dark streets

Kevin was running. He'd just heard back from the company in San Francisco and they said they were so impressed with his resume that they would not only hire him but that they would be considering him for a special projects division. The special projects division was exactly where he wanted to end up, it was advanced R&D, cutting edge stuff. Not only that but if he did get the position it would pay well enough that he could finally afford a house and car, which were the requirements he and Sarah had laid out for if they were going to get married.

He slowed down a bit, trying to get his emotions under control. They'd waited so long, 4 years now, to get married. They didn't have qualms about premarital sex, living together, or even sharing an account, so they didn't feel like they were missing that much. Even so, marriage had been a dream of both of theirs, and the engagement was starting to feel claustrophobic, like they were going nowhere.

He'd first met Sarah in high school, their senior year they had been assigned a project together for their chemistry class. Through an error in their equations they had ended up making the indicator dye significantly more potent, and permanently dye some blue spots onto their hands. That had been where the bond really formed.

And it had lasted through college. They started dating their freshmen year, and were always that couple that was so happy together. They even lost a few friends before they got their affection under control. With their senior year wrapping up and Sarah looking at law schools, he hoped the new job offer would encourage her to look at some west coast ones. Even if he would be able to support them both, he knew Sarah wouldn't be happy unless she was a self made woman. Plus, soon after she finished law school she'd probably be making more money than him, even if he were working in the special projects division, and the extra cash would give them some nice luxuries. Maybe even be enough to save up for college tuitions and retire early (both Sarah and Kevin wanted to have children).

He'd finally gotten his breathing under control as he rounded the last corner. Now it was a straight shot about four blocks to the diner where she worked. He'd have himself composed by the time he got there. Maybe he'd order two slices of key lime and if it was dead enough have Sarah sit down with him while he told her the news. Frank was usually pretty lenient and the nights weren't often busy.

He passed a man walking the other way smoking a cigarette. Looked like an assistant manager, probably just got off shift. Something in the way he walked set Kevin on edge. Rattled his newfound happiness. Kevin was glad once he had put some distance between him and the man, and let his mind drift back to the news he had for Sarah. He looked over his shoulder one last time and saw the man turn a corner.

As he approached the diner he thought it seemed even more dead than usual. And someone had sprayed ketchup on one of the front windows. He decided he'd sit in that booth and clean it up, help Sarah leave a little earlier tonight so they could celebrate.

On the steps it finally clicked that something was wrong. He opened the door to the diner. The aisle was full of bodies, some of the booths had corpses draped over them. The floor was slowly being covered with blood.

He didn't see Sarah and prayed she had gotten out somehow. He didn't see Frank either. Frank was ex-military, maybe he had gotten Sarah out somehow... or hidden them both in the kitchen.

He vaulted the counter to check the kitchen.