Chapter 47- Surfacing

I pushed against the door at the top of the ladder and it lurched and creaked against my effort. As I climbed out of the opening I could tell that the world up here was different. I felt a breeze against my face almost immediately, as though the front door of the shop was open. As I carefully peeked around the corner I could see the glass of the front window had been smashed. "Tracy!" I whispered as loudly as I dared. "Tracy, are you there?" There was no reply. Has she become one of those things? I peered through the broken glass out into the street, where a car sat, engine running, and doors open. I grabbed a collapsible shovel from a nearby bucket labeled "Sale!" and gripped it cautiously.

A noise outside prompted me to crouch low behind the register. A man ran past the window, carrying a small child in his arms. His face was covered in dirt and I could see streaks where tears streaked down his face. He looked panicked and frantic, and raced on past the window without looking in. I paused for a moment after he passed, waiting to see if he was being pursued. The street was silent.

The wind was warm and a faint smell of rot wafted by. A hideous sound split the air, a scream combined with a moan. A flash of light splashed across the windows of the building across the street, and a body, engulfed in flames, staggered by, almost running, but with a distinct limp in its gait. Following closely were two men in white Hazmat suits sweeping flamethrowers left and right as though cleaning the streets with the flame. A white truck, a large tank mounted in the back followed closely behind, driving at a slow, steady pace.

Once they passed I stood and searched the room once more, trying to see any sign that would tell me where Tracy might have gone. Unable to see any trace of her, I walked out into empty street, heading the opposite direction of the parade of flame and death.