H1Z1 - Chapter 7

It felt as though a huge black cloud was drifting over me as I pulled my cell phone back out of my pocket and dialled 9-1-1. We had seen the fire truck earlier, lights but no sirens, but we hadn't seen anything else - no sign of the police, no helicopters, nothing. I wasn't sure what, if anything, the police could do for me, but I had to make the call - not just to reassure Bill, but to reassure myself, too.

"9-1-1 operator, please state your emergency."

"I'm at the Wad-Mart and there seems to be ... All the people are either dead or they're sort of not dead."

"What is your emergency, sir?" Great. This bodiless voice wasn't going to make things easy.

"They're dying here! They have the flu, and then they ..." I couldn't help but hesitate, even though I'd seen it, even though it had happened before my eyes, I struggled to say the words aloud because they were simply too terrible. "They die, then they come back to life and the lady tried to attack us."

There. Confused, jumbled, scared and scary, but I was able to spit it out.

"You were attacked at the Wad-Mart?"

"Yes."

"By a dead woman?"

"Yes. A zombie, I guess. H1Z1 - the flu - everyone in the store seems to have it."

"Sir, we're getting similar reports all over town. I have no police officers to dispatch. Please stay calm and remain indoors. There's nothing further I can do to help you," said the bodiless voice.

"Stay indoors? No police? Lady, there's something terrible going on here! What are the police doing about it?"

"Sir, we're doing everything we can, but I don't have a car to dispatch to your location. I can't send you any help."

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" I was becoming more and more frustrated by this disembodied voice. How could she be so calm when it was obvious that the whole city seemed to be going to hell?

"According to the latest instruction from the mayor's office and the governor, the National Guard has been called in and all uninfected citizens are to remain in their homes until help arrives. That's all I can tell you, Sir."

Well, there it was. Sit and wait and pray you're not infected. Lot of help the National Guard was going to be if the whole town was suffering from this. I hung up the call and put my phone back in my pocket.

"I guess we're going to have to do this on our own, Son," I said to Bill as I turned back the tailgate and began loading the pocket of my shooting vest with shells.

"Dad, I'm scared." He looked at me intently, young eyes seeing through any bravado I may have tried to muster. I could do nothing but be honest with him, especially since I was taking him back in to the hellish experience we had just escaped inside the store behind us.

"Me, too, Son. Me too."