Author's Note: So, I've decided to write fan fiction and for my very first story on here, I decided to revisit two blasts from the past that should have stayed, Hetalia and my favorite horror movie of all time, Dawn of the Dead, originally released in 1978 and directed by the late great George A. Romero.

This is a Zombie Apocalypse AU set at an unspecified point in history, drawing influences from the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's. Human names are used for the characters and the story takes place in Pennsylvania.

This story contains explicit violence, blood, and gore. It is not for younger audiences or for people who are sensitive or otherwise easily offended by violence, hence the Mature rating.

WGON TV Studios, Philadelphia

October 13th, 19XX

Sleep did not come easily to young Natalya, especially in these troublesome and uncertain times. The cute young Goth college student and news broadcasting intern was taking what was supposed to be a light nap in an office chair in the corner but was troubled by horrifying nightmares as well as a sense of both utter terror and dreadful anxiety, waking up suddenly in a cold sweat as she left one nightmare and entered another one, a nightmare that was all too real and played out right before her waking eyes.

Stumbling slightly as she stood up from the soft plush chair, Natalya yawned and wiped the sweat from her brow as she made her way into the main studio room of the television station she worked at and taking a brief stop along the way to buy a can of Pepsi from the vending machine, where she saw her good friend Francis Bonnefoy, who did sound mixing and other technical work for the station.

"If nobody else is going to say it, I will. The shit is hitting the fan pretty hard. Some of the guys have already flown the coop and fucked off to find their loved ones or whatever else they need so they can do the smart thing and get the fuck out of here. I haven't got any family here in Philly, but I am seriously tempted to run away myself. How about you?"

"Well, if you must know and this better stay just between the two of us, but Arthur and I are thinking of taking the WGON News Chopper and flying out of here. It's gonna be me, Arthur, and a friend of his."

"A friend, you say? Who is it?"

"I dunno, some dude named Alfred, I've never met him but apparently the two are real close friends and go way back. I think the guy is a police officer or something, I'm not quite sure."

"Yeah, it's getting real bad if the goddamn fucking police are making a run for it. I'd go with you, but I have some loose ends to tie up before I go out and try to make my escape. Peace be with you."

"Same to you, Francis. Good luck and God Bless."

As Natalya entered the main studio room, she was greeted by a sense of panicked fear and utter chaos as the prevailing actions and behaviors of the news crew seemed to indicate. The cameras were filming a live broadcast of an interview between a biomedical scientist named Hange Zoe and Maes Hughes, the WGON lead news anchor. The discussion between them was intensely heated to say the least.

"Doctor Zoe, what you are suggesting is utterly sickening! It's inhumane!"

"With all due respect, you don't seem to understand the gravity of this situation! There is a national state of emergency and martial law has been declared. Those things out there must be destroyed at all costs for the sake of the general public's safety. It's attitudes like yours that is causing the cities to break down and descend into chaos!"

"Well, the people of Philadelphia and elsewhere don't want to follow such a cruel directive like the one you are suggesting, especially if it involves their close friends and family. Quite frankly, I don't blame them!"

"Hughes, I have had enough of your patronizing moral bullshit! You really don't get it, do you? The bodies of the recently deceased must be handed over to the National Guard and local law enforcement for proper disposal. Any body that is not properly disposed of gets up and kills! The people they kill get up and kill! This is a national disaster of unprecedented magnitude and we must act accordingly before it's too late!"

"What do you suggest we do, then? Tell me just what the hell is going on here?"

"There's a lot we don't know yet. But here's what we do know. They kill for one reason. They kill for food, they eat their victims. The quickest and most efficient way to terminate one of them is to shoot them in the head or take out the brain in another manner. The corpses of the recently deceased, especially those who have been killed by them must be disposed of by either cremation or decapitation, with burning the bodies being the most efficient way, as it also serves to prevent the spread of infectious disease"

As the angry banter between the scientist and the news anchor continued, a blonde man in a black leather jacket and jeans walked up to Natalya, this was her boyfriend Arthur Kirkland, a helicopter pilot who worked for WGON and gave the morning traffic report.

"Alright, the coast is clear for now. The stations are switching over to the Emergency Broadcast System so it looks like our work here is finished. Meet me at my car on the rooftop of the WGON parking garage, we're gonna head to the helipad at the nearby marina tonight at 10:00 PM, Alfred will meet us there."

"Okay."

"The helicopter is already waiting there, fully fueled. I even stored some extra canisters of gasoline to refuel the tank in an emergency. It's about time we leave, Philadelphia has gone all to pieces."

"Pretty much, Philly is quickly becoming a death trap of epic proportions. And it's not just Philadelphia either, the whole fucking Delaware Valley is going to Hell in a Dodge Viper!"