298 days spent running. Nearly a year. 298 days of being terrified and fighting. Now it looked like those days were about to come to an end. Their hopes were finally coming true. The days of fear were over, about to be replaced by peace and life.

Kalli and Sam had found the legendary Sanctuary. The symbol of the survivors and a place to be safe from the monsters that prowled the wasteland seeking flesh. Months of searching and hoping were over. They could be safe now.

The Sanctuary had appeared to the siblings as they'd crested a steep, grass-swept hill. It was built right at the hill's peak, and the giant concrete wall rose into the heavens, barely topped the trees inside. They could see tiny guards patrolling the perimeter with guns at the ready. The sounds of life echoed from within; children shrieking and laughing, animals calling, and people bustling to and fro as they worked.

Kalli and Sam turned and grinned at each other, months of stress melting off their faces beneath the dirt. "We made it," Kalli sighed almost breathlessly. Sam laughed and swept her up into his arms.

A low moan sounded behind them. The siblings froze and slowly turned around, bodies trembling against the other's. "Run," Sam muttered in her ear.

The zombie tripped over a fallen log and sprawled out on the road. Kalli and Sam hurried towards the Sanctuary, glancing nervously around at the tall grass that could hide any number of things. "Hey!" Sam yelled, waving frantically at the sentries on the wall.

One of them froze and turned towards the shout, raising one hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun. Kalli jumped up in the air and whooped; they were safe! The sentry, having determined that they were living, waved back at them and signaled down at someone below to open the gate. The heavy concrete and wood door shuddered and began to jerk up. Grinding noises filled the air, masking the sound of the single zombie behind them.

Soon Kalli and Sam were inside and wrapped in warm, greeting arms. Kalli could feel all the stress and fear running off her as the gates rattled closed and the sharp report of a gun silenced the zombie on the road. Tears sprung to her eyes, and her legs almost turned to jelly. Someone pressed a slightly warm roll into her hand, and another brushed a strand of hair away from her face. A few feet away, a man was clapping Sam on the shoulder as Kalli's brother wolfed down his own bread.

The sea of people led them into the large brick building in the center of the Sanctuary. The door open and soft yellow light spilled out along with the delicious smell of cooking food. A pack of children raced by and disappeared inside, laughing. A tall man in a cowboy hat stepped forward, extending his hand to the newcomers. Sam gripped it briefly, and then Kalli held it too. The man's hand was warm and dry, and rough from work.

"Welcome," he said, grinning welcomingly at them. "This is the Sanctuary. We're glad to have you here."

"It's so wonderful here," Kalli gushed. "There are so many people."

"Over 300," the man replied, laughing slightly. Kalli gasped happily and gave her brother a hug. He tousled her hair. "My name is Ron," the man continued. "Can I get you some dinner? You must be starved."

"Yes, please," Sam said. "I'm Sam, and this is my sister, Kalli."

"It's a pleasure to have you with us." Ron turned around and led them through the clean hallways. The siblings marveled at everything. The people, the order, the safety, the hope shining in everyone's eyes. It was enough to make even the most pessimistic of people believe that a new future was possible.

The cafeteria was warm and stuffed with the smell of tomato soup. Groups of people crowded the numerous round tables. Stacks of bowls were piled by their elbows, and some people still held soft rolls in their hands.

Kalli and Sam went through the buffet line. They filled the white plastic bowls to the brim and stacked a plate with warm bread. There was even milk, something Kalli hadn't seen since before. When they sat down, people flocked to sit with them and peppered them with questions.

"How long were you out there?"

"How did you find us?"

"Did you see anyone else out in the wastelands?"

There was barely time to eat and answer the questions at the same time. Ron, the cowboy hat man, shooed the residents away. Kalli's face was starting to hurt from all the smiling.

They were finally safe.

They were finally home.

There was finally hope.

The months passed. Kalli and Sam fell into a pattern at the Sanctuary and helped work to make it safer and more productive. They made friends, Kalli found a boyfriend, and Sam had a best friend again. They hadn't seen a single zombie weeks. Things were looking up.

"Sighting!"

The shout came as spring began to come to the land again. The boy's voice was frantic, and it cracked halfway through the warning. Immediately, everyone sprang into action, grabbing weapons and racing up onto the wall.

It was more than just a sighting.

It was a mob.

The giant mass of roiling gray flesh took everyone by surprise and sent them reeling back. Knees went weak. Eyes popped. Kalli couldn't believe what she was seeing. It just wasn't possible. But it was right there in front of her. A never ending sea of the dead.

"Keep calm, everyone," Ron ordered, appearing on the wall. "We can keep them back."

Suddenly, there was a grungy old man standing behind Kalli, a battered rifle clutched in one hand. "No, we can't," he said in a husky voice. "Look at them. There's no way."

Kalli glared sharply at the man. "Don't say that. There's always hope."

He laughed and spat over the wall. "Everyone's always saying that, but no one ever means it. Hope is for children. Life is too harsh for it to survive. It's time to face reality, sweetie; hope is for fools. Wake up and smell the dead. There's no way we're getting out of this."

Kalli stalked away, refusing to listen to the worming words the man was saying. But they lodged in her head and stuck there. What if he was right? But he couldn't be. They would win. They had to.

The sharp cracks of the rifles started up, and soon the air was filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder. The zombies fell by the dozens, but two more filled the place of each that died. In no time they were pressed up against the wall.

Inside the compound a man stumbled out of his room, nursing a hangover and a bottle of liquor. The clamor didn't register with him and he walked out of the building without even thinking. He needed a breath of fresh air outside these stifling walls. There was a small back door set behind the supply building. The drunk man headed towards it in a weaving, uncertain line.

It took him ten seconds to find the doorknob. Yawning, he pulled it open. A zombie tore his throat out.

It took thirty-two minutes for the greatest human civilization in the dead world to fall. Every last man, woman, child, and animal was devoured, turned, or shot by friendly fire. And so died the final hope. The grungy old man was right; hope is for fools.