-Chapter One-

~ Only a Game ~

The dark room lit up suddenly as guns fired and a small voice gave a victorious whoop, then the lights died down as level complete screen popped up on the TV screen. The small framed, brown haired girl stretched in her moon chair, a satisfied smile settled on her face," Well, Mell, what did you think?" She looked over at her taller, younger friend with jet black hair and a lightly tanned face, who was looking on the laptop at something zombie related, she was sure. "Well," she said, closing the laptop and replacing it with a controller," you are better at getting the Special Infected, so I'll just stick to the normals." Giving a approving nod, the brunette moved her bangs out of her eyes and settled her brown eyes on the screen and took in a breath before she turned to her head to her best friend with a grin on her face. She pressed the continue button, "Kill all sonsabitches."

An hour slipped away and Mell stood up, stretching her muscles and turning to the smaller girl, "Hey, Cassie, I'm gonna call mom and tell her to come and get me. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" The younger girl looked up and smiled, standing up herself and switching off the game system and turning to her friend once more, " Sure. Play again Friday?" Mell smiled and nodded, wrapped her friend in a hug and pulled out her cell phone and called her mother.

After saying goodbye to Mell, Cassie set to work cleaning up the mess in the livingroom and getting the moon chairs put away in her room. As she made her way to the light switch, a look of realization appeared on her face and she stepped over to the entertainment system, leaned over slightly, and pushed the eject button on the game system, taking out the disc. She gently wiped it off, inspecting it's flawless surface before taking out a case and gingerly putting it in. She held her copy of Left 4 Dead 2 in her hands and read the back for the twentieth time, "I wouldn't mind a zombie apocalypse." She slid the case in with the many other ones and went over to the light switch, turning it off. She walked down the hallway and into her room. She yawned as she pulled out her pajamas, putting them on and turning out the lights. She crawled into her bed and stared at the bulletin board on her wall, unable to see, but knowing that there was a mini poster of the survivors and a small picture of her favorite special infected, The Hunter, pinned to the cork side. She closed her eyes and curled up slightly before falling into a peaceful slumber.

The sun etched small streaks through the wooden blinds on the sleeping face of Cassie as she laid in her bed, the light causing her to wake up a little. She grumbled and pulled the blanket over her head as she started to drift off to sleep again. A loud scream filled her ears and she heard something hit her window, causing her to sit up in bed, staring wide eyed at the window, now strangely the light wasn't shining through as threw the covers off of her body and stood up, walking around her bed and to the window. Hesitantly she twisted the wooden stick attached to her blinds and they started to unfold and let the view from outside show.

Blood streaked her window, causing the horror scene outside to be mostly covered in a rosy hue. Her mouth hung agape as she saw people, neighbors she had seen just the day before, running for their lives from zombies.

She rubbed her eyes, sure this was just a hallucination from waking up so quickly. But as she looked outside again, she saw the zombies, pale, bloodied and an absolute reality. She saw the bodies on the ground, mangled from being attacked, dirty from the frantic, futile fights they had put up against the monsters. Her mind was in a frenzy, trying to get a grasp on the situation, awe struck at the scene outside her home.

Her mind quickly snapped to her parents and younger sister, Lizzy, all sleeping in their beds, unaware of the outbreak. She ran into Lizzy's room, pulling back the covers and scooping her sister into her arms, startling her and earning a sleepy struggle and screaming from the eight year old. Her usual pain-in-the-ass feeling she had for her sister was drove away with a need to protect her. She held Lizzy down and ran with her to their parent's room, "Hey! Get the hell up, you guys!" She put Lizzy down and looked at her parents as they both sat up and stared incrediously at their daughter, still asleep partially and highly confused. Her father's confusion boiled into anger, "Just what do you think you are doing running in here, you-" He was cut off as a blood chilling scream came from their large sun window and the bloodied, ugly face of a zombie shone through the partly pulled back curtains. It's eyes wide with hunger as it began to beat on the window and scream. It wouldn't be long until it attracted more. Soon they would be surrounded.

The intial shock the zombie gave the family was soon replaced with fear and the stomach churning urge to get away from the blood drooling monster. The parents scrambled out of bed and ushered their daughters into the living room, locking the bedroom door from the inside and shutting it, hoping it would buy them a little time after the zombie broke the window and got in. Cassie stood there with her family, breathing hard and her mind hazy with adrenaline.

How the hell did this happen? She went to bed and woke up to hell on earth. Zombies for fucks sake. She remembered what she had said to herself before she went to bed. She said she wouldn't mind a zombie apocalypse. She sure as hell didn't expect to wake up to it the next morning.

Her sister's wailing and her mother's constant rambling about the zombie at the window brought Cassie out of her thoughts. She looked around and gasped, running to the kitchen and pulling the string above the window, letting the curtains fall over it. She then ran to every room in the house, shutting and locking the doors from the insides, sealing the family in the living room. She stood by her family again, looking at their worried and shock ridden faces. Walking over to the hall mirror and looking at her reflection, she saw that her face was frightened, but she also looked as if she was prepared for this, familiarized with an outbreak of flesh eating zombies. She didn't know what to do, she just wanted to hide with her family and hope the zombies would give up. She knew that wouldn't happen. Some how, she just knew that they wouldn't stop until they got her, Lizzy and their parents.

Slowly, as if she was still thinking of what to say, Cassie tried to tell her family a plan, "Listen...I know you guys are scared. Hell, I am too, but we have got to do something. Staying up here isn't good idea. That zombie is going to get into that window pretty soon and it's probably attracted more of them." Her mother gave her a strange look, but nodded, picking up her youngest daughter and trying to calm her crying. Her father stood there, thinking as fast, his mustache pulled as he spoke, "The basement. Let's go in there." Cassie nodded and took Lizzy from her mother and sat her on the ground. She took her small hand and smiled at her, trying to cheer up as she lead her down the steps to the basement. After grabbing non-perishable food and water, their parents joined them, locking the basement door as they came down.

Not even minutes passed as the sound of breaking glass alerted the family. Cassie felt her heart skip a beat as she heard the throaty noises and footsteps of the zombie as it stumbled into their parents room. She looked at her family as they all sat on the lawn chairs in the corner of the basement, away from the small window and the up high windows of the automatic garage doors. The zombie gave out a scream as it tried to get out of the room, clawing and beating on the wood of the door, craving flesh. The sound of more glass breaking was heard as other zombies got in through the other windows, their screams and throaty noises mingled as they hunted.

They knew they were in the house. They wouldn't stop until they got them.

Her mother had managed to get Lizzy to stop crying, her head now on her mother's shoulder as she sat in her lap, gripping her mother's sleeve, listening to the zombies move around above them. Her father was now in the gun safe, looking around and loading some guns. Cassie watched him as her mind began to wander again.

What was going to happen when the zombies got into the basement? How long until they are either dead or part of them? Did she cause all of this?

All of the mayhem, bloodshed and anguish?...

Her mind flickered over to Mell. What did she do when she woke up to this? ... Did she even get to wake up to it at all? Did the zombies get her? Did she know to hide with her mom?

Cassie grew anxious the more she thought about it. She rubbed her face tiredly as she looked at her family, casting them all a half-hearted, half-apologetic smile. Right now her family was her main concern. She didn't think they would make it, though. What did they know about a zombie outbreak? What did she know about it, really? She couldn't wack a zombie with a frying pan. Where the hell was she supposed to get pipe bombs and pills?

She was jerked out of thought once again when she heard sobbing coming from outside the garage door. It went to wailing and then back to sobs again.

Her eyes widened with realization and fear.

The Witch.

The damn Witch was in her yard.

And so began the morning of the zombie apocalypse in Jemison, Alabama.