Something just wasn't right

Going to work just like any normal day....but this isn't normal. I work for a government sub-contractor that supplies the military with "toys" to use against our beloved country's enemies. I happen to be in charge of a "special" place inside that facility. The outside looks so non-descript, just like a company of our kind would look like. We are, or should I say were located in a small town on the Delmarva Peninsula in Maryland.

I always thought it was great to live here. We are bounded on three sides by water with a very small bit of land connecting us to the rest of the United States. We have the Bay Bridge, which crosses to Annapolis, a huge hub of humanity crossing it everyday to go to and from work. My Dad being one of them, over 700 miles driven each week...it always amazed me. To the south we have the Bay Bridge Tunnel, one of the mechanical marvels of the world. It was truly a feat of engineering genius, I have been on it many times, and was always in awe that I could just get into my car and drive under millions of gallons of water.

We native Eastern Shore people have always considered ourselves detached from the rest of the world. Things here always went at a slower pace. We could not only stop and smell the roses, but we could even plant more if we like, and still had time to tend the rest of the garden. Yes, this place of ours was truly amazing, the people that were born here are a different breed than others, and we are, or were proud of that.

By people on the outside of the Eastern Shore, we are seen as "red-necks", "hicks", "bumpkins", and "backwards yokels". That's alright, they can see us that way, they will always be on the outside looking in. To be born and raised here is special, and maybe that's what keeps me going.

I'm sure that I'm probably one of the oldest people on here at early thirty-something. I grew up as many of the people on this sight has, sitting in the dark, watching the super late show as some blonde haired screaming bimbo was chased by a flesh-eating zombie. Outwardly, I thought that this could never happen, but deep down inside of me, I knew that it was just a matter of time before "something" happened. It looks like "something" is here and now.

As I started earlier, I was going to work like any other day. Putting my head into things that were used to keep our soldiers safe wherever they were in the world. I was proud of my job, knowing that I was giving hope and the chance for families to have a few more good times with thier loved ones here back home. Little did I know that all that was about to change........

I entered the secure building, flashing my ID badge to the guard Hank, as usual. He gave me a smail as I continued deeper into the recesses of the non-descript grey building. I could hear the thnder of a jet engine powering up at the small airport next door to our building.

I punched in the code to my room and went inside, flipping on the lights and setting my laptop bag on my work table. I started to boot my computer when my cellphone started vibrating my side/ I looked down and smiled reading the text sent by my fiance', wishing me a good morning and a great day. I continued to go about my routine, booting the computer and checking my emails, getting coffee from the cafeteria and saying my good mornings to everyone.

As I made my way around the other parts of the building, I happened to notice that there were a few people missing. Upon asking about them, I was told that they had called in, and were felling "under the weather". Considering how dedicated some of these people were, I thought it strange, but honestly, the weather was beautiful, and wasn't about to complain if some of them decided that a breath of fresh air wasn't what the doctor ordered.

During break that day, I was sitting in the lunch room as we watched to daily news, when something, a small blip of a story caught my attention.....it had something to do with an outbreak of a new virus, that supposedly had come from overseas....We were told to watch out for people exhibiting signs of severe flu-like symptoms. If we saw anyone like that we were told to stay away from them, and to possibly make our way to our primary care physcian to get flu shots. I kind of laughed, I have never gotten a flu shot and have sworn that I would never get them.

I heard a few comments go around, but nothing huge. During my lunchtime phone call to my fiance, John, he mentioned that if I wanted to get the flu shot that I could through his work, as he worked in the health care field. I sad thanks but no, and he stated that he would be getting his that day.

On my way home that evening, I noticed a larger than normal police presence on the highway and several cars pulled onto the shoulder. I just chalked it up to poor maintanance and continued my drive home. It was a quiet evening, or so I thought.

We happen to live across the street from the hospital. There were more than just a few amulances and cars rushing down our street. The ambulances usually turn off the sirens once they turn off of the highway and onto ouot street. This wasn't the case that night. We were kept awake by sirens and cars zooming past.

When I woke up the next morning I noticed that there were quite a few cars in the parking lot. I figured there had been a bad accident. John and I got up and got ready, leaving for work. Out day went as usual, until I heard that the main highway had been shut down, there was an apparent murder, hostage situation going on. A local school that was having it's field day was locked down, as was most of the small ton of Trappe. Route 50 had been shut down going in both directions, making it hard for people to get to the beach or home for that matter.

I text Mom and John. My mother worked for an even smaller company, making even more dangerous things than I did. Luckily, she actually lived in the town we worked, Dad, was still on the western shore and I live two towns over. John hoped that it would be over. Poor guy, he wasn't from around here and didn't realize what a screw up this could cause. Luckily, I knew all the backroads and shortcuts, and could get us home fairly easily.

We all kept watch on the TV that day as the lines of cars on the highway grew longer and longer. They police said that it was an apparent murder/suicide, later we would find out that it was the first of many cases.

It has now surfaced that this was not the case. The man's wife had become infected with this infection. The man knew what he had to do. He shot her in the head with his shotgun at close range. Then called the police and told them what he had done. Poor man, I feel badly for him. Had he lived I still don't think that police would have believed his story aboout his wife turning into the undead. Would anyone in their right mind think what he said was true? I doubt it.

The police surrouonded his house as he sat there, inside whith the body of his wife. He had covered her body with a sheet and sat there for Lord only knows how long, watching the blood soak into the sheet, staining it a deep red color. Police reports say that he turned the stereo up really load, to the point where nothing else could be heard but that blarring music.

It wasn't until much later in the evening that the police stormed the house to find that he had shot himself in the head. An autopsy report later revieling that he had a bite mark on his forearm, and that there was evidence that he had tried to cauterize it, using a hurricane lamp.

A statement released by police later said that he had mutilated his wife's face, excizing bits of tissue. This was later found to be fause, something made up by the police, due to thier unwillingness to accept what they were seeing.....