~How It Started~

The infection was just like any other virus at the beginning; it could be cured easily. Then it mutated. The sick would get a lifeless look and lose all their senses. Scientist tried to medication to cure it but they only made the virus worse. Within a few weeks, the infected would grow violent and ravenous, devouring anything in their path. Including humans. When the infected human bit another person, the other person would get sick. Soon enough, the virus worked so effectively that the virus would claim the person within several minutes. North America called it the "zombie pandemic". Six months later, the Chinese discovered a vaccine to cure the virus but it was too late; North America was in ruins. The only hope of a better future is going to the coast and radio a rescue boat. Other than that, you are left for dead.

Nine Months Into The Zombie Apocalypse

It's been two weeks since Jayden and his brother Elliot have been to the city. They were running low on supply. "Hurry up or the zombies will get you!" Elliot yelled to his brother as he crossed the abandoned street. "Sorry for being careful" Jayden said sarcastically "We don't want to draw attention." Jayden stayed alert as his brother ran into a connivance store. "I can hear them in the distance," Jayden said. "Well what do you want then? Captain Crunch or Frosted Flakes?" Elliot pointed to the cereals.

"Doesn't matter, just hurry up!"

"We have to get some Twizzlers too."

"No we don't! I don't even like Twizzlers!"

"Sucks to be you then…" Elliot shoved the candy into his backpack. "Stop being a little bitch Jayden, I'm going to get whatever the hell I like because it's free so.." A deep growl interrupted Elliot. "Hey watch out!" Jayden yelled to his sibling. A zombie smashed through the window, tackling Elliot. He screamed as the ghoul slashed at him. Jayden shot the zombie and pushed the corpse off of his wounded brother. He examined the wound; large gashes were on his right shoulder and his neck, blood and green puss oozed out of the cut. "I'm not going to make it.." Elliot stuttered, "I feel cold." Jayden grasped his hand. It was limp. "I'm not going to let you die like this"

"But I'll become a zombie. You'll have to end me."

"I can't."

"I can." A man appeared in the doorway. His long black hair hung in his face. He looked about 20. "If you won't kill him, I will." His cold blue eyes pierced Jayden. He looked to his ill brother " Let him." The man looked pleased. He held his gun to Elliot's forehead and said, "May you rest in peace."

Seconds later, Elliot was gone. Forever.

Jayden dropped his brother's hand turned to look at the man. His face was stern. "You shouldn't be so weak. His soul was damned and he would have taken you down when he changed." Jayden looks away, holding back tears.

"Who are you?" Jayden asked. "Kyle, and yours?" The man glared at Jayden.

"Jayden."

"Well then. If you are going to sit here and grieve, I'm going to leave." Kyle turned away and started walking. "Wait! Can I come with you?" Jayden yelled to him. Kyle paused. He glared at Jayden again. "If you become a pain in the ass, I'll feed you to the zombies. Keep your mouth shut and you can follow, just don't get too personal." Jayden nodded and followed the stranger. "Where are we off to?" He asked Kyle.

"California. There's an open military dock picking up refugees and sending them to Europe."

"But California has the highest zombie population."

"I know, but if we are to ever return to society we have to go." Kyle led him into the woods. " If we want to survive for now, we travel through thick forest. No city unless we need supplies. Got it?"

Jayden nodded; he didn't say anything to Kyle just incase it pissed him off. He was hard to figure out; why was he so hostile and cold? Jayden went against his orders and talked.

"Why are you so up tight? Loosen up a little bit."

"I don't like to get personal. If you want to survive, you can't get close."

"I've been doing fine…" Jayden paused and thought of Elliot.

Kyle sneered, " See, you couldn't kill him because you were so close to him." Jayden cracked. "He was my brother! You're acting like you've never had a family before you prick!" Jayden stood there after his outburst, waiting for Kyle's response. Kyle's shocked expression turned cold. "You want to know my story? I was born in a rough neighborhood. My father was a drug lord trafficking heroin in the Middle East. He insisted me to join the family business. So I joined the Mafia and regretted every minute of it. My father got shot in a turf war and I couldn't get out of the gang. So I ran away. Once they found out I was gone, they decided to kill my mother and my twelve year old sister. To make it worse, they sent me the video of them killing my family."

"I'm so sorry."

"I don't need your sympathy. Just shut up and keep walking."

They soon reached a cabin. It looked brand new. "My father bought my mother this cabin to make up for all the bad things he's done to us. What a shitty gift that was." Kyle opened the door. Jayden laid down on the bed and asked, "How long are we staying here for?"

"We are leaving in the morning so don't get too comfy." Kyle unpacked his bag and started assembling handguns. Jayden didn't want to disturb him so he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep. He thought of how his life would be if Elliot made it. Sadly reality wasn't agreeing with him; Elliot wasn't coming back.

~Chapter Three~

As soon as dawn came, Kyle and Jayden were off. They hiked down an old trial through the woods. The air was cold and frigid; it felt like needles were stabbing into Jayden's hands. Kyle was smart to bring gloves from the cabin. "So where you from?" Jayden asked.

"I was born in Italy, my father brought home his American dream girl and had me. When I was four, we moved to New Jersey so he could start his drug trade. He then ditched us there to go travel the world doing illegal trafficking with his asshole gang. And you?"

"New York."

"Well aren't you boring."

"At least I don't have a sap story like you."

Kyle glared at him. "Shut up and let's go." They continued down the trial to find a strange old man wearing a pot on his head. He looked sick and deranged. "Oh damn, we ran into the hobo of the woods" Kyle said. "Lets go ask him where you can get glue to snort and barrels to create fire in." Kyle walked towards the elder. "Are you turning into a zombie? I can finish you off, old geezer."

The old man looked up and said "No but I am dying. I have lived my long, lonely life in these woods and I would like one wish before I die."

"What is it fossil?"

"To touch your feet. You see, I have a foot fetish and I much appreciate it if I died next to your feet."

"What the hell! Like I would let a creepy old man like you violate my feet! Get lost!"

Kyle stormed away and Jayden followed. "That wasn't nice." Jayden said while catching up to him. "Damn creep needs to get out of the woods."

They stopped at the edge of the woods and looked towards a mall. "Let's get some supplies while we have the chance to." Jayden said. Kyle already pulled out his gun and headed towards the mall. The parking lot was stained with blood and guts of zombies; like they have been ran over by a car or something. Inside the mall was no different. Zombie corpses scattered the floor. "Looks like someone had fun already," Kyle said with disappointment "The good thing is that we don't have to put up with any zombies." Jayden smelled the air; it was tainted with the scent of smoke and gasoline. Kyle came out of the army surplus store, carrying a tent and sleeping bags. "Did you light something because I smell smoke."

They both paused and turned to the right wing of the mall. It was engulfed in thick black smoke. "Let's get out of here!" They ran to the door but as soon as Jayden open the door, he heard a cry coming from one of the stores. "There's someone in here!" Jayden yelled to Kyle as he followed the cry.

"Who cares? I am getting out of here!" Kyle left his teammate. Jayden ignored him and continued to search for the person. There laying in one of the stores was a girl; covered in rubble. Jayden dug her out from the large concrete pieces and flung her over his shoulder. The smoke was making it hard to see and concentrate. Smoke filled his lungs. "This is it." Jayden thought. Just as he was going to take his last breath of air, one of the walls caved in and trapped him and the girl inside the mall. This was the end.

Jayden collapsed. He gasped for air. The heat of the fire was getting intense; he could feel his arm hairs getting scolded off from the flames. It felt like he was getting burned in hell. He wanted to cry for help but he could only choke on smoke. Using the last bit of strength he had, he grabbed the girl and dragged himself hoping he would find a way out. No success. All he could do now is lay there and die with the girl. He turned his head to her and surprisingly her eyes were open. She grabbed his hand and mouthed "Thank you."

Suddenly there was a burst of bright light. A truck smashed through the window. Jayden and the girl was then picked up and thrown into the truck. They drove off. Jayden turned to watch the mall burn. "You are such an idiot!" Kyle turned from the passenger seat. "You could have got killed! Plus you picked up this dippy blond…"

The girl looked to Jayden "I couldn't thank you enough!" she hugged him. Jayden smiled to her. "No problem."

Kyle scowled "No problem? You almost got turned into barbeque and you are saying no problem? You are such an idiot."

"Don't mind Kyle. I'm Jayden."

"I'm Lina."

"Why were you trapped under the rubble?"

"Some person started blowing up the walls in the mall. One fell on me."

Kyle sneered, "Should of left you there."

Jayden glared at him. Then someone laughed from the driver seat. "I'm the one you should be thanking. I have the truck that was able to save you kids." The car stopped and a man turned around from the seat. He was in his late twenties, had long untamed auburn hair, stubbly chin and had a crazed look in his eye; like he was on something. "You shouldn't be in burning malls anyways."

Jayden looked at him and said, " It wasn't burning when we were in there… Did you set the place on fire?"

"Yes smart one, I was killing off whatever I didn't get."

"You didn't even check if anyone was in there."

"Not my problem and hey, if I saw the blond back there I would of picked her up in a second." He smirked towards Lina. This man sickened Jayden. "You are an asshole."

"Do you want a drive to California or not brat?" He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke into his face. Jayden shot a nasty look at him. "Yes." The man snickered and continued to drive.

"Great Kyle, you got us stuck with a complete asshole." Jayden whispered.

"Like the person you found is any better! She's smothering me with her cheery mood."

"You need some cheerfulness."

Kyle frowned at him. "Well we are stuck with them for the next few hours so get used to it."

The drive was long and exhausting. They drove deep into the woods where nobody (or zombie) could reach them. Jayden hopped out of the truck and explored their campsite; it was a thick forest on the edge of a cliff over looking a lake. The stars and moon reflected in the water. Jayden stared at the twinkling stars. "I've never seen anything like this before. It's truly breath taking." Jayden thought to himself. He remembered when he was a child, sitting in Central Park trying to look for the stars but all he could find where airplanes and helicopters. Him and Elliot pretended they where all falling stars and they would make a wish on them; young as they were, they knew they would never come true. Jayden continued to stare at the night sky. "Beautiful isn't it? I used to hide out here as a kid. You could camp out here for months and nobody will find you." Jayden turned to find the man sitting on a rock, legs crossed and smoking. "What do you want asshole?" Jayden snapped.

"I wanted to start over. I'm Chad." He stuck his hand out to Jayden. He turned away. "Fine, I'm not here to make friends anyways. You can sleep outside brat." Chad walked away. Jayden stuck out his tongue to him and turned to look at the stars again.

About an hour later, Jayden smelled food. Driven by hunger, he followed the scent. There his group sat, roasting hotdogs over a fire. "Oh hey Jayden! I made you a hot dog." Lina said as she waved her hand to him. He took it and ate until he was full. "Thank God you are here Jayden! Blondie was boring us with her high school stories." Kyle said. Chad snorted, " I liked hearing about the sleep over parties though."

"Shut up you pervert!"

Jayden sighed, "Lets stop fighting. If we are to camp with each other, we cannot bicker like this."

They all nodded in agreement. "So what's your story?" Lina asked him.

"I was just some normal kid from New York. Me and my brother came out west to look for colleges right before the zombie apocalypse happened."

"So where's your brother?"

Jayden stopped and quietly said, "He's not here anymore."

"Oh my. I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, he was going to turn into a zombie anyway."

He looked at Lina; she had a sad look on her face. "Anyway, what's your story?" Jayden asked, breaking the silence. "Oh my parents were on vacation when the virus first spread. I haven't seen them since. I could care less anyways; I got to throw parties every weekend."

"I see." Chad mumbled, "This is so boring! I feel like I'm reading Twilight or something."

"Well what would you like to do then?" Jayden asked.

"Go get me a beer from the car."

"I'm not your slave."

"Shut up and go do it or I'll push you off the cliff."

The back of the truck was filled with all this random stuff; food, fireworks, propane tanks, matches and alcohol. It's like he was a drunken pyromaniac. He threw the beer at him, hoping it would hit his face. Sadly it didn't. "Thanks wench." Chad said.

"Bite me."

Kyle looked irritated. He didn't like their fighting. "So what was your life like Chad?"

Chad sat up "Nothing special. I was a Harvard graduate that got bored with life so I started stealing. Before the zombie apocalypse, stealing large stuff was hard but after that it was free for the taking. I had to steal to pay off my debts and support my habits."

"You disgust me. " Jayden said.

"I get that a lot. I could really care less of what you think."

Lina got up. "I think I hear something. Quick, everyone grab a gun!" They all stood together, guns ready. Grunts and growls came from the distance. "Damn, it's a bear!" Kyle yelled directing the group of where the bear was. The animal stood on its hind legs and let out a growl. Chad laughed evilly, "It's not a zombie but this will do!" He Pulled out a revolver gun and aimed at the bear. "I'm going to make a new fur coat!" Lina pushed Chad as he shot the bullet. "What the hell? I was gonna kill it!"

"I can't stand to watch animals get hurt!" Lina cried.

Kyle yelled, "If we don't kill it, it will kill us!"

Jayden walked towards the angered bear. He grabbed a stick and lit it on fire. He waved it towards the bear! The animal backed up and walked into the forest. "You're welcome." Jayden said as he put out the torch. Lina ran up and hugged him. "Thank you Jayden!"

Kyle mumbled a swear word under his breath and Chad looked annoyed. "Damn this girl is not fun. Whatever, I'll just wait until we get to the dock tomorrow. Tons of zombies will be there." Jayden pushed off Lina and asked " Wait we'll be there tomorrow?"

"Yes, its just an hour down the road. I suggest you better prep yourself then."

"So we better get to sleep then right?"

"Screw sleeping, I'm going swimming."

He walked towards the edge of the cliff and began to climb down. Kyle and Lina soon followed. Jayden sat behind. He poked at the fire "I'm being such a party pooper. I should just loosen up and have a good time. It's our last night here in hell anyways so why not have some fun." Jayden looks down at the lake; they splashed around and looked like derps. Lina looked up at Jayden. "Come join us! The waters nice!"

"Yeah, There are no leeches. Stop being such a big sissy." Kyle added. Jayden looked down at the group and then back to the fire. "I'll be right down." He then decided. He hopped down the side of the cliff and joined them. The last night was going to be a good one.

The next morning Jayden woke to the sound of gunfire. He quickly scanned his surroundings; beer cans scattered the forest floor. Then there was another gunshot. Jayden followed the noise until he found Kyle and Chad hovering over two tied up zombies. "What the hell? Why are there zombies?" Jayden asked. Kyle pointed to Lina, who was sitting on a rock a few feet behind him. "Dumb ass here set the car alarms off, they must of attracted the random zombies wandering the place. I'm surprised you could sleep through this whole incident."

"I'm a heavy sleeper. Why are they tied up exactly?"

"I dunno; Chad wanted them tied up for some strange reason."

Chad pulled out his gun "I wanted them for shooting practice. I've got to get a good aim if we are to make it through the city. Plus to make it more fun, I've starved them a little bit."

Jayden yelled, "That's not smart at all! We could get hurt."

"Not my problem. I suggest you start running then." Chad cut the rope loose and ran. The zombies got up and chased them. " What a idiot! I don't even have my gun with me!" Jayden said as he ran with a zombie chasing him. Kyle Then picked up Lina and threw her towards the zombie saying, "Here this will distract them!" Lina screamed, "You jerk! I'm unarmed too!"

"Like I care." Kyle ran off to look for his weapon. Hungry zombies chased Jayden and Lina around the forest. A zombie soon pinned Lina and started clawing at her. "Help me!" she screamed. Jayden couldn't do anything to help her so he continued to run from the other zombie. Chad ran towards Lina and shot the zombie that pinned her. "Thanks" she said out of breath from fighting with the zombie. "Do I get a hug?" Chad asked seductively. "Not this time, we have to go help Jayden!" Lina pointed to Jayden. He was still running. "I'll take care of it!" Kyle yelled from the distance. He appeared behind a tree with a chainsaw. "I'll slice that damn zombie in two!" Kyle approached Jayden and the zombie. He started the engine and chased after the zombie. It soon turned around to tackle Kyle but he started hacking the saw at the zombie's head. Several minutes of Kyle brutally slaying the zombie passed. He looked pleased. "I think I'll bring the chainsaw for then city trip then. Just for some fun." Kyle threw the blood stained saw into the back of the truck. "I can't believe you threw me to the zombies!" Lina yelled to Kyle as she slapped his arm. "I'm just prepping you for our up coming adventure." he said sarcastically. "It's not funny. I could have gotten eaten."

"Like that's a bad thing."

"Stop being such an asswipe."

They glared intensely at each other. "Okay we can leave the fighting till later. Let's get in the truck and get going." Jayden said as he pulled the two apart. Soon enough, they were off.

Jayden looked through the back window; the forest was set ablaze. Chad laughed, "Just killing whatever I didn't get." He looked through the mirror to Jayden and gave him a maniacal look.

About an hour later, they reached the city. The streets were in ruins; zombie corpses laid in the streets while there were plenty of roaming ones still walking. Chad made sure to run over a few of them on the way in. "Shit, we are running low on gas." Kyle said as he pointed to the fuel meter. "Don't matter, the dock is just down the road. We just have to get our hands dirty now." Chad said evilly while he started to load his gun. The sound of the truck's engine was attracting zombies. "They are getting closer to the car." Lina said with fear. She gripped onto her gun. Jayden could see the fear in her eyes. "You haven't really fought any zombies before have you?"

"No. I was able to avoid them for months because of my large house in the middle of nowhere. I only came out of it once to get food at the mall."

"Great, Blondie is going to wear us out." Kyle said annoyed. Lina hit him "Like you are any better you coward! You threw me to the zombies back at the woods!"

"I may be a lot of things but I am not a coward you annoying little…" Kyle was interrupted; Chad threw his hands over both of their mouths. He calmly said " Why not take your anger out on the zombies instead of being brats and arguing. If you don't stop fighting right now, I will personally tie you to a lamppost from your feet and use you as bait. Are we clear?"

Both of them nodded and stayed quiet.

The truck halted to a stop just a few blocks from the dock. At least two hundred zombies roamed in front of them. Lina quietly whimpered at the sight of the zombie horde. Chad lit his cigarette and asked Jayden "Are the propane tanks still in the back?"

He nodded. Chad smirked and casually opened the car door and walked out. "What is this moron doing?" Kyle said. "He's going to get eaten!" Chad walked to the back of the truck and began placing them inside the truck next to Jayden and Lina. "I suggest you guys get out of the truck," he said as he lit his lighter. The three of them jumped out and ran into the safety of a store. Chad soon followed them. "Duck!" He yelled to them. Suddenly the truck exploded, throwing pieces of metal everywhere. "What did you do?" Kyle yelled. "I blew up the truck. It killed some zombies you know."

"Yeah but it also drew attention to us!"

"Lets start shooting then."

Zombies from every direction swarmed them. Kyle started his chainsaw and started slicing up the zombies. Lina stayed close to Jayden and Chad, unsure of what to do. "Help shoot! We can't take on all these zombies!" Jayden yelled to her. She gulped and closed her eyes. She fired her gun. She shot a car and the alarm went off. "Oops."

"You idiot! You attracted more zombies!" Kyle said as he pointed to another horde of zombies running in. They were close to the dock but the zombies were getting overwhelming. They tried hard not to trip on rubble and dead bodies. They were running low on ammo too. "We'll have to run for it." Jayden said. "Not if I have another trick up my sleeve." Chad said as he pulled out a pipe bomb. He pressed the button and threw it in the opposite direction. The blinking light on the explosive attracted the zombies and majority of them followed the bomb. The group ran towards the fence as the zombies blew up in the background.

Fleshy bits fell from the sky. "You carry around bombs? Seriously?" Jayden said. "Just one of the many manly traits I have." Chad bragged. They all rolled their eyes. "I can't believe we made it!" Lina said with joy. She was right; the stood in the dock. "Now we just need to radio the coast guard and we'll be safe." Kyle said as he headed towards the call center. "We just have to survive until the ship gets here." Jayden said with concern. It could take awhile before any boats appear. He paced back and fourth, waiting for a response from Kyle. Lina walked towards him. "I'm glad I was able to become friends with you. You are amazing." She hugged him. "Thanks" he said while trying not to blush. "I'm still waiting for my hug Lina." Chad said while interrupting them.

"Not today buddy."

"Tease." Chad looked towards the call center Kyle was in. "What's taking him so long?" He began to approach the center but then there was a collective growl coming from the distance. Kyle came rushing out the center and said, "They'll be here soon. They said to hold tight until they get here." Jayden turned to him "You should get your gun. More zombies are coming."

Just like that, more hungry zombies came rushing into the dock, cornering them to the edge of the dock. It started raining heavily and the waves crashed into the dock. Jayden began shooting the infected people and stared behind him, seeing the dark waters swelling. The zombies grew closer and closer, pushing them near the edge of the dock. Chad began pulling out another pipe bomb but it slipped out of his hand and fell into the ocean. His gun soon ran out of ammo; same with Jayden. They fought against the zombies barehanded. Lina continued to shoot the zombies until one smacked her in the face. She lost her balance and fell of the ledge. She gripped onto the side. Jayden rushed to help her. "I'm slipping!" she yelped. He reached his hand out for her but then a zombie leaped onto his back, dragging him away from Lina. He pushed the zombie off and crawled his way back to her. As Jayden reached for her hand her fingers slipped off the edge and she began falling into the deep dark ocean. "Lina!" He cried as he tried to catch her hand. "Help!" she yelled just before she landed into the water. The waves threw her body against the dock violently; he could see her neck breaking. Seconds later, she disappeared under the sea. "Lina!" Jayden cried one more time. Chad grabbed his arm "We have to move on. Here take a machete." He tossed him the weapon. Kyle was in the distance, taking on the zombies with two handguns. "I need some help here!" He yelled to them. The two of them rushed to Kyle and began killing the swarming zombies. They then began dog-piling Chad. "Get off of me you damn zombies!" he yelled while trying to kick them off. They continued piling on top of him. Jayden and Kyle ran to the pile and began shooting the zombies. "You shoot me and I'll rip off your ear!" Chad said as he pushed off the last zombie. He was bleeding heavily. "Are you going to turn?" Kyle said looking at his wounds. "Nope. None of them bit me, these are just cuts caused from their claws. I won't die just yet." Kyle helped him up and they walked over to the call center. Jayden began shooting more zombies and yelled to his teammates "I see the boat!" and quickly pointed to the approaching boat. Kyle joined Jayden and said to him, "Lets finish them off."

The last wave of zombies came as the boat pulled up into the dock. Kyle grabbed Chad while continuing to shoot zombies. Jayden raced towards the boat with zombies chasing him. The crew threw down ropes for them to climb. "Grab on!" one yelled. Jayden leaped for the rope and caught it. He climbed up and then looked down to see his two teammates. "How are we supposed to get up? " Kyle said while still holding onto Chad. The zombies were closing in on them. Jayden raced down the deck to get some armed crewmembers. "We need some help!" He said to them. They looked over the deck to see Kyle killing the zombies alone. Chad limped towards the rope and grabbed on. Kyle soon followed and so did the zombies. They grabbed onto their ankles and began dragging them down. The two crewmembers began shooting at the zombies as the pulled Kyle and Chad up. They were then pulled onto the deck. As the boat started moving, the zombies that were banging against the boat's sides fell into the ocean. Kyle got up and looked at Jayden.

"We've made it," he said. Jayden looked at his face. His once cold look was gone; he looked sort of happy. "Did everyone make it?"

"Lina fell into the ocean."

"What a sin, I don't have anyone to pick on now." He laughed then he realized that she was dead. "Oh wow, I didn't hate her that much for wanting her to die."

"I know. But she's in a better place now." Jayden looked towards Chad. He gripped at his side. "Isn't someone going to bandage me up? I'm bleeding here! Goddammit where are my cigarettes?" He demanded. One of the crew helped him up and took him down the deck. Jayden could still here him in the background, bossing the staff around. A woman approached them and said, "Lets get you guys cleaned up." They nodded and followed her.

Night came and the sky cleared up. Kyle walked out onto the deck to find Jayden staring at the stars. "It's almost like we are in a dream." Kyle said to him. Jayden looked at him. He sighed. "I'm glad this nightmare is over. We've survived hell and we have a new beginning. No more worrying about dying every second."

"I agree. Thank God it is over."

Jayden continued to gaze at the night sky. Their long journey was over. Now was the time for a new beginning.