Hey I would just like to say that this chapter isn't the greatest in the world but the story does get better as it goes along so I would recommend continuing. I wrote this back when I had my first laptop, which had a really bad spell check and I hadn't quite learned the art of story writing but I have improved over time. Many stories can hook you into it in the first chapter and I will admit mine might not, but I will say you may not be disappointed with it as you read. Don't judge a book by it's cover, only it's content. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Ben's Pov.

As the sunrise came over the horizon it seemed like any other day, how far from the truth could it be. I sat watching the sunrise as I do every work day, listening to the early morning radio. Like yesterday, it was talking about something happening in Atlanta. All it was saying was that there was a virus outbreak, so I took it as some kind of flu or some other sickness.

After breakfast, I went to start my 1956 Buick. It used to be my grandfather's, he had given it to me on my 18 birthday, just two weeks after I got my driving licence. As I started my car, my neighbor, Mrs. Holls came by and dropped off some of her honey biscuits she'd make for me and a few other people who lived on our street. I live outside Chicago where there's a lot of farm land. I don't own a farm, but many of my neighbors do.

"Morning Ben, I brought you some biscuits." she said in her slightly Scottish accent.

"Thank you Mrs. Holls, you're so kind to bake these for all your neighbors." I said as she handed me the biscuits.

"Well ever since Ken passed I needed to give them to someone. And all of you helped me through those sad times." she said with a sad tone in her voice.

After her husband Ken died, she never liked to bring him up. If she did, she'd think of all the good times they'd shared and that she wasn't there when he had the heart attack that killed him. She feels it's partly her fault he died because she chose to stop in to talk to me during her afternoon jog.

I tried to take her mind off it. "So, are you going to come for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, I'll be over at six. Will Greg and Mary be there?" she asked.

"Yeah, they'll be over after Greg's done work."

Tonight was my monthly dinner where I would invite some of the neighbors over for a meal and then play shuraids and cards for a few hours then people would go home. Usually Mrs. Holls would be the last to leave because she likes the company. She says it can get lonely at home, and I don't blame her, it's a really big house. The only family she has left is her son, but he lives in Woodstock which is two hours away and he doesn't visit often.

We say our goodbyes and I drive down the street. I look in the rear-view mirror to see her waving goodbye, so I wave back. On the way I see Greg leaving the house and waving to me. I give a quick wave and continued driving. Soon I got on the highway, for some reason there wasn't any traffic.

I took no notice since it was early. After I got half way to Chicago, I saw a crashed car on the side of the road. I worried that the driver might be injured so I pulled over. As I got out of my car, I could see the driver and what looked like someone they hit laying on the ground. I ran over to the driver to see if he was alive.

I reached down and shook him. Soddenly he jump up and was trying to bite me. I managed to kick him off and I ran to my car only to trip over the person he hit. He also got up and chased after me, but they only ran half as fast as I did. I got to my car and drove away as fast as I could, looking in the rear-view I could see them following me.

"What in the world just happened?" as I said this the radio turned on.

"Breaking news, survivors say people affected by the virus in Atlanta and other large cities in and around Georgia are dying, then coming back to life acting zombie-like and are considered dangerous. Also if you are bit by one of them you will be infected with the virus too. All of those who are headed toward Georgia are advised to turn around. This has been your latest update on the matter."

I thought over what the radio said and realized that the two people I saw were infected with that virus. Then it accrued to me that Georgia is three states away, so how did the virus get all the way here in Illinois? I worried that more people could be like that too.

I pass by a sign that says "Welcome to Chicago" and I begin to see building over the trees. As I drive into the city, cars drove past me leaving in a hurry.

"I wonder if the virus got here to?" I thought to myself as the cars drove past.

Suddenly a woman jumps out onto the street yelling to me "LET ME IN THE CAR! PLEASE LET ME IN!"

I stop and let her get in. She swings the door open and jumps in saying, in a loud tone "Thank you so much, nobody stopped for me, they just kept driving because they thought I was infected."

"Are you?" I ask worryingly.

"No, but they almost got me a few times." She replies.

"Who almost got you?" I ask.

She gets a scarred look on her face as she looks and points ahead of us yelling "THEM!"

I look forward and there, slowly running toward us, are at least 50 of those zombie-people.

"HURRY, START THE CAR BEFORE THOSE WALKERS GET US!" she yells.

"Walkers? Is that what people call them?" I ask as I try to start the finally starts as they get within 15 feet of the car.

I reversed as fast as I could to turn the car around and drive away. Soon the walkers are far behind us as we get onto the highway.

"Thanks for saving me back there. By the way, I'm Samantha, but you can call me Sam."

"You're welcome, I'm Ben"

We drove down the highway for a while, maybe 15 minutes or so, and came across the car crash I saw earlier. The two walkers, I presume they were, were nowhere to be found. I took no notice of this, for I was busy trying to take all of what had happened in and I was not prepared for what was to come.