Dh - Trapped Inside

D

ay three, and unfortunately, Kendra was finding herself without a place to stay, or a vehicle to drive away with. She had hoped to have heard something before her time had run out on her hotel, but that hadn't turned out to be the case. She had heard of the ongrowing problem around the fairgrounds, as local law enforcement continued to secure the situation. The growing reports of victims being bitten had caused alarm. Sitting on the bed in the hotel room, Kendra stared off through the window as a knock came over the door.

"Room service!" a fairly elderly tone echoed from the opposite side of the door.

"It's open." Kendra answered, slowly turning her attention toward the entrance way. "Come in."

Soon the door opened, and an elderly lady, close to her early sixties, entered inside. "I don't want to be a bother dear, but your time is about up."

"I know, I just have nowhere else to go and I haven't heard from my friend in a couple of days." Kendra said, trying to push back her tears of panic.

"I understand. Have you tried to see if you could get an extension on your stay?" the elderly female said.

In truth, Kendra had thought about calling Jakob, however, not for an extension on her stay. She couldn't stop thinking about the night they had, and the way he threw her around. The thought made her wet almost instantly. A deep breath was inhaled, before slowly being released. Standing away from her seat, she made her way over toward the bed and proceeded to pick up the phone. Finding the business card that he had given her, she flipped it over onto the backside, and began dialing the set of numbers on the back.

"Please pick up. Please, please, please." Kendra said quietly as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

Jakob's voice answered on the other side of the call.

"Hi Jakob, it's Kendra." she said, relieved he hadn't given her a false number.

Hearing his voice had suddenly left her feeling weak in the knees. She really had no idea what she was going to say, or ask, but hearing his voice brought a wave of emotions over her. "You set me up in a hotel a couple of nights ago, remember?" She replied, hoping he hadn't forgotten her already.

"Kendra?"

he questioned, as though trying to draw his memory.

"Oh, right! I remember. What can I do for you?"

"Well, you see, I'm in a little bit of a snag. My car isn't finished and I have to be out of the hotel by early afternoon. I was calling to check on the progress." Kendra began to say.

"Unfortunately, my brother and I haven't been by the shop for a couple of days. Things have started to turn weird ever since the stay-at-home state of emergency was issued."

Jakob began to explain.

"I understand. Is there any way you could extend my stay?" Kendra finally asked bluntly.

"I can't exactly extend your stay over the phone, however I can get out and head your way."

Jakob replied.

That was far more than she had expected, and to be honest, she was looking forward to getting to see him again. Not wanting to seem over excited however, she took a deep breath in and slowly released it, trying to hide her excitement. "That would be great."

"Then I'll see you in about twenty minutes."

Jakob replied.

"I'll see you in twenty." Kendra confirmed before they both hung up the phone. Kendra couldn't help but giggle as she put the phone in the hem of her sweat pants. It wasn't a preferred outfit, but she liked the hoodie, and with the temperature starting to drop, she found herself a little more thankful of Jakob.

Having little in the way of belongings, she gathered up her other outfit before exiting her hotel room.

"Thanks again. Have a good day." Kendra said, talking to the receptionist behind the desk.

Stepping outside, the slightly cooler air caused her to draw the hood up, as she stood near the entrance way. Too excited at the thought of seeing Jakob again, she didn't notice the two slowly approaching her way.

* * * * *

"Where are you heading?" Kaleb asked, almost as soon as his brother had hung up the phone.

"I'm going to save a damsel in distress again." Jakob replied, stepping off the back patio and making his way toward the garage. Pushing open the garage door, Jakob stepped inside, and after finding the keys to one of the bikes, began to turn over the engine.

Slowly, Jakob rolled the motorcycle out of the garage, shifting his attention toward his brother. "Since phones seem to still be working, one of us should probably call Madison."

That

'one of us'

being meant for Kaleb, as Jakob rolled out of the driveway. Jakob wasn't watching behind him, he was more focused on his surroundings still in front of him. Heading east, down the empty side road, he noticed many of the houses had gone empty.

Kaleb watched him until he got out of sight, noticing a few neighbors chasing after the cycle. Turning on his heels, Kaleb began to make his way inside, almost running into Alexis, who was just coming to join him outside.

"Where's he off to?" Alexis asked, hearing the motorcycle speeding down the street.

"He didn't say. Just that he was off to save a damsel in distress." Kaleb replied. Moving through the kitchen, he rounded the corner into the living room, and then one more corner toward his room. Grabbing his cell phone from the side table, he picked it up and began to dial his sister's number. Unfortunately, the phone rang for a few moments, before being picked up by the voicemail. Not wanting to leave a message, Kaleb hung the phone up and slid it into his pocket. Stepping out of his bedroom, he rounded the corner again, leading into the living room.

Alexis was still near the back of the house, however, after closing the back door, she too began to make her way into the living room joining Kaleb. "I wonder how Zach is doing? It's not like him not to call me."

Kaleb hadn't really thought about it at first, but after Alexis said something, he couldn't unthink about it. It wasn't usual for an urgent care center to keep people overnight.

"Do you think they may have moved him to Riverside?" Kaleb asked.

Something was obviously off about the whole situation, but then again, ever since the malfunction at the fairgrounds, nothing seemed normal. Finally, after what seemed like days, the sound of the refrigerator turned on, along with all the lights in the house.

"Another violent attack in South Linden," a reporter began saying as soon as power was restored. "The victim, whom authorities still have not released a name, was taken to Riverside after being bitten numerous times."

"These reports of bitings are getting highly alarming." Alexis commented, turning her attention back to Kaleb.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Kaleb replied, moving toward the t.v. and turned it off. Again, Kaleb pulled his phone from his pocket and began dialing Madison's phone number. A couple of rings later, and he got lucky as his sister answered.

"Hello?"

Madison spoke, trying to silent the background noise.

"Hey Madison," Kaleb began, "where are you heading?" Quickly aware of the sound of a window being rolled up.

"Hunter and I are on our way to mom and dad's. The governor issued evacuations for inner Columbus. Didn't you hear?"

"No we didn't. We've been without power for the last couple of days, everything just came back on." Kaleb replied.

"Some sort of outbreak occurred around seventeenth avenue, ..."

Madison was saying before the line quickly went silent.

"They must have hit a dead-zone." Kaleb commented, more so to himself, as he hung up the phone and put it into his pocket again.

"Who?" Alexis asked..

"My sister and her husband. They're on their way to my parents' house." Kaleb replied, stepping into the kitchen again.

"Normally, that wouldn't cause any sort of red flag, however, by the way you said it, it sounds like there's more to it." Alexis said, moving into the kitchen as well.

"There is. It isn't a planned visit." Kaleb responded.

"Care to fill me in a little?" Alexis asked again.

"Something about an outbreak around seventeenth." Kaleb replied, turning his attention toward the side window.

"An outbreak around seventeenth? That's right around the fairgrounds." Alexis exclaimed.

"Yes, I know. I'm not exactly new to the area." Kaleb replied.

"What sort of outbreak? Did she say?" Alexis asked, worried.

"No she didn't. That's about all I got before the phone died out." Kaleb responded.

Kaleb found his attention transfixed on the outside, as he stared through the side window of the house. Things had begun to change too quickly, and even for as much as he wanted to believe he had an understanding, that was very far from the truth. Pulling his attention away from the window, Kaleb began making his way through the living room.

"So, do we have a plan for today? Or is it another day locked inside?" Alexis asked, barely giving Kaleb time to step back into the living room.

"In my most honest opinion; we should get as far away from the city as possible." Kaleb replied, getting ready to light one end of the blunt.

"That sounds great, and maybe you have a backup place to go, but what about those of us that can't just get up and leave?" Alexis asked, half doubting she'd be offered to go with them. Besides, there was still the concern of Zach. Why had he not reached out to her?

"Well, if you're referring to yourself, as I can only assume you to be, you're welcome to come along. At least until this outbreak blows over." Kaleb responded.

"I'm not leaving until I have heard from Zach." Alexis said, making her way toward the back of the house. "In fact, I'm going to run back to the house," Alexis said, making her way toward the back of the house, "see if I have any missed calls from the hospital."

Kaleb began making his way once again through the kitchen, and toward the back door. However, instead of stepping out onto the back patio, he simply pulled the door open and leaned against the door frame. Finally lighting the end of the blunt, he took a deep inhale and held it for a moment or two, before finally exhaling a blueish-gray cloud. He had heard Alexis, and gave her a nod as she stepped through the opening. Kaleb continued to puff on the blunt, watching Alexis as she proceeded to climb over the small fence that separated their property line, and finally disappeared through her own back door.

After a moment's thought, Kaleb stubbed the half blunt into the ashtray on the patio table. With his brother already out on a mission of his own, Kaleb shut the back door. However, he began making his way down the steps towards the garage. After pushing the large garage door open, Kaleb stepped inside and began to quietly roll the motorcycle out to the driveway. Kicking down the kickstand, so that the bike was able to stand on its own, Kaleb began pulling down the garage door. Quickly jumping back on the bike, he started the engine, and proceeded to weave through the foot traffic within the neighborhood.

Those within the area began to chase after the motorcycle as Kaleb sped away. Of course, during the drive, Kaleb had noticed how many continued to run after the bike. This of course puzzled him, however, never losing his focus. The worst case of his actions however, he was spreading those infected out further away from the inner city. Wasn't too long before he had cleared those chasing him, as he sped through the empty inner streets.

* * * * *

Along Jakob's drive away from the inner city, he noticed the panic had set in for many, now packing the city streets. Those who were evacuating were caught in a severe traffic jam. Thankfully for Jakob, the motorbike was able to handle on and off road. Weaving around the hemmed up traffic, Jakob passed a nearby grocery store. It too was packed, with people fighting to get in, with hopes of finding essential items. Jakob kept going, not wanting to get into the mess of chaos. Another ten minutes on the road, and he was soon pulling into the parking lot of the hotel. Slowing the bike as he reached the front entrance, he noticed Kendra already waiting outside. Unfortunately, she was standing alone, as two slightly heavier males had cornered her.

"I already told you, I'm waiting on someone." Jakob heard Kendra saying as he pulled the bike closer.

"Hey babe," Jakob quickly jumped in to play along, "are these two bothering you?"

"I'm so glad you made it." Kendra said, picking up the small bag that contained her belongings, and quickly stepped past the two males, who had diverted their attention toward Jakob.

"Mind yer own business, would ya pal?" One of the two males said.

"I was minding my business," Jakob said, climbing off the bike. "But, you see, you're messing with something of mine, so that makes it my business."

"Look man, we didn't know." The other male said, clearly not wanting any part of an altercation.

"Nah, fuck that! I'm not letting some little punk cock-block me." the first male said, starting to walk toward Jakob.

"Get on the back of the bike." Jakob told Kendra, however, never taking his attention off the male. Jakob wasn't exactly looking for a fight, but if this man wanted to throw down, Jakob was more than ready to give him a surprise.

Kendra, doing as she was told, quickly climbed onto the back of the bike. In truth, it had been her first time on a motorcycle.

"Marcus, let's go man. It's not even worth it." the second male was saying, trying to reconcile with his partner.

"I told you, I wasn't letting some punk get in my way." Marcus said, still moving closer to Jakob.

Jakob wasn't about to back down however, and even though he could have easily gotten back on the bike, he slowly climbed off the bike. Silently, he was sizing the male. Marcus wasn't much taller than himself, maybe six foot at best. A little stalkier in the torso area, but that was about all he was able to get due to the choice in clothing. The pants that Marcus wore were baggy, and pulled beneath his ass. The shirt, and jacket were also baggy. Unfortunately for Marcus, Jakob had already been expecting him to throw a punch.

Sure enough, Marcus did, once he had gotten close enough to Jakob. Jakob, however, had easily ducked under the haymaker, instinctively catching the back of Marcus' knee with his foot. It wasn't a kick meant to break his leg however, it was merely meant to knock the bigger male off balance. The idea and execution was successful, and soon the heavier male stumbled forward onto his knee. Kaleb didn't stop there however, as he planted his foot against the back of Marcus's head. Jakob's intention was to simply make this as quick as possible. Marcus groaned as he fell forward, the low kick to his head causing an easy knockout.

Jakob hadn't forgotten about the other male however, and as he turned around, he saw the male staring nearly dumbfounded. The second male began making his way toward Jakob, but not in a threatening manner. His hands were lifted up, palms facing Jakob, in a surrendering sort of manner. Seeing how he wasn't making any sort of movement, Jakob quickly dismissed him as any sort of threat. Turning toward his bike, he made his way toward the side and climbed on. Kendra, instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned in against his back.

"Thank you for coming to get me." Kendra said, feeling the bike begin to move.

"You're welcome." Jakob replied, turning the bike and pulling out of the parking lot.

"So where are we heading?" she asked.

"For the time being, back to my place. Then from there we'll figure it out." Jakob replied.

The ride back to Linden wasn't too much different then it had been heading to the hotel. What had come as a surprise to Jakob as they drove, was the amount of people trying to leave the inner city. Wasn't much more than fifteen minutes that the two of them were coming into the Linden area. Weaving through some of the foot traffic around, Jakob not taking the time to observe their movements and actions as he pulled the bike into their driveway. Kendra, however, had noticed that those they passed, began chasing after them.

"Quickly, get inside." Jakob said, even before he had stopped the bike completely.

Once the bike had stopped, Jakob, not bothering to put it in the garage at the moment; the two of them quickly rushed up the steps of the back patio. Pushing the back door open, both he and Kendra rushed inside, only to find the house empty. Jakob made sure to close the back door, before making his way over to the refrigerator. Unfortunately, there was nothing new there, and so he quickly began searching around the kitchen.

"What are you looking for?" Kendra asked.

"Kaleb isn't here, and he didn't leave a note." Jakob replied.

Not questioning exactly how he knew Kaleb wasn't home, Kendra turned her attention and was quickly facing a large American pit-bull. Not exactly what she was expecting, but she tried to remain calm, not wanting to give it a reason to attack. Jakob, thankfully, had seen the dog too and was quickly ushering her off around the corner. A moment later, she heard the bedroom door snap close and Jakob was walking around the corner into the kitchen.

"And that is how I know he isn't home." Jakob said, taking a seat on the couch inside the living room.

Suddenly there came a knock from the back door, which Jakob knew it to be Alexis. Giving a slight sigh, he stood and began making his way through the kitchen, as another round of knocks came over the door.

"Hold on, I'm coming." Jakob responded, and only a couple seconds later, opened the door.

"Well hello Jakob, may I come in?" Alexis asked.

"Sure! However, if you're looking for Kaleb, he isn't here at the moment." Jakob replied, allowing Alexis entry into the house.

"Where did he go?" Alexis asked again.

"I'm not sure, he was gone when I got home." Jakob said.

"You don't mind if I stay over and wait, do you?" Alexis asked, already making her way through the kitchen.

"No, I don't mind at all." Jakob said, although not being given much of a choice. "Any word from Zach?"

"I got a message from one of the nurses." Alexis said, fighting back tears.

"What did they say?" Jakob asked.

That answer never came, as they were interrupted by the sound of gunfire. It had been several hours since they had heard any, but these sounded close. Locking the back door, both Alexis and Jakob began making their way into the living room to join Kendra. Kendra was currently kneeling against the couch, staring through the window at hopes of seeing what was happening. Jakob, however, wasn't wasting time, as he began pulling the very same couch Kendra was kneeling back against, in front of the door.

"What are you doing?" Kendra asked, as she and the couch were pulled in front of the door.

"Barricading the front of the house. Things are turning weird and I don't trust what people might do." Jakob responded.

"So... who's your friend?" Kendra asked.

"This is our next-door neighbor, Alexis. Alexis, meet Kendra." Jakob said, finally introducing the two young women.

Again came the repeating sound of gunfire, shooting anyone who remained outside. After a moment, a group of thugs appeared from behind an evergreen, which had been blocking Jakob, and Kendra's view.

"What do you think they're planning?" Kendra asked.

"There's no telling, but I think we may be better off in the basement until they pass." Jakob replied.

Doing what was suggested, both Alexis and Kendra began following Jakob toward the basement. Unfortunately, Jakob had no intention of following them downstairs. Once Alexis and Kendra made it downstairs, Jakob twisted the lock before pulling the door closed. Then it was back to the living room, where he pushed the edge of the curtain aside, watching the group come into view completely. Unsure of their intentions, however, untrusted, Jakob remained quiet as he stared through the window. Another round of gunfire was heard, as infected members were soon being shot at.