Teemo walked down the parking lot to the local Narble & Bones. A music store located on the corner of a chain of stores and restaurants. Right next to N&B was a Chinese restaurant Teemo had never been to before. He considered if he should buy something for later that evening. He looked at the sky and noticed it had gotten considerably cloudier since he and his friend’s left Chess’s. That didn’t stop the Sun from cooking everyone who dared step into its light though. Luckily for Teemo, he actually enjoyed the heat, and he could feel a pleasant breeze on his scalp.
Teemo entered N&B and was immediately recognized by the cashier. The counter was square shaped and sat a couple of paces in front of the entrance. Immediately to the left and right of the front entrance were shelves of magazines and books. Further back, past the counter, were tables and shelves of CDs, cassettes, and other various tools for playing music. The back of the store could be seen from the front entrance, where more books were laid, along with boomboxes, cassette players, and some pictures of famous music artists on the walls. The cashier waved at Teemo and called out, “What’s up Timothy?”
Teemo responded as he reached the counter and fist-bumped the cashier, “Nothin’ much Ron, y’all got the new release from Wednesday?”
“You know it baby!” Ron pointed at the table to Teemo’s right, “Got it right in the front waitin’ on you! And...” he leaned in closer to Teemo and whispered, “You know, just for you, I can drop an employee discount on your purchase, plus with a few reward points that... ‘mysteriously...’ appeared in your account, you can cut 75% off.”
“Aw, you ain’t gotta do that for me man.”
“Of course I do!” he exclaimed, “You are our most valuable patron after all!”
Teemo laughed as he walked over to the table to search for the album, “Stop playin’ dawg.”
“I’m dead serious bro! Just promise that when you make it big we’ll be the first to have your picture up on the wall!”
Teemo laughed, “I got you bro.”
“Yes!”
Teemo looked on the table and the new album was the first object to catch his eye. He picked it up and flipped it over to read the back. Teemo looked around some more and considered buying the third installment of the book series on production he’d been reading. Right before he made a decision, he heard Ron talking to someone at the front door. Teemo turned around to see a man stumbling his way inside, holding his head like it was aching. Ron asked if he was alright and immediately after, the man crashed into the magazine shelf to his right. Multiple magazines fell to the floor as the man mumbled, “He-help…”
Ron immediately jumped over the counter and rushed to the stranger. Another nearby customer came over to see what was wrong. Ron told the other customer to dial 9-1-1. Ron tried helping the man who’d collapsed to stand, just when a scream could be heard outside. The man in Ron’s arms spoke again, “I- I have-”
Ron leaned in closer, “What? What is it?” he looked back at the other customer, “Call 9-1-1 already man!”
The other guy frantically pulled out his phone and scurried for the dial keys.
The delirious man on the ground spoke again, “I need- I-”
“Yes?” Ron inquired.
Suddenly the man’s eyes bulged out of his head and he grabbed Ron by the throat, exclaiming, “I’m… morrree!” The sudden screech caused the bystander with his phone to jump and drop it. The delirious one screeched again and forced Ron to the floor, choking him. Ron hopelessly attempted to pry the man off of him, but his grip was iron-clad. He leaned over Ron, drool leaking from his mouth.
Just then, Teemo rushed in and kicked the man square in his face, sending him flying backwards outside. Everyone in the store rushed over to the front now. Teemo kneeled down next to Ron to check on him. “What was that?” Teemo asked.
“Hell if I know,” Ron responded, rubbing his throat.
Right after, the man jumped through the doorway again. He scaled over Ron and Teemo, and attacked another person standing in the crowd. They tried to stop him but before anyone could react, the man sank his teeth into the person’s neck and ripped the flesh off.
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Teemo stared at the sight in shock. The attacker didn’t stop. He immediately jumped to the next person and bit them in their arm. Everyone began panicking and running away. Teemo picked up Ron and tried to carry him out of the store. Just when he got Ron up, Ron was suddenly swept from Teemo’s grasp. Teemo turned around and the man who’d been bitten in the neck was dragging Ron by his ankle. Ron yelled and tried to kick him, but he only grabbed that leg too. The screams and shouts echoed throughout the store. Teemo looked around and every person who’d been bitten chased after someone else. CDs and books crashed to the floor. Entire tables and chairs flipped over. Teemo’s mind raced, his body froze, unsure of what to do.
He looked back down and Ron was still trying to fight off the man on top of him. Teemo looked behind him, he was right next to the exit. He looked at Ron, still struggling. He looked back at the exit. Back at Ron. The screams throughout the store still going. Teemo’s blood pumped. He made a decision. Ron felt his back crash to the floor, and he glanced up to see Teemo dashing out of the exit.
He didn’t know where to run, but he decided to find somewhere safe and call the police. As he ran, he heard the loud screeching of tires suddenly coming to a stop. He looked to the road on the right of the parking lot and a car crashed into the back of another. More cars swerved trying to avoid them and ended up crashing too. A scream came from his left. Teemo turned towards the scream. A horde of people were scrambling around the parking lot, running out of different stores, running to others, running to cars, running anywhere. His eyes naturally began to coast along the horizon. Cars speeding, crashing, fires erupting, people seeking refuge, more seeking chaos. “What…” Teemo slowly let out, “is… happening?”
Teemo suddenly felt the urge to look over his shoulder. A horde of erratic people were charging at him from the direction of another accident. Their arms swung about towards him. Their faces twisting and jaws munching in every which direction. Teemo’s blood pumped again. His legs fired up and he sprinted away as hard as he could. He ran through the frantic parking lot. Hurdling over still bodies lying on the pavement. Juking around people who suddenly reached for him. Teemo ran harder than he ever had before. He ran like his life depended on it, because it did. The horde chasing him only grew in size. He ran until an empty restaurant caught his eye. Teemo charged inside, ramming through the door so fast the glass cracked. The restaurant was small and he located a restroom at the very back.
There was hardly a breath between him running in, then running to the restroom. He had no idea how close the horde was behind him, but he felt the moment he stopped, they’d catch him. He made it to the restroom in the blink of an eye and pushed open the door. There were three stalls. He immediately chose the furthest one and hid inside.
Teemo locked the stall door and stepped onto the toilet seat to hide himself better. He tried to stay quiet but his chest ached and his lungs screamed for air. He desperately tried to control his gasping, but he wasn’t getting any quieter. After what felt like an eternity, Teemo realized he forgot to lock the door to the bathroom. His chest only pounded harder. Should he risk getting up to lock it, or should he stay put and hope they didn’t come in? He pondered. Before he made a decision, he heard the creak of the bathroom door opening. There were low snarls coming from the entrance. Teemo covered his mouth and tried to breathe through his nose as quietly as possible. He heard it gradually getting closer. Could he fight them? No, not all of them. Maybe one or two. Three if he was lucky. But he saw what happened to everyone else. All it took was a bite, and he was wearing a short sleeve shirt. He couldn’t fight. He couldn’t run. And it looked like he wouldn’t be able to hide much longer.
Teemo winced at the realization he could do nothing. A situation completely out of his control. At that moment, Teemo decided to handle stress like he always did. He needed to mentally retreat. This would be the last time he’d have to picture himself in his happy place. So make the most of it, he thought.
Teemo closed his eyes. He tuned out the ever-increasingly loud snarls. He pictured himself sitting in his room. He imagined sitting on the cold wood floor. He pictured his untidy bed behind him. He pictured the sunlight from the window, beaming into his room, creating a light square on the floor. He imagined the aroma of fried chicken seeping into his room from the kitchen. He imagined the music he’d normally have playing off his laptop. He pictured his phone buzzing with his friend’s asking when he wanted to hang out next. He was so immersed he could actually feel the air vent on his ceiling blowing on his back. He could feel the floor. The snarls outside the stall were gone. Teemo moved his hand down and felt something cold and hard. It definitely wasn’t the toilet. No, it actually felt like wood. Is this really what people go through in a near-death experience? He thought, Oh that’s right, I’m about to die. He remained calm though. Teemo felt at peace. His heart and his breathing were steady. He hadn’t even realized he didn’t smell the stench of the bathroom anymore. He smelled clean and fresh air. Maybe I’m already dead? He pondered. Death is weird.
Teemo had a gut feeling to actually open his eyes. At this point, he didn’t care if a blood drenched, drooling maniac waited on the other side of the stall. He was fine now. He wanted to get it over with. His eyes opened and… he was in his room.
Teemo blinked. He rapidly blinked. He wiped his eyes and slapped his face. No, this wasn’t an illusion. He ran his hand across the floor, it was real. His bed was behind him, the same as he had left it. He shuffled the covers with his hands too. It was real. The sunlight pierced into the room through the window. He could feel the heat. Surely enough, it was real.
He wondered if it had all been a dream. He pulled out his phone, there were two emergency alerts and multiple missed calls and unread text messages. The first alert mentioned “terrorist activity” and the second mentioned a “shelter-in-place.” He’d missed a call from his mom and messages from the group chat with Darnell and the others. The messages had all been flowing in at once then were suddenly cut off. “So it wasn’t a dream,” Teemo mumbled to himself. His mind blanked. He sat back down on the floor and just stared at the wall with his phone in his hand.