First call of the apocalypse

It was getting late in the day and all ready my attention was lagging. That’s what happens when your nerves are jangling for too long. You start wishing that something would happen just to justify the paranoia that was literally making you sick. I had the kids playing games by my feet, the dog curled at my side and the baseball bat laid over my knees while I stared at the front door, waiting. The sudden cheery Japanese chimes I kept as a ringtone sounding off almost had me jump out of my skin I was so intent on my staring. I snatched the phone up before caller ID had even registered who it was yet. It had to be Rick. "Hello? Guys turn your games down. Hello?"

"Kitty?!" It was Aaron, thank god. At least someone I knew was still up and kicking. The only trouble was he was several states away. "Oh, thank God. You alright?"

"Aaron? Holy crap. Are you okay? Your wife and Emma? You're not gonna believe the shit going on down here. I swear to god I'm not on anything and there's freaking zombies." I wasn't into the drug scene any ways- he knew that. I was weird enough without it usually.

"Yea, yeah, we're all fine," he told me. His tone of voice almost sounded excited. "We've got 'em up here, too. I'm driving over to see if I can grab a couple friends of mine. They've got some guns and some ammo... hopefully we can snag them and get the hell out of town." I explained. "How bout you and yours? Boys okay?"

"I got the boys out of school just before they started locking down. The news says no one can go get their kids and we're to stay in our houses. I can't get a hold of Rick at the sheriff's office or any of the rest of the family." He'd be okay I told myself. He was tough and smart and sneaky. Smart enough to let other people get eaten while he hid. "The hurricane shutters are down though, that'll be okay, right? It's galvanized steel."

His car accelerated in the background. I’m not sure, but I think I heard something wail plaintively in the background. "I guess. I don't even know how this is spreading, or how it started. For all I know, we're already halfway to Zombie town right now."

"This can't really be that bad. I live just south of an Edwards AFB. They'd be doing flyovers. There'd be marines or something out here. Isn't that what the National Guard is supposed to be for? They couldn’t be dead all ready. There'd just been the usual late night passes last night. "I can hear the horns on the turnpike from here. Everybody's trying to mass migrate north." Luckily there were two canals between them and I and the water treatment plant, otherwise it’d be like being seated right in front of the entrance to a buffet line.

"The last thing I heard on the news was that this was nationwide and serious. Over half of Tulsa is walking dead. No one was ready for this, Kitty. Seriously, no one was ready. I might be able to make it down to Florida to pick you and the boys up. Can you stay safe for a day or two?" A squeal of tires and a thump-thump carried clearly over the phone. I bet he was swerving to hit them.

"We're all battened down for hurricane season. I've got food, water, medicine, batteries. Just not a lot of sanity in the mix right now. What if this is airborne? Or in the water. There's power plants all over the US that if left untended we're all screwed between crosswinds and meltdowns.. I mean we'll be fine till we see you. I'll keep my ear out for anyplace that's supposed to be safe or contained. We'll go opposite that direction." Anywhere announced on the news would be flooded with people trying to get in. Between the masses attracting these things and supplies that had to be limited it wouldn't be pretty. "Just don't get grabbed Peanut. Stay in contact with me, okay?"

"Every chance I can, Hon. Promise. I'll leave my phone on for now. Got a full charge, and that usually lasts me a couple days. So call me if you need me, got it?"

I really don't want to hang up but battery power did count now. "Will do. Kiss the baby for me kid. I'm gonna tuck the kids down for a nap while it's still bright outside. I think it's gonna be a hard night."

"Have you got weapons? Preferably guns?" Aaron wanted to know if I had a gun. Me. If I did there’d have been a whole different relationship dynamic between myself and the people who let their dogs shit in my front yard. ‘Bead on fluffy three o’clock.’ Bet they’d stop after that.

"What am I going to shoot out of hon? I've got every inch except the front door screwed down with tapcon concrete screws. I've got my escrima sticks, a baseball bat, Ricks who knows how old katana set and enough kitchen knives to carve up a few cows. If you didn't need an extension cord I've got a real sturdy hedge trimmer in the shed, too. I'm not going out for that though." It made too much noise any how. Last thing I needed was to attract attention.

I could almost hear his breath catch. My need to panic only grew with that silent affirmation. "Okay, honey. Love you guys. Stay safe. We'll call you when we're almost there, okay?"

"Okay hon. Laters. And soon." I hung up the phone before it got sentimental. What else could you say but goodbye?