《A Brother's Vow》 Prologue - Outbreak Prologue Outbreak It was a big day. John and Rachel were researchers at the World Health Organization (WHO) and were about to create a vaccine for the ¡°Lyssavirus¡±, a new strain of rabies. The virus causes humans to lose their sanity and become extremely hostile, oftentimes resorting to cannibalism. The virus had originated from China and was rapidly spreading, and while the virus had not yet reached the United States, within a couple of weeks, the virus managed to destroy the entirety of Asia and half of Europe. This was extremely concerning for the government. Every able body was working around the clock to find a vaccine. The last thing that was needed to complete research was a living infected to gather samples from. It was found that when an infected dies, the virus dies with it, making it extremely hard to gather any meaningful information. Bringing a live infected was a risk that the government was reluctant to make, but given the circumstances, it was absolutely necessary to prevent an outbreak. The infected was being transported via aircraft from China. Capturing it proved to be much more difficult than anticipated since it doesn¡¯t react to tranquilizers and are very hostile when threatened. The infected which the government nicknamed ¡°Hope¡± had been restrained using metal cuffs on both arms and legs. 2 chains were strapped across its chest like an X. It was then placed in a metal box which was also locked and chained. There were 4 armed men guarding the box 24/7. The government was not taking any chances. If the infected somehow managed to escape, they would kill it immediately. John and Rachel were waiting patiently at the lab with their coworkers. All of them are silent. None of them had actually seen a live infected before. Although the researchers had heard stories about the infected, none of them truly understood just how horrifying they really were. As a matter of fact, some of them were eager to see an infected with their own eyes. What they don¡¯t realize is that the infected had already broken free from its cuffs.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°The aircraft landed. They¡¯re wheeling the bastard over here as we speak,¡± says the head researcher. The armed men enter through the double doors. They promptly place the metal box flat on the ground. ¡°We¡¯re going to open the box. The infected should be restrained on a metal tray. While you gather samples, we¡¯ll make sure nothing happens. After you finish, we will kill the infected and incinerate it to be safe. If any of you get bit, we won¡¯t hesitate to shoot you. If there aren¡¯t any questions or concerns, let''s get started.¡± The armed guard says. After getting the OK, one of the men pulls out a key and the lock clicks open. Slowly unraveling the chain, the 3 other men have their guns aimed at the box. Everyone in the room is tense. Waiting. The man opens the box. The infected is calmy inside the box. ¡°We¡¯re clea-¡± but before he can finish his sentence, the infected leaps out of the box and takes a bite of the man''s forearm. He screams in agony as his comrades open fire upon the infected. It doesn¡¯t die immediately. It charges towards a researcher and rips off a huge chunk of his calf. It only takes three minutes for everything to spiral out of control. All of the researchers are screaming and running sporadically, desperate to escape. 1 of the 4 guards panic and start to open fire on the researchers. As the armed guards are firing at the infected, the ones that got bit are turning. It only takes 30 seconds. The newly infected join in, and within a minute, 5 more people are infected. In another minute, everyone is dead. Except for John. During the commotion, John manages to hide in the equipment room. He had left his wife Rachel to fend for herself. He knew that he would be dead anyway. He had to call his son. He quickly pulls out his cell phone and dials the number. The infected start to pound on the door. ¡°Come on Ethan, please pick up. Please.¡± His phone gives him an automated message telling him he has no service. Inside the lab inside the equipment room, he was surrounded by thick layers of concrete. It only made sense that he wouldn¡¯t have any service. John turns off his phone. He barred the door with a metal shelf. As the infected pound on the door, he sits in a corner and cries. No one would know what had happened. No one would come to help. He would either die of starvation or get eaten alive by his coworkers. He couldn¡¯t contact his son to warn him. He would die a slow and painful death alone. Chapter 1 - Vow Chapter 1 Vow I had never seriously considered suicide until this moment. With a lethal dose of morphine at my disposal, I could end all my problems painlessly. My constant state of fear from infected pounding on the walls haunted me every night. Their faces etched into my nightmares. A full week had passed since the outbreak had spread to California. My parents were researchers at WHO and had gone to the lab late that night. They never returned. For 3 days after that night, I had been a wreck. I didn¡¯t eat or sleep. I was scared shitless. The only thing that kept me from killing myself was my baby brother, Noah. Whenever the thought of suicide popped into my head, I reminded myself that if I took my own life, he would slowly starve to death. I was the only person left in the world who could take care of him. The only way I would be able to kill myself without any guilt would be to smother him so he dies a quick and painless death. Just the thought alone made me sick to the stomach. How selfish could I possibly be, I thought to myself. I had to be strong for my brother¡¯s sake. I made a vow that day, that no matter what, I would always protect him. Electricity was out, and the fact that I was stuck in a 2 bedroom apartment meant that I had a lot of free time on my hands. I spent the majority of it thinking and planning. My first question was, ¡°What is my goal?¡± I¡¯m trying to ensure that my brother and I are able to make it out of this alive and well. In order to that, we would need to wait out the virus for as long as possible. I need to figure out how long we can last given the amount of food and water we currently have. The very first thing I realize is half the food in the fridge is useless. Fuck. Since the electricity is out, all the food had gone bad. Had I been smarter, I could¡¯ve realized this sooner. I salvage a few edible items. Then I check the non-perishables. We have plenty of snacks. Chips, granola bars, peanuts, and animal crackers. We also have some canned peaches and spam. If I ration, I could probably scrape by with a little less than 3 weeks. Thankfully, my brother has his own food. They¡¯re little Gerber food packs that don¡¯t need to be kept cold or need to be heated up. They don¡¯t spoil for a long time, and luckily, my parents bought plenty of it. My brother could easily survive a month if he rationed 2 meals a day instead of 3. However, there was a bigger problem. Water. Unlike food, you can¡¯t really ration it. It¡¯s much easier to dehydrate than it is to starve. Water also takes up a lot more space. I hadn¡¯t considered this before the water shut off. All we had left were 3 dozen bottled waters, saved in case of a hurricane or some other natural disaster. Grateful that we won¡¯t dehydrate, I figure I can drink half a bottle a day and my brother can drink a quarter. That gives me less than 2 weeks. Although 2 weeks is incredibly short, it should be enough time for me to figure out a way to gather more supplies. The most obvious way is to simply leave the building and find places to raid. The most obvious problem is that I would probably get killed before I even got both feet out the door. Maybe I could wait it out? Maybe they could cure the virus before our 2 weeks and everything will be ok. Although it was a possibility, the likeliness of that happening was slim. I needed a concrete plan that would have a guaranteed or at least a very high chance of success. So in order to get more supplies, I would need to physically exit the building. I can¡¯t exit through the front door. Even after a week, I could still hear the sounds of fists pounding on the wall and the occasional scream. They were still present in the building and they weren¡¯t going anywhere anytime soon. That only leaves the windows and the balcony. An exit from the windows would be impossible. Not only are they extremely small windows, but there¡¯s also nothing to hang on to. There¡¯s no ledges I can slow my fall with. Even though I live on the 5th floor (the lowest floor), a drop from this height would most definitely break my legs which is practically the same thing as handing myself over to the infected. That only leaves the balcony. As I step outside the balcony, I get an idea. An extremely stupid idea that will probably get me killed.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. From my balcony, directly to the right, is my neighbor¡¯s balcony. Not directly to the right, I suppose. There¡¯s a 15-foot gap between us. Even in a hypothetical situation where I have a running start and no walls to block me, that¡¯s a risk I wouldn¡¯t want to take. If I slip up and die, my brother will be the one to suffer, not me. That leaves me with Plan B. The balcony directly above me. Even though getting up the balcony itself is harder, the distance between my railing and the ledge above is only about 5 or 6 feet. If I can find a way to secure myself onto the rail and figure out a way to get back onto my balcony safely, it would be a good chance to buy us a couple more days. I settle upon a hanger and an ethernet cable. I knot the cable to the hanger in order to create a makeshift grappling hook. I know that if I put all my weight onto the hanger, it will snap. Its only purpose is to guide me and to act as a safety net in case I fuck up. I¡¯ll use the cable to support myself for a brief moment while I use the railing and ledge to jump up. To get down, I¡¯ll hang off the side and use the cable to slowly descend until my foot makes contact with the rail. It¡¯s definitely risky but I have no other choice at the moment. As I climb onto the rail, I start getting second thoughts and my hands start sweating as I realize a small mistake could cost me and my brother¡¯s life. As my hand grips onto the ledge of the balcony above, the hanger slightly breaks off. This scares me to the point where I¡¯m frozen in fear. No turning back now. Using every ounce of courage that I could muster, I let go of the railing and jump up. My left-hand shoots up faster than it ever has in my life and I manage to catch the rail. Slowly, I pull myself up. And at that moment, I realize all the flaws in my stupid plan. The best-case scenario is that no one is inside the apartment and there are ample supplies. Great. However, what if there was still a healthy person inside? Would they help me or kill me? What if there was an infected inside? How would I even get inside, to begin with? I would have to smash the sliding door to get in but I don¡¯t think my knuckles are strong enough to break the glass. As these thoughts enter my mind, I manage to see the inside of the apartment. The sliding door was wide open and the drapes were pulled back so I could see everything inside without having to commit. Another fatal flaw in my plan that could¡¯ve cost me my life. As I scan the room, I notice that the entire place is a wreck. I can rule out the possibility that there¡¯s a healthy person in there. He most likely got killed or fled when he had the chance. That¡¯s when I see it. The actual door to the apartment is wide open. Before my brain can even process what that means, a slender figure that had been standing by the wall the entire time moves. I¡¯m paralyzed with fear. My only option is to drop down the ledge to the safety of my apartment. But as I look down, I see the drop which only makes me more afraid. My heart is beating out of my chest. My hands are so sweaty I may as well have just washed my hands. The infected walks towards me, with nothing but bloodlust in his eyes. I grab the cable and prepare to drop down when it snaps. I look back up to see him charging at me with his teeth bared. I let go of the railing and go into a freefall. Everything seems to go in slow motion as I fall. I reach out for the railing from my apartment. I miss. This is it. Then I see the cable hanging down from the railing. I had tied down the base of the cable in case this very thing happened. I quickly grab the thin ethernet cable and grab the edge of the railing pulling myself back into the comfort of my own home. Had I held on to the cable a second longer, it would have snapped. Chapter 2 - Escape Chapter 2 - Escape We¡¯re fucked. There¡¯s no other option. We have to get out of this building. There is no feasible way for me to get supplies without leaving, and there¡¯s no feasible way for me to get back into the building without getting devoured. That was when I realized I just had to simply escape. If I can find an abandoned home placed conveniently next to a supermarket, I could easily gather supplies without any worry. However, to escape the building would be near suicide, but it was crucial if Noah and I were to have any chance of survival. My first order of business was to find a way out. A task that I would soon realize be impossible. The only way out is through the balcony. We were on the lowest floor. The 5th floor. All 4 floors below us were dedicated to parking. Our balcony was placed directly over the parking garage sundeck meaning it was only a 20-foot drop. Not enough to cause any real damage but could probably sprain my ankles allowing any nearby infected to easily catch us. I also had to consider the damage an impact would have on a 2-year-old. Even if I managed to drop down to the 4th floor without any problems, I was still on the 4th floor. Jumping off the 4th floor wouldn¡¯t be possible. I could run down the garage but that was probably where most of the infected would be gathered. If I just had a car... I was preparing for the escape. Although I didn¡¯t have a concrete plan, I had to be ready to move at a moment¡¯s notice. I packed the essentials. Food, water, and some change of clothes. I stumbled upon a Baby Bjorn which is essentially a front-facing backpack for your baby. During my search for things I thought would be helpful, I struck gold. Last Christmas, my parents had bought me a drone. A drone would allow me to go anywhere any gather live video footage of places that would be too dangerous to facecheck. I could use the drone to scout the building for any infected before actually moving. Being able to have vision of any area from afar is invaluable in a situation like this. I take out the drone and turn it on. It¡¯s dead. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡± I think with heavy quotation marks. We have batteries. The remote runs on 6 triple-As. The drone itself, however, was charged using a micro-USB. That required an outlet. Something that I no longer had access to. Luckily, I had a secret weapon. A solar-powered portable charger. I had bought it for $20 at a convenience store. Everything seemed perfect. Except solar charging takes extremely long. The instruction manual says it takes 10 hours of direct sunlight in order to fully charge the battery. That in itself wasn¡¯t a big deal. The problem is, I live in an apartment. I only receive a fraction of the sunlight since the building shades all sunlight above and behind me. I only get about 2 hours of weak early morning sunrise and 2 hours of the midday sun. I estimate that it will take 4-5 days to charge. After I charge the battery for about 3 days, I figure it should be enough time to at least charge the drone to a usable amount. I plug in the USB and the orange light blinks to life. Never had I felt so proud. The drone charges for a little over an hour before the solar-powered charger dies. The indicator shows the drone is at 30%. I switch on the drone and immediately patrol the garage. I have to be fast. I count 2 infected on the 4th floor. As I head deeper in, I notice something. My parent¡¯s car. The car. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s the way out. Before I can scout any deeper, the remote gives me a warning that the drone is heading out of range and that it might lose signal. I should¡¯ve guessed the concrete garage would block the radio waves. For fear I would lose the drone, I quickly recall it. It doesn¡¯t matter. I got what I needed. Our golden ticket out of here. All I need now are the keys to the car. I know we have 2 keys in total. One for my mom and one for my dad. Since they were driving together, I pray that my mom left hers at home. I quickly search their room, any place where they might have the keys. The thought that I would have to search my parent¡¯s dead bodies in the hallway made me work even faster. As I start to give up, my brother Noah came up from behind me. Giving me a carefree look with the brightest grin on his face. It makes me shed a tear. ¡°You must be starving. Sorry buddy.¡± Noah is too young to have any meaningful conversations with. He can barely walk without tripping over himself. I head over to the kitchen to grab a pack of Noah¡¯s dinner. That¡¯s when I see the key hanging on the side of the fridge. Today¡¯s the day. The night before, my heart rate had been a steady 120bpm while I was trying to sleep. I¡¯m scared and exhausted. The plan itself was actually quite simple. I would use something similar to the hanger and ethernet cable contraption I built but better by using bedsheets. Little did I know that bedsheets could actually support a fair amount of weight. I knot the bedsheet with 3 other bedsheets and knot the last one down to a 25-pound weight which I threat through the rail. Even if the bedsheets tear, It should be enough to slow down my fall. With Noah in the Baby Bjorn, I¡¯ll have all my hands free. From there, I¡¯ll beeline to the car. Once I¡¯m in, Noah and I should be safe. Then we¡¯ll simply drive down the garage and we¡¯re free to go wherever we please. Of course, before any of this, I¡¯ll use my drone to check if there¡¯s any infected. Ideally, I want to leave when there aren¡¯t any infected around the 4th floor. I even considered throwing something at a car in order to trigger the alarm, attracting all the infected into one spot so we could escape. Like in every zombie movie ever made. However, that would just rile them up. It¡¯s better to be as quiet as possible and sneak past them. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. With all my preparations in place, I grab my dad¡¯s BB gun. It¡¯s not going to help at all if we actually need to face any infected, but holding it makes me feel more confident. I strap Noah to my chest and step out onto the balcony. I had scouted a single infected on the 4th floor. However, it was all the way in the corner. It wouldn¡¯t be able to see me coming down. With my heart pounding out of my chest, I say my final goodbyes to the apartment and slowly rappel over the railing grabbing onto the bedsheets. The 25-pound dumbbell acts as a hook and prevents the bedsheets from going over. The bedsheets drape down about 12 feet. That should be just enough to fall without any injury. When I get right below the balcony, the bedsheets tear. I should¡¯ve known. All my weight was leaning backwards from when I was rappelling down. As I fall, I slightly shift my weight to the left in order to protect my head from snapping back. I squeeze Noah to absorb all the impact and brace myself. I land directly on my hip. The pain is unbearable. Everything is blurry and I feel disoriented. I let out a sharp cry and immediately realized what I had just done. I try to pick myself up but moving my left leg feels like someone is repeatedly smashing my hip with a hammer. I look down at Noah. He looks scared but otherwise unharmed. I use the wall to pull myself up. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the infected had heard me and started to slowly walk towards us. When I saw the infected, any pain that I had once felt vanished in a heartbeat. The adrenaline allowed me to make a semi jog towards the car. It was about 50 feet away. As I turn the corner, I now see the infected behind me is catching up. At this rate, he¡¯ll catch me before I can make it to the car. I muster every last ounce of strength I have and sprint. The car is 20 feet away. Our ticket out of here is literally in my grasp. Then I see an infected that I hadn¡¯t noticed on the drone. It was resting behind a car, nearly blending in. However, all the commotion had woken him. I didn¡¯t notice him until I reached the car. Any rational thoughts I once had vanished into thin air. As I unlocked the door, I tried pulling the door open. If you didn¡¯t know, you have to wait for the door to unlock before you can open the door. Otherwise, it doesn¡¯t unlock, but I was in too much of a panic. Instead, I ran around back into the passenger side. The door opened. The infected reached for us and I quickly jump into the seat and slam the door, but the infected catches the door with his hand. I pull out the BB gun I was hanging on to and unload the entire clip into his face. Infected don¡¯t feel pain but they still require eyes to see. BB¡¯s can still blind you. Once the infected lost vision, I kicked his chest sending him reeling. I closed the door for real this time and locked the car. I take a look at Noah to see if he was hurt during this minute that felt like an hour. He was unharmed. We did it. We actually did it. However, we weren¡¯t home free yet. First of all, I can¡¯t drive. I¡¯m 14. I figured that I would just need to press the gas and turn the wheel. What I didn¡¯t account for was the fact that the car was facing the wrong direction. And because we were in a narrow parking garage, trying to turn around would be an even more difficult task. I didn¡¯t even know how to put the car in reverse. As I helplessly gas and brake while the car was parked, more and more infected were starting to gather from the sound of the ignition. Then in a moment of pure luck and desperation, I held down the brakes and shifted the gear. I had accidentally put the car into reverse and slammed the gas. We went flying backwards into wall and into a small group of infected. About 3 of them exploded into bits. Now that we were against the corner, making a turn would be significantly easier. I put the car into drive and cruise my way down the spiraling parking garage. There were a couple infected here and there but nothing crazy. Once we got to the end of the 2nd floor, I encountered the biggest problem yet. All of the infected were gathered on the first floor of the parking garage because of all of the bodies that were there. They were voring on the unfortunates who couldn¡¯t get out of the car. There was also a conveniently placed Honda Civic blocking the entire exit. Driving full force into it wasn¡¯t an option. If the airbags went off, Noah who was still strapped to my chest would surely die. However, if I drive slowly into the car to push it, the infected would swarm around the car. We wouldn¡¯t be able to move and they¡¯ll eventually break the glass and kill us. I pulled out my BB gun and shot one of the cars in the far back triggering the car alarm. As expected, all the infected swarmed. I slowly push the car out of the way. All that¡¯s left is the gate. I hold the button below the rearview mirror. It lights up but the gate doesn¡¯t open. After a couple more attempts, I realize the electricity is out. The gate can¡¯t open if there¡¯s nothing to power it. The infected lose interest in the car I shot and start to head towards us. I put the car into reverse and slowly back up until I reach the wall. Then I put it back into drive and I floor it. I open my eyes to see the bright blue sky with the sun shining down. The gate was surprisingly weak. It didn¡¯t even slow down the car. I turn around to see the horde of infected chasing after us. My brother Noah laughs. It¡¯s all fun and games for him. I can¡¯t help but smile as the two of us aimlessly drive off into the unknown.