Chapter 1

My eyes don't open, but I hear the sprinklers going off. It must be around quarter to seven. Those stupid things are like clockwork, every single day, even on Saturday. I feel the effects of the alcohol from last night and roll over to fall back asleep. The cool breeze blows through the window as I fall back asleep.

The alarm blares in my ear and I reach over to turn it off. I grab the cell phone and attempt to go through the motions, the alarm is still blaring. I sit up and continue to fiddle with the alarm on my cell phone. The siren dissipates as it goes by the house down the street. I slump over and stare of my phone and toss it aside. It misses the nightstand and falls to the floor. I think to myself, "Man, what a gyp. Sometimes it sucks to live in Oceanside." I swing my feet around and wipe my eyes. I find the remote to the TV and turn off the music channel. Hey, what do you want from me, it helps me sleep at night. I pay a flat rent, so it's covered in the money I fork over each month. I curl my toes on the rug and attempt to stand up. Obviously, I lose my balance and sit back down on the bed. There are some days when it's good to be just 29 years old and then there are those days that it's bad to be 400+ pounds of fun. I bet you can guess what today is. I tiptoe through the clothes strewn about all over the floor and bang my knee on the computer table as I make my way for the bedroom door. The sun is shining through the curtains as I open my bedroom door and make a beeline for the bathroom.

I'm on the first floor of a two story, 3 bedroom home right at the top of the hill before the Valley. It's good rent and my roomates are nice. I never see them, so that is what probably makes it work out better. Nobody appears to be up yet, which is no surprise for a Saturday morning. The roomies like to party sometimes, nothing wrong with that. I finally make it to the bathroom and close the door behind me. The sun is glaring through the tiny window above the shower. I shield my eyes and attempt to make sure it all gets in the toilet. I wipe my eyes one more time and glance over at the sink. What the hell? There is blood all over the inside of the sink. Not a small amount of blood either, this was a fair amount of blood, just spashed everywhere, including some on the mirror. What the heck is going on here. I finish my business, flush and head back to my room. I peer out of the small hallway between the bedroom and the bathroom, nobody is around. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I was told this is my bathroom and that the traffic would be kept to a minimum. Where did all that blood come from? Did someone get hurt? I toss some shorts and my Reebok sleeveless T-shirt on and re-emerge, looking for answers. There is blood on the front door handle and a trail of blood leading to the kitchen. Nothing good can come of this. As I enter the kitchen, the water is running and the sliding glass door is busted. There is plenty of blood near the broken glass. This must be where it all came from. The party got to rowdy last night and someone fell through, or perhaps put through, the sliding glass door. I guess they haven't had time to clean it up. The blood trail leads right out to the garage. I reach for the door handle and open the door. I can't believe what I am seeing.

There, right in front of me, are my two roomates, Shawna and Dee, eating the other roommate, Dee's husband, Aaron. They are devouring him by hand. Blood and entrails strewn about the garage floor next to the car he was restoring. They are kneeling over him, gorging themselves. I choke back a gag reflex, covering my mouth. I guess it wasn't quiet enough, both of their heads snap to me. Their green glowing eyes staring right through me, with pieces of the inside of Aaron in their hands. Shawna screams at me at the top of her lungs and lunges towards me. The blood curdling scream snapped me back into reality. I slammed the door and threw the deadbolt to locked right as she slammed into it. What the hell was going on? Has the world gone mad? I fall to the floor, slipping on the still wet blood that is covering the the kitchen floor. It's like an ice skating rink, I turn over, attempt to get my feet under me and scamper back to my room. I quickly slam the door behind me and push the computer desk in front of the door. I stop a minute to control my breathing, I am practically gasping for every breath. I fumble for my phone and dial my wife, Marnie. No answer, I scream some sort of garbage into the phone, the only discernable words being "call me as soon as possible". Where do I go from here. I pull back the curtains just enough to see out the window. They are everywhere. People walking with blank stares, seemingly mindless. A woman runs down the street screaming. The neighbor appears from behind the bushes and tackles her. Her screams are drowned out as he begins to tear into her flesh. A few other "people" emerge from down the street and they begin to rip her limb from limb. I had to get out of here...I had to get to Arizona to Marnie.