• 1:26:23
  We've been operational for five months, started with the
• 1:26:26
  military securing the location, then bringing in essential
• 1:26:30
  personnel and families. Inside the lobby.
• 1:26:34
  The resort's former luxury had been repurposed for function.
• 1:26:37
  Check in desks now served as processing stations.
• 1:26:41
  A massive whiteboard displayed duty rosters, announcements and
• 1:26:45
  maps. People moved about with purpose,
• 1:26:49
  some in military uniforms, others in civilian clothes, but
• 1:26:53
  with an efficiency that spoke of routine and order.
• 1:26:57
  A young Lieutenant. Took our information,
• 1:26:59
  photographed each of us and handed us plastic ID cards with
• 1:27:03
  our names and assigned work sections.
• 1:27:07
  Williamson Family. You're in Building two, Floor 8,
• 1:27:10
  Unit 812, he said, marking a spot on a photocopied map.
• 1:27:15
  Meals are in the main. Dining hall work assignments
• 1:27:18
  start tomorrow. Children under 14 attend school
• 1:27:22
  in The West Wing. What about our skills?
• 1:27:25
  Assessment. Autumn asked.
• 1:27:28
  I was a teacher. And my husband has construction
• 1:27:31
  management experience. The Lieutenant nodded.
• 1:27:35
  That's already been noted from your initial interview at Fort
• 1:27:38
  Campbell. Misses Williamson.
• 1:27:40
  You're assigned to the Medical Center for orientation tomorrow
• 1:27:43
  at O 700. Mr. Williamson, you'll report to
• 1:27:48
  construction and Maintenance at the same time.
• 1:27:52
  I felt a. Strange disconnect, hearing our
• 1:27:55
  old lives discussed so matter of factly, as if we were simply
• 1:27:58
  transferring jobs rather than survivors of a global
• 1:28:01
  catastrophe. We rode an elevator.
• 1:28:04
  To the 8th floor, the novelty of electricity still surprising
• 1:28:08
  after months without it. The hallway carpet was worn but
• 1:28:13
  clean. Our assigned room.
• 1:28:15
  Had been a hotel suite in its previous life, a small living
• 1:28:19
  area with a pull out couch, a bedroom with two double beds and
• 1:28:23
  a bathroom with actual running water.
• 1:28:27
  But what caught my eye? Immediately was the sliding
• 1:28:29
  glass door leading to a balcony. I stepped outside and gripped
• 1:28:33
  the railing, taking in the view. 3 naval vessels patrolled the
• 1:28:38
  waters about 1/2 mile out. Below.
• 1:28:42
  Construction teams worked on extending A reinforced wall
• 1:28:45
  along the shoreline. Armed guards stood at intervals
• 1:28:49
  scanning the tree line where the property backed up to a wooded
• 1:28:52
  area. It's beautiful, Autumn said,
• 1:28:56
  joining me. And terrifying at the same time.
• 1:29:00
  Yeah, I couldn't find more. Words after everything we'd been
• 1:29:05
  through, the failed evacuation Hillviews fall, the desperate
• 1:29:09
  months in the mountains, seeing this level of organization and
• 1:29:13
  security felt unreal. Tucker and Martha.
• 1:29:17
  Pushed past us to look. Can we go to the beach?
• 1:29:21
  Martha asked, pointing to a stretch of sand visible to our
• 1:29:24
  right, where a handful of children played under the
• 1:29:27
  watchful eyes of armed guards. Let's get settled first, I said.
• 1:29:33
  Then we'll see. We spent the next hour
• 1:29:36
  organizing our meager possessions.
• 1:29:39
  The room contained basic toiletries, clean towels and
• 1:29:43
  even a change of clothes for each of us.
• 1:29:46
  Plain T-shirts and cargo pants, but clean and whole.
• 1:29:51
  Tucker claimed one of the beds in the bedroom, while Martha
• 1:29:55
  immediately tested the pull out couch.
• 1:29:58
  This is better than. The cabin floor, she declared,
• 1:30:01
  bouncing lightly. Autumn sat on the.
• 1:30:04
  Edge of the bed, running her hand over the blanket.
• 1:30:08
  I can't believe. We have real beds.
• 1:30:11
  I can't believe we. Have indoor plumbing, I added,
• 1:30:15
  which made Tucker laugh. After we'd settled in, I took
• 1:30:20
  the kids down to the beach area. A checkpoint guard scanned our
• 1:30:24
  IDs before allowing us through the gate in the perimeter fence.
• 1:30:28
  The beach was small, maybe 200 yards of shoreline, but to
• 1:30:33
  Tucker and Martha, it might as well have been paradise.
• 1:30:38
  Stay where I can see you, I called as they ran toward the
• 1:30:42
  water's edge where about a dozen other children were playing.
• 1:30:46
  I sat on the sand, watching them splash in the shallows.
• 1:30:51
  Martha had kicked off her shoes and was letting the waves wash
• 1:30:54
  over her feet, squealing each time the cold water touched her.
• 1:30:58
  Tucker, trying to maintain his 12 year old dignity, pretended
• 1:31:02
  to be more interested in examining shells, but I caught
• 1:31:06
  him smiling when he thought no one was looking.
• 1:31:09
  A guard nodded. At me as he walked past new
• 1:31:13
  arrivals yeah helicopter brought us in this morning.
• 1:31:17
  Mountain extraction, I nodded. We.
• 1:31:21
  Get a few of those. Each month you folks were lucky,
• 1:31:25
  he continued his patrol without waiting for a response.
• 1:31:28
  Lucky. The word stuck.
• 1:31:31
  With me, as I watched my children play.
• 1:31:34
  Was it luck that had gotten us here, or something else?
• 1:31:38
  Determination, perhaps, or simple stubborn refusal to give
• 1:31:41
  up. I looked out at the.
• 1:31:44
  Naval vessels patrolling offshore.
• 1:31:47
  Their presence was. Both reassuring and a reminder
• 1:31:50
  that the world outside these walls remained deadly.
• 1:31:55
  I wondered how many. Other secure zones existed.
• 1:31:59
  How many other? Survivors had found refuge.
• 1:32:03
  Tucker had joined. A game of catch with some boys
• 1:32:05
  his age while Martha was building a sandcastle with two
• 1:32:09
  younger girls. For the first time in months
• 1:32:12
  they looked like children again, not small survivors carrying too
• 1:32:17
  much knowledge of death. I stayed with them for nearly
• 1:32:20
  two hours before reluctantly calling them back.
• 1:32:24
  We should head up. Get cleaned up before dinner. 5
• 1:32:28
  more minutes. Dad, Martha pleaded, her hands
• 1:32:31
  covered in wet sand. 5 minutes. I agreed, unable to deny her
• 1:32:37
  this small joy. When we finally returned.
• 1:32:40
  To our room. Autumn wasn't there.
• 1:32:43
  A note on the counter said she'd been asked to report to the
• 1:32:45
  Medical Center early for orientation.
• 1:32:48
  I helped the kids shower, still marveling at hot water and
• 1:32:52
  change into clean clothes. Tucker's hair, longer than he'd
• 1:32:56
  ever worn it before, stuck up at odd angles after I towel dried
• 1:33:00
  it. Do you think they have barbers?
• 1:33:03
  Here. He asked, trying to flatten it
• 1:33:05
  with his palm. Probably we'll ask at dinner.
• 1:33:11
  We were heading to the door when it opened and Autumn walked in.
• 1:33:15
  Her face was. Flushed with excitement.
• 1:33:18
  She won't believe. What I learned, she said,
• 1:33:21
  dropping her new ID badge on the counter.
• 1:33:24
  What? I asked, noticing the Medical
• 1:33:27
  Center logo printed on the badge.
• 1:33:30
  They've been studying. The infected Dr. Austin Wright,
• 1:33:34
  he's the lead researcher here. He showed me their findings.
• 1:33:39
  She lowered her voice, though only our family was present.
• 1:33:43
  The infected are decomposing. What do you mean?
• 1:33:48
  I asked. The virus that reanimates them
• 1:33:51
  doesn't stop cellular breakdown, it just overrides normal death.
• 1:33:57
  But the bodies are. Still rotting.
• 1:33:59
  Dr. Wright has been tracking specimens.
• 1:34:01
  Specimens. I interrupted.
• 1:34:04
  They have a secure. Research facility they've
• 1:34:07
  captured infected subjects for study.
• 1:34:11
  She sat on the edge. Of the bed, the older ones are
• 1:34:14
  breaking down faster, muscles deteriorating, tendons snapping.
• 1:34:20
  Some can barely walk anymore. Tucker and Martha.
• 1:34:24
  Were listening intently. I wasn't sure how.
• 1:34:27
  Much of this was appropriate for them to hear.
• 1:34:30
  But they'd seen, too. Much already to shelter them
• 1:34:33
  now. What does that mean for?
• 1:34:36
  Us. I asked.
• 1:34:38
  Doctor Wright thinks. That within a year, maybe less,
• 1:34:41
  most of the infected will have broken down completely.
• 1:34:45
  Their bodies will collapse. They'll be immobile.
• 1:34:50
  I tried to process this so they'll die for real.
• 1:34:57
  Eventually. The virus can't keep dead tissue
• 1:34:59
  functioning indefinitely. Physics and biology still apply.
• 1:35:05
  She looked at the. Kids, then back to me.
• 1:35:08
  He thinks we might be. Able to start reclaiming land
• 1:35:10
  within a year. Small expeditions at first, then
• 1:35:14
  larger ones. Hope.
• 1:35:18
  It was such a dangerous thing to feel after everything we'd lost,
• 1:35:22
  but I couldn't help it. The thought that this nightmare
• 1:35:25
  might have an expiration date made something tight in my chest
• 1:35:29
  loosen slightly. That's that's good news.
• 1:35:35
  I managed the best news I've heard since this all started,
• 1:35:39
  Autumn said. Come on, let's go to dinner.
• 1:35:43
  I'm starving. The dining hall.
• 1:35:46
  Occupied what had once been the resort's main restaurant, long
• 1:35:50
  tables had replaced the intimate seating, and the buffet line
• 1:35:54
  served simple but nutritious food.
• 1:35:57
  Rice, beans, some kind of fish Stew and actual fresh
• 1:36:01
  vegetables. We filled our trays and found
• 1:36:04
  seats near the windows overlooking the ocean.
• 1:36:08
  Tucker and Martha ate with enthusiasm, both talking about
• 1:36:11
  the kids they'd met on the beach.
• 1:36:13
  Autumn pointed out Doctor Wright across the room, a tall man with
• 1:36:17
  silver hair and wire rimmed glasses, deep in conversation
• 1:36:21
  with military officers. He's brilliant, she said.
• 1:36:26
  He was studying viral pathology before all this.
• 1:36:30
  Now he's leading the research team, trying to understand the
• 1:36:32
  infection. I nodded, watching the people
• 1:36:36
  around us. Some laughed and talked like old
• 1:36:40
  friends. Others ate quietly, with the
• 1:36:43
  same haunted look I recognized from our time at Hillview and
• 1:36:47
  the Mountain Cabin survivors who'd seen too much.
• 1:36:52
  After dinner. We returned to our room.
• 1:36:56
  The kids were. Exhausted from the day's
• 1:36:57
  excitement and fell asleep quickly, Tucker in the bedroom,
• 1:37:01
  Martha on the pull out couch. Autumn joined me on the balcony
• 1:37:05
  where I stood watching the sun sink toward the horizon.
• 1:37:09
  What are you thinking? She asked, slipping her hand
• 1:37:12
  into mine. That I don't trust this place
• 1:37:16
  yet. I admitted.
• 1:37:19
  It feels too good to be true. She leaned against my shoulder.
• 1:37:23
  I know. But the research is.
• 1:37:26
  Real Axel. I saw their data, their
• 1:37:29
  specimens. This isn't just hope based on
• 1:37:32
  nothing. The sunset painted the sky in
• 1:37:36
  shades of orange and pink, reflecting off the water in the
• 1:37:40
  distance. The patrol boats maintained
• 1:37:42
  their vigilance. Construction crews were
• 1:37:44
  finishing for the day, securing equipment before darkness fell
• 1:37:48
  completely. We've been through SO.
• 1:37:51
  Much, I said quietly. The evacuation.
• 1:37:54
  Hillview, Calvin's Cabin. I keep waiting for.
• 1:37:58
  Something to go wrong? Something might.
• 1:38:02
  Autumn said pragmatically. Nothing's guaranteed, but this
• 1:38:06
  is the best chance we've had. She was right.
• 1:38:10
  I knew she was right. But after watching our world
• 1:38:14
  collapse, after seeing Hillview fall in a single night.
• 1:38:18
  After losing Calvin to save the rest of us.
• 1:38:22
  Caution. Had become my default state.
• 1:38:26
  As darkness settled. Over the compound, lights came
• 1:38:29
  on along the perimeter fence and spotlights swept the beach and
• 1:38:32
  tree line. The patrol boat.
• 1:38:34
  Switched on searchlights that cut bright paths across the
• 1:38:37
  darkening water. Autumn kissed my.
• 1:38:40
  Cheek and went inside to get ready for bed.
• 1:38:44
  I remained on the. Balcony watching as stars
• 1:38:47
  appeared overhead. The familiar constellations were
• 1:38:50
  unchanged, its ancient patterns. I thought about our journey,
• 1:38:54
  fleeing our suburban home as the infection spread.
• 1:38:58
  The chaotic evacuation at the high school, the ambush that
• 1:39:01
  separated our convoy, finding temporary safety at Hillview
• 1:39:05
  only to lose it. The harsh winter in Calvin's
• 1:39:08
  mountain cabin, and now this coastal sanctuary.
• 1:39:13
  We'd survived when so many hadn't.
• 1:39:16
  The children had adapted with a resilience that amazed me daily.
• 1:39:21
  Autumn had found purpose in her medical training and I had kept
• 1:39:25
  moving forward 1 foot in front of the other even when hope
• 1:39:30
  seemed foolish the night air. Carried the salt.
• 1:39:34
  Smell of the ocean mixed with the more.
• 1:39:36
  Industrial sense of the compound.
• 1:39:39
  Diesel fuel, concrete dust, the faint antiseptic smell that
• 1:39:43
  seemed to permeate any military installation.
• 1:39:45
  Lights glowed in other balconies and windows, each one
• 1:39:49
  representing other survivors, other stories of loss and
• 1:39:52
  perseverance. I stayed outside until the moon
• 1:39:55
  rose, casting silver light across the water.
• 1:39:59
  The world had fallen apart, but we were still here.
• 1:40:04
  And if Doctor Wright was right. If the infected were truly
• 1:40:08
  breaking down, then perhaps someday we might reclaim more
• 1:40:12
  than just fortified outposts. I wasn't ready to fully embrace
• 1:40:17
  that hope yet. Safety wasn't.
• 1:40:20
  Guaranteed. I'd learned that lesson too many
• 1:40:23
  times, but for tonight, my family was fed, sheltered and
• 1:40:30
  protected. Tomorrow would bring new
• 1:40:32
  challenges, but also the possibility of building
• 1:40:35
  something lasting from the ruins of what we lost.
• 1:40:39
  I took one last look at the moonlight on the water before
• 1:40:42
  turning to go inside. Whatever came next, we would
• 1:40:47
  face it together.