The sun is scorching. Vultures fly in the distance. What is left of them, anyway. Bones, skeletons of birds with barely enough flesh and feathers to keep them in the air. Alex falls down, something grabbing her leg. A crawler. She was too focused on the birds, forgot to look. Her gun falls. She tries to reach, shoot. The clip is empty. The vultures star moving towards her. The crawler pulls at her, tries to bite. She is too tires, overwhelmed. Perhaps this is then end.
It didn't stop at Raccoon. The city was bombed too late. The virus got out, spread. Covered the world. Those who received a vaccine would survive. In shelters, in basements, hiding away. It seemed like the world would go back to normal. But the virus began to mutate. Some countries have decided to resort to nuclear strikes to eliminate the larges concentration of the undead. Regardless if there were any survivors in the area. Communications went down. Many survivors died. But the hordes of undead remained, some developing into radioactive mutants.
She thought she was safe in the Umbrella shelter. The scientists have made a vaccine to prevent people in the shelter from turning but it would not stop them from dying to the undead. Communications cut off. Hoards on the roads. Resources limited. No way to get the vaccine to others. No way to know who was alive and where. Life went on. A small group of them hiding. Unaware of the outside world events. And then the night came. There was a strange moon that night. Blood red. A storm without clouds. Lightning out of the blue. Sky turning red. It was said once that when hell is full the dead shall walk the earth. And the blood red sky was nothing short of apocalyptic, hell like. The hoard was massive, hundreds of dark shapes moving under the light of the blood moon that seemed to make the entire sky glow red. They broke the concrete walls of the shelter. It was like hell. They managed to escape in car. Not all. The hoard divided. Some attacking those that remained in the shelter, others running after them. Yes, they were running, with the speed of the devil, nearly catching up to the car. A bloated police officer with a greenish glow exploded in front of the car. They capsized. Rolling down the cliff. That was days ago.
She awoke a good distance from the crashed car. The car had exploded, its charred remains far to her left. It was day now. The hoard was gone, vanished as suddenly at it appeared. She had never seen a moon like this, never seen the moon effect the undead. This was new, strange. It was as if they could somehow sense the people thought the thick walls of the shelter. But there was no time to wonder. Finding a gun on the ground she moved. Not sure where. The roads were dangerous but so was the wilderness. She found a house, walls broken, damaged. Not much useful. Some water and food. Not enough for a long time. it only lasted her a day. The heat was exhausting, the cold at night was worse. But at night is then the creatures seemed to come alive. During the day they wondered as is asleep, sleeping, standing still or slowly walking. A night they ran and they were fast. This happened of the night of the red moon. Things changed.
There weren't many of them in the desert. She could avoid them. There weren't many places to hide. She lasted three days now it seemed like it was the end. She hits the crawler in the head with her gun. Tries to get up but the birds are already swarming her. Skeletal beaks and claws tearing at her clothes. Somebody shoots. One bird drops. Somebody grabs her arm. Pulls her away. Another shot. She is covering her face from the talons. Doesn't see who it is. They shoot the pursuing birds. She finally looks up. Eyes wide in disbelief.
He smiles at her. Sun reflecting in the dark glasses. He is wearing the S.T.A.R.S. uniform. She thought him long dead. The virus reached the city so fast they didn't have time to react, to get him out. The team never made it to mansion. They were still in the city when the first people began turning.
"You're alive." She says in disbelief.
"So are you." He says, surprised.
The road is not far, there is a car. People inside are waiting. Armed. Same uniforms as his.
"Captain" the brown haired young man looks up at him.
"We have a survivor." He says.
Alex gives an uncertain smile.
"Get in the car. " Says a blond man behind the wheel.
She sits next to a young woman with a red west and an older man in a S.T.A.R.S combat vest.
There is a turret attached the roof of the jeep. He gets on. A small hoard as already moving closer to them. Four from behind another six from the sides. They pull away fast. Leave them behind. They leave the desert soon after. Sand gives way to grass. Some trees. They turns. Go into a small town. Up a hill into some type factory. It's reinforced. Barbed vires, spikes, metal gate covered in scrap metal. Somebody opens the gate from inside. It's not a large area. Packed with some cars, and trailers. There are people walking around, military wests, and guns. A young woman with short brown hair comes running, first aid kit in her hand.
"Is anyone hurt?"
Albert gives her a questioning look. She shakes her head.
"I'm fine"
The woman looks at her.
"You found another one?" she says happy.
Another woman comes. She is also wearing S.T.A.R.S uniform.
"Welcome back." She says. "You found a survivor. And what about…"
"Nothing." The brown haired man says.
"It's like the vanished into thin air." Albert says.
"But a hoard of the size?" the woman is in disbelief.
Alex realizes why they were out there.
"I don't suppose you would know of it?" He asks.
Alex closes her eyes, remembers.
"I know." She says.
They take her inside the large building. The machines of the factory mostly gone. The large empty space turned unto a sleeping area with sleeping bag on the floor and tables to eat. The metal stairs lead up into t a smaller room. Papers, maps, newspaper articles, on the table, the walls.
She is introduced to then now, these people he is working with. Tells them about the strange moon, the hoard and how she escaped. They all look horrified.
"Will it happen again?" Claire asks.
"Things changed after that night." Alex says. "You noticed it, haven't you?"
"yes." He answers.
"This not the virus anymore" she says. "it can't change the moon."
They all agree.
"This is something else." Chris says. "But can we do anything against a hoard of that size? "
"We need to prepare." Alber says. "Reinforce the walls, weapons, ammunition, barricades. Traps around the area. Anything that could reduce their numbers before they reach us. "
"But we have no way to know then it will happen next" Jill says" can we make in time?"
"If we do nothing we will perish." Barry says firmly." The captain is right. We should set up traps in the town, might take out a bunch of them before they reach us. "
The others seem to be in agreement.
"We need every resource that is available." He says" wood, metal, anything we can use. Keep a small group posted here just in case. Everyone else needs to go and gather supplies. Take the entire town apart if you have to."
"Yes, captain." The all say in unison.
They work in small teams of two or three. She goes with the Redfield girl. Rides on her motorcycle to some remote area. A gas station and a few houses far apart from each other. Getting out the remaining gas and taking anything useful that is still left. Some of the houses look like they were once reinforced. People had been trying to survive. Now the doors are torn down. Several sleepers inside. They begin to rise. Alex shoots one, its head exploding. The new gun isn't bad. at the end of the day they head back, before dark, before the zombies start running and become stronger. She isn't sure why this happened. Why things changed. The virus was not the only thing causing this. She was certain. But for now they needed to survive. Any day now the blood moon could rise again and the massive hoard of undead could wipe them all out.
It's night and she hears the groans of the dead. It was empty during the day but now they seem to gather around the factory, trying to get in. Not that many but still dangerous to leave unchecked. Gun shots echo. She buries her face in his chest. The small trailer he is staying in provides some comfort. The bed isn't that large but it's not the cold hard ground. He plants a kiss on the top of her head. She looks up. Kisses him. Undoes his shirt, spreads her hands across his chest. She is tired, she should sleep -more work to do tomorrow. But tomorrow is still hour's way. Tomorrow they could all be dead. Now is all they have, all that really matters. So she kisses him with passion. He returns it. And nothing matters anymore. For a moment they stop counting the days to die and once more count the days to live.
