The way down back to the street wasn't an easy one. I crossed the wooden plank the bridge the roof I was standing to the adjacent building. There I found some more supplies, and the place looked like people quickly packed up and leave. I found more bandages and canned food.

Oh my.

I am a vegetarian so eating meat will really make me sick. But in this situation, there is really no time to picky. It's not like many people will still leave carbon footprints here on earth if most are now mindless zombies right? I placed everything on my bag and quickly head downstairs.

But I'm not alone this time.

I can hear audible groans and moans that clearly came from the infected but there is something else.

I carefully sneaked around the floor and heard something different:

"Coughing?" I said to myself. "Somebody must alive and being choked?" I was really confused right now.

As I trekked down the stairs, I can now hear footsteps and shuffling of feet. There is also high pitched squeals and louder and aggressive groans. I quickly readied my crowbar in hand, gripping it tightly. I took a deep breath a few times before I went down the stairs.

This time coughing sound was gone, but the infected still lingers. I saw one walking around in similar fashion as the man earlier but this time he kept leaning on the blood stained walls. I kept myself low and quietly as possible snuck up behind him. I was praying that when I got him in grabbing range, he is leaning on the wall.

I have no other choice, the infected in blocking my way. I wasn't cut out for this but I have to. It's me or him. I need to survive, I need this.

With speed, I grabbed the infected by the neck and he screech madly at me. His hands are trying to grab my head but I never let him. The crowbar is stuck on his neckline suffocating the air of him.

Wait, do these zombies need air?

The answer came rather too quickly. The struggling stopped and the infected falls to the ground. I let him go carefully as to not attract attention, and looked down on him.

"Oh, no..." I whispered

These zombies are actually alive.

"The infection did not kill them, but rather made them mad or berserk. This is just my theory but still..."

I stared for a good five seconds at the still corpse then looked at my hands. It showed red marks on my hands and wrist, I just realized that I used all of my strength for that strangle, the crowbar is still in my hands and didn't even realize I was gripping it very tightly.

"It's me or you." I said rather coldly to the corpse. "I'm sorry, I had no choice, I had to survive in this." I continued before leaving and proceeding towards the stairs. Reaching the ground floor, I found myself at empty lobby of the building. It was deserted, piles of corpses on the left side made me sick and bullet casings made me feel bad.

"I need to keep going" I told myself.

I opened the door at the right wing of the lobby leading to the back alley when a female infected burst out the moment I opened the door.

"EEP!" I let out a squeak as the infected was on top of my trying to claw my face and even attempting to bite me. She has a bite mark on her left shoulder and several wounds that gave the reason of why she became infected.

"GET OFF!" I shouted at her as I struggle to break free from her attacks. I was surprised on how I strong I was. I was sure my strength was giving up but alas, I manage to shove her off me. She stumbles backwards and was disoriented for a moment.

She screeches at me as she manages to get up to her feet and tries to tackle me down again. This time, I am ready.

With the crowbar in hand, I swung it at her head the moment it comes in striking distance. The guts and blood splattered over me but I quickly closed my eyes at my mouth to avoid any contacts.

I heard a loud thud and opened my eyes. My arms did not move as it was still in the swing position but my arm is covered with blood. The crowbar was also the same story but there is guts sticking to it, I think some are parts of her brain? Gross.

I looked at the infected lying on the floor, she was now bathing in her own blood and some of it began to reach my shoes. The once white and pink shoes of mine are now crimson red. I looked back at the once head of my attacker. It was gone or at least most of it. It was gruesome sight.

I suppress the urge to vomit again but I told myself to get use to this. I know for a fact that I will do this kind of actions again and probably going to see much worst view.

I sighed heavily as I close my eyes and let myself slide on the wall I leaned on. my hand never let go of the bloodied crowbar but at least I managed to shake of the guts that were hanging there.

"Get yourself together Monika. I... We... I... need to survive!" I said to myself at least three times before getting up and wiping the blood of the crowbar at the shirt of the dead infected. About the stains of my clothes, well it can't be helped, I hate stains but right now I let it be.

I went outside of apartment and into the alley. I can hear the infected nearby and there are many of them. After a few moments, I found myself on the other street which is surprisingly deserted. But I know that I'm not alone. I have that feeling that I'm being watched.

I looked left and right and saw a police mobile with its compartments open. With knowledge of opened compartments of a police mobile, there should be weapons inside.

And to my surprise I only found ammunitions. It varies though, and my mind starting to hurt the moment I pick one box up. It was giving me information about these ammunitions?

"A 5.56 NATO round, 9mms, .45 calibers, and many more" I mumble out before covering my mouth with my free hand in shock. "What did I just... said?" I asked myself. The information still swarming in my mind though, the knowledge of bullets, and even the weapon the uses them, how to handle, reload, shoot and aim. Everything is flooding my mind.

I don't know why but in the world I am right now, it will be a great use here. I admit I am familiar with guns I never wield any in my entire existence now how to properly wield them.

The thought excite me and scared me at the same time.

"I need to find a weapon..." I looked around; I noticed that there is a trail of blood from the mobile and into one of the stores. Its windows are broken and lights are still on. I grabbed my crowbar and went through the window.

Inside the store was a mess and I figured that this was a clothing store. Looking around, I saw bullet casings and a group of dead infected at the window. The blood trails kept going until the corner of the store. There I found a dead police officer and from the looks of it, he is been lying there for a while now but what I intrigues me is what he had in his hand.

A German P08 Luger.

I picked it up and information flooded in me again.

Honestly, I found it odd for an American police officer to have an old WWII German pistol but I cannot complain about that, a weapon is a weapon. The next question was if the ammo I found would be a fit for this weapon. Information flooded my mind again as a picked up the pistol and inspect it my hands.

The gun was quite handy as expected but it was manageable I tried holding it with my two hands, aiming it, and then try using one hand. I noted to myself that I will try practicing this when I get a breather. As information flooding my mind I found that the pistol was modified to fire standard 9mm rounds, which was really odd. Perhaps the owner modified this to suit the modern times?

I cannot question this idea since the important thing is now I have a weapon to really protect myself.

I also took the holster of the weapon from the officer while muttering an apology and strapped it on my waist. I smiled to my self that the holster surprisingly fits me well. I check the ammo of the weapon and load one bullet at the chamber. The gun has eight bullets so I need to keep the shot counts. I found magazine reserves and place it on the pocket of my skirt just in case.

I was so busy at arming myself that I never notice something was at the window and heard the coughing from before. I spun around alert and I wasn't really prepared to what I saw.

An infected but his looks are much more sinister. Half of his upper body is covered with boils? Or I think it was boils. I don't know, but it was disgusting and some tentacles are spurting those boils. A ominous green smoke is being emitted from it as well.

Is this even a zombie or an Alien?

Before a can react, a long (Tongue) shoots out from its mouth and coiled me rather quickly. I found myself squeal in surprise and being dragged towards him. I cannot resist for a moment and every second I getting near him. I saw at glance that his hands are ready to claw me to death.

Fortunately, I got stuck at the pile of broken mannequins but his strength is still tugging me and the tongue began to coil around my body and a start to choke. My body is in pain as I was being too constricted.

"Come... on!" I struggled to get the pistol from holster my hands began to felt numb at every moment. it took two more tries before I finally have the weapon in hand. But in my position, I cannot fire a shot at him.

I got an idea but it was risky, I will roll so I can face him but this also moves me out of the debris and he can pull me towards him. I can barely hold on as my breath began to shorten as each passing second.

It's now or never.

I rolled at my right side and he quickly began to pull me closer to him but his grip in my body loosens quite a bit; This gives my right hand free and quickly took the pistol and aim it at him as I get close. I'm really sure I won't miss.

BANG!

The shot was loud and this made the infected stumble back, the tongue loosens and I quickly got up. Adrenaline is rushing into my body. I held the gun in both hands and began raining the last seven lead on the infected. At the last bullet he flew backwards with an explosion of green smoke.

I quickly reload the gun and kept it aimed at the corpse who now is lying on the hood of a car.

"Wow" I just said to myself. I never knew firing a gun has this pleasurable sensation. Call me weird but when I fired the gun, as if my pain and tensions was shot away with those bullets. Is this a new form of stress relieving? Well at least I feel fine.

Unfortunately the relief was short live for the car that infected was on began to alarm loudly. It echoed across the street and knowing several zombie facts, loud noises attracted hordes.

"Oh no." I said as I heard a loud growl at the distance. I quickly returned to police mobile and packed all of the ammo I can carry with me. I took a glance at the alley I came from; the horde began to appear from it. My face turned white at that. The whole city is going to down on me.

"Oh crap! Run Monika Run!" I said as I began sprinting. The bag was quite heavy now but I kept my distance between them and myself.

My legs found new resolve strength every time I sprint towards a new corner. The horde is still at me. I tried to take pot shots at the horde taking down a handful of infected but they still kept coming.

"No good!" I said as I holster the now empty luger.

I came across the fence but thankfully it is easy enough to clime over. In no time, I got over the fence and tried to stop to catch my breath, seeing the infected rather slowing down the moment they saw the fence. But I got no break from it.

They began climbing too!

"WHAT THE HECK!" I shouted before making a dash for it again. My legs are feeling numb now and the longer this keeps on, the sooner they will catch me. I tried to look around to see where I can go. I was now at a street again. The horde kept coming at me.

Then after a few houses, I saw another opened door. I made a run towards it and quickly shut it behind me and mind you, it was a nick of time too. That infected probably suffered a heavy door slam.

And speaking of slam, they began slamming the door and the wall around it! And in that number I will probably had 10 seconds to make a head start. I ran upstairs of the building and on to the second floor window that was adjacent to the opposite building. I jumped as high as I could to the other building and closes that window and brought the cabinet down for a good measure. Who knows, those zombies probably knows how to jump too.

I quickly went downstairs and into the street again, I can still hear to horde getting louder and louder and I ran to a nearby house across the street, Close its door and hid myself in a kid's room on the second floor. There was a window and I took peek to the outside street, the horde was there but it seems they lost track of me. And began running towards the opposite direction.

"It's over..." I sighed and sat down on the floor again. I'm sweating heavily and my body feels like giving up. My mind is super awake my hands are like machines moving automatic: reloading my Luger and keeping the empty magazines on my pocket.

I was peaceful again and I took a rest for a bit. Mixture or emotions and fatigue is sending my mind into edge of sanity. I had to keep a sharp mind.

I opened my bag and took one of the canned goods. The moment I opened it, my stomach grumbles badly. I quickly mowed down the canned meat rather unceremoniously.

Screw the vegetarian thing.

Screw my diet.

Perhaps I wanted to eat meat for a long time?

Well who cares... This is an apocalypse and nobody is gonna care right?

I happened to finish my ration in record time probably, all my etiquettes, grace, and posture of being a president of the literature club is now gone. I'm just Monika. Monika who is fighting to survive, will do anything and eat anything.

I removed my blouse and unbuttoned my shirt for a moment to let the cool breeze in, they sun is now setting so going out in the dark might be a bad idea. So I decide to stay here for a while. This room was rather peaceful compare to the end of the world outside.

It kinda reminded me of Natsuki in a way.

"I wonder... Where are they?" I asked myself. "They must be back in that world. Alive and well." I stopped at that, I don't want anymore memories of the club bother me right now.

Time flies really fast. I don't know how long I stayed sitting on that floor. the sun has almost set itself down and the house began to become a little darker. So with little light left, I scavenge around the empty house and fortunately I found a Electronic lamp and surprisingly electricity still runs.

Despite all that, I don't want to risk opening lights right now. So I decided to plug the lamp and used it in the room instead.

Locking myself from the outside world and night sky greeted me. I looked at the window again, Darkness filled my eyes, A dead city. I can hear the gunshots and screams of people from the distance. I shook my head and returned to the bed.

Though quite small, it is big enough for a person like me to fit in somehow. The room is still tidy too as if people seldom sleep here. It's fine as long as I can get some rest from this entire nightmare.

I removed my clothes and hanged them in the now empty cabinet by the bed. nobody wouldn't mind right? I'm alone anyway so might as well make this feel at home so to speak.

I looked at my blouse, it was stained in blood, my skirt is dirtied and my shirt is messed up. I found myself then looking at the mirror: I am messed up.

"I deserve this" I said before going back to bed and lying flat on my back. everything aches in my body, my feet, legs, arms, hands and even my chest. and to that note, I removed my undergarments to let everything free just this once. I put them to the side of the bed along my bowtie. The breeze invaded my senses at that and I quickly pulled the blanket over my naked body.

Of course I did not forget my pistol which is hidden underneath the pillow.

At last I can rest. For now it's just peace: a peace in the middle of chaos. Perhaps asking that might not be too much at all. I needed it for my adventure ahead who knows this might be my way of redeeming myself, survive this world.

And I will.