Day 39

I do not sleep all night. There is chaos in the city. Sirens blare through the cold night and there are lights, indicating several fires. People riot and run equally. The zombies escaped the compound we had been in and are in the city. We are parked in the same garage we had been in that first night after escaping. We grabbed food and water from the back of the Hummer and feed Dawn, Charlotte and Seeley. Waking each up to make sure the eat. It takes some time to feed them and get them to drink, but eventually each is filled and sleeping, color already coming back to their faces.

I flex my fingers as Josh and I sit in the Hummer, Connor on my lap, discussing options on getting out of the city. Neither of us know what the borders look like, except for the one we came in through. I was unconscious and Josh says there is not much to see. They passed into the city and drove for ten or so minutes before arriving. We could go out the way we came, however, we want to travel east and south. If we can get out, we need to get out on the East of the city.

* * *

Everyone is still sleeping, I am holding Connor and Josh is driving us out of the city. The chaos is growing. I have yet to see a zombie and still people are running as if they have come in the thousands to destroy the city. Many try to get into the Hummer with us. All it takes to get them off, however, and at least at this point, is a wave of my gun. I know, that soon, that will not matter.

As we move through the city, and a slow rate to avoid hitting anyone, the chaos grows. We see a zombie for the first time in the city near down town. The thing is dressed in normal clothes and heavily scarred. There is a gash across its leg and it is obvious by the lack of flesh on its arm that a zombie had killed it by eating off of that arm. It is running after a man who had been carrying a protesters sign. It is ironic, and the sign says, "Zombies are people too." I want to laugh, but can't bring myself to, which is probably for the better. Josh stops the car, gets out and fires several rounds towards the thing. He hits its head and it dies. The man running from it stops and, resting his hands on his knees, panting, nods towards Josh in thanks.

He gets back in the car and continues driving through the crowds. There are more and more cars on the road. People trying to escape the city, trying to get out with anything and everything they could. I can tell Josh is getting anxious with more and more people, which brings more and more violence. I lean over and set Connor between Dawn and the door, making sure the door is locked. I then grab my pistol and rest it on my lap, still holding it cautiously.

We follow the main road, and occasional Highway sign but things are slowing down. Soon we are at a standstill with people all around us running and fighting. I spot another zombie tackle someone, but no one helps they stand back and watch or run.

"Lock the doors after me," I say, and step out of the car. I have my M21 in hand and run to where the zombie is. I shoot it in the head and kill it. The woman it had tackled does not look to be bitten or have any blood on her that would compromise her and so I let her be. I turn back to where Josh is sitting idle and run back. There are people all around and I can see a lot of commotion up the street. I hold my finger up to Josh, indicating for him to wait and run up the street.

There is a light drizzle as I run and I can see that it will only be getting worse. The sky is dark and gray with low clouds. I can see in the distance areas where it is raining harder and expect that to be here soon. I run up the road for nearly half a mile when I see them. Military tanks, soldiers. It's impossible. How could they have this type of military force. There is a blockade stopping cars from leaving the city. I run up to it to speak with one of the men standing at the barricade.

"What is going on?" I ask.

"We're quarantining the city," he says shortly, blowing me off quickly.

"Where'd the tanks and soldiers come from?"

"We recruited army personnel after the outbreak, in order to keep quarantine if such an outbreak happened here. These are all civilian volunteers."

"The tanks?" he ignores me. "How is it you have so many tanks?"

"Sir, I am going to have to ask you to leave now." I look at him, and he looks at my rifle. I grip it tighter and walk away.

The rain starts to fall harder and when I get back to the Hummer I am drenched. Josh is helping Dawn take a drink of water. Charlotte is awake and eating and Seeley also has a cracker in either hand. "We need to get somewhere safe," I say. They've quarantined the city, but I can only see this ending badly."

"Wait, what?" Josh says, "Wouldn't quarantining just make more zombies?"

"I don't think they want to let it get out. But I don't think  they know what it is like out there. With no communication or anything they may think that there are a lot of other cities like this one."

"If only they could see Sacramento."

We pull out of the line and drive slowly another direction, looking for a good place to weather through this. The chaos around us is growing and we know we need to hurry, but there is little we can do. Occasionally, someone will jump on the car, trying to get us out. Once Josh got out, put his gun to the mans head and said something to him. The man got off, looked in, and then walked away. The further away from downtown we got the less people were there. Or maybe it was just this section of the city.

Dawn spotted a building, a few stories high and looked like a hotel. He drove to it and found it to be abandoned with a sign on the door saying they'd left town. I broke in through a window and let the rest in. We'd later move the supplies up and wait. Wait for everything to explode and then die into a dead city like Sacramento, or Reno or Medicino.