Tw: violence, blood, language
It was a calm and peaceful day when it all went to shit. The thermometer mounted on my porch read 62°F as i walked down my steps to go start my car and let it warm up. Mist hung in the early morning air as the rumble of my ‘73 Cadillac echoed around my neighborhood, 500 cubic inches of Amurica’ resounding from the tailpipes. The neighborhood was rather typical, my house being a two-story single-family home that looked like your average suburban house. Blue walls with a red shingled roof on about half an acre of land. Still in the process of waking up, I stood on my porch, taking in the air and looking around to see what was new.
I noticed that the little red flag on my street-side mailbox was still standing up, but i chalked it up to the mailman being behind like he often was. Morning dew adorned the grass, giving off the illusion of frost. Turning my wrist towards me, I looked at the time, 7:01 A.M. Now normally, i’d cook myself some eggs and hashbrowns, yet today i elected to go ahead and get something from the nearby Mcdonald’s because i hadn’t done so for over 3 months. I mean, shit, i deserved a treat. After taking in the morning view, I went back up to my bedroom, and i got dressed in my company-provided uniform. Black button-up shirt, duty vest with my body camera, duty belt with an unusual addon for a security guard, my G17 handgun holding up my black cargo pants. Walking downstairs, i swear to god i heard a slight thud on my door. Cautiously, i walked towards it and opened it to find a bloody handprint on the doorframe, nobody in sight besides a set of bare footprints walking away from my door and seemingly after something else. Weird, i thought to myself as i made a rather dumb choice.
I elected to follow the footprints to the edge of my property, calling out to see if anyone was hurt or needed help. Stupid, i know. No response at all, in fact, there was no real sound besides my still-running Cadillac. (I warmed it up for 15 minutes because i have headers and i don’t want them to crack.). I locked my house door, hopped in my car and started the 10 minute drive to the local McDonald’s, then to the mall. After i picked up my breakfast, i swear to you i saw some elderly woman walking along in a hospital gown, nothing else. Escaped psych patient or something, i dunno. Aside from that, everything was moderately normal, quiet even. I pulled into the empty parking lot, parked my baby, and then started treking my way into the building. Now, this mall is a one-story, three wing mall in a rural state. We were employed there not because it was a high-crime area, but because it was high-traffic.
This morning was like any other, the Mall being deserted besides your typical early bird shoppers. I flicked my wrist towards me, the time reading 8:30. I moved towards the main office, labeled ‘Security and Information’.
My two coworkers sat chatting away in the nearby break room. I scanned my I.D badge, clocked in, then sat with them to eat my breakfast, a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit with a hashbrown and large Coke. One of my fellow officers, James, was talking about something rather odd.
James: “Dude, did you hear about this weird ass virus going around? It’s some weird mutation of ebola or some shit, kinda freaky if you read up on it.”
Now, i’m going to be honest, i hate talking about news and the like at work, so I elected to listen as another coworker, a tall and strong man named Rocky, chimed in with his opinion on the matter.
Rocky: “Yeah, there’s some new fuckin virus almost every year. It’s just fearmongering from the damn government.”
James: “No, dude, this one’s different. It’s like the lovechild of both ebola and rabies. It supposedly isn’t as contagious as either of them, but still. Fuckin scary to think about.”
Rocky: “Well then don’t think about it. God boy, you hype yourself up over something new almost weekly.”
Both dingalings finished their conversation in a huff right about when i finished my breakfast. I tossed the empty bag and wrappers into the trash right before the three of us took a look at the daily duty board.
Angela: Cameras and Loss Prevention. James: Patrol and Loss Prevention. Rocky: Information and Scooter/Stroller rentals.
Sighing loudly, I sat in my chair and started my shift, glancing at the cameras before resigning to just reading a dollar store romance novel i picked up for shits and giggles. I was halfway through the third chapter, when i noticed something odd on one of the cameras….it was disconnected or something
My radio came to life with the sound of James requesting backup at the nearby Bath and Bodyworks, stating that there was some belligerent man going around and attacking people. I sigh, then give him a response.
Me: “10-4, be there in 5.”
What laid in wait was worse than i could have ever thought. Upon my arrival, i stumbled into a bloodbath.
Blood covered the glass door leading into the store, the floor, and a couple employees of the store. James was struggling underneath a very ragged and blood-soaked man, trying to push the guy away from him while still reaching for his gun, a tazer lying on the floor a few feet away having obviously been deployed. I radioed dispatch to send police and EMS as quickly as possible. I swung the door open, gun in hand….and then i screamed at the assailant.
Me: “Get on the fucking ground, now! Get off of him!”
‘It’ didn’t respond, still electing to try and inch his face closer to my coworker, and i could swear that he was trying to bite him.
At this point, i knew I had no choice, he was clearly deranged and was going to hurt or kill James, possibly others….so i fired three shots, all three striking the man in his side. I watched as holes formed in the man’s shirt and skin…
It did nothing besides turn his attention to me and piss him off. I took aim again, and fired two more shots, one missing while the other found it’s mark and struck the man in the head, putting him on the floor, seemingly down for good.
At this point, Rocky had heard the radio commotion along with the gunshots and ran to the store, looking on in horror at the state of the scene.
This psychopath had bitten two store workers, clawed a customer, and had somehow gotten a bite in on James, turning the floor into a slip-n-slide from hell.
Me: “Shots fired, one officer down, suspect neutralized.”
As i completed the radio to dispatch, i leaned over my coworker.
Me: “Fuck, You okay James? Here, take my hand, let’s get you patched up.”
Calvary arrived soon after,
See, company policy after a shooting is to send all involved officers home for the day, and this time was no different. I went home, and on the way back, i saw an ambulance crashed into a light pole, the doors open but nobody nearby. I slowed down to look at it and it had been there for at least an hour, evident due to the fluids in the ground and the fact that the lights were dim yet still flashing. ‘Whatever, at this point i’m not surprised.’, i said to myself.
I arrived back home with no further issue, the time reading 12:03 P.M.
I unlocked the door, and went inside for the day….nightfall was a few more hours away, which i honestly wish i had gotten out far before then. After the day’s events i just sat around the house, playing video games and scrolling through tiktok and reddit. After quite a few hours of lazing about, i checked the time out of sheer boredom. 9:38 p.m read my watch, the digital display blinking every so often.
It was getting close to my bedtime, so i started getting ready to shower. I turned the knob for the hot water, letting it run and steam up the bathroom. As i reached to check my phone, i realised that i had left it downstairs. Walking down the steps, i noticed something out of place.
A handprint on the window closest to my porch, crimson staining the glass. This made my blood run cold, not because it’s blood, but because it was still red and fresh.
‘What in the fuck-knuckles is going on?’ I thought, unsure on how to proceed considering that there’s a fucking handprint on one of my windows.
I made another stupid mistake, i went closer to the window, and saw James’s car sitting in my yard, still running.
Movement from my dining room window caught my attention, and there was James, standing there with blood dribbling down his face, his mouth now having chunks of what appeared to be squirrel fur stuck to the corners of it. Right away, i knew i had to run back upstairs and lock my bedroom door. As soon as i got up the stairs, i heard a loud crash as my dining room window shattered. I quietly shut my bedroom door and locked it, not wanting to give away my exact position. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before they found me, though. I quietly turned my shower off as well as i heard footsteps in the hallway, sporadic as all hell. I quickly threw my uniform and duty belt on, along with throwing on a soft vest on top of everything, just in case. My keys jingled as i tried to pull them out of my pocket with no noise. I looked in horror as the light from underneath my door disappeared, pounding on the door beginning as soon as i opened my window. Surely there was more than one on the other side of that door, so my chances were far better outside. I ducked to the side of the window as soon as i got out and shut it behind me, the door to my room finally giving way. I didn’t know how smart they were, and this was a surefire way to find out.
Five minutes passed, and not one of them has gone to the window. I checked using my phone camera, and they’re just milling about, seemingly searching the house for me. I’m gonna try and wait them out up here, and i’m gonna try for my car in the morning.
This is Angela, singing off.