The world had been devastated by a pandemic. It had started as a type of flu that eventually mutated to corrupt the heart and caused it to slow down and finally stop beating. With no cure in sight, hope was lost as the population started dwindling, followed by the surprise of coming face to face with a presumed-gone loved one.
The thought of the walking dead would have been considered crazy, but now that was life. What else can you call someone who has no heartbeat and craves human brains?
A pale dark-haired man with clouded eyes walked around the streets looking for something… something lost long ago. He would eventually end up at the empty marina not far from the diner. It was routine. Walk to the diner, then walk back to the marina. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned to months, and soon became years. Always searching for what he couldn't remember. He would walk past by the old cannery and the fish market bumping into others like him.
I don't know what to do with my life.
I want to connect with people.
I want to be part of something.
I should eat better.
What's wrong with me?
I shouldn't be self-loathing.
What else can I do, I'm dead.
We are all dead.
I wish I could properly introduce myself, but I don't remember my name.
I think it started with a "K", but that is all I have left.
I can't remember my family or even my job.
I look at the others and wonder who they were.
Were we friends?
It doesn't matter who we were, all that matters is we are now Cads.
I wish I could tell you how all this started.
Was it chemical warfare, or perhaps an airborne virus?
No, perhaps it was an outbreak of monkeys.
It doesn't matter because this is all we have left.
My typical day consists of bumping into other Cads.
But there are worse things than Cads: the Skulls are the end of the line. Once you lose all hope, that is what awaits you.
I don't want to end up this way.
Skulls will eat anything with a heartbeat.
I know I do too, but at least I'm conflicted about it.
I'm lost and alone.
Do others feel the same way or am I the only one?
I have one friend and we mostly grunt and groan at each other.
On rare occasions, we manage a word or two; usually it's either 'food' or 'hungry'.
We travel in packs since everyone and their grandmothers want to play target practice with our heads.
A crowd gathered in a small community on the other side of the forest.
An imposing older man stood in the middle of the plaza. "I'm here to thank you for your exemplary service. Because of your bravery, we continue our fight for survival. Today your mission is to obtain medical supplies to help humanity survive."
A blonde woman leaned toward the brunette standing next to her. "Ruby, do you think we are getting supplies for a new attempt at the cure?"
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Emma, I don't think so. You do see who is giving the speech, right?"
"No one believes in a cure anymore, Emma." A male voice interrupted the girls' discussion.
"Augs, don't talk like that," Emma said.
"Shh, let me listen. This is serious. People are dying," August reprimanded the girls.
"Please, remember that Cads look human but are not! They don't think or bleed. It doesn't matter who they were once, they are beyond your help. They don't care, feel, and are incapable of remorse," the older man said.
Emma muttered, "Sounds just like you, Grandpa."
"Just remember your training and you will return to us," the man said, smiling as he waved to the crowd.
K and the pack of Cads were making their way to the middle of town. The new hunger was strong but they could go for a long time without meals. As they traveled they encountered a group of Skulls screeching as they stared at them with empty eye sockets. The Skulls spooked K a lot. He never wanted to end up like them. To shed off all of your skin and all that is left is bones. The last of your humanity is gone. He had seen many Cads succumb and lose all hope to become those monsters.
The Cads moved slowly, but they reached the center of town soon enough. The faint scent of the living hit them to guide them to where to find their next meal.
Emma, August, Ruby, and three other scavengers had made their way from their safe walled-up sanctuary. They had already gone through the larger pharmacies in the nearby cities. She only hoped they would find a good haul.
The buildings looked apocalyptic as they walked in the empty streets. The group found Dark Star Pharmacy and entered. The building looked bigger from the inside. It was a small convenience store with empty shelves. The group moved quietly as they reached the back of the store and came to the pharmacy area. There was a door separating them from the medicine the camp needed to survive.
Not far from the survivors was K and his zombie horde getting closer.
The scavengers were grabbing some items on the list when Ruby stopped. "Guys, I think I heard something."
August rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it wasn't anything. Let's get back to work and get out of here."
A few seconds later there was a louder thump.
Emma froze. "I heard that! August, we need to get out of here."
"Emma, it's nothing. You guys are imagining things. We cannot leave empty-handed. We need pharma salvage to survive. We have our orders."
"You sound like my grandfather," Emma huffed.
"Thank you," August replied.
"It wasn't a compliment," Emma said, annoyed at her ex-boyfriend's attitude.
"Maybe we can find some Prozac to cheer you guys up," Ruby sassed at them.
Thump
August got closer to the door.
The door burst open with K leading the charge. August hit K, knocking him down.
Shots were fired.
The Cads attacked quickly.
The living fought back.
K was rising to his feet when he was distracted by the vision of a fierce blond cocking a shotgun and firing. He was captivated by her and perhaps he should stay away since she was aiming at his friends' heads. Once on his feet he wanted to follow her, but was interrupted by a loud voice.
August screamed, "Aim for their heads!"
K rushed the man; once he had overpowered him, he noticed his watch.
The man yelped in pain as K took a bite of his arm.
K didn't want to eat people, but this hunger overpowered his limited options. He thought of himself merciful as he opted to eat the brain. This way he would prevent his fate from being passed on to someone new.
When the Cads like K ate brains, they could see moving images in the form of 8mm movies, black and white and without sound. If someone had told K that eating brains would be pleasurable he would have laughed, but now that was the only thing that made him feel human.
This time K was looking at colorless images of a boy and the images changed until he saw her. The fierce blond that had caught his attention. She was younger. She was moving her lips but he couldn't hear her. She smiled and K knew he wanted to connect with her.
A loud scream cleared the images and his eyes turned to the origin of the sound. There she was shooting her gun at his friends, but he couldn't fault her. They were eating her friends. He had just eaten and saved an uneaten portion.
He could see his friends getting closer to her. If they got to her- K moved as fast as he could to reach her before the others did.
She took a shot and hit K in the chest. The gun was quickly reloaded and aimed at his head, but the shot never came. Click... click… Damn it. A misfire with great timing, her eyes grew wide as he got closer. She took out a knife and flicked it his way. He saw the moment she prepared for the inevitable as she dropped to the floor with watery eyes. He knelt in front of her and whispered, "safe".
K turned to the remaining Cads getting closer. He turned to the blonde and smeared blood on her face, leaned in to smell and repeated to her, "safe".
He slowly rose to his feet and extended his hand to reach for her.
She hesitated for a second then looked behind him and noticed the others were just waiting for them. There was no attempt to attack her. So she stood up slowly, keeping her eyes on the pack, and let him guide her.
Emma walked out of the building with K and the other undead.