Through Rough Times - A Zombie Apocalypse Adventure (alternate-timelines.com Edition)

Chapter 42: Paradise Beach

(Soundtrack for this scene)

Date: October 18th, 2018
Location: Miami, Florida

The cruise ship was moving slowly as the soothing reflections of the turquoise sea could have made passengers forget the alarming situation of the city, in the throes of flames and chaos. The view of the skyscrapers of Downtown Miami, wrapped in a thick smoke confirmed the captain's words about this "global epidemic". Many passengers had tried to reach their families and friends to discover that communications had been cut off, the situation will get worse with the arrival of several warships belonging to the Coast Guard and the United States Navy, which would frame the ship.

"This is the USS Milwaukee[1]. In accordance with martial law and maritime laws, all ships are forbidden to dock. You are quarantined."

The captain's response was not long in coming: "Our reserves of diesel and food are not inexhaustible and there are dozens of sick and injured people here, we must dock."

"Any violation of quarantine will be accompanied by real shots, we are sorry!" The captain of the Milwaukee repeated.

"Look Captain". Shouted one of the crewman, the ensign. In the distance, a rubber boat could be seen falling into the water. The boat was full of refugees.

"This is the USS Milwaukee. We do not accept refugees, I repeat do not accept refugees!"

On the boarding deck, crew members helped by passengers were doing their utmost to try to recover the shipwreck, but what they did not know was that the virus had a less variable development time and that one of the passengers of this makeshift raft was definitively infected. In this case, it was little a girl...death had an angelic face that day.

The only reports we received about the Costa Luminosa tragedy were the work of many people including survivors (there were less than five) and the Milwaukee officers (before the latter destroyed the ship with a MARK 50 torpedo), all testimonies agree on the total chaos and the bloodshed, the cruise had definitively taken a bad step.
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Author's Notes:
[1] The USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) is currently home-ported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. Since it is a littoral combat ship, it would make sense that it was deployed to patrol the littoral waters around Florida in conjunction with cutters from the United States Coast Guard.

EDIT (November 3, 2019): Added Beauty of Annihilation by Elena Siegman from Call of Duty: World at War zombies map Die Reise to fit the mood.

Chapter 44: Birds and Sunshine



Chapter 44: The Arrival
Date: October 19, 2018, afternoon (Z-Day +2)
Location: Interstate 5
Outskirts of San Diego, California

Birds, sunshine, butterflies, smiles everywhere. Everything seems so peaceful. Is this real? Am I safe? Have the infected been eliminated?

I woke up from a nap getting a soft voice from a girl followed by nudge from a guy that finally snapped out of my slumber. I didn't really dream of anything but Dream A Little Dream Of Me by Margot Bingham was playing in my head while I was in dreamland. Rubbing my eyes, I was kinda disappointed that my sleep was over. Gabrielle then handed me my SIG Sauer P226 that I lent her before I slept. She was already holding her custom MP5A3.

"What's going on?" I said as I checked the safety as I holstered it. I then reached for the M4A1 before slinging it.

"Dude, take a look." Mike said. His Mk. 18 carbine laid by his side.

"Merde, there is no way we can get passed that." Jules replied as he racked the charging handle of his Bushmaster M4A3. In front of us, the SWAT van and the Spencer's SUV stopped. I then took a monocular device and saw the chaos in front of us unfold. There was a horde of Infected passing through the snake of traffic jams. Some unfortunate souls were torn apart by the Infected. People were running everywhere or where using the cars as platforms to avoid being grabbed by the Infected. Some tried to fight back with small arms and melee weapons but most ran as the horde was too much. Automatic gunfire could be heard. Looking at the source of the sound, I could see what looked like soldiers and marines engaging the Infected, mowing them like grass. However, they were too numerous and I could see them slowly being rerouted. There was no way we could get passed this traffic jam and human snake of walking corpses.

Fortunately, we could take a detour via Encitas and Cardiff, on the outskirts of the city. Then from there, we would head to Del Mar where Angela's family lives. I saw the 19 year old blonde step out of the SUV and talk something to the SWAT guys before turning to us, telling us that her and Spencer would take the point to head to her house. We nodded and got took the detour. There was no way we could fight the horde in front of us, not with our current state of ammunition or our lack of experience.

Taking the detour was no easy task, there were still abandoned cars on the road that we had to maneuver plus the occasional sighting of the Infected. Jules, Gabrielle, and I had our chance to shoot some of those that got to close to our SUV. It was the perfect time to practice our shooting skills from the back or front of a moving vehicle. Mike did not want to be left out of the fun, so he shot some of the infected with his Mk 18. We did of course tried to conserve our ammunition so as much as shooting slow shamblers were, we had to save the rest of the worse.
****************************
It took nearly an hour for us to arrive at Angela's house in Del Mar. The suburbs were sparsely populated with the Infected, though that does not mean we can let our guard down. We took care of some of the infected. The neighborhood was mostly abandoned with houses empty and opened, possibly indicating they were looted. There were some abandoned cars on the road with their trunks open, some stuffed with bags. Whatever happened, something ugly probably occurred. We followed the SUV until we arrived at the house.

We then disembarked our vehicles, guns drawn and ready to move in.

"Careful Angela, we don't know if those things are out there." Spencer reminded the girl as he held the Glock 17. Angela nodded as she took out her snub-nosed revolver, it also drawn.

"We're right behind you, kid." The SWAT member Ray said, holding his shotgun. The two other SWAT men plus Jim stood right behind her, ready to move on her go. The four of us secured the cars. There were no undead in sight for now. I sincerely hoped it would stay that way.

As Angela opened the door slowly, I could see her stopped on her tracks. "What's wrong?" I asked. The broken living room window was a sign that things went bad. There were boards of 2x4s blocking it where glass once stood.

"Get behind us." Johnson ordered as the SWAT and the Navy vet entered the house, guns drawn.

As we followed, we could see there was some sort of struggle that occurred here. There was blood, broken bits of glass, and bullet casings on the floor. The heavily armed men continued to sweep the house until it was clear.

"Who goes there?!" A voice called out from the top floor, causing everyone including us to point our guns in the direction of the staircase. Angela recognized the voice.

"Dad, it's me!" She shouted as she ascended the stairs. "Don't worry dad, these people are my friends." A man in his late 40s appeared, with a Glock 19 in hand.

"Angela, you're home." The man whom we knew was her father. Angela then ran up towards her father as both of them were reunited. They both embraced as Angela explained her story. It was tearful reunion. However, something bothered me and realized that blood on the first floor belonged to someone else dear to Angela.

"It was crazy dad. I was in the bus in Long Beach then we were told to evacuate. This young man over here, his name is Spencer, he stayed with me as we ran from those things out there. Then we had to steal a vehicle but along the way some gangsters attacked us but we fended them off. Then we found these group of survivors from Los Angeles and we stayed in a house in Huntington Beach before we went here."

"That's one hell of a story you got there." Angela's father said. "Young man, what's your name?" As he told Spencer to go to him.

"My name is Spencer Logan, I'm from Illinois and I was on my way to San Diego then I came across your daughter. Two of us were on our own before these guys found us." Spencer said as he shook the hand of the father of his newly-found friend.

"My name is Frederick Thomas. I'm Angela's father." He said. "Thank you for protecting my daughter. I can't thank you all enough."

"We had to stick together to survive, Mr. Thomas." said Francis. All of us then introduced ourselves to him. Something was off though, Angela could notice it too. The bittersweet reunion then turned sad when Angela asked her father what happened to her mother and her two younger brothers. As if was already did not know the blood we saw, the fate was grizzly. Mr. Thomas' face soon turned sad as he broke down in tears trying to explain the tragedy to her daughter, who nonetheless came to comfort her father.

"Our house was invaded by those things yesterday." The father explained. "Three of them. Came crashing through the living room window and bit your brothers Ethan and Maverick. Heard your mother scream and took my gun and shot those things but I was already too late. Your mom was bitten in the shoulder. I took care of them until they turned when I finally put them out of their misery, but before that, your mom broke free of her restraint and bit me on the chest..." Mr. Thomas explained as he showed the wound on his chest. There was no way out of this, he had already accepted his fate.

Angela's face then sank, tears fell from her eyes like a waterfall. She then entered on state of denial followed by a breakdown of emotions. She tried to go back home to be with her family but she was too late. Her mother and younger brother were now dead and her father was on an upcoming death sentence. Crying, she then approached her father as they embraced. We could only look with pure sadness and sympathy for the girl. "It's alright my dear Angela, it's not your fault." Her father assured her. "Daddy loves you so much." Both continued to embrace while crying as we all stood there, thinking what to do next.
*****************
Author's Notes:
This scene is specifically based on Nicole and Frank in Dawn of the Dead (2004).

Chapter 45: A Father's Love

Date: October 19, 2018, late afternoon (Z-Day+2)
Location: Del Ray, California

The heartbreaking scene unfolded in front of the survivors: a dying father embracing his beloved daughter. He had lost everything from his wife to his family. His 19 year old daughter was the only thing left for him to spend his dying moments with. The symptoms of the Killer Pandemic had started showing up within Frederick Thomas: the paling of skin, labored breathing, sweats, and a fever that was beginning to build up. However, despite knowing he was going to die, he was a peace. The embrace with his dear Angela meant a thousand times more than all the material wealth in this world.

"Angela, you did good job surviving out there." Mr. Thomas said as he embraced his daughter, wiping the tears for cheeks. "However, you must stick close with these group of survivors. You are better off with them. In just overnight, you made what looks like a family rather than a group of survivors. That's good. It assures me that you will make it though."

"Daddy...I'm so sorry I wasn't here..." Angela said through tears.

"Angela, I don't blame you for it. Everyone was caught in this outbreak that has now spread around the world. Countless have died and turned into those walking diseases. You on the other hand are very lucky to be alive and healthy at this point. Now I have something to tell you Angela, please listen."

"What is it dad?" Angela asked.

"I want to be buried next to mom and your brothers in the backyard. Next, I want you to take what is dear to you from this home but only take what you can such as photos, albums, memorabilia, and brothers' toys. In that way, you'll keep us alive in your memories." Mr. Thomas said with a weak smile.

Angela just broke down there from this statement. Her friend Spencer then came to comfort her, wrapping his arm around head and the other over her back. The Frenchman Jules stood watching the blonde girl break down in a heap of emotions. He had felt the same way when he saw his friend Dylan being torn apart by the infected back in Los Angeles. He felt guilty that he could not do anything about it as Dylan was mauled alive. In vain, he tried to rescue him foolishly before being carried away to safety by the Texan man named Jim. Deep inside, he thought of Dylan's remains that was left behind, turning cold as it was two days since he died in a foreign land.

Meanwhile the rest of the group looked in pure sympathy. "Oh God, I can't..." Gabrielle said, turning away as she sat on the dinner table, also about to cry. Mike, Gillan, and Francis went on to comfort her. Gillan understood why. Gabrielle lost someone dear to her too. She knew the implications but yet it felt like a stab in her heart. She sympathized with Angela whom both became closer like siblings themselves just only yesterday. Although someone is trying to make moves to her and while she was slowly (but surely) accepting that fact that her boyfriend Charles was never coming back, the amount of loses only reminded her how she needed to get back to her family, especially her younger sister back home in the Philippines. Sure her parents were safe in Hawaii, having successfully evacuated from San Francisco but the thought of her sister fending for herself deeply concerned and scared her.

"My sister...she's only 13..." Gabrielle muttered. "How can a 13 year old defend herself from those things?" The men tried to comfort her. Even though they were telling her to be positive, there was really know way of knowing for sure. The Internet was busy, as with all cell lines and communication towers. It was like as if man had to return to using pigeons to carry messages to survivor enclaves across the State of California, much less the entire continental United States and the rest of the world.

Three days into the outbreak and the Filipinos part of the group had not received news of the state of the country. Last time they heard over three days ago the country miraculously escaped infection...for now. That was three days ago; things could change in an instant. Inside them, both Gillan and Mike tried to fight the feeling of worry for their families back in Cebu. Both could only hope they were alive and well.

The two SWAT men Ray and Johnson plus Jim approached the dying father. Mr. Thomas then instructed them about the food. "There are some canned goods in the pantry along with some meat and cheese on the fridge. I suggest to cook the frozen meat and take whatever you need. It should last a week." He said.

The men nodded and thanked him but one of them, Johnson, stood guard in case Mr. Thomas would suddenly expire. He then turned his attention to Spencer and told him to come near him.

"Hey Spencer, you have my undying gratitude for staying and protecting my daughter from those things and those maniacs that attacked you yesterday." He said. "Now I'm gonna ask you, as well as your survivors, to promise you'll look after my daughter as you evacuate to Hawaii."

"Daddy..." Angela said.

"Angela my dear, it's imperative you make it. I would die happy if you go with these good people. I know they will protect you." Her father said right before turning back to Spencer.

This shocked Angela much as it did to Spencer. The two only met three days ago but it seemed that the bonds that had shared while on the run from the Infected and the time Angela was almost raped from those twisted men formed something greater than friendship even though both did not have the courage to tell how they felt for each other. "I'll do everything it takes to ensure your daughter is alright and I won't do it alone sir." Spencer told and reassured him.

From a far, Gillan could hear what Mr. Thomas said. He was reminded that only last night, both under the influence of alcohol and the adolescent urge kissed each other while Los Angeles burned in the background. In times like these though, the appropriate time to tell the truth or even ask for forgiveness for a past mistake is right now, as one may not have next time to do it.

"Thank you and thank you all. I could go out in peace now knowing good people are out there." He said, smiling weakly as the sweat started to intensify. Gathering her courage, Angela then stood up and assured her father that she will take care of him until the last second.
******************************
Later that late afternoon, the group began preparing meals for the night. They deemed that it was dangerous to travel at night. They also secured the house so no straggling Infected would come crashing through as they ate or slept. San Diego was not totally overrun, though most of it suburbs have suffered that horrible fate or was abandoned in the rush to escape from the clutches of the Infected. As they cooked their meals, they could hear the sonic booms of fighter jets and bombers, along with gunfire and explosions, meaning whatever remained of the military or the police in this area or metro continued to delay the Infected's stall towards San Diego. Delay is the proper word, as for now Department of Defense acknowledged that counterattack was not yet possible unless they regroup to better vantage point.

Once the meals were cooked as nighttime began, the group ate silently at the table. Unlike last night's stay in that fancy house in Huntington Beach were the group bonded and talked like college undergraduates, here the mood remained silent. Only a few words were spoken. It was a total mood whiplash from yesterday's dinner and drinking session. Angela and her father sat at a different table. The group decided to let them spend their last moments together by making every second count. It was Mr. Thomas' final meal. However, he was at peace having dinner face-to-face with his daughter. A moment that he would always thank God for as his time was counting down.

After finishing dinner, the group then held a meeting on what to do next. Angela stayed with her father, under the watchful eye of the armed men of course. Spencer mainly stayed by her side, offering comfort to her. They knew time was almost up so they spent whatever time they had here.
*******************************
Roughly an hour later, Mr. Thomas' condition became worse. He was bleeding from his nose constantly. He knew it was coming up. He then handed his Glock 19 to Angela, telling her that she needed all the firepower in order to survive. "Once I die, please do what it takes to prevent me from coming back into one of those things." He said.

Angela's eyes were now red from almost crying for hours. The group would not blame her, she had gone through a lot.

"Angela, promise you will be strong and brave from now on." Her father said. "And always remember, mom and your brother love you and I love you as well. I remember the day you were born you were like an angel to both your mom and I, so that's why we named you Angela because of that very reason." He said as he smiled weakly. Angela did the same thing as she embraced her father one last time.

Francis and the rest then arrived, his HK416 slung by his side. He asked Mr. Thomas if he had any last request. Gillan, Gabrielle, Mike, and Jules only watched. Gabrielle though had some tears falling from her eyes.

"I just want to spend time with my daughter. In times like these, you want to spend it with your loves ones. You want...every...single...second[1]" He said. Francis and the armed men nodded, giving respect to the young woman as she spent whatever precious seconds her father had in this world. They stood but remained on guard just in case.

20 minutes later, Mr. Thomas expired peacefully in Angela's arms who nonetheless cried so hard. The time of his death was 7:30 PM. His last words were: "Angela, I love you so much. Please stay strong and carry on. Remember my dear daughter, there is always hope as long as you are alive.[2]" And a few minutes, her father would reanimate into one of the Infected. Angela knew she had to do it or else someone from the group will in order to assure their promise to her late father to bring her to Hawaii safely.

She then took the Glock 19 and aimed it straight towards her father's forehead. However, she then placed the gun down and took out a survival knife she had tucked in the back of her jeans earlier. She figured out that using a bullet would be messy and would just attract some wondering Infected at the neighborhood that would have caused her house to be overrun the moment she pulled the trigger. At least a knife would make it cleaner, she thought. Come on Angela, you gotta be strong now.

Embracing her father's dead body, she then brought the knife up and swiftly stabbed through the ear before drilling it into her father's brain, making sure the brain was damaged so the virus could not spread. Pulling the blood-soaked knife out, she then dropped it to the floor. She had done her father a favor by preventing him from reanimating.

"Goodbye daddy, I love you so much." Angela then collapsed to her knees crying. Everyone then approached her to give their comfort. Mainly it was Spencer who comforted her but Jules and Gabrielle as well, as the two had their personal losses in the past two days. Less then 15 minutes later, the men would bury the body of Frederick Thomas next to his wife and two sons in the backyard. The group would pay their respects, where they all agreed he was a good man that cared so much for his family. They then placed some candles and flowers on the impropmtu burial ground. After that, they headed back to the house without saying a word. Gillan stayed awake, along with Jim and Ray who were listening to the radio for updates on the global situation. Gabrielle slept in the living room, guarded by the men. Mgke slept in the same room with Francis and Jules, while Spencer for the first time stayed with Angela in her room as the girl cried herself to sleep. Nobody would care if the person of a different gender would sleep next to each other because in a zombie apocalypse, fuck the rules.

"Same place everywhere I guess." Ray added.

"Chaotic evacuation of San Diego continues as troops and law enforcement officers fight a delaying battle to stall the Infected..."

"...China has reportedly fired nuclear weapons in the cities of Nanchang, Chongking, and Nanjing due to the overwhelming number of Infected..."

"...In Africa, multiple breakaway rebel fighters have declared independent nations...CAR, DRC, Uganda, in a state of total anarchy"

"...An Argentine Navy warship has docked at the Falkland Islands with the ships' crew currently detained by the Royal Navy and the Falkland Islands Defence Force..."

"...German government evacuates to Bavaria..."

"...Portugal and Spain combine forces to combat Infected in Iberian Peninsula. Safe zones established in the Azores and the Canaries. However, contact with the Balearic Islands has gone dark..."

"...The USS Ronald Reagan and her carrier strike group, which was conducting exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces, have been ordered to remain at sea at the current location east of the Philippines according to a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet..."

"Shit, I have friend on the Reagan." Gillan said.

"Really mijo?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, he joined the Navy in 2017. When the Reagan visited Manila last June, him and his sailor friends conquered the city. I'm glad he is safe a sea. The sea would be better than staying on land. Carriers are basically floating cities." Gillan added.

The three then continued to stay awake, watching the outside through the slit created by the 2x4s that were being used to barricade the windows. There were a few Infected shuffling outside, though none of them seemed to have detected the survivors' presence in the area. Keeping silent with only an emergency light on was enough for them.

Looking at Gabrielle, Gillan muttered:

"We'll make sure you get back to your parents and your sister safely."
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Author's Notes:
Phew, that was a sad chapter I wrote in my entire free time. Well, it's a zombie apocalypse story so someone has to die. It cannot be happy all the time. If I brought tears to your eyes, I am so sorry.

[1] Dawn of the Dead (2004) reference where Frank tells Kenneth how a dying man would appreciate the last seconds of dear life. I had to watch that scene again just to capture the moment.
[2] I lifted this from SEGA's The House of the Dead franchise where "Hope" seems to be a theme for the entire storyline from 2 all the way to Scarlet Dawn.

Intermission #7: EAS Takes Over
"We've been in formed we are going off the air for the safety of the remaining staff and employees. We here at FOX News would like to thank all our viewers that have supported us and we wish everyone good luck and God bless from this worldwide disaster."
- FOX News

"Our station here in Atlanta will evacuate to an offshore facility so until then, CNN will go off the air. CNN President Ted Turner said then that we would cover the news until the end of time, and that we would then cover it live. Well, I'm sorry to say, but his prediction has now been proven true. To the people of the United States and the world, everyone here at CNN would like to thank you in making us your prime news source. Our efforts to cover the events of our lives as they happen has been the highest primary importance to us, and we are forever indebted to you especially in this time of political and social divide. The station will no play 'Nearer, My God, To Thee,' which was played by a band as the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic 106 years ago, and which will be CNN's swansong as well should the end of time come[1]. Thank you and may you survive the dark days ahead.
- CNN final broadcast before evacuation of the Atlanta HQ


Near, My God, To Thee
The CNN Doomsday Tape finally aired after 38 years in storage. Many remember its haunting hymns as the Killer Pandemic seemed to be all but unstoppable.




We interrupt our programming at the request of the White House. This is the Emergency Alert System. All normal programming has been discontinued during this emergency. This is station KSWB. This station will continue furnishing news, official information and instructions for the San Diego and Southern California area. If you are not in the Southern California area, you should tune to stations providing news and information for your area. It is important that you listen carefully to announcements from the station in your local area.[2]





THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT OF CALIFRONIA
MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR ALL RESIDENTS LIVING IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
CONTINUES. THIS WAS ISSUED AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF CDC AND DoD. THIS IS FOR YOUR SAFETY.

ALL RESIDENTS LIVING IN SAN DIEGO SHOULD EVACUATE NOW.

THIS INCLUDES:

EL CAJON
SANTEE
LA MESA
LEMON GROVE
SAN PASQUAL VALLEY
RANCHO PENASQUITOS

SHELTERS AND EVACUATION POINTS ARE OPEN AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

OCEAN BEACH
LA JOLLA
BALBOA PARK

REPEATING, A MANDATORY EVACUATION FOR ALL RESIDENTS LIVING IN SAN DIEGEO, CALIFORNIA
CONTINUES. THIS IS FOR YOUR SAFETY. ALL RESIDENTS LIVING
IN SAN DIEGEO SHOULD EVACUATE NOW.
- FEMA Region IX Bulletin posted from the Liason Office at Oakland, transmitted at all forms of media
******************************************
Author's Notes:
[1] Read here about the CNN Doomsday Tape. Part of the CNN signing off is based on this article from the AH Wiki of 1983: Doomsday.
[2] Federal Communications Commissions. EAS Emergency Alert System. 2007 AM & FM (including Digital Audio Broadcast Handbook).
Joint written chapter with ukron

Chapter 47: A New World

Date: September 2018 (one month ago)
Facebook Messenger chat between Dylan and Jules

Jules: "Well, I had finally some news for our trip to the U.S."
Dylan: "Oh, it's great, what's your parents are saying?"
Jules: "Something so stupid. About security and College"
Dylan: "They are right, the U.S. aren't so secured, especially California after San Bernadino mass shooting and mass protests against Trump"
Jules: "You speak like a MAGA Supporter..."
Dylan: "Not again, i know you don't like him but he isn't so bad."
Jules: "Well, we disagree but at least our trip will be a good way to discover United States and American people along to spend time with our friends at CALTECH"
Dylan: "Sure and some good stuff like wine, weapons and girls"
Jules: "LOL Not Again Bro"
Dylan:

Jules: "You Know why. You don't reminds your affair with this Russian girl ?"
Dylan: "She was just crazy...very crazy"
Jules: "LOL x'DXD"
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Author's Notes:
Written by ukron