Through the Streets

Day 1

Debra anxiously waited in a hard wooden waiting room chair. Her parents, Stacey and Marvin Taylor, sat on either side of her. Debra's demeanor was almost as dark as the sky outside. Her partial knee replacement was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and she was nervous. It was her first major surgery, despite it being minimally invasive, and she was apprehensive going forward.
A new nurse came over and informed them that a room was ready. The family followed and ended up in a semi private room. Debra was asked to remove her clothes and put on a paper robe. Before leaving, the nurse told them the doctor would be in shortly to go over the procedure. Still nervous, Debra started pacing.

“You need to stop doing that.” Stacey hissed. “The doctor told you to stay off of it.”

“Fine.” Debra sighed and sat down on the medical bed.

“This will be quick.” Her father reassured her. “They do these knee replacements all the time.”

“Can we not talk about it? It’s bad enough that I have to go through it.” Debra rolled her eyes.
The silence became boiling in seconds, and Debra started fidgeting in the bed. Then she asked, “What if they mess up”

“You will be fine.” Both of her parents said in unison. Trying their best to quell her fears.

At that very moment, something shook the hospital. Marvin was the only one to really react as he looked around the windowless room. Minutes after the shaking stopped, Marvin's phone rang, and he stepped out to pick up the phone. “You okay, Frank?”

“I am, for now, Marv. I’m over by the Empire State Building. Got a woman in the back who lost her arm, and I’m stuck here.”

“Lost her arm?”

“Falling glass.”

“Goddamnit.”

“How’s Debra doing?”

“Scared, but putting on a brave face. We’ll be okay here. Do you know what’s happening?”

“Radio says a comet exploded over the city. Looks like the windows shattered on all the buildings. Lotsa dead and injured over here.”

“Jesus. Just take care of yourself, Frank.”

“Will do, Marv. It’s gonna be one hell of a day.”

Marvin hung up the phone and followed the nurse back into the room. Once the nurse had on gloves, she prepped Debra for an IV. Despite the nurse digging in her arm for a vein, Debra stayed silent. Even though she was petrified and wanted to scream “what if something goes wrong?” She remained quiet. She even kept quiet when the doctor came in and introduced himself. After explaining the plan for the surgery, the doctor left to get ready,

“Breathe.” Stacey said as the room grew quiet and Debra’s anxiety was physically palpable.

“Where did you go?” Debra asked her father. “Where did you run off, too?”

“A comet exploded above the city.” Marvin stared blankly back and forth between his wife and daughter.

“Was it an airburst?” Debra asked.

“If that’s what that’s called, then yeah.” Marvin replied, still looking shocked. “Frank said there are a lot of injured people downtown. He is stuck with a woman who got her arm cut off from broken glass falling.”

“Marvin, what does that have to do with her surgery?” Stacey asked as she got up and walked to his side, both now looking at their daughter.

“Nothing. I was just saying what he told me.” Marvin shrugged.

Before anyone could say another word, the door opened, and several nurses walked into the room. Debra was whisked away to an operating room, and her parents waited for her to return. A little after an hour, the surgery was complete, and Debra was wheeled back into the room. She was still dazed and confused, but her parents were by her side when she woke up.

“The surgery went fabulously and with no complications” the surgeon emphatically said to Stacy and Marvin. “Now the best thing for her is to go home, rest, and recover in the comfort of her own home. If there are any problems, call my office.”

Debra’s head continued to clear, and she was more responsive and was able to listen as the nurse went over all the discharge instructions.

“Take your pain medication as needed for the pain and stay off it as much as possible” the nurse said as she had Debra sign the discharge papers.

Day 2

The following morning, Debra got up early, from pain in her knee, and took more pain medicine. She went back to sleep shortly after. She was unaware of the dust particles that wafted on the air after the airburst the previous day. Most of the world was unaware of the dust that spread on the trade winds, inundating the whole planet with a new chemical. As it spread, people turned into docile former versions of themselves. While the majority of people became meek, a few out of the multitude became extremely violent. Noises rose into the early morning air. People were screaming to the heavens as others committed atrocities on the streets and in the buildings.
The basement apartment that housed the Taylors was already quiet but didn't stay that way. The one unfortunate enough to get the adverse effects was Debra Taylor. She had been sleeping away her pain, but the unknown material invaded her lungs, and she woke with a start. Her eyes darted around her poorly lit room, blood pumping adrenaline down every vein, and she sat up abruptly. Her eyes were trying hard to focus and bulged this way, and that as she scanned the room for the third time. The light switch flipped when she got close enough to it, and her eyes made another sweep of the room. With the light on, she found what she wanted to find, a baseball bat that was her dad's. She then turned around and promptly left the room.
Debra ran down the hallway and stopped outside her parents' bedroom, bat hanging loosely in her right hand. The door opened quietly, she left it open a crack, and approached her father. The older man was still sleeping, being a nighttime cab driver who just got to sleep and was rudely awoken. She knew how to swing a bat and aimed at the head on the pillow.

THWACK!

The bat bounced back, but Debra threw it in reverse at the slowly moving head that was barely exposed.

THWACK!

“What is going on?” Stacey Taylor asked groggily as she started to move under the covers.
In complete silence, Debra swung again.

THWACK!

And again.

THWACK!

“Oh my god, Debra, what are you doing?” Stacey fell silent when she turned on the light and noticed their once white covers stained with blood and her daughter standing over her father with a bloody bat in her grasp.

THWACK!

“Stop it, Debra. Why are you doing that?” Stacey could barely get the words out as she started to cry.

“Stop calling me that! What did you do with my parents?” Debra screamed as tears fell down her face, and she limped around the bed. Her mother, still under the blood covered comforter, raised her arms to prepare for the incoming swing.

The bat reached the apex of the swing, and Debra brought it down hard on her mothers arms.

THWACK!

“Why are you doing this, Debra? I am your mother!” Stacey did her best to keep addressing her daughter, but the first swing fractured the right forearm, while the second swing broke it in two. Her screams echoed in the small room, only driving Debra’s anger.

“You are not my mother!” Debra kept screaming with every new swing. She lost count of how many times she swung at the grotesque humanoid laying in her mothers place. Tears welled up in her eyes before falling in streams down her face. “You're not my mother!”

The creature stopped moving, but Debra kept hammering down on it. She left the beast in a puddle of its own blood, an odd green color, and limped into the bathroom. The line of lights flashed on as she hit the switch, and her image jumped into view. She had been sprayed with blood almost every time she slammed her weapon down, and there were lines running vertically over her clothes and face. The lights pressed down on her, illuminating the now bright emerald green blood, and she closed her bloodshot eyes for a second.

With a start, she opened her eyes and panicked at what was happening. She looked around the master bath and rushed to the sink. She stared into her red eyes and gripped the bat harder.

“Where are they?” Debra whispered to herself. Her liquid covered face dripped into the fiberglass bowl and looked as if she were melting. The bat fell out of her hand, and Debra’s eyes continued to expel salty liquid, which created streams of slow-moving channels down her sharp features.

She quickly turned both knobs on the cheaply made but meticulously kept, master bathroom sink. Her hands cupped under the freely falling fluid, and she splashed her face with the collected water. It took several more splashes, and Debra used her fingers to scrape the disgusting mess off her face. She then realized she was completely covered and turned and ran for the shower. She discarded her clothes over the few feet required to reach the shower.

She scrubbed away every bit of green she saw, then stood under the pouring warm water and let it cascade down her hair and back. The shampoo brought her back to a previous morning of pancakes and laughter, but the memory turned sour. The beautiful day outside grew a familiar green, and malformed human-like creatures started appearing outside.

Debra shook herself to the present and looked down at her vulnerable and exposed body. She all but jumped from the shower and rushed out of the room. With closed eyes she maneuvered through the room that was once her parents’. Into the hallway her eyes popped open and she ran full speed down the narrow corridor leading to her bedroom. Passing the hallway closet, she stopped and slammed the door open. A multitude of sports equipment just sat there ready to be used. Debra grabbed the leg pads from her volleyball days, expensive running shoes from her phase, and then her field hockey equipment ending with another baseball bat. Her tee-shirt and shorts were covered by the sportswear. Then she grabbed her pain pills and shoved them into her pocket. The weapon felt light in her hands and she was satisfied with her choice. A quick glance out the only window in the room which peered out onto the sidewalk, showed a gruesome sight. People were just slowly walking, most looking aimless, while one or two individuals were attacking random innocent strangers. The few held things they found at the construction site a few blocks east; hammers, screwdrivers, and various building materials. Instead of fighting back the aimless just screamed in pain and begged for mercy.

Debra knew what she was about to do was dangerous, but her parents would want her to fight. Maybe she could find them out there. With a turn to her left she limped her way out of the room and through the living room, almost slamming into the front door. With a quick look through the peephole she saw no one. She knew there were only two other people living down here, but she wanted to be careful. The door creaked and squeaked as she opened it and nothing stirred but the dust in the stale light. She turned to her right and limped quietly to the steps that led to the first floor. The short hallway to the lobby was clear, so Debra opened the door and headed out.

A few steps into the lobby and something hit her in the back of her head. Her eyes shut and she fell onto the concrete floor head first. Thinking she was dead, from the bit of blood that oozed out from under her head, the madman ran off.

Part 3

After coming to, Debra peered around hoping to go unnoticed by whomever was nearby, but the lobby was completely deserted. She jumped to her feet, forgetting her knee surgery the previous morning, and almost fell.. She swore and downed a couple of the pills from her pocket. Debra felt her head and tried her best to scrape off the dried blood. When she reached the door out into the world she paused. Gripping her bat harder she stepped out and immediately heard the roar of screams coming from every direction. She did her best to find the closest scuffle to help, but when she got to the otherside of the street it was empty. She picked up her bat and rushed to the corner. She looked to her left and saw a white man screaming at a pole. He continued to scream at the pole and Debra decided to try the other way. She looked both ways before rushing to the other side.

Now she had a choice. Help the woman being beaten to death by a large biker, or jump into the fray with the three guys fighting each other. She chose the woman and raised her bat above her head and ran straight at the large individual that towered over the dark skinned woman. Debra’s quick footfalls caught the attention of the near giant, but she didn't care. She took the last few steps and jumped. Soaring through the air with her bat raised she swung towards the large man.

THWACK!

The attack barely fazed the man and he grabbed for Debra. She jumped back and brought the bat down on the man's head.

THWACK!

A little more of a pain response this time told Debra to not stop. The man however wasn't going to just let her keep swinging. Fed up with the amount of hits to his already foggy head he bum rushed her and caught her mid swing, wrapping her in his massive arms. She screamed obscenities as the man gave her a bear hug. Unsure of what to do Debra opened her mouth wide and slammed her mouth onto the man’s neck. Her teeth immediately sunk into the man’s flesh and Debra ripped her mouth away, now full of blood dripping flesh. The giant of a man screamed with rage and threw her against a building. She was quick to her feet and charged again.

The man tried to rush her again, but she was ready. Instead of swinging wildly she made a plan. Dodge under the arms, use the bat as a pool stick and jam it into his crotch, after that she sidestepped the man and slammed the bat hard on his spine. He screamed again but when he tried to turn around he got a faceful of bat. He stumbled a bit and Debra smelled blood in the air. She then doubled her efforts at swinging at his head. A few more good shots at the light brown haired head and the behemoth fell.

For good measure she gave the prone man a few more hard swings. The head broke open on the last swing and Debra just stared at the blood and brain matter flooding out onto the sidewalk. She kicked the busted head from impulse and then turned to the dark skinned woman still on the ground. Her eyes fell upon a disgusting sight. The woman wasn't a woman at all. It was some kind of extraterrestrial with a smashed face. The skin was dark but when she saw the bashed in face she could make out razor sharp teeth. She jumped back and swung down on the creature that started to move. She kept swinging until her arms started to hurt.

Taking a needed breath she also popped another pill. She could still hear the cacophony of terror around her. Looking around she noticed someone creeping up behind another person and rushed to the rescue. As she stepped onto the asphalt and took her second step towards the coming scuffle she paused just in time. A blood covered yellow cab came out of nowhere, nearly hitting Debra and the two cars she was in between. The cab flew by, but she thought she got a good enough look to identify the man behind the wheel.

“Was that Frank?” Debra asked herself before continuing her way across the street.

When she reached the other sidewalk she looked for the two people, but both were gone. Thinking they entered the alley a few meters down she took off with a huff. A few steps in and she couldn't help but start limping. She neared the alleyway and heard a commotion. Something was happening and Debra was going to stop it. As she turned the corner she was shocked to see a bright blue humanoid thing with tentacles for feet.

The alien was looking the opposite direction when Debra entered the alley. She slowly approached the creature and brought up the bat to swing. As she swung one of the tentacles snapped out and blocked the weapon. She brought the bat back again, but the same thing happened when she tried swinging. Her next swing was blocked too, but this time it was bounced away by one of the aliens arms as it turned around. Its front view was horrifying and caused Debra to pause.

The monstrosity towered over Debra by several feet. Its head was bulbous with veiny strains in a light blue color that traveled down to its midsection. The eyes were beady and a bright red. The lips were equally plump like the head and mimicked the color of the eyes. When the thing opened its mouth, reaching over a foot when extended, there were rows after rows of sharp teeth. The arms, covered in light blue veins, came at Debra. She easily dodged the poor excuse of an attack, but as she did one of the black tentacles wrapped around her leg. She brought down her weapon, but it just elicited a scream from the monster. The tentacle gripped harder and started pulling Debra towards the open mouth. Debra tried, in futility, to beat the tentacle off, but it just started to throb, crushing her already sensitive appendage. When the tentacle lifted her off the ground she started to violently thrash. It wasn't long before her coordination went out the window and she hit herself in the head and knocked herself out.

Debra woke up an unknown time later with a headache and a throbbing leg. She looked around, but there were no signs of the monster. She got to her feet, popped a few pills, and exited the alley. She looked both ways before deciding on going to the right as it had less noise. Her head was pounding and she couldn't see straight, so she leaned against the building. Then she rested her back against it, putting her hands on her knees. That’s when she heard a message coming from something up ahead.

As she neared the corner, Debra could see where the muffled message was coming from, a cop car sitting in the middle of the intersection. The doors to the vehicle were shut, causing the noise to be stifled. When she opened one she was met with an encouraging message. “...we are not infected. We have food, water and shelter. We can protect you. I'm broadcasting over the emergency frequency in hopes to reach all survivors and this message will be looped.... It's been three days since my neighbors and I came out of our calm. We're not quite sure what happened, just that the world really went to shit. Not going to lie to you, every time I go outside I really miss those peaceful feelings from whatever this was. My neighbors and I, we gathered what supplies we had and brought them here. A few of us make nightly supply runs. We can survive this, and with more help, we can survive longer. Don't be foolish, don't take your chances. They're still a lot of crazy people out there, the streets are lined with the dead. Don't be another body left to rot in the streets. My name is John. Find us. Look for the warehouse in North Brooklyn between Degraw and Douglas, just off of Fourth Street. There is a single light left on on the third floor, that's us. We are not infected. We have food, water and shelter. We can protect you. I'm broadcasting over the emergency frequency in hopes to reach all survivors and this message will be looped…”.

“That's right around the corner.” Debra said to herself as she looked at the intersection she was in.

Without another thought she started walking towards the next corner.