The Survivor's Guide to Surviving the Infection

Chapter 11: K is for reKap

Two months, three days after first Infection

"It was October (maybe September) when it started…I think. It was..it was just another flu. Everyone thought it was just another flu. It acted like one, it felt like one, and no one was worried about it. What was there to be worried about? People get the flu all the time, it's nothing special. CEDA was on the scene almost immediately, letting everyone know it was okay, wash your hands, shit like that. Just like any other flu season.

"And then…Everyone got sick. Couldn't walk down the damn street without someone throwing up or having a seizure. Then the riots started, then the real Infection started. I thought I was smart. I locked myself up in my apartment. I was in there for three days, three days too long. I left, and went to get myself some proper weapons. All I had to defend myself with was a frying pan. Tried not to think too hard about the "people" I was hurting. The first real encounter I had that almost ended badly was with a Witch. I just barely got away. And so life out on the streets in the fucking zombie apocalypse began.

"I don't know what the hell I was doing out there. Still not sure how I managed to keep myself alive. But…I had a run of good luck. I think…I think I heard him first before I met him. Cause when I found him, he had his leg caught in a bear trap, so I think because he screamed, I shot a stupid Boomer and got myself covered in goop, which led me to run for a safe house and that's where I found him.

"Normal people would have thought I was crazy, but since there were no more normal people, helping out a fucking Hunter was a pretty damn good idea to me. But I'm glad I did that. I think because of Zachary, I've managed to keep some sort of sanity during those early weeks. And it's been what…a month now since we've met? Maybe more? I don't know how it's been since this all started. It's felt like years really.

"A week after I found Zachary, we met a Smoker named Ryan. Ryan's intelligent, to say the least. He has more of his mind than any other Infected I knew. He had no recollection of who he was or what he once used to be, but he could still speak human, so that was enough for me. Shortly after, we met Antonio. Not officially though, he and Zachary got into a scrap, and that was the most of him we saw that day. Didn't stop him from stalking us for a while, but he was a lifesaver at one point and well…Couldn't hate him too much after.

"I have no idea what we're after anymore. The boys just follow me around because they like me, but they don't have any drive in their lives. At least, I don't think they do. While I've been running all over the goddamn East Coast looking for a manned evac center, the boys…They're regaining their humanity. They're actually talking to me more. Zach and Toni are walking on two legs again. And I think they're starting to remember things from the past, Ryan seems to have these episodes a lot. But they're so easily triggered back into madness and insanity, I don't think their mental health is going to get better any time soon.

"Which won't help if I do find the military. They'll gun my boys down at first sight, and I can't let that happen. I still need my boys anyway. Maybe I am crazy. Maybe I have been alone too long with a bunch of zombies. Or maybe I just want to give something back to humanity, or what's left of it. It's something in the works since I stepped out of my door into this new world, and while it's far from complete, one day, someone's going to benefit from this.

This is the Survivor's Guide to Surviving the Infection. And I will keep writing this until the day I lose my mind, or die. Whatever comes first"

-Your Divine writer, Be-

What in God's name were they doing? Divine stared long and hard at the journal in front of her, pen posed to sign the rest of her name. But the racket in the other room was starting to increase in noise, and suddenly something thumped loudly against the wall. Sighing, Divine set her pen down and stood from her chair. She had come in here to write for the purpose of having some peace and quiet, as she was intent to have total concentration and get this done.

Except leaving the three of them in one room together was always a horrible idea. Not that they were better behaved while she was there, but usually she could shoot down any dumb ideas they managed to come up with. Their normal ideas were usually along the lines of beating the absolute shit out of each other.

Divine tugged at her jacket, shivering as she open the bedroom door and walked into the living room. Their current safehouse had been built into a little townhouse…somewhere in Virginia maybe? (They might have crossed the border from Maryland a couple days ago…Or maybe two weeks ago?) The living room, now at this point, was a total wreck, and it just looked absolutely terrible. The nice, vintage couches that looked straight out of colonial times were torn to shreds. The super old, vomit inducing wallpaper had long gashes in it, and really the only thing that looked untouched was the fireplace.

And like two, oversized dogs in sweatshirts, her Hunters were collapsed in the epicenter of their whirlwind of extreme damage, with one unamused Smoker serving as their pillow. Ryan lifted his rather battered face to Divine as she walked in, worming an am out to reach for her.

"Help me" he whined, arm dramatically flopping to the ground, with Ryan moaning in such paaain and aaaagony. Divine just slowly shook her head at him, having no intention to help him at all.

"Guys? It's common courtesy to leave the safehouses intact when we leave them, so that way the next people to drop in don't think something was murdered in here" Divine addressed the three of them.

"Okay look, hold on a second" Ryan interjected, worming out another arm to half hold himself up. "It's these two that can't be left in a room together" he motioned to the bodies lying on top of him. "Their sexual tension has become too much, and they practically explode every single time they hear each other [i]breathing[/i]. I was attempting to break their fight up, but then-"

"This happened?"

"Exactly"

Divine contemplated this information for all of five seconds before declaring that she didn't care. The house was still a mess, and her muse had been ruined. "Well thanks Ryan, that's really unfortunate and all, but that doesn't excuse you from anything" Divine eventually said to the Smoker. "Clean this place up, all three of you or else I'm not making you guys dinner" and she left the room to go back to the bedroom to go back to staring at her journal.

The fighting resumed a minute later. They all went hungry that night.

xxXXxxXXxx

Shady's back, tell a friend.

It's been a long ass time since I've updated this story. This is the third time I've attempted this chapter. I wouldn't except longer chapters out of me, but, here's something regardless. It does make me happy to know that people are still reading this, and I still have a lot in store for all my readers. And I love you guys so much, you're all amazing.

From here on out, we're gonna do things a bit different, if you couldn't already tell. Which shouldn't be much of a surprise, I've been at this for three years, and it's only natural my skills as a writer have grown and changed since I posted the first chapter of this story. So...yeah.

Ya miss me?