Chapter One
My body hurts as I walk down the street. The stench of death stings my nose as I search for everyone who left. More like taken away.
An infection broke lose and now, every human alive has the chance to turn against each other by eating one another. This happened about a month ago. It's horrifying to how fast it spread.
Those who are not infected have a chance to live. Well... until they get infected or eaten.
My group I was with were scattered and now lost with me only far, far away. Dave, Terezi, Karkat, Nepeta, Kanaya, Rose, and John.
Car horns blare as I hear shuffling behind me. A grin crosses my face as I think of the thought of destroying the monsters who took my freinds. I turn, pulling out a pocket knife I found on a dead, suffering body.
The shuffling gets louder and louder until I hear hissing and groans.
I take a step back then turn and bolt as I see the number of zombies coming at me. Ripped flesh peel from their skin and some are missing limbs or eyes. A few have no bottom jaw.
The hissing and groaning fall silent as I run as fast as I can away. A few moments later, I force out the image of now and think of the past. Bright, green leaves on trees and bushes and lush, green grass beneath my feet. Now there is no grass or happiness any more. It was taken from all of us.
No sound came to my ears as I fall to my knees. Pain shoots through my chest as I feel so alone and helpless. So alone and weak, waiting to be eaten alive. Not being able to free myself from the darkness of my heart. So I push it all out and think everything is going to be ok.
I smile and image my friends by my side. I imagine the lush green grass and the light blue sky. Puffing white clouds, tall, strong trees, new buildings, smooth streets, everything that was taken from the world.
I lay on the ground gently and push out the gray sky full of smoke. I blow away the stench of death and the sounds of nothing.
"Everything is fine." I whimper to myself. "Everything is going to be fine."
. . . . .
There was a crack and a rumble of thunder and tears from above splash on my body. The smooth rhythm of rain eases my mind as I lay with my eyes closed.
I hear footsteps to my right and left. Groans erupt the silence of the rain. I sit up and look at the walking corpses. One of them hisses at me and I see the bloody drool drip from his dry, cracked lips.
I leap up and laugh like an insane person. I leave the knife on the stone floor and walk down the street with the walkers behind me. I hear a scream of the dead and footsteps, faster than the others.
Runner!
I turn and see a corpse sprinting for me. I laugh again and run. The runner screams and runs faster at me, it's prey. I start to run backwards and I tease it by making faces and mocking it.
Everything is fine.
The walkers are left behind to suffer and starve until they fall and decay faster than they are now. The screaming runner chases me until his foot snaps and he crumples to the ground. It lets out a whimper and I stop. I walk towards it and its whimper turns into a hungry hiss.
I frown at it and leave it to suffer.
Everything is fine. Everything is going to be ok.
The runner squirms and figures out how to crawl. It gets into a rhythm and claws at the ground. It comes faster and faster and it grabs at my leg. I snicker and take a few steps back. It hisses in anger and charges again, flailing its' legs to go faster.
I leap into the air and nail it in the head with my heel. Blood flows out of its head and its hissing disappears into the roar of thunder.
My hair drips water droplets as I step off of it. One down, millions to go.
I flick my foot to get the bloody goop off of my shoe as I slowly inch my way through the street. No more hissing and shuffling means no more zombies near me.
I am safe at the time.
The rain makes my body shiver as I keep my feet in a steady rhythm as I walk alone in the dark streets filled with sorrow.
No sound pleases me. Only the crack of thunder and lightning and the roar of rain.
No one is here to watch my back or motivate me to keep on living. But I will not stop. I will never stop until I know all my friends are ok. I will see them and we will all cry and greet each other and tell each other what happened when they were alone.
I will see their faces and I will see their warm smiles.
The rain roars on and my clothing saggs. My socks are soaked and my shoes no longer give my feet warmth.
This sucks.
Where to go now? I ask myself. I look around for anything to please my empty stomach.
Then my eyes land on a store. A grocery store which should have some food left.
My eyes light up as I run for the store. I leap and roll and thump my back against the wall. I creep to the doors and they open automatically. At least one of them do. The other opens half way and stops. They shake as they open.
It's time to hunt. I think as I roll into the trashed store.
Nothing. Nothing but knocked over shelves and for sure dead bodies. Someone was here before me. I take a step forward and I crunch on an empty wrapper.
It's alright. I can find food. Just keep looking and don't lose hope!
I walk forward with no caution and start my hunt for food.
Nothing in the first lane. Nothing in the second lane. Nothing in the third, fourth, or fifth lane. Nothing in the sixth, seventh, or eighth lane either.
A sigh escapes my dry lips. Don't lose hope. I tell myself.
I keep looking and looking until I spot it. A wrapper with a candybar hidden in it.
Yes! Food! I scream in my head. I leap for the bar but then it moves. What? I search the bar for a string or something. Yep. There it is. But who would do this? Do they want to eat me and turn into a zombie too? That's one way to turn. Eat another human.
I reach for it slowly and land my hand on the bar. The rope tugs hard but I keep my grip. I lay on the floor and breath softly, searching for who ever has the other end of the string.
There he is. Half zombie, half human. He is dying and starving. He notices I see him and he charges at me, a huge knife in his hand.
I keep my bar and leap up. Down comes the knife. I feel the wind against my face as it zips my, missing me. I kick the filthy man in the nuts and then kick him in the side with my other foot. He crumples to the ground.
I shake my finger in his face and shake my head. I stand and run off into the streets once again, leaving him behind with his pain, knife, and infection.
The rain has come down harder then before, making me walk slower. The pain in my body wins and I fall to the ground, helpless and motionless.
. . . . .
I open my eyes and see grass. Not lush but forest grass. I push myself up, into a sitting position and look around. Darkness and something. Something that seem familiar. Something that seems like a dream. Is that real?
I crawl over to the idem, trying to ignore the pain. It's...it's...It's...!
I grab it and hold it tightly to my body, never wanting to let go. It's Karkat's coat! It's his dark gray coat!