Journal entry #1 Date: 1/21
There was fresh blood on my hands; I wiped them in my jeans to clean them. No use in getting in getting infected now. The knife was bloody now, but in a thick greenish thing. It was an older one, obviously about to die soon anyway. I picked up my lighter, lit it and set it on fire. That would buy me some time for the others. The end of the world began at 9:30 on a Saturday, today was Wednesday, no school tomorrow…or ever. I picked up the gun and the extra clips from the body. I was lucky to find a cop. He would at least have a gun, and some ammo on him. I took the holster too; I didn't feel like carrying it around all the time. It was a standard issue meaning I could get more from other cops. I had already talked to my brother, he, my parents and little sister were already heading toward the ship. Right now the disease was only in America and would kill them all naturally by summer. They were at home when it happened I was…away. A girlish scream, so you could tell she was still human came from my left. I ran over trying to keep behind cover. A girl was on a roof, with a bat surrounded by zombies. I grabbed my lighter, picked up a pinecone I carefully set the tip ablaze, which by seconds already got most of it on fire. I chucked it at a zombie, like dominoes they all caught on fire. They ran around as if it hurt, almost dying instantly.
"You okay?" I asked, as if I did this every day.
"Y-y-yeah, I'm okay." She responded, I nodded then turned and began to walk away. "Wait! Your just gonna leave me?" she called.
As she came down and got closer, I recognized her. "May, right? Yes, I was, actually, sorry I just have to make it to New York." My family was there, so was the best chance of getting out of here.
"What? Why?" she said following me.
"It's my way out, my family is already almost there. I'm meeting them there."
"I can help please I just have to get away from here, please." She begged, I knew this was gonna slow me down. By way too much, and I was already a state behind them I was still in Virginia.
"What do you have with you?" I asked, through grit teeth, I knew I shouldn't take her, but it would be better, to have at least one more set of eyes watching my back.
"Some food, water, a tent, and a bat." The food and supplies were good.
"Alright…" I said and we headed out. Back out a few more yards was the highway, find a decent car and we could at least travel faster. I looked over at May who was fine; I noticed that she was kind of cute. Beep now's not the time to check out girls. Once we reached the highway we saw a not totaled car were there was a dead, body outside where they dragged him out. I used her bat to crack the skull, to make sure it didn't go after us while we went after the vehicle. I swiped the keys, while May held back a scream.
I stared hard, asking her to try to keep it down. "Can, you drive?" I asked. It was automatic so luckily she could. I took a nap while I told her to head north to Maryland.
Someone nudged me and I woke immediately, "Yeah, what is it?" I asked, the gas meter was getting closer to empty, she told me.
"I'm getting tired can you drive soon?" she asked I nodded, and we pulled over at a gas station.
"Yell if you see somebody." I said. Going behind the register, pressing 40$ for gas, and filled my bag with bread, non perishable foods and whatever else was good. "Try the gas now." An okay was heard back. A couple blocks down, was a gun store. We had to stop by there, any ammo was good ammo. We pulled into it, I told her to watch my back even though I had the gun, and all she had was a bat. "Wait! I just forgot. What's your name?" she asked and I rolled my eyes. "Ash, keep it down would ya?" most of the place had been ransacked. All that was left was an M16, rifle, and ten clips of ammo. I handed her the pistol, and picked up the rifle. Something moved,' it's a trap' I realized, three zombies came in blocking the door. I raised the rifle, shooting twice, there was almost no recoil. Good if there was my arm would have been blown off. I shoot through their chest, at close range they went down. She screamed and shot twice into its chest.
I grabbed her hand dragging her and yelled "Run!" as soon as I let go a zombie grabbed her, I turned stuck the rifle into its mouth and fired. "Come on." I said more urgent. Not letting go this time we made it to the car, both shoving ourselves into the passenger side locking the doors. She was on my lap so I scooted over, to the driver's side and took off, running over a zombie as we did.
"What was that?"She asked.
"I don't know…they followed us in and tried to corner us." She looked like she was going to pass out, so I added "get some rest I'll wake you later, you'll need rest." Trying to be nice, she nodded then tried to be comfortable in the seat.
I looked again; she was cute, auburn hair and fair skin. This was nothing like mine because I had tanish skin. She looked kind of peaceful so I didn't wake her when we crossed the border to Maryland. I saw the time it was about 8 in the evening. I pulled over to a secluded area, hopefully no infected until morning. I fell asleep, after putting on the alarm, in case someone got close.
I woke and someone was banging on the window, he pressed a gun to the glass, I woke May, I put my hands in the air but I had the pistol in my back pocket. "Nice ride" he said, obviously going to try to take it, I was about to go for my gun, when someone beat me to it, shooting once in his knee, a dark haired kid yelled "GO, GO, GO!" he said hopping in the back seat. I put the car in reverse, spinning the car to the right side then taking off.
"Who the heck are you?" I demanded.
"Relax, who just saved your sorry tail back there?" He answered.
"Who are you?" I asked this time.
"Brock and you?"
"I'm Ash and she's May." I said, trying to focus on driving. Gripping the steering wheel to hard. He looked over at May, trying to check her out I rolled my eyes and she saw and smiled.
"Were heading to New York, you in?" I asked, but I knew this was it. Anymore would slow us down.
"I guess… nowhere else to go." He said solemnly, and stared out the window, I didn't push farther. I knew what it was like to be separated.
"Alright, get some sleep, I'll wake you in an hour, can you drive?" I asked, I was going to stay awake with him, I didn't trust him fully yet, not to watch my back while I was sleeping. I kept driving determined, to get farther. Once I knew both of them were asleep, I called them.
"Hey, can't talk much right now, what's up?" My brother's voice came out trying to be calm but I knew he was shooting, from the pop-pop sound.
"Just checking up on you making sure you don't get over your head. I have back up now I guess, I'm in Maryland now, you?" I asked, needed to know where they were I wanted to get back to them, get to them.
"Just passed the border a few hours ago, you're not walking are you?" He asked.
"Nah, nah. I'm driving it's just hard driving around the totaled cars." Which was somewhat true, there were a few cars that popped out of nowhere, and a few that swerved off the street.
"Alright, I have to go, okay? Be at New York in 10 days or the ship leaves without you; make sure you get here on time. Don't wanna have to leave you behind." Then he hung up.
"Do you miss them?" Brock asked.
"A lot, I had to convince them, I could make it there safely to even get them to go." I said.
"Do you think we'll make it in time?" he asked, almost hopeful,
"I don't know, man, I honestly don't." he nodded like he understood, then he took the wheel offering to drive.
"Don't steer us off the road, try to make it there in one peace." Sleep came hard, and dreams haunted me, that night.
I woke at noon; May had switched then switched back, with Brock, and was now sleeping on my shoulder.
"You up, man, sorry to say, but we've kind of ate without you." Brock said, drowsily.
"Yeah, it's fine, but let's try to make it last okay?" I said, grabbing a bag of crackers, and switching to the driver's side.
As soon as I grabbed the wheel and turned into a ramp, something crashed right into us and I swerved off the road and onto a dirt hill. We tossed a bit, but still managed not to roll it. The zombies stopped for a second, then charged right at us.
End of recording….