Dead Rose

The Onset

For most of our lives, living in the suburbs meant that the most turmoil we would ever hear or see were the EMTs rushing in and out of the nearby hospital. The occasional helicopter made an appearance, too. The longer we lived there, the more normal those sounds became. They weren’t anything that would ever make us worry. If anything, they made us feel safer. We lived in an average, typical, quiet, neighborly area. It was perfect.

We never had any problems, and everyone here was so—friendly. It was where Ari and I had pictured ourselves growing old together. Watching Eli and Stella mature before our eyes and have their own families. Be visited by our grandchildren. It was our home. That is until the first traces of the dead started to make their rounds. Rumors quickly spread that the first outbreak had begun in an unknown facility somewhere in Washington. I didn’t know it then, but that’s when all my dreams of having the perfect little life came crashing down.

News Anchor: Washington officials want to stress that the situation is under control. There is no need for anyone to panic. The rumors of the dead coming back to life are nothing more than just that—rumors—ramblings of an unhinged conspiracy theorist. Please, we advise that you do not believe these heinous lies—

Of course. I had thought to myself.

Back then, I had so naively thought I could brush it all off, but the sleeping problems that night quickly proved me wrong. Soon after that, the nightmares would turn into night terrors. It was horrifying. The feeling in my gut told me that the government was downplaying the entire ordeal. Of course, their reasons remain a mystery to this day. Washington having everything under control was a blatant lie. It didn’t take the Dead long to start popping up in random places and states worldwide. Japan, Italy, and Argentina all had confirmed cases. Even California, Rhode Island, and Oklahoma. Not too far, not too close. The closer they were being reported to Texas, the more fearful I grew for our kids.

"What the hell is going on out there, Ari?" My voice would shake with every word.

"Don’t worry about it, Babe. It’ll be handled. They’ve got this. We just need to trust them.” Ari would reply to me.

"Yeah, just like Washington handled it, right?"

He let out a low chuckle at that time. It does make me wonder, though; would he have laughed if he knew what he does now?

Do you remember when everyone tried to blame the whole situation on people doing hardcore drugs that would cause extreme hallucinations? Maybe it was because no one had died yet. They were just random, drugged-out attacks. Those people were able to walk away with only minor scratches and small bites. They never reported the deaths that came with them later, though. We learned about that much later.

"Bull. Something is wrong out there; the government is just trying to cover it up, Ari. How can you not see that?" The fear and frustration were starting to become a part of me now.

"Listen to yourself, Rose. You sound like one of those conspiracy theorists they’ve been talking about on the news—the ones YOU always made fun of.” Ari let out a loud laugh.

"Very funny.” I was unamused and shot him an annoyed glare. ”Seriously, something is wrong and will only worsen.”

That time, he had only let out a sigh. A part of him knew that I was right.

"Well then, we should prepare ourselves for the worst. Yeah? If it’ll help give you peace of mind, then let’s have, I don’t know, an emergency bag for all of us. That way, we’ll be ready if we ever need to head out without warning."

"Yeah,” was all I could say in return.

Weeks had gone by, and even though things had remained unchanged, I wasn’t surprised when they finally hit the fan. When the first few deaths by the attacks were broadcast, it sounded like something you would see in a movie or TV show. They showed footage of people being killed and presumed dead at the scene—until they weren’t. It was wild. Some took minutes; others took hours.

By that time, only two things were known about them. One, when they came back, they came back ravenous for human flesh, attacking anyone on sight, and two, the only thing that could keep them down was a shot to the head. On occasion, two. The ones that needed two shots were soon dubbed the ‘double sluggers.’ It amazed me how quickly people were to name them.

The faster this unknown disease spread, the more we worried about Eli and Stella. I couldn’t bear to imagine what would become of them if—

Despite what was happening, Ari always tried to keep me calm. To this day, he is so damn optimistic. He was always calm, cool, and collected, no matter how bad things would or could get. The opposite of who I was, always worried about something or nothing at all. I was constantly stressing myself over unnecessary things. Anxiety would be the correct term. That’s why I love him so much. One of the many reasons, to be exact. He knew how to make me laugh, too. Enjoy life. He knew how to help me relax. We brought out the best in each other. Together, we were perfect.

As things got worse, the more my nerves were shot. Every sound outside our door made a chill run down my spine. My heart would race, and I would stop breathing for a second too long. The sirens going by, the helicopters flying through, and everything would make me jump. All I could think was, ”This is it. The dead have finally reached us.” What can I say? I was a different woman back then. My biggest worry was keeping Eli, who was fifteen then, and Stella, who was only thirteen, alive.

They were old enough to understand what was going on. Thanks to the internet, I couldn’t hide it from them. Everything was so accessible. Sometimes, I still wish they were. Anyway, even if it was all anyone was talking about at their schools, there was no hiding it from them: video games, movies, and TV shows. Zombies were big back then, remember? Of course, none of it had prepared them or any of us. They were supposed to be make-believe. No sane person would have ever taken them seriously. At the end of the day, we were all still terrified of having to face them as a reality.

Staying calm in the presence of the kids wasn’t easy. Keeping a straight and unbothered face around them had become something of the past. There was no hiding my fear. Even Ari had started to have trouble keeping his composure. As the days went on, the tone of his voice changed. He also began to sleep with his gun in the drawer next to him and a butcher knife on the nightstand. I had the cleaver. It had gotten so bad that we made the kids sleep in our room. They could tell we were just as afraid as they were. Who wouldn’t be? They were beginning to understand that there was a chance that their father and I, more than likely, wouldn’t be able to keep ourselves, or them, alive for too long.

Within days, the dead were finally too close for comfort. Fort Worth and Dallas had cases, and it was starting to spread faster. People were dying only to come back, and then they would begin to kill, too. It was never-ending, and no matter how much they voiced it, no one had any control over it. Because it had gotten so close, we had made plans to skip it all by leaving home and hopping on the next ship to an island somewhere.

We decided to leave the following day since we heard that the navy had a ship leaving that night, and we didn’t want to miss it. It was our only hope. It was a six-hour drive down South to Corpus Christi Beach. They said it was for anyone looking for asylum away from the mainland. They still hadn’t figured out that everyone was already infected somehow. It didn’t matter how you died; we all came back. It didn’t matter where we would end up; the dead would always be right there with us.

Still, at the time, an island sounded perfect, didn’t it? A body of water surrounding us made sense. They can’t swim—can they?

The night before, we were settling in to get an early start the next day, but just as we were dosing off, screams of terror echoed throughout the neighborhood. It was faint at first. Our time came sooner than expected, but we were ready. We all ran for our duffel bags full of clothes. Ari had packed everything we might have needed: flashlights, batteries, water, etc.- things that, for some reason, weren’t even crossing my mind.

They should have been, but I was too busy thinking with my emotions. Not my instinct. Ari was. He always was. As someone in the police force, Ari always ensured we knew how to protect ourselves when he wasn’t around. He made us do a bit of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kendo, Kabuto, and even some archery. He wanted us well prepared. Back then, I thought he was overreacting for once. I never understood the purpose of learning all those things, but now that I think about it, with everything that’s gone on, I can’t express enough how grateful I am for his persistence.

"Here, take this.” He handed me a Glock 36, which was the easiest to use but held the fewest bullets.

He holstered his favorite, the 9mm Sig Sauer P226; it held fifteen rounds and had one hell of a kick. He was more equipped for it, more experienced. His survival instincts were on overdrive, which meant he would make us run in front of him. He’d be able to see what was coming and would be able to fight whatever tried to sneak up from behind us. He had the best shot and was the calmest under pressure. When we reached the door, he handed Eli and Stella their bows and arrows.

"Protect yourselves. Understand?" I remember him saying. His voice cracked but was still stern.

"Y-yes, Sir.” They replied.

He gave them both a forced smile before turning toward the door, threw the Mossberg 590 Mariner over his shoulder, and then grabbed another duffel bag that I’m sure was full of ammo. ‘The Monster’ would be the one he’d use only as a last resort. It had the most power, the most noise, and the most brutal kick.

With one last look, he turned to the kids." Do as we say. If we say run, you run as fast as possible and don't look back. Is that understood?"

They gave him another nod, and then we positioned them between us, readied ourselves, and finally opened the door.