Deadlands/Issue 2

This is chapter 2 of the story Deadlands

Plot
Previous chapter

On the way back home, I understood what was wrong with people. They were scared. I was surprised I didn't notice earlier. You could see it everywhere. In their eyes, the way the walked, how they behaved. When I stopped in some traffic lights, there was a man holding a sign. He was homeless, rugged man and the sign wrote "repent, god has brought the apocalypse". "Crazy old man". That was the first thing that came to my mind. But then I thought, that was what I thought the previous day too. "The president has confirmed that the dead come back to life", Mr Alberto's words came back to my mind.

Then the voice of a speaker interrupted my thought. "Go back in your homes and lock your doors. You do not need to worry or buy any supplies. This is just a precaution". The same message played all over again. It was coming off a police car. As they passed by me, they instantly turned and boarded the pvement, stopping next to the rugged man with the sign. Immediaatelly two cops came out of the car and threw him on the ground. Then they put cuffs on him and put him in the car, while he screamed out incomprehensible words and people around hissed them. Stupid cops, they created more panic by capturing him. A few minutes later I was back home. I had a really bad feeling about it. It wasn't the dead coming back, I hadn't realized it was true yet, it was something else. It was the people I saw on the street. I have seen misery and despair in my life, and I tell you, I had never seen something like that in my life.

As soon as I entered the house, I started the computer. There was literally nothing else in the news other than the zombies. More details were given of the zombies. More videos. Most of them seemed real enough. I checked youtube to see the statement given by the president. Although it was released a few hours ago, it already counted hundreds of millions of views. I clicked on the link and a few seconds later the video started. The president's speech followed:

Good morning,

Until a few days ago, our society, our way of life, our very lives are being threatened by a danger we have never witnessed before. People coming back to life have been shown in literature hundreds of times, but we never thought we would live to see it becoming reality. We tried to keep this phenomenon a secret, but the cases of reanimation are too many and such thing is now impossible. People who have witnessed the dead rising are scared, terrified and losing hope. I ask you not to be. We are a strong nation, we are a free nation and we will continue to be.

I wish I had more concrete elements to tell you what's causing this or why, but until now nothing is certain. There is no indication that it is a terrorist attack, since the phenomenon has already spread across the globe.

Immediatelly following the outbreak, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military, our state police are ready, and they are powerful. Wherever need should be they will run to protect innocent civilians from danger.

The top scientists of our country are already at working on understanding the nature of this disease, working day and night on finding a cure or a means to eradicate this infection. If your loved ones are sick, be certain that we will do what we can to help them. Whether it is a viral disease or someething else, I have faith that these bright minds will eventually unfold the mystery of this infection.

The search is already underway for those responsible for these evil acts. I have directed the CIA and FBI unite their resources to find the ones responsible and bring them to justice. No distinction will be made to those responsible and those who harbor them. If another country is proved responsible, we will respond immediatelly and take all measures to protect the rights of every american citizen. Given the chance, I 'd like to point out that this incident is in no way a product of secret experiments executed by our government.

At this point, I would like to thank all the world leaders who combine their efforts with us to solve this crisis. America stands strong and so do our allies. Always remember, nothing can shake the foundations of our great nation. This country has been through a lot, we have persevered, and we will do so once again. Peace and security will come again soon on this world.

In this test given to us by god, we, the government, need your help. We need each and every one of you to be responsible and fulfill your duties towards our country. As of today, starting at 3.00 p.m all american citizens are to remain at their houses with locked doors. If a person in the same building gets infected, lock him in a room and call 911. Those who disobey the law will be dealt with.

Stay in your homes, stay safe, keep your families safe. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil, we are together.

The measures will remain so until further notice.

May God be at your side, and God bless America.

Next chapter

Credits
Jay Hendrix

Deaths
None

Trivia

 * Thsi issue contains mostly the announcemen made by the president of the united states about the zombie infection.
 * It is officially revealed that zombies in fact extinct.
 * Measures taken by the government involve staying home until further notice, as well as locking infected people in different rooms.
 * It is revealed that the government knows very few things about the zombies.
 * It is revealed that the phenomenon is worldwide