A Zombie Story

Chapter 8: Radio Announcement

August 7th, Monday, 5:00 p.m., Wantuki Forest Camp.

Despite the heaviness of his lids, Jimmy tightly gripped on his M16. If Finn showed the slightest sign of aggression, he would shoot instantly. Meanwhile, he could almost see their oldest’s eyes twinkle in excitement though the same couldn’t be said for Adara. She just couldn’t comprehend the purpose behind it all.

“Oi, Franklin. Hope you don’t mind but why do you do all these?” She asked. “I mean, if we just maintain what we’ve been doing till now, I think we’ll survive just fine. Are all these even necessary at all?”

Jimmy perked his ears—curious.

Franklin froze for a moment. Like a kid caught stealing ice cream in the fridge. His grin, his excitement, and the glimmer in his eyes suddenly slipped. Replaced by a seriousness he hadn’t shown in a while but he reverted back almost instantly as he glanced on the radio at the far end of the table.

“But you see,” Adara continued. “I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a veeeeery long time, Franklin. Did you know all these would happen? The apocalypse? The societal collapse? The zombies?”

She paused. She observed her brother’s reaction before she continued. “You just woke up one day and made Jimmy quit the military despite knowing he’s still on active duty. On top of it all, you made him steal a bunch of bullets and threatened to kill yourself if he doesn’t heed your words.”

“You murdered our late parent’s SUV Van. I remembered getting so angry at that time but two days later, boom! Apocalypse. Way overkill to be perfect timing, I thought at that time. Then all of a sudden, you so conveniently discovered an underground bunker two years later in the middle of a random camping ground. Say, Franklin. Why do you know so much? I won’t even ask about how you managed to stop the transitioning process in less than a three-year work.”

Both Jimmy and Adara waited for his response. They’d been curious for a very long time and just couldn’t bring themselves to ask. They owe Franklin their lives. They might already be dead if it wasn’t for him but Finn was the last straw. After they saw Finn obediently follow them, they just couldn’t help it. Especially Adara.

Franklin didn’t say anything for a while and was scribbling something on his observation notebook. It wasn’t until Finn screamed “Saaaaam” for the nth time again that he answered. 

“Well, Adara, since you’ve cornered me, I suppose I can reveal the truth. Brace yourself.”

Jimmy’s eyebrows shot up in anticipation. Adara remained impassive.

“You see,” he continued, a playful grin playing at the corners of his lips, as if he didn’t crack just a moment ago. “I guess I should let you in on a little secret. The truth is, I’m not just an ordinary professor. I happen to be a time traveler too. Oh, indeed! I journeyed back from the future to have both you and Jimmy back. You see, in the previous timeline, you two tragically died. But being the resourceful scientist that I am, I couldn’t let that happen. So, here I am, making sure you both stay alive.”

An awkward silence then…

“Come on! I know you like to joke around, but time travel? Really? You’ll have to do better than that to convince us.”

Jimmy just shook his head.

“I know. I know, it sounds absolutely absurd, doesn’t it? I mean who in their right mind would believe such a story?”

Adara crossed her arm and gave him a fed-up look. She just wanted him to tell them what he knew already.

Of course, Franklin knew what she wanted but like usual, he only chuckled and said, “Well, I was only joking. Please don’t take my words too seriously.”

And then…

A decaying hand landed on his shoulder. 

“Saaaaaaaaaaaaam.” Moaned Finn.

***

Just as Adara was about to ask yet another question, the radio crackled to life, and an urgent voice cut through the static. “Attention survivors. This is an emergency announcement coming from Lucena. A new type of zombie has been spotted in Downtown Coliranto. It is unlike any we’ve encountered before. Larger and stronger than the ones we know, its threat level remains unknown.”

Franklin reached out and turned up the volume, ensuring they didn’t miss any crucial details.

Jimmy’s brows furrowed, a mixture of concern and curiosity evident on his face. “How do we deal with this?” He asked, hoping any of his siblings would answer him but the radio crackled back to life, and a slightly distorted voice continued, “Survivors are advised to exercise extreme caution. This new zombie variant possesses a significantly higher level of physical strength, making it more dangerous and difficult to neutralize. Aim for the head as usual, but bear in mind that brute force alone may not be enough to eliminate this type of zombie.”

They eagerly sat before the radio, hoping for a follow-up announcement, but it never came. And after a while, Jimmy looked up to Franklin and asked, “Now what?”

In the past three years, Franklin had always known what to do. He’s had the solution to every challenge they’d faced as though he could predict the future. However, this time, things might be different.

“I’m not sure. Uh, stay inside the bunker and hope luck is on our side?”

Adara’s eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean you’re not sure? You’re always so confident in knowing what to do!”

“Adara, how in the world is that even possible? I don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future. Maybe it’s best if we just stay here and wait, you know? The radio didn’t mention anything about that thing coming here, did it?”

She pursed her lips, acknowledging her older brother’s point. Perhaps it was best to take no action after all. Just that his nonchalance struck a nerve with her. That was all.

Unbeknownst to them, since “Lucena” was mentioned in the radio, Finn had been acting strange. His bloodshot eyes widened in confusion, struggling to make sense of the emotions that welled up inside his chest, like an unseen force tearing through his very being.

They only noticed when he snapped the mop in half.

***

August 7th, Monday, 7:39 p.m., Lucena Bunker.

“There’s no more space inside. We’re packed like sardines. T’was too hot and humid too. I’ve already mentioned it, remember?” the soldier informed Dr. Martinez straightforwardly.

“Sure thing. I understand. I’m fine sleeping in my car.”

“We’ve already dispatched a team to investigate the new variant you mentioned. You know what happens if we find out you’re lying, don’t you?”

“I am fully aware.”

And with that, the soldier excused himself and left.

The bunker fell short of Dr. Martinez’ expectations, resembling more of a prison cell than the refuge he had envisioned. He imagined the bunker to be a haven amidst the chaos—an oasis of calm in the midst of the apocalypse. But this hopeful vision was far from reality.

Picture a massive wall, rising high and sturdy with brick and cement. It casted a shadow, making the place dim even in daylight. Within its vast grounds, most of the space was dedicated to farming for food. In the center, there was a crowded hall where people reside, tightly packed like sardines. The place reeked of sweat, while the communal area exuded the unmistakable aroma of piss. Hygiene was completely abandoned.

“Hmm. My daughter should be in there, right?” Muttered Dr. Martinez as he peeked through the side mirror before he laid down. Failing to sleep from anxiety. Clueless about the chaos that awaits him when he wakes up the next day.

***

August 8th, Tuesday, 5:29 a.m., Lucena Bunker.

His morning started with a clamor of screams, running, and children crying, followed by a knock on his window. It was Brad who then left immediately.

“Calm down, everyone! Calm down!” Brad’s voice echoed through the megaphone. “Calm down and go back to the hall!”

Dr. Martinez glanced around and then it hit him: the cause of the people’s frenzy. Perched atop the wall was the exact zombie he had seen in Downtown Coliranto. It held two soldiers in its hands and, as Dr. Martinez looked up, it tossed them mercilessly to the ground.

Lifelessly sprawled like discarded puppets, the two soldiers lay motionless upon the ground, their bodies crushed and bloodied like pancakes drizzled with raspberry syrup.

“Goodness!” He gasped.

And in a frozen moment of shock, he realized that the person closest to the bodies was none other than Sam—the one Finnegan had been yearning to meet for the last time.

Everything happened in a blink of an eye. The zombie leaped off the wall, landing on the ground and stirring up a dust cloud.

People froze in shock and before they knew it, lifeless bodies lay strewn across the bloodstained ground. Time seemed to pause as everyone stood in silence, trying to comprehend what just happened.

“Mama, I’m scared,” whispered the young boy. Tears welled up in his eyes as fear gripped his trembling voice. “Mama.”

His mother’s usual comfort did not come. What responded to him instead was the unsettling silence as her head crashed to the ground in slow motion with a dreadful thud, staining his face with splatters of blood and in that instance, the clamor of the panicked crowd devoured his screams as they scattered in all directions, desperate to escape the wrath of the unstoppable undead. The Bloat was as fast and as strong as three grown men combined.

But no matter how fast they ran, the Bloat easily overtook them and swiped them aside like ragdolls—totally one-sided.

“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.” Muttered Dr. Martinez as he started his engine. His instinct took over him completely, slamming his foot to the gas pedal and for whatever reason, he drove to where Sam was, who was still frozen to where he stood, opened the door, and probably with the wonders of adrenaline, he pulled him inside with swift motion and drove out of the bunker.

“Move out of the way!” He yelled to the people who tried to hop on his roof for a ride, not stopping for any of them. He then turned to Sam and said, “Long time no see, Sam. But can you please close the door? We’re flooring it.”

“O-Okay,” replied Sam, still processing what just happened and did as he was told.