Hey everyone! I don't really expect anyone to read this just yet; there's only 2 chapters. But y'know. Whatever. I had this stored on my memory stick from school, and people wanted to know I was still alive; so here you go! Not the story you wanted, but hey! It's a story! :D

Hope you enjoy! :)


Sacrifice

Chapter 1

Once Upon A Time…

Once upon a time, the world was a wonderful place. Full of thriving cities, but still with dense, fresh forests. Alas, that was once upon a time. Nowadays, everything has changed.

Instead of vibrant, emerald grass, there was murky, grey slop. The towns and cities that were once great, and filled with skyscrapers, were now unpopulated wastelands of rubble and rocks. Well… not completely unpopulated.

"Come on, Annie!" Thalia whispered, distracted by the sight before us.

"Look! Over there! Follow me." I whisper-yelled back. It was hard to hear, because of all the groaning in the background.

Okay; I should probably explain this situation.

Hello. My name is Annabeth Chase, and I'm a survivor. I'll tell you how this all started, and maybe – just maybe – you'll understand.

Once upon a time, when bustling people were only worried about work, school, and crushes; my best friend, Thalia, and I were doing what all 14-year-old girls were. Sitting on the swings in the park, and joking around about the stupid things we'd done together. It was around 3 or 4 o' clock when we heard it. A deep, gruff growling coming from the bushes a few metres away.

Then, we saw it. As it stumbled towards us, I took in its appearance. Now, you might be wondering, its? Yes. Its. See, this thing was anything but human. With peeling skin, and blood-drenched clothes, I could safely assume my horrific suspicion. This thing, the creature with vampire-like fangs, a rotting stench, and a blood-thirsty expression was something from books. Something that couldn't possibly exist; but of course, it did. The thing in front of me was a decomposing person, a spine-chillingly horrendous creature. To put it mildly, a zombie.

So, going back to introductions. Back when it all started, I was only 14 – as I already said. Now I'm 17 years old. That's right; I've spent the best 3 years of my life in this damn apocalypse. Thalia is a year younger than me; 2 years right now. My birthday was a month ago, more or less. Thalia's is in a week. So, for now I'm 2 years her senior.

I have soft blond curls, and grey eyes. Everyone used to say I was intimidating, and I suppose I'd agree. Right now, I wore an off-white tank top which was stained all over with blood, sweat, and grime. My denim shorts weren't much good for protection, and were just as badly stained as my top. I used to have a denim jacket, but we had to rip it up to use as bandages (I'd stabbed myself in the side when we were raiding houses. When we jumped over the fence, I'd tripped, and fallen into a pile of wood and sticks). Now, the once-jacket was a waistcoat.

Thalia was just like me clothes-wise, though instead of light colours, she was in all black – lucky her, black hid the stains. She had electric blue eyes, and spikey-edged black hair. Okay, sure; my hair had rough edges too, but that was only because we had to cut it ourselves. Thalias' was purposely like that. She had regal features, and had somehow managed to make her stock of black eyeliner and mascara last. There was a silver moon necklace constantly attacked to her neck, and tucked under her shirt for safety – much like my golden locket was.

We each also had a weapon, courtesy of my fathers' old study. He used to collect them and mount them on the walls. I had a small bronze dagger strapped to my upper-arm (with a strip of my jacket, if you must know), and a bronze short sword was looped through my leather belt. Thalia had a bow slung over her shoulder, with a quiver full of arrows strapped to her back – under her backpack. She also had a steel kitchen knife strapped around her ankle, and a 2 foot long sword in her hand.

Me and Thalia have survived this long mostly because we never stay in one place for more than a week. It turns into two if we're injured, but we like to keep moving. Over the past 3 years, we'd come across two other people, and one trio. All died.

So, there you go, caught up to present tense… mostly. I guess you'll learn along the way. Right, back to the moment.

Right in front of us, was a horde of around thirty to forty zombies. We'd only been able to beat twenty or so with minimal injuries. There was no way we could possibly beat them all. So, we did the logical thing; hide. Usually it would work, but keep in mind that this is real life; not a dumb movie. These zombies don't stumble, or hold their arms out, or even shout 'BRAINSSSS!' These zombies move as past as they did in their past life, and were just as strong. Sure, they fell apart easily, but if they came in groups it could be a challenge.

That's why we were now hiding in what looks like… a hospital? Thalia sat down in the large – what I assume once was a – waiting room, and let out a 'hmph'. As the first note of a groan sounded, Thalia shot to her feet and an arrow was fired. It sailed towards my face and I stepped forward, as if welcoming it. It flew a few millimetres away from my cheek, but I didn't even flinch. That's another thing; trust is very important. If I didn't trust Thalia, I'd have died within the first month.

I heard the oh-so-familiar thump behind me, before looking down to see a sword-tip at my throat.


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Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you continue to read the next chapter. WARNING: This story will be cliche. :P

Have a good day (Or night in England :P) Bye

~Rose (DaughterOfLupaxmx)