The closer they drove to Knoxville, the heavier the traffic became.
The highway looked like a ruptured artery, littered with scattered suitcases.
Turner rolled down the window and shouted, "These damn idiots! Do they even know how to drive?"
Calista was counting the road accidents out of boredom.
So far, she had already seen the fifth overturned car.
The scenes along the road weighed heavily on everyone's mind.
This virus was far worse than they had imagined.
Half an hour later, Calista and the others got stuck at the Farragut interchange.
Twelve cars had piled into each other ahead in a chain collision. Some drivers had already fled, while others stayed behind, cursing and busy calling the police and their insurance companies.
Calista glanced at them once before looking away.
Those people still had no idea what they were about to face. They thought the police and insurance companies could fix everything.
On the street below the bridge, a large crowd of protesters were looting stores and smashing parked cars.
Several rioters wearing mascot costumes and masks took advantage of the chaos to smash the windows of a jewelry store, shouting excitedly as they did it.
The protesters had completely blocked the road.
The trapped drivers had no choice but to turn around and look for other routes.
At least ten cars parked along the roadside had already been set on fire or vandalized.
Two masked young men stood on top of a car with shattered windows, waving a banner with unreadable words while shouting,
"The government isn't doing anything! What are they hiding?!"
"The apocalypse is coming! The world is ending!"
Calista shook her head.
So it begins.
The more chaotic things became, the more mobs appeared.
It was a clear glimpse of what the early days of the collapse would look like.
Staring at the completely frozen line of traffic ahead, Calista felt more and more uneasy.
That uneasiness turned into anxiety as impatient horns blared from the cars in front and behind them.
Fuck! We can't wait here any longer.
She rolled down the window, leaned out, and shouted toward the Humvee behind them.
"Bossie! Turn around! Go around and head north along the west bank of the Tennessee River tributary! There's a 24-hour pharmacy there!"
No one questioned her.
Bossie nodded and kept his hands moving, sharply turning the wheel and driving the Humvee over the highway median.
Mike followed immediately, swinging his vehicle around as well.
The two large vehicles charged forward, startling drivers in the opposite lane. A scruffy-looking white guy in a pickup truck raised his middle finger and shouted at Calista, whose face was visible through the window.
"Crazy bitch!"
Calista couldn't be bothered with him. She simply stuck her arm out the window and returned the gesture.
The guy was about to keep yelling when he noticed Turner and Carver beside her staring at him with dark expressions.
Then he looked again and realized both vehicles were packed with huge men.
Aside from Calista, everyone else looked tall, strong, and dangerous.
He immediately went silent like a rooster with its throat squeezed shut, awkwardly looking away.
Several cars from behind the traffic line followed them, copying the path the two Humvees had forced through as they left the interchange, leaving the rest of the traffic hopelessly stuck.
Just before they completely cleared the congested area, Calista glanced back.
Among the rioting crowd on the street, a protester in a dinosaur mascot suit at the rear was suddenly tackled by someone dressed like a tourist.
The crowd around them erupted in chaos as people began screaming and running.
The chaos had begun.
...
CVS Pharmacy.
The once lively street now lay silent like a dead city.
The automatic doors at the pharmacy entrance hung crookedly at a forty-five-degree angle, emitting intermittent electronic beeps.
Two Humvees stopped quietly in front of the store, and several heavily armed figures stepped out.
Leah, leading the group, scanned the surroundings. Then she smashed the remaining glass with the butt of her gun and signaled to the others.
"Bossie and Mike stay in the vehicles. Keep them ready to move. As soon as we're out, we leave immediately. Inside the pharmacy we split into two groups. Jenson, take Wells, Danny, and Ethan and sweep the west side. The rest of you come with me."
Calista noticed a smear of blood caught in the cracks between the floor tiles.
Half of a pink artificial nail was embedded there, stained with blood.
The nail had the logo "LA Life" printed on it.
Her hair stood on end.
There were walkers nearby.
The virus was spreading far too quickly.
Especially in a city like Knoxville—much faster than in Rick's small town from the show.
The pharmacy was empty.
The sharp smell of disinfectant mixed with the stench of rotting meat.
No one spoke. Each person carried a large bag and stuffed any medicine they saw straight into it.
Calista gripped a triangular bayonet tightly as her combat boots crushed scattered medicine boxes across the floor with crunchy sounds.
Bang!
A loud crash suddenly rang out beside her.
Calista jumped in fright, nearly stabbing forward with the blade.
Clutching her racing heart, she shot an annoyed look to the left.
A collapsed shelf revealed Carver's smug face, with boxes of condoms scattered all over the floor.
Carver whistled and lifted the large bag in his hand.
"Calista, here's the Durex you wanted. There are several boxes! I'll pack a few extra for you."
"Shut the fuck up! Everyone keep it down!" Leah rolled her eyes and kicked aside a crooked shopping cart.
Turner swept his flashlight across the checkout counter.
The beam suddenly revealed a long, winding dark red trail across the floor.
The four of them exchanged silent glances, instinctively tightening their grips on their weapons.
Calista's throat felt tight, and she unconsciously bit her lower lip.
Watching horror movies was one thing.
Living through it was something else entirely.
Her whole body felt cold, and the only thing she could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat.
They moved quietly along the trail until they reached the very back of the pharmacy.
The trail ended at a metal door marked "Employees Only."
A thick red liquid seeped out from beneath the door, glistening with an eerie bluish tint under the emergency lights.
The air smelled strongly of rust.
Faint chewing and tearing sounds came from behind the door. Other than that, there was complete silence.
Carver tilted his head slightly and stepped closer to Calista.
"Whatever that is," he whispered, "it's definitely not something good. Be careful."
Calista nodded.
Turner aimed his flashlight at the metal door and started to step forward to check it, but Calista quickly grabbed the back of his collar.
"Turner, don't go!" she whispered urgently. "Something's wrong here. Let's grab what we need and get out."
They had already packed everything they could on their side.
The group instinctively softened their footsteps and quietly backed away.
After retreating behind a shelf, there was still no movement behind the metal door.
Calista let out a quiet breath.
This time, it seemed like a close call.
Just as they were about to move behind the next shelf, the one closest to the metal door suddenly toppled over and slammed loudly against it.
Danny poked his head out from behind it, looking embarrassed.
"Sorry, everyone. This box of antibiotics was stuck pretty tight. Took a bit of force to pull it out."
Jenson and the others had searched their way here too.
Calista suddenly felt a surge of dread.
Before she could shout a warning, the metal door burst open.
A "pharmacist" in a white coat lunged straight at Danny.
Its jaw looked like it had been violently torn apart, its bloody gums ripped all the way to its ears. A shrill, kettle-like hiss came from its throat, and its white coat was soaked in blood.
A second employee in a store uniform scrambled out on all fours right behind it and lunged at them, crashing directly into the display shelf in front of it.
Holy shit!
...
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