The Broken Rosary

Daniel Lawson stared at me, the five-million-dollar scratch-off ticket crumpled in his fist.Even the lottery shop owner froze, cigarette ash falling onto his pants without him noticing."Maya Carter, are you out of your mind?"Daniel slammed his fist against the glass counter so hard that a row of cheap figurines toppled over."That's five million! Even after taxes, it's still four million!"He jabbed a finger in my face, spit nearly spraying me."And now you're telling me you want to go back to that dirt-poor mountain hole in the middle of nowhere? You just can't stand seeing me do well, can you?"I could not hear his yelling anymore.The broken bead in my palm was still warm.It came from the rosary my grandmother had carved from a tree struck by lightning, deep in the mountains.I had worn it for twenty-four years. Fire could not burn it, water could not rot it, and a blade had never left a mark on it.But the instant we scratched open the winning number, it had cracked

Three in the morning.The cab had just stopped in the service area when two black SUVs barreled in from the ramp.The shriek of brakes tore through the night.The doors flew open. Daniel jumped out with four men and surrounded the cab.The driver went pale with fear and scrambled to unlock the doors."Maya! You can really run, can't you?"Daniel yanked open the rear door, cold wind pouring in with his roar."Get out!"He reached in to grab my hair.I had been ready for him. I shrank to the other side and kicked him hard in the wrist."Get away from me! I told you I don't want anything. Why won't you let me go?""Let you go?"Daniel sneered, half his body leaning into the car."You're out here spreading rumors that something's going to happen in the city! The police came to me, saying you're spreading panic! You don't care about shame, but I do!"His friends closed in. One of them pulled out black nylon zip ties."Sis, stop making trouble. Daniel just won big. This is sup

Big Dave's scream through the speaker stabbed into everyone's eardrums."Big Dave, what the hell are you doing?"Daniel frowned."They're crazy... everyone is crazy!"Big Dave's voice was hoarse, full of extreme terror."There's blood everywhere! They're biting people! My pool hall got smashed. Pete's guts were ripped out!""Daniel, every road out of the city is blocked! Don't come back! Whatever you do, don't..."Before he could finish, a heavy impact came through the phone."Beep, beep, beep..."The call disconnected.The entire service area fell silent.The psychiatric nurses looked at one another, the hands holding syringes frozen in the air.My whole body went cold.Grandma's warning had come true.That city had become hell."Daniel Lawson, did you hear that?" My voice shook."Big Dave wouldn't joke about something like this. Something happened in there!"Daniel stared hard at the phone screen.The muscles in his face twitched violently.Then he smashed the phon

The morning wind carried a sharp sulfur smell.I climbed up from the ground, every bone in my body screaming.Three hundred yards ahead, the infected group had already noticed me.They smelled the living and suddenly sped up, charging like starving wolves.Run.That was the only thought in my mind.I turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.The sedative still lingered in my body, and my legs felt as heavy as lead.I had not gone far before heavy breathing came from behind me.An infected man in a suit lunged at me and clamped both hands around my throat.The whites of his eyes had turned blood red, and foul, rotten breath sprayed from his mouth."Get off!"I pried at his hands with all my strength, but his grip was terrifying.Suffocation rolled over me, and my vision began to darken.The rosary against my chest suddenly burst with scorching heat."Crack!"The sixth, seventh, and eighth beads snapped at the same time.Fragments shot outward.One sharp splinter l

Sand and gravel were whipped up by the wind.I opened my eyes sharply.Three military helicopters broke through the clouds and hovered above the broken bridge.Blinding searchlights fell on me.A commanding voice came from a loudspeaker."Person on the bridge, stay where you are! Hazmat rescue is in progress!"A rope ladder dropped from above.Two soldiers in full protective hazmat suits slid down the ladder and landed steadily on the bridge."Ma'am, are you hurt?"The soldiers quickly fitted a gas mask over my face and pulled me onto the ladder.I gripped the rope tightly, my body shaking from extreme tension and exhaustion.The helicopter rose.Through the window, I looked down at the city where I had lived for three years.Yellow-green toxic fog had already swallowed the entire urban area.Fires and thick smoke were everywhere.The streets were packed with tiny black dots, infected people tearing at one another.The rotor blades stirred huge currents of air, briefly