Chapter 1

Authors Note I really enjoy the film Dawn Of The Dead, very intruiging. So I came upon this category and decided to attempt to write a fic of my own, continuing right after the movie ends. I'm sorry if this fic has already been done several times, this is just my own version of what happens..

I stood there erectly, staring aghastly at the fading figure of Michael, my friend, my partner, my guide. He stood there, his body rigid, a gun poised under his chin as he observed the boat I stood in, as it drifted along the churning waters towards safety, towards another world, far away from all this utter chaos and perturbation. Michael had gotten horribly bitten by one of those monsters..one of those horrid, flesh-eating zombie creatures. He had told the rest of us survivors to leave and go on further without him, as he would soon be one of them himself. I had argued against it, but he had insisted he stay and that we leave him behind. I still think it was wrong of us, even if he was going to turn on us with rage and attempt to attack us. He knew, we all knew, but I didn't want to believe it.

I had grown very fond of Michael. He was sweet, different from all the rest of the selfish, pompous men that I am forced to cope with in order to survive. Michael had been determined, he had helped me several times when I was close to a brutal, gorey death. He was part of the reason why we were here right now. And what had happened? He was bitten by one of those zombie bastards that had taken over our entire city. And now he was being left behind, while we all breathed sighs with utter relief and exhaust swept over us.

The dock Michael stood on substantially was fading and slowly growing smaller and smaller. We drifted along, leaving behind a tone of memories..

I felt a firm hand on my left shoulder. I turned round to see Kenneth standing there, a concerned expression planted on his wrinkle-creased features. "Are you alright, Ana?" he questioned. His navy blue police uniform was tattered and wrinkled, with dark mud and blood stains. He gripped his rifle tightly in his left hand.

I bit my lip to prevent myself from muttering a "no." I didn't want to let anyone know about my loss for Michael and deep, affectionate feelings for him. "I'll manage."

He let his arm fall limply at his side. "Alright. If you need anything, I'm here."

I nodded but ignored his pervious words. What I needed was different, it wasn't something Kenneth could get for me.. I heard the clonking of his footsteps as he retreated back over to where the others sat stiffly and shivering. I kept my eyes on the microscopic figure of Michael slowly vanishing. I could also spot the swarm of zombie monsters forming around him, smothering him, sinking him into the depths of their bloody, gorey evilness.

When I couldn't bare to watch any longer, I pulled my heavy eyes away from the collapsing dock and turned to face exhausted, blood-stained people. Everyone was a gorey mess. Nicole was nuzzling up with Terry. I admired their words of comfort to each other. They snuggled up close, creating a fusion of body heat.

I put one foot in front of the other, making my way steadily and slowly to the others. They all focused their attention upon me. Nicole's concerned expression didn't cause me to spill out everything I was feeling right now.

"Are you OK?" questioned Nicole, her short orange-red hair framing her heart-shaped face.

I shrugged my shoulders, avoiding any further conversation.

"You don't have to still be so miserable," she replied after I didn't answer. "It's all over with now."

"Not with Michael," I murmured.

"So I guess you two kind of had it going on before.."

I snapped like a twig. "No, nothing was going on between Michael and I, we were just really good friends," I lied, my cheeks flaming with fury. How could she possibly joke around like that when Michael was dead.. or close enough.

We had just drifted away from so many memories, from so much gore and destruction, and already everyone appeared to be acting like the past had never occured. Well I certainly couldn't forget it. I felt rather miserable. I felt a terrible loss for my husband, for the young couple Luda and Andre, for Norma, for Steve, even for CJ, a bastard security guard who of course later on turned out to be an alright guy... and I especially felt an arrogant loss for Michael.

Terry stood up abruptly and began rooting through all the coolers and compartments lying around. "I wonder if Steve has any useful values stashed around here."

Nicole watched him eagerly. "Maybe he'll have some food, I'm starving."

"Shit!" Terry exclaimed, hopping backwards right into me. He pointed a shaky finger at a blue cooler that's lid was open. Everyone gathered and peered inside the cooler. A bloody, gorey zombie head lay on top of all the ice cubes in the cooler. It's teeth were bared and it was snarling. It's hair was missing and dreadfully scraggly; it's eyes rolled around everywhere, and were barely in their sockets.

Nicole's cheeks puffed as she leaned far over the side of the boat to do some business. Kenneth scrounged up his nose in sheer disgust. "How the hell would that have gotten in there?" he demanded.

Terry shook his head. "I haven't a clue, Ken," he responded.

Kenneth snatched the cooler and chucked it overboard and into the rushing waters. "Please don't call me that anymore," he said sternly, not a hint of affection was heard in his menacing tone.

It appeared that I wasn't the only one bitter.

"Awesome!" Terry breathed to himself, pulling out a shiny, new looking video camera and flicking it on exhileratedly. He began venturing around the boat taping everyone he caught sight of.

The camera leered in on me. "Where did you get that?" I questioned bluntly.

"I found Steve's camera," he said, swivelling around to tape a shuddering green-faced Nicole, still clutching the sides of the boat. "It was just lying around here."

After minutes of a video camera being shoved in my face, grumbles from Kenneth, and titters from Nicole, I was bushed and completely miserable. I wanted to indulge myself in a deep slumber, but I wasn't able to bring myself to rest. I needed to be alone, not in this world, just right here, right now. I needed to soar in tranquility, try desperately to do the impossible-forget the past. Everyone else could do it, so why couldn't I seem to?

I ventured to the bow of the boat, my mind racing with scenes from our previous shooting event. I could practically see the clear image of me aiming my pistol at a grizzly, snarling Steve zombie, and pulling the triggar aggresively, blasting his blood everywhere... It was amazing how a person on your side, could just turn on you like that.

I leaned far out over the edge of the boat, lost in thought. The crisp air was silent and vacant. There was no birds, no screeching crows, no nothing. Just then, everything drained out of my mind and I narrowed my eyes to see more clearly the faded island in the distance. I couldn't see much of the island itself, as trees covered the most part of it.

"Hey, you guys," I called over my shoulder. "Look ahead. Theres land."

Everyone's heads turned to gaze upon the distant island that we drifted towards drearisomely. Nicole shrieked with glee and Terry breathed a sigh of relief, focusing the camera upon the island as it drew nearer. Kenneth appeared beside me, shielding his eyes from the lustrous sun which had begun to dip behind the distant mountains.

"Kenneth..." my voice trailed off. I couldn't finish my sentence. We were so close to the island now, that everything on it was visible: the lucious trees, the dead grass, the grey drab sky beyond the sizable trees-and the bloodthirsty, bestial zombies.

"Oh shit!" Kenneth cursed aggresively, whipping out his gun and aiming it at the swarm of proceeding zombies. They raced nimbly towards us, their mouths bubbling and overflowing with dark, seeping red blood. They were all tattered and wretched.

I raised my own gun and aimed it directly at the pack of flesh-eating zombies.

"Fuck!" Terry did the same as Kenneth and I, leaving Nicole whimpering with fear.

"Go!" Kenneth hollered, and the three of us raced forwards, fireing our guns vigorously. Blood splattered, insides were blasted, zombies were exploding into pieces.

Kenneth rushed forward, fireing his gun manically and thrashing his leg out at any zombie that came near him. I did the same, rather impetuously.

"Shit, theres so many," I choked. My face was renitent and my whole body was tense, my heart felt like someone's hand was squeezing it, squeezing all the blood from it. I just kept shooting and fireing my bullets at the zombies, but it didn't seem to be getting rid of them, more and more kept coming continuously.

A sharp shriek came from behind me, from the boat. I turned to see two zombies attacking Nicole. They drooled syrupy blood all over here and snarled after her flesh. Terry just turned and ran swiftly to her rescue, fireing his gun non-stop.

I focused my attention on the image in front of me. My vision became blurred and dizziness swept over me. "Kenneth, what are we going to do? Theres too many!"

Kenneth's lips tightened. "Just keep shooting," he shouted blatantly not taking his eyes off the horrific scene he was encountering.

I obeyed, and kept shooting, my arms aching. We had to keep stepping back, as there was too many zombies and it was too difficult to keep track of them all. It was tremendously astonishing to see so many vaguely familiar once-normal people now bloodthirsty, flesh-craving zombies.

As Kenneth and I were continuously firey and shooting at the nearing zombies, one question still remained in my mind: where and how had this vile sickness started?