August 9, 2023.
17 days into the apocalypse.
Something horrible happened to me today. I don't know how I survived that encounter, but I managed to save myself.
My days have been spending in a same routine. Wake up, head out, maybe scavenge for food, avoid the Plagued, find shelter near the evening, eat, sleep, repeat.
That's how the past 8 days of my life have gone.
I've observed many things about these Plagued during all this time too. Usually, I avoid these monsters as much as possible. Sneaking away as soon as I can, the moment I see any traces of these things.
But more times than once, I've noticed certain things about them.
First of all, the Plagued don't tend to stay in brightly lit areas. I've never seen large groups of them on the roads during broad day light. It's not to say these things are irritated by light, since I've seen one or two roaming around on the streets too. But most of the time, you'd see them gathered up in buildings or areas which are generally dark, during day time.
Second, these things are way stronger physically, and they run like some damn athelete. These things are fast and strong enough to do stuff that an average Joe wouldn't be able to do easily, like making dents in walls with their fists, etc.
Third, I don't know how strong their senses are, but it doesn't seem like they can see or hear better than regular humans.
I had managed to use my knowledge to avoid these Plagued and make my way through Manhattan.
Travelling during the day. Avoiding dark secluded places (ie:- buildings, etc). Etc. So far, the luck had always been on my side, since I made it through the day.
But today, I think my luck ran out for a moment.
It was around mid-day. My food supply had run out, so scavenging more food was on the agenda too. I had spotted a grocery store, which looked like it didn't have any of those damn Plagued running around when I peeked from the outside.
So, I had gone in and picked up some canned food for myself. I generally don't like this stuff, but seeing the situation, I'd rather eat this than go starving.
It was when I was done with my plundering and I stepped out from the store, when I noticed something.
A faint noise of a police siren.
Immediately, I felt hopeful. Was help here? Maybe I'm not truly doomed out here?
I followed the noise, making my way through the city of Manhattan to find it's source. The noise was probably from some place nearby.
After a few minutes of running around, I had finally found the source of the police siren. And when I did, my hopes were crushed.
The siren was coming from a wrecked police car, laying among some other wrecked cars on the road.
Still, curiosity was a hard thing to overcome. So I still made my way over to the wreckage.
Once I came near it, I had to hold myself back from puking. Braced against the body of the car, laid the dead body of a police officer. Probably one of the officers who were in the car. A handgun was clutched in his hand.
It looked like flesh and skin has been torn and ripped apart from his body.
Approached his corpse, carefully raising his head. Seeing a part of his face missing, ripped apart by those Plagued most probably, I pulled back with some disgust.
But I had to do what I had to do. Despite the sickening filling in my stomach, and the foul smell from the corpse, I searched the body, managing to find wakie talkie, a few magazines of ammunition, some medicines (pain killers and antibiotics), a handcuff.
I managed to break the handgun out of the iron cold vice grip of the corpse.
A Gen 4 Glock 17. A standard firearm used by NYPD officers.
I know what it is due to me being a gun nerd.
Having a firearm in these times is ought to make you feel like you can take on the whole world.
I put those things in my bag, and slipped the gun in waistband of my jeans, then looked inside the car.
I wish I hadn't made that mistake.
The door on the drivers side was open, so I crawled in. I noticed the corpse of the other officer in the seat beside the drivers seat.
I noticed another walkie talkie on the dashboard and took it. There was also a shotgun on the car floor, and soon I was in my possession too.
It had a sling attached to it too. I slipped it over my shoulder and turned my focus on the other officer.
Guess I had really used to seeing those walking corpses, since the sight of the body of the officer didn't bother me.
I grabbed the head of the officer and turned it to face me, when all of a sudden, it growled and roared at me.
I let out a frightened scream as the Plagued officer grabbed my arms, trying to bite me.
I used all my strength and managed to break free from its grasp before it could harm me, and crawled out of the car.
By the time I had managed to get some distance between me and the car when I saw the Plagued managing to slip out of the seat belt that has restrained it.
I quickly took the shotgun off my shoulder and aimed at it as it leapt out of the car, and fired a shot. I was lucky that there was a shell loaded in the chamber.
The Plagued fell down. I crawled back on my feet as I stared at the Plagued. It was dead,... or so I thought.
Seconds later, its body stirred as it slowly raised back on its limbs. As the Plagued looked up at me, I saw almost half of his head was obliterated, courtesy of the shot I fired.
I remember thinking "This usually worked in the games".
I had quickly pumped the shotgun and shot it again before it could lung at me. The Plagued dropped down and I shot it again just to be sure.
My heart was racing wildly, as I felt my knees shake. I had just killed someone. Granted it wasn't a human, but a Plagued, and it was for self defence, but I had killed. I felt like... I had felt really uncomfortable, and a bit sick.
So I ran. I ran away from there, and ran as long as my legs could carry me. And when I stopped, I threw up, as the weight of my situation set in even more.
It took me a while, but I managed to find a shelter once more.
I got a shotgun, and a Glock. Got 3 magazines for the Glock. Though, don't know how many shells there are left in the shotgun.
For now, I think I'll rest. Let's hope tomorrow turns out better.