Radioactive Chapter One
Jessica sighed as she sat in the hotel room in Atlanta. Her whole family was here tonight for her brother's show but from the looks on the news there would be no show. There would be nothing going on anywhere. Ever since this morning there had been a developing news story of a mysterious sickness that was slowly but surely hitting everywhere. The sickness was overcrowding emergency rooms and some people had already died.
"This just in," the news woman who was on the screen said. "We are getting word that some of the dead patients at a few hospitals across the country aren't really dead. It would seem from witness reports that the patients declared dead would come back a few hours later but aren't themselves. Instead they seem to be more vicious and have been known to attack."
Shaking her head Jessica turned to look at her mom who was sitting on the bed beside her, "This is crazy," she mumbled as she felt her heartbeat pick up. This was crazy and there was no way the dead just came back nor was there anyway they could attack other people like the woman on the news said they did.
"I'm sure the news people are just exaggerating," Diana smiled as she reached over and pulled her daughter to her. She believed her words even if she was saying them to ease Jessica's fears. "Now why don't you go and find where Natalie and Taylor's children have taken Joe in this hotel okay?" she asked nodding her head.
Smiling Jessica nodded before standing from the bed. Leaving the room she headed towards the elevators having a hunch as to where the kids had taken Joe. She knew they had wanted to go to the pool and of course Natalie had probably told them they needed a chaperone before going. A chaperone they probably decided would look a lot like Joe.
Pressing the button for the elevator Jessica got on when the doors opened and when they closed she hit the button for the lobby. Luckily the ride down hadn't taken that long and she got out raising an eyebrow at the commotion towards the doors of the lobby. Walking a bit closer she raised an eyebrow seeing a man laying down on the ground.
"What happened here?" she asked as she found her voice scared of the answer she'd be given.
A woman beside the man looked up at Jessica, "He..we...we were outside when one of those sick people came over and bit my husband on the neck," she muttered removing her hand from his bleeding neck. "He barely made it inside and now..now he is dead."
Jessica swallowed hard as she looked at the dead man whose wife had put her hand back on his bleeding neck. He was very much dead and that fact scared Jessica. It scared her to her very core. Before she could say anything back though she heard her niece Penny yell out her name and she turned to see Joe coming towards her with Penny by his side.
"What the heck happened?" Joe asked as he made it to where his girlfriend stood.
Jessica forced a smile, "It's a long story," she muttered as she looked down at Penny who looked repulsed at the dead man on the floor. "Where are the others?" she asked referring to Ezra,River and Viggo.
"They took the elevator up," Joe answered watching as the man on the floor opened his eyes.
Jessica who had been paying attention to Penny turned her head when she heard the woman on the floor gasp. Feeling her heartbeat getting harder in her chest she wanted to scream as she watched the man who she had known to be dead open his eyes and lunge for his wife.
"W..we should go," Jessica told Joe as she reached for Penny's hand turning away before she could see anymore. She couldn't watch the man kill his wife and Penny didn't need to watch this either.
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Zac rolled his eyes as he looked at his entire family. They were now all holed up in his parents room. They had been here since Jessica and Joe had came up from the lobby telling everyone about the site they had seen with the dead man. A site that Zac wasn't sure he could believe. This was as ridiculous as they came but then again he guessed at this rate he could believe anything that was happening.
"So what are we going to do?" Taylor asked which seemed to bring Zac out of his thoughts and he eyed his older brother a look of panic on his brother's face. It was the first time he had seen his brother so worried.
"We're going to need to get out of the city," Zac found himself speaking which shocked even him. "That's what we're going to do. Cities seem like they would be worse right now. At least until this shit passes."
At Zac's words Taylor nodded not sure how Zac was staying so calm. All Taylor wanted to do was find a way to keep his family safe. His wife and his kids. Maybe that was why Zac was so calm. All he had to worry about was Kate. They didn't have any kids though he knew it wasn't for lack of trying and she did have those two miscarriages in 2007.
"I'm not sure leaving is a good thing," Walker voiced as he looked at his son. "We can't just leave the hotel without some kind of protection against those things."
Zac looked away from his father's gaze and over at his wife who sat on the bed, "I have three guns on the tour bus," he admitted before looking back at his father seeing shock written on his face. Shock that he was certain Isaac and Taylor also wore. "It's in case of crazy fans. We tend to have a few delusional ones."
Getting over his shock Walker sighed, "You're going to have to leave the hotel long enough to get them. You shouldn't go alone."
"I'll take Taylor and Isaac with me," Zac spoke as he stood from where he sat. "We can get the guns and get back here in no time," he nodded as he watched both of his brothers give each other looks before walking to where he stood. Giving them both a smile he turned and headed out of the room.
Taylor followed Zac out of the room Isaac on his heels, "You know Zac," he said once Isaac had shut the door. "If you get us killed there are going to be tons of people in that room mad and hurt."
"Then let's hope I don't get you killed," Zac smirked as he reached the elevators and pressed the button for them. Once they opened he stepped inside watching as both of his brothers followed him.
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Kate who had stayed silent for most of the talking did her best to try to remain brave as she watched her husband walk out of the room with her brothers but it was hard too. She was scared that was the last she had seen of him. She was scared he wouldn't come back to her.
Standing from the bed where she sat she made a beeline for the bathroom and shut the door behind her once she was in there. It was only then that she let her brave face crumble as she broke down in tears. She almost wished the story that Jessica and Joe had told had been a lie but she had been watching news reports all day. That kind of stuff was happening everywhere. The world it seemed was falling apart.
Sitting down on the edge of the bath tub she cried harder knowing she'd probably look like a fool if anyone saw her but right now she wasn't sure she cared what anyone thought of her which would be different than how she normally was. Normally she liked for people to think she was fine and okay. That her life was perfect.
"Kate?" Avery asked as she opened the bathroom door. "Are you okay?" she asked another question shutting the door behind her. She had seen Kate come in her and when she hadn't returned after a bit she had felt the need to check on her brother's wife. Avery knew it was normally Natalie checking on her but right now Natalie had her hands tied helping Nikki watch the kids.
Looking at Avery, Kate wiped her eyes as she shook her head no. "I'm scared Zac won't make it back," she confessed as she laughed trying to ease her own worries.
Avery frowned and sat down beside Kate on the edge of the bath tub, "Zac will make it make. You know my brother if anyone can survive this he can," she said knowing that his fascination with guns and airsoft may just pay off after all.
"I hope so," Kate nodded as she felt tears come to her eyes. "I really do hope so," she whispered knowing she'd need Zac. She and the baby she was pregnant with would need him. The baby she hadn't had the chance to tell him about.
Not saying anything to Kate, Avery reached over and took her sister-in-law's hand squeezing it softly. She too hoped she was right but then again how she could she not be? Zac was the one who was well equipped for something like this.
Jessica sighed as she sat in the hotel room in Atlanta. Her whole family was here tonight for her brother's show but from the looks on the news there would be no show. There would be nothing going on anywhere. Ever since this morning there had been a developing news story of a mysterious sickness that was slowly but surely hitting everywhere. The sickness was overcrowding emergency rooms and some people had already died.
"This just in," the news woman who was on the screen said. "We are getting word that some of the dead patients at a few hospitals across the country aren't really dead. It would seem from witness reports that the patients declared dead would come back a few hours later but aren't themselves. Instead they seem to be more vicious and have been known to attack."
Shaking her head Jessica turned to look at her mom who was sitting on the bed beside her, "This is crazy," she mumbled as she felt her heartbeat pick up. This was crazy and there was no way the dead just came back nor was there anyway they could attack other people like the woman on the news said they did.
"I'm sure the news people are just exaggerating," Diana smiled as she reached over and pulled her daughter to her. She believed her words even if she was saying them to ease Jessica's fears. "Now why don't you go and find where Natalie and Taylor's children have taken Joe in this hotel okay?" she asked nodding her head.
Smiling Jessica nodded before standing from the bed. Leaving the room she headed towards the elevators having a hunch as to where the kids had taken Joe. She knew they had wanted to go to the pool and of course Natalie had probably told them they needed a chaperone before going. A chaperone they probably decided would look a lot like Joe.
Pressing the button for the elevator Jessica got on when the doors opened and when they closed she hit the button for the lobby. Luckily the ride down hadn't taken that long and she got out raising an eyebrow at the commotion towards the doors of the lobby. Walking a bit closer she raised an eyebrow seeing a man laying down on the ground.
"What happened here?" she asked as she found her voice scared of the answer she'd be given.
A woman beside the man looked up at Jessica, "He..we...we were outside when one of those sick people came over and bit my husband on the neck," she muttered removing her hand from his bleeding neck. "He barely made it inside and now..now he is dead."
Jessica swallowed hard as she looked at the dead man whose wife had put her hand back on his bleeding neck. He was very much dead and that fact scared Jessica. It scared her to her very core. Before she could say anything back though she heard her niece Penny yell out her name and she turned to see Joe coming towards her with Penny by his side.
"What the heck happened?" Joe asked as he made it to where his girlfriend stood.
Jessica forced a smile, "It's a long story," she muttered as she looked down at Penny who looked repulsed at the dead man on the floor. "Where are the others?" she asked referring to Ezra,River and Viggo.
"They took the elevator up," Joe answered watching as the man on the floor opened his eyes.
Jessica who had been paying attention to Penny turned her head when she heard the woman on the floor gasp. Feeling her heartbeat getting harder in her chest she wanted to scream as she watched the man who she had known to be dead open his eyes and lunge for his wife.
"W..we should go," Jessica told Joe as she reached for Penny's hand turning away before she could see anymore. She couldn't watch the man kill his wife and Penny didn't need to watch this either.
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Zac rolled his eyes as he looked at his entire family. They were now all holed up in his parents room. They had been here since Jessica and Joe had came up from the lobby telling everyone about the site they had seen with the dead man. A site that Zac wasn't sure he could believe. This was as ridiculous as they came but then again he guessed at this rate he could believe anything that was happening.
"So what are we going to do?" Taylor asked which seemed to bring Zac out of his thoughts and he eyed his older brother a look of panic on his brother's face. It was the first time he had seen his brother so worried.
"We're going to need to get out of the city," Zac found himself speaking which shocked even him. "That's what we're going to do. Cities seem like they would be worse right now. At least until this shit passes."
At Zac's words Taylor nodded not sure how Zac was staying so calm. All Taylor wanted to do was find a way to keep his family safe. His wife and his kids. Maybe that was why Zac was so calm. All he had to worry about was Kate. They didn't have any kids though he knew it wasn't for lack of trying and she did have those two miscarriages in 2007.
"I'm not sure leaving is a good thing," Walker voiced as he looked at his son. "We can't just leave the hotel without some kind of protection against those things."
Zac looked away from his father's gaze and over at his wife who sat on the bed, "I have three guns on the tour bus," he admitted before looking back at his father seeing shock written on his face. Shock that he was certain Isaac and Taylor also wore. "It's in case of crazy fans. We tend to have a few delusional ones."
Getting over his shock Walker sighed, "You're going to have to leave the hotel long enough to get them. You shouldn't go alone."
"I'll take Taylor and Isaac with me," Zac spoke as he stood from where he sat. "We can get the guns and get back here in no time," he nodded as he watched both of his brothers give each other looks before walking to where he stood. Giving them both a smile he turned and headed out of the room.
Taylor followed Zac out of the room Isaac on his heels, "You know Zac," he said once Isaac had shut the door. "If you get us killed there are going to be tons of people in that room mad and hurt."
"Then let's hope I don't get you killed," Zac smirked as he reached the elevators and pressed the button for them. Once they opened he stepped inside watching as both of his brothers followed him.
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Kate who had stayed silent for most of the talking did her best to try to remain brave as she watched her husband walk out of the room with her brothers but it was hard too. She was scared that was the last she had seen of him. She was scared he wouldn't come back to her.
Standing from the bed where she sat she made a beeline for the bathroom and shut the door behind her once she was in there. It was only then that she let her brave face crumble as she broke down in tears. She almost wished the story that Jessica and Joe had told had been a lie but she had been watching news reports all day. That kind of stuff was happening everywhere. The world it seemed was falling apart.
Sitting down on the edge of the bath tub she cried harder knowing she'd probably look like a fool if anyone saw her but right now she wasn't sure she cared what anyone thought of her which would be different than how she normally was. Normally she liked for people to think she was fine and okay. That her life was perfect.
"Kate?" Avery asked as she opened the bathroom door. "Are you okay?" she asked another question shutting the door behind her. She had seen Kate come in her and when she hadn't returned after a bit she had felt the need to check on her brother's wife. Avery knew it was normally Natalie checking on her but right now Natalie had her hands tied helping Nikki watch the kids.
Looking at Avery, Kate wiped her eyes as she shook her head no. "I'm scared Zac won't make it back," she confessed as she laughed trying to ease her own worries.
Avery frowned and sat down beside Kate on the edge of the bath tub, "Zac will make it make. You know my brother if anyone can survive this he can," she said knowing that his fascination with guns and airsoft may just pay off after all.
"I hope so," Kate nodded as she felt tears come to her eyes. "I really do hope so," she whispered knowing she'd need Zac. She and the baby she was pregnant with would need him. The baby she hadn't had the chance to tell him about.
Not saying anything to Kate, Avery reached over and took her sister-in-law's hand squeezing it softly. She too hoped she was right but then again how she could she not be? Zac was the one who was well equipped for something like this.