The wind on the rooftop was light, whistling gently as it passed by the city buildings. The sun was finally rising upon the horizon letting golden light pool into the city. As the sun hit my face I felt its warmth and the breeze blew past again. I closed my eyes, enjoying a moment away from reality. I looked down upon the big city.

I was quite high; High enough to see the tops of some buildings and streets. My eyes scanned the streets below to see if there was anything of interest or that just caught my eye. I saw the grocery store from last night down the street. I searched through the streets from above and spotted another grocery store about eight blocks away. It wouldn't be too far, but it might not be worth the risk.

I couldn't see much more than ten walkers below us though. Plus now Ace needs food and I don't have anything he'd be able to eat. I searched the streets for dead ones and noticed how packed the streets were. There were at least ten dead ones per block all the way up each street. Even with Ace, I wouldn't make it past all of them. The alleyways weren't nearly as populated.

Even then, I don't know how packed the grocery store could be. It could be one or two like last night, or twenty. I'd have to get in through the back and make sure to be extremely quiet. I need dog food, any type of food for myself, and a jacket would be nice if I can find one. It gets quite chilly at night, especially on the rooftops. I still don't know if it's worth the risk yet.

I grabbed my bag, checking the amount of food I had. I saw the airport peanuts and pulled them out. I checked to see the knife, clothes, and two cans of food. I need a can opener too. I sighed, not wanting to leave the safety of the rooftop, but decided that the best option would be to get what I needed. I have Ace to help either way.

I gently tapped Ace to wake him up, petting him as he yawned. As I got up and put my backpack on, Ace stretched and excitedly wag his tail. I stretched as well as I walked to the door. I opened the door and had Ace check the top floor before I followed him down the stairs. I heard that familiar raspy growl as I descended closer and closer to the bottom floor. I froze for a moment not knowing where the dead one was didn't sit well with me, but I continued anyway.

As I reached the last few stairs, Ace lunged forward, taking out a dead one that had been roaming the bottom floor. He barked as he destroyed the dead one, ripping its head off. I called him back just as I noticed the group of dead ones up against the glass doors. Ace's barking brought more and more to the door. They banged on the front door, struggling to get in. I watched as more of the dead ones clamored to push against the glass to get to me.

My heart pounded as my body just knew what to do. My brain almost shut down and I darted out the back door, running with Ace through the alleyway. I ran through the alleyways that weren't too crowded with dead ones as Ace took out any that got too close. Ace ran ahead, taking a few of the dead ones out while I ran to the grocery store.

I rushed into the back door of the store, leaving it open just long enough for Ace to get in. Ace hadn't taken all the dead ones out, so some banged on the back door to get to me. I ushered Ace away from the door, knowing that any other dead ones that could be in the store would be drawn to the noise. I crouched down as to not draw any attention and snuck through the store's aisles, scouting out the number of dead ones and if the was anything of use in the building.

I saw two dead ones shuffling to the back door, banging on it to get to the noise. I waited to see if any others would go over, but no more showed up. Ace growled at the dead ones quietly as he huddled up with me.

"Shh," I shushed him, waiting for the dead ones to congregate together. I finally deemed it safe to search the store for supplies. I took my knife out, just in case I'd need it, and snuck into the dog food section. I grabbed a smaller bag because I wouldn't be able to carry any of the bigger ones. The dog food section was well stocked, but that couldn't be said about the food section. I stuffed the bag into my backpack before continuing. Ace was quite excited at the sight and smell of food, but he calmed down a bit once I started sneaking towards the food aisles.

The store was brightly lit and the freezers and fridges still hummed with life. I passed the freezers and such to the clothing area. I spotted a dark grey hoodie that was adult size. I didn't mind though, so I carefully took the hoodie off the hanger and used the knife to cut off the tags. I pulled the hoodie on over my head and pulled it down. I rolled up the sleeves to keep my hands free and pulled the hood over my head. The hoodie fell to the middle of my thigh. I put my bag back on and went over to the food aisles.

I searched the near-empty aisles and grabbed the few cans of fruit that were left. Ace kept watching for me as I focused on finding food. I spotted a box of pop tarts as well and stuffed all my finds into my bag. I pulled the heavy bag onto my back and decided that this would be enough for now, so I decided to leave the store to find a safe place to eat and rest.

I exited the store through the front door and ran into a random alleyway. Ace stuck with me the entire time, only needing to take out one dead one on our track. We ran together until we were met with a dead end. I looked behind me to see four dead ones rushing towards us. I still had the knife in hand and gripped it tightly as Ace raced towards the dead ones.

Ace ravaged them all except one that was still making its way towards me. I had my back against the brick wall that was at the end of the alleyway. I couldn't move; I couldn't run anywhere because the two dumpsters and the other dead ones Ace was taking care of were blocking me in. All I could do was watch the horrific creature come towards me. Just as the dead one lunged forward to grab me, I lifted the knife to its eye level and stabbed the dead one in the eye.

The dead one went limp and fell to the ground in front of me. I shook in pure shock and horror at myself. I dropped the knife with a loud clang as it hit the concrete. My hands shook and I sunk to my knees. I killed it… I've killed animals before while hunting, but this used to be a person. Tears pooled into my eyes as I couldn't process what I had just done. I hugged my knees to my chest and leaned against the wall behind me.

Ace had finished up with the other dead ones and came over slowly to comfort me. The tears fell and I let out a quiet sob. Ace licked my face to wipe away the tears and shoved his nose underneath my arm. I hugged his neck and regained my composure after a few minutes. I stood up, grabbing the bloodied knife. I looked down at the dead one, leaving it behind as Ace and I went off to find a safe place to rest.

I walked with Ace into a hardware store, scoping it out and letting Ace clear out any dead ones in the vicinity. I sat behind the counter on the floor to keep away from anything seeing me from the front windows. The hardware store was much darker than outside or the grocery store. The only light came from the front windows and the store had a strong scent of rubber.

I opened my bag and pulled out Ace's food. I used the knife to cut open the food and poured some out on the floor for him to eat. He scarfed up the food as soon as it hit the floor. He probably hasn't had food in the last few days.

I got a pop tart out from the box in my bag and took a bite. It was a nice treat for the day that I was having. I ate my pop tart happily as I watched Ace eat his food. I finished my food and laid down on the floor. I curled up into myself, trying to keep warm on the very chilly floor. Ace came over, snuggling up into me. I reached my arm over and hugged Ace closer to me. I stayed still for a moment and fell asleep soon after.

Waking up in the hardware store was quite unsettling. It was pitch black; I couldn't see Ace right in front of me, I could only feel him. I need a flashlight or to find somewhere else to rest for the night. I tapped on Ace and felt him get up and pull away from me. His collar jingled and was a little calming to know he was near from the light jingling.

I scrounged around to find my bag and lifted it onto my back. It was still quite heavy from Ace's food, as well as my food and supplies. I need to find a place to stay for a while so I can stock up on supplies, but we probably won't be able to find that tonight. I struggled to find my way out of the store, but eventually, I made my way out the back door.

It wasn't much brighter outside, but the moonlight made it easier to see. I saw a fire escape with stairs rather than just ladders a few buildings down. I made my way down there, climbing up with Ace trailing close behind. We didn't run into any dead ones on the way luckily and made it up to the roof. I sat down, looking out at the city. This wasn't nearly as high as the one I was on this morning, but I could see the grocery store I was at earlier still lit brightly. The dead ones seemed to be more populated at the store than anywhere else I could see.

They are drawn by light and noise more than anything else. The grocery stores probably aren't a safe option anymore. The two I've been to so far have been almost completely empty of any food. We shouldn't go back to any without good reason. I watched as the dead ones kept hoarding around the grocery store. Maybe a flashlight wasn't a good idea the more I think about it. It could draw more attention than without one.

I sighed and lay on my back. I looked into the sky, seeing the stars above as well as blue-tinted clouds covering small parts of the sky. The moon shined down, gently lighting the city. I tried to find some constellations while I had the time. I spotted the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, but those were the only two I knew.

My Papa (Grandpa) always taught me how to find the Little Dipper because that was how I could find the north star. He taught me a lot of different things. The thought of my Papa made memories of him and my Memaw (Grandma). I knew I'd miss them just visiting Dad, but now… I don't know if I'll ever even get back to them. They're alive though. They have to be. Papa always said that he was too stubborn to die. I always thought he was joking, but now I hope he wasn't.

I miss my Momma. She had the same red hair that I did, always put into a messy bun. She always smelled like her orange perfume, sweat, and old people. She worked as a nurse so I was with Papa and Memaw most of the time, but she'd always take a day off to be with me. She always looked tired, but she never acted tired. She was always running around in the yard with me. I hope she's okay. I felt my eyes tearing up at the thought of her being anything but okay.

I let the tears fall, and tried to calm down, but it wasn't working. I am away from my family, in an unfamiliar city, with my only friend and companion being a random dog that saved me. At least he is a good boy. I gazed over at Ace, seeing where he was resting. I sat up from where I was laying and looked around, slightly bored.

I want to find a secure hideout that I can return to once it becomes day. An apartment building closer to the edge of town would be smart since most of the big groups of dead ones are closer to the middle of the city. I also need to get a better vantage point in the city. Maybe I could even make a map for myself. Plus I didn't get a can opener earlier today. I have a ton of work to do today. Let's just hope it all goes according to plan.