March 6 '25

Before I fell asleep, the power had gone out and I stayed awake for another hour before surrendering to the sweet feeling of slumber. When I awoke this morning, the power was still out, so I was unable to charge my phone, which meant I was stuck with a 45 percent charged phone while aimlessly wandering the streets of Chicago with a bunch of strangers. While I've known Ava and Hayden most of my life, yesterday had felt like I had known them for a few hours.

I texted my mother to come over to watch my cat before rolling off of the mattress. The clock had read that it was 7 in the morning, so I had slept for nearly ten hours. I had fallen asleep in the jeans I had worn to the event yesterday, which was fine for me, but I knew a lot of people were opposed to sleeping in jeans.

I stumbled into the kitchen, preparing myself a bowl of cereal. I quickly opened and closed the refrigerator door to avoid the cold air from escaping. I wasn't sure how long this power outage was going to last and my house was located in a "dead spot," so I was unable to check the progress of the power returning.

My phone buzzed, alerting me that my mother had accepted her task of watching my cat. Even if I was going to be gone for just the day, I didn't want her to be alone. It must suck being a cat alone in the house. There is not a single lap around for you to lay on and receive an infinite amount of pets.

I waddled to my cardboard box table, sitting on the floor. Before I nibbled on my cereal, I texted back and forth with Ava:

Ava

Ava

Hey girl, are you still coming?

Me

Of course! I'm just eating some breakfast first

Ava

I'll come pick you up. No need trying to drive

the trash mobile over and risk it not making it

Me

Haha.. very funny. I love my car.

Ava

Well, I don't. Make sure to pack a bag

in case we stay overnight! Also, maybe pack a

clubbing outfit ;)

Me

Did you forget that the power is out?

Ava

That doesn't stop us from getting turnt! I'll be

over in twenty minutes. Be ready

I considered replying, but I decided against it. Before the pandemic that plagued the Earth a few years ago, Ava and I had many plans to go clubbing every night after we turned twenty-one. Since I was in a different state and there was a pandemic, we never completed those plans together. I'm sure she's been to many clubs and parties without me, though.

I rapidly scooped the cereal into my mouth and went to the sink to dump the remaining milk out of the bowl. Typically, I would drink the milk, but I'm running low on time. I tossed the empty paper bowl in the trash can, which was nearly full of trash. I needed to remind myself to take it out before my mother comes over. I was never good about taking the trash out, even when I lived with my parents. It wasn't because I was lazy or anything, I just didn't have the motivation to do much.

When I returned into my bedroom, I found myself at a loss. I wasn't sure if I had anything that would be considered a "clubbing" outfit. I snatched some yellow, plaid cargo pants and a plain, black t-shirt. I turned around and glanced at my outfit. The shirt I had put on had brought out my pale complexion a little more than preferred. I sighed, turning back around to scramble a few outfits into the bag and headed towards the bathroom to add the necessary toiletries.

I grabbed my brush, detangling my dirty-blonde hair. I really slacked in the brushing-hair-everyday department. When I was a child, my father had to constantly remind me to brush my hair. When I got into high school, his reminders failed to continue and so did the desire to brush my locks. Hate it, but it's true.

The air became empty as my thoughts became silent when I attempted to reach out to my mother. I was waiting to see when she would be able to arrive at my abode to watch my precious kitty, but she may be driving and cannot respond at the moment.

I finished getting everything ready, so I walked out of the bathroom to find my kitty. She was lying peacefully on the lawn chair; I almost felt guilty waking her up to say goodbye. I gave her a gentle pet on the head before leaning down to give her a kiss on her head.

"I'll miss you, and I do love you so much," I admitted. I gave her one last pet before heading into the outdoors. I knew I was going to be home within the next twenty-four hours, but this goodbye felt like it would last longer than that. I shrugged off the pessimistic feelings.

The atmosphere felt different. The trees swayed side-to-side in a gloomy manner and the air had a chill to it. The birds were chirping as they fed their young the worms they received earlier this morning. The blue sky was attempting to free itself from the gray clouds. I hope it will be sunny at some point today. I could use some sun; I needed to become a little less pale.

I heard Ava's car pull into the driveway. Oh, joy. Now the fun is going to begin. I hobbled over to the driver's side and pulled open the backdoor. The radio volume was low as Ava fumbled around with directions on her phone.

"Hey," Hayden warmly greeted. Even after all of these years, Hayden had one of the deepest voices I had ever encountered. "I'm really glad you could come."

The ends of my lips naturally formed into a smile. "Well, I guess, I'm pretty glad too!"

Ava's phone had announced our first directions out of town, causing butterflies to flutter around my stomach. Not much was being said while we cruised out of our hometown, so Ava drowned out my thoughts with trendy music. I stared at the window as Ava and Hayden rocked out. It came to me that I forgot to take the trash out.

When we were halfway to the city, Ava had recommended that it would be best if she stopped for gas. Hayden and I agreed, so that we would not have to waste time getting gas during our festivities.

From where I was sitting, I could see that Hayden was scrolling endlessly on social media to pass the time. I was completely amazed how much Hayden and Ava were glued to their phones. I had not picked up my phone since we left. Well, maybe one time, but it was for an important cause. I needed to see if my mother had announced if she had gotten to my house, and to my surprise, she had not responded yet.

My mother was a fast responder to messages, due to her being on her phone most of the time if she was not working. Maybe she was taking a nap? She had responded to my message earlier this morning. Maybe she had stayed up very late and was just now falling asleep? To distract myself from worrisome thoughts, I glanced out of the window. Beyond Ava at the gas pump, there were no other cars at the gas station.

We were located in a suburb of Chicago. I wasn't too sure, but if I had to guess, it would have been Joliet, so I found it to be a bit suspicious that the gas station would have been empty. I guess there may be other gas stations in the area that offer better rates for gas.

Hayden cleared his throat, turning off his phone and faced my direction. "So, are you pretty excited?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Not really, actually. I don't even know who I'm meeting."

Hayden turned back to his previous position. "You'll like them," he paused for a second. "You'll like one of them at least."

"Oh, joy. I can't wait," I spoke, sarcasm leaking throughout my voice. "I think I just want to go home."

When Hayden didn't respond, I turned my head to look out of the other window. A man fumbled along the sidewalk, coming in our direction. He seemed to paler than me with a red liquid circling his lips. He walked as if his legs were as stiff as a board, and his face showed no emotion. Something about him had seemed different. I couldn't decide if it was the red liquid or the way that he had walked.

I poked Hayden's shoulder a few times before he groaned. "What do you want?"

"Look at that guy."

Hayden peered out of the window, assessing the man. "He's probably just drunk." Although Hayden spoke this sentence with full confidence, he continued to glare at the man instead of returning to his activities.

A younger girl jogged past our car. Her blonde hair flopped around as she moved along the path. When she had gotten closer to the man, she hesitated to move closer, but did so anyway. It was not until the man had grabbed onto her wrist that she had felt the need to scream and turn away. My eyes were glued onto the situation as the man brought his face towards her arm. I felt the gas nozzle slow down as it was no longer being pumped to fuel the car. I imagine this event had caught the eyes of Ava.

The man continued to latch onto the women, despite her efforts to escape, and had taken a bite of her arm, pulling a decent amount of skin and muscles off her. The woman screamed louder than I had ever heard anyone scream in my life. I could not just watch this man eat this woman alive, whatever he was. Well, I could assume he was a cannibal. I unbuckled my seatbelt and scooted to the other door, rethinking the situation a bit more.

The woman attempted to kick the man's legs to knock him down, but had failed. The man went down for another bite of her flesh. Without another moment for reconsideration, I reached for the silver knob and opened the door. I took a deep breath of the fresh air before sprinting over to the girl. She glanced over at me, her green eyes filled with despair and fear.

"Kayla, you idiot," Ava yelled, beginning to come towards me, but started to retrace her steps. She scurried to the drivers side of the car, allowing herself into the vehicle.

I was not sure how to approach this situation, but as I got closer to the man, he brought his attention to me. His teeth were stained with the girls crimson blood and there had been a small gash on his forehead. His eyes had some sort of clear film over them as it was difficult to determine his eye color.

I heard Ava's engine's roar as she adjusted the car closer to us. I brought myself closer to the man, successfully aiming my leg towards his knee and knocking him down. He groaned as I pulled the girl close to me.

Before the man could attempt to get up again, I dragged the girl away from the situation and brought her over to Ava's car. I shakily placed her next the trunk of the car and demanded Ava to pop the trunk. It seemed as though Ava was in shock from the event, so it had taken her a few seconds before processing my request. I hurriedly rummaged through our luggage until I was able to retrieve a shirt out of my bag. The girl continued to moan from the pain of her wound. I could not blame her from doing so. It seemed like the man had taken a decent chunk of her arm.

"Kayla, you need to bring her in!" Ava shrieked, pointing as the man. He was slowly crawling along the ground in our direction. I motioned for the girl to get into the car, and she immediately opened the door. Once we were both seated, Ava had gotten us back onto the road.

"What was that?" Hayden panickely asked, peeking his head around to check out the situation in the backseat. "We have to take her to the hospital, Ava!"

I gently wrapped a shirt above the wound to make sure she would not lose any more blood. At moments like these, I was excited to have a teeny bit of clinical knowledge. I was able to assist my friends with simple wounds and give them a bit of advice if they needed, but I did not know how to treat major medical-related diseases or injuries.

Ava found her way back onto the highway, disregarding the signs that led the way to the nearest hospital. Hayden was freaking out at her as I continued to focus more on the girl, who seemed to be on the edge of passing out. If she was anything like me, the sight of blood probably makes her woozy.

I leaned closer to her. "What's your name?"

She reluctantly rose her head up, exposing her deep blue iris'. They reminded me of the west coast and all of the good memories I had at the beach, especially my terrible attempts at surfing. Her cheeks were rosy and it seemed as though she had dimples. "Josie," she murmured, allowing her head to fall back.

Josie. I liked that name. I wonder what Josie was doing in her life before she had come across us. I wonder if she was participating in a sport in school and jogging around to build up stamina. Maybe she had a stressful morning and wanted to burn off some steam. I hope that we get her home and safe.

"Shoot," Ava exclaimed, slamming her hands onto the steering wheel. I looked out of the windshield and gasped as I noticed we were stopped in traffic. While our side was bad, the other side to exit the city was much worse. A few different spots in the city were emitting black smoke as helicopters flew overhead.

I stepped out of the vehicle, taking a few steps forward. A few families ahead of the line were outside of their car as well, gawking at the scene laid ahead of them. The smoke was beginning to create a smoke cloud over the city. I felt Ava's presence join me as she got closer. Her hazel eyes shimmered in the light and she had a few tear streaks going down the side of her left cheek. She gently wiped the snot that was dripping out of her stubby nose.

A few more helicopters flew above us and we watched them as they hurriedly flew into the city. I couldn't help myself but wonder what was going on with the world. What was that man? He could have surely been a cannibal, but something about him was off. I couldn't put my finger on it. I just wonder if there was a correlation between the man, the smoke in the city, and the countless number of helicopters.

Before I brush the event as correlation without causation, a booming noise filled my ear drums. I felt my vision go hazy as I fell onto the ground. My ears were ringing.

"Ava?" I whispered, sticking my arms out to search for her.

Particulate matter was eliminating my vision from seeing the event unfold from in front of me, but by the sounds of thousands of individuals screaming, I could not imagine that something great happened. Did this have to do with the helicopters? Did they set off some bombs? My mind is wondering. I just hope my kitty is safe, and I suppose I hope my mother is safe too. I never did get a text back from her.

I wiped the dust out of my eyes to reveal a city falling apart with flames erupting through the nearby outskirts. My heart felt like it was beginning to skip a beat and sweat was pouring out of my pores. This isn't good, this isn't good, this isn't good. I'm going to have a panic attack. I felt as my throat tightened; I felt like I was going to die. My breathing became labored as I attempted to pump oxygen into my body at fast rates. This is a terrible time, why does this always happen at the worst times?

I felt a few lengthy fingers on my back. "You need to get up!" Hayden yelled, putting his arms underneath my armpits. Hayden was strong, but I'm not sure he was strong enough to lift me. While I was not overweight, my body weight was enough to make some people question their strength abilities. I didn't look my weight, though, so I was never sure where all of the weight was coming from.

Sure enough, with some assistance from Ava, they were able to get me onto my feet. Ava's face had a bit of dust residue on her face and I wonder if mine had it too. A bit of blood was flowing down from her nose, so I had assumed she hit her face as she fell onto the ground. Josie walked beside me, taking everything in.

"My followers told me that the-"

I stopped listening to Ava as she explained the situation, demanding that we save her friends. I didn't want to think about the situation we were in. I knew that I should have stayed home. As my throat began to unclench, I felt my anger begin to boil.

Did I cause this event by thinking about it? Did I jinx everyone? I feel like I caused this event. There was a one hundred percent chance that my thoughts did not cause the event, but I just could not help it. My head was spinning. I couldn't decide if it was time to grief or time to shout at Ava, but I did know one thing for sure: if I had stayed home, I would not have been this close to one of the zombie hotspots during the newly established zombie apocalypse.