July is Flash Fiction Month!
This one came to me last night. I hope you like it!
Title: Flash Fiction #4
Fandom: The Walking Dead
Word Count: 852
Characters: Wayne Dunlap, Rachel
Warnings: None.
A/N: If you think about it, you’ll know who Wayne and Rachel are. If you don't get it before then, the bit at the end will tell you. I do not own these characters or anything else associated with The Walking Dead (to my everlasting regret). I just like to take them out and play with them every now and again.
***
“Wayne! It’s time to get up! Come on, baby, you’re going to be late!”
Wayne Dunlap groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, pulling the pillow over his head. “Just one more day and then it is vacation time, Wayne. You can get through one more day.” Mumbling this mantra to himself, he threw the pillow in the floor and rolled back over, catching sight of Rachel in the bathroom. She was already dressed for the day; her brightly-colored nurse’s scrubs a sharp contrast to the drab outfit he had to wear. Some days he hated being a drone in a department store, especially working in the sporting goods department. That ridiculous vest he had to wear made him want to scream.
Rachel turned, catching his eye over her shoulder. “Babe, are you going to get up some time today or what? You don’t want to get fired right before we go on vacation.” She walked over to the bed and jumped up on it, straddling his hips with a mischievous grin on her beautiful face. “That could definitely put a crimp in our holiday plans.” She bent down to kiss him, still smiling. Wayne grinned and flipped them over on the bed, his mood instantly changing. She had always had that effect on him; she was always so cheerful, so playful. Looking down at her, he brushed her hair back from her face and said, “I’m the luckiest man in the world, you know that?” He kissed her softly, linking his fingers with hers’. Rachel smiled up at him and winked. “Lucky or not, you are about to be late. Get up, go to work. Bring bacon. All that good stuff. And I will see you tonight.”
Laughing, Wayne stood and headed for the bathroom to get ready while Rachel finished gathering what she needed for the day. Seeing that she was occupied, Wayne chanced a glance into his backpack. Fingering the small velvet box, he smiled. Just a few more hours and they would be on vacation, some pretty little spot in the mountains in North Carolina. Get out of the city, away from the heat and the people and the constant demands on their time for one whole week. Opening the box, he looked in at the diamond sparkling back at him. He couldn’t wait to ask Rachel to be his wife. He smiled and closed the box. Just a few more hours…
[Several hours later]
Wayne sighed and rubbed his eyes as he walked into the break room for his lunch. He was surprised to see most of his co-workers gathered around the TV in there, anxiously talking about whatever was on the screen. He pushed his way through the throng until he found his friend Mike.
“Mike, what’s going on?” Looking at the screen, he saw a pretty reporter in front of the hospital, the words “CDC recommends that everyone stay indoors and keep their doors locked …” scrolling along the bottom of the screen.
“Hey Wayne, there’s some sort of outbreak at the hospital. The military has been called out and everything.”
At Mike’s words, Wayne felt his stomach drop out, fear making the blood drain out of his face. “Outbreak? What kind of an outbreak?”
“Wayne, you ok? You got really pale all of a sudden.” Mike took his friend by the shoulders, but Wayne shrugged him off as he turned to leave. “Hey, where are you going? They say to stay inside!”
Wayne yelled back, “Rachel! She works at the hospital!”
Fueled by fear, Wayne raced back through the store, knocking into people and displays as he ran. He didn’t care what the CDC said, he was going after Rachel. Pushing through the doors at the front, he ran out onto the street, intending to catch a cab. He only had $28 on him but that should at least get him to the hospital. Running blindly, his only concern for Rachel, he didn’t notice that most of the people on the street were running in the opposite direction. Someone bumped into him and, looking up, he suddenly realized what kind of outbreak was happening. He was staring into the face of Hell on earth; the woman’s face had been mostly torn off, bitten. Her clothes were covered in blood and she looked ravenous. She caught hold of Wayne’s arm and pulled him to her, biting into the flesh of his neck. Wayne screamed and tried to fight her off but she was too strong. She dragged him to the ground, her teeth tearing into him, blood pouring from his wounds and soaking the ground around them.
As more of her kind stumbled over and fell on him, beginning to feed, Wayne’s last thought was of Rachel.
***
“Wayne Dunlap. Georgia license. Born 1979. He had $28 in his wallet when he died. And a picture of a pretty girl. ‘With love from Rachel.’ He used to be like us. Worried about bills, the rent, the Superbowl. If I ever find my family, I’m going to tell them about Wayne.” - Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes, Guts.