Tech: Zombie Effect Chapter 5

Title: Tech: Zombie Effect Ch. 5
Characters: Logan/Carter
Series: Tech: Zombie Effect
POV: Carter

For the next several days Logan called into work, claiming to still be sick while Carter checked the news and the internet. Every day more stories of the strange flu were being reported. Any inkling of doubt Carter had was squashed with each new report. Even more ominous was the videos that were posted only to be removed in a few hours. Videos showing people becoming ill and then violently attacking anyone who happened to be near them.


Everything added up to Logan’s predictions coming true, so Carter was determined to learn what he could from the pages Logan had printed out. Yesterday, they had set up the food dehydrator and tried their hands at making dehydrated apples. Carter thought they’d turned out pretty good. He was curious to find out how meat would taste, but today they were going to brave the cold outside and learn to shoot their guns.


“Anything new today?” Logan asked, walking into the study, carrying the two gun cases.


Shaking his head, Carter answered, “More of the same, bad flu sweeping the nation, stay home if you are sick. The same thing they say each flu season. But they seem to be more adamant that people stay home. If the videos are anything to go by, more and more people are getting sick. I’d show you a couple videos but they are disappearing almost as soon as they are uploaded.”


Carter turned and watched as Logan set the gun cases on the desk. When he opened them, he peered inside. The black pistols looked so small and ominous. Carter tentatively reached out his hand and touched one of the guns. It felt cold. Carter didn’t know if the gun really was cold or just his imagination. The temperature outside had plummeted throughout the morning with a forecast of snow showers later in the day, but their house was warm.


“It’s not loaded. Pick it up,” Logan commanded him.


Giving his husband a dirty look, Carter snapped, “I know it’s not loaded! I’ve just never touched a gun before!”


“With the way this ‘flu’ is spreading, I’ve a feeling you are going to be doing more than just touching it soon.”


Carter grimaced. They’d stayed up late a couple nights ago doing the math of transmission. If their calculations were right, then the number of people infected with this so-called flu would triple and quadruple by the end of the week. Taking a deep breath, reminding himself that he’d read everything he could on this particular gun, he reached out and picked the gun up. It was heavier than he expected for such a small gun.


He turned it this way and that, looking it over. He saw the black little tab that was the safety. He used his thumb to flip it up and down. It was stiff and needed quite a bit of pressure from his thumb to pull the safety down. He wondered if after some use it wouldn’t be so hard.


A beam of red light flickered on the desk, startling him. He looked up and saw that Logan had picked up his own gun and was examining it. He had activated the sight laser.


“At least we’ll know where we are shooting,” Carter said.


Logan nodded. He picked up an empty magazine clip. After he examined it closely, he opened a box of bullets and started inserting them in the clip. “It’s not hard to load this.”


Carter watched as Logan finished loading the clip and slipped into the handle of the gun. Then he picked up another clip and loaded bullets just like Logan had.


“Make sure the safety’s on and let’s go out back,” Logan said.


The men put on their jackets and headed out the back door. The sky was heavy with grey clouds, and the wind had a freezing bite to it. They walked the hundred yards back to the river that separated their land from the new subdivision going in.


Logan had nailed a paper target to an old oak tree earlier that morning. The edges were flapping in the cold wind. Carter watched as Logan walked up to the tree, turned around, and then counted steps back and past him. He stopped after he had counted fifty steps.


“Ok, this would be a good starting point. It’s fifty feet.”


Carter walked up beside Logan. He stood watching as Logan braced his feet about shoulder width apart, held the gun in both hands, and fired his first shot.


“Woah!” Logan yelped. “For a little gun, it has quite a bit of kickback.”


Carter watched as Logan fired six times, emptying the gun. He was impressed as each of Logan’s bullets hit the target. Only one was a bullseye and that was when Logan had activated the laser.


“Ok. Your turn.”


Carter mimicked Logan’s stance, lifted his gun and fired. The gun almost flipped out of his hand. Even with Logan’s warning, he didn’t expect the gun to jerk so hard when fired. Taking a deep breath, Carter lifted the gun, trying to prepare himself for the kickback of the gun, and then he fired.


“I’m not even close to the target! What am I doing wrong?” He gritted out in frustration.


“Try again. I’ll watch you more closely,” Logan instructed.


Carter squared his shoulders, braced his legs apart, lifted the gun, and fired. The target blew in the wind, but his bullet had sailed right past the tree.


“Keep your eyes open. I think you closed them right before you fired,” Logan said.


Clenching his teeth together, Carter again prepared to fire. He let out a breath and pulled the trigger. The bullet was nowhere close to where he was aiming.


“Turn the laser thing on,” Logan said. “Maybe that will help.”


Nodding his head, Carter turned the gun and pushed the little red button. He couldn’t tell if the laser was activated so he put his hand in front of the gun. Only to have it suddenly slapped down. “What the hell, Logan?” He demanded.


“I may not have any more experience in handling a gun than you do, but even I know not to put your hand in front of a loaded gun!”


Carter grimaced. Yeah, that was a dumb thing to do, he thought to himself. Turning back to the target, he raised the gun. He could see the red dot from the laser up on the right side of the target. Moving the gun about he tried to get it centered. He had to make smaller adjustments as the light would disappear off the paper. Once he had the red dot in the center, he pulled the trigger.


“Fuck! Seriously? My laser must be broken! I still didn’t hit the fucking paper!” Carter yelled.


“Here, let me try it. One bullet left,” Logan said as he held out his hand.


Carter handed the gun to Logan and stood back. He watched as Logan lined up the red dot perfectly in the center of the target. The dot disappeared when Logan’s bullet hit exactly where the laser had been pointed.


“What am I doing wrong? Why can’t I hit the target?” Carter asked angrily.


“I don’t know. Maybe we can go back to the gun shop and ask the guy there.”


Before Carter could agree, his phone started to vibrate in his pocket and emit the emergency broadcast alert. Carter pulled out his phone, expecting to see a weather alert for the incoming snow showers. The small backroads became dangerous with the smallest amount of snow. Unlocking and looking down at his phone, Carter felt all the blood drain out of his face. The message was much worse.


“This an alert of the Emergency Broadcast System. Due to the recent flu epidemic, all local schools will be closed. The public is strongly advised to stay at home. A curfew of 6 pm is now in effect.”


Carter raised his head and met Logan’s eyes. This was it. The scenario that Logan had predicted was coming true.


Go on to Chapter 6