It just seemed like any other day. Not the end of the world.

Alyssa sat on the couch and rolled her eyes at Sandra's giggles and squeals coming from upstairs. She had been pulled into babysitting so Sandra and her boyfriend could 'be cosy' in private, her dad didn't like Dave and forbade him from the house so when Sandra had been asked to babysit this little girl she had seen it as her golden oppertunity to get past second base.

Yeah because this was what life was all about, going all the way with your scumbag boyfriend.

"You owe me don't forget!" she had hissed when Alyssa flat out refused and she had sighed and agreed. She was right, Alyssa did owe her one.

"Where's Sandra?" Clementine asked looking up from her colouring.

Alyssa sighed and forced a smile on her face "She's just upstairs on the phone to her boyfriend" she rolled her eyes "we don't want to hear her lovey-dovey phone call do we?"

Clementine smiled back and shook her head "Nuh-uh" she made a face "boys are gross, the ones in my class just pick their noses and wipe it on each other"

Alyssa laughed "Yeah, they really are gross don't ever lose that view on them Clem" she smiled and looked at her drawing "that's really good" she heard a moan and then more movement and cringed, she didn't want to hear Sandra and Dave and she certainly didn't want Clementine to hear either.

"Hey, grab your colouring book and crayons" Alyssa said standing up and going into the kitchen "we'll pack some food and juice and sit in your treehouse, it's a nice day for it" she paused before leaving and picked up the rolled up sleeping bag and some pillows "we'll be nice and cosy up there".

Clementine looked excited "I'd love that!" she helped Alyssa put the picnic into a bag and they both climbed the ladder up to the treehouse. The sun was extremely warm that day and Alyssa was glad of the hair tie she had and put her hair up in a bun.

"I wish I had your hair" Clementine said wistfully as she watched Alyssa put it up "mines ugly"

"I love your hair" Alyssa said, "I can never get curls like that even if I use my curlers for hours" she made a face "straight hair is a curse, never wish for it"

"Mabye you can straighten my hair one time?" Clementine asked "you don't live that far away"

Alyssa smiled and nodded "Sure, I'll bring my straightners and we can have a hair day"

"Without Sandra?"

"Without Sandra"

They started to colour quite happily and Alyssa took out her iPod and gave Clementine a ear to listen too as well, it was almost perfect. It took her back to when she was young and happy to just colour the day away. She just hoped Sandra would be finished-

"AHHH PLEASE NO!" Crashing, screaming and yelling soon echoed the quiet street.

Jumping, Alyssa turned and looked out the small window in the tree-house and her blood froze, a woman was leaning over her car on the street and was clawing desperately at the man over her. At first Alyssa thought she was getting raped but then with a sick realisation she realised that the man had sunk his teeth into the womans neck and was ...eating her!

All around there was carnage and destruction as more people were killed in the street, Alyssa felt fear inside of her and felt bile in her throat as she witnessed more people going crazy and eating each other. Cars crashed and the quiet sub-urban street was one of violence and death.

"Wh-whats going on?" Clementine asked scared.

Alyssa didn't know how to answer her "Something bad" she whispered, thinking quickly she went to the entrance of the treehouse and pushed the flap open, looking around she seen no one in the garden but next door there was a man stumbling about and growling and she felt faint when she seen half his face chewed off and his arm missing. Pushing the ladder over so it fell against the tree branch, but not so much so she could grab it again, she closed the flap quickly and hugged Clementine to her tightly.

"We need to be quiet!" Alyssa whispered frantically, she closed her eyes and shook as she heard a blood curdling scream come from the house and she knew it was Sandra, she just hoped whatever killed her killed her fast. "We need to stay here and wait for help and be quiet, okay?"

Clementine nodded and burrowed her head into Alyssa's chest "Okay" she said shakingly.

"What the fuck is happening?" Alyssa thought desperately "the whole world has gone to shit!"

All through the night, the screams and yelling continued and through this Alyssa kept a tight hold on Clementine. Never before had she been this scared even when her Dad had returned home drunk all those time and beat her and her Mom if he had lost at pool or a card game. Nothing would ever beat this.

Zombies.

One night when her brother Alan was still alive, he had stolen their Dad's bourbon and they had watched an old zombie movie and gotten drunk. "I'd survive a zombie apocalypse" he had slurred.

"Me too!" she had said "destroy the brain and don't get bit!"

"Sounds like a plan sis" he said winking "we'd be safe, I wouldn't let anything happen to you"

Alyssa closed her eyes and wished that her brother could be here now, but he wasn't. He had died after a drink driving accident and now it was her on her own ever since her Mom walked out on her leaving her with a drunken dad. Now it was her and Clementine.

"Try to sleep" she whispered to her.

Clementine shook her head and her lip wobbled "I can't, it sounds scary out there!"

Alyssa reached behind her and grabbed her iPod, the last thing that Alan ever gave her, well he stole it but Alyssa didn't care. "Here, put these in" she shifted as quietly as she could and unrolled the sleeping bag "it will block out the bad stuff"

"What about you?"

"I'll be okay, you try to get some sleep"

The little girl nodded and did what she asked and cuddled up in the sleeping bag, Alyssa put on some slow guitar music and watched as eventually Clementine fell asleep. She grabbed the pillows and put them behind her and watched out the window, wishing for help to come.

She stayed awake all night and hugged herself tight to keep warm, she was glad they hadn't tucked into the food she had brought up as that meant they had food for tomorrow. "Please, please" she prayed quietly, something she had never done before but it was the only thing she could think of doing "please send us someone who can help?" she closed her eyes and tried to block out the sounds of death around her.