ILikeToPinch

Here it is! My submission. Coming in a a worthy 2,740. This one has fast zombies and is indeed set in the Left 4 Dead universe. Enjoy!


Rob threw open the door to the house, banging the brass knob into the wall with a bang. Amber jumped in surprise at the noise. Rob rushed into the kitchen, meeting Amber there. He quickly embraced her and then grabbed her by the shoulders.

“We need as much food as we can get. All that we can. I’m going to go get Micah and then we’re leaving.”

Rob’s orders were clear and powerful. Amber could only nod at his command and began packing up foodstuffs. Rob remained in the kitchen for only a second longer. He looked at his wife and tried to hide the quiver in his voice when he said: “I love you.”

Amber returned the phrase and continued packing. With that, Rob disappeared from the house. He jumped into his sedan and whipped out of the driveway, heading to Micah’s middle school.

As Rob sped down the road with total disregard for the speed limit he thought about the events that had just occurred.

A few weeks prior there was a strange new strain of the rabies virus. Most of the news reports said that it all had to do with some kind of mutation in the disease. Evidently, rabies had mutated to better defend itself against the immune systems of raccoons. Unfortunately, this mutation also led to a massive increase in aggression.

Rob could remember hearing about nearly a dozen attacks in just one day. All kinds of animals were becoming infected with the new strain and attacking humans along with anything else around them.

It was then that the rumors started. Some said that the new strain of rabies was incurable, while others said it was exactly the same as the old strain. Evidently the new strain was different. Very different.

Rob had heard stories about people going postal on the news, but it was something that he overlooked. He didn’t think of it as a very alarming threat. He had told Micah to stay away from any stray animals; he thought that’d be enough.

The virus soon took over entire blocks. People attacking each other, ripping each other to pieces. Suddenly, nowhere was safe. Rob knew he had to get his family out of town, away from the madness.

Rob pulled into the school’s parking lot, taking up three spaces in his haste. He had kept Micah in school, not wanting to panic him, but now it was time to leave. As Rob entered the building a teacher tried to stop him. Rob threw the woman to the ground. He passed the school’s main office and saw that it was full of screaming parents. The concerned adults spilled out into the hallway, all of them demanding that they get their kids out of the building.

“Screw that,” thought Rob, as he began making his way down the 7th grade hallway. He partially recognized the layout of the school from all the useless parent conferences he had gone to. He located Micah’s classroom and opened the door.

The room was surprisingly empty, with only half a dozen students inside. Micah perked up at the sight of his father. The teacher made some remark to Rob but he wasn’t listening.

“Micah, we’re leaving.”

The boy began to pack up his books but Rob stopped him.

“Leave them. Let’s go. Right now.”

Micah dropped the books and went to Rob’s side. They left the school and drove back to the house. Micah remained quiet despite Rob’s encouraging words.

When they arrived at the house Amber had tubs of food ready to be packed into the car. She had gathered a few blankets and pillows, along with a flashlight and extra batteries.

Micah hugged his mother while Rob began packing the food into the car. He made quick work of it. Once done, Rob walked around to the backyard and called out for his dog Bailey. A golden retriever galloped up to the fence, it’s face locked in a strange sort of smile. Rob instructed the dog to get in the car with a simple: “Bye-Bye.”

Amber and Micah were standing in the doorway now. Rob ordered them into the car while Micah protested leaving his hamster Chester. Amber did her best to calm the kid, but he was clearly upset. Rob entered his home one last time, went to his bedroom and pulled out a small lockbox from underneath his bed. Inside was a small .22 caliber handgun. He stuffed the pistol in his pocket and left the house, not bothering to lock the door.

With that, they were on the road. Micah aggravatingly insisted on going back for Chester, causing Rob to shout at him in frustration. They were stuck in heavy traffic. All the major roads were gridlocked with fleeing citizens. Rob impatiently tapped on the steering wheel while he inched forward.

Suddenly a vehicle to the right of Rob began to shake violently. He could hear screaming coming from inside it. The SUV shook back and forth, with the screams growing ever louder. Micah and Amber watched in confusion. Rob felt an icy pang of fear rip through him.

“Not good, not good, not good,” he said.

Rob began to fumble with the gear stick that shifted the car into four-wheel drive. The stubborn thing wouldn’t budge, as it was hardly ever used. Rob nervously glanced back and forth between the SUV and the mulish stick.
Then the driver-side door of the SUV flung open. A bloodied body crumpled out, hanging limply on a seatbelt. A woman crawled over the body, her face splattered with blood and her eyes full of rage. She looked directly at Rob and began to fumble over the hanging corpse.

“Not good, not good, not good!” Rob shouted.

The stick finally moved, and Rob pushed down hard on the accelerator, taking a hard left into the median. He drove through the grass, bouncing his entire family around the interior of the car. Bailey barked in confusion and fear.
Rob entered the opposing traffic lane, which was nearly deserted, and drove across it. He drove through a field and then emerged onto a small road. He followed it, not knowing where it would lead. Middle-class homes flew by on either side of the family’s car.

Micah and Amber watched as the houses passed their windows. Many of the houses had their doors hanging wide open. Other houses were boarded up. Rob navigated the streets of what he assumed was a rather large subdivision. Houses stood side-by-side, so similar it was as if they were the same.
Then, as if given a cue, infected people ran at the car. They came from the bushes, the houses, everywhere. There were at least twenty of them, they charged after the car, their blood stained faces locked in a horrid expression of rage.

Rob’s foot pressed harder on the gas pedal. Amber was babbling to Rob but he wasn’t listening. He was trying his hardest to get out of the subdivision. Micah had tears streaming down his face. He buried his head into Bailey’s soft fur. The dog’s ears were drooped and the animal was sullen.

Rob took a turn, then another and another. Further and further they drove into the infected rows of houses. More and more crazed pursuers joined the group that was sprinting behind the car.

“Rob! What—“ Amber’s words were cut off by a loud bang. Rob gawked at the slimy black thing that had just landed on the windshield.

“What the hell?” Rob swerved the car, sending the slimy thing flying off the windshield. He looked out his rearview mirror and saw that the thing was like a long cable, it extended out of the window a few houses back. It quickly recessed back into the building and then a man jumped out of the window, joining the crowd of infected chasing the sedan.

“What was that Dad?” Micah asked through fearful tears.

“I don’t know. Keep your head down. Hold on to Bailey.”

“Was that a tongue?” Amber asked in horror.

“I don’t know dammit!” Rob looked back into the rearview mirror to see a cloud of black smoke.

“What the—“ He began, but stopped himself as he saw infected come pouring out of the dark fog. The gas pedal touched the floor as Rob sped on.

The windshield was covered in a thick slime. Rob turned on the windshield wipers, smearing the thick liquid. Only after squirting cleaner on the windshield did the vile stuff come off.

Rob continued to look for an exit out of the subdivision, but the place was a labyrinth. Rob took a sharp right, onto a street that ended in a cul-de-sac.

“SHIT!” Rob began to slow down.

“NO! Go, go, go, go!” Amber shouted.

The sedan bounced violently as it launched over the curb and the grass. The car obliterated a small picket fence and a plastic picnic table. Rob dodged an apple tree and then came bouncing out onto another street.

“We can’t stop Rob!” Amber shouted.

“I know, I know!” Rob shouted back. He could scarcely hear himself over Micah’s sobs.

“It’s okay sweetie,” Amber tried to comfort Micah but he was hysterical with fear. He clenched onto Bailey’s fur so hard his knuckles were a bleached white.

Rob felt a rumble and looked over at Amber, her expression told him that she had felt it too. Then they felt another. Something large was getting closer to the car. Rob scanned the surroundings but saw nothing. The mob of infected were still trailing behind them, with more and more joining their ranks every second.

Suddenly the privacy fence in front of them exploded. The car was washed in wood splinters. Rob swerved out of the way as a massive monstrosity took a swing at the car.

“OH MY GOD!” Amber squealed and ducked down. Bailey barked fiercely as Micah gripped his fur.

“What the hell is that?!” Rob screamed. He didn’t expect an answer and he didn’t get one.

The massive thing began following the car, its footsteps rattling the windows of the sedan. Rob pressed against the gas pedal with all his might, despite it being on the floor already.

Amber screamed “Mailbox!” just in time for Rob to see the huge beast sling one at the car. It landed on the street next to car, exploding into a pile of sticks and letters.

Rob swerved left and right, anticipating more mailboxes. Amber started to say something but her voice caught in her throat. Rob watched a huge chunk of asphalt fall from the sky and splatter on the street.

“Oh God.”

The monster was hurling chunks of the street at the car. Each time the blocks of tar landed closer to the car.

“Everyone down! Keep your heads down!” Amber and Micah obeyed Rob’s order, lowering their heads as far as they could.

Rob’s heart skipped a beat and his stomach dropped as he saw that the road ahead ended in another cul-de-sac. Amber began to say something but was interrupted as a chunk of road landed squarely in front of the car.

Rob tried to swerve around it, but couldn’t. The hunk of blacktop popped the front tire and ripped open the bottom of the car. Rob fruitlessly tried to control the car as it fishtailed out of control and slammed into a telephone pole. Amber’s door crushed as the thick wooden pole smashed into the car. Tiny pieces of glass flew through the air as the window shattered.

Bailey yelped as he and Micah were thrown into the passenger side of the car. Rob took a second to collect himself and then opened his door. He stepped out into the street and opened Micah’s door.

“OUT, OUT!” He screamed. The boy pulled himself out of the car and the dog followed behind him.

Rob looked in at Amber, her head hung limply and her blonde hair was soaked in red.

“Amber! Wake up. Please God wake up. Amber, sweetheart. Wake up for me hunny,” Amber lifted her head and muttered incoherently.

Rob dragged her out of her seat as she regained consciousness.

“Where…Micah?” She whispered.

“Right here. You’ve got to run. They’re coming.”

Micah stared in terror as Rob pulled his mother from the car. She shakily stood to her feet.

There was a wicked cry and then Micah was tackled to the ground. Suddenly he was being attacked by an infected. Bailey pounced on Micah’s attacker, pulling it off of the boy. Micah crawled away as the dog and monster fought it out.

“Bailey!” he cried.

They bit and scratched at each other. Bailey let out a cry of pain, and then sunk his teeth into the infected's neck. The thing threw Bailey to the side and then with a great leap left the scene.

The dog limped over to Micah. It’s fur was blood stained and its leg was badly mangled. Meanwhile, the crowd of infected was now dangerously close.

Another chunk of asphalt came flying at the family, but missed by a few feet.
Rob tried to take in the situation. He pulled the pistol out of his pocket and aimed at the crowd. He made sure of his footing and noticed he was standing in a puddle of liquid. He looked down to see that his feet were in a growing puddle of gasoline. A quick inspection showed a solid stream of fuel flowing from the ruptured gas tank.

“Micah, take your mother into that house. Lock all the doors and don’t make a sound. Understand?”

“No. Dad, no.”

“Damnit, Micah! RUN!” The boy nodded his head and grabbed his mother’s hand. She stumbled behind him as he led her to the house.

“I love you.” Rob said to them. He looked down at Bailey, who lay down on the sidewalk, whimpering in pain.

“You’re a damn good dog Bailey. Damn good. Too good for this.” Rob saw the bite marks on the dog’s leg. He raised the pistol and shot the dog squarely in the head. The crowd of infected were now only feet from the car. Rob knew what he had to do.

He jumped into the car and slammed the door shut. Through the shattered windshield he could see his wife and child limping through the door of a house.
Rob half engaged the ignition, bringing the dashboard lights and radio to life. As he pushed in the cigarette lighter the mob reached the car.

They jumped on top of the vehicle, pounding on it with their fists. They beat at the windows and doors, using their hands, feet and heads. Two of the terrible things stared at Rob through his window. They punched at him, cracking the window. Every blow made the spider web of cracks in the glass grow.

Then with an alarming crunch, the roof of the car caved in. Rob ducked his head down and looked out of the window. The massive infected man was slamming on the roof of the car. The force of the blow shattered every window on the car and invited dozens of hands to reach inside.

The lighter popped. Rob grabbed it while avoiding the hands that groped for him through the window. The roof took another blow. The metal ceiling touched the fabric of the backseat of the car. Rob laid on his back and fired his pistol at the infected that desperately reached for him. They crumpled to the ground as the bullets ripped through them. But just as quickly as the fell, they were replaced. Rob fired again, pulling the trigger until the gun clicked. Empty.

Rob pulled the door handle as more infected pushed against the door. Using both of his legs he kicked the door open, sending the monsters sprawling backwards.

He leaned forward, hanging out of the car. He was pummeled by kicks and punches as he threw the lighter to the ground. He watched as the gas ignited with a great ‘whoosh.’

Micah helped his mother into the bedroom of the foreign house and locked the door behind them. Then, a great explosion filled his ears. The mighty blast rattled the windows of the house.

Amber gasped and let out a small sob. She pulled her son into her chest and embraced him tightly. The day was quiet and still, save for the weeping of a widow and her son.