There had been an outbreak of some sort in Edmond, Oklahoma. people were calling it the "zombie virus" because it made the victims flesh rot off before they went insane and died, and mere contact with the victim was enough to get you infected-and avoidance would be hard, because the diseases only symptoms start two weeks after the infection has been caught. "zombie virus" is spreading fast, and there was no antidote. It's estimated to be across U.S. borders in nine days, tops.

"...wow......you got all that from the news?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah," Matt said. "It's on one of those emergency alert things."

"So...what do we do?"

"Well," said Matt in a grim tone, "we wait for help, or we wait for death."

"What's going on in there?" Henry asked excitedly. "Did you get the Pop-Tarts?"

"Look, things are gonna be a bit...different, okay? We can't leave the house for a while."

"Oh, no..." said Emma, who worried every time her parents left. "Mommy and daddy aren't coming home, are they?"

"Not for a while, no."

Emma's eyes widened in horror. Usually whenever she said that, Her big sister always said 'no', and that 'everything is going to be okay'. but this time, her worst fear had been recognized.