[center][img]http://www.dispatch.com/content/graphics/2013/02/mardi-gras/mardi-gras-12-620.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][h3]Eric Vance and Samantha Hebert[/h3][/center]
Eric stood behind the parade barricades directly next to the makeshift news platform that the local station had erected. It was a large wooden stage separating him and the others on the right with those to the left of the news crew. Across the street was another row of barricades keeping the people off of the parade path. Unlike his side it was not hindered by a large platform, the people bunched together in such a way that any claustrophobic person would faint from anxiety. It was a veritable sea of purples, greens, and yellows as far as the eye could see. They were in the main part of the City's celebrations, the French Quarter. 

Out of the corner of his ear he began to listen to the news broadcasts. "Hi, I'm Becky Jordan with New Orleans News."

"And I'm Bob Schneider. Thousands have gathered to attend the annual city-wide Mardi Gras parade hoping to forget about the war and other dark global events."

"And it's not just natives this year Bob, thousands are showing up from all over the country as well as our allied nations."

"Yes, it seems that in dark times everyone needs a vacation. We are here with councilman..."

"Eric look they're coming." Sam jerked his arm pulling him from his eavesdropping on the news crew. The front float had a massive jester head complete with a green and purple hat carved into its front. Cheers erupted from the crowd immediately as bead necklaces, candy, and cups were thrown out to the crowd. 

"Good thing you told me babe, I probably would've missed the whole parade otherwise." He said sarcastically. His girlfriend simply rolled her eyes and turned towards the parade waving her arms in the air. On the other side of Sam her brother Kyle was standing on the barrier banging one hand on the bars and waving the other above him. Eric shook his head and chuckled, two of the wealthiest people he knew were screaming over beads and little plastic cups.

"Damn it, they aren't throwing me anything." Kyle said as the third float passed the trio. He was younger than Eric and Sam, still a senior in high school.

"Calm down Kyle, there are a lot of people here and the floats don't want to hit the reporters." Sam replied back jerking her thumb at the platform. She had to yell to be heard even though they were packed shoulder to shoulder.   

"See I told you we should've gotten here earlier man." Kyle yelled to Eric. He let out a little laugh. 

"Hey, its not my fault your sister took three hours to get ready." He said falshing Sam a grin.

"Bullshit Vance, I had to wait on you to find that stupid hat of yours." She said as she playfully punched Eric in the arm. 

"You know this is my lucky hat," he replied tapping the red baseball cap on the top of his head,"nothing bad ever happens when I'm wearing it." 

As if by some divine sign of irony, as soon as the word left his mouth something exploded on the other side of the street. Eric and the others ducked down instinctively before he looked for the bomb. He couldn't see past the floats on the street. It took a few seconds for everyone to get past the initial shock and to start screaming. The only thing he could see on the other side was a cloud of what looked like green mist hanging in the air. Shouts of pain could be heard clearly from across the road even over the noise of the rest of the crowd. 

Then something to his left exploded on the other side of the platform. It was much closer this time and his ear started ringing from the blast. Something flew from across the stage and landed at his feet with a [i]*plop*[/i]. 

"Oh my god what is that?" He could barely make out Kyle's words through the ringing in his ear. When Eric looked down it took a minute for him to recognize the strange meaty object. It was a black man's severed arm. 

"Oh shit, we have to get out of here." He yelled grabbing Sam and they started to run back towards the buildings behind them. He had no idea where to go but he knew he had to get the two of them out of there. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the same green mist moving over the stage. Bob Schneider, the reporter, fell to the ground in a fit of spasms as soon as he inhaled it. A yellow sac of puss blew out of the side of his head within seconds and his spasms increased. 

At the sight of this the crowd got even rowdier. Still holding on to Sam he ran faster making sure Kyle was right behind them. From behind him someone pushed him down, he lost grip of Sam's arm and hit his head on the concrete. His vision blurred and for a second he lost track of everything. 

Finally Kyle grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Hey man are you okay?" The younger man asked. Still too dazed to respond Eric simply pointed behind Kyle's head. Bob Schneider's fit had ended and now the man was [i]eating[/i] someone. 

Kyle pushed his way through the crowd holding onto Eric's arm obviously freaked out thoroughly by the newsman's sudden descent into cannibalism. Regaining his senses, Eric pushed the two into a dark alleyway. They had to open a small fenced gate and pushed it closed behind them. 

"Oh God, Oh my God." Kyle was pacing with his hands in his hair. "What the fuck is happening, did we just get attacked?" Eric ignored him and looked around. It only took a second for his heart to fall into his chest with a terrible sense of dread.

"Where's Sam?" Eric asked putting his hand to his forehead. 

"What?" Kyle stopped pacing and his face dropped. "I... I don't know." 

"What do you mean you don't know?" Eric lunged towards his girlfriend's little brother and pinned him against the wall. "Why didn't you help your sister instead of me?" 

"I didn't see her fall." Kyle answered with a whimper. Eric began to hear gunshots far away and another explosion. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Eric let Kyle go and put his face in his hands. "We have to find her." Kyle just nodded. 

They were interrupted with something rammed against the small fence protecting them in the alley. Bob Schneider and the woman he was eating earlier crashed their faces against the chain link smiling evilly at them. The yellow sac of pus coming out of Bob's head was forming into some kind of plant and the woman had the same nasty substance flowing out of her neck where she had been bitten. They snarled at the two men unintelligibly beating their hands on the fence. 

"Oh fuck." was the only thing Eric could think to say as they busted the gate down.