In case you're wondering, I like long stories with short chapters. So, that's how I'm gonna write this one. This chapter may or may not be the longest chapter in the story. I have a lot to write about in this chapter. If you don't like it, too bad. This is rated M for violence, and eventually, more violence. It's a zombie apocalypse; not a Teletubby bedtime story.
I looked out the window. "Rose, dinner's ready!" I heard someone shout from behind me. I smiled at the sound of Petunia's voice. I got up, turned and ran to the dining room. When I got there though, I screamed in horror; Petunia and the rest of my family were lying on the floor, covered in blood. Hovering over them were ten zombies, feasting on them. They turned from their meal and faced me. I couldn't move; I was frozen in fear as the zombies jumped up and ran towards me...
I sat up quickly from my nightmare. I was breathing hard and sweating. I looked around myself. I was still on the second floor in the same old barn I had been spending the last 2 months in, in California, with lots of food, water, ammo, and other much needed provisions.
I shook my head to keep from falling asleep again, then glanced outside. The sun was starting to rise, and it was starting to get warmer. I stood up, rolled my sleeping bag up, and tucked it in with the hay. I went downstairs to check my supplies.
I had plenty of food and water, but I was really running low on ammunition.
I grabbed my bag, then filled it with some water, food, a knife, a gun, ammo, and rocks. Then I slung the bag over my shoulder, and walked back upstairs, over towards the window next to where I usually slept. I leaned out to make sure the coast was clear of zombies. Like usual, it was. I slid down the roof to the ladder, then climbed the rest of the way down.
When my feet touched the ground, I put my pack on the ground and opened it up. I pulled out a gun, and tucked it into my pocket. I didn't have one of those gun harnesses, which would come in handy if I ever found one, so for now, I improvised. I strung the bag over my shoulder again, then started walking towards the town, about fifteen minutes away.
The woods are always quiet, so I usually take that route to the town. I could use the road, but I've had bad experience with that, so I just stayed with the woods. Besides. the woods are almost always deserted, so I can think about things as I walked.
The snap of a branch up ahead stopped me. I pulled my gun out of my pocket and hid behind a tree. I carefully peeked around the tree.
In the clearing, a man was looking around, clearly lost. I was about to go ask him if he needed help, when he turned, and I saw part of his face. I held back a scream.
Escorpion.
I hid behind the tree again. I almost dropped my gun. I rolled my right sleeve up my arm to reveal a Z, just like all Zeroes have when they join. I gulped, then rolled my sleeve back down.
What's Escorpion doing here?
I peeked back around the tree to see Escorpion head left, away from the town. I tucked the gun back into my pocket, and waited til I figured he was out of earshot. Then I ran right, towards the town.
When I got to town, I heard someone shouting. I slowed my run down, and pulled my gun out again. It had come from the house I was next to. I walked to the front. The door was wide open. I snuck into the house. The noise was coming from the kitchen. I creeped over to the door.
There were six people in the middle of the kitchen looking annoyed and tired.
"Ugh, there's no food anywhere in this town!" A girl shouted angrily.
"Addy, quiet down!" A man with a beard said, looking around. "You don't want to attract anymore Zs, do you?" He asked her.
The girl, Addy, sighed.
I stood back up.
What are these people doing here?
"Addy, listen to Doc. We don't want to give the Zeroes any extra help in finding us." I heard a woman said.
"Zeroes are looking for you guys?" I asked, coming out of hiding.
Everyone in the group spun around and faced me.
"Who the hell are you?" A man asked me. I couldn't help but stare at him. His skin was blue, and he was wearing a suit.
A suit? Who where's a suit during the apocalypse?
"Why should I answer that?" I asked, leaning against the wall.
"Maybe because we outnumber you." A kid stated.
I shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." I said slyly.
I looked them over. "Are you guys hungry?" I asked.
"Oh, I'm famished!" The man with the beard said.
"You aren't going to find food here, or anywhere else in this town." I said.
"And why not, may I ask you?" The blue guy said.
"Murphy, you don't have to-" The woman started.
"Wait, Murphy?" I asked, interrupting. "As in, The Murphy?" I asked again.
"The one and only." He said, taking a bow.
"You said we couldn't find food anywhere in this town. Why not?" The black woman said, glaring at Murphy.
I sighed. "I already took all of the food when I first got here. There's nothing left here."
An awkward silence followed for a minute.
"I may have a proposition for you." The woman said.
"I'm listening." I said.
"You have shelter, food, water, and other things, correct?"
"Yeah."
"So, if you let us stay with you for a while, we would let you come with us."
"Ok."
"What do you think?"
I thought about it.
Well, why not? There's safety in numbers.
"I guess that would work." I said. "But, of course I'll need to know your names." I continued.
The woman smiled. "I'm Lieutenant Roberta Warren. That's Murphy."
Blue guy.
"Doc."
Guy with beard.'
"Vasquez."
Macho-looking guy.
"10K."
Kid in the corner with a rifle.
"And that's Addy."
Other girl in the group.
"Nice to met you guys." I said, smiling.
"And you are?" Doc asked.
"People call me Trin." I said.
"But what's your real name?" Addy asked.
My smile kind of faded. "I'd prefer not to say." I said.
"So, how far away is your base?" Warren asked.
"About fifteen minutes away. But I came here because I'm running low on ammo." I said.
"Wait, you have ammo?" Vasquez asked.
I nodded. "Here, I'll show you the house." I said. I led them out to the main road.
As we walked, I felt like someone was watching me. When I turned to check, Vasquez's eyes quickly darted away. I looked back to the road in front of me again, but I could still feel him watching me. I looked down at my arm, and realized that my sleeve had rolled up slightly, and you could almost see the Z tattoo. I quickly pulled it back down.
Yeah, that's the last thing I need; the people who are being chased by Zeroes to find out that I'm an ex-Zero. No thank you.
"Here we are." I said, stopping in front of a house. "Come on." I walked up to the porch and opened the door.
Inside, there were literally guns and ammo everywhere. "Why are there so many guns here?" Addy asked, coming in behind me.
I shrugged as the rest of them walked in. "I think there may have been some crazy gun freak here, but I don't know." I said. "But, there's a lot of ammo, and different kinds of guns. You can find some in every single room." I continued.
Warren nodded. "Okay, we don't want to take too long, so find as much ammo for your guns as possible, then meet back here in ten minutes." Warren said. After she finished, everyone split up to different rooms and floors.
I went down to the basement, where it seemed like no one had gone.
The basement had the ammo that I used for my gun. It also had all sorts of non-gun weapons, like knives and swords.
I took my bag off of my shoulder, and grabbed some boxes of ammo. I opened my bag and put them in there. Then, I looked at the other weapons there. They could come in handy.
I hadn't even realized 10K had walked in until he said "How come you're wearing a long sleeved shirt?"
I jumped and turned when he finished. When I realized it was him, I sighed. "You don't sneak up on someone during the apocalypse kid. It's how you get shot." I said. I turned back to the knifes.
"You didn't answer my question. How come you're wearing a long sleeved shirt, when we're in the middle of California?" 10K asked again, walking up next to me. He grabbed a random knife and put it in his own bag.
I shrugged. "I get cold easily." I lied.
10K didn't say anything, but I could tell he didn't buy it. I decided to change the subject quickly.
"How come you're name is 10K?" I asked.
"It's the number of zombies I'm planning on killing." He said.
I held back a laugh. "How many are you on?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
How is anyone supposed to stay alive that long during the apocalypse?
"Six thousand, four hundred and thirty two." 10K said.
I whistled. "That's a lot. What happens when you reach ten thousand?" I asked.
"I change my name." He said simply.
I didn't ask anymore questions. Instead, I thought about, strangely, Chester's Fried Chicken. Yum.
"Where's the rifle ammo?" 10K asked, bringing me back to reality.
"Um, second floor, first door to the right." I said.
10K walked away.
I sighed, and grabbed a Bowie knife.
Why does it have to be so hard to survive?