I woke up with my face to the cracked tar. My whole body ached, I had burns all over my hands, and red streaks running down my arms. There was only darkness to my left. I turned my head slowly to the other side, seeing the smallest glint of light. Until I realized I was being crushed by something extremely heavy. I pushed up with my arms, supporting more than just my weight even though I couldn't feel my legs. I manage to get whatever had been covering me off. It turned out to be a mattress with parts of my apartment building on top. Oh, now I remember. My apartment had caught fire during the mayhem of our city's end. There was some infectious disease, and everyone was trying to flee the city.
The sun was so bright, it blinded me at first. And as my vision grew clearer, I found myself to be completely alone. Not one person was around. Normally these streets were filled with busy workers, gang members, and homeless people in need of spare change… or alcohol. Smoked still escaped what was left of my apartment. I look up, and see the fall I had just survived. The room I had on the third story of the building was completely demolished. Dismantled bodies lay motionless everywhere. I briefly wondered how they had lost these body parts. A fire doesn't do that…
Then I remember my parents, we were supposed to leave just before the fire killed them all… So I was alone then. I think of who I could go to at this time, who do I know who hasn't already left? Emmett. Emmett was still around… Or was, how long have I been out? For the fire to have burned out already, how long was I gone?
I hear a terribly gurgling sound behind me. I turn and look to see the police officer who lived in the apartment across from us. "Rafael?" I ask. A closer look, and I realize there's blood dripping out of his mouth. Did he realize this? "Are you okay?" He takes an awkward limp closer. There's a dead kind of look in his eyes, and you can still see the burns on his face. I back up, wounds like that would kill a person immediately. He keeps the limp up, and gets a little faster with each step. As it finally dawns on me that he is no longer Rafael Majors, the officer who lived across from us, and now some sort of monster, I turn and run. I have to think about where to run to. If there was even the slightest chance that Emmett was still around, he would know what to do. He always knew what to do.
I ran down the street, with now two of the monsters chasing after me, I tripped over a crack in the road as I turned the corner onto Hastings St. And almost pause and gawk at the site before me. The city was absolutely in ruins. I see there are more than just the two monsters behind me. There are flaming cars on both sides of the street smashed into more exploded cars. Buildings destroyed and signs smashed. I push myself to the next block, that was where Emmett lived next door to a coffee shop.
I opened the door to his home and slammed it as the monsters behind me crashed into it. Somehow a laugh escaped me at the sight.
"Emmett!" I yelled, "Are you here?" No response. I run upstairs to find to blankets covering the outlines of bodies. My hand flew to my mouth before I could scream. I calmed myself, then went to Emmett's room. He would have to have something I could use to get away from here. Anything.
I check in his closet, his drawers and even his desk. Nothing but garbage. Then it hits me. I kneel down and check under the bed. I pull out a chest and smile, shaking my head. Only Emmett…
I try to unlock the chest but it won't budge. I think, if I were Emmett were would I hide the key? On a key ring. I check the place he normally left it. It was gone. That was strange. I searched the rest of the house, but no keys. I then take to a much more simple task, and grab the knife he kept under his pillow… and he wonders why he stabs himself in his sleep…
I jam the knife into the key hole and the chest flips up. I had hit the jackpot. I clipped on the belt kept in the chest, and slid a revolver into one of the holsters, then a few of his Molotovs and went on my way, but not before a thought hit me. I turn, and remember the axe kept hidden behind his mirror. I grab it, and escape the building, but not before leaving the flowers growing in the window sill on the bodies.
As I'm leaving the building, I realize there had been a piece of paper stuck to the door. I tore it off and read it.
Zombie Apocalypse. Leave the country now. Safe zone: Omsk, Russia/ update: September 11, 2012.
That was the day our city had been demolished. This was Emmett's handwriting, what happened to him? Was he one of the bodies under the blankets, or did he try to escape? And how was I suppose to survive? That was the exact moment, I decided I wasn't going to give up, whether I died trying or not, I was going to make it to Russia.
Sorry I didn't get any of your characters in this chapter. I will try my best to get one or two in the next one. If anyone still wants to send in some characters feel free to. I will try to update my next week or sooner. Thanks for all your entries!
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