I Am Alpha: The End of Days

by The Illiterate Authors

When the world is consumed by infection, all you have left is your pride and your sanity, Garth must battle his demons and finish his mission to lay his family to rest, is he strong enough? Anthro,one-shot

I Am Alpha: End of days

Hello readers, the Illiterate Authors here, this is the next one-hot in the huge line-up we have planned for you, so please enjoy and keep an eye out for new additions. Now we delve into a world thrown into chaos, where infection is master, and loss is all that you will know. Garth must learn to deal with the demons that fate has left with him ,along with the loss of his true love. Now he must battle the forces of the undead and ultimately answer the question, are we hazardous for our society today?

I woke up in the small hotel room from which I had been hiding out in for the last few days, the stench of rotten corpses and trash still permeated around the area, it made my eyes water. I checked my supplies quickly, a .357 magnum with five rounds, a medical kit, and seven cans of food was all that was left of the package that I had stole from the group of bandits that resided in my old neighbourhood before I escaped.

The sky was dark grey, the streets were empty, it was like one of those ghost towns you see in the movies, I was a bit scared, I felt so alone. I threw on my duster coat and strapped the holster and magnum to my side, I might have been making the worst mistake in my life by walking out into that desolate wasteland, the infected would catch me eventually, it was just a matter of time.

I walked semi-fast, taking glances over my shoulder to see if any stragglers had caught sight of me, all I could see were the bodies that littered the streets, nothing but what once was, all that was left of a world best forgotten. I pulled out the revolver again, checked the ammo, I had four bullets reserved for any bastards lucky enough to get a hold of me, and one for myself, if all else fails. The only thing that I could think of at the moment was my dear sweet Lilly, her snow white fur, lavender eyes, her innocence….It all made me burn with determination, the sadness only creating a hollow shell from which the anger can reside.

I walked down the street that led to my old neighbourhood, only three days ago was it populated by bandits that reigned supreme, now it was like any other lace in the city, a remnant created by the raging infected.

I could still see the looks in my loved ones eyes when Humphrey, Kate's boyfriend, stormed into the dining room where he had Christmas dinner, his eyes blood red and the smell of death emanating from him. He massacred all of them, all that I had left to call family, along with the love of my life, a tear running down my cheek, staining my red fur.

I finally reached the house, the place where I lost everything, a relic that would sit vigilant for all time, continuing to rip me apart inside, tearing my mental capabilities to pieces. I walked in the door way, the blood still stained the furniture, the meal that we would have happily consumed together was left cold, flies and insects dined with content on the nasty morsels. The room where Lilly once held her childhood memories, we had our first kiss, we shared our love for one another, it was empty, leaving a sad ambience to it, my heart aching as I took in the sweet scent she had left behind. The only tangible item left was a picture of her, the frame was cracked and the image was ripped, I didn't care, as long as I had a piece of her with me, I didn't care if I was killed right now.

Nightfall neared, gunshots rang out in the distance, far off and barely heard, a clear indicator that there were others out in the city, Little Jasper still had a twinge of life left in it, such a waste. I could hardly sleep as the sounds of distant screaming were all that I could here anymore, death had a tight grip on reality, choking it, squeezing whatever was left and throwing the remainders to his brothers, Pestilence and Famine, a triangle of evil that forgot to invite one sibling to the party, I guess it was meant to be, war would just make things worse.

I managed to catch a few z's, I got up and geared up again, I couldn't bare to stay in this place anymore, it would only hurt me , like an ex-girlfriend that tries to destroy you and leave you heartbroken, the house was mocking me. The streets were a bit more lively this time around, a group of infected greedily feasted on a new corpse that must have been added overnight, the blood and flesh still red, raw and nourishing, the infected enjoy fresh over old, then again, they are mindless idiots.

I continued my steady pace, I had a bottle of blood that I picked off an infected last time I came in contact with one, I quickly drenched myself in it, the acrid smell was horrid, but with the musk that now covered me, I was almost invisible to these zombified pricks. I slipped by unnoticed, not a scratch or cut, unscathed and unyielding, my task at hand would not be interrupted by anything or anyone. I approached the entrance

to the old high school I used to attend, Howl High was as dusty and forgotten as any institution in this city, but once again it bore memories, small fragments that would try to entice me into a state of depression and death, a sad attempt at best.

I walked by my old classroom, the first place me and Lilly professed our love for each other, I chuckled at the memory of announcing to the entire class that I loved her, I was laughed at and called a loser, she found it cute and stood up for me, it seemed to play out in front of me like an apparition, like I was still there and this was only yesterday, the pain throbbed as the thought dawned on me.

Picking up whatever supplies I could, I left halls behind and went to the mall, an old hangout spot for teens and adults alike, the strength of my memories seemed strongest here, young love, young stupidity, young fun, it all had a home here, sharing separate areas, each corridor had a special piece of my mentality with it. I made my way to the rooftop, everything that my friends and I left there two years ago when I proposed to Lilly was still strewn out across the ground, I scavenged for all the supplies I needed and left, I managed to pocket an old Springfield bolt action that my buddy had forgotten one time we were out shooting pigeons while drunk, his loss was my gain.

My final destination was in reach, our home, the small two floor house on Sawtooth avenue still stood proud and strong, the sight where I raised my children, and lived with Lilly, it was all going to burn, along with myself, I won't allow it to become a festering pit for those savages, not now, not ever.

I spilled the gasoline that I had taken from the gas station down the road in every room of the house, making sure to soak everything. I put on some old tapes that we had filmed as a family, my sons were barely four before this whole mess consumed the world, I watched the memories unfold in front me, I sobbed uncontrollably, releasing all I had pent up since this happened, I was going to make things right, I was going to put my babies to rest.

I placed a lawn chair on the roof of the house, making sure to load the Springfield with whatever ammunition was left, took out a battery powered radio and played the song "Wake up" by Coheed and Cambria, that was our song, the last song played at our wedding. I chugged down what was left of the whiskey I had and fired a magnum round up in the air, the burst of noise is sure to draw a crowd, infected may be fast but they sure are dumb.

As I expected there they were, hundreds from all the neighbouring houses and streets crowded in the street below, howling with hunger and frustration, the rage was all that could be seen in the eyes of the infected masses. I sat down, got comfortable and lined up the sights, I searched the crowd for the familiar faces of what once was my family. Instantly I picked up sight of her, the snow white fur drenched in blood, the eyes a putrid mix of lavender and red, the innocence consumed by hatred, that's my Lilly, my pride and joy.

"No pain, no fright, even though anger shields your sight, I will make sure that you sleep soundly tonight, my love….This is for you baby girl" the words escaped my mouth at the same point that the muzzle of the rifle flashed, my trigger finger shaking wildly, the bullet hit its mark, I watched her slump over and wither away, like a beautiful flower lost to winter, only to fill the atmosphere with beauty in another life.

The tears were flowing down my face as I did the same to my two sons, they were so young, so naïve, just getting to know the world before being snatched away by death. Finally I emptied the last of the rounds into the crowd, hitting whatever I could. I picked up the one match I had left and striked it against the packaging, the small flame dancing in the cool evening wind and then dropped it at my feet. A large blaze erupted around me, the flames devouring anything they could, I reached for the picture of Lilly one last time and kissed it, hoping that she was watching in heaven, the place she was destined to be, who knew that an angel like her would ever be able to fly so low.

" Come on!" I yelled into the sky, "I am ready to accept my fate!". Finally the flames ignited me, killing me slowly, but the pain was nothing compared to what I felt without them, without her, without myself, I lost the real Garth days ago, along with my sanity.

At last in the wake of death, I ponder curiously, what is left for the world? An apocalyptic flood like in the bible? A new messiah? No nothing like that, it will just rot, rot like everything that lived on it, I don't plan to be a part of it, and so I leave this journal entry for any survivor lucky enough to come by it, and so I say, fuck the world, and fuck the infected, I'm coming home baby girl, see you soon….