Chapter One
It was Christmastime in Green Mountain Falls, and the habitually dark sidewalks of Main Street were cast in a warm glow of lights. My heart soared with love for this tiny town, and all 762 of its strange residents.
The snow was falling softly in giant flakes as I walked casually down the street, peering in the shop windows at the holiday displays. A miniature Santa with a stethoscope waved happily at me from the front window of the local pharmacy.
It must be really late, I'd thought, the streets were ghostly silent. The only sound was that of my boots crunching in the new fallen snow. I didn't really mind. In a town where everyone knew everyone else's business, it was nice to separate yourself for a little while.
I was admiring a brightly lit nativity display when the lights dimmed and went out. Suddenly lost in the dark and disoriented, the ground seemed to fall from under me. With a jerk I swung back to reality.
I had roped myself into a tree the night before to try to get a little rest and was now hanging like a pig on a spit, limbs dangling. The realization of my situation hit me like a head on collision as I lethargically lifted one hand to rub my eyes.
I heard her before I could her, that same throaty, labored breathing I'd become accustomed to after this past year of terror.
You see, basically, the world had gone to shit. Due to a virus, or genetic mutation of some sort, the planet and the vast majority of the population had been reduced to a horror like something out of a Stephen King novel. The recently dead wandered, reanimated, and hungry for the flesh of the living. The so-called "Zombie Apocalypse" that we'd all jokingly planned for, was upon us.
My entire body was exhausted. I was bruised, torn, and broken in more ways than I cared to chronicle. I'd been alone in these woods for a week since my escape and had run out of water the evening before.
The walker stumbled over and stood below me. She stretched her pale haggard hands up towards my feet and sneered desperately. She had no hope of reaching me; luckily, as I was a few feet out of her reach. I stared down at her pale features in a kind of daze. Her skin was as grey as concrete, paler than death itself. Even after ending so many of those creatures, I still felt a pang of guilt for what I was about to do and sadness for the loss of the people they'd once been.
I grasped the handle of my knife lazily and pulled it from its sheath. Every small exertion was painful and difficult. With all my cumulative strength, I flung the knife down into her skull and her lifeless form slumped to the ground.
If I hadn't mustered all of my remaining power, then half-jumped, half-fallen out of that tree. I'm afraid my fate would have been completely different. I moaned inwardly as I rolled away from my victim. It was just before dawn, mist shrouded the forest in a dense curtain, and every leaf glistened in the pale pre-dawn light. It was so beautiful in its danger, that I just lay there a moment, staring up at the fading stars. I pulled myself up and swallowed hard. My strength had all but left me, and I worried that if I didn't find a house or town soon, I wouldn't survive.
I forced my shaking body to stand and leant over the woman. I looked at her horrifying features, and imagined what she'd once looked like. She wore a worn pencil skirt and had long black hair. I bet she was pretty once...I'd thought as I brushed a strand of hair off of her cold forehead. With my moment of tenderness over, I pulled my blade out of her skull and cleaned it on her blazer before reseating it on my belt.
I scanned my surroundings to determine which direction I should go, but with the heavy fog, I wasn't even sure from which I'd come. I fell back against the tree in defeat. I began to dread that this would be my end, and without a gun to add finality to the event, I'd become a common terror to the rest of the living.
A gunshot. I sprang to my feet with renewed terror. Could he still be looking for me after a week? My body was paralyzed with fear. No. He would assume me dead; I rationalized, and wouldn't risk gunfire in an open area. Without thinking I took off towards the sound. It wasn t more than a minute when I heard two more shots. Close.
Through a thicket of trees and bushes, a prison was visible. A prison? I couldn't decide if I'd rather die in this forest, or risk more abuse at the hands of dangerous criminals.
I could see a masculine figure walking the perimeter of the grounds. Before I could really think, however, my decision was made for me. I heard the snarls and quiet thuds of once lifeless feet in the misty forest behind, and I bolted out into the clearing. I waved my arms and shouted at the figure.
I'm almost sure I saw him turn to look at me as my vision started to blur and I felt my knees buckle. I stumbled towards the wire fence as a walker lurched at me. Rolling over onto my back, I struggled to hold him at arms length, his jaw snapping wildly, nostrils flared. I knew it was over. My arms were burning with the effort and my world faded to black. I felt nothing, just the relief of the weight towering over me, and a weightlessness that crept into my bones as darkness consumed me.