A smile was on her lips as she hung up that payphone. Despite the rain that had begun to fall Claire felt optimistic. She had left her shared campus apartment, even skipping graduation night, to travel one entire state over on the back of her Harley Davidson motorcycle in search of her older brother. It had been two months since she had last heard anything from him. Desperate with worry she had left as soon as she had been able with the agreement that she would call her roommate when she was close to town. It had been her roommate who she had been speaking to. She gave her head a small shake. "Why does everyone think I'm going to get into trouble?" she asked aloud as she exited the booth into the parking lot of the gas station.

 

The darkened station had appeared to be abandoned when she had arrived, save for a lone police cruiser that had been parked near the front of the convenience store. It's headlights illuminated the front of the store. This had not particularly striked Claire as odd, she assumed they had come on a routine call. Though a sudden loud crash and the sound of shattering glass from within the building gained her attention. "What was that?" she wondered as she turned her attention towards the desolate looking building eager to help if she could. "Hello?" she called out hesitantly into the darkness of the rain soaked night before swallowing her fear and approaching the building.

 

Her boots splashed through puddles as she approached the door. It was unlocked but the store beyond was shrouded in darkness. She firmly gripped the smooth metal of the door handle and slowly pushed the door open. "Hello?" she called into the silent storefront. "Is anybody here…?" It did appear to be empty save for the police issue flashlight that lay on the floor just beyond the door. But she had been sure she had heard something. "Hello…?" she tried again as she bent down to retrieve the flashlight. As the light flooded the floor before her a soft gasp escaped her lips as pools of blood illuminated beneath it. Someone really was here and they were injured. She knew she had to help.

 

Claire swallowed hard as she tried to control the wild thundering of her heart in her ears. She slowly followed the trail of blood towards the back room. As she rounded the corner of the last aisle she found the store manager sitting near the back store room. He was holding a wound on his neck that was dripping blood down his arm creating the splatters on the floor around him. "Oh my god! Are you okay!?" her voice echoed out in a shrill manner as the man lifted his free hand and pointed towards the door. She glanced at it, "Stay here! I'll check it out!" She instructed before heading into whatever awaited her beyond the store room.

 

She made sure to walk as cautiously as she could through the backroom's corridor so as to not make a sound. As she neared a door that was left ajar at the very back she was able to make out the terrible sounds of grunting as if a fight were taking place just behind it. She reached a hand out and pushed the door open to reveal a police officer fighting with a seemingly crazed patron. "Excuse me, is everything okay…?" The officer was quick to pin the crazed man by the throat and turn to address Claire "Ma'am please stay back…" he hadn't even finished speaking when the crazed attacker overpowered him. He forced the officer to the ground before the sickening sound of flesh being torn from his throat could be heard. "Oh my god!" Claire cried out in alarm. "Get off him! I said, GET OFF HIM!"

 

When the creature had finished tearing the officer's throat out it turned dead white eyes towards her. It's skin was pale and blue in colour as if it had lost copious amounts of blood and yes was still standing. A scent that reminded her of something rotting could be smelled in waves off of it. "Stay back! Don't you come any closer!" She ordered the creature, raising the gun she carried on her for protection at the insistence of her brother. She took aim and fired a few shots knocking the creature to the floor. She quickly tried the door that led to the front and realized it was locked. She cautiously skirted past the creature to the back desk where the key was. The creature was just stumbling to its feet as she slammed the door shut behind her. 

 

The false sense of security she had quickly faded as another of those creatures knocked over one of the shelving displays. Claire took off running down the adjacent aisle. She was forced to dodge and weave through a few of the creatures, sliding under a second display as one of the clumsy things knocked it over. She made a beeline for the front door only to be met by a young man holding a gun. She raised her hands above her head. "Whoa, don't shoot!" She exclaimed a moment before obeying his command to get down. The sound of a shot went off. She glanced at the fallen creature behind her, "We gotta get out of here!" she quickly darted outside behind the man that had just saved her life. 

 

Claire softly assured him that she was alright and thanked him, though he told her to thank him when they were safe she quickly saw why. The once empty lot was now teaming with a hoard of those horrible creatures. Likely drawn in by the sounds of their gunfire earlier. "Holy sh*t!" she exclaimed as she raised her gun once more. She heard him yell out to get to the cruiser. She nodded and ran towards the open passenger door, shoving a creature down in the process. Once safely in the vehicle the cruiser lurked forward and peeled away from the nightmare behind them.