I sprinted down the dark alley as fast as I could. My heart was pounding like an overworking drum. I could feel the energy the adrenaline gave me. It made me numb to the pain I was feeling my chest and my legs. But, it made me acutely aware of my surroundings and my situation. I was being chased by a group of mangled zombies. I held the handgun that Steven gave me in my hand, but I knew I'd be taken down and eaten alive before I could lodge a bullet in between a zombie's head. I didn't have enough bullets for all of them. I knew nothing good was going to come out of joining a gang. But, I sure as hell didn't expect to get chased down by zombies!

There was animalistic yells and screams coming closer from behind me. I spotted a fence in the middle of the slick alley way. I jumped, landing on the fence before quickly scurrying over it. The zombies slammed into the fence like a tsunami wave. They couldn't climb over it but it sure looked like they could tear that fence down. Their arms and glowing yellows eyes were stretched for me though. I could see a sick hunger in their eyes and in their screams. After catching my breath for a moment, I quickly turned around and kept running. I hadn't been home for a year since I joined that gang with Steven, but it was the only place I had to turn to now. Things had gone to shit with the whole infection spreading through out the city and the world. I should've taken that more seriously than the drugs or alcohol. I decided to quit that gang tonight the moment they gave me this gun to kill. But, now, I had to kill.

As I kept on running towards home in Atlanta, Georgia, it was like the night sky was on fire. No, the entire city was. The virus outbreak was causing panic and mayhem downtown. People with gray skin and yellow eyes were attacking civilians. They were turning into...monsters.

Gunshots, fire, broken glass, blood, and killing everywhere.

Luckily, my Dad lived in an isolated suburb. It was also the first time I was gravely concerned for my sister Carmen's well being. I didn't care about her since she got married and moved out of Albany, abandoning me and Dad. I started to slow down once I saw the house. It was still intact. The house was miles away from the neighborhood, it always had a sort of country feel because of it. I used to key under the rug to get in the house. "Papá, papá , ¿estás aquí?" I hollered in Spanish, our native language. I quickly searched every room for him. The house was empty and dark. I also didn't see his car in the driveway.

I then quickly ran for the home phone. It was dead. So were all the lights and electricity in the house. I then remembered I had a cell phone, courtesy of my now ex and probably dead boyfriend, Steven. I dialed my Dad's cell number. The only thing I could hear was my own frantic heartbeat and the beeping of the phone. He picked up. "Hola?" asked the surprised voice of my Dad. He sounded to be in distress. I couldn't blame him with the impending zombie apocalypse.

"Papá, soy yo, Anza!"

"Anza?" asked the voice of my father, José.

That one word made me feel so much better. "Sí," I breathed, so relieved that he was alive.

"Dónde coño has estado, chica?" my Dad then asked in Spanish.

"With Steven, Tony, and the gang, of course! I know that's not something to be proud of, listen everything has gone to shit. The outbreak is so much worse, the city is in flames right now. And there's...I can't believe I'm saying this, zombies everywhere. I was on the docks about to get into a gang fight when a fucking swarm of them attacked us!" I blurted out as fast I could in English. "I barely got away!"

I looked warily outside my kitchen window. The smoke and buildings ablaze from downtown Atlanta scared me. "I know, I know. I'm up in Peachtree City, was working on a job. Things are getting pretty bad here too. Zombies are all outside." explained my Dad. "Listen, Anza, I want you to gather what you can from home and go to our summer cabin in Albany. I'm meeting your sister and Adam there in a bit."

"Okay. Okay..." I repeated, fidgeting where I was standing. It was a lot for my father to take in, especially since I had run away a year ago. But, with this zombie apocalypse, we had to forget about that and focus on later. I was now safe and that was all that mattered to my Dad.

"I'm sure you can manage getting a car, after all that is your specialty."

I laughed once, tears forming my eyes. I couldn't believe we were joking around at a time like this. "Yeah, that won't be hard." I sighed.

"Chica, I'll call you back in a few minutes. Gather all of our stuff, okay?"

My voice cracked. "Dad, I'm sorry about everything I did. I-I just-"

"-Chica, none of that matters now. What matters is that you are here now and that you are safe, okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright, I'll call you back. I love you dearly."

"I love you too, Dad."

The call ended.

I already felt better knowing that I now had my father back, even if I was in a zombie apocalypse. It was time for business. I went into the basement to retrieve my Dad's huge wood chopping axe. I used it to smash the window to my neighbor's nice red '74 Jeep Wagoneer. Using the skills the gang taught me, I then smashed open the plastic covering to the stirring wheel column. I found the wiring harness connector without much effort. After fumbling around with the wires, the jeep instantly started. I parked the jeep on the front lawn of my house. Hopefully, my neighbors wouldn't be back soon to see that I stole their jeep. I was glad that those rich bitches made enough money to have an extra car. It only took me about ten minutes to gather all the supplies I could. That was all the time I had at the moment. I found cardboard boxes in the basement. I went from room to room dumping and spilling everything on the table or in the drawers into the boxes. Food, water, clothes, and miscellaneous. The last box took the longest to fill. I scavenged some of my favorite manga and as many photo albums as I could. "Mother, you go here." I said to the photo I held in my hand, gently placing the frame in the box. I heard a loud gurgling growl. I looked up to see my zombified neighbor tackle me. It was Debbie, who lived down the road. Her face was rotting and her eyes were bloodshot yellow. I grabbed her by the neck to prevent her from biting me, her jaw only snapping inches away from my face. That was when the phone rang. It was my Dad and it was going to have to wait. Though I could hear it go to voice mail, I couldn't hear what my Dad was saying. How could I at a moment like this. I managed to shove Debbie off of me. She growled once as I grabbed the axe from off the table. I quickly lodged it into her head. Her skull split in half as blood splattered everywhere.

That was the first person I ever killed, and I knew that it wouldn't be my last.

"Esperanza Cruz, I want you to know that I love you. You, Carmen, and your mother were the best things that ever happened to me. You don't know how much strength it gives me to know that you will survive. That's why I'm not afraid to die anymore. I'm sorry I wasn't a better father to you. Losing your mother was the worst thing that ever happened to me, to all of us, and by being so blind to my sorrow, I lost you. I lost myself. I lost everything. Alex would be so disappointed in me right now." said my father on the voice mail. I could hear the mixed screams of zombies and people on the message. It was getting all static from the noise. My father was calm the entire time despite the chaos surrounding him. "Chica, if I don't make it, I want you to stay strong. Remember what your name means. Every decision you make will either result in your life or your death. And above all, don't trust ANYONE. It's a dog eat dog world out there and it will continue to remain that way. Men won't hesitate to take a beautiful, young woman like you by force. People will kill you because they can. Remember that. And remember that I'll always love you, chica...I'm glad I got to speak to you one last time...I thought I'd never be able to make things up with you again..." The animalistic roars and shrieks of fear grew louder. "I'm coming home, Alexandra..."

The voice mail ended.


I managed to drive out of town before the quarantine zone was put in place. The soldiers were not only killing zombies, but even regular civilians. It didn't seem like they cared who was a zombie or not. They felt that if they just chopped off the amputated leg that the rest of the world would be okay. It seemed like to much of an effort to find out who was infected or not. They just wanted to wipe out everything.

I managed to make it to the summer cabin up in Albany, but no sign of my family. I immediately feared the worst. Maybe they encountered some obstacles along the way. Or maybe they were just dead. The last time I saw my father was at the court when I was being sentenced to a year in prison for beating up a bully to the point where he had a seizure. The tears in his eyes, the disappointment...I didn't want that to be the last time I saw him. Or Carmen and Adam.

I unloaded all of the supplies in the attic since I wasn't sure if anyone would come across the cabin or loot it. I made my bed there, which consisted of a dusty mattress and a sleeping bag. The attic was secluded and dark, but at least I would be safe if someone broke in. I was on my own for the first time.

I waited at the cabin for three months. There was still no sign of my family. They were probably dead. I didn't see how else they could be this late. Most of the days were spent chopping up wood, hiking, exploring, fixing and tidying up the cabin, scavenging for fruit and berries from the forest, reading, or even swimming in the cold glacier water from the mountain. This place that was so in touch of nature was so out of sync with the rest of the fucked up world. So far, I hadn't found any zombies roaming these parts. Maybe the mountains were too far for them. At least I was getting stronger, my arms were toned from all the wood chopping I was doing for firewood as were my legs from all the hiking. I hadn't looked this good in a long time. I sighed once to myself, laying on my sleeping bag. I couldn't stay here forever. I was running low on food and water. I was sick of being all alone, but I knew I couldn't trust anyone. That changed one day...

I heard the door swing open. There were voices downstairs. The floor creaked loudly. My heart stopped as so much fear took me over. I wasn't alone anymore. I broke out in a nervous sweat. Like the prey hiding from it's predator. I was so afraid that they would come up into the attic, but I had to keep reminding myself that they probably wouldn't. And they didn't. When it was dark and the voices were quiet, I grabbed my handgun and as quietly as I could, snuck downstairs from the attic. It was pitch black in the hallway. I crawled on my hands and knees since I didn't want the floor to creek. When I looked around the corner, I saw a couple of candles dimly lighting the room. There was a woman sleeping on the couch with a young girl, whom I assumed to be her daughter. She must have been around the age of six or seven or so. She had shoulder length black hair from what I could see in the candle light. I stealthy searched the house for other people. Thankfully, it was just them so they weren't a big threat. I didn't know whether or not I could trust these people staying in my home. I thought back to my father's voice mail and decided against it. But, I did feel bad for them. So I left a couple cans of food, some clothes, and blankets beside them. That morning, I heard the little girl yell for her Mommy. I pressed my ear against the attic door trying to listen as best as I could. "Mommy, look! Someone left us some food and clothes!"

"What? Where did you get this?"

"It was beside the bed, Mommy."

"It wasn't there before...someone must have been here!"

"I know!" the girl laughed. "An angel must be watching over us!"

I smiled lightly to myself, climbing back to my little nest. That was the first night I got a good night's sleep. It felt good knowing I was helping that mother and her young daughter. After a couple of days of watching these two, I felt that I could trust them. They were just like me. They were lost in a world gone to shit. This woman had only her daughter to care for. Her daughter would often giggle and laugh a lot.


I was awoken with a jolt to the sound of a gunshot and a scream. My heart nearly burst from my chest. "Mommy!" I could hear her scream. I could hear what sounded like a couple of men's voices downstairs. Their boots stomped across the wood loudly. They fired a couple of extra shots. I could hear them running around the house. I immediately grabbed my silver handgun. I swiftly climbed down the ladder, tip toeing down the hall to peer the corner downstairs. There were two men holding rifles. One of them was going through the pockets of the mother. I saw a pool of blood forming. "Nah, she got nothing on her." the man sighed. "They must have food around here though."

"What do we do with the kid?" the older man asked.

"Put her out of her misery."

That was when I raised my gun. Both eyes open. I pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang as the bullet hit the elderly man in the chest. He fell to the floor with a loud thud. The other man was immediately on guard, holding steady to his rifle. "Who's there?!" he shouted.

I pulled the trigger again. And he was gone too. I exhaled deeply. I left that night when I was supposed to fight the gang because I didn't want to kill anybody. Not with this gun. But now, I just did. I immediately ran down the steps to the woman. She was still alive. She was trembling, blood spilling from the wound in her chest. The woman was wearing a ragged pink shirt with pants. Her chestnut hair was now stained with her blood. I knelt beside her, placing my hand behind her neck to support her. Her blue eyes looked up with me in surprise. "You-" she coughed. "You're the one who's been leaving us food, haven't you?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I've been living in the attic."

The woman turned her head towards the corner. I looked in her direction to see her young daughter trembling in the corner. Her eyes were wide in horror. The mother looked back at me. "Please...take care of my daughter," her voice was cut off from the sound of blood filling her lungs. I nodded. "Y-Yes, I will."

The mother continued to hack up blood, staring at her daughter in the corner. She extended her hand out. The daughter immediately grasped it. Tears pouring from her eyes. The mother smiled to her baby. "My poppy...poppy...my poppy seed...you're safe, dear...don't be afraid...don't be afraid..."

I watched as her smile faded slowly from her face. Her eyebrows relaxed. Then, her face was frozen in that expression. The mother was dead.

Me and the young girl spent all day digging a grave for her mother. I picked the grave site at the base of my favorite climbing tree as a kid. The mother deserved to be buried somewhere nice. We didn't talk, but when I did try to talk to her she said nothing. When the hole was big enough, I dragged the mother's body into it. I covered her bloody body with a white sheet. I was beginning to cover the mother's body with dirt when I thought I saw something moving under the sheet. It looked like a hand stretching out. I narrowed my eyes and slowly reached out to grab the blanket. I quickly flipped it over. I looked down in horror. The mother was turned into a zombie. She was growling, her eyes a bloodshot yellow, and her skin turning a sickly green. I quickly smashed her head in with a shovel before she could do anything else. I tossed it, sitting down and panting.

But, how? The mother wasn't bitten by one of those...things. So, how did she turn? This was disturbing to me. I placed the white blanket back over the mother again and began burying her. She had to have gotten bit, how else?

The daughter placed some dandelions and wild flowers on top of her covered body. I looked at the mother momentarily, before shoveling the dirt onto her body. The daughter outlined the grave with medium size rocks and flowers. I then placed a small boulder for the headstone. When it was done, we looked over it. The cool wind howled in my ears. The silence of the horror was killing me.

I knelt before the young girl. "Your mother is no longer with us anymore. That means I have to take care of you, like I was before with giving you the food, remember that?" I asked. "I'm your guardian angel."

The girl didn't look at me. Her attention was towards the bright blue sky.

"My name is Anza, what's yours?" I asked.

She still didn't say anything. The girl was frozen like a statue. Still looking at the sky. I didn't press for more information. Her mother was murdered before her very eyes. It was obviously very traumatic for her. I remembered when my own mother died. It was in a car accident. My mother's body was so mangled that the coffin was nailed shut at the funeral. That scarred me for life. I expected bad things to happen everywhere as that eight year old child. My father was in grief and my sister in denial. I had nobody.

I decided that it was time to go. I was running short of supplies and I wasn't comfortable lingering around a crime scene. Every time I'd walk into the living room of my summer cabin, all I would see is the mother and her blood. I'm sure the daughter felt the same. I packed what cans of food I had left, along with a first aid kit and a rain poncho. I placed my handgun in the back of my pants and held onto my huge wood chopping axe. I couldn't bring all of my photo albums or my manga, so I decided to only bring one photo album and one manga (which was Dragon Ball Z). Maybe someday I would come back for the rest hidden in the attic. That would only be when or if I was able to live a somewhat stable life in this apocalypse. I placed the two cans of gas and a tent in the back of my red Jeep Wagoneer. It was a big truck, but I still didn't pack it to capacity. We needed to travel light if we were going to be constantly on the run. I noticed while setting up camp that all the little girl would do is stare at the sky. She never spoke once after the death of her mother. That worried me. The child had shoulder length black hair with a pale complexion and wide blue eyes. She used to smile a lot, but now her expression was of no emotion. No will to live.

"Well, I'm not going to force you to talk. But, I do have to call you by a name. It's awkward just calling you 'girl'," I stated, turning the wheel to avoid bumping into a monster. The girl turned to look at me. At least she was acknowledging me. "I think I'll call you 'Sky'. I mean, that's all you ever do is look at the sky. Okay?"

The girl didn't say anything.

I then looked forward, not knowing where this road was going to take me.