April 2nd, 2021.
The Shadow Virus has taken over the news. I was with my aunt in Africa when I found out that it had spread from China to America. I jumped on the next plane and rushed home. When I got there, the neighborhood was eerily quiet.
OK...not creepy at all…
I went up to the house and knocked. "Mom? Dad? Wesley?" I called to my parents and younger brother, but no one answered. I took out my house keys and opened the door. "Hello? Is anyone home?" I asked, but again no answer. I closed the door and walked through the entire house, but I was the only one there.
Oh no...they can't be...
I went up to my parents' room and saw some clothes and pictures were missing. I relaxed a little. "They're alive and safe," I told myself, though there was still doubt in my mind. I went to my room and got my backpack. I got extra clothes and supplies. Then, I put a sheath on my back and grabbed my favorite weapon: double katana. I put a holster onto my belt, then got my Glock 43 and as much 9mm ammo as I could find. I loaded the gun and put the safety on before putting it away. After getting everything I thought I'd need, I said one last goodbye to the home I'd known my whole life, then set out. To be completely honest, I was a bit nervous and scared. I knew what the Virus did to people, even though I hadn't seen the effects with my own eyes but I had a feeling I would very soon.
As I walked along, I found a bike. However, sitting up against a tree nearby was a little girl. She appeared to be sleeping. I froze and gulped. Her clothes looked ragged and dirty. Was she alive, or was she...gone? I slowly approached the bike and carefully stood it up. I got on, all while not taking my eyes off the girl. A part of me wanted to go over and see if she was ok.
That's probably not a good idea, but what if she really needs help?
I sighed and got the kickstand on the bike out. Then I went over. "Excuse me, little girl? Are you ok? Do you need help?" I asked cautiously. Her dark brown hair was all tangled and her skin was pale. When I got no response, I picked up a stick and poked her with it. Immediately, her eyes shot open with a snarl. I yelled and fell back in surprise. I scrambled to get up as she stood too. I quickly took out my gun and shot her in the head just as she was about to attack me. She fell to the ground, dead. I took a deep breath. It was then that I realized my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking.
I-I just...killed someone...calm down. It's ok, she was gone.
No matter how much I tried to justify it though, I still felt guilty. It took me a few moments to fully calm down. "It's ok, I have to move on. I'll deal with this later. I have to find my family, or at least shelter for tonight," I told myself as I got back on the bike. I looked at the little girl one last time. "I'm sorry," I said solemnly before riding off.
---
It had been a few days since I set out to search for my family. I had found an apartment complex. I made one of the apartments into a temporary base. At night, I covered the windows and kept as silent as possible. I had discovered that the zombies are more active at night, and that they are sensitive to movements and touch. I had become used to killing them. When I think about it, it sounds really bad, like I'm a murderer but at the same time I know I have to if I want to stay alive and that any doubt would surely cost me my life, just like it almost had once before.
It was eight in the morning, the time I always go out. I grabbed my weapons and went out to scavenge for more supplies. I locked the apartment door, then cautiously went downstairs. I hadn't seen any zombies in the building yet, but that doesn't mean they can't find a way to come in. I got to the front and after making sure the coast was clear, I went out. It seemed like no zombies were in the area, but I knew from experience that they could just be sleeping in the shade or wandering around somewhere that was out of my line of sight, so I was always very alert. After a few moments, I heard a hoard of zombies. I was about to ignore it and just keep moving when I heard someone cry out for help.
I have to investigate, it might not be too late to save them!
I quickly but carefully made my way over. I saw a blonde haired boy who looked about my age stuck in a tree with about ten to twelve zombies surrounding him. I paused.
Ok, I need a plan. They're attracted to movement and touch...I could throw rocks at them then run like crazy, but then how would I know the boy was safe with a hoard of zombies after me?
I looked around and saw the fire escape on the side of the building.
Maybe if I get them all over here, then I climb up the fire escape and shoot them one by one...still pretty risky, but I have to try. I can't leave him alone.
I took a deep breath and approached them. I picked up some rocks and threw them at the zombies. "Hey! Freaks of nature! Come and get me!" I called, jumping up and down while waving my hands. They all turned to me and took a moment before coming after me. I turned and ran up the fire escape. However, I lost my footing for a moment, which allowed the first zombie there to grab onto my foot. "Yikes!" I squealed as I grabbed my sword and cut off its head. I made it up and shot the remaining thirteen.
I guess there were more than I thought.
I climbed back down and went over to the boy, who was still up in the tree. I looked around just to be sure. "Hey, you can come down now. It's okay, we're fine for now," I encouraged. He looked around before nodding and coming down. Now that I saw him closer without zombies around, I noticed he had light blue eyes. His skin was light like mine, and he wore a dark blue jacket over a light blue t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. He also wore a dog tag, like me.
"Thank you for saving me. I thought for the longest time I was alone, but now that you found me, I realize that there's probably more people out there. I know you didn't have to save me, risking your own life and all, but I can't thank you enough," he said.
"No problem. I've been alone for a few days, looking for my missing parents and little brother, but I'm really glad to have found another human. I think it'll be easier to survive if we stick together," I said with a small smile. "My name's Clara by the way. Clara McCarthy," I added.
"I'm Charlie Bradshaw," he said with a small smile back.
"Nice to meet you. Follow me, I have a base set up," I told him. He nodded and we started walking. "So where are you from?" I asked.
"Carsity, my parents moved here last year," he replied.
"Carsity, isn't that way up north of here?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's about seven and a half hours," Charlie chuckled lightly. "What about you?" he then asked me.
"I'm from Lagas, my parents moved us up here to Tucky about five years ago," I told him.
"Oh, that's not a very big move," he commented.
I chuckled and shook my head. It felt great to actually have a conversation with someone else. While I had my phone, the signal wasn't very great. I hadn't found a generator yet either, so it was very rare to find places with electricity still. Suddenly, Charlie stopped. "What's up?" I asked. He pointed to a zombie that appeared to be sleeping against the building. "It's ok, as long as we don't disturb it and move slowly we'll be fine. They're sensitive to movement and touch from what I've seen," I told him and he nodded. We continued carefully.
We reached the apartment complex, and I led him in. I heard the familiar groans of a zombie and felt a warm hand grab my arm. I smiled a little to myself. I took out my gun. "It'll be okay, Charlie. I think it's just one," I told him and he nodded a little, though I could tell he was still scared.
I don't blame him. I don't know what else he's gone through, but if he wants to survive he's gonna have to work up some courage.
I led him down the hall and sure enough, there was a lone zombie wandering around.
I don't want him to become a problem tonight, or attracted any more here, so it'll probably be best to put him down.
I took the safety off my Glock 43, aimed and fired. I hit my target directly through the head. "There, now we should be able to rest a little easier tonight, knowing that there's not a zombie wandering around beneath us," I told my new friend. He nodded and let go of my arm. I led him upstairs and to my apartment. I unlocked the door and once we were inside, I locked it back up. "Well, this is my place, and now your place for now. I know it's not much but it works. Make yourself at home. Got food in the kitchen if you're hungry, I'll set up a place for you to sleep," I told him. He thanked me and went to the kitchen. I made a makeshift bed out of pillows in the living room. I only had one sleeping bag, so I decided to let him use it tonight, then tomorrow we'd go out and look for another one, along with more supplies. I finished setting up, then went back over to him.
"I only have one sleeping bag right now, you can use it tonight," I told him.
"Are you sure? Where are you going to sleep?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm sure and don't worry about me. I'll be fine," I smiled. "And hey, don't feel bad either, got it?" I added with a light chuckle. He smiled a little and nodded slightly. I looked at the time. It was only ten thirty. "We still have a few hours, do you want to come out scavenging some more with me, or would you rather stay here?" I asked.
"Well, to be honest, I would rather stay here where it's at least more safe than out there but...I think I should come with. I want to learn how to be more confident like you, so I can protect myself and others. I don't want to always have to rely on someone like you to watch over me," he said meekly.
I smiled a little and nodded. "Charlie, I admire your strength to push yourself to become stronger, but at the same time don't push yourself so much that you get caught up in a situation you can't get out of," I advised. He thought for a moment then nodded. After that, the two of us went out to hopefully get more food and medical supplies.
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