Z Day Chronicles: Genesis (Pt. 3)

Jake and Cassandra arrived at Chic’s Beach as the graduation party became more frantic with excitement. Graduates from Christopher Newport, along with other colleges all across the Hampton area, showed up to this party. A live band was playing on one end of the beach, and on the other end of the beach was a DJ playing a variety of tunes, ranging from Kanye, Bieber, Grande, and other popular names, along with a few rising artists like Elianna Rose, Danny V., and more. Tiki bars were set up along various parts of the beach, each carrying a couple kegs of beer, as well as a mixed variety of liquors.

Jake and Cassandra looked around through the crowd and found Dylan partying in the midst of them. Once Dylan faced them, he stopped partying and made his way through the graduates to meet up with them.

“Jake,” Dylan smiled. “Cassandra. You both made it.”

“We changed our minds at the last minute,” Jake replied. “We heard this party was gonna be a rave.”

“Where’s Julio and Selena?” Cassandra asked.

“Oh, they’re just making out.”

Dylan pointed to the shore, where Julio was pressed up against a cute Hispanic woman, locking lips with her in the shallow water. Julio turned to see Cassandra, Jake, and Dylan on the sandy beach. The two of them left the water and met up with everyone else.

“Hey sexy,” Selena greeted Cassandra.

“Hey you,” Cassandra responded as she hugged Selena.

“My favorite song is on. We have to go dance.”

Julio followed Cassandra and Selena into the crowd as the music started playing once again. Jake followed Dylan to his vehicle, where a small campfire was set up in between a couple lawn chairs and a large cooler. Dylan opened up the cooler and pulled out a bottle of beer and a bottle of water for Jake.

“I’ll take a beer,” Jake said.

“What happened to not getting you drunk?” Dylan asked.

“Dude, one beer is not gonna get me drunk.”

Dylan put up the bottle of water and pulled out another beer, and then handed it to Jake.

“Alright man,” Dylan responded. “I’ll hold you accountable.”

“Please do,” Jake said as he opened his beer and relaxed on the beach chair next to Dylan. They tapped each other's bottles and proceeded to sip on the smooth barley beverage. They relaxed around the fire as they looked out in the distance at the graduates, taking it all in that they finally made it though college.

“We did it,” Dylan said, breaking the silence between him and Jake. “We actually did it.”

“Yes we did,” Jake agreed. “So what happens now?”

“Didn’t we ask that very same question back in high school?”

The two of them laughed at the thought of asking 'what next' before taking another swig of brew.

“Yes, we did,” Jake answered. “And we both moved to Virginia and applied to this college.”

“Well you went overseas a lot though,” Dylan added. “I was stuck here in Hampton. You, however, joined the Navy, turned into Billy Badass, and then got stuck in Hampton.”

“Ok, ok. But seriously: What are your plans?”

“I’m thinking about finishing up my schooling. I got accepted to University of Virginia. I'm going for my Masters.”

Jake smiled and congratulated Dylan for his choice.

“You’re going to do great,” Jake continued. “You still planning to start your own law firm?”

“Yes I am,” Dylan answered. “Back in Florida.”

Jake paused for a moment, surprised at Dylan.

“I thought you were done with Florida,” Jake said. “Whatever happened to California?”

“I thought about it,” Dylan answered. “I thought I’d never return to Florida either. But I feel like I want to start a law firm down there to help troubled youth out of tough situations, the same way I was helped. I want to do the same for someone else.”

Jake and Dylan took another swig of their beer before continuing their conversation about their future plans.

“Well I’m happy for you,” Jake finished. “I think you’re going to do great.”

Jake and Dylan then sat in silence for a moment as they gazed out to the party once more, watching as the college graduates continued having fun.

“So what about you, Jake?” Dylan asked, breaking silence once more.

“I’m going to D.C.,” Jake answered. “I am getting the interview. I think I got the job.”

“You got it?!”

“Yes, I did.”

Dylan got excited as he tapped Jake’s bottle before finishing up his beer. He then pulled out another beer from the cooler.

“Wow,” Dylan continued. “Special Agent Jaycob Riley, N.C.I.S. Hell yes. That has a good ring to it.”

“So does ‘Dylan Harrison, Attorney at Law M.D.,’” Jake added as he finished up his beer. “Oh, there’s something else.”

Jake then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black, felt box, and opened it, revealing a 10 carat diamond ring. When Dylan saw the ring, he beamed with amazement.

“Are you serious, Jake?” Dylan asked. “You’re actually gonna ask her?”

“Yes, I am,” Jake answered.

“It’s about damn time!”

Dylan then stood up, pulled Jake out of his seat, and bear hugged him. In their brief moment of celebration, Dylan’s look changed from that of joy to that of regret.

“What’s wrong,” Jake asked.

“You were gonna propose tonight at that restaurant,” Dylan responded. “Dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Dylan. It’ll be alright.”

“It’s not alright. You’re about to make the biggest move of your life. You got one shot and a small window. I have an idea.”

Dylan then grabbed Jake and dragged him through the crowd of graduates until they reached the DJ's stage. It was at that moment that Jake knew what Dylan’s intentions were.

“What the hell?” Jake started. “Don’t you dare do what I think you’re gonna do!”

“Lighten up, Francis,” Dylan reassured. “Have I ever steered you wrong before?”

“Now that I think about it… YES! You have!”

“I got you out of it, didn’t I?”

Dylan then asked the DJ for the microphone.

“Will a Cassandra Carter, Julio Gonzalez, and Selena Ramirez please come to the DJ stage?” Dylan called out. “Thank you.”

“I’m fixing to kick your ass!” Jake told Dylan.

“No, brother. You’re fixing to thank my ass, because you’re about to get hitched.”

Julio, Selena, and Cassandra joined Jake and Dylan on the stage. As everyone else gathered around to see what the ruckus is about, he then welcomed everyone to what he believed to be the biggest graduation party in Virginia.

“Is he drunk?” Cassandra asked Jake.

“Only a little bit,” Dylan answered in the mic as Jake tried to figure out what the hell to say. “But that does not matter. What does matter, ladies and gentlemen, is that these two people have been a part of my life for some time now. Now I'm going to put Jake on the spot for a few minutes.”

Silence grew on that side of the beach as Dylan handed Jake the microphone.

‘Why the hell would Dylan do this to me?!’ Jake thought. ‘He has never been the kind to put me on the spot like this, drunk or not!’

“Jake,” Dylan whispered as sober as he could. “It'll be alright. Trust me on this.”

Jake hesitated as he took a deep breath before speaking.

“Cassandra Carter,” Jake began. “We have been the best of friends for so long. We laughed, fought, and cried. But you stuck by me, even on my worst days. After I did my time overseas, there were times that I thought I couldn’t go on. But you always gave me a reason.”

Jake paused as he pulled himself together. The crowd that surrounded that stage were now intrigued at what would happen next.

“Keep going, baby,” Cassandra whispered to Jake as she began to hold back her own tears.

Jake finally regained his composure.

“You saved me, Cass,” Jake continued. “You really did. And I owe it to you.”

Jake awkwardly knelt down on one knee as he pulled out his black felt box, fumbling to open it and reveal the contents of it.

“Just shut up and kiss me, you doofus!” Cassandra responded as she began to weep.

“So you’ll…”

“YES!”

Jake could not have stood up any faster as he held Cassandra tightly. The crowd began to cheer and applaud as he put that engagement ring on her left ring finger.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Dylan interrupted. "I now present to you the future Mr. And Mrs. Jaycob Riley."

"Well, guess what?" Jake responded. "Since you decided to put the both of us on the spot, embarrassing the hell out of us, you now owe me. You're going to be my best man."

"Wait...you mean that?"

"Damn right, I mean it."

As Jake, Cassandra, Dylan, Selena, and Julio, along with the rest of the crowd around them, celebrated the big proposal, people quickly left. Graduates that were initially celebrating, now surrounded a woman and man that ran up to the party. The two were freaking out hysterically, and their bodies were covered in blood and gashes.

Jake and the rest of his crew followed everyone else, making their way through the large crowd, to check on these two.

"Everyone step back!" Dylan commanded. "Give them some air!"

Whoop! Whoop!

A police car that was passing by observed what was going on. The two policemen inside parked the vehicle and made their way to the crowd.

"You heard the man," the leading police officer reiterated. "Step back now!"

The surrounding crowd took a few steps back. The police officer examined the two victims, while his partner radioed paramedics.

"Did anyone see where these two came in from?" The leading officer asked.

"I think they were coming from one of those hotels on the shore," one graduate answered.

"How long ago?"

"I don't know. Maybe a minute before you guys showed up."

"Hey, Lancaster," the partner interrupted. "I can't get Dispatch on the line. They're too busy. Probably has something to do with the shit that's going on right now."

"Alright," Lancaster responded. "That means we need to hurry back to the station. Let's get everyone out of here."

"Wait," Jake called out. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, man," the officer answered. "All I know is that the governor issued an immediate state of emergency."

"Alright, people!" Lancaster announced. "Listen up! As of right now, this party is officially over! Everyone needs to head home now! Turn the music off! Pack up and vacate the beach!"

As the crowd began booing the cops and spewing verbal insults, Lancaster's partner leaned down and checked the pulse of the injured man, whose breath was now raspy and smelled like spoiled chicken. He had no pulse, and his wrists were cold as ice, but he was still conscious. He then gazed at the officer with his now bloodshot red eyes. His pupils were fully dilated, but it was as if he could track the officer's every move.

Crunch!

The man quickly leaned up and slammed his jaws shut against the officer's neck, severing the jugular vein.

"Ack!" The officer whimpered as he began choking on the blood that filled up in his mouth.

Pow! Pow!

Lancaster pulled his Glock out and shot at the man that was munching on his partner. The man slightly nudged, but continued killing the officer. Lancaster continued firing a couple more times before aiming for the head, killing the deranged man. Everyone began to scatter and leave as they heard the gunshots.

"Lancaster to Dispatch!" Lancaster radioed. "Officer down! Chic's Beach north side! Send EMS immediately!"

"10-4. Unable to send EMS to your location at this time," Dispatch responded. "We have no more resources to hand out until emergency watch has ended."

"Did you not just hear what I said?! I said we have an officer down!"

"10-4. We are still unable to send EMS to your location. We have officers down all over the Hampton area. Stand by and we will get..."

Dispatch was completely cut off. Officer Lancaster could no longer get in contact with them.

Jake leaned down over the fallen officer and began applying pressure to the severed neck. Lancaster leaned down and checked on his partner's breathing. He felt no air.

"Don't you dare go on me, Rourke!" Lancaster said as he began giving chest compressions.

Gunshots were being heard all over throughout Virginia Beach. In the dusk sky, bright city lights illuminated the smoke in the distance. Jake gazed upon hundreds of people running away from what appeared to be grizzly humanoid figures, all battered and scarred, with blood covering what looked like decomposing skin.

"Guys," Jake said. "We have to get out of here now."

"Fuck that!" Lancaster shouted. "I'm not leaving Rourke here! You guys go on and get away from this beach!"

"WATCH OUT!!"

Lancaster looked behind him and saw two bloody humanoids rushing towards him and his downed partner.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Click!

Lancaster ran out of ammo. He sat in shock as the figures, now riddled with bullets, continued rushing towards him. Jake acted quickly and pulled the officer away from his partner. He then kicked one of the figures that nearly tacked him, pushing it back and giving him time to gain distance.

Lancaster stared in fear as he watched his partner being eaten by these cannibalistic people. They sank their teeth into as much meat as they could find, tearing through the fabric on the officer's uniform. He then looked up to see many more humanoids racing towards him.

"Officer!" Jake shouted in an attempt to snap Lancaster out of his trance. "We have to go now! He's dead! We can't save him! We'll have to come back for him!"

Lancaster then stood up to see the carnage that was around him and Jake's group.

"FUCK!"

Jake led the whole group and Officer Lancaster followed, cursing the whole time he ran.

"I'm heading back to the station," Lancaster said. "You guys get in your vehicles and follow me there!"

"All due respect, Officer," Jake responded. "But that's a bad idea! With this whole crowd and the heavy traffic, we won't be able to get there!"

"You got a better idea, pal?!"

"As a matter of fact, I do! My house is roughly 5 miles from here, which is a helluva lot closer than the police station! We'll be able to hunker down until this thing blows over or until you can get in contact with dispatch; whichever comes first!"

Officer Lancaster got in his cruiser, and everyone else piled up in Jake's Honda. They all sped away from Chic's beach as quickly as possible before being overrun by all of the cannibalistic figures.

"What is going on?!" Selena shouted.

"I don't know!" Jake answered.

"Who were those guys?!" Dylan added "They on drugs or something?!"

"I don't know! I don't know who they are, what their problem is, or what's going on! I just don't know!"

"These guys are everywhere! Did any of you try to call your friends?!"

"I tried already," Cassandra answered. “There’s a busy signal on the other end.”

“That’s impossible!” Julio replied. “Even with everyone at the beach calling, there wouldn’t be a busy signal.”

“Unless the beach wasn’t the only place,” Jake finished. “That officer lost his connection with Dispatch. Something's up.”

The car radio then beeped three times, followed by a long dial tone. Afterwards, a man's voice was heard:

"The following message is from the Norfolk Emergency Services Department. We are experiencing a citywide riot. Reports are coming from every police station in the Hampton Roads area. Many people with serious lacerations and fatal injuries are being rushed to safety. There are reports of rioters in an aggressive and cannibalistic state coming from hospitals and morgues and running rampant all over the area. The cause of the riot is unknown. A state of emergency has been declared. Authorities have urged residents to head to their homes as soon as possible, lock their doors, stay tuned to their local news stations, and not leave their homes until further notice. The following message has been from the Norfolk Emergency Services Department."

"What the hell's he talking about, man?!" Julio started asking.

"I don't know," Jake answered. "Look, I've been in many riots, but I haven’t seen anything like this before. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on, how bad this situation is, or how long it will last. But what I do know is that we're all going to heed their advice and hunker down at the house for now."

The group arrived at Little Creek Cove. They looked around and saw puddles of red liquid covering the grass and sidewalks. There were also bodies of neighbors scattered around in the streets, some being dragged into houses by other neighbors. There was nothing but carnage. Officer Lancaster opened the trunk of his cruiser and pulled out his semi-automatic rifle, along with a few extra magazines. The six of them then hurried into the house and Jake locked the front and back doors and all of the windows. Selena was shocked to the point where she was nearly hyperventilating. Everyone was shaken up. Cassandra was calming Selena down, preventing her from fainting, while Julio and Dylan brought blankets and pillows into the living room, where everyone agreed to sleep for that night.

Jake went to his bedroom closet and unlocked a large safe. Inside of it was all of Jake's police tactical gear, taser and all, a ballistic vest, a modified M4 carbine, a K-Bar, and his uniform from when he was in the Navy. The safe also carried ammo boxes and cartridges, and some rifles and shotguns for when Jake would leave Norfolk to go hunting. He took everything out of the safe, save for the apparel, and carried it to the living room.

"What the...?" Officer Lancaster started. "Where the hell did you get all that gear? That's military grade."

"Navy," Jake answered. "Cass, are the B.O.B's ready to go?"

"Yeah," Cassandra said. "We don't need all that out here yet, do we?"

"Like I said: I don't know how bad this situation is. This is a precaution. We don't need any rioters breaking into this house and hurting any of us. That and we need to be able to leave quick if need be."

Everyone set up some pallets on the floor and attempted to get some sleep, not knowing whether or not they would be able to. Officer Lancaster slept propped up next to the couch with his rifle rested on his lap. The rest laid down right beside each other; Julio holding on to Selena and Cassandra snuggled up with Jake, who laid his M4 on the other side of him. Jake was the last one to fall asleep. All he could hear were sirens coming from all over the city and the moaning and groaning coming from outside of the house.