U.G.L.Y (4 page)

     Within a
day
or
two,
people
began
to
calm as the drugged water supply made its way through communities.
Civil unrest that was becoming a plague began to
come
to
a
slow
end
as
the
people
involved
were exposed to
local
water
supplies.
After
about
three
days
traffic
thinned
and
fewer
people
were
seen out of their homes
,
even
during
the
day.
It
became
very
noticeable
that
there
was
something
effecting
the
population
of
the city.
P
eople
stopped
going
to
work
or
school,
then it was
quiet.
No
one
was
on
the
streets
at
all,
for
one
single
day
there
were
no
cars,
no
pedestrians,
and eventually
no
people.

4
.

-First
Wave-

    
I
regularly
watched
the
news
on
a
small
TV
hanging
over
the
bar
at
a
pizza
restaurant
where I often
ate
dinner.
I didn't have to be home most nights
,
if
I
didn't
have
my
kids at home
I
would
hang
out
in
the
local
village
after
work,
eat
dinner
and
make
a
feeble
attempt
at
having a social life
.
I
found
it
difficult
to meet women
being
a
single
dad
with
graying
temples and
rapidly
approaching
middle
age.

Although I was seeing someone at the moment, I was sure it wouldn't last. Relationships always started off good. A girl would be interested and find me intriguing, but as the realities of my complicated personal ties came to light they would inevitably push away.

     I often joked about a woman not hanging on long enough for me to fuck up myself. Usually the things around me were more than they wanted to take on. I understood this though and began to focus on getting used to being alone and being okay with it.

I decided that if I was going to go out I would swoon a younger woman and just hang on till it fell apart. At least we would have some fun. I was losing interest in finding a serious relationship anyway.

    
As
I
sat
at
the
bar,
the
bartender
slid
a
giant hotdog
and
french
fries
in
front
of
me
.
The
food
at
Ruger's
,
wasn
’
t
awful
and
the
beer
was
good, so it became one of my favorite hangouts.
“
CIVIL
UNREST
IN
MAJOR
US
CITY
” scrolled across
the
TV
screen,
I
nterrupting
a
rather
boring
baseball
game
that
the
few
people
seated
at
the
bar
were blankly
staring
at.
Like the opening volley in a George Romero zombie movie, the world seem to explode overnight.

The violence was incredible as the previously sedated people began emerging from their homes in what seemed at first to be a lethargic daze. They started attacking anything moving that was near them. The attacks were horrible, a violent rage filled the eyes of the afflicted people as they brutally tore each other apart.

     On the television,
A
rather
panicked
female
reporter
was
narrating the scene playing out in front of the camera
,
the
volume
was
very
low
and
it
was
almost
impossible
to
make
out
what
she
was
saying.
In
the
background
there
were
people
running,
and
things
were
on
fire,
cars,
houses,
people.

“
what
the
hell
is
going
on
” I
said
out
loud.
The
bartender
who
was
talking
to
another
patron
stopped
mid
sentence
and
looked
at
me
.
“
Look
at
the
screen
” I
pointed.
He
walked
over
and
turned
up
the
volume.

“As
of
3:00
pm
pacific
standard
time,
local
officials
have
declared
a
state
of
emergency
for
major
cities
within
the
L
os Angeles
County
area”.

     T
he
reporter on the TV was screaming.
She
was
very
nervous and
aware
of
the
turmoil
that
was
growing
in
the
background.
Her
eyes
were
wide
and
she
was
visibly
sweating.

“
At
this
point
there
is
no
word
as
to
the
cause
of
this
outbreak
of
violence.” She continued with her report.”Not
one
of
the
participants
is
communicating
anything
intelligible.
It
almost
seems
as
though
they
are
in
a
mindless
rampage.
It does not appear that these
riots have any apparent purpose,
there
is
no
looting
occurring,
just
unorganized
physical
attacks.
We
are
now
dangerously
close to the activity
and
my
producer
has
just
informed
me
we
will
be....”

    
She
paused
for
a
minute,
lifting
her
left
hand
up
to
her
ear
listening,
I
assumed,
to
a
headset of some kind.
About
100
yards
behind
her,
a
small
group
of
people
were
engaged
in
a
vicious
attack
on
each other. E
ven
from
the
distance
the
camera
crew
was
at,
it
was
clear
that
it
was
devastating
and
bloody.
Flesh
was
being
torn
from
peoples
faces.
T
here was no way to separate the attackers from the victims and it appeared that these
people
were
eating
each
other.
Then
as
the
news
woman
began
to
report on what she had been told over her earpiece, One of the attackers behind her looked toward the camera.

S
he had
gotten
the
attention
of
what
was
probably
the
stronger
of
the
group
engaged
in
that
attack.
The
moment
he
noticed the reporter,
he
began
running
at
a
full
sprint
toward
her.
S
he
had
no
idea
what
was
coming
and
apparently
neither
did
her
cameraman.
By
the
time
the
cameraman
saw
him
and
shouted
a
warning
it
was
far
too
late
for
her
to
react.

She
only
had
enough
time
to
turn
and
scream
as
a
bloody,
enraged
monster
hit her at full speed. I
n
the
same
movement
the momentum also
took
down
the
cameraman and his equipment.
Now
the
only
view
the
camera
had
was
from
the
ground,
lying
on
its
side.
the
reporters
feet
were
in
the
frame
, kicking,
as
she
fought
for
her
life.