Morning for Mourning
The sun shined bright down on in the clearing, though it was very early. UnStellar sat on the roof of the Jeep, smoking his tobacco pipe and looking thoughtful. He saw Zak stir in his sleeping bag, rising slowly, rubbing his eyes. He puts his glasses on and nods at UnStellar, who gives a silent smile in reply. Zak makes his way over to the jeep in his socks, stepping onto the roof.
"Whose idea was it to sleep on the ground again?" He joked, yawning and admiring the morning sun. UnStellar takes a puff off his pipe, never taking his eye off the sky.
"You guys didn't have to. I was going to do it alone. Perfectly good tent set up over there." He stated plainly. Zak glances around the camp with some concern.
"Where's Orga?" He asks, beginning to worry.
"He bailed on us last night and moved into the tent, of course." UnStellar replies with a smirk. Zak gives a brief chuckle.
"Of course he did. He's Orga." The conversation idled for a while, the two listening to the birds chirp. A pair of deer came into the clearing, glancing curiously at the guests as they chewed the grass.
"What's on your mind, Zak?" UnStellar asks knowingly.
"Oh, you know, just a silly dream I had last night." He said skittishly.
"I doubt it's silly if you're worried about it. Tell me what's bothering you." The conversation paused while Zak collected his thoughts, before he replied,
"It was about the green flu, and of course, Zombies. We were fighting them. We were kicking ass, to be more precise. But..." Zak trailed off.
"We started to lose, and you saw us die one by one." UnStellar finishes. Zak stared at him in surprise.
"How did you-"
"I have that dream every once in a while. Don't worry Zak. It's normal to have dreams like that, it doesn't mean we're all going to die. It just shows that you're concerned, that you're ready and thinking about. What's the hardest part about the zombie apocalypse?" UnStellar asks a familiar question.
"Pretending not to be excited." Zak smiles faintly in reply.
"The four of us are like brothers now, and we're ready! We've spent the last year getting ready for the Green Flu. Remember how crazy our neighbors think we are?" Zak laughs.
"Remember when Hiro had that girl over, and she went into the armory thinking it was a bathroom? Man, she freaked. Thought we were terrorists or something. I still remember you explaining it to the cops and hoping nobody used the word zombie." They laugh together ad UnStellar blows a smoke ring from his pipe.
"They were actually really understanding. I think they were somewhat happy to see four college kids with a head on their shoulders, being prepared for some disaster. I think they were a little freaked out by the sheer amount of guns we had though."
"We still don't have enough."
"Never enuff Dakka!" The two shout at the same time, causing Hiro to stir, grumbling as he burrowed into his sleeping bag. The two laughed together heartily, UnStellar putting his hand on Zak's shoulder.
"We can cut the road trip short if you want. After we hang with everyone from SP we go home." He said reassuringly.
"You mean it man? This road trip is a dream to you."
"I do. I have my own worries about the Green Flu. I'm not sure it's going to blow over like Swine. Remember what happened to Baltimore..." He trailed off sadly, removing his hand from Zak's shoulder.
"One way or another this will hopefully blow over. We'll spend our summer at home and go next year." He says reassuringly. Zak nodded.
"Okay. If you're good with it, so am I." Hiro grumbled in his sleeping bag, rolling over.
"Yo, Hiro! You got a sound proof sleeping bag or what?" He shouts, scaring off the deer and causing Hiro to stick a middle finger out of his bag, making the two on the roof burst out in laughter.
--
"Due to the violent effect of the Green Flu, officials have ordered a lock down of eastern United States overnight. Officials are quoted saying that the Green Flue epidemic had spread much further and faster then previously thought from it's origins in Maryland, and has spread to the entire Eastern side of the United States. Officials also believe it may have spread much further West already, and have quarantined off Wisconsin, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee and Lousisiana. News crews from inside the quarantine zone are reporting massive damages and deaths. Officials advise every one, both in, and outside the the Quarantine zone to barricade their homes and wait this out."
A bowl of cereal hits the ground as a built, blond man jumps to his feet.
"Jeebus! Regina!" He pauses for a second. "TAYLOR!" he grabs a coat, running out the door to his car and taking off onto the highway as quickly as possible.
--
SLAM. SLAM. SLAM. SLAM. Glass shattered as the bartender threw the lifeless Hunter to the ground, head caved in from bludgeoning against the door glass. Zai and Jeebus awoke with a start, stumbling to their feet.
"Dear Gog I have a hang over... Where are we?" Jeebus asks tiredly. The door opens, the Bartender pulls closed the metal sliding thing over the door, securely barricading them in, leaving the place in pitch darkness.
"You're in the Fisherman's Bar on the far east side of Minnesota. The powers out, and the zombies are here. Go back to sleep." He said deadpan. The two were already back on their respective couches.
"Mmm. Sounds about right... Good... Night..." Zai says, nodding back to sleep almost instantly. The bartender runs up stairs to patch his wounds and find his gun cabinet...