Chapter 1

Walking into the town, even in the rain, I found it strangely wrecked and deserted. Nothing that I would count out of the ordinary in the zombie infested Earth of mine. Keeping my rifle in my hands, I switched off my music, and proceeded cautiously. Taking quite steps as my boots made small squelching sounds in the dirt road. The town was pretty much a ghost town, nothing living as well as dead. I'd seen this a few times in the past, I had labeled them 'Test Grounds'. Because, thats what I guess they were. All infected, no dead. Taking a harder look at the buildings, I saw that they were brightly colored and made of thatch. A few lazy thoughts began to appear in my head, distracting me into standing still for a few moments.

Then a scream erupted from behind me, causing me to instinctively raise my rifle and point it at the direction of the scream. And by god, I wanted to see what I saw. But, at the same time I was horrified. There, in front of my eyes, was a small ruby red unicorn running to me. It was quite obviously a young filly, with fear and desperation blazing in her eyes. I looked to why she was running to me, and I got what I asked for. Three, quite rotten and dead looking, ponies with the dead look, the one you couldn't fake, in their eyes. Dried and black blood covered their body, I could see every detail of their figures quite easily. The one in front a middle-aged mare, with blond hair and a nice red coat. Whose height came up to my chest easily. The other two were different in appearance, but I couldn't get the details down before I gagged. Their prey was quite obvious,

The little filly running in my direction.

I raised my rifle, pointing it down range to the three monsters chasing the filly.

"Over here!" I yelled to the red unicorn. Who's eyes looking to me with a glimmer of hope. I could easily shoot over her, so I did. I put my whole clip of 5 bullets down range at the three zombified ponies. Which zipped into their bodies, dropping them. The ending of the shooting was very anti-climatic, leaving a sick feeling in my gut as I saw the three fall. My aim was dead on, but I felt as if I wanted to burn the gun in my hands for doing what I did.

I felt a nudge on my leg as I stood in shock. Looking down, I saw the weary, but thankful eyes of the filly I had just saved. All I could give in response was tears, kneeling down. I looked her eyes and said,

"My name is Drew, can you understand me?" The filly nodded weakly, and pretty much collapsed in my arms. I blinked out the tears I had from killing, pretty much sentient, zombie horses. It hurt me that I didn't have time to bury their bodies.

God I needed a shrink.

I looked from my duffel bag, back to the sleeping filly in my arms as I kneeled. Taking out my medical bag, and the other bag of food. I placed the filly inside the bag, keeping her head above the zipper level. With her looking majorly content inside the duffel bag on my right side, I put rifle over my shoulder, I drew forth Peace, my trusty right hand pistol. Turning about to look about in the rain, I attempted to look for a sort of shelter from the rain. I had two good reasons for wanting shelter; One, being that it would keep me protected from the rain and zombies alike. Two, being that I absolutely HATE being sick. Looking around, I saw what I suspected to be a library in a tree. My conscious stopped me once more, Libraries don't go in trees. I silently agreed, turning to my right, and pressed forward.

Taking a route out of the town, the opposite route to which I woke up on. As I kept forward, came in contact with what I suspected to be a forest. No matter what way I thought of it, it gave me the creeps. Tightening the grip on my pistol, I kept to the edge of the forest, following it out to what my senses guessed was east. A few thoughts began to swim lazily in my head again, standing side by side with my strong focus of my surroundings. This place reminded me of a television show I watched as a innocent kid. The name of the show is always in my head, but I couldn't remember what the land was called, Questia? My conscious suggested, but I knew that it wasn't right. The town as well I had been in looked vaguely familiar. My conscious seemed to know this one again by heart, Ponyville. I chuckled at the thought my earlier years, never the thoughts of dying day to day. I stopped dead in my tracks as a cottage came into view. From the distance I was at, it looked as if it was made from a tree. Taking out my other pistol, having bad past experiences with cottages, I pressed forward to the cottage in the rain.

I shivered as I reached the front door of the cottage, I wrapped my right gun on the door. I heard a pained whimper from inside in the door, which by instinct, made me pushed the door open. A wave coppery scent hit my nose, which was the mix of fear and blood. But, what I saw this time wanted to make me beat the shit out of the next monster I came intact with.

In my line of vision, which happened to be dim from the lack of lighting, was a cream yellow pegasus. She was curled in the far right corner of the room, possibly in fear. In the center of the room was a bleeding out unicorn stallion. I slowly kneeled on the ground, releasing the duffle bag onto the floor. I placed Vengeance and Peace in their holsters, grabbing at my medical bag from my side. The stallion on the floor had a charcoal coat, and a winter-snow color of hair. He had a marking on his flank of a pen and pencil in a X shape. But, from what I saw, was slowly fading away. I pulled out the wet roll of bandages from my bag, trying in vain to close up the wound on his right side.

That is when he attacked me.

He turned, his eyes full of the sign of death and fury. The stallion decided to try and chomp on my right arm. Which, he got, biting onto my right arm. I screamed, pulling out Vengeance out of its holster, and put a bullet in his brain. To note, caused a ear shattering 'Bang!' He slumped onto the ground, fully lifeless. I stared at my arm with pain squinted eyes.

"Bugger all!" I yelled, digging into the medical bag with my left hand. Pulling out a fresh roll of bandages, I began to unroll it onto the wound, over my jacket. I hissed through my teeth. Rushing to finish the wrap, I tried it off in a loose knot. Turning my attention to the other in the room, I said in a weary voice,

"Are you bitten?" She nodded with a large sense of fear, I walked over with my medical bag. Pulling out a vial of the green herb and an injector. I kneeled in front of the fear struck creature and explained to her,

"This is a cure, it will help you, just please sit still for a moment." I filled the needle with the green liquid, nicking my left thumb with it on accident. Hissing between my teeth, I looked to the pegasus with my weary face,

"This will only sting for a moment, then you feel feverish, and by all means try and vomit." I slowly put the pegasus' left arm, which was the only thing that was available to put a needle into. Going back to my bag, I took out my last roll of bandages. Turning my attention back to the cream colored pegasus,

"Where were you bitten?" I asked, to which the creature held out its wing. It was quite clearly cladded with blood. I nodded, turning back to other bag, which happened to be my food and water bag. Taking out a bottle of water, I opened the top, and poured a small amount onto the pegasus' outstretched wing. Cleaning it out, I took the rest of the vial I had used with the injector, and poured it over the wound. Taking out some antibiotics, I swabbed it over with my finger, and finished it off with the bandage. Passing the water bottle to the pegasus, who accepted it. I stood up, and walked back to the duffle bag. To find the ruby-red unicorn filly awake, and with wide eyed fear and wonder. I put down my rifle and two other bags. Turning to the charcoal stallion, whose life I had taken and released, I picked up his body. Taking it outside, and gently laid him on the soil. I gave a almost hushed voice to the ground where he laid, I said the words like I said them many times, and had choked on them,

"To the Gods, I give you a soul who has lost its way, I hope you pardon his actions, and place them upon my sins."

I gave a slight nod, becoming drenched once again with rain. Turning back around, I went into the cottage and closed the door.

Standing in the room, tears streaked my face once more. I gave another light chuckle, and a quirky remark,

"Its been a long day." I sighed, and walked over to the pegasus in the corner. To which I gather was a mare, and still somewhat in shock. Beside her, the bottle of water I gave her was drained, the effects of the cure working in place. Going back to my duffle bag, looking at unicorn who I hadn't even gotten a name from, I grabbed up the bag I had gotten the water from. Taking it with me, I went and sat by the mare in the corner. Digging through the bag, I found a flashlight, giving a flat faced expression, I flicked it on. It's bright illuminance filled the room, I set it in front of me. Taking in the room, the whole of the room was barren of furniture. Which I saw was all stacked against the windows. I guessed that the mare had been trying to barricade the room, but didn't have time to get the door. Taking out a granola bar from my bag, I struggled to open it with my shaking hands. But, I got it open and broke it in half. Handing a half to the pegasus,

"Here, you'll need this." I started with a waring thin voice. She accepted it without hesitation, and through it quickly snapped through it. I stood back up, going over and took up my bag with the filly in it. Taking it over near the mare, I set it, and sat in between the two. Handing off the other half of the granola bar to the filly who accepted it like the other had. A soft and familiar voice spoke up beside me,

"Uhm... Thank you." the pegasus muttered softly. Normally, no one would would of been able to hear what she said. But, one's hearing would sharpen if it was always on alert. I smiled as I heard that she spoke, and I recognized it quite quickly.

It was Fluttershy.