Lock your doors shut your windows and close your curtains. Help is on the way!
Those are the words that gave every American citizen hope for all of 24 hours. Jack Newman, an Englishman living in an American nightmare. Except it wasn't just American, it was global, this living nightmare was on every corner of the earth. Jack had been in America nearly a month before 'Z-Day' had hit, he was just settling in his life in Atlanta before the disease began, but this wasn't like any disease. This didn't slowly kill you, it didn't infect your genitals and it wasn't airborn. No, it started with scientists trying to cure cancer, trying to cure Earth's worst illness, but in-turn creating one far ... far worse. Remember all those B-movie Zombie flicks you watched as a teen? Remember the critically acclaimed TV Series 'The Walking Dead'? Well that and everything that happened in those movies was real. Flesh eating, canniballistic zombies were roaming on every street in every town in every country. Is there any hope?
Jack lays out everything on the bed, not his bed, but A bed. He was in a small subburb outside the main city of Atlanta, Georgia. He had been making a new life in America, but in this new life he didnt expect to live in fear every minute of the day. For all he new he was the only surviving human left in the world a thought he pushed to the back of his mind. His main priority though WAS to survive. In the mass excursion when the initial outbreak began the Military were evacuating citizens from every major city in America. The evac' in Atlanta didn't go to plan though. The survivors were told to rally up near City Hall, most didn't make it there, but for those who did had a hard time of getting in the air. 3 Helicopters were sent to Atlanta. Only 3, but Jack understood that there is a lot of cities in the USA and only limited amount of Military. The first chopper was overrun by 'Walkers' killing the pilots and several soldiers leaving the citizens unarmed and without help. The second helicopter's blades were jammed and could not move, very bad luck. Fortunately for those already inside the third it took off. Just. Unfortunately for the rest still in Atlanta that was the last ride out. Thousand's of people took to the highway in their vehicles trying to escape the madness, only to be jammed in traffic and slaughtered. Jack knew that he was one of few surviving in the city, who those 'few' were he did not know, but he wanted to find someone. Anyone that wasn't trying to eat him alive.
Jack was a calm man, even in this situation, he thought everything out. From every exit to every outcome. He had been sitting in the upstairs of this strange house for 6 days. After the first day of searching through it and blocking everything off he didn't go down. Luckily he had been making his way through several abandoned houses before settling, grabbing supplies on the way. He had everything set out the way he needed. The backdoor was locked and blocked with the kitchen table and a big work unit as was the front door with several things. The windows were shut with the curtains drawn and taped down several times letting no light in or out. Towards the end of the first day he began axing down the final few steps on the staircase. At first he decided against it as it would create a lot of noise, but he decided it would keep him safe. Throughout the night several Walkers had made their way to the area after hearing the noise, but could not pin point it to that particular house.
Positioned in the master bedroom wardrobe was all sorts of food and drinks he had salvaged on his way there. The wardrobe would remain open as the doors creaked and creating the least amount of noise possible was vital, as were the floorboards. Jack had laid duct tape across the floor marking where the weakest and most creakiest were. Several blades and blunt objects were laid out on the floor ready to use if it came to it. He had kept his brothers metal Baseball bat since England. It served him well.
The sun was setting over Atlanta and Jack was sitting on the computer chair in the bedroom looking out of the window. 4 Walkers could be seen stumbling about the place, one even tripped over a small picket fence garnering a laugh from Jack. Several times he had been checking the Internet on the computer in the bedroom to see any signs of life. He signed in on his Facebook account, but it was dead. The online count was 0, there was several messages written days ago by people asking if anyone was still alive, Jack even replied to a few hoping to get an answer back, but he got nothing. He still had hope. 2 days ago he could hear a car engine going. Jack kept listening for it, it got closer a couple of times, but nothing became of it. There were times when Jack thought nothing was worth it, but he always remained hopeful with a clear head.
Jack opens his eyes after falling asleep on the chair. It was day time. 9:32am according to his watch. He heard a bang coming from downstairs. A noise he had heard once or twice since getting there. He exits the master bedroom with his baseball bat in hand to the bedroom at the back. A childs a bedroom as the wall paper was decked with rockets and spaceships. He looks down out of the window at an angle to see a Walker on the garden porch by the back door, it slipped on a childs toy and fell against the back door. Jack watched it for a bit and then decided to look around. The main part of the city could be seen from the window, this was one of his escape roots. Under the window was a ledge, big enough for one person to sit on. If in the event of a quick escape Jack would climb out of the window onto the ledge and then jump onto the garage roof before dropping down into the alley before garden-jumping to a car he knew was ready to go. He knew that because that was the way he came. He found the pick-up truck stationed at the end of the alley. He found the keys on the ground next to the tire and placed them in the ignition ready for evac all he needed to go was jump in, turn the key and drive to wherever.
At first his plan was to search the houses and then go back to the truck and drive away, but once he found the house he was in now he realised it was all that he needed. He found food that could last him for weeks and he had made secure enough shelter in the upstairs of the house, but he knew the truck with a decent amount of gas in was ready for him whenever he needed it.
The next two days went fine, luckily the power was still on and Jack had been watching old Wrestling matches from the 90's on Youtube (on mute of course). Once every hour he would check the perimeter of the house, this would mean look out the window of the master bedroom he was in, the childs bedroom and the bathroom window. Nothing was out of the ordinary Jack smiled and shook his head A world full of mindless cannibals was ordinary now he thought. He was just finishing watching a match between 'The Icon' Sting against 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan when he heard a scream. This was defenitely weird. Zombies don't scream he said to himself. He stands and looks out the window to see a young african-american slamming a metal pipe into a Zombies head. Jack was shocked, the first person he had seen since the initial outbreak. Jack opens the window and leans out.
"HEY UP HERE ... CLIMB UP ON THE GARAGE ROOF" He shouts. Surely more Walkers would have heard that. The black man sprints towards the garage. The garage door was resting on a car that was half-out. The black man climbed onto the car then scaled the garage door to the roof. By this time Jack had moved to the back bed room and opened the door. He held out his hand for the guy to take it to pull him up. They close the window and the man collapses on the bed.
"Are we safe in here?" He asks. Jack replies "Yeah."
Nothing is said for the next minute or so. The man was still panting heavily. Jack decides to speak up. "How long have you been out there?"
"I've been walking/running for a couple of hours, I was hold up in an office building many blocks away. I thought it might be quieter in the subburbs. Which it kinda is. The names Tyrone by the way, thank you for helping me." Jack nods his head and they shake hands.
"No worries, the names Jack."
"You're British?"
"Yeah I am, hardly been out here a month before all this. I got food in the other bedroom if you want something to eat."
Both men head to the other room. Tyrone noticed the computer is on. "Wrestling huh? Suppose that's one way to keep busy ... atleast the powers still on" He says grabbing some bread and sitting on the bed.
"The power grid wont go to the emergency slot for another month or so and then the back-up generators will kick in giving power to the city for another week or so until someone fixes it, but unfortunately for us noone will fix it!" Jack carries on explaining why he was up in this house, the escape roots, the food and the weapons. An hour passes and it becomes mid-day. Jack stands from the chair stretching and looking out the window. Suddenly his jaw drops and he freezes. Tyrone notices and joins him looking out the window. A huge group of Walkers were stumbling around outside. "Shit my shouting and your scent must have attracted them!" Jack says. "We have to leave, we make it for the truck okay?" Jack says as he starts putting all the food into a backpack. Tyrone nods and helps him putting some food into his own backpack. Jack grabs his Baseball bat and some knives which he tucks into his belt. Tyrone grabs A shovel as well as some knives. There is suddenly a huge crash at the front door. Jack rushes to the landing to see the group of Walkers literally pushing through the blocked front door. "I thought you said we were safe man?" Tyrone asks.
"Against 3 or 4, but I never attracted attention to myself until now. We seriously have to go. Remember the escape root?" Jack asks.
"Out the window, onto the garage, garden hoppin' and then the truck?" Ty' replies. Jack nods and they both climb out of the back window. Tyrone was the first out, he stands on the ledge and drops onto the garage roof, Jack takes one last look on the landing to see the Walkers shoving through each other almost up the staires, a couple of them fall through the gap, but the size of the group just pushes themselves, Jack takes a swipe with hit bat hitting a couple of them on the head and then jumps for the window, he joins Tyrone on the roof. "Let's do it!" Ty' says.
Both men drop down into the garden, two of the walkers stumble into the yard and begin chase, but both men hop the wooden face. They begin hopping over the gardens, but Jack trips on his way over one of the one of the fences and lands on his front, his backpack falls off, a walker comes out the house jaws open and arms reaching for Jack, he falls onto him and they wrestle on the ground with Jack pushing its head away. Tyrone stops before jumping over the next fence noticing he was alone, he see's Jack on the ground fighting for his life he races over and swipes his shovel cracking the the zombie right in the face, the hit was strong it snaps the head back cracking the neck. Jack rolls to his feet grabbing his bag, he didnt have time to put it back on so he launches it into the alley both men tumble over narrowly escaping the horde chasing them. They drop into the alley to see the car at the end, but walkers catching their sent muster around it heading for them. "Fought many of these yet man?" Ty' asks. "Not really... you?"
"Hardly."
Both men ease forward slowly with their blunt objects at hand, the first zombie reaches them and lunges for Tyrone who side steps it and cracks it in the knees with the shovel incapacitating it. The next one reaches him and pushes Ty' against a garage, but Jack re-paying the favour slams it in the back of the head with his baseball bat. They move forward taking out as much walkers as possible before diving into the car, they slam the door shut and Jack slams on the gas speeding the car away. "Shit man, that was too close!" Tyrone says leaning back and closing his eyes. "Check the bag will you mate? Make sure we haven't dropped or left anything." Jack says, Tyrone begins to go through the bag. He shakes his head motioning 'no'. Jack sighs and they carry on driving passing many walkers on the way. "Where are we goin'?" Ty' asks. "No idea. To try and find more people?" Jack replies. Tyrone nods.