Outbreak, Part One: From the Beginning

"Okay Alex... Stay safe" She whispered before crawling into the bed, feeling exhausted and demoralised.

Closing the door, I left her there in the bed before moving for my own room. There was a bookcase against the wall opposite the door, a desk, closet and bed. Limping into my room, I sat on the bed, the sheets tussled up and yet to be made. I just collapsed and while not sleeping, I quietly cried into my pillow. The images of students being torn apart filled my eyes, the dead swarming around outside. The world I knew and still wanted to explore was dying. And the fate of my parents so far still very much unknown.....

What was I to do?

Mary thought that she would not be able to sleep but soon exhaustion overwhelmed her, plunging her into a nightmare of corridors filled with hordes of the monsters, eating people, the army being overwhelmed by the hordes of the creatures. Death everywhere.

My cry ended soon enough, and I got up off my bed. Moving over to the bookcase, I looked up and saw a single item placed on top of the shelf: a wooden bokken, the wood painted black and a dragon carved into the wood. It was something I bought once from the county fair a few years ago, since I liked swords and this was both cheap and not a real sword, so my parents were happy. Something told me that we'd need it, so I took it down from the stand and returned to my parents room, inching the door open. Mary still lay there, shaking around. Dammit, she was having a nightmare. You'd think in a world that was a nightmare, that we'd get nothing but good dreams. But the world wasn't kind like that. Returning to the living room, I sat on the couch and noted the absence of the zombie outside. Guess something else got their attention......and when I heard the scream of a person outside, I realized they also got their teeth into a meal.

Mary sat up suddenly, drenched in cold sweat, she was shaking and hugged the sheets close to herself. Usually after a nightmare one could comfort themselves with the fact that the monsters where not real.
That was no longer the case any more. Sliding herself out of the sheets, Mary crept over to a window and peered around the edge of the curtains. It was like the end of the world, almost like that part of Gears 3 with the lambent zombie monster creatures. She did not really know.. It had been a while since she had last played it a few months ago with a friend, Martha or Sam or was it Sarah?

One, two, Buckle my shoe. Footfalls on roof, thump thump thump.
Three, four, Open the door. Zombies hit the floor.
Five, six, Pick up sticks. Barricade the doors, what can't get out can't get in, both sides for the win.
Seven, eight, Lay them straight. Physics holds, flesh does not. 7 inches of fun, makes them drop.
Nine, ten,A big, fat hen. Blood rolls down the head again.
Eleven, twelve, Dig and delve. A body can't rise if it is buried.
Thirteen, fourteen, affliction fleeting. once living flesh litters the ground.
Fifteen, sixteen, knives in the kitchen. Protection close, still dangerous.
Seventeen, eighteen, students a-waiting. Nights falling grace, like muscles on the zombies face.
Nineteen, twenty, My stomach's empty. No food tonight, upon the roof slept. One eye blind, the other sights all seen.

Taking my cellphone out, I tried calling my parents. But the line was dead, no service whatsoever. So that meant that if I wanted to find them I'd have to head for where they each worked, and that was going to be a bit of a walk. Something I wouldn't be doing until my ankle was better. Looking down, I noted how it had swollen up, and i grimaced a little. Come on Alex, think......if these are really zombies then they should die the same way in games and movies. So, headshots. Still, not like I was planning to test it out. Getting back up, I went to the room I left Mary in, knocked twice before opening the door slowly and saw her standing by the window. "Hey," I said quietly. "Thought you were asleep."

Mary jumped startled. "Oh hey... I woke up" She lied not wanting to admit that she had been woken up by a nightmare. She moved away from the window, afraid that the monsters outside might spot them hiding inside the house. Mary wondered what their plan would be, how would they survive? Would the world recover?
Too many questions and not enough answers.

I could tell she was lying, based on what I saw on my last check, but I let her. She didn't need to be confronted over it. "Think we should hole up here until help arrives?" I asked her, still standing by the door and not daring to go further in.

"I'm not sure... I... I don't know what to do" She admitted moving towards him slowly. "I... I am afraid of the monsters at there and if they get in..." Mary trailed off not wanting to finish her sentence. These things had killed her family and probably most of her friends if not all of them.

"So long as they don't see us, they won't bother coming in," I told her. "We've still got food here and so far the power's working.....for now." Still, when it did stop working.....the darkness alone would be bad. But throw in the constant moans of the zombies and the occasional screams of people? It would take its toll on both of us, and it would just be a question of who cracked first.

Mary hugged Alex suddenly, she felt terrified still and that fear demanded that she sought comfort, the feeling of someone else, their warmth, their touch. Childish yes the need to be hugged by someone when facing some unimaginable terror. But who could honestly say they felt no fear?
"We should plan in case they get in... Make a plan to get out of the city" She whispered close to his ear, holding him tightly in her arms.

I was a bit caught off guard by the hug, but not exactly surprised. All I could do was return it, and do my best not to shiver as she whispered in my ear (don't look at me like that, it was an interesting sensation). "I can't leave yet Mary....not until I know what's happened to my parents. But you're right, we do need a plan to get out of here." But that would be a problem since we'd need a car, and both cars in the garage were out. And it's not like I knew how to hotwire a car (even if the zombies would sit on their asses and wait), so that was out.

Mary knew he would want to wait for his parents, she believed that there was still hope that they would make it back alive. "Ok... Shall we wait three days and then plan on where we shall go if they don't turn up?"

"That may be best," I said as I let go of the hug, looking down at my ankle. "Not much good with my ankle like this. Do you think your house as a car in the garage?" I asked her.

Mary let go of him, she was reluctant to do so however. "My mom had a car but that was at the garage today and... My dad had a beat up old piece of junk that he said apparently worked it would be parked out back" Honestly Mary did not think that either would be in working order, what with one in the mechanics and the other rusting in the back.

"Well.....we should at least give the one out back a look," I said with a small glimmer of hope that it might be in working condition. "I'm going to back and check on the situation outside. Do you want to try getting some more rest?" I asked her, and felt stupid. If anyone needed rest it was me, I was pushing myself too much. But so far she didn't look like she'd be able to stay standing, she was so scared (like I was one to talk) and that time to sit and relax would help her.

Matthew had tried fighting back at the school but it was in vain. He didn't know how to fight the sick without killing them. He couldn't bring himself to kill them. Something he nearly paid the price for several times. After he tried and failed finding his friends he left the campus asap. He climbed the fence of course, the front door was suicide. Now he was just wandering around his neighborhood.

"Maybe we should try to find other survivors?" Mary did not want to believe they where the only ones still alive out here. There had to be others.

"I don't know," I said. "We could try but we shouldn't give away the fact we're hiding in here." I didn't even want to imagine that we rescue someone only for every zombie outside the start banging on the door. Or worse, what if the person we saved was.....not the nicest of people? Moving to the living room, I slowly eased open the blinds and peeked outside through the small slit. Oh god, the street was.....well there were a lot of them. Twenty maybe, or more that I couldn't see.

Mary shrugged her shoulders and followed him downstairs. She picked up her glass of water and downed it quickly before munching on one of the chocolate bars. She did not want to count how many of the freaks where outside, or guess at how many more of them their might be. Mary went into the kitchen to get another glass of water and stopped when she had the feeling that she was being watched. She turned around slowly before clasping her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, dropping the glass in the process, it bounced off the floor, thank god for plastic. A pair of walkers where at the back door just staring at her.
"James" She whispered her voice hushed by fear. "James? Could you come here please?"

Limping quickly, I entered the kitchen where Mary was and saw to my horror two of the zombies by my door, standing there, watching us. "I....I don't think they saw us," I whispered. Then as if to prove me wrong, they both began slapping the glass of the door, trying to get in. "Fuck.....Mary, they're going to break through the glass......" I did my best not to let fear take over but goddamn was it hard. My fight or flight instinct was kicking in and figured that if I couldn't run I should fight, the bokken feeling like a pretty good tool right now. "When that happens, I want you to run. I'll draw them in and you just run."

"Holy Moly! No Alex we take them together" She argued, drawing the knife. Alex in his state would be little more than lunch to them. He might get one but he would not be fast enough to get the other. She would fight with him, once the zombies forced their way inside.
But would more of them come afterwards?

Without giving me time to argue, one of the zombies then slammed their head against the glass and it shattered, and they paid the sharp edges no mind as they began clawing their way in. Both stood in my kitchen, and I shouted at them, a wordless cry of defiance at this intrusion into my home. Swinging at the nearest one, I struck it in the jaw but that didn't kill it, and only left their jaw at a funny angle.

At the completion of the rather morbid and rather different nursery rhyme, he clambered back up onto the roof, leaving behind him the now truly deceased, deceased. This, of course, made thumping sounds on the roof, sure to attract residents therein. This nameless boy with his combat knife was now covered in blood, not drenched, but enough that he might pass as one of the dead. However, how the dead knew who was alive and a meal and who was like them, was unknown to him or her. In his/her muddled and broken thoughts he knew of only one thing - brain damage or severing the head killed them. Something out of a game or television show. However, sometimes the head would still try and bite, despite having no body attached to it, so stabbing the head multiple times was required to "kill" the dead. After this (s)he sat in silence as his/her mind wandered around trying to put itself back together, and finding that parts seem to not want to be whole again.

The sound of glass breaking immediately drew her/his attention. (S)He took his 7 inches of Fun, a combat knife with a 7 inch blade, and moved to the back of the house upon whose roof (s)he perched on. He looked over the edge, not saying a word. Looking at the zombies that were trying to get in. When the zombies seemed to force their way inside, they moved from their perch on the roof, to get behind the zombies. Creeping slowly down the roof, like a cat stalking it's prey. Each movement was soft, slow, and lithe. Then (s)he dropped down behind the zombies.

The one I just performed the jaw dislocation on came at me, snarling despite the awkward position of the jawbone. I hit it again, trying to get a downward stroke but almost comically.....my bokken was so long, that it hit the ceiling and dragged across the surface, stopping and leaving me open as the zombie tackled me to the ground.

Mary swung at the second one, jabbing the knife blade into it's neck. She pulled the weapon free and it lurched towards her. She slapped it with her left hand knocking the face sideways before swinging the knife again. It rammed home in the ear, causing the brute to drop to the floor with a thump knife embedded in the side of the skull.
"Holy Moly" She whispered.

Matthew sneaked around, avoiding their gaze. Sprinting through back yard to back yard. He didn't want to go back to his house. His father was probably there either drunk or one of the sick, either way he didn't want anything to do with him. Then again he was the only "family" he had left. He made a choice to check later, if his dad was still there and alive he might actually be useful for something. But until then he would just roam. He wasn't sure what to do...

That is until he heard shouting, relatively close shouting. He could already guess why and they would probably already dead but he was gonna check to be sure. He hopped another fence and ran for where he heard it. He stopped at the sight of a small group? Flock? Herd? Some big number of them going for one house. "Ooooohh sheeeiiit."

"A little help!" I screamed as I managed to at least get the bokken between me and zombie, up at its neck as I did my best to hold it off me, but it tried to claw at my shirt and jaws snapped as it tried to bite me.

Mary recovered the knife with a grimace from the slain zombie and rushed over to Alex plunging the blade into it's head. It twitched and then fell limp, this was promptly followed by Mary throwing up a few feet away from the zombie. "Holy Moly" She gasped. "I just killed two people"

Shaking a little, since some blood pooled out from the zombies mouth onto my cheek, I came to my knees and nearly vomited, and instead heaved over the floor and coughed, going through the motions and sounds. There was just nothing left in my stomach to puke up. "We.....Christ, we need to go Mary. It's not safe here." Then I looked up, and saw someone standing in the doorway. "Fuck.....who are you?" I asked. They weren't a zombie, that much was clear, though they were covered in blood. If they were a zombie, they'd have been on me in seconds.

He looked at Alex blankly, he blinked a few times but did not say anything. He stood in silence for a moment, before moving to the kitchen, and turning on the water. He washed his face and his hands, without saying a word.

"Uh hello?" I said, standing up on shaky legs. "Do you understand me?"

He turns off the water, and briefly looks at Alex.

"He might be in shock" Mary said since the stranger had yet to speak a word to them, either that or he did not understand English. Too bad she did not speak anything else really.

"Well either way.....I remember you from my roof, dropping my keys. So, thanks for that," I said to the stranger. "Wish I could offer you a seat but now that there's a flipping hole in my house, we should get the hell out of here."

Matthew watched, from afar of course, as the sick slowly dispersed from the house. Whatever happened in there was quick enough to lose their attention. Which meant either the person survived or was another one of those people. If it was former he would be all too happy to see another person's face. Now all he had to do get across the street without being noticed. Which really wasn't as difficult as it may sound. He just went further down to the street before he crossed. Then sneaked through back yards until he was at the house. Before he went inside he stopped at the glass door and called in. "Hello?"

"Oh great who else?" I moaned out, almost like a zombie actually. Which come to think of it.....I got up and shambled over to the door, ignoring the kid standing outside the ruined glass since he wasn't quite the most important thing yet. Looking to the side where the gate was......and there they were, more zombies, pouring in. Turning to the kid next to me, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in. "Get out of sight," I snarled. "Get to the front door; if they're pouring in through here they may have reduced in number out front. So run!"

Mary had slowly drifted from the conversation and travelled upstairs to recover her bag. With the home now breached it could only be a matter of time until the biters swarmed in. She picked up her bag slinging it over her shoulder, before making it back downstairs. Mary heard Alex's shout she made her ways towards the front door. Of course, she did not really have a plan but that seemed to be the place where everyone happened to be regrouping.
Holy Moly everything had gone to shit.

Hearing the sound of footsteps on the stairs, I looked over and saw Mary there. "Mary, you guide them back to your house and to that car. With luck, there's keys for it, and don't wait up for me."

"Wait? What?" Mary argued. "We are actually going to go with that plan?" She thought that the idea was suicidal.

He nodded. Acknowledging Alex's response. Then moved to the front of the house. He did not move quickly, he didn't run, he was relaxed and tense. Conflicted.

"Well we can't stay here," I said, already looking behind to the broken glass door. Already, the zombies out in the yard were heading for the door, and I looked out the peep-hole for the front. It was starting to clear out a bit, still a few zombies but scattered and spaced enough that we could really just walk right past them. "Unless you have a better place to hide in, we're going with the car." Gripping my bokken tightly in one hand, I let go of the new arrival and opened the front door. "Mary, lead the way.....and don't stop for anything. Or anyone."

Mary went through the front door, she had no other plan of her own she just prayed that her father had for once done some work and actually fixed the car. She sprinted past the walkers running as fast as she could. This all rested on speed.

Looking to both the mute and the new kid, I simply gestured after Mary and said "Go, go now!" I was behind them, limping as quickly as I could. One of the walkers came up on my right, and I stopped to swing my bokken, bashing them on the side of their head.

Matthew didn't argue with the guy and did what he was told. Only because it was the most reasonable thing to do. But boy he was glad he see he wasn't the only person still alive. Now, where was he going?

Mary darted around a zombie that lunged for her, she was not about to let herself be slowed down by having to stop and fight one of those things. Who knew how many more where making a beeline for her right now?
It would be unthinkable to fall right now, not after surviving so much already.

"Come on," I said to both the mute and the new guy, already moving away from the zombie I downed. We stayed on Mary's trail, keeping close (though they were able to stay closer as I limped) through the street. More of the dead were coming, and like an idiot I realized they were drawn to me talking.

Mary skidded past a zombie it lunged for her, grabbing hold of her shirt but it tore freeing her. The fact that she had been grabbed caused Mary to stumble and almost fall over completely. She recovered before she fell to the floor, resuming running.
She managed to make it too her home without an further trouble from the zombies, mostly because she outran it. Mary sprinted into her home seemingly forgetting that it had previously been overrun by the biters.

Inside the place still looked like a slaughter house, the place was filled with several dozen bodies of the walkers. She frowned, wondering what had happened since when she and Alex left the place it had been filled with the walkers.
"Hello?" Mary called out gripping the handle of her knife tighter.

We got to Mary's house, no problem save for one thing....her door was still broken open, so that meant we had no real way to keep it shut. "Mary!" I shouted, since I couldn't see her from where I stood. "Mary where are you?"