December 17, 2009
2:53 P.M.
1 day before spread of infection

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Mick."
"Just don't think."
"The owner has a GUN!"
"Tony, we’re just gonna walk in, get some stuff, and run outta there before it's missed."
"I still have a really bad-"
    "Just DON'T THINK. Alright, we're here. Let’s go," Michael(or "Mick”, as Tony called him) ordered as the two walked inside a dirty Kwik-E-Mart. Mick nodded for Tony to go toward the area with water and other beverages, while he walked to the side farthest from the door, where there was bread.
    Tony secretly hoped that Mick wouldn't take more than they needed, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. Once Mick had stolen a pack of gum, and Tony was furious. "We don't NEED gum!" he told Mick, who just shrugged and put a stick of Juicy Fruit in his mouth.
    Tony walked past all the sodas and juices to the back-left corner of the store, where the water was. All of the jugs were stacked haphazardly above one another on red shelves.
    I wonder, Tony thought to himself, if I could run out with TWO gallons...Or would that slow me down? Hm...Spring water, or purified... What the hell is the difference?! Whatever happened to "just water"? Tony's thoughts were interrupted by a shout that forced him to turn around.
    "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doin'?" The clerk demanded in a thick, southern accent. "You gotta pay fer those!" Tony looked toward the front door, where the clerk was looking. What he saw made him groan inside his head. Mick was standing in the doorway, one hand holding the door open, with huge lumps in his shirt. Tony could even see a bag of bread sticking out of the bottom.
    "What?!" Michael yelled back. "You think just 'cus I'm black, I'm automatically a thief?" He kept his other hand on his shirt to support the stolen goods from falling out.
    "Boy, don't gimme that bull! I was watchin' you!" the storeowner shouted again."I ain't warnin you again! Put everything back where it was and leave!" He reached down under his desk.
    Damn it, he’s reaching for his gun! Tony thought to himself, trying not to panic. Without hesitation, he grabbed a jug of water, spun, and hurled it at the store owner. It hit him right as he was looking up to see the projectile preparing to land straight between his eyes. The water jug's lid bursted off in the impact, splashing water everywhere. The owner flew into the back shelf, cigarettes falling off and landing on the floor with quiet thuds.
    "Nice work Tony!" Mick shouted."Let's go!" He ran out the door with all of his items. Tony grabbed one jug of water and ran after him.
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    "You know what I heard?" Mick asked Tony, eating another barbecue potato chip. The two sat against the wall of an apartment building somewhere around midnight, enjoying their spoils. Without waiting for Tony to answer, Mick continued, “Remember that time you had to use the bathroom at that one place? Well I was waiting by the drive-thru, and was listenin to the radios in the cars. While listening, I heard something about the swine flu."
    "Swine flu?" Tony looked at him, holding half a donut in his hand. "You know how OLD that news is by now? That thing's been around forever, and look, you don't see millions of dead people lying in the streets."
    "I wasn't done!" Mick argued, placing his bag of chips on the ground next to him."They say that it evoluted."
    "You mean evolved?"
    "Yea, evolved! Now it's turned into some other virus, but now it's WAY more deadly!" Mick stood on his feet and brushed off his back. He always had to be standing when telling some sort of big news."As a matter of fact, I heard that whoever's infected comes back from the dead after they die!
    "Mick," Tony started, getting to his feet as well," you ARE aware how stupid that sounds? Listen to yourself, you sound like an announcer from a frickin zombie horror film! Besides, that’s impossible. How can a virus-"
    "I was gettin to that part!" Mick yelled impatiently. "They said that the virus is able to take over someone's ENTIRE brain! They don't need no blood or nothing! There was this hospital in like, Kentucky or something, and someone who had the flu died and was havin surgery done on their bodies, and they came back alive and bit the doctor!"
    "That's a load of bull, “Tony said, picking up the bag they kept their things in, “it’s all media hype. Remember when the media first got a hold of the swine flu news? They panicked everyone into wearing' face masks and all that crap, but whaddya know? It's just like regular flu."They both started walking down the street, things in hand.
    "I don't know, man...That's still some scary shi-"
    "Mick, don't you get tired of stealing?"
    "Now where the hell did that come from?"
    "I'm just saying," Tony explained, “don’t you get tired of having to steal in order to eat every day? I mean, look at us, Mick! We're thieves!"
    "No,” Mick stopped and turned to face Tony, “we’re not thieves. We’re BROKE. There's a difference. We've been living on the streets for HOW long?"
    "...Five years."
    "Exactly. And how long were YOU on streets BEFORE you met me?"
    "....Four years...”
    "Exactly! Don't you see? We're the reason America INVENTED welfare." Mick turned and started walking again, Tony following. "When we take from grocery stores or Kwik-E-Marts, we're just taking what we rightfully OWN as citizens of the United States. It’s not like we're stealing from the poor, because we ARE the poor. We’re just trying to make a living. See what I'm saying Tony?"
    "Yea, I guess...”
    "Just stop thinkin so much man. That’s your problem, you think.too.much."
    "I just-"
    "Hey, hold that thought Tony. Look at that...” Mick pointed across the street to where two men seemed to be grappling. Both of them appeared to be drunk.
    "Now THIS, “Mick commented, “is entertai-"he stopped, his jaw dropping. One of the men pulled out a knife, using it to stab the other man in the chest. He grabbed at the knife, and fell backward onto the ground. The one still standing pulled the knife from his chest and repeatedly started stabbing him. After he felt he was accomplished, he dropped the knife and staggered off into the dark. The two friends stared, slack-jawed.
    "Mick...We...We have to...Come on!" Tony ran toward the bleeding figure lying on the ground, Mick following, both not quite sure what they planned on doing. When they got to him, Mick backed up, hand covering his mouth. What they saw before them could barely be classified as "human" anymore. Tony hesitantly kneeled down and put two fingers on his neck. No pulse.
    "Alright...I guess the most we can do is knock on someone's door, ask to use their-"
    "Tony...”
    "What?"
    "Tony...."
    "What the hell do you want Mick?" Tony turned to face his friend, barely able to see him in the dark. But he did see his eyes. His eyes were wider than he thought was humanly possible.
    "He's...Moving...." Mick managed to squeeze out.
    "What?!"Tony whispered, disbelieving. He turned to look at the man. He screamed and jumped backward, stumbling and landing on his butt. The man was sitting straight up now, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his jaw hanging down, bleeding. Without any kind of warning, the man crawled over to Tony and jumped on him.
    "Get him off!!"Tony yelled, struggling to push the man off. His drooling, bleeding face was inches from his own, his jaw snapping like a dog trying to reach a piece of meat. "Mick, HELP ME!" Tony's please must have snapped Mick from his trance, as he jolted one leg forward and kicked the man in the side. He barely budged. Mick got to his knees and began helping in the effort to push the man off. He fell off of Tony on to the pavement. Tony took the opportunity and jumped to his feet, the man's blood and spit dripping from his face. The two friends hit their feet against the pavement as fast and hard as they can, not bothering to grab their things, and not looking back. As they did so, only one thought was racing through Tony's mind.
    He was dead. I checked his pulse, and there was NOTHING...He was dead.
    He was dead, but he still got back up…