Chapter Text
Part One
New Friends
It all started with a few strange reports on the evening news.
A man hopped up on bath-salts eats some homeless man's face. A wasted college kid kills his roommate, then proceeds to have the poor kid's brain as his midnight snack. The stories were disturbing, yes, but considering how many bat-shit crazy people were roaming about in the world, they were stories that Jenna Matthews took in stride and eventually dismissed altogether. Hell, she could even remember laughing about it with her friends at one point in time, could remember making jokes about wanting to stock up on guns and ammo and provisions so that she would be ready when the 'zombies' came.
Before we know it, it'll be zombie-hunting season instead of deer-hunting season, her boyfriend Jon had laughingly said one night while they sat on the couch listening to a report of yet another odd incident.
She blamed the desensitizing of America via increasingly violent movies, television shows, and video games for her ignorance in the early stages of the apocalypse. The news reports had been bad, yes, but she had brushed them off and gone about life as usual, still wrapped up in day-to-day life and firmly believing that nothing as crazy as a zombie apocalypse could ever actually happen.
When things had started to get undeniably worse, however, Jenna had finally started to wake up. People has started to get sick with some strange new virus that doctors had never seen before, a new type of 'flu' that kept popping up all over the country. More weird stories and even weirder videos started appearing on the news and on the internet. Then people started going missing, disappearing without a trace, never to be heard from again.
The jokes they had been making started to fade away, because all of a sudden, the situation didn't seem like such a laughing matter anymore. Things were getting stranger, paranoia began to creep in, and fear started to spread. Because something was obviously wrong. Terribly, horribly, terrifyingly wrong.
Then it happened. On one hot Wednesday in August, a day that had otherwise been as normal and mundane as all the rest, everything changed.
It was as though someone had pulled some secret lever to release the hounds of hell and set them loose on the world. And in what seemed like merely the blink of an eye, Jenna's entire life fell into complete chaos.
OOO
"I'm telling you, Mom, this whole thing is gonna blow over soon enough. CNN is just sensationalizing everything," Jenna said, trying to reason with her mother for what must have been the hundredth time that week. She tried to ignore the fact that even she wasn't entirely convinced by her own statements, knowing she needed to keep a level head for the sake of her overly anxious mother. With everything that had been happening recently, Renee Matthews was on the verge of a full blown panic attack. It was Jenna's job to try and calm her down, not make her even more panicky than she already was by admitting that she, too, was just as scared shitless as everyone else was.
"Sensationalizing?" her mother echoed incredulously. "No, this is serious, Jenna," she went on to argue. "They've closed downtown, for God's sake! They've quarantined the whole area!"
Jenna frowned at hearing that. They'd closed off downtown Houston? This was certainly news to her. "When did they – "
Her question was interrupted when someone began to knock loudly and persistently at the back door to her townhouse. Jenna jumped in surprise, gulping as momentary fear made a lump form in her throat. When the knocking didn't stop, she finally sucked it up and went to see who it was. "Hold on a second, Mom. Someone's at the door."
Renee started to say something in response, but since the phone had already been moved away from Jenna's ear, her mother's words were too faint to understand. Jenna made her way to the door, passing through her small kitchen along the way, then flicked up one of the blinds covering the window in the back door to see who was on the other side.
It was a relief to see that it was just her neighbor, Kim. That relief was short-lived, however, when she realized that the woman looked absolutely petrified.
Kim waved her hands urgently, motioning for Jenna to open the door. As soon as Jenna did so, her neighbor came rushing inside, nearly bowling her over in the process.
"Kim, what the hell?" Jenna demanded, her eyebrows furrowing together as Kim quickly slammed the door shut behind her.
"I saw someone out there!" Kim hissed, turning her back on Jenna to peer out the window. The blonde-haired woman was visibly shaking with fear. "They were…they were…" But she couldn't seem to get the words out, and Jenna frowned again when Kim finally turned to face her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her eyes were so wide that it almost looked like they might pop right out of her head. "Jenna, it's true. All of it! Something's seriously wrong. Something's happening!"
Jenna blinked at Kim, fear and uncertainty sweeping through her at those words. Finally, as the sound of a distant voice reached her ears, she remembered that her mother was still on the phone. While Kim turned back to the window to peer outside, Jenna cursed and pressed the phone to her ear again.
"Jenna! Answer me!" her mother was practically screaming on the other end once Jenna could hear her again.
"Mom, relax. I'm here," Jenna told her, forcing her voice to remain calm despite the momentary chaos that had just erupted in her kitchen.
Her mother heaved a huge sigh of relief over the phone. "Oh, thank God you're alright," she said in relief. "You have to be careful, Jenna! You don't understand! Things are starting to get – "
Jenna's mother continued to ramble on, but most of what she was saying was falling on deaf ears. Because paranoia had finally begun to did its claws into Jenna. What exactly had Kim seen outside that had left her so visibly shaken? Why was downtown Houston being quarantined? What in the hell was going on?
Deciding that things had gotten far too strange in the past couple of minutes, Jenna headed for the living room to click on the television and see if there were any breaking news reports. Her own anxiety only worsened when instead of the usual showing of Wheel of Fortune, a bright red ticker had appeared at the bottom of screen and a worried looking news anchor was speaking.
" – among the infected areas. Military personnel and police forces have been deployed to begin evacuations, and aid will be offered to those in need of medical attention once safely transported to a protected location. It is strongly advised that all citizens stay indoors until further notice and to avoid any close contact with anyone showing signs of the illness."
Each word that the news anchor said made her heart pound harder in her chest, and the world was starting to feel like it was tilting on its axis. Was this actually happening? Was the world actually on the brink of being turned completely upside down? Wasn't this just supposed to be a joke? Hadn't this just been some long-winded hoax?
"Oh my God." Kim had followed her into the living room by now and was staring at the screen with a stunned expression that Jenna was sure mimicked the one on her own face. "It's happening, Jenna. This is really happening."
Before Jenna could respond, a loud, unmistakable BANG of a gunshot suddenly echoed outside, making both of them scream and jump with fright. Jenna turned a look on her neighbor, then hurried to the window to peek through the curtains and see what was going on, ignoring Kim's terrified urges for her not to. The limited view from the living room window revealed nothing out of the ordinary, but that did nothing to lessen her mounting fears. There was definitely something wrong, now she just had to figure out what she was supposed to do about it.
It took her only a second to come to a quick decision.
If the world was about to collapse, then she sure as shit wasn’t going to sit on her ass and just wait for whatever hell was about to come their way.
"Mom, stay right where you are," she instructed her mother over the phone. "Don't go outside, don't open the door, don't even go to the window. I'm coming over right now." Jenna brushed past a near hysterical Kim as she made for the bedroom. "Call Sam and tell him what's going on," she instructed her mother next. "He'll know what we need to do, okay?"
"Alright," her mother readily agreed. "Be safe. Please be safe! I love you!"
"I love you, too. I'll see you soon."
Jenna had only just ended the call when the back door burst open for the second time in only a matter of minutes. Kim screamed in fright from the living room while Jenna froze in the hallway, her heart leaping up into her throat. Before either woman could so much as move even a finger, however, a tall, brown-haired man wielding a hunting rifle came striding into view. It was Jenna's boyfriend, Jon, and the moment they caught sight of one another, they both sighed in relief and rushed forward to embrace each other.
"Thank God, you're alright," Jon said, pressing a kiss to her red hair. When he pulled back, his eyebrows were furrowed and there was a no-nonsense frown on his lips. "Jen, we gotta get outta here. There's – "
"I know," she interrupted quickly. She wasn't sure if she'd done so just to save time or if it was because she just didn't want to hear Jon say the 'z' word aloud. "I saw the news."
Jon nodded and started to say something else, but paused when a still teary-eyed Kim came cautiously creeping around the corner. He frowned at her and looked her over with scrutinizing eyes for a moment, leading Jenna to believe he was looking for signs of this illness that had been spreading. He seemed to decide that Kim wasn’t a threat, because he quickly turned his attention back to Jenna.
"Pack up the necessities," he instructed her without wasting any more time. "We're gettin' the hell outta dodge."
"B-but the n-news report said – " Kim began to say.
"Fuck what they said," Jon interrupted sharply. "We need to get outta the city, get away from all these people. This shit spreads fast and things are already starting to get crazy. If we don't get out now, then we may not get out at all…not alive, at least." His words sent Kim into another round of hysterics, but he barely seemed to notice. "Pack quickly," he urged Jenna, pushing her gently in the direction of her bedroom.
"We have to get my mom," she told him, using a tone that left no room for argument.
"We will," Jon agreed. "Then we're gettin' my parents and gettin' outta the city."
With that being said, Jenna was off to her room while Jon began to raid the pantry. She could distantly hear him rummaging around and throwing canned goods into plastic sacks while she began wildly searching through her room for anything she thought she might need. Phone, phone charger, underwear, clothes, shoes. Within moments the room looked as though a tornado had ripped through it because of her hasty, unorganized packing. Once she had a bag stuffed to capacity, she headed into the study. Jenna went to a small filing cabinet in the corner to grab a few important documents, just in case.
Another gunshot sounded outside, followed by a distant, bloodcurdling scream. Jenna froze, the blood in her veins going cold. Was this it then? Was this the end of life as she knew it? For a moment it was difficult to breathe, difficult to really even think. The chaos, the fear, the uncertainty...it was all so overwhelming.
"Jenna, let's go!" Jon called impatiently from the kitchen.
The words snapped her back to reality and forced her feet forward again. There was something big happening, something life-changing whether Jenna wanted to believe it or not, but now was not the time to let her fear get the better of her. Right now, she had to concentrate on getting her mother and getting the hell out of the city. She could worry about everything else later, once they were in a safer place.
Kim had managed to pull herself together enough so that she could talk somewhat calmly with Jon. When Jenna re-entered the kitchen, the blonde was in the middle of telling him what she'd seen. " – just crouched over her," she explained in a shaky voice. "And there was blood everywhere…and…and I think he was – " Kim gagged for a moment and had to cover her mouth with her hand, looking like she might vomit. " – eating her."
Jenna shared a look with Jon over Kim's head as the woman dissolved into tears again. Jon sighed and cast an untrusting glare in the direction of the door.
"Alright," he said slowly. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to come up with a plan. "Alright," he repeated, now looking a bit more confident. "Jen, you head for the truck and don't stray," he instructed with a stern point of his finger. "Kim, make a run for your house. I'll cover you until you're inside. Then you go find whoever you need to and you guys get outta town. Don’t try to get gas. Don’t try to go to a store. Just get the fuck out. Do you understand me?”
Kim paled, not looking overly fond of the plan, but Jon didn't give her any time to argue. He passed Jenna the bags of food he had packed, readied his gun, then motioned for Kim to head for the door.
"We're not bringing her with us?" Jenna asked Jon quietly, glancing toward Kim as she peered anxiously out the window. It wasn't as though she and Kim were life-long best friends or anything, but they were friendly. Jenna had assumed that since her neighbor was already with them that she might end up staying with them.
Jon frowned, then slowly shook his head. "We can't be responsible for everyone we know, babe," he replied lowly. "We need to worry about us and our own first."
Jenna sighed but nodded in understanding. While they continued to prepare to depart, she slung her bag of belongings over her shoulder and snatched up her purse with her free hand, her eyes surveying the kitchen one last time as she tried to determine if there was anything else they needed to bring with them…and it was then, in that moment, that it really dawned on her.
If this problem, this outbreak was bad enough, this may very well be the last time she ever stepped foot in this house. Everything she had worked so hard for, the life she had built for herself, the future she'd had planned out...it was all on the verge of being ripped away. Jenna pressed her lips together in a tight line to fight back the mounting emotions within. Her eyes finally landed on the fridge and she immediately strode over, juggling the items in her hands so that she could yank down the pictures of her family mounted on the door and stuff them into her purse.
"Jen, come on!" Jon urged.
She finally rejoined Jon and Kim. Her boyfriend wasted no time to slowly open the door, while she and Kim clung to each other in fearful anticipation. Jenna held her breath, half expecting some gory, bloody monster to lunge for them as soon as the door opened. But nothing of the sort happened, and when Jenna saw that the only thing waiting on the other side of the door was Jon's truck, she released a sigh of relief.
A third gunshot cracked through the air, sounding much louder and much closer, and the three of them flinched at the sound. Jon poked his head out to look around to make sure the coast was clear, then motioned for Kim and Jenna to follow him. "Alright…let's go," he finally said before raising his rifle and leading them outside.
Though Jenna felt exposed and vulnerable the instant she stepped outside, she pulled Kim into a tight hug before the woman could go running for her house as Jon had commanded. The embrace pulled another round of tears from Kim as she hugged Jenna back just as fiercely. "Good luck," Jenna said, trying not to show how afraid she was when she and Kim pulled away from one another. "Get to your family and get out, okay?"
Kim nodded. "Good luck to you guys, too."
Jenna nodded, then watched as Kim ran for her house. Jon watched her go, too, his rifle raised, eyes alert and searching for any signs of incoming danger. Jenna finally went to the truck, just as Jon had told her, and threw her bags into the backseat before hauling herself up into the passenger seat. She closed the door, looking through the window fearfully and watching as some of her neighbors began scrambling to pack things into their cars.
What would happen to them?
What would happen to everyone?
The second Kim disappeared into her house, Jon abandoned his post and jumped into the driver's seat. As he started up the loud, roaring engine, Jenna turned to look at him before reaching over to grab his hand, holding it tightly. Jon returned the gesture, locking his fingers with hers, and kissed the top of her hand. Then he released her and moved the shifter into reverse, backing away from her house before turning onto the road and surging forward. Jenna glanced back at her townhouse one last time as it shrunk into the distance, until it finally disappeared from sight completely.
OOO
Getting out of Houston had been a fiasco. There had been pandemonium everywhere. Looters had begun invading stores, grocery stores became overrun, gas stations turned into complete madhouses...and that was all before the disease had truly even begun to spread, before the military started setting up bases all over town, and before police officers with large plastic shields began marching through the streets. By the time Jenna, Jon, and their parents had made it to I-10, the reports on the radio were all the same.
Infection was spreading quickly, and sightings of the walking dead were piling up.
It had seemed so surreal at first, so impossible, but eventually Jenna was forced to face the truth. The unthinkable had happened, and life as she and everyone else knew it was over. Of all the dangers that humans had feared – cancer, global-warming, terrorists, natural disasters – the end had come in the most unlikely of forms.
Zombies.
Jenna had always claimed that if a disaster like this struck, then she'd have no problems surviving. Having watched horror movie after horror movie and criticized numerous victims for their poor decision making, she'd been fairly confident that she knew what and what not to do in order to stay alive should she ever find herself in a similar situation. But thinking you can survive a zombie apocalypse and actually being in one, Jenna quickly learned, were two very different things.
She, along with everyone else in the world, had to change, had to adapt to a way of living that was completely foreign to her. She had to learn how to shoot. She had to learn how to scavenge for supplies. She had to learn how to kill the chompers that had invaded the world like a horrible plague. Before the apocalypse, Jenna's life had been a simple one, a life of routine and order, where she wasn't faced with life or death situations on a near constant basis.
This new life – where danger lurked around every corner, where no one could be trusted, and where she was never guaranteed a next meal or even another day of life – had made her realize just how horribly she had taken her old one for granted.
In the beginning the plan had seemed simple. Her older brother, Sam, who had been stationed at Fort Benning for over two years, had instructed Jenna and her group to drive to Georgia and take refuge with him at the military base. There's plenty of food supplies and lots of medicine, he'd told them. This place is impenetrable. You'll be completely safe here. Since he was family and since they really hadn't known what else to do, they had all agreed that going to Fort Benning was their best option. After all – where else could they even go in the huge, burning pile of shit that was now their world?
Unfortunately, they had all underestimated just how dangerous the road to Fort Benning would actually be. And now, sixty-something days into the apocalypse, Jenna was the only person from her group still alive and still trying desperately to reach Fort Benning.
She'd thought about giving up countless times, had acknowledged the possibility that she might never make it there or, even worse, that her brother might already be dead. But somehow, someway, she'd found it in herself to keep pushing forward, keep trying, keep hoping. Because at the end of the day, Sam was all that she had left in this horrible, terrifying world. And she was going to find him.
Or she was going to die trying.