Post by Oliver R Shead on Oct 15, 2015 6:00:38 GMT
Hi all!
It's taken me a little bit to get to it, but here are some of the entries that came across my desk!
I'll start with the winner (and it was a close-run thing indeed), Caleb Harris's entry. I chose this based on style rather than anything else, so the final entry in the book will be different (we're looking at doing a scenario at present). It's exciting, though it was much tougher than I had realised to judge all the entries! I hope you like this one
~Oliver
Infected - San Diego
The Outbreak: “America’s Finest City”.
When the outbreak occurred, San Diego, like most cities was caught off guard. Bordering Mexico, one of the hypothesized epicenters of the initial outbreak, San Diego was hit hard by flulike symptoms within the first week. The University of California San Diego (UCSD) medical was overrun with patients complaining of stomach pains, nausea and throbbing headaches, so much so that their medical staff begin getting overwhelmed and many of the doctors and nurses started showing signs of illness soon after.
The media begin emphasizing the importance of cleanliness and doctors went to the media from local hospitals suggested that those showing signs of symptoms should call in sick from work rather than pushing through the day. These suggestions did nothing to slow the contamination through the colleges, schools and workplaces within “America’s Finest City.” It was already too late.
As the infection spread, the San Diego international Airport began cutting back on flights both entering and departing the city. The flight schedules located in the airport terminals begin indicating the numerous cancellations of flights and even delays because of the shifts of flight personnel consequentially from the sickness. Exiting San Diego after the third week became more and more difficult with air travel. By the fourth week, the international airport looked more like a refugee camp than a place of travel. Many soon-to-be passengers looked at strangers around them with caution and fear. Others held their bags close in case one of those things somehow wanders in. Hallways of the airport were lined up with the sleeping and the weary.
By week six, the San Diego international Airport was officially closed.
The downtown Gaslamp district which is normally bustling on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays nights quickly became a ghost town. By the fourth week of the infection outbreak, many restaurants had waiters and waitresses looking out at empty tables. Nightclubs that normally serve endless amounts of liquor to overly flirtatious and attractive women along with well-dressed men with a bill to drop on drinks, had barren dance floor and muted music.
The world-famous San Diego zoo became another growing concern. On a daily basis, zookeepers and employees started calling in sick leaving the everyday duties unmanned and understaffed. As some animals begin to starve from neglect, one college student zookeeper decided to do the unthinkable and release animals from their cages overnight. By the third night, this student was caught and arrested by the San Diego Police Department. However, a vast majority of animals were set free to roam and wonder.
The War of the Awakening
the Marines at Camp Pendleton knew that the spreading of the disease was going to move out of San Diego and into surrounding cities of Riverside and Los Angeles. Contingency plans were put into place quickly to shut down major interstate highways. By shutting down the I-5 North and South at Oceanside, as well as the I-15 east of Fallbrook, Camp Pendleton hoped to create a natural barrier preventing any further spreading of the disease. With the open fields of Camp Pendleton and the barren lands surrounding the San Onofre nuclear station, the Marines believed they had both a logical and strategic advantage against the infection.
Using helicopters and air support, the Marines scoured the open fields surrounding camp Pendleton and the rural areas around nearby cities in hopes of preventing citizens from exiting on foot. This isolation tactic increased the aggravations and fears of those it in the San Diego County. The I-5 North that runs through Pendleton was jammed bumper-to-bumper with cars unable to turn around and move. The military did everything in its power to try and keep traffic moving back toward San Diego County but with accidents, confusion and stubbornness, the freeway had become a parking lot.
The Staner Family
“Are we moving?” Lisa said to her husband with concerns in her voice.
Jim looked in his rearview mirror at the endless line of cars parked on the I-5 North. Just up ahead of their car, fifty other cars faced forward towards a half-dozen military Humvees that blocked the interstate. Two of the Humvees routinely rotated the top mounted M-60 machine gun back and forth toward the line of cars before them.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Jim said defeated.
Lisa looked over her left shoulder towards the cars that were similarly parked on the southbound side of the freeway. Biting her lower lip Lisa looked back toward her husband who was impatiently tapping his left finger on the steering wheel.
Tina, their youngest daughter who never missed an opportunity to inform everyone that she was eight spoke up from the backseat. “I need to go to the bathroom.” Her voice emphasized the immediacy of the problem.
Tina’s older brother Jake, 13 years old and annoyed by the endless hours of being in traffic rolled his eyes. Jake looked out toward the mountains to the east and saw the helicopters hovering over them and moving slowly towards the interstate blockade.
“It looks like something is going on.” Jim said as he looked up through the window at the black helicopters.
“What do you mean?” Lisa said
“I don’t know. They just seem a little on edge. Just look at the solders at the Humvees.” Jim said inquisitively.
Lisa looked at the Marines with a little more scrutiny than she had before. Even at a distance, she could see what Jim was talking about. The soldier out in front of the blockade continued to direct traffic but there was something about him that caused Lisa to fill uneasy. His hand movements seemed faster and more rapid as if urgency was just put upon him.
“Maybe he needs to pee like we do.” Jack said.
Jim looked at Jake with a smile on his face then Jim turned back towards the front of the car. In his rearview mirror Jim could see people getting out of their cars and talking with each other. Doors half open and others looking out over there hoods towards other cars.
Jim thought about it for a moment and slowly turned to Lisa. “I’ll be right back. I want to know what is going on. They can’t keep us on the freeway for hours without some kind of plan.”
Lisa nodded towards Jim “Yeah, that’s a good idea, don’t be long though”.
“I won’t” Jim replied.
Jim opened his car door and closed it behind him. Slowly looking around, the cacophony of the environmental noises struck him for the first time. The helicopter rotors thumped in his ear as they flew by low moving towards the hills to the east. Hundreds of cars honking and people yelling out the window mixed with thousands of car engines idling made the beautiful ocean scenery to the West seem distant.
Jim walked past his car and through the parking lot of the interstate. Almost every car imaginable seemed to want to get out of the city and regardless of whether it was a sports car or an SUV, everyone was stuck in this situation together.
A balding man in his late 40s sitting in a BMW rolled down his window as Jim passed by. The bald man spoke up. “Hey, are you going to ask them what’s going on?”
Jim looked to his right at the man and nodded. “ Yeah, this is ridiculous. They have to have some kind of plan for getting us off the freeway.”
The bald man smiled and nodded at Jim. “ Well when you find out please let me know. My wife and I are tired of the radio” he said with a smile.
“Will do!” Jim replied and continued walking towards the blockade.
As Jim approached the blockade he held his hands out to his side in order to come off non threatening. The Marine, waving his hands to the cars looked toward Jim as he approached and put his right hand toward his Sidearm. Jim stopped immediately recognizing that any further movement could lead to an unnecessary situation.
With authority, the Marine yelled toward Jim “Sir please get back in your vehicle.”
Jim looking toward the cars that were gridlocked across the medium towards the southbound and came to the realization that he and his family were going to be here for a long time. It was obvious that the military did not have much of a plan other than turning cars around which had become a gridlock catastrophe. Jim spoke up over the loud noises of the environment “My family and I just want to head north to Seattle. Why is the freeway close?”
The Marine increased the intensity of his voice and repeated the same words “Sir please get back in your vehicle.”
Throwing his hands to his side Jim turned back toward his parked car. The bald man with the window still down leaned out toward Jim. “What did you find out?” the man said.
Jim replied quickly, “I think we are screwed.”
The bald man quickly nodded in understanding and leaned back into his car.
Walking around and between the cars, Jim made his way toward his family’s car. That’s when he stopped. Nearly a quarter of a mile away people were getting out of their cars and running. The sounds of screaming was beginning to be heard over the engines and the honking. Unsure of what he was seeing, Jim focused his eyes towards the growing mass of panicked people stumbling and smashing into cars towards the blockade.
On one of the cars he saw a person running on all fours only to leap down onto a woman in shorts and sandals. The mass of people begin to scream more as they ran past the scene that Jim just witnessed. Running now, Jim reached his car door and quickly threw it open. Lisa looked toward Jim and was startled, her eyes wide. “what wrong?” She tried to get out.
“Get out of the car!” Jim said quickly and out of breath.
“What wrong?” Lisa said, unsure of what to do. Tina in the back seats began to get watery eyes watching the interaction between her parents.
“You and the kids need to get out of the car NOW!” Jim said again, this time with uncontrollable fear in his voice. Lisa quickly opened her door just as Jack did who was sitting behind her. Jim moving towards the back door of the car, quickly pulled it open, reached in and grabbed Tina, holding her on his left arm. Jim turned to see the mob scene that was running towards them.
The mass of the people looked more like a scene of horror than even a mob. Among those who were running, there were others that were clearly not human. Thing bestial and foul were hiding among the running, covered in blood and acting more animal than man.
Just as Jim turned towards Lisa, the unmistakable sound of gunfire swept over the area from the unrelenting M-60. Windows shattered among the cars and Lisa, Jack and Jim fell to the asphalt. Bullets begin tearing through the cars and the screams of innocent people being shot filled the air. Car after car was shredded from the panic shooting of the Marine blockade.
Still holding Tina, Jim crawled towards Lisa and yelled in her ear “We need to get away from the freeway!”.
Staying low, Jim moved toward a gap in the fence that led to the south side of the freeway. Lisa followed close behind but every few seconds, the whizzing sound of bullets flew past them and they fell to the ground for safety.
Once on the other side of the fence, Jim who was still holding Tina and Lisa who was close behind moved toward the south facing cars that were still parked but not yet affected by the onslaught. Without warning, Jim felt a pull on his shirt and quickly turned around to see Lisa staring at him with terror in her eyes. “Where’s Jake!” She yelled.
Without another word, Jim handed Tina to Lisa and ran quickly towards the gap in the fence. Before he could make it halfway there, he saw Jake pull his way through the fence. Blood began to drip from his mouth and his once white shirt was now covered in crimson stains.
“JAKE!” Jim screamed as he continued to run. That’s when he saw an inhuman beast drop upon Jake. Its eyes red and the flesh around its face torn away revealing broken and mangled teeth. Jim stopped only to watch this infected creature terror into Jake’s now lifeless body. More of these beasts continue to run up and over cars behind the morbid scene. One after another of the creatures fell lifeless to the mangled cars below them from the barrage of bullets.
Jim turned and began running towards Lisa. As a family, they begin weaving through the cars and the dumbfounded people still in shock at what was occurring on the north bound side of the highway. Jim and Lisa did not follow the freeway. That’s where everyone was. That’s where those things would be. They continued running toward the ocean. They ran through the tall grass and dodged the large holes that were scattered throughout the landscape. They continue to hear the explosions from behind them and the screeching. They would mourn the loss of their son but first they needed to survive.
It's taken me a little bit to get to it, but here are some of the entries that came across my desk!
I'll start with the winner (and it was a close-run thing indeed), Caleb Harris's entry. I chose this based on style rather than anything else, so the final entry in the book will be different (we're looking at doing a scenario at present). It's exciting, though it was much tougher than I had realised to judge all the entries! I hope you like this one
~Oliver
Infected - San Diego
The Outbreak: “America’s Finest City”.
When the outbreak occurred, San Diego, like most cities was caught off guard. Bordering Mexico, one of the hypothesized epicenters of the initial outbreak, San Diego was hit hard by flulike symptoms within the first week. The University of California San Diego (UCSD) medical was overrun with patients complaining of stomach pains, nausea and throbbing headaches, so much so that their medical staff begin getting overwhelmed and many of the doctors and nurses started showing signs of illness soon after.
The media begin emphasizing the importance of cleanliness and doctors went to the media from local hospitals suggested that those showing signs of symptoms should call in sick from work rather than pushing through the day. These suggestions did nothing to slow the contamination through the colleges, schools and workplaces within “America’s Finest City.” It was already too late.
As the infection spread, the San Diego international Airport began cutting back on flights both entering and departing the city. The flight schedules located in the airport terminals begin indicating the numerous cancellations of flights and even delays because of the shifts of flight personnel consequentially from the sickness. Exiting San Diego after the third week became more and more difficult with air travel. By the fourth week, the international airport looked more like a refugee camp than a place of travel. Many soon-to-be passengers looked at strangers around them with caution and fear. Others held their bags close in case one of those things somehow wanders in. Hallways of the airport were lined up with the sleeping and the weary.
By week six, the San Diego international Airport was officially closed.
The downtown Gaslamp district which is normally bustling on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays nights quickly became a ghost town. By the fourth week of the infection outbreak, many restaurants had waiters and waitresses looking out at empty tables. Nightclubs that normally serve endless amounts of liquor to overly flirtatious and attractive women along with well-dressed men with a bill to drop on drinks, had barren dance floor and muted music.
The world-famous San Diego zoo became another growing concern. On a daily basis, zookeepers and employees started calling in sick leaving the everyday duties unmanned and understaffed. As some animals begin to starve from neglect, one college student zookeeper decided to do the unthinkable and release animals from their cages overnight. By the third night, this student was caught and arrested by the San Diego Police Department. However, a vast majority of animals were set free to roam and wonder.
The War of the Awakening
the Marines at Camp Pendleton knew that the spreading of the disease was going to move out of San Diego and into surrounding cities of Riverside and Los Angeles. Contingency plans were put into place quickly to shut down major interstate highways. By shutting down the I-5 North and South at Oceanside, as well as the I-15 east of Fallbrook, Camp Pendleton hoped to create a natural barrier preventing any further spreading of the disease. With the open fields of Camp Pendleton and the barren lands surrounding the San Onofre nuclear station, the Marines believed they had both a logical and strategic advantage against the infection.
Using helicopters and air support, the Marines scoured the open fields surrounding camp Pendleton and the rural areas around nearby cities in hopes of preventing citizens from exiting on foot. This isolation tactic increased the aggravations and fears of those it in the San Diego County. The I-5 North that runs through Pendleton was jammed bumper-to-bumper with cars unable to turn around and move. The military did everything in its power to try and keep traffic moving back toward San Diego County but with accidents, confusion and stubbornness, the freeway had become a parking lot.
The Staner Family
“Are we moving?” Lisa said to her husband with concerns in her voice.
Jim looked in his rearview mirror at the endless line of cars parked on the I-5 North. Just up ahead of their car, fifty other cars faced forward towards a half-dozen military Humvees that blocked the interstate. Two of the Humvees routinely rotated the top mounted M-60 machine gun back and forth toward the line of cars before them.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Jim said defeated.
Lisa looked over her left shoulder towards the cars that were similarly parked on the southbound side of the freeway. Biting her lower lip Lisa looked back toward her husband who was impatiently tapping his left finger on the steering wheel.
Tina, their youngest daughter who never missed an opportunity to inform everyone that she was eight spoke up from the backseat. “I need to go to the bathroom.” Her voice emphasized the immediacy of the problem.
Tina’s older brother Jake, 13 years old and annoyed by the endless hours of being in traffic rolled his eyes. Jake looked out toward the mountains to the east and saw the helicopters hovering over them and moving slowly towards the interstate blockade.
“It looks like something is going on.” Jim said as he looked up through the window at the black helicopters.
“What do you mean?” Lisa said
“I don’t know. They just seem a little on edge. Just look at the solders at the Humvees.” Jim said inquisitively.
Lisa looked at the Marines with a little more scrutiny than she had before. Even at a distance, she could see what Jim was talking about. The soldier out in front of the blockade continued to direct traffic but there was something about him that caused Lisa to fill uneasy. His hand movements seemed faster and more rapid as if urgency was just put upon him.
“Maybe he needs to pee like we do.” Jack said.
Jim looked at Jake with a smile on his face then Jim turned back towards the front of the car. In his rearview mirror Jim could see people getting out of their cars and talking with each other. Doors half open and others looking out over there hoods towards other cars.
Jim thought about it for a moment and slowly turned to Lisa. “I’ll be right back. I want to know what is going on. They can’t keep us on the freeway for hours without some kind of plan.”
Lisa nodded towards Jim “Yeah, that’s a good idea, don’t be long though”.
“I won’t” Jim replied.
Jim opened his car door and closed it behind him. Slowly looking around, the cacophony of the environmental noises struck him for the first time. The helicopter rotors thumped in his ear as they flew by low moving towards the hills to the east. Hundreds of cars honking and people yelling out the window mixed with thousands of car engines idling made the beautiful ocean scenery to the West seem distant.
Jim walked past his car and through the parking lot of the interstate. Almost every car imaginable seemed to want to get out of the city and regardless of whether it was a sports car or an SUV, everyone was stuck in this situation together.
A balding man in his late 40s sitting in a BMW rolled down his window as Jim passed by. The bald man spoke up. “Hey, are you going to ask them what’s going on?”
Jim looked to his right at the man and nodded. “ Yeah, this is ridiculous. They have to have some kind of plan for getting us off the freeway.”
The bald man smiled and nodded at Jim. “ Well when you find out please let me know. My wife and I are tired of the radio” he said with a smile.
“Will do!” Jim replied and continued walking towards the blockade.
As Jim approached the blockade he held his hands out to his side in order to come off non threatening. The Marine, waving his hands to the cars looked toward Jim as he approached and put his right hand toward his Sidearm. Jim stopped immediately recognizing that any further movement could lead to an unnecessary situation.
With authority, the Marine yelled toward Jim “Sir please get back in your vehicle.”
Jim looking toward the cars that were gridlocked across the medium towards the southbound and came to the realization that he and his family were going to be here for a long time. It was obvious that the military did not have much of a plan other than turning cars around which had become a gridlock catastrophe. Jim spoke up over the loud noises of the environment “My family and I just want to head north to Seattle. Why is the freeway close?”
The Marine increased the intensity of his voice and repeated the same words “Sir please get back in your vehicle.”
Throwing his hands to his side Jim turned back toward his parked car. The bald man with the window still down leaned out toward Jim. “What did you find out?” the man said.
Jim replied quickly, “I think we are screwed.”
The bald man quickly nodded in understanding and leaned back into his car.
Walking around and between the cars, Jim made his way toward his family’s car. That’s when he stopped. Nearly a quarter of a mile away people were getting out of their cars and running. The sounds of screaming was beginning to be heard over the engines and the honking. Unsure of what he was seeing, Jim focused his eyes towards the growing mass of panicked people stumbling and smashing into cars towards the blockade.
On one of the cars he saw a person running on all fours only to leap down onto a woman in shorts and sandals. The mass of people begin to scream more as they ran past the scene that Jim just witnessed. Running now, Jim reached his car door and quickly threw it open. Lisa looked toward Jim and was startled, her eyes wide. “what wrong?” She tried to get out.
“Get out of the car!” Jim said quickly and out of breath.
“What wrong?” Lisa said, unsure of what to do. Tina in the back seats began to get watery eyes watching the interaction between her parents.
“You and the kids need to get out of the car NOW!” Jim said again, this time with uncontrollable fear in his voice. Lisa quickly opened her door just as Jack did who was sitting behind her. Jim moving towards the back door of the car, quickly pulled it open, reached in and grabbed Tina, holding her on his left arm. Jim turned to see the mob scene that was running towards them.
The mass of the people looked more like a scene of horror than even a mob. Among those who were running, there were others that were clearly not human. Thing bestial and foul were hiding among the running, covered in blood and acting more animal than man.
Just as Jim turned towards Lisa, the unmistakable sound of gunfire swept over the area from the unrelenting M-60. Windows shattered among the cars and Lisa, Jack and Jim fell to the asphalt. Bullets begin tearing through the cars and the screams of innocent people being shot filled the air. Car after car was shredded from the panic shooting of the Marine blockade.
Still holding Tina, Jim crawled towards Lisa and yelled in her ear “We need to get away from the freeway!”.
Staying low, Jim moved toward a gap in the fence that led to the south side of the freeway. Lisa followed close behind but every few seconds, the whizzing sound of bullets flew past them and they fell to the ground for safety.
Once on the other side of the fence, Jim who was still holding Tina and Lisa who was close behind moved toward the south facing cars that were still parked but not yet affected by the onslaught. Without warning, Jim felt a pull on his shirt and quickly turned around to see Lisa staring at him with terror in her eyes. “Where’s Jake!” She yelled.
Without another word, Jim handed Tina to Lisa and ran quickly towards the gap in the fence. Before he could make it halfway there, he saw Jake pull his way through the fence. Blood began to drip from his mouth and his once white shirt was now covered in crimson stains.
“JAKE!” Jim screamed as he continued to run. That’s when he saw an inhuman beast drop upon Jake. Its eyes red and the flesh around its face torn away revealing broken and mangled teeth. Jim stopped only to watch this infected creature terror into Jake’s now lifeless body. More of these beasts continue to run up and over cars behind the morbid scene. One after another of the creatures fell lifeless to the mangled cars below them from the barrage of bullets.
Jim turned and began running towards Lisa. As a family, they begin weaving through the cars and the dumbfounded people still in shock at what was occurring on the north bound side of the highway. Jim and Lisa did not follow the freeway. That’s where everyone was. That’s where those things would be. They continued running toward the ocean. They ran through the tall grass and dodged the large holes that were scattered throughout the landscape. They continue to hear the explosions from behind them and the screeching. They would mourn the loss of their son but first they needed to survive.
