When the sun came up on Dan and Pat, they were still moving south through the back roads. The car radio only broadcast an emergency message on a continuous loop: “Please stay in your homes or your current locations. This is not a drill. Do not attempt to drive on any major road. Do not attempt to leave the state. Stay in your homes until further instructions….. Please stay in your homes or your current locations. This is not a drill…”
They pulled onto Route 9, only to find all the cars screeching to a halt. Dan looked ahead and saw a military checkpoint. He considered for a moment ignoring the soldier’s commands to halt and just flooring it, but then but observed multiple soldiers patrolling along the roadside, fully armed.
“It’s a roadblock,” Dan said to Pat. “They’re looking for the nut jobs; the people going wild or infected or something. Stay calm, tell them we are going to our house in Toms River to hunker down, and they’ll let us pass.”
They heard shouting up ahead as impatient drivers got out of their cars and started arguing with guardsmen. The soldiers, losing patience and becoming more agitated, commanded people back to their vehicles.
“I am going to go tell them who I am, they’ll recognize me. I’m their representative.”
Dan snickered. “Okay, you go do that, Obama, see where it gets you. I don’t think these guys know who you are or care. Sit tight, don’t be an asshole, stay calm, and we are going to drive right through.”
More people started arguing with the guardsmen, and shots were fired into the air. A large shipping container that was positioned alongside the road beyond the checkpoint shuddered to life. On top of the railcar sized metal box, two large panels flipped open like farmhouse cellar doors, slamming down with the crash of metal on metal. A large, telescoping pole equipped with loudspeakers rose fifteen feet into the air like a giant metallic flower. A half dozen civilians that were standing within the immediate proximity of this metallic monstrosity were so startled by the sight and sound of this Transformer-like system coming to life that they actually fall backwards onto their asses. An authoritative, yet robotic sounding voice began bellowing its pre-programmed announcement at an eardrum splitting volume.
“This is an official announcement from the Department of Homeland Security. This is not a drill. All non-first responders must stay in your homes or places of business. If you are located at a military checkpoint, you are to stay in your vehicle. Stay off the main roads to allow Emergency Responders to pass. Do not attempt to pass the checkpoint. Thank you for your immediate compliance.”
The message then repeated in a loop.
More people got out of their cars and confronted the soldiers who were growing increasingly threatened. Pat looked at the car next to him and saw a woman cradling a crying child. He looked in the rear view mirror at a large group of people running down the road towards them.
“Looks like people aren’t listening to the giant Speak and Spell,” Dan commented, his quip not disguising his obvious concern over their current circumstances.
They could now hear screams from behind their car and more people started leaving their cars and rushing towards the roadblock in front of them. The soldiers began firing into the air, but soon it was obvious that not all the people running towards the front were angry drivers abandoning their vehicles. Some of the people coming forward were bloody and ragged. They were infected and they were attacking soldiers and civilians as their numbers grow, streaming closer and closer to the checkpoint. The soldiers at the front realized that their blockade was about to be breached and began panicked firing into the crowd.
Pat and Dan dove to the floor of the car and out of the way of the hail of bullets. Several cars accelerated in an attempt to run the blockade. Having realized they were quickly losing control of the situation, the soldiers either fired wildly into the crowd, hitting civilians, attackers, and other soldiers alike, or they attempted to retreat to their vehicles, which were now becoming enveloped with bloody, biting infected.
At this point, the cargo container switched over from bark mode into bite mode. A second hatch opened on the side of the container and two autonomous high caliber mini-guns emerged. With short, explosive bursts, they riddled the roadblock-evading cars with bullets. More cars and foot runners attempted to make it past the gauntlet, but were also torn to shreds with the volume of fire spraying from the container. Shell casings piled up on the ground surrounding the container, bouncing off of the pavement like a hail storm. Drivers dragged themselves out of the wrecked and bullet ridden vehicles, but were either grabbed by the bloody attackers or were targeted by the unmanned mini-guns. Either way, anyone leaving their cars was torn to shreds before they took two steps.
Dan slammed his foot on the accelerator and crashed into the car in front of them, pushing it a good ten feet. He then put it in reverse and steered the car down the grassy embankment in the direction from which they had come. Dozens of attackers were now jumping on cars and the shoulders were filling up with cars driven by panicked drivers seeking any way out of the kill zone.
Dan steered the car down a service road and sped off into the woods. Several other cars attempted to follow, but slammed into each other, and soon the escape route was jammed with carnage, preventing anyone from passing through. The mangled knot of cars blocking the only escape route was hit with a stray bullet, igniting a sedan’s fuel tank, turning the entire pile of cars along with their inhabitants into a roaring inferno.
“We’re not going to make it driving, Pat,” Dan said.
Pat looked at Dan, who for the first time seemed visibly shaken. “What can we do? We’ll get killed on foot.”
Dan thought for a moment as he steered his way through the winding service road. “What we need is a tank.”
“Can we get one away from those soldiers?” Patrick asked.
“Not without getting shot. I know another way. I know someone who has a tank we can borrow.” Dan thought about what he would have to do and who he would have to see and mumbled to himself. “Christ, can today get any worse?”