Enrty 1: The Spread

The Sound of Death Diary

Journal Entry 1

10-31-2012

I’m not sure how to begin this. I’ve never been one to write a diary or anything. I guess I decided to start because I had a close call today and I need a way to keep some form of humanity going.

So, from the top. My name is Tommy, well actually its Thomas J. Cruver, but everyone called me Tommy. I’m 28, live by myself in Seattle in the Capital Hill area. Not much to report on myself, I’ve been working for a small used DVD store since graduating high school and didn’t have a plan for the future. Future, there’s a funny word.

Not much of a chance at future anymore, not since it started a week ago. I never ever thought that I’d be living out one of those over gory zombie DVD’s that we sold in the back corner of the store… and yet here I am. It all happened so fast, the infection, the spread, whatever you want to call it. Before the TV and radio went out they were saying that it started somewhere near LA. Some said a virus, either natural or terrorism. But others said anything from a fungal infection to alien implants. Point is, who knows, and to be honest it doesn’t fucking matter does it?

Like most people around here I watched the news reports as it started to spread. I thought it was a hoax of some kind at first. My “Real” moment came at day two. I was watching CNN with some action junkie reporter trying to get the best shot. This idiot actually walked up to a guy to interview him as if he wasn’t really dead! The man or zombie… not use to that word yet… was about 40 and heavy set. He had this huge knife sticking out of his back and this nasty fleshy wound on his right arm. He had to have been dead for a couple of days because the blood was a dark, almost black, shade of crimson. His skin was grey and off colored, and his eyes… they were white. All white.

Anyways, the reporter walked up to the guy and held out his microphone. He said, “Excuse me sir, excuse me sir, can you answer a few questions?” Then the thing grabbed his arm and latched on with a massive bite. It was like watching one of those caught on camera videos were the guy gets too close to the bear cage at the zoo. The reporter screamed such an animalistic scream it was almost un-human. Guess that was his “Real” moment. Any ways, they fell to the ground in the struggle and we watched the zombie go for the neck. Then the camera fell to the ground and you could hear the camera man screaming.

As luck would have it, the camera landed within a few feet of the reporter. The world watched as the zombie stopped biting and took off after some dude on a bicycle. The network never turned the feed off. Just let it run. I remember watching the reporter taking his last gurgling breath, his eyes going glassy. Then about three or four minutes later his eyes slowly turned white and his facial muscles began to twitch. A feral expression came across his face and he got up. Then walked off… yeah, walked the fuck off.

I’m not sure when the feed ended, I was already gone. Right then and there I left work, hit up the already crowded supermarket and bought as much supplies as I could carry. I don’t have a car.

That’s what I was doing when I had my close call today. You remember right? The close call that got me to write this shit? Well, I was on my tenth trip to gather supplies. The supermarkets were empty today and to be honest I didn’t feel like sticking around. People were getting mean, dangerous, panicked. People were talking everywhere, saying that the spread had reached Tacoma and parts of South Seattle in the SODO district.

For the last couple of days I had been listening to the sounds of sirens everywhere. Then today while walking back to my place it dawned on me that that noise was gone. I almost didn’t notice, but it was clear as day if you stopped to listen. The sirens were gone, the air traffic was gone, even the sound of heavy city traffic was gone. I started for home at a jog. Got a block away and there it was.

A dead woman in the middle of the street. Not laying there. Standing, looking right at me with those same dead white eyes that came over the reporter on CNN. She had a bunch of blood on the front of her dress. Pretty sure that it was from a shotgun; at least it looked like the wound you’d see in a movie from a shotgun blast.

I looked at the lobby door to my apartment complex then back to her. She started to go for me… well, it wasn’t a walk and it wasn’t a run… guess it was more of a sideways trot. She groaned as if the movement hurt.

I bolted for the door. Got past the lady and hit the door. It was locked! Yeah, fucking locked! Lived here five years and that fucking door has never been locked! She gained on me, so I gave up on the door and sprinted for the fire door in the back of the building. It was usually unsecured; everyone used a small rock in the jam to make it easy to make their deals. Not the best place to live if you know what I mean?

Got to the door and it was still unsecured, I pulled it open, kicked out the rock and slammed that bitch shut. Not more than a second later that dead woman started pounding on the door. The power was out and I wasn’t willing to step out into the lobby. I doubt if those glass windows would last long. I opted for the fire stairs and trekked to the eighth floor. The building was dead silent the entire trip up. I think I’m the last one in the building.

Once I made it to my floor I made sure the fire door was locked behind me, then I locked myself in my apartment and pushed my desk, bookcase, and dresser in front of the door. I went to my balcony and watched the street. The first three hours were nothing but a blood bath. I saw people running then getting cornered or outnumbered and literally torn apart. I saw this cab driver drive right over two zombies. Left big nasty blood smears down the street. They laid there for a couple of minutes, then got up and moved on.

They never looked up. I don’t think they look up unless they have a reason. Think I’ll keep the place dark to be safe tonight. I have about a week’s worth of food and water. Guess I’ll just wait for help… happy fucking Halloween!