Nurse: Finitum Book 2

A routine day at Linda’s job turns into something of a nightmare.

Taking an intern under her wing, she expects to have an easy day at her job and forget all about her failing relationship.

 Soon after the arrival of a car crash victim, the hospital turns into a dead house. Trapped inside with the mayhem, she needs to get out to survive.

However, there are no guarantees of survival. No guarantees of rescue. And escaping the hospital is not a sure thing, because the dead reach far. 

*A apocalyptic horror survival story with undead, zombies, witches, werewolves, hunters, and many other supernatural creatures. 

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Preview: Nurse (Book Two in the Finitum Series)

FINITUM

NURSE

BY A.ROSARIA

Kindle Edition

Copyright © 2013 by Alex Rosaria

This e-book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

CHAPTER ONE

Linda looked up from her lap, staring ahead to nowhere in particular. He was talking, but she didn‘t hear what he was saying, only the sound of his baritone voice. It still sent pleasant chills up her body, though long gone were the days she cared much about what he had to say. Now it only managed to taint the pleasantness of his voice.
It had been six months since the accident and his miraculous rise from death, six months in which he had changed. The change had transformed their relationship in ways she never expected. Not only had he changed, but also she had changed along with him. The angrier he became, the more she stopped caring.
Faintly, she shook her head as he kept babbling.
John had grown distant, detached, and rage rooted deep in him, which made it difficult for him to relax. She didn‘t notice it at first, as happy as she was he was still alive. However, as the first few months had passed, she had become desperate for things to return to how they were. Now, she had moved on, and soon, she would have to decide what she would do.
“Linda.”
She kept staring, not answering him, as he approached her from behind.
“Linda!” he yelled.
She looked at his reflection in the window. He stood behind her, his left brow raised, his face a mask of annoyance. He nudged her shoulder, all gentleness left his touch.
“Hey, listen to what I‘ve got to say.”
She shrugged away from his touch and turned to face him. Her shoulders sagged, her chin dipped, and she furrowed her brow. “Sorry, I was thinking about work. We are getting a new temp, and I have to supervise her. It will be a busy day today.”
His nostrils flared. He sighed. She quickly stood and backed away from him, slowly raising her hands. She saw hurt in his eyes before he lowered his head, casting his gaze to the floor.
“I understand,” he mumbled. “I‘m sorry.”
She grabbed his hands, more out of reflex than caring, and squeezed them. “It‘s okay. What did you want to tell me?”
His eyes lightened and he smiled, a first this morning, a first in a long time. It tore her up that she couldn‘t answer his smile. He blurted out, “Dinner. Tonight. I have something important to tell you.”
“Can‘t you tell me now?”
“No, it has to be tonight!”
“All right, all right, tonight it is.”
“I have to go now, Mrs. Greenwich needs a package delivered.”
“Again?”
“Yes, it‘s been two weeks already since last time I went.”
“You do know it is going to rain today, right?”
He shrugged. “Maybe it will, maybe it won‘t. I‘ll see you at seven, at your place.”
The right hook of her mouth rose into half a smile. “Yeah, sure.”
He left. Once the door closed behind him, she fell on the sofa, covered her face with her hands, and sobbed. After a long while of weeping and trying to get all the sadness out, the feeling stayed that she was a caged animal unable to set herself free. She wiped her tears and sat for a minute in silence, staring at nothing while she worked up the strength to stand up and start her day.
Finally, she got up and went upstairs to her bedroom to change into her work clothes. She took out an old uniform–a dress ending above her knees. A play thing really. Nurses don‘t wear dresses like this anymore. She had lost weight, and now the dress hung loosely over her body. John liked watching her in uniform. Not anymore. Not ever again. She put it back and put on white trousers and shirt. They fit loosely around her body, but comfortable instead of ill fitting like the dress. An added bonus was it also hid her body, making her less attractive.
She went to the bathroom to get ready to go. As she brushed her teeth, she looked in the mirror. Her pale face matched the white of her nursing uniform. Under her almond eyes, she had a blue patch, and the luster had disappeared from her eyes a long time ago. The only bright thing about her was her hair, always a striking red.
She sighed, rubbed her eyes, looked at the clock, and grunted. “Running late again.”
She pulled her hair in a knot and smiled at the mirror. “Sexy vixen nurse turned strict school teacher.”
She laughed at her silliness. John and she used to joke around together, and they had fun together. Of course, since the accident, that had stopped. It didn‘t feel right bantering on her own; it was crazy. But, could anybody really blame her for going insane?
She hurried downstairs and out the door. The sun shone a yellow glow, hanging midair in a clear blue sky. As she walked to her car, she noticed a small dark cloud forming where there had been none before. One dark spot in an otherwise wholesome sight.
She reached her white sedan and noticed his bicycle leaning against the fence. He was going to take his time walking all the way. Knowing him, it meant he wanted time to think. Maybe he would find some tranquility and recover a little of his former self, though it was a little too late. No, he wouldn‘t change. No matter how much thinking he did, he wouldn‘t. She glanced at the cloud. It had grown larger. He was going to get wet.
Smiling, she opened the car door and sat behind the wheel. She turned the key in the ignition, and the radio sputtered on as the engine revved awake. To the beat of hard rock clamoring out of her car speakers, she drove out of her driveway and onto the road.
It was a fifteen-minute drive from home to work. She could make it blindfolded by now, having done it a thousand times since she took the job. Nearing an intersection, she turned to the right. In the rearview mirror, she saw a squad car gaining on her. It passed her, the lights flashing, but the siren was off. Linda frowned. Could it be him? He always waited to put the siren on until the last moment. She followed the squad car until it disappeared. After a short while, she heard a siren fade away.
She caught herself smiling in the rearview mirror and she blushed. It was wrong to like someone else, no matter how much her relationship with John was at an end. She couldn‘t deny her waning feelings for John, especially after what he did to her. Mr. Law Enforcement gave her the warmth she needed, something John had long denied. Her smile faded, and her face turned dark like the cloud in the sky. She needed to make a choice soon. Today.
The hospital rose over the buildings ahead, the big red H on top clearly visible. It was the only hospital in the vicinity, servicing the towns in the immediate area. It even had a helicopter pad on top for remote emergencies. The big H was supposed to function as some sort of a beacon for the pilots. She chuckled at the sight of it. Such a big, shining thing was hard to miss. However, it was there more for feeding someone‘s ego than any practicality, for it actually made it more difficult for the pilots to land on the roof. Some doctors were fond of it. It gave them some sense of belonging, especially Dr. Stevenson. He liked all things big and grand. He was a real bastard.
With her thoughts somewhere else, she drove up the hospital‘s driveway, not paying much attention because nobody ever crossed here. Out of the corner of her left eye, she saw a shadow moving. Her whole body tensed as she stepped hard on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt. A young, pale woman with long dark hair in a nursing uniform stood frozen in front of the hood. With large eyes, she stared at Linda. Slowly, her stare turned into a wretched look, and her charcoal eyes burned like embers in a hot fire. Their eyes locked, and the young woman‘s look softened and her body relaxed. Linda gasped for air, only now realizing she had forgotten to breathe since breaking. Linda had never seen her before–at work or in town.
She rolled down the car window. “I am sorry. I didn‘t see you.”
The young woman smiled at Linda. “Well, you did see me, or else I would be under or above your car. I‘m fine, so please don‘t worry about it.”
Linda returned the smile, already forgetting the ugly look the woman gave her before. “I‘m Linda.” Pointing at the woman‘s uniform, Linda asked, “Are you new here?”
“I‘m Amber, and yes, it is my first day.”
Linda opened the passenger door. “Come on in.”
Amber walked over to the other side; she floated with grace and agility. She stuck her head inside. “It‘s not far. I don‘t mind walking.”
“Are you the new temp?”
Amber nodded.
“Then I‘m the one supervising you, so we might as well stick together.”
Amber looked away, bit her lower lip, and took her place beside Linda. Once seated, she stretched her legs out. Amber‘s bare feet were covered in mud, as were the cuffs of her white pants.
“Where are your shoes?”
Amber glanced at her feet and smiled wryly. “I didn‘t bring them.”
“You mean you forgot to put them on?”
“Yes, I meant that.”
“On your first day?”
Amber eyes widened, and the words left her mouth slowly. “Yeah. Well, will it be a problem?”
Linda huffed. “Will it be a problem, she asks. Where have you been? Living in the woods or a cave your whole life?”
“How…?” She gulped in what she wanted to say. “No. I mean, no I don‘t live in the forest.”
“You can‘t go inside looking like that”
Amber cast her eyes down and stared at her feet, her lips twisted into a frown, and she kept silent. The whole ordeal made Linda feel uncomfortable. She was about to say something when they heard a loud honk. They jumped in their seats. Linda turned the ignition, and in her haste, she released the clutch too soon. The car jumped forward and the engine stalled. The driver behind them honked twice more. She fumbled with the keys and managed to start the car. When Linda drove away, Amber turned around and flipped the driver the finger.
“Jeez, Amber, are you planning to keep your job? That was Dr. Stevenson.”
She sped to the parking lot, drove up to the farthest end, away from the reserved parking spots the doctors and the hospital administration staff used. Once parked, she turned the engine off and stared straight ahead. Her day was getting worse by the minute. She glanced sideways at Amber. Her chin was down, her eyes closed, and she was mumbling something unintelligible.
“Don‘t worry about it,” Linda said.
Amber kept mumbling, eyes closed.
“I have a spare uniform and shoes I can lend you.”
Still, she didn‘t get a response. Linda touched Amber‘s arm. As if a bolt had struck her, Amber jerked up straight, eyes wide in panic. “Don‘t touch me.”
Startled, Linda put her hands up to ward Amber off. “What‘s up with you?”
Amber waved her hand as if to deny any wrongdoing. “Sorry, I didn‘t mean to do that. You startled me. I guess I‘m nervous about this all”
Linda opened the door. Cold, fresh air blew in the car as she stepped out. Amber did the same.
“Linda, I am really sorry. This is all new to me; please don‘t be angry.”
“I‘m not angry! I just didn‘t expect that. It‘s so random.”
Amber‘s cheeks turned a shade brighter. “Again, I apologize. I didn‘t mean to upset you.”
“It‘s all good; you‘re still alive, aren‘t you?” Linda popped the trunk open and took out her spare pants. They were like the ones she was wearing, only a duller white. “Catch.”
With both hands, in a quick smooth motion, Amber caught them from the air. Linda searched the trunk for the shoes. She was sure she left a pair in there somewhere. She found them under John‘s sport bag. She slammed the trunk shut.
“What are you doing?” Linda watched Amber bend over, showing her bare butt, about to pull the pants up. She stopped and glance over her shoulder to look at Linda with raised eyebrows.
“I‘m putting them on? Was I not supposed to?”
“Silly goose, not out in the open for everybody to see!”
Amber shuffled to the car door with the pants at her ankles. She stretched her hand to open it.
“Never mind that now. Pull the pants up.”
Amber stood motionless for a second before quickly doing as she was told.
“Here.” Linda handed her the shoes. Amber held them in her hands, turned them about, and looked inside them.
“Don‘t tell me you have never worn shoes before! Who are you?”
“Yes, I have!” She quickly put them on. “Thanks for everything, for being so kind to me.”
“You better be thankful. I don‘t even know why I‘m helping you. You are an odd one.”
“I am sorry about that,” Amber said, blushing.
“Stop saying you are sorry all the time. Hmm, the shoes are a bit big for you.”
Amber squatted down and started untying one noose.
“Don‘t do that.”
“But you said.”
Linda sighed and looked up to the sky for some sense but didn‘t find any. “Don‘t mind the shoes. It will be fine.”
Amber got up and touched Linda‘s hand. Her hand was soft, touching Linda gently, and sending a feeling of well-being up her arm and to the rest of her body. Linda staggered back. Who is she?
“Why do you feel bad?” Amber asked.
Linda took a step back. “Just like that, totally random, you ask me that?”
Linda walked away from the young woman. She shrugged the weirdness off and glanced over her shoulder. “Are you coming or not?”
Amber caught up to her in quick little strides. Fast, short, weird thing, Linda thought.
Close to the entrance, Dr. Rudolph Stevenson leaned against his station wagon, waiting for them. He was the chief coroner at the New Hope Hospital, middle-aged and balding. His slender wrists stuck out of the too-short sleeves of his doctor‘s coat. His eyes snaked over Amber, looking her up and down. Linda didn‘t like the look on his face, the way his eyes twinkled with a twisted joy, and that sleazy smile.
“The perv sure enjoyed it,” Linda mumbled.
“Enjoyed what?” Amber asked.
“Your sweet cheeks.”
“Oh. Hey, wait! It‘s the same guy that honked at us?”
“Yes, and a nice first impression you made on your first day. So please keep your cool.”
Amber planned to walk by him as if they had not seen him, but Rudolph stepped in their way. “Ladies.”
“Doctor,” Linda said.
Ignoring Linda, he looked at Amber with hungry eyes. A bulge grew at his crotch–a nauseating sight. Linda blamed herself for seeing that; her eyes shouldn‘t even be that low, but it stood out.
“Doctor, could you please step aside?”
He sneered at her. “Doctor who?”
“Stevenson could you move aside.”
“Dr. Stevenson.”
Linda smiled at him. “Yes, doctor.”
Amber stood on her toes and raised her mouth to Linda‘s ear. “Did you not just tell me to keep my cool?”
The doctor‘s nose flared as he addressed Amber. “Missy, I‘m standing right here.”
“Don‘t call me missy! I am old enough to be–”
“Girl, do you know who you are talking to?”
Amber rolled her eyes. “Yes, I do.”
“Then show me some respect.”
Amber raised her shoulders. “Why should I? I don‘t like you.”
Rudolph patted his puffed out chest with his right hand. “Because I‘m a doctor.”
“I know. So? I still don‘t like you.”
Rudolph‘s face turned red as he spat out the words. “I‘m a doctor, you hear me! A doctor!”
He poked her chest between her breasts. “You are just a nurse, a new one at that too. You are a nothing. That‘s what you are. Nothing.”
Amber wiped his spit from her face. Her smirk faltered and went over into trembling lips, so did her hands. The hair on Linda‘s arms rose up; it felt as if an electric charge was building in the air around them. She had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. She pulled Amber behind her.
“Doctor, that is no way to talk to a coworker.”
“It‘s you and that finger-flipping bitch that needs to watch their tone.”
His pointing finger came dangerously close to poking Linda‘s breast. Linda slapped his hand away. “You touch me, and I will break that finger. Understood, doctor?”
Amber peeked from behind Linda. She looked up from her brows with moist eyes. “I didn‘t flip you the finger. How dare you say that.”
He looked from the one to the other and rested his eyes on Amber. As he stepped back, he pointed a shaking finger at Amber while making sure he was out of their reach. “Yes, you did. I saw you.”
Amber stepped from behind Linda and raised her head defiantly. “Prove it.”
“My word counts more than yours around here. I‘m going to report you. You can kiss that job of yours goodbye.”
Linda laughed. She winked at Amber. “I also didn‘t see anything happen, and I will testify if needed.”
“You can‘t do that.”
“Yes, I can. Now move aside, doctor.”
She took Amber by her hand and shoved Rudolph aside. Flabbergasted, he watched them walk away. His bulge deflated.

CHAPTER TWO

“Lucretia!”
The old hag, old only in age, looked at her reflection in a mirror. The frame was of nice smooth polished human bones, with carved quartz and gemstones inlayed.
“Lucretia!”
The stones emitted a yellow-orange glow. She admired her reflection: her smooth, pale skin, her narrow nose, her almost black eyes, and her thick, long black hair shining with health. Above all, she cherished her youthful, yet still mature, appearance. A youth not her own, nor hers alone. She may look in her late twenties, but her real age spanned many lifetimes. She smiled, barring her teeth, which were pointier than most.
“Lucretia!”
Sound came from the mirror. Her reflection blurred and transformed into another face, the face of a younger woman in both appearance and age. Like herself, she had pale skin, long black hair, and dark eyes.
“High Sorceress, you called?”
“How are the preparations going?”
“We have all the ingredients for the spell. The old one is on her way; the succubi are with her. The church is ready for us, and I turned the priest.”
“Turned?”
A vile, animalistic smile formed on Lucretia‘s face. “Yes, he is wild now.” She licked her black lips while her eyes burned a steamy fire. “I like them wild.”
The High Sorceress frowned. “Enough, child!”
Lucretia‘s face turned stoic like that of an old Greek goddess, long dead. “My apologies, High Sorceress.”
“And?”
“High Sorceress?”
“Is that all you have to report?”
Lucretia‘s eyes widened for a split second. “Yes.”
“What about the sacrifice!”
“Oh, her.”
“Yes, her!”
“She wanted to explore the town and experience life.”
“What! She will experience life enough through me. Why did you not stop her?”
Lucretia cast her eyes down and kept silent.
“Bah, of course you couldn‘t. She is more powerful than you ever will be.”
Lucretia nodded. “Yes, she made that clear to me.”
“So you tried and failed. Good girl. At least you have that going for you.”
The High Sorceress laughed. Lucretia lips thinned to a stripe in response. “We will get her back.”
“No! Never mind her. She knows her place. She will return in time.”
“Are you sure of that? She is unpredictable.”
“Are you telling me that I am wrong?”
The High Sorceress stretched her arm, finger pointed at the image of Lucretia. Lucretia‘s pupils widened. She fervently shook her head. The sorceress mumbled ancient words, vile, dark, not-to-be-spoken words. They filled the room with their resonance; black energy came free all around them. Lucretia grabbed her throat. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Air wouldn‘t come in despite her effort to breathe.
The High Sorceress balled her hands into fist. Lucretia wheezed. Slowly, the High Sorceress released her fist. Air poured again in through Lucretia‘s throat to her lungs. For a minute longer, she breathed heavy before she collected herself and bowed her head. “I was wrong to doubt you, my High Sorceress. Please forgive me. I‘ll never do it again.”
“You better not, and let this be a lesson to you. I am never wrong.”
“Yes, mistress.”
“We command you to be gone now.”
The sorceress waved her hands, and again she could admire her fleeting beauty.
The time had come for a renewal, however inconvenient the timing. It would be worth it, because this time the sacrifice would do for eons to come while most only lasted a few decades. It was difficult to fathom such a source of power existed in one being, one who, in time, could equal the power they had together as many.
With the sacrifice, her power may become supreme, enough to vanquish an undead with the ease of kicking a puppy to death. She had one particular undead in mind, one who she would love to use this power on once she gained it. It would send a warning to the others, that there was a new superior force in the world to contend with, and maybe she‘d become the supreme being. They would see; they all would soon see, and not long after, the world would be covered in darkness and those now living in light would see.

***

Lucretia stared at the wall where the image of the one of many appeared moments before. She massaged her throat; it still felt sore. She closed her eyes and projected in her mind the power of nature.
“Oh, nature, listen to me, grant me your power to heal against those who wronged me. Goddesses, aid me in my need, no matter how undeserving I am, for nature is the power to heal all, even those like me.”
Her hands buzzed with energy. It soothed her throat, and the burning sensation subsided though the pain lingered. The power of nature, or better, her command of it, wasn‘t enough to counteract the dark power inflicted on her. It didn‘t help either that she was a creature of the night, though a long time ago things were different. A look of longing passed over her face. She tore herself away from the thoughts forming about a life long gone, one she couldn‘t possibly ever return to, bound as she was to this fate she carved out for herself. She sighed. Today had been the second time she had to heal herself. Because of what she was–and also the reason her fate was tarnished–she could regenerate, but that would take time she didn‘t have.
“Me and my mouth. One day it will be the end of me.”
She stood in the church, facing the cross and Jesus Christ nailed on it. His eyes fixed on her countenance. She slipped out of her black dress. Defiantly, she pushed her chest forward, her breasts dangling together with her perky, dark nipples. “You liked it, didn‘t you?”
Her laugh howled an echo in the near-empty church. “I did your priest on your altar, and did you help him? Did you smite me down with your righteous wrath?”
Moving swiftly like a breeze in the evening, she approached the altar and caressed the top. She closed her eyes and channeled her powers. With the sharp nail of her middle finger, she scratched her left breast. Blood dripped on her finger. The air around her filled with a magnetic charge. She stretched both arms out toward the statue, her palms facing forward. She mumbled words, dark words not fit for this world. The statue crumbled. She closed her hands into a fist and howled. Jesus exploded into a cloud of dust and clay, and fell broken on the floor. She twisted her left hand. The big cross turned upside down, and she rested it on the floor. Sweat ran down her naked body while she breathed heavily between laughs.
She felt relieved over the work she had done, the tension gone from her. She wobbled to the door on the left. “Priest!”
A growling from behind the door greeted her. “It‘s time for service.”

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Newest book cover I made

Book cover for The Weird, a short story collection of the weirdest short tales I written. Disturbing, strange, and somewhat gruesome tale. Got one with a little macabre humor in it. Non intended humor. I do not write humor. I write horror, however sometimes what I write is humorous. Can't help it. We all got humor. Even in the bleakest of life we got humor, disturbing it might be.

The new book cover.

At Arms: A vampire short story collection

Out right now!

Five tales of a high-born family and their retainers struggling against the curse of vampirism.

The Dark Wanderer - Two knights escort a young woman through a forest infested with wild beasts.

Though wild beasts will be the least of their worries.

Damnation - Lady Christine D'Ang goes against her father wishes and leaves the castle in search of a young man she fallen smitten for.

Accosted by a knight she flees and by chance meets an eccentric stranger.

Outcast - Lady Lyna D'Ang lives a sheltered and privileged life at castle Perring along with her siblings. This quickly ends when darkness descends upon the castle.

Ambos Thorne - Ambos Thorne, a renowned warrior, is faced with superstitious beliefs and orders that make little sense to him. He arrives at a cross road where he has to make a choice.

James Farmer - Tired and desperate, James, a farmhand, is chasing a heavily armed group transporting a woman.

Bonus Story: Death's Given Chance - A man on his way to a funeral battles with his own dark
thoughts about life being worth living.

A chance meeting will change his life forever.

A collection of short stories of 31000 words or approx. 124 print pages altogether, set in the Man-at-Arms and Maiden-at-Arms universe.


Available at:
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Kobo

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Book Cover: At Arms a short story collection.

I'm working on putting a collection of short stories together. Five short stories in the Man-At-Arms and Maiden-At-Arms universe. I might also add a bonus story. I'm thinking about Ghost Worker or Death's Given Chance.

I just finished the book covers for the ebook and the paper book.

E-Book:

Paper Book:

The Medieval Armor & Weapons Decorative Graphic I got from http://www.vintagevectors.com/ and it's made by Eric Fritz. Big props for the great design and offering his work for use.

Now I only need to format the e-book, paper book, decide the order to put the stories in, and decide which bonus story to add. With a little luck I may be done in a week or two.

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UNDEAD (FINITUM #1)

Description:

A routine delivery becomes a night of terror.

Before meeting up with his girlfriend, Linda, John Lone must deliver a package to a secluded cabin deep in the forest. No problem, he's made this trip a hundred times.

But things have changed...

Supernatural creatures now stalk the forest and beyond, seeking out fresh meat to devour. John must fight for his life. Does he have the skills--the time--to get back to his safe life and his girlfriend? Linda is his one chance for a happily ever after.

But this is no fairy tale.




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Print book available at:

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Createspace: Undead (Finitum #1) available

I just approved the proof for Undead (Finitum #1) and it's now available at Createspace for $13.99. The planned price would be $14.95 but I decided to offer it at a lower price for the first month it's out.

Description:

A routine delivery becomes a night of terror.

Before meeting up with his girlfriend, Linda, John Lone must deliver a package to a secluded cabin deep in the forest. No problem, he's made this trip a hundred times.

But things have changed...

Supernatural creatures now stalk the forest and beyond, seeking out innocent prey to devour. John must fight for his life. Does he have the skills--the time--to get back to his safe life and his girlfriend? Linda is his one chance for a happily ever after.

But this is no fairy tale.


If you want to get an automatic email when my next book is released, sign up here. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.    

Preview: Undead (Finitum #1), first chapter.

FINITUM

UNDEAD

BY A.ROSARIA

Copyright © 2013 by Alex Rosaria

This e-book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

CHAPTER ONE

John took the farmhouse in before going through the fence gate. It wasn‘t a huge house, big enough for a small family, a typical 1900‘s turn-of-the-century pine wooden house, painted white. He liked looking at it; it was quite the picturesque view with the tall trees a distance away and the mountains farther yet with their snow-covered peaks.

Mrs. Greenwich sat in her rocking chair on the porch waiting for him. He had promised to deliver a package to her brother, a recluse who lived in a cabin about two to three miles into the forest. John expected to be done with the delivery before sunset and be home for his diner date with Linda.
It wasn‘t the best paying job ever, and it was something Mrs. Greenwich could easily do herself, being she was still active and in good health for her age, and the distance wasn‘t that far. He wasn‘t really complaining. He didn‘t mind doing the job—he needed the money after all—and he loved walking in the forest. He just thought it weird that she didn‘t go herself, because she once promised her long-dead husband to never go near her brother again. Why obey someone who was dead? And not see your only brother because of that promise made long ago. It wasn‘t his place to judge. In a way he admired her loyalty; he didn‘t often see someone taking it that far to honor someone else.
Mrs. Greenwich tapped a cheerful rhythm on the package rested on her lap. There was happiness in the way she sat there, like she expected something nice that day. She was always nice, be it a reserved formal kind of niceness; however, today she had a reddish glow about her.

As John opened the fence gate, he grinned at her. "Good day, Mrs. Greenwich, a lovely day isn‘t it."
Mrs. Greenwich stood up from her rocking chair and put the long cardboard box on the seat. “Hello to you, young man.” She smiled at him, pointing at the gray sky. “But how in the world can you call this foul weather lovely?”

“It‘s nice enough for a stiff walk in the park.”

Her voice trembled with a mock sternness, her eyes glittered, and she smiled. “Nice weather for a stiff walk, you say. Honey, if not for my brother expecting me to send him this”—she pointed at the cardboard box sitting on her old rocking chair—“I would spare you the trouble with this weather.”
“Don‘t you worry; I‘m not made of sugar. A little rain won‘t harm me.”

“Joke all you want, but it won‘t be just a little rain. It could turn real nasty, at least according to the forecaster.”

John climbed up on the porch and took the box from the rocking chair. It was heavier this time. He looked up at the old lady. “Nine out of ten times their predictions don‘t come true. Though, in all honesty, I think they might be right this time.”

John rested the box against his shoulder, and like a soldier parading a rifle, he stepped off the porch. “I‘ll be going now, Mrs. Greenwich.”

“Bye, John. Don‘t forget to tell my brother that the next package will be at the same time in two weeks.”

“I‘ll do that.”

“And watch out for yourself.”

John waved goodbye and left her standing on the porch as he walked toward the tree line. With his date in mind, he increased his pace. He wanted to get this over with and return to Linda.

The sun was high in the sky but not much light came down to earth through the clouds, which filtered the light and cast everything in a dull gray. A clearing led to the dirt path into the forest. He watched as darkness crept over the field and into the forest. He was sure that the weather would get worse, and if he was delayed more than an hour, he would end walking back in near darkness. John wished he had taken a flashlight with him. It would be hard to find his way back without one. A vain popped at his temple as a curse escaped his lips.

Maybe he should turn back and ask Mrs. Greenwich if she could spare him a flashlight, but that would waste time, and he wasn‘t even sure if she had one to spare. No, he would be better off asking Lucas, Mrs. Greenwich‘s brother. He certainly would lend him a flashlight, or one of his antiquated oil lanterns; he had more than enough to spare.

John shook his head. Time was ticking and worrying wouldn‘t move him forward. He wasn‘t even sure anything would go wrong, and why would it today when all the other times nothing had happened? John followed the path into the forest while behind him the shadows crept after him.
He loved the way the tall, thick trees rose up, aiming their branches filled with dark green leaves to the sky, and he loved the sound the wind made rustling through the leaves. Usually, this scene would sooth him. The green plants, the flowers, the sound of the small furry forest animals. Any other day it would make this picture complete. His own personal Zen moment, the one moment of calm in the raging storm called his life. He looked forward to being alone, just him and the forest. It was his chance to contemplate where his life was taking him, but today the forest was not the usual beautiful creation of nature. His moment of tranquility was denied by the gray, which draped everything in a lifeless shade. The weather was to be blamed for this. What else could it be? It must be the dark clouds swallowing the light. However, despite being sure it was the weather and nothing else, a feeling of unease passed over him. It disturbed him that the sound of life was sucked out of the forest, leaving him in utter silence.

The joyous walk of blissfully contemplating tranquility turned into a thirty-minute walk of gloom that seemed to last an eternity. There was nothing to see, nothing to hear, not even the fresh smell of green nature. There was only the path to follow, and with every passing second the shadows gained on him.
With nothing else to keep his mind preoccupied, he noticed every discomfort he had: the stress on his knees with each step he took; the weight on his feet pressing painfully on his soles; the sheer weight of his backpack on his shoulders; and the long package sticking out of his backpack, making it cumbersome to walk with, and him afraid that it could fall out at any time and break. It was unbearable not being able to take his mind off the mundane.

His mood worsened. The little joy he had left in his body was drained by the lifelessness surrounding him. Why did it turn out like this on this day of all days? He just wanted the sun, some light to shine on his life—a life that had been dark ever since he had that accident that almost killed him six months ago. The recovery, the stress it created between him and Linda, he didn‘t know if he could stand another string of six months like that. Today, he hoped to turn things around for the better and go back to the way it was before.

John noticed a faint light ahead. Some of the tenseness left his muscles. He was about to see another living, breathing human being, and no matter how eccentric he was, it was a welcome sight. Finally, he would escape the silence.

***

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Updata: Undead (Finitum #1)

If all things go according to plan, I will publish my novel Undead (Finitum #1) on the first of august 2013.

I've got the e-pub files ready for Smashwords, Draft to Digital, Kobo, and Amazon. The book cover is ready. I've yet to proof the print book at createspace, but hope to have it finished by time of release.

This is the blurb I'm going to use:



A routine delivery becomes a night of terror.

Before meeting up with his girlfriend, Linda, John Lone must deliver a package to a secluded cabin deep in the forest. No problem, he's made this trip a hundred times.

But things have changed...

Supernatural creatures now stalk the forest and beyond, seeking out innocent prey to devour. John must fight for his life. Does he have the skills--the time--to get back to his safe life and his girlfriend? Linda is his one chance for a happily ever after.

But this is no fairy tale.

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Preview: Dead Quarantine (Zombieclypse #1)

DEAD QUARANTINE

ZOMBIECLYPSE BOOK ONE

By A.Rosaria

Excerpt Edition

Copyright © 2012 by Alex Rosaria

This e-book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

CHAPTER ONE

The shrill ringing of Ralph‘s old-fashioned wind up alarm clock echoed inside his still groggy head. He banged his arm sideways against the nightstand. He flailed his arm in the air, hitting the stand again, and patted the surface, searching for the clock. Growing frustrated with the incessant ringing, Ralph groaned and muttered words that were better left unheard. He swiped the clock from the nightstand. This early in the morning, and with the ringing still going on in his head, it was difficult for him to form any coherent thought let alone utter anything remotely sensible.
He lay in bed for a long while, staring at the ceiling. Slowly, it dawned on him that it was Monday. God, why did he set the alarm to go off so early? Why had he set it anyway? Of all days, today was the day it would have been great if he had overslept and missed school. He shook his head, grunted, and sat up straight. His eyes still fuzzy, he looked for the clock. It had landed near the front leg of the bed. He put it back on the nightstand. It was just past six.
No, oversleeping wouldn‘t have kept him from school. Mom knew he had a test today. She would have kicked him out of bed and lectured him about not slacking off because it was his senior year. Heck, he didn‘t even know what he wanted do after he graduated. He should figure that out first, before worrying about grades. Not that his grades were that bad, thank you very much, for his unduly efforts the previous year.
With his father on a business trip, his ten-year-old sister, Ginny, still snoring on her bed, and his mother usually waking up at around seven, he had the bathroom to himself. Nice, dry, and clean, not so much after he was done showering. At seven, mom would come downstairs to make his breakfast and after breakfast she would go upstairs to get Ginny ready for school. That one had more trouble waking up than him. If you allowed her to sleep in, Ginny would sleep all day and the next one. Both their parents were punctual beings, so he wasn‘t sure where she got it from. His mom had a biological clock that went off at exactly the same time every day without fail. It beat waking up scared shitless by a ringing alarm clock.
At six thirty, Ralph sat at the kitchen table freshly showered, wearing jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. He was reading a comic book. Sure, he should be studying for his history exam, but why bother studying now? He hadn‘t done anything in the days leading up to the exam. Cramming just before having to leave for school would amount to nothing.
Mom had been sneezing last night. She had probably picked up the much-talked-about flu. Was it even flu season? He wasn‘t sure if his mom would be able to drive him to school today. He had not heard her wake up. He might have to go on his bike. Or maybe he should ditch classes today. There was no sense taking a test you knew you were going to fail. It was too bad that he couldn‘t ditch this exam; the school administration would tell his parents and probably fail him on the test, making it more difficult for him to graduate on time. With everything going on, like not knowing what to do after graduation, he really didn‘t want to also have to deal with grades and stuff. Life was already difficult. His second semester didn‘t need any drama. He sighed and grabbed his history book. It was a thick book, a very thick book, one without many pictures. He should read a chapter, then maybe he could manage a grade better than an F, and he might get a second chance if he tried hard enough.
He heard stumbling on the stairs. He glanced at the clock. Five minutes before seven. She did it again. Even having a cold did not stop her from waking up on time. He doubted that even death would stop her. She came downstairs, coughing.
“Good morning,” he called out.
His mother lumbered up to him. “Not much good this morning. I see you got up early.”
She looked pale. Strands of long black hair were plastered to her forehead and cheeks. Thick cushion grooves etched her face and a swatch of black was smudged under her eyes. She looked like crap.
“You look nice, Mom.”
She plopped down in the chair opposite to him.
“Finally you decide to study?” She pointed at his comic next to his history book. Her voice was raspy.
“You don‘t look so good.”
She smiled. Her smile was like sunshine in bad weather. It made everything look better than it was; it made her radiate in a way that he could not help but smile back. He loved how his mother could smile and laugh despite obviously feeling like crap.
“But Ralphie, didn‘t you say I looked nice just a moment ago?”
He hated to be called Ralphie. He only tolerated it when she called him that. “I lied.”
“Not nice lying to your sick mother.”
She laughed. A burst of coughing cut her laugh short. He ran to the sink and brought her a glass of water. Worried, he watched her take the glass from him. He had never seen his mother ill; she always seemed to be healthy even when they all were down with something. She never got sick. So, to see her with a cold this bad was a little disconcerting.
“Seriously, are you feeling all right? I‘ll stay home if you need me to; it‘s not a problem, really it‘s not.”
It wasn‘t only so that he could skip his test that he offered to stay home; it genuinely worried him the state she was in. Maybe it would be better if she rested instead of driving him to school.
She swallowed the water in one go, put the glass on the table, and looked up at him with tired eyes. “It‘s just a cold.”
“But—”
“And in no way are you going to get a free pass on that history exam of yours.”
She saw right through him not wanting to take that test, but she did look awfully pale. “It‘s not about that at all. I want you to take a day off and rest. I could call the school and tell them that I‘ll be late and I can take Ginny to school for you. My test is this afternoon; I won‘t miss it if that is what you are worried about.”
“No need to take Ginny to school today. She is staying in with me.” She sighed. “I shouldn‘t have kissed her goodnight. Now, she has whatever I caught.” She touched his cheek with the tip of her fingers and tapped. “You‘re a good boy. Don‘t fret; it‘s just a cold. There is no reason for you to go out of your way and bicycle to school. I‘ll drive you.”
She raised a hand, stopping him from saying anything. “Really, it‘s just in and out the car for me, not that big a deal. You just try to get some studying done before going to school. You only got fifteen minutes left; make the best of it.”
She left him sitting at the table and waggled to the kitchen to make a quick breakfast for them. He looked guiltily at her as she went to work on the bread and tea, wishing she would only let him take care of things just for today.
Stubborn as she was, she wouldn‘t even let him get out of taking this exam even when he needed to. Knowing her, nothing he said or did would convince her otherwise. It would likely take her being bedridden before she allowed him to take care of her. Mothers. However, that was the way they were, all caring and self sacrificing. He shook his head while he opened his history book and leafed through it. The words swam in front of him. He closed the book and shoved it aside.
“I‘m going to look in on Ginny.”
Before his mom could react and call him back to keep studying, he flew up the stairs. Ginny‘s room was next to his. He was about to open the door when he remembered that she now liked her privacy. It wasn‘t strange, considering she was growing up into a little woman. He knocked.
“Ginny, it‘s me, your favorite brother.”
A faint grunt was all the answer he got. He took that as a yes and entered her room. Her four walls were plastered with goofy looking guys and snappy looking girls. Stars from whatever kids‘ shows played now days on television. Not his thing, by far not his thing.
Ginny held her bed sheet to her chin. Snot ran from her nose. She turned her head toward him. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and rubbed it off against her bed linen. Ralph made a mental note not to sit on the bed. At least she looked better than mom did, not pale, no dark patches under her eyes, only a runny nose. Was she trying to skip school and succeeding where he failed?
“Hey, sis, how are you feeling?”
“I guess I‘m all right. I‘m allowed to stay home today and sleep in.”
She quickly shut her eyes and started snoring hard. He poked her side and tickled her. She giggled, pushing herself away. “Stop, stop, Ralph, I can‘t take it anymore.”
He kept at it until she started begging and choking on her laughter. She tried pushing him off. Her face started turning tomato red and she sneezed. As droplets hit his face, he recoiled. “Eeuw, that‘s gross.”
So much for staying bug free. He was all over her, tickling her and forgetting that her bed and she were a germ-infested war zone. These germs were now marching inside him, preparing to kick his ass. Maybe he could stay home now, seeing as how he was sure that he would be ill by the end of the day. Nah, with his luck, it would linger and he‘d get sick late Friday—just in time to spoil his weekend.
“Now I‘m going to get ill, you little meanie.”
“Serves you right, harassing your poor, little, sick sister.”
“You are not little; you‘re growing like a tree. I saw your piggy bank too; that thing is bursting with dough. You are an overgrown rich kid.”
She slapped his shoulder. “You‘re so mean.”
He rubbed her hair. “No, I‘m not. I love my little sis.”
She looked wide-eyed at him. He was not known to voice how he felt very well. If he thought about it, this was the first time he had said he loved her in a long time. He always thought it was obvious. He liked being around her. How many big brothers bothered with their sisters? He didn‘t know any that did.
“Aahh, Ralph.” She got teary eyed. “I love you too.”
Okay, now it was getting uncomfortable. Too mushy for him. He remembered why he preferred to keep things to himself. Seeing her under her bed sheet like that, all fragile, I love you just slipped out. He did love his sister, his mother, and his dad, who he didn‘t see that often. They would go hunting this fall, and just like last time, he hoped it would be a blast.
Ginny pulled the sheets away and got out of bed. “I‘m going to tell mom.”
She ran for the door. He grabbed her before she could run away. “Oh no you won‘t.”
“Yes I will,” she said mockingly.
“Ah come on, don‘t.”
She was still pulling to get free. There was not much strength behind the pulls. She was a strong girl; it must have been the bug that weakened her. She really should rest. He grabbed and turned her around. All play left him; concern shadowed his brow.
“Sis, please go back to bed. You‘re not well.”
“You don‘t have to worry about me. Mom said it is just a cold.”
“Still, humor me and get some rest. Tomorrow we‘ll play again.”
She nodded and hopped back into bed.
From below, he heard his mother yelling for him to come down. Breakfast was ready. Before he left, Ginny grabbed his hand.
“Thank you.”
He looked at her. He knew why she was thanking him, but he just couldn‘t say it again.
“See you later, sis.”
He left without telling her one last time that he loved her.

CHAPTER TWO

Her mother‘s car had been repossessed. Envious, Sarah watched as the other teenagers got into their parents‘ cars. The luxury to be taken to school was one that many took for granted. Not her. She knew better. Her walking shoes fit snugly, the right support for the long hike she had ahead of her. She wore tight-fitting jeans and a red, long sleeve turtleneck blouse. It showed her figure nicely. Fashionable and practical. To protect herself against the cold autumn winds, she had a short, black leather jacket on. Really, she didn‘t mind the walk. It kept her in shape and the hour and half it took gave her time to think. And she had a lot to think about. Everything seemed to change her senior year.
The sun barely broke away from the horizon, and the morning dew was cool. She wouldn‘t be doing a lot of sweating as long she took it easy and didn‘t try to make it to her destination within an hour. It was nice weather for walking, but not so much for jogging.
Sarah had asked her mother if she could stay and take care of her baby brother while she went to look for a job. Things had been hard since her mother got laid off from her job in administration at an accounting firm. Every bill that came went directly into the shredder. Her mother didn‘t like to be confronted with the fact she couldn‘t pay them. Sarah feared the day when the collectors would come to collect, and they would take the house and kick them to the curb.
Would Jake still like her if she was homeless, eating out of trashcans whenever her stomach ached for food? She giggled. He would have a fit. How would he be able to be seen with a beggar for a girlfriend? She wondered, not for the first time, if he really loved her. He had told her he did not so long ago when they had skipped class together to go to a motel room just outside the city.
It had been different since then. He stopped making an effort to be nice to her, and it was difficult to keep the peace between him and Lilly, her best friend. He behaved like he owned her. She didn‘t like that feeling. She hated it. She hated it when her mom‘s boyfriends, who thought she should be grateful that there was finally a man in home, did it. It didn‘t matter how short their stay was. Just because they felt they were the man, didn‘t mean she had to respect them.
It was also why she would never again ask Jake to drive her to school. The one time she did, he sat, all puffed up, behind the steering wheel and was all over her that day at school like he was her provider. The big shot jock, who had the prettiest girl in town. She smiled. Sure, he could say things about her beauty. Overtly exaggerated in her opinion, but she didn‘t mind the flattery at all. She liked the attention she got being with him. At school, at least, she was someone. She was as complacent to his behavior as he was.
No, it was not him who had changed after they had sex; it was her. She had been thinking a little too much about it all. Nothing really changed after they did it. He was still the same guy, and she… her thoughts trailed off as she saw a line of yellow buses pass by. It kept going for about a minute. She had never seen so many at the same time. All were old school buses like the one she rode in elementary school. She used to take one to school every day, before she outgrew buses.
As far she knew there were no events in town. Although, she had not been keeping tabs on things. In between babysitting her brother while her mom was out on a date with her new boyfriend and studying for her history test, she had done little more this weekend. Her mom had come back late Sunday with the sniffles and kissed her and her brother before going to sleep. It was gross; sick people were gross, spreading their germs and infecting people. Her mother must have caught it from her boyfriend. Too much lip-locking must have gone on that day and too little staying away from that creep. They were always creeps. Her mother always picked the worst, as if she did her best not to pick a guy like her father. It was as if she didn‘t want to be reminded what a good man he was. He wasn‘t the best father, but he tried, honestly tried, and he was taken away before he had the chance to get it right. What he lacked in social skills, he made up for with an abundance of goodwill. Goodwill cut short in a car crash.
The crash didn‘t kill him; it was his goodwill that did. He died, all for some woman he didn‘t know. A woman he failed to save anyway. He wasted his life for nothing and left his family behind without support. The woman had run a red light and hit his car from the side. Her car rolled and ended up on its side. He tried to get her out. Gasoline had leaked out, a spark must have lit a fire, and an explosion followed. And now, her mother dated outgoing, selfish pricks. Yesterday, it was a prick that gave her a bug that she passed on to little Benny with a well-intended goodnight kiss. And what about her following in her mother‘s footsteps dating Jake?
Sarah sighed. Too much trouble. She would have rather stayed home. Her heart had broken when she heard Benny cough and hack. His whole chest heaved and his body twisted with each cough. A baby shouldn‘t be ill. He should enjoy life, be spoiled. Benny was the only good that came from her mother‘s life after the death of her father. And Benny was the only thing that made her home life bearable.
St. Mark‘s wasn‘t far now. Glancing back in the direction she had come from, she contemplated turning around and forgoing her history test, Jake, and school. She just wanted to spend time with her mother and brother. How often did she have a chance to really spend time with them together? Life lately was either her with Benny or her mother with Benny. There was always something else going on.
She lowered her head and kept plodding on. It would only cause an argument if she skipped school, and she needed good grades to get a scholarship and make something of her life. Not that she knew what that something would be. Sarah had looked into economics, but with the recession, it seemed all these great economic minds knew was how to throw more money into a bottomless pit. It really made her question if that was a viable career path. She liked history, but didn‘t think there were that many job opportunities. Only a few got the great jobs, but most historians ended up being history teachers, and teaching was not her thing. Her last option would be to join the Army. Maybe she would find some order living a disciplined life.
What would Jake think about that? She laughed, drawing a weird look from an older man hobbling by. Her wearing combat fatigues. Imagine that. So not how Jake pictured her. All he wanted was for her to be a high school version of a Stepford wife. Guns, dirt, and blood were not part of that picture. She imagined how he would lecture her about how it wasn‘t a woman‘s job to defend the country. Men should do it. Boys, he meant, for the only old soldiers she met were veterans or the recruiters going from school to school. Those she saw parading around were young ones, not much older than her. Boys in men‘s clothing. Why shouldn‘t a woman defend her country if she wanted to?
She sighed. Her mother would not agree and she wouldn‘t turn eighteen until way after graduation. She was expected to choose a profession by then and commit to it. No adventure for her anytime soon; maybe it was for the best. What did babes know about war anyway? Politics never interested her, but she knew that it was the politicians who sent young people war. Maybe, just maybe, it was best she waited to make such a decision and kept it as a backup plan if everything else failed.
St. Mark‘s High School rose up above the roofs ahead of her. A two-story building with a flat roof. The building was cross shaped. It must have been a convent or some something. She had been going there forever and never bothered to learn its history. All she needed to know about that building was that it contained adults whose job was to put ideas in their heads for them to learn like they were facts. Then, you had the teens with their raging hormones having difficulty swallowing the stuff being taught, while dealing with the many social issues in their lives. Very frustrating. A mess, a real mess, she was glad it would soon be over. The only good things she had going at school were dating Jake and the popularity that came with that and her best friend, Lilly. Too bad those two didn‘t mesh well.
Entering the yard, she noticed two yellow buses parked in front of the entrance. Men in hazmat suits were unloading boxes and carrying them inside the school. As she went up the steps, she took a passing glance at the boxes. It had Army stamped all over. What was going on? In the main hall, she looked up. In front of the principal‘s office—up the main stairs and in the right wing of the building—the principal was talking to a hazmat guy, clearly agitated.
Sarah signaled a junior descending the stairs. “What‘s going on here?”
“Haven‘t you heard?” the boy said.
She hadn‘t heard anything out of the ordinary—not that if something had happened she would have noticed with the kind of weekend she had. She relied on her mother to pass her information. After all, it was she who had spent the weekend outside in the world while Sarah babysat and studied. Had something really big happened, her mom would have told her. But apparently mom had something else keeping her occupied last weekend. That and the sniffles.
“No, I haven‘t heard anything.”
The teen pulled his fist in front of his mouth and coughed. “I…I…need to go to the head nurse. It‘s what they told us to do; any signs of the cold we need to report in.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Something about the flu; I don‘t really know.”
Sarah watched him bounce away. He was pretty energetic for a sick boy. Her first class started within an hour. She had ample time to hang around before she had to go up to the classroom. Monday was the day she agreed with Lilly that they would come early to chat about their weekend. Girls alone having girl time. However, Jake found out about it and now sometimes he would show up uninvited. So far, Lilly tolerated it, though there had been talk about choosing another day.
Going through the open twin doors to her left, she walked past the school nurse‘s office. The junior stood in a long line waiting to see the Mrs. Evergreen. Another teen joined the line behind him and more were coming. She turned to the left and kept walking until she reached the tiny break room.
Last year, an eager class president made a petition for a bigger break room. Many thought it was a great idea and signed the petition. The principal, however, did not share the enthusiasm and answered along the lines of, School is to study. not to loiter in free time. Sarah was happy with the decision, which was the first time she had ever agreed with the principal, sort of. She didn‘t mind the room being less than spacious. Because it was small, it was not often used. She enjoyed having it to herself most of the time. The few times Jake had been with her, he had chased away the underclassmen. That one wasn‘t big on sharing; it was a dick move really, but she wasn‘t complaining. What did that make her? A female dick? A cunt? Or simply an asshole enabler.
Tommy, a fat kid in her class, sat in the corner reading a book. Well too bad, they would not have the room to themselves. Lilly sat in the other corner fiddling with her fingers in her lap. She looked up as she heard Sarah enter. Her already big eyes widened slightly as she ran up to her.
“Have you heard?” Lilly asked. There had been a lot of gossip going around school. Sarah shook her head. “They are gathering everyone who is sick and sending them home, keeping them quarantined inside their houses.”
“Why?”
“Don‘t you know? It‘s been all over the news. The flu. My dad, my sisters, my neighbors, almost everyone has it.”
No wonder fewer students had been coming in. Instead, it had been busy with men covered from head to toe in white suits, walking in and out carrying boxes.
“Yes, but why a quarantine?”
“They‘re trying to stop it from spreading.”
“But it‘s just the flu; it happens every year.”
“I watched the news this morning. Some guy was being interviewed who said it was some kind of super flu that will infect everybody and probably bring society crashing down.”
“Like they said would happen with the piggy flu? Come on, how bad can it be? They yell and scream doom every year, yet we are still here, breathing and well, at school.”
Lilly sat down, her hands folded in her lap. “I…I…guess I‘m overreacting again.”
“Yes you are, but you‘ll soon see that everything will turn out fine.” Sarah sat beside her friend. “So how was your weekend?”
They shared their weekends. Lilly had a more engaging one, making Sarah wonder if she had time to study for the history exam. It was fun just passing time together, taking their mind off today‘s test, boys, and the flu.
Jake walked in. “Coach canceled the game. Something about the flu, not being able to field enough man power. Jeez, if I need to, I could field the game by myself.” He waited in front of them, expecting something and oblivious he had interrupted their conversation. “Aren‘t you going to move aside? Make some space so I can sit.”
Before Lilly could scoot over, he pressed between them, sat down, and put his arm around Sarah, who plucked it from her shoulder.
“Come on, don‘t be cold like that? Too much of that going on around here already. With kids coughing their lungs up everywhere I go.”
She smirked. “Lilly told me all about that. There is some pandemic going on. People are screaming that the world is going to end, just like they did when we had the swine flu.”
“Yeah, I saw the soldiers near the nurse‘s office.”
Soldiers? What were they doing at a school? And in peacetime? She remembered the Army boxes. Of course they were soldiers. National Guard, she guessed. They really were treating it as if it were an emergency. Maybe she had dismissed the severity of it too soon.
“Were they armed?”
“Yeah, they were, else I wouldn‘t have recognize them.” Jake looked around the room for the first time since entering. He glared at Tommy, who was still sitting in the corner. “I‘ll kill that guy.” He strode toward Tom, who flinched away. “How many times have I told you to scram when I‘m in here? I don‘t want no smelly fatso asshole stinking up the place.”
Tommy‘s face flushed red. He didn‘t move. Would it be today that he finally made a stand? Sarah rooted for him. She didn‘t know Tom that well. Sure, they shared classes together, but she was not expected to associate with the likes of him. The in crowd would not have deemed it cool. She had seen what happened when someone went against the crowd. Tom had a friend, Ralph, who was not bad looking—quite the opposite. Ralph stuck by him no matter what and he had been ostracized for it. Life in high school would have been much easier for him had he not befriended Tommy. It was kind of stupid.
She glanced at Lilly who was biting her lower lip. What if Lilly was fat and obnoxiously smelly, would she stop being friends with her? She wanted to think she wouldn‘t, but she wasn‘t so sure. The feeling of being wanted and being popular filled a hole in her that had been empty for so long.
Jake shoved Tommy. It would be great if he stood up and punched Jake in the face. He didn‘t though. Instead, he whined to be left alone and that the space was for everybody, including him. Jake grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out.
Lilly stood up and yelled, “Stop! You are hurting him.”
Jake pushed Tommy when he tried to come back in. “You better leave or I‘ll fucking kill you, fat ass.”
“Stop it,” Lilly said.
Jake grabbed her arm and pushed her out next to Tommy.
“Stay with your boyfriend and leave us alone.”
“He‘s not my boyfriend.”
Tom wheeled around and left.
“Look. He‘s running, wiggling his fat ass. You better hurry after him before he starts bawling like a fat baby.”
Sarah stomped past Jake and grabbed Lilly by the hand. She glared at him. “Jerk!”
They left him behind with his mouth partly open, staring at them.
“You shouldn‘t have,” Lilly said.
“What kind of friend would I be if I didn‘t?”
She wanted to be the kind of friend that stood up for her friends. She had grown tired of being seen as a superficial bimbo, which was how she had been acting the last few years. High school was at its end and she wanted a clean slate to start with, to be different. She wanted to fill that hole with something else. She just wanted to be herself, or try at least. The whole world would open up for her soon, and she planned to embrace it.

CHAPTER THREE

His mother sat next to him at the steering wheel, coughing her lungs up.
“Really, you shouldn‘t do this, Mom. I‘m okay with going alone.” And ditching school.
Leaving for school had actually raised his anxiety about taking the test. He was going to fail it, and that was very bad, F-size bad. And he had no way out. He wanted to save face. Get out of it. And beside his selfish reasons, he felt—no, he knew—that his mother wasn‘t all right. He should take care of her. Her face was pale, her nose ran, and she kept having these coughing fits.
“No, you don‘t, mister smarty pants.”
God, she knew how to bring it and make him feel small. He was eighteen already.
“I‘m going make sure to drop you off at school and watch you go inside. You‘re a smart kid; I know you‘re going to ace that test.”
He glanced at her. She was smiling. There was no way she really believed that; she must be delirious if she did. She must have seen doubt on his face because she said, “You‘ll do all right; don‘t worry about the test.”
She drove out of the carport and onto the street.
“I‘m not worried about the stupid test. I‘m worried about you and Ginny.”
“Just a cold. Nothing to worry about.” She flashed him a smile. “I‘ll go and take myself and Ginny to see Doctor Morris. Hope that makes you feel better.”
Their physician, old doctor Morris. How many times did they visit him? Once or twice a year? And to hear what? That they needed bed rest for two weeks? Only when an illness persisted did they ever go back for a checkup. It was clear to him what he should do if he wanted an easy job after graduation. Though, as easy of a job as it would be, it wasn‘t easy to study for. He quickly dropped that thought. No, he didn‘t really know what he should do with his life after graduating. He would postpone thinking about it until the second semester. His stomach knotted. Second semester was almost upon him, less than a month away.
It had gotten quiet in the car while his mother focused on driving. Sweat trickled down from her forehead. With her sight fixed on the road, she paid little attention to anything else. It probably took all the strength she had to do it. He feared she was downplaying her illness for his sake. Common cold, she said. He believed whatever it was it was closer to the common flu.
Ralph fiddled with the radio dial. Some newscaster was on every channel reporting the same thing. He didn‘t want to listen to the blaring of some overinflated radioman; he wanted some sweet pop music. The newest Rhianna hit would be cool. Now that was a woman he would like to date. He wouldn‘t mind that she was older than him. But wasn‘t she going out with that Canadian, that Bieber guy? He was younger. Nah, daydreaming never amounted to anything. He would rather have Sarah pay attention to him. Another daydream. He stood as much chance getting Sarah to give him the time of day as having Rhianna propose to him.
No music at all, only the same newscaster. Weird. There was always some sort of music on at least one channel, and still if by chance you wouldn‘t, you sure would not have the same newscaster on every frequency.
“Don‘t change it.” The car swerved a little when she said that.
The newscaster blasted over the speakers.
They say this flu is much worse than the swine flu during the 2009 epidemic. Already the World Health Organization wants to declare a pandemic and quarantine everybody. Other scientists have said it‘s being exaggerated. Economic leaders said that a quarantine would create too much turmoil over too little. Yeah, like human life is worth less than financial gain. Wall Street may think it is, but I bet a fortune that it is not to you, my listener, you who must be wondering right now if it‘s the smart thing to be taking your kids to school. The scientists and Wall Street are not the only ones pondering this flu. We have the conspiracy theorists; they claim the government is using the common flu to scare us into thinking it‘s worse than it really is so we run scared and get a vaccine shot. All for the big, bad corporations mega profits. At least these conspiracy terrorist are not the looniest of the bunch, though they are a close second. The first spot for that goes to… What are they called again? Apocalyptic? Whatever they are called, they are saying…wait for it…that this flu is a hundred times worse than the bird flu, that after it‘s over no living human will walk the Earth. What is it? A pandemic, a hoax, a conspiracy, or the apocalypse. To dispel doubt and panic, our station and yours truly, John Murray…
“The hack,” mom said.
….have been selected by the government in collaboration with WHO‘s spokeswoman Rita Lee to answer the many questions you may have.
A woman‘s voice replaced the too-smooth-to-be-any-good baritone of the newscaster, radio jock, or whoever he was. Ralph did not know any of these people, but apparently his mother did, and she did not have a high opinion of the man based on the way she sneered.
I‘m Doctor Rita Lee, spokeswoman for the World Health Organization. The first thing I have to say is to counter these preposterous claims that this flu is some doomsday virus. What other crazy theory will we have next, someone claiming the dead will walk?
The doctor snickered, which sounded more like a crazy lady losing it than someone trying to rebuff an absurd theory. He couldn‘t really blame her for feeling a bit lost with the situation. Lately, people have been making the craziest stuff up to get attention, or for the fun of it. He hated listening to this nonsense instead of music, but his mother was listening attentively. God, she was going to make him take a vaccine if they convince her that something bad was going on.
So, Doctor, what about these conspiracy theorists‘ claim that it‘s all to fill some fat cat‘s pockets?
Since when have they ever been right? They are barely saner than the doomsayers. Do you really believe the government would risk our health, which they have sworn to protect, for some scam to get money for some corporate donor? No, of course not! These are good people; they are at the helm to serve the people. And we, as a world organization, help these governments, foreign and domestic, to deal with situations that can have an adverse effect on our health. We are a nonprofit organization and we do not profit on making people sick; we cure people as best we can.
“Pleaseeeee,” mom said.
Doctor, can you tell us what is really going on?
It‘s a new strain of the flu. Our current vaccine doesn‘t work on it. As far we know, we have no reason to not believe that it‘s as harmful as the common flu.
Why then the call for a worldwide quarantine?
Because what many don‘t realize is that the common flu has about thirty thousand fatalities around the world each year.
We don‘t have a quarantine in those cases, so why now?
Indeed, we don‘t have them, because the cure in those cases could be worse than the flu. We don‘t see the fatalities we could get from a quarantine as easily as from the flu. At six, almost seven billion people worldwide, a worldwide quarantine would have consequences and could also lead to the death of many.
What changed with this flu?
It‘s new, never been seen before. Almost no one has any defense against it, but for those who are naturally resistant and those who are immune.
Ralph‘s mother coughed. “Guess I‘m not immune.”
She radiated a smile at him. “But maybe you are.”
He couldn‘t help but to smile at her. She would not even give him a get out of jail free card with this pandemic looming over them.
We calculated that about 4 percent are resistant and have a chance of not getting infected. The other 95 percent, if they get in contact with this virus, will get ill. We can‘t afford to have 95 percent of the population ill; we need a quarantine to ride out this virus.
“So maybe you‘re not immune after all.”
So maybe that get-out-of-jail-free card was still in the running. Ralph saw a way for him to get out of taking the test. A plan formed in the back of his head. He hoped his mother would swallow this shit on the radio. He decided to side with the conspiracy theorist; well partly, it was just a common cold and not necessarily preplanned by the government. He doubted the government would do anything like that; the current president was way too cool. He would never harm his country.
How many would die if we don‘t quarantine?
One in ten thousand.
Doesn‘t sound that bad doctor.
That‘s about six hundred thousand by the flu alone, and many more caused by people being too sick to be able to care for themselves and others. What a lot of people don‘t know is that neglect kills.
That‘s horrible! So what‘s keeping the government from doing something?
A quarantine is not enacted on a moment‘s notice. It needs planning and the people should be informed in advance. We don‘t want them to panic. Panic also causes deaths.
Again the nervous laughter.
What time frame do you suspect…?
“Watch out, Mom,” Ralph yelled, panic in his voice. “Brake!”
The car swerved as his mother stepped on the brakes. The car jerked to a stop in the intersection. They flung forward; their seat belts pulled them back hard. Two yellow school buses raced by at speeds he had never seen them move at before. They show no sign of stopping or even slowing down. Had they not stopped in time, their car would have been flattened.
“God damn them,” mom said.
His mother turned off the radio as the doctor and the radio host were discussing the economic consequences of a quarantine. “I didn‘t see them coming! What has gotten into these drivers? Oh God, we could have been dead! Oh praise, God saved us!”
Ralph didn‘t know about that. It was his timely warning and not God who had saved them. But he dared not say that to his mother; she would point out it was God that gave him eyes to see the oncoming hazard and God‘s hand that grabbed his face and pointed it at the oncoming buses. It was boredom that led him to yawn and look out the window. Chance saved them, chance, not God.
He had not seen these yellow school buses since elementary school. The city drivers now rode these new ones with low floors so disabled kids could easily get on them. Well, whatever, he was just glad they were still alive and well.
A car stopped behind them and honked. His mother jumped in her seat and then drove on, but before she did, she carefully looked both ways to make sure no other maniacs were driving on the road. As they continued to their destination, he heard the sound of helicopters in the air. He turned in his seat. Far away, he saw one. A black spot hung in the air among the clouds like a drop of paint forgotten by an artist on a lush painting. Odd occurrences kept adding up. Maybe something was going on, like the flu scare. Governments liked their emergencies. The politicians got their time in front of the camera and got to feel all self important. He was too young to be bothered by politics; maybe next year in college he would give it some thought. Whatever it was—flu or not—it would pass like every other crisis. He had his own crisis to contend with: his afternoon history test.

***End Excerpt***

About the Author

Alex Rosaria is a writer, who loves writing horror and sci-fi stories, though when creativity demands it he likes to branch out to other genres. He‘s also the author of:

Dead Quarantine
Dead Shelter

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