Chapter 1
"Horror movies... funny how you watch them when your young and you get so scared and hide under your covers. When you get older you seem to laugh more at them then be afraid, how stupid those people are in the movie. When your like me, Andy Forge, you often talk about your favorite genre of horror. For me, it is, with no doubt zombies, I talked about it daily, you know zombie plans incase of apocolypse and such. You talk about it so much and think about it that you believe that if it ever happened that you would know what to do in any given moment. I can say that I am defintly someone who believed this very thing, had it all mapped out, what I would do and where I would go, who I would bring, what I would bring and so on. All an all to me it was always something interesting to talk about, but I never believed in any of it mostly it was just for fun. Atleast thats what I thought, it happened so fast that I did not know what to do, it swept the neighborhood like wildfire, the sirens went off seconds before the screams did. I was there the night it happened, the night the tv turned to white fuzz, the night that life for anyone in my small little town changed forever. I watched out my window in horror, as people I knew my whole life were slain in the street. Blooded washed onto the sidewalks like rain as men and woman alike chased others down eating them like wild animals, then I watched as those eaten got back up and did the same.
Honestly whatever plan I ever made up my whole life for when something like this happened, did not exist anywhere in my mind. I sat there horrified and scared, shivering like a child lost in the rain, stunned by the things that I was seeing. The sad truth was no matter how much preparing you do for something like this, in the end it amounts to nothing atleast thats what I learned. It has been 48 hours, atleast, sence it all began, sence my mother and I hid away in the crawl space in my room, and listened to the screams, in the dark we huddled in disbelief that this was real, that it was not a sick dream. Sat there hoping my sister still at camp way out of town is safe an that this mayhem did not spread that far. Things are starting to quiet down now, I do not hear the screams anymore, all I can hear now is an eery silence, the kind you hear in the eye of a storm. It is time, time to get out of this crawl space, and act, against all my disbelief and even my moms own, our world was now turned upside down and it was possible that we were going to face death. But all I know is that there is one thing that needs to happen first, my hand has to turn this lock to open the crawl space door...
My hand lay on the latch to the crawl space door, shaking with fear I try to keep myself steady. My mother sits in the corner silently, it is hard to see what she is doing, but her labored breathing tells me she is near breaking down. How could this happen, how could such a nightmare ever be real. My hand lays on the latch to the door, the only noise is our hard breaths and short gasps for air, blast this attic was so dang hot. "Mom...mom we have to do this, we cant stay in here" I speak low almost a whisper of desperation, and of my dry throat. I can see her nod through the darkness, "mom lock the door behind me, I am going to secure the house, make sure its safe". Putting my hand back on the lock I feel my mother shaking hand "no you cant go out there I can let you" I knew she was scared for me, to be honest I was to but we couldn't stay in here. "Mom I have to, we will die in here just as fast as out there, we have no food, or water. Stay here and latch this door don't open it until I say its okay". She did not like it but she understood, releasing my shoulder she prepared to lock the door behind me. Taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly I turned the latch on the door and silently opened it.
I stuck my head out looking slowly each way, my room was undisturbed, which gave me hope that perhaps the house might just be secure. Looking across on the floor I saw my metal base ball bat, my heart was beating so loudly in my head, each beat pulsed my veins. I slowly stepped out trying to make as little noise as possible as I let the door close behind me. Looking down the stairs I saw only the normal darkness, and thankfully no movement or noise. I looked at the bat again it seemed so far away, but I had to do this if nothing else for mom. I quickly and quietly went for the bat, feeling the metal in my hand made me almost feel safe, even though I knew this was but a fantasy now. Clutching the bat I turned slowly and put my hand out slowly to the light switch and quickly flicked it on then off. "God" I spoke softly as I saw no light, the power was out, sweat dripped down my forehead as I swallowed hard, no spit in my mouth. Turning I reach foreward as I reached along the wooden structure of my bed, searching until my hand hit the cold hilt of one of my daggers. Picking it up I shook as I place it in my belt, going back to the stairs I test the crawl space door, it is locked.
At this moment I felt so alone, so cold, almost like death had already taken me. A pain hit my chest, but it was of pure adrenaline rushing through my body. I lay my foot on the stairs and start down slowly, each creak makes me cringe. Before long I reach the landing, silently I listen for any kind of noise but hear none. Reaching foreward I put my hand on the cool metal door knob and turn it. "God who is in heaven, I know I do not deserve your grace but please protect me, walk with me" I pray under my breath as I let the door open before me lay the dark small hall. Holding the baseball bat tightly I look around the corner into the kitchen, nothing but darkness and silence turning my head the other way I look into my mothers room but see nothing. Shaking I side step around the corner, making sure to secure the bathroom I go into the kitchen and then finally the livingroom. I can hear nothing but my own heart beating and the tightening of my grip on the baseball bat.
Turning I head back into the kitchen as my hand reaches foreward grasping the kitchen drawe. Pulling it open I remove the car keys to the impala and pocket them, looking down I also pull out my co2 pistol and stick it in my belt. It is then in the darkness my heart almost stops as I hear the door knob of the kitchen door move. Looking through the darkness, my eyes somewhat adjusted I can see it moving slowly. "God please let the door be locked" I hold my breath as I can hear the door press foreward... then I hear it stop against the deadbolt, letting my breath out, I try to calm down as my heart is racing. It was sudden as the glass to the window broke in shattering on the floor, my heart was in my throat as I raise the bat and quickly get back into the small hallway. Sweat pours down my arms as my muslce are stiff and hurt, I can hear the deadbolt unlock as the door open and then closes.
I swallow hard as I can hear the foot steps in the hallway, this was it I had to do it, there was no choice it was me or that thing. As I hear it in the hallway, I close my eyes, breath hard, then open them and leap around the corner raising the bat. Before I can bring it down I can already see the barrel of a pistol in my face. As I drop the bat I slowly look into the darkness and realize the man holding the gun is my neighbor Kenny. "Kenny is that you" I speak hoarsly as my throat is so dry, "thank god" I heard Kennys voice in the darkness as the gun lowers from my face. "I thought everyone was dead" Kenny spoke to me as I wiped the sweat from my head. "Kenny, what is going on, what is happening" I asked not exspecting an answer but it helped calm me to talk. "I don't know, there was a news broadcast before everything went dead. Told people to stay in their homes, doors locked and windows closed, lights off. Thought it was a joke, like it was a bad horror movie prank, but the screams assured me it wasn't."
I nodded in the darkness as I listened intentivly, "me and my wife hid in our bedroom with the door locked, until we figured it was safe to come out. She is there now, is your mother and sister ok?" I nodded as I spoke "my mother is secured in the crawl space upstairs, my sister is at camp I hope she is ok" Kenny nods as he takes out a small bottle of clear water handing it to me. I drink some making sure there is some for mom, "whats it like out there Kenny?" I asked as Kenny just looked at me and shook his head, "quiet now mostly, but for the most part this is what scares me" I nod my head in agreement "we have to come up with a plan, we cant stay here" I spoke quickly. "I am open to idea's" Kenny said taking out another bottle of water taking a small drink. "I have my moms keys to the Impala we can pile in and try and get out of town" I offer my plan to Kenny who shakes his head "we don't know if its even possible, this is not a movie Drew, this is real life". I sigh nodding "Yia, yia" the words came out of my mouth almost in a whisper, "I hope she is okay" I said as I looked toawrds the door.
"Kenny do you think you can watch after my mom" I speak absently as Kenny looks at me. "What... your not thinking of going across the street" Kenny spoke in a tone of disbelief "shes one of my cloest friends if shes alive I can't leave her, and if she is..." I gulp hard as I breath slowly and continue speaking "dead... she has a shot gun that we can use" Kenny looked at me gravely I could see this even through the dark, sighing he went into the back of his pants and pulled out another pistol. "Can you shoot this weapon?" Kenny handed me the gun as I looked down at it, a Beretta M9, was the first time I had ever seen one up this close. "I have never shot one but I know how to work it, I have watched demonstrations" I spoke lowly as I clicked the safety to off. "Good enough, we will go together" Kenny spoke in a manner that said he would not take no for an answer.
I did not try to argue I knew mom would be safe, and she would not open that door unless I gave the okay. I nodded my agreement to Kenny as he set the bottle of water down, "hang on Kenny" walking silently into my moms room, I bend down as I pick up a peice of thick yarn, twirling it out I cut it with my knife, sticking the blade back in my belt. Grabbing my bat I lace one end to the handle and the other toawrds the center of the bat and tighten in. Slinging the bat around my shoulders and across my back I nod at Kenny who nods back. Guns in hand we head for the kitchen door, and then to what else we did not know.