In different directions

In different directions

The day started off normal for Rod his normal cup of tea and toast with a small amount of jam on it, normal enough for a Wednesday he always had jam on a Wednesday. The day was normal enough same as every other day in fact, until Rod went to go out of the house and go to work wasn’t very far and a sunny day. Nice enough to walk, which was good because Rod didn’t like the rain. What was strange about this day was the stillness no dogs barking no children playing not even Jolene who lived next door walking down to the mail box “this is strange” Rod thought to himself I wonder where everyone is they can’t all be sick, was a few off sick at work yesterday but the whole neighborhood, too quiet this is.
He kept walking, and almost slipped, funny hasn’t been raining looked like oil that did too was dark and slick, someone must have been working on a car on the foot path again, Tom is always doing silly things like that Rod muttered
As he turned the corner Rod put his hand on the big red letter box the one with AP written on it in large white letters, he always did that when he walked to work, hand on the lump on the top and swing around, using it like a fulcrum to get around the corner. This time though his hand came away red, “must have re-painted it and not put the wet paint sign on” he thought to himself looking down at his hand now totally red.
At work after washing his hands Rod settled in behind the counter and read the fax that was sat in the machine from the boss saying “not well, you take charge of the shop today Rod”.
He had already checked the register and the stock and opened up, hung the open sign out but today looked like it was going to be quiet very quiet
As it was so quiet he got the window cleaner out and wiped the shop window down some vandal had smeared red stuff on it, kind of looked like hand prints, maybe they touched the mail box too, no couldn’t be that, the ordinary window cleaner wouldn’t take paint off not dry like this was, strange, “well it’s clean now any way” he muttered
Back inside the shop Rod decided that as there wasn’t any customers, none at all by 10.30 bit strange that there’s always a few kids come in about this time from the school to get packets of bubble gum and cans of soft drink that they aren’t supposed to have at school, Rod normally sells them the bubble gum any way, not his problem. Today though there’s not one single person around no one at all, not even any cars driving past
He shook it off there’s probably a detour, council is always digging up the road somewhere and painting letter boxes for that matter and not telling anyone.
I’ll just sit here and read the paper till about 1 then if no one is around I’ll shut shop the boss is sick anyway and a few hours without trade never hurt
The paper was the day befores “paper boy been slack again” he grumbled.
The headline read “Sickness Spreads” good thing I’ve had my flu shot then Rod thought
Just as he was about to read the rest of the front page article a shadow crossed the shop window , Rod looked up to see a man in a suit the man was walking strangely, limping almost staggering, his arms flailing in different directions , “oh this is great” Rod thought the first person I see all day and he’s drunk
Rod called out loudly, “go home you drunk!”


Rod shouldn’t have done that


The man saw Rod sitting inside the shop behind the counter, the smell of fresh meat made him start to slobber, and he would have smiled if he didn’t have half of his face missing, the drool mixed in with the blood covering the rest of his face, a groan escaped the Zombies mouth, that was the last sound Rod ever heard