Post by Ghost Raziel on Nov 2, 2011 18:03:22 GMT -5
I remember when it all started, me and my parents were watching the news. There was a report showing of a triple homicide and a suicide on the screen of our big screen
TV. There was a little girl crying at the side of one of the stretchers, trying so desperately to get her mother to wake up. You could hear her crying and begging,
even with the reporter and camera man so far away from the ambulance. It was the scream that came next that scared me, I don't mean startle, I mean terrified.
Goosebumps had risen over my skin and I began shaking as I saw the corpses begin moving, the first one to rise had been the girls mother, I guess she'd gotten her
wish. Slowly the undead woman sat up, the reporter chattering on trying to figure out what was happening. The little girl was trying to pull away, crying and screaming
in terror. As the corpse sat up, much like they did in the movies, you could see an ugly dark bruise around her neck, she had been choked to death. Mom and dad thought
it was some kind of miracle, how could they not have seen that something was off, that her movements were inhuman and wrong. Maybe they just didn't want to believe it.
What happened next quickly destroyed their disbelief, or at least it should have. The former mother wrenched her daughter up by the arm violently, biting into her neck
like a wild animal without hesitation. Luckily the girl quickly died from shock and blood-loss, then the screen went black. My parents had turned off the TV.
"I can't believe there are cannibals in our society, don't they know that it's wrong?" I still can't believe my father was so soft to refuse to believe the truth, mom
just sat there, pale and silent, I think she got it. I stood, albeit a bit shakily and quietly said I was going to bed. 10:30 was usually a bit early for me, but my
parents didn't call me out on it. once I had gotten into bed I pulled my laptop on top of my covers and looked up the news stations website, looking for follow up on
the story. There wasn't anything up yet, but I left the page open, spending the rest of the night staring at the ceiling. Sleep didn't come that night, only a sick
feeling in my stomach that something was horribly wrong. I must have dozed off at some point in the night, when I opened my eyes next it was bright out. I slowly made
my way out of bed, barely awake as normal. I followed through with my usual routine before realizing that I still didn't know exactly what happened on the news last
night, I ran into my room and dove for the laptop. I refreshed the page and quickly read through the article. i leaned that three of the four corpses had come back to
life, and the police had to aim for the head to put them down for good after emptying an entire clip into their chest, the little girl rose as well she was dispatched
in a similar manner. I also read that two of the police had been bitten, one was fatal and the other only minor wounds to his arms, he had been sent to hospital. I
guess that's how shit hit the fan. No one realized that's how the disease had been transmitted, now that I think about it, kinda makes sense. lot's of people in a
hospital, lot's of people to infect rather quickly. Hindsight’s always 20/20 isn't it? By the time I got out to the kitchen for breakfast mom and dad were already
sitting at the breakfast bar, just like they always did, but something was off, I couldn't place it right away but when I did I realized just how bothered my parents
actually were about whet we saw last night. Dad always watches the news in the morning looking for follow-ups to the previous nights stories. The screen was blank, and
mom and dad were sitting quietly, mom drinking her coffee and my father absently munching on a piece of toast as he stared out a nearby window, lost to his thoughts.
"no news today dad?" I spoke quietly as I reached for a bowl for my cereal.
"your mother and I have decided to take a break from the depressing influence of the news..." I held my mouth shut since I didn't have anything nice to say. The rest
of the morning went by with our fairly normal routine. By the time I got to school it had become clear how many people were made nervous by the events from last night.
Shop windows had been boarded up, I even saw a few places for sale too. I wasn't sure why though. At least not until I got to school.
A soft shuffling sound brought me back to the present, my eyes almost instantly adjusting to the dark. I'd been travelling alone in the dark for about a month now. Not
a very good idea I know, but it was working, at least so far. I got up quietly, moving through the abandoned semi detached house. I immediately checked the doors, both
were still close and locked, that meant someone had died in the house, should have checked better. the windows weren't covered and it was a full moon so I had plenty of
light to work with, so I took a corner in the kitchen and waited, Zed always came to you, always, at least something these days was reliable. I grin a bit cynically as
I see a bald bloody head appear above the edge of the stairs. I grip my two by four tighter and slowly move forward as he reached the top of the stairs, He had been
athletic in life, I could tell by the size of his arms. He finally heard me, as he lurched towards me I noticed his eyes had been eaten, I brought the two by four down
hard on his head as I side-stepped his grasping hands, he fell with a thud and a gurgle and I struck again, both hands on the wooden plank. I bring it down one more
time, the muscles in my arms aching as I put all my strength behind the swing. I wasn't letting this one surprise me later. I get up and such the house again, spending
a few extra minutes in the basement, moving things and inspecting anything with a lid far more thoroughly. It had been three days since that morbid newscast and more
and more kids were disappearing each day, same with adults too, and in some cases animals, like peoples pets, but I was still in school, maybe it was because I didn't
have much of a life that I avoided being bitten for that long. The zombies, or Zeds as my friends and many other locals had taken to calling them were still few and
far between, but their numbers were growing quickly. By this point most of the town the newscast had come from had been quarantined off, and the rest was under heavy
security, even curfew was being enforced. My history teacher was amazed, saying he hadn't heard of it happening for any reason in years. Mom and dad were still being
ignorant, but it was easy to tell how much it was bothering mom, she was drinking more, and she spent most of her time lost in space with a look of near panic on her
face. I spent more time with my friends and less time at home, one of them had been a total Z-day freak, always going on about his zombie plan. Who knew we'd end up
relying on him? He never once asked for an apology for all our teasing, he just grinned and said we should get to work before things got worse. They always get worse
don't they, and this time far too quickly. it was only a couple of days before the outbreak had reached apocalyptic levels. That's what Jak called it, he knew a lot
about this stuff and boy were we glad he did. The weird thing is he had the plan, but he absolutely refused to lead us, kept saying he didn't have what it took. It
took us a couple days using the democratic system to pick a leader. I argued a lot when they picked me, I guess they figured it out though. After my second search of
the house I was positive it was clear this time, double checked the doors and windows, making sure they were secure, then I went back to the couch, laying myself down
so I could move quickly if I had too. Soon sleep had taken me, though it didn't take me very far from this hellish nightmare I found myself surviving in.
Gurgling shrieks and hurried shuffled steps were coming up fast behind us, one of the girls was screaming, I can't remember about what, I was busy trying to wrench the
steel door open with a crowbar. Suddenly they were on us, grabbing and clawing, biting and moaning as they grasped for our flesh with their grey mottled hands. They
got the screamer first. We heard it before we saw it, the spray of blood from her stomach as their gnarled fingers tore through her smooth skin, her cries of fear
turning to panic and anguish. Her beautiful face contorts in pain as her arm is ripped from it's socket, her eyes begging me to help her, full of fear as she clawed at
the ground to get away from them, only serving to tear her own fingernails off. The room seemed to go silent save for her screams, I could feel someone tugging at me,
urging me to go through the now open door but I couldn't move. I felt my lips moving, showing the words "I'm sorry" over and over again as all but her screams faded
into the darkness. I sit bolt upright suddenly. Did I scream? I check out the window, they didn't seem to notice so that means I hadn't, or at least not very loudly. I
wiped the cold sweat from my brow, still shivering from the cold fear and guilt that had gripped me, even now, as I sit on the wooden coffee table trying to regain my
breath and composure can I hear her screams, see her bloodied face. It's all my fault.
I spent most of the rest of the night being sick, which led to my next dilemma. I was out of water. Can't drink tap water, no one to run the treatment plants combined
with zeds floating around in the water supply, makes the water toxic. Learned that lesson the hard way too. The back yard was fenced in so I went out the back door,
opening it quietly, shutting it tight behind me. You never know when you're gonna need an empty house on the fly. I couldn't lock the door but that didn't matter,
Zed's don't exactly have the best motor skills once they've turned. I knew there was a grocery store nearby, they never had food or pop but people always left the
water behind. I was never sure if they were stupid or if they just didn't know. The human body is full of surprises, but even with dedicated training it still needs
water. I made my way through the back yard and over the fence, landing with a quiet thump on the other side. Normally people might be worried about being seen but it's
been years since the outbreak, most zed's eyes had rotted out long ago, and if you came across a zombie that could still see, that meant there were survivors nearby,
let's only hope I could be so lucky. It's pretty easy to move around the deadheads and keep from being swarmed if you keep quiet. My soft soled shoes barely made a
sound as the made first contact with the pavement, the streets weren't thick with zombies, but it was still easy to get yourself caught. I tried hard to think of it as
a game of Marco polo, with a death penalty for losing. I made my way through the crowds easily, avoiding contact at all costs. Once inside the grocery store I couldn't
believe my eyes. most of the shelves still had food on them, dried and canned goods, but to me that was gold. My first instinct after getting into the grocery store was to secure the door, and it was as easy as flipping a switch, sometimes I love automatic doors. I didn't bother boarding them up or blocking them in any way, I figured as long as I didn't make too much noise I wouldn't have a problem. Without a second thought for the door I began walking down, first around the outer rim of the store, then down each isle. I could hear the gurgling and slurping, the heavy breathing sound the dead heads made. I never understood why they did, I've watched Zeds walk along the bottom of a lake before and none of them drowned. I just chalked it up to the fact that it's just how they were. Eventually I came upon the source of the sound, instinctively reaching for the revolver I picked up off an old cop, I shook my head and reached for my crowbar instead. It would be foolish to use any kind of fire arm, makes too much noise and you might need the ammo later. I didn't stop swinging till I heard the squelch-like sound of it's skull collapsing, it was a strange sense of satisfaction and disgust that coursed through me as I heard it.
About an hour later I had cleaned up my mess and moved the corpses to the compactor out back. I wasn't sure how long I would stay in the area so why not have my grocery store corpse free. Next I loaded up on supplies, water, canned goods, dried goods, anything I could fit in my bag. I didn't want to carry a box back to my house, it would have been to clumsy, too hard to get around with, and those damned plastic bags made way too much noise to be useful in any way. I managed to fit 2 jugs of water into my bag with a couple cans of soup and some pasta, I even managed to grab some unspoiled meat, though in truth it was just spam in a can. I made my way outside, this time through the back door instead of trying to force the front doors open, or turning the power back on again, I wanted to minimize the chances of this place becoming infested. There were still a few zeds out back, but they were a ways off, gathered near a fence, I made a mental note to check why they were gathered there, it usually meant survivors, but it would have to wait, my pack was heavy and I needed it off my shoulders. I really should have cleared out that back yard, cuz as I hopped the fence I lands on a branch and snapped it. Now that may not sound too bad but in the now eerily silent city filled with the dead, well it was almost as loud as cannon fire. Every Zed in the immediate area had heard it and I now had their undivided attention, not that I wanted it. I ran back into the house, locking the deadbolt, chain, and the knob lock. I wasn't done with that door yet, I dashed downstairs, looking for a tool box, some nails and a wall I could tear apart for the wooden planks inside. I found the screw driver no problem, and I found the screws pretty easy too. Sure I had set out for nails, but screws would hold better, basic logic made that clear to me. The wooden planks were harder to find, a lot of the walls in the basement were load bearing, and I really didn't feel like having a house collapse on top of me, not when I still had work to do. I ran upstairs, digging my crowbar into the wall of what must have been a little boys bedroom, the walls were a pale blue with white trim, and then I tore it up, wrenching the 2 by 4 planks from their nailed in positions as quickly as I could. I didn't stop until I had enough for both the front and back doors. I dashed back downstairs with a bundle in my arms, nearly clothes lining myself as I ran through the kitchen. I was sweating by the time I had the back door boarded up, but I couldn't rest yet. In another 5 minutes I had both doors boarded, the windows on the ground floor had already been done long before I got there. Now all I had to do was wait. I finally took my pack off and emptied it out. If I was careful with the water I might be able to make it last a week, but that meant no washing or cooking with it, just drinking. I finished unpacking my bag and sat on the couch, letting myself relax as much as I could, even with the banging and moaning coming from outside. If I stayed quiet enough they would be gone in a day or so, still thickly grouped around the house, but I wouldn't have their attention anymore. I thought about the food I'd brought back with me and cursed myself, having to conserve that water meant I couldn't cook the noodles I had brought, or thin out the cream soup I had picked up either, that left me with just some canned meat to eat for the rest of the day. I was not looking forward to it. I had also noticed that I was beginning to feel calmed by the moaning and scratching at the doors and windows. I knew when this started that I would end up losing my mind, probably slowly too, and now that I had no one to stay sane for, no one to protect why shouldn't I right? What if I met other survivors though, would I turn into one of those crazies who just shot or attacked anything that moved? Would I become one of those crazies who acted like the zeds? Or maybe I'd be the kind of crazy who offed himself. Secretly I hoped for the last one, if I lost my mind I was better off dead anyway. I'm not sure when it happened or how, but I drifted off to sleep again, though it wasn't for very long.
“HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU JUST LEAVE CASSIE LIKE THAT? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Jak had always had a thing for Cassie, and he'd broken his first rule, he'd let himself become too attached, he didn't like that I responded with the fact that I was just following his rules. That shiner lasted a few days. He never forgave me for it, even as I watched him die too. Cassie's death was relatively quick. Jak got to watch as the zed's dug through his stomach, pulling out organ after organ to munch on. His hands were balled into fists, beating on anything he could reach. I had tried to help him too, but he just glared at me, hatred filling his eyes as he pulled his hand away from my grasp. I sat up fast, drenched in my own cold sweat again. These ghosts would likely always haunt me, and I was trying to make peace with that. After all I did deserve the blame right? The moans had stopped, but the near silent scratching continued as I got up and began moving through the house. I picked up the can of meat and popped the lid as quietly as I could. It still made noise and the scratches became more intense, but only for a couple minutes. I didn't bother with utensils, only civilization really needed those, I just dug the meat out of the can, being careful not to scrap my fingers along the rim. I needed to get the awful taste of canned meat out of my mouth so I dug through the cabinets for a glass, quickly discovering the corpse of a formerly turned cat, it's head was missing and some of it's skin had been filleted from it's body. I grabbed a small glass and shut the cupboard, making another mental note to keep out of it if I could. I used the same cloth I use when I sharpen my boot knife to wipe out the glass, it wasn't the cleanest but it made a bit of a difference, to me at least. I drank slowly, savouring the water. After about ten minutes of sitting on the couch I decided on staying upstairs, I decided on destroying that flight of stairs, the only one to the second floor. It was a lot of work, but I succeeded. I took the cleanest linens from each bed and curled up on the largest bed in the house, maybe I could get through a whole nights sleep this time. I laid on the bed in the fetal position, all my gear still attached to me as I tried to sleep. A few louder bangs made me jump a few times, but it seemed my barriers were holding, at least for now I hoped.
The dreams always start with screams, I really wish they wouldn't. It was her screaming this time, I can't remember if I was screaming, I know I had my mouth open, maybe I was telling her it would be ok, maybe I was yelling at her to try harder. Maybe I was yelling at her for opening that door. All I know is I regret not telling her what I had wanted too. The most terrifying death to behold is that which you can only hear. I couldn't see what was happening to her, I only heard her screams and the frantic moans of the Zed as they feasted on her, I heard her screams become frantic gurgles as one of them tore open her throat. I may not have been able to see her, but my imagination was and would always torment me. I heard a crunch and imagined it was an arm or leg being broken and torn away, and for one single instant a scream found it's way passed the blood flowing out of her throat and filled the air once more. Now the only sound left was the sickly sounds coming from her body as the dead heads tore her apart, the snorting and groaning they made as she ate. She had let go of my hand, she had sacrificed herself so I could live. Didn't she know I was nothing without her!? Didn't she know she was why I had kept going?! She had let go and now I just stood there. She was the last one, the only other living person I knew and now she was gone. I had stood there for a couple minutes before turning and booking in the opposite direction, I don't know how long or how far I ran but I didn't stop until I couldn't breathe anymore. I sat in a field wheezing and coughing, doing my best to stifle it. I don't remember crying, I don't even remember feeling at that point, I'm still not sure if I feel anything at all. Her screams haunted me for the rest of the night, my mind and my guilt refusing to let me wake to escape the torture of my nightmares, I watched them all die, one by one, over and over again. Morning came, just like it always did, at least for other people anyway...
I sat up at the edge of the bed slowly, wondering when it would be my last sunset. If I was any kind of lucky it would be soon. I sat at the edge of the bed for a few minutes, taking my time for the first time in a few months, letting myself wake up slowly. It was almost nice, almost. Eventually I stood and made my way to the now destroyed stairs. I hadn't thought that through very well. I sighed and returned to the bedroom, walking up to the window and looking out. Most of the Zak had moved on, there were still a few here at the back, I'd have to check the front in a few minutes. Back when I was with my group we had a number of names for the undead.
TV. There was a little girl crying at the side of one of the stretchers, trying so desperately to get her mother to wake up. You could hear her crying and begging,
even with the reporter and camera man so far away from the ambulance. It was the scream that came next that scared me, I don't mean startle, I mean terrified.
Goosebumps had risen over my skin and I began shaking as I saw the corpses begin moving, the first one to rise had been the girls mother, I guess she'd gotten her
wish. Slowly the undead woman sat up, the reporter chattering on trying to figure out what was happening. The little girl was trying to pull away, crying and screaming
in terror. As the corpse sat up, much like they did in the movies, you could see an ugly dark bruise around her neck, she had been choked to death. Mom and dad thought
it was some kind of miracle, how could they not have seen that something was off, that her movements were inhuman and wrong. Maybe they just didn't want to believe it.
What happened next quickly destroyed their disbelief, or at least it should have. The former mother wrenched her daughter up by the arm violently, biting into her neck
like a wild animal without hesitation. Luckily the girl quickly died from shock and blood-loss, then the screen went black. My parents had turned off the TV.
"I can't believe there are cannibals in our society, don't they know that it's wrong?" I still can't believe my father was so soft to refuse to believe the truth, mom
just sat there, pale and silent, I think she got it. I stood, albeit a bit shakily and quietly said I was going to bed. 10:30 was usually a bit early for me, but my
parents didn't call me out on it. once I had gotten into bed I pulled my laptop on top of my covers and looked up the news stations website, looking for follow up on
the story. There wasn't anything up yet, but I left the page open, spending the rest of the night staring at the ceiling. Sleep didn't come that night, only a sick
feeling in my stomach that something was horribly wrong. I must have dozed off at some point in the night, when I opened my eyes next it was bright out. I slowly made
my way out of bed, barely awake as normal. I followed through with my usual routine before realizing that I still didn't know exactly what happened on the news last
night, I ran into my room and dove for the laptop. I refreshed the page and quickly read through the article. i leaned that three of the four corpses had come back to
life, and the police had to aim for the head to put them down for good after emptying an entire clip into their chest, the little girl rose as well she was dispatched
in a similar manner. I also read that two of the police had been bitten, one was fatal and the other only minor wounds to his arms, he had been sent to hospital. I
guess that's how shit hit the fan. No one realized that's how the disease had been transmitted, now that I think about it, kinda makes sense. lot's of people in a
hospital, lot's of people to infect rather quickly. Hindsight’s always 20/20 isn't it? By the time I got out to the kitchen for breakfast mom and dad were already
sitting at the breakfast bar, just like they always did, but something was off, I couldn't place it right away but when I did I realized just how bothered my parents
actually were about whet we saw last night. Dad always watches the news in the morning looking for follow-ups to the previous nights stories. The screen was blank, and
mom and dad were sitting quietly, mom drinking her coffee and my father absently munching on a piece of toast as he stared out a nearby window, lost to his thoughts.
"no news today dad?" I spoke quietly as I reached for a bowl for my cereal.
"your mother and I have decided to take a break from the depressing influence of the news..." I held my mouth shut since I didn't have anything nice to say. The rest
of the morning went by with our fairly normal routine. By the time I got to school it had become clear how many people were made nervous by the events from last night.
Shop windows had been boarded up, I even saw a few places for sale too. I wasn't sure why though. At least not until I got to school.
A soft shuffling sound brought me back to the present, my eyes almost instantly adjusting to the dark. I'd been travelling alone in the dark for about a month now. Not
a very good idea I know, but it was working, at least so far. I got up quietly, moving through the abandoned semi detached house. I immediately checked the doors, both
were still close and locked, that meant someone had died in the house, should have checked better. the windows weren't covered and it was a full moon so I had plenty of
light to work with, so I took a corner in the kitchen and waited, Zed always came to you, always, at least something these days was reliable. I grin a bit cynically as
I see a bald bloody head appear above the edge of the stairs. I grip my two by four tighter and slowly move forward as he reached the top of the stairs, He had been
athletic in life, I could tell by the size of his arms. He finally heard me, as he lurched towards me I noticed his eyes had been eaten, I brought the two by four down
hard on his head as I side-stepped his grasping hands, he fell with a thud and a gurgle and I struck again, both hands on the wooden plank. I bring it down one more
time, the muscles in my arms aching as I put all my strength behind the swing. I wasn't letting this one surprise me later. I get up and such the house again, spending
a few extra minutes in the basement, moving things and inspecting anything with a lid far more thoroughly. It had been three days since that morbid newscast and more
and more kids were disappearing each day, same with adults too, and in some cases animals, like peoples pets, but I was still in school, maybe it was because I didn't
have much of a life that I avoided being bitten for that long. The zombies, or Zeds as my friends and many other locals had taken to calling them were still few and
far between, but their numbers were growing quickly. By this point most of the town the newscast had come from had been quarantined off, and the rest was under heavy
security, even curfew was being enforced. My history teacher was amazed, saying he hadn't heard of it happening for any reason in years. Mom and dad were still being
ignorant, but it was easy to tell how much it was bothering mom, she was drinking more, and she spent most of her time lost in space with a look of near panic on her
face. I spent more time with my friends and less time at home, one of them had been a total Z-day freak, always going on about his zombie plan. Who knew we'd end up
relying on him? He never once asked for an apology for all our teasing, he just grinned and said we should get to work before things got worse. They always get worse
don't they, and this time far too quickly. it was only a couple of days before the outbreak had reached apocalyptic levels. That's what Jak called it, he knew a lot
about this stuff and boy were we glad he did. The weird thing is he had the plan, but he absolutely refused to lead us, kept saying he didn't have what it took. It
took us a couple days using the democratic system to pick a leader. I argued a lot when they picked me, I guess they figured it out though. After my second search of
the house I was positive it was clear this time, double checked the doors and windows, making sure they were secure, then I went back to the couch, laying myself down
so I could move quickly if I had too. Soon sleep had taken me, though it didn't take me very far from this hellish nightmare I found myself surviving in.
Gurgling shrieks and hurried shuffled steps were coming up fast behind us, one of the girls was screaming, I can't remember about what, I was busy trying to wrench the
steel door open with a crowbar. Suddenly they were on us, grabbing and clawing, biting and moaning as they grasped for our flesh with their grey mottled hands. They
got the screamer first. We heard it before we saw it, the spray of blood from her stomach as their gnarled fingers tore through her smooth skin, her cries of fear
turning to panic and anguish. Her beautiful face contorts in pain as her arm is ripped from it's socket, her eyes begging me to help her, full of fear as she clawed at
the ground to get away from them, only serving to tear her own fingernails off. The room seemed to go silent save for her screams, I could feel someone tugging at me,
urging me to go through the now open door but I couldn't move. I felt my lips moving, showing the words "I'm sorry" over and over again as all but her screams faded
into the darkness. I sit bolt upright suddenly. Did I scream? I check out the window, they didn't seem to notice so that means I hadn't, or at least not very loudly. I
wiped the cold sweat from my brow, still shivering from the cold fear and guilt that had gripped me, even now, as I sit on the wooden coffee table trying to regain my
breath and composure can I hear her screams, see her bloodied face. It's all my fault.
I spent most of the rest of the night being sick, which led to my next dilemma. I was out of water. Can't drink tap water, no one to run the treatment plants combined
with zeds floating around in the water supply, makes the water toxic. Learned that lesson the hard way too. The back yard was fenced in so I went out the back door,
opening it quietly, shutting it tight behind me. You never know when you're gonna need an empty house on the fly. I couldn't lock the door but that didn't matter,
Zed's don't exactly have the best motor skills once they've turned. I knew there was a grocery store nearby, they never had food or pop but people always left the
water behind. I was never sure if they were stupid or if they just didn't know. The human body is full of surprises, but even with dedicated training it still needs
water. I made my way through the back yard and over the fence, landing with a quiet thump on the other side. Normally people might be worried about being seen but it's
been years since the outbreak, most zed's eyes had rotted out long ago, and if you came across a zombie that could still see, that meant there were survivors nearby,
let's only hope I could be so lucky. It's pretty easy to move around the deadheads and keep from being swarmed if you keep quiet. My soft soled shoes barely made a
sound as the made first contact with the pavement, the streets weren't thick with zombies, but it was still easy to get yourself caught. I tried hard to think of it as
a game of Marco polo, with a death penalty for losing. I made my way through the crowds easily, avoiding contact at all costs. Once inside the grocery store I couldn't
believe my eyes. most of the shelves still had food on them, dried and canned goods, but to me that was gold. My first instinct after getting into the grocery store was to secure the door, and it was as easy as flipping a switch, sometimes I love automatic doors. I didn't bother boarding them up or blocking them in any way, I figured as long as I didn't make too much noise I wouldn't have a problem. Without a second thought for the door I began walking down, first around the outer rim of the store, then down each isle. I could hear the gurgling and slurping, the heavy breathing sound the dead heads made. I never understood why they did, I've watched Zeds walk along the bottom of a lake before and none of them drowned. I just chalked it up to the fact that it's just how they were. Eventually I came upon the source of the sound, instinctively reaching for the revolver I picked up off an old cop, I shook my head and reached for my crowbar instead. It would be foolish to use any kind of fire arm, makes too much noise and you might need the ammo later. I didn't stop swinging till I heard the squelch-like sound of it's skull collapsing, it was a strange sense of satisfaction and disgust that coursed through me as I heard it.
About an hour later I had cleaned up my mess and moved the corpses to the compactor out back. I wasn't sure how long I would stay in the area so why not have my grocery store corpse free. Next I loaded up on supplies, water, canned goods, dried goods, anything I could fit in my bag. I didn't want to carry a box back to my house, it would have been to clumsy, too hard to get around with, and those damned plastic bags made way too much noise to be useful in any way. I managed to fit 2 jugs of water into my bag with a couple cans of soup and some pasta, I even managed to grab some unspoiled meat, though in truth it was just spam in a can. I made my way outside, this time through the back door instead of trying to force the front doors open, or turning the power back on again, I wanted to minimize the chances of this place becoming infested. There were still a few zeds out back, but they were a ways off, gathered near a fence, I made a mental note to check why they were gathered there, it usually meant survivors, but it would have to wait, my pack was heavy and I needed it off my shoulders. I really should have cleared out that back yard, cuz as I hopped the fence I lands on a branch and snapped it. Now that may not sound too bad but in the now eerily silent city filled with the dead, well it was almost as loud as cannon fire. Every Zed in the immediate area had heard it and I now had their undivided attention, not that I wanted it. I ran back into the house, locking the deadbolt, chain, and the knob lock. I wasn't done with that door yet, I dashed downstairs, looking for a tool box, some nails and a wall I could tear apart for the wooden planks inside. I found the screw driver no problem, and I found the screws pretty easy too. Sure I had set out for nails, but screws would hold better, basic logic made that clear to me. The wooden planks were harder to find, a lot of the walls in the basement were load bearing, and I really didn't feel like having a house collapse on top of me, not when I still had work to do. I ran upstairs, digging my crowbar into the wall of what must have been a little boys bedroom, the walls were a pale blue with white trim, and then I tore it up, wrenching the 2 by 4 planks from their nailed in positions as quickly as I could. I didn't stop until I had enough for both the front and back doors. I dashed back downstairs with a bundle in my arms, nearly clothes lining myself as I ran through the kitchen. I was sweating by the time I had the back door boarded up, but I couldn't rest yet. In another 5 minutes I had both doors boarded, the windows on the ground floor had already been done long before I got there. Now all I had to do was wait. I finally took my pack off and emptied it out. If I was careful with the water I might be able to make it last a week, but that meant no washing or cooking with it, just drinking. I finished unpacking my bag and sat on the couch, letting myself relax as much as I could, even with the banging and moaning coming from outside. If I stayed quiet enough they would be gone in a day or so, still thickly grouped around the house, but I wouldn't have their attention anymore. I thought about the food I'd brought back with me and cursed myself, having to conserve that water meant I couldn't cook the noodles I had brought, or thin out the cream soup I had picked up either, that left me with just some canned meat to eat for the rest of the day. I was not looking forward to it. I had also noticed that I was beginning to feel calmed by the moaning and scratching at the doors and windows. I knew when this started that I would end up losing my mind, probably slowly too, and now that I had no one to stay sane for, no one to protect why shouldn't I right? What if I met other survivors though, would I turn into one of those crazies who just shot or attacked anything that moved? Would I become one of those crazies who acted like the zeds? Or maybe I'd be the kind of crazy who offed himself. Secretly I hoped for the last one, if I lost my mind I was better off dead anyway. I'm not sure when it happened or how, but I drifted off to sleep again, though it wasn't for very long.
“HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU JUST LEAVE CASSIE LIKE THAT? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Jak had always had a thing for Cassie, and he'd broken his first rule, he'd let himself become too attached, he didn't like that I responded with the fact that I was just following his rules. That shiner lasted a few days. He never forgave me for it, even as I watched him die too. Cassie's death was relatively quick. Jak got to watch as the zed's dug through his stomach, pulling out organ after organ to munch on. His hands were balled into fists, beating on anything he could reach. I had tried to help him too, but he just glared at me, hatred filling his eyes as he pulled his hand away from my grasp. I sat up fast, drenched in my own cold sweat again. These ghosts would likely always haunt me, and I was trying to make peace with that. After all I did deserve the blame right? The moans had stopped, but the near silent scratching continued as I got up and began moving through the house. I picked up the can of meat and popped the lid as quietly as I could. It still made noise and the scratches became more intense, but only for a couple minutes. I didn't bother with utensils, only civilization really needed those, I just dug the meat out of the can, being careful not to scrap my fingers along the rim. I needed to get the awful taste of canned meat out of my mouth so I dug through the cabinets for a glass, quickly discovering the corpse of a formerly turned cat, it's head was missing and some of it's skin had been filleted from it's body. I grabbed a small glass and shut the cupboard, making another mental note to keep out of it if I could. I used the same cloth I use when I sharpen my boot knife to wipe out the glass, it wasn't the cleanest but it made a bit of a difference, to me at least. I drank slowly, savouring the water. After about ten minutes of sitting on the couch I decided on staying upstairs, I decided on destroying that flight of stairs, the only one to the second floor. It was a lot of work, but I succeeded. I took the cleanest linens from each bed and curled up on the largest bed in the house, maybe I could get through a whole nights sleep this time. I laid on the bed in the fetal position, all my gear still attached to me as I tried to sleep. A few louder bangs made me jump a few times, but it seemed my barriers were holding, at least for now I hoped.
The dreams always start with screams, I really wish they wouldn't. It was her screaming this time, I can't remember if I was screaming, I know I had my mouth open, maybe I was telling her it would be ok, maybe I was yelling at her to try harder. Maybe I was yelling at her for opening that door. All I know is I regret not telling her what I had wanted too. The most terrifying death to behold is that which you can only hear. I couldn't see what was happening to her, I only heard her screams and the frantic moans of the Zed as they feasted on her, I heard her screams become frantic gurgles as one of them tore open her throat. I may not have been able to see her, but my imagination was and would always torment me. I heard a crunch and imagined it was an arm or leg being broken and torn away, and for one single instant a scream found it's way passed the blood flowing out of her throat and filled the air once more. Now the only sound left was the sickly sounds coming from her body as the dead heads tore her apart, the snorting and groaning they made as she ate. She had let go of my hand, she had sacrificed herself so I could live. Didn't she know I was nothing without her!? Didn't she know she was why I had kept going?! She had let go and now I just stood there. She was the last one, the only other living person I knew and now she was gone. I had stood there for a couple minutes before turning and booking in the opposite direction, I don't know how long or how far I ran but I didn't stop until I couldn't breathe anymore. I sat in a field wheezing and coughing, doing my best to stifle it. I don't remember crying, I don't even remember feeling at that point, I'm still not sure if I feel anything at all. Her screams haunted me for the rest of the night, my mind and my guilt refusing to let me wake to escape the torture of my nightmares, I watched them all die, one by one, over and over again. Morning came, just like it always did, at least for other people anyway...
I sat up at the edge of the bed slowly, wondering when it would be my last sunset. If I was any kind of lucky it would be soon. I sat at the edge of the bed for a few minutes, taking my time for the first time in a few months, letting myself wake up slowly. It was almost nice, almost. Eventually I stood and made my way to the now destroyed stairs. I hadn't thought that through very well. I sighed and returned to the bedroom, walking up to the window and looking out. Most of the Zak had moved on, there were still a few here at the back, I'd have to check the front in a few minutes. Back when I was with my group we had a number of names for the undead.
