《The Dead Walk Among Us》


 Chapter 1: New Hope

    It''s been ten years since the fall of humanity. I was only ten years old when the zombies took over. The military told us to flee underground, explaining that it was safer. The zombies are smart, too smart. They can learn to hide themselves. Some of them disguise themselves to look like normal people.


    We tell them apart by checking their eyes. Zombies have enlarged pupils compared to humans. No one knows why.


    The first place they had focused their attacks on were hospitals. They were the easiest really. Sick patients lying in beds defenseless and vulnerable. No one would notice a zombie in a doctor''s uniform wheeling patients across the hospital. Second, they attacked morgues. Not that many people there at night...dinner was there and ready.


    Then they hid in people''s homes. They waited until they came home from work or school and attacked them. Once they were done, they buried them in their backyards. After that they just attacked people on the streets. Barely anyone survived.


    We have heard of a zombie free city over the radio. Our leader, Jason, is skeptical that such a thing exists. I think we at least have to try to find it. This isn''t living! We are almost out of food and water.


    There are five people in our group. There''s me, my twin brother Jack, Jade, Jason, and Anne. When the fall of humanity happened, Jason just decided he should be the leader. We didn''t fight him about it, although now I wish we did. We have been listening to him for years. We live in a small bunker near New York city.


    I get out of bed. I walk over to Jason.


    "Iris, how''s it going?" he asks.


    "Not great. Jack''s leg is getting worse, and you refuse to help him," I say.


    "Look we have little medication as is. We can''t go wasting it," Jason says.


    "We wouldn''t be wasting it! Jack needs it, or he will die," I say.


    "No. What if someone else needs it after we    used it on Jack?"


    "Fine, I''ll go and get him what he needs!" I say.


    "You can have a rifle and some ammo but that''s it," Jason says.


    I walk into Jack''s room. He lies on the bed. His leg got cut by barbed wire the last time we went to get food. It''s been a week since then. His leg is infected and is getting worse. If I don''t get him medicine, he''s going to die. I sit in the chair next to his bed. Jack has brown hair and eyes that reminds me of our father.


    "I''m going to get you medication today. You need it," I say.


    "No! You''ll get hurt or worse. It''s not safe," Jack pleads.


    "I have to go," I say.


    I get the rifle and a box of ammo. I load the rifle.


    I grab my backpack and my knife. I go to the bunker door. The door is old and rusted. It constantly sticks, too. I pull on the bunker door handle.


    Jason hands me a radio.


    "Tell me every single thing that happens, okay?"


    I nod. I walk out the door. The bunker is in the middle of the forest, its edge has a view of the city skyline. It''s about a twenty minute walk from the bunker. The buildings have either collapsed or have been severely damaged. The city used to be so nice. Now it''s just a city of ruin and death.


    I''m quiet and careful as I walk. I try to keep myself hidden. I don''t want to draw attention. I see a pharmacy ahead.


    "Iris!" Jason says over the radio. I turn off the radio. I don''t need the noise attracting the dead. I duck behind a old, broken down pickup truck.


    I look around. No one in sight. I make a run for the pharmacy. I yank on the door handle. It''s locked. How do I get in? I look above the door. There''s a rectangular window above the door.


    I drag a bench up to the door. I climb onto the bench. I open the window and climb through. I almost slip as I drop down on the pharmacy floor.


    I look around, in the dark, using the sunlight from the window to guide me. I turn on my flashlight.


    A person is sitting on the floor behind the pharmacy counter. He stands up. He''s wearing jeans, a grey hoodie with the hood up, and sunglasses.


    "Let me see your eyes," the man says.


    "Take your sunglasses off first," I respond.


    He shakes his head.


    "No, come here!" he yells.


    I back up aiming my rifle at him.


    "Take those damn glasses off!" I shout.


    He jumps on the counter, then lunges at me. I shoot him in the chest. He falls to the floor. I rip his glasses off. He has enlarged pupils.


    I back away. I see a door about seven feet away. I run to the door as fast as I possibly can with the zombie chasing. I open and shut it. I lock the door and push a shelf up against it.


    I''m in a small room with a desk and a shelf on the left. I look through the desk, throwing the drawers contents behind me. I need to get what I need and leave.


    The desk is mostly empty, filled with old papers and notes that are of no use.


    I hear several bangs on the door. I ready my rifle. He bangs on the door a few more times.


    "Let me in!!!" he yells.


    I don''t say anything.


    "Please, look I''m not infected. I have this condition that makes my eyes look like that," he says.


    He''s trying to get me to open the door.


    "Then why are you attacking me? Why won''t you leave me alone then?" I ask.


    No answer. He bangs on the door again.


    I turn around. I see a small window. It''s barely big enough for me to fit through. I turn around facing the door.


    The door swings open, knocking the shelf over. The zombie begins running towards me. I shoot the zombie in the heart. He collapses on top of the shelf.


    I get what I need from the pharmacy and head back to the bunker. I knock on the bunker door. Jack opens it.


    "You shouldn''t be walking," I say.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "I''m fine," he says.


    He limps to the leather couch in his room and sits down.


    "I found you medicine. You''ll be okay," I say. I set antibiotics on the coffee table.


    "Good, but you shouldn''t have gone alone though," Jack says.


    "Can''t we just be happy you''re going to be alright?" I say.


    Jason walks by.


    "Oh, you''re back. Thanks for talking to me on the radio," Jason says rolling his eyes.


    "The radio was causing too much noise. I had to turn it off," I say handing him the radio.


    "So, did you see anybody? Living or dead?" Jack asks.


    "I saw one zombie. He tried convincing me he wasn''t a one. He told me he wasn''t infected. I had to shoot him. There was no other way," I say.


    "It''s good that you''re safe though," Jack says.


    "I''m a little disappointed," Jason says.


    "Disappointed about what?" I ask.


    "That you made it back," Jason says.


    "What do you mean by that?" I say throwing my hands up.


    "Iris...be nice," Jack says.


    "How can I be nice to such a jerk?" I say.


    "Well, you''re a bit of a jerk to him, too," Jack replies.


    I start cleaning his leg wound. Jade sits on the couch next to Jack.


    "I''m glad you''re safe," Jade says.


    "I am, too. A zombie attacked me," I say. I grab the hydrogen peroxide.


    "Can we wait on that?" Jack asks.


    "Your infection isn''t going to get better, if we don''t do this," I say to him.


    He sighs. "Then let me do it."


    "I''ll let you, if you''ll actually do it," I say.


    "I will," he promises.


    I walk down the hall. Jason leaves his room. He left his door open a crack. He never leaves his door open...or unlocked. Jason walks to the bathroom. I walk over to his room. I open the door and walk in. I''ve never been in here. No one has. He is very strict about people being in his room.


    I see a a cabinet above his sink to the left. There''s a mattress to the right. On his sink is a key. I use the key to unlock the cabinet. Why would he keep a cabinet locked? I open it. The cabinet is filled with medicine. There''s antibiotics, painkillers, and a whole lot of other stuff.


    "What the hell are you doing?!?" Jason yells.


    "You told me we didn''t have much! You lied to me!" I yell. I run past him towards the couch.


    "They don''t need to know!" Jason yells.


    "Yes, they do," I say.


    Jade gets up and walks over.


    "What are you two yelling about now?" Jack asks.


    "What are you fighting over this time?" Jade asks.


    "Nothing," Jason says.


    "Jason hid a stockpile of medicine from all of us! Jack needed it and Jason wouldn''t let him have any! I had to risk my life when we had everything Jack needed right here!" I say.


    "Is this true, Jason?" Jade asks.


    "If Iris is saying it, it''s true. She doesn''t lie," Jack defends me.


    "I was saving the medicine for something important!" Jason says.


    "And Jack dying wasn''t important at all?" I ask.


    "I was trying to keep us all safe! It''s a nightmare out there and none of you are ready," Jason yells.


    I grab my backpack and knife.


    "We are ready," I say.


    "Yeah, we are," Jade agrees. Anne leaves her room.


    "Anne, we''re leaving, do you want to come?" Jack asks.


    "No, I''m staying here. The bunker is as safe as it can be," Anne says.


    It''s not safe here with Jason around.


    "Fine, I can''t stay here another minute," Jade says.


    I open the bunker door.


    We walk outside. Jade goes over to a white van in perfect condition. Huh, that wasn''t here when I came back from the pharmacy.


    Jade walks over to the back. She pulls on the back van doors. They don''t open. The van must be locked. She opens the driver''s side door. She leaves the door open. She starts the car with the keys that are in the ignition.


    "So, can we use it?" I ask.


    She sighs.


    "It''s out of gas, has a flat tire, and above all that, it needs an oil change. It''s practically useless. No wonder it was left here."


    "Turn on the radio," I say.


    "Why? We don''t have time to listen to music," Jack says.


    "No. That radio station...I can''t remember which one it was. We heard about that zombie free city in California," I say.


    Jade turns the channel knob on the radio. I hear static. She turns it again. Static... again.


    She turns it once more. Static but then faint voices. She takes her hand off the knob. I listen closely. The voices become more clear.


    "Come to California. We have food, water, shelter, and we have a city free of zombies. We only have room for five hundred more people so move fast. Once we are at maximum capacity, we will turn you away. Anyone who arrives at the gates will be checked for infection of the virus. If anyone has symptoms of viral infection they will be quarantined for one week. If symptoms persist the person will be turned away. If you or someone you know is experiencing the following symptoms after being bitten, lock them away to contain this virus. Don''t stand near a person who has been bitten. The only way infection can spread is through a bite from an infected person."


    "How would we even get to California? It''s on the other side of the country!" Jade says getting out of the car.


    "Car maybe?" Jack suggests.


    "No, that would take too long and where are we even going to find a working car?" Jade says.


    We decide to walk into the city. There''s a grocery store near here. We agreed we''d try there first. I look at the street signs. We are about three minutes away from the grocery store.


    I can''t believe I finally stood up to Jason. He''s been controlling us for years. I''m glad I finally took a stand. I wasn''t alone either. I had my brother and my best friend to support me.


    I don''t understand why Anne decided to stay there. I guess she thinks she can''t find a place better than the bunker.


    I see the store. I walk up to the doors. I try opening it. It''s locked.


    "I don''t know about this...who knows who or what could be inside," Jade says.


    "No, you two agreed we''d check this place out," I say.


    "Yeah, but now we''ve thought about it and it doesn''t seem safe at all," Jack says.


    There''s a window above the door. I could get in like I got into the pharmacy. I pull a crate up to the door and stand on it.


    "Stop!" Jade yells.


    I open the window. It''s a tighter fit in, but I can do it. I get through the window and drop down into the store.


    "Get back here!" Jack yells.


    I flip on the light switch. I open the door. They walk in.


    "Iris, you could have been killed!" Jack says.


    "Let''s just get some food and get out," Jade says.


    I go into the canned food aisles while Jack and jade search the rest of the store. The shelves are mostly empty, except for a few empty cans.


    I pick a knife up off the floor. It''s pretty clean. I walk over to the fruit and vegetable section. All of them are rotted which isn''t much of a surprise.


    I see a girl talking to Jack. She''s about my age. She has a bright pink coat on with the hood up and sunglasses. I walk over.


    "Who''s this?" I ask.


    "Kim, she tells me her parents owned the store...back when things were somewhat normal," Jack says.


    The girl keeps her distance from us. I think it''s weird. I step closer to her. She backs up.


    "Come here, I just want to see your eyes," I say calmly. Maybe she''s afraid?


    "No, I want to keep my distance, if that''s okay," she says.


    I step closer.


    She backs up again.


    "Please, back away!" The girl says.


    "Iris, don''t be rude!" Jack says.


    I step closer.


    She puts her hands in front of me. There''s blood on her nails.


    "How did you get that blood on you?" I ask.


    "Defending myself from the zombies," She says.


    "The zombies don''t bleed," I say.


    "Uh, I meant people... I defended myself from people," she says.


    I step closer. I get fed up and rip off her sunglasses. She has enlarged pupils.


    She jumps on me. She tries biting me. Jack freezes.


    "Do something!" I yell.


    Jade hits her over the head with a shovel. The zombie gets up and rips the shovel out Jade''s hands. I get up and run behind a shelf.


    "Why do you idiots always have to make my day so difficult?" the zombie yells.


    Jade and Jack are hiding behind a register. I pull my knife out. I can''t see the zombie. I run towards Jack and Jade. I trip over something. The lights go out. I get up and run.


    The lights come back on. I see Jade and Jack on top of a shelf. I get on top of a shelf, too. I can see more now. I still can''t find the zombie.


    "Do you know where she went?" I whisper to Jade.


    "No! I can''t find her," Jade says.


    The shelf starts tipping. I try to look for a place I can jump off. The shelf falls over. My feet are trapped under the shelf. Jack runs over.


    "Help me out of here!" I say.


    He starts lifting it. I get out from under the shelf. I get up. Where did the zombie go? We would have seen her by now.


    "There!" Jade says pointing across the store.


    I hide behind a shelf. I see the zombie. The zombie walks towards the door. She opens it.


    What is she doing?


    She lets out an ear piercing screech. More zombies walk into the store. One zombie has half of his skin hanging off his face. I resist the urge to throw up. Jack freezes up again.


    "We need to get to that door!" I say.


    "Yeah, but how? We need to be careful, one bite and it''s all over," Jack asks.


    Hmm, how could I get the zombies away from the door? Jack hands me a glass bottle. I toss the bottle about twenty feet away from the door.


    Jade jumps off the shelf and runs out the door. We follow her. We run far away from the store.


    "We barely survived that! Iris, why did we have to go in there?" Jade says.


    "I was hoping there was some food in there. I know going in was a mistake now. At least we survived unscathed," I say.


    "The bunker was at least somewhat safe," Jack says.


    "It was safe, but how long until it wasn''t anymore? It''s good we got out when we did. Who knows what could have happened. What if I hadn''t found you medicine?" I say.


    I hear an airplane.


    "Is that...a plane?" Jack asks while looking up.


    "Yeah, right there!" Jade says pointing at a plane flying overhead. It flies over us and towards the water.


    "Weren''t the airports shut down when the zombies appeared?" Jack asks.


    "We have to follow it. It''s going to land soon. Wherever it''s going has to be safe," I say.


    "Who do you think is even flying that plane?" Jade asks.


    "It has to be a living person. The zombies are smart but not that smart," I say. The plane begins landing at a far away airport.


    "We have to get there. It could literally be our ticket to California!" I say.


    "But how? It''s miles away! It would take weeks maybe even a month to get there," Jack says.


    "Iris, you really believe that there''s a zombie free city in California?" Jade asks.


    "You both heard the radio. It really exists," I tell them.


    "So? A zombie could have easily recorded that. They are capable of anything. You know that," Jade says.


    Jade could be right, but she could be, hopefully, wrong.


    "We have to at least try," I say.


    We walk towards where the plane landed. This could be our chance to have a somewhat normal life, and I''m not giving it up. Running in fear from the dead isn''t living. We are barely surviving our first day out here.


    Jack interrupts the silence. "Where do you guys think the plane came from?"


    "I don''t know. The only thing I want to know, is where it is headed," I say.


    The road then travels upward, connecting to a highway.


    "Look for a car. A car would get us there faster," I say.


    "I doubt we''d find a good car out here that actually works," Jade says. There''s a gap in the road. We can jump across. I jump across the gap and land on my feet.


    "Come on. Jump!" I yell to them.


    "No way! We''ll fall," Jack says.


    "No, you''ll be fine. I made it," I reassure them.


    "Yeah, well you don''t have a leg injury," Jack says.


    "Just jump," I insist.


    "Stop! If he doesn''t want to jump, then he won''t," Jade interrupts us.


    "This is our only chance to get to California, and I''m not giving it up. Come on," I insist for the last time.


    A airplane flies above us. It starts slowly descending until it hits the ground and explodes. Shrapnel flies in all directions.


    "It crashed," Jack gasps. Jade jumps over. I guess the crash must have scared her a bit.


    "Jack! Come on! Your the last one!" I say.


    "I...I can''t make that jump!" Jack says.


    "We need to move! Jump and I''ll catch you," Jade says.


    "No way. I''ll meet you at the airport!" Jack says running in the opposite direction.


    "No, get over here!" I yell.


    Jack runs away. "I''ll meet you there," he yells over his shoulder.


    I go to jump to across to stop him, but then Jade stops me.


    "We need to go now," Jade says. "Zombies are coming."


    I turn around and run as fast as I can.

 Chapter 2: So Far

    Me and Jade found an abandoned house. I sit at the dining room table. I don''t feel safe here, but it''s night time. It''s not safe outside in the daylight, it''s even worse in the dark. We decided to wait it out until morning. I hope Jack has the same idea we had.


    "I can''t believe Jack ran. It would have been better if he had jumped," I say.


    "He was just trying to be safe. We''ll meet him at the airport," Jade says.


    "Let''s just hope that place in California is real. We have travelled so far to get there," I say.


    "It has to be real," Jade says.


    I see a light blue truck drive by the dining room window. I open the door and go outside. We could use a ride. Maybe they''ll help us.


    "What are you doing?" Jade screams.


    I run to the truck.


    "Help! Help! Help us! Help!" I yell.


    "Help! Hey! Stop the truck!" Jade yells. The truck stops. A man gets out. He has short black hair.


    "Please, we need help," I plead with him.


    "Are you people headed to the airport?" he asks.


    "Yes, can you take us?"


    "Alright, I''m going there, too. Get in," he says.


    How lucky are we? A random truck drives by and the driver agrees to take us where we need to go. I walk over to him. His eyes are normal, thankfully. We get in.


    "How far are we from the airport?" Jade asks.


    "About an hour and a half. I''m Eric and I''m headed to that place in California. This virus took my wife and kids. I was the only immune one in my entire family," he explains.


    "Immune?" I ask confused.


    "Yeah...one in every ten million is immune to the virus."


    "Ten million? How does someone know they are immune?" I ask.


    Hopefully me, Jack, and Jade are all immune.


    "How long does it take for a person to turn?" Jade asks.


    "Anywhere from thirty seconds to three days. It all depends on the person''s immune system."


    "Jade...did you get bit?" I ask. Please, say no. Please!


    "Yeah, that zombie in the grocery store bit me. I didn''t want to tell you because I wanted to get you to the airport. I didn''t want to hold you back," Jade says.


    "So, you lied to me? You could have turned and killed me!" I yell.


    The man stops the car. I get out.


    "Yes, but I''ve shown no symptoms whatsoever. If I was really infected, I would be experiencing symptoms by now. Maybe I''m immune," Jade says.


    "I do have an immunity test in the truck. If she wants, I can test her," the man says.


    "Okay then. Do it," Jade says.


    Please let her be immune. I can''t lose her or Jack. I can''t lose anyone! My parents were killed by zombies when they were attacked. They came to the house and forced their way inside. Our parents told us to hide in the basement. Jack doesn''t remember much of what happens, I remember clearly though. After hours of us waiting, our neighbors came to check on us. They saw our parents dead. We were found in the basement. They took us to a evacuation center. They left us there, thinking we were safe.


    Then the center was overrun by zombies. Me and Jack hid. Even the military couldn''t stop the massive amounts of the undead. Jason was there. He found us and offered us a place to stay. We accepted.


    That was the worst decision I think we ever made. He brought us to his parents'' bunker in the woods. Jade and Anne found the bunker a few days later. Jack and I are lucky to be alive today. We survived so much. I just don''t want to lose anyone again. I can''t bear the thought of Jade turning into a uncontrollable creature that eats human flesh.


    "If...if I''m not immune...please don''t let me turn into one of those things. I don''t want to cause any pain to anyone. I just want...I just want you to kill me. I don''t care about my last seconds. I just want to be sure that I''m not a zombie," Jade says.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "If you are infected, I''m not killing you. I...I really couldn''t," I say.


    The man walks over. "We will know whether or not your friend is immune in about five minutes," the man says.


    We sit here in silence.


    "Okay we got great news! Jade is immune," the man says.


    Yes! She''s not infected.


    "Do you have any other tests?" I ask. I would want to know, if I''m immune or not. That way I could be super cautious, if I''m not. If I am, I won''t be panicking after being bit.


    "No, that was the last one," the man says. "But I did hear that they''re giving them out at the airport."


    I guess I''ll just have to be careful until then. We get back in the truck. I''m glad Jade is going to be alright. Since we still have so long until we arrive, I guess I''ll try to sleep the rest of the way.


    I fall asleep shortly after. Jade shakes me awake an hour later.


    "We''re here," she says.


    The sun is just starting to rise. A plane flies overhead. We made it! I hope Jack is here. He has to be. I can''t live without him. Just thinking about not having him in my life makes me upset.


    We walk into the airport. It''s crowded with people shoulder to shoulder. I guess there still are a good amount of survivors left.


    I walk up to a woman who is behind a computer. She has light blond hair and blue eyes.


    "Have you seen my brother? His name is Jack Smith. Here''s a picture of him," I say as I hand her a picture of Jack. It''s from a few years ago, but he looks almost the same now. She types on the computer.


    Come on! Was he here or not? She looks at the picture, then at the computer. She turns the computer to me. A newer photo of Jack is on the screen.


    "Is this him?" she asks.


    "Yes, that''s my brother. Where is he?" I say with tears in my eyes.


    "He currently is boarding a flight to California," she says.


    "Okay, we have to get on that plane!" I say.


    "The plane is already at full capacity. There''s nothing I can do," she says.


    He wouldn''t have gotten on a plane without us. I know he wouldn''t.


    "You don''t understand. That''s my twin brother! I have to get on that plane!" I say.


    "Everyone says they have to get on the plane but can they all? No, sit down, and wait like everybody else," she says.


    "Fine. How long until the next flight then?" I ask.


    "Well the plane has to get there, get fuel, and come back. It''s going to be a while," she says.


    I sit down. It''s going to be hours before we get anywhere. I hate waiting! Jack is always more patient than me. Even though we''re twins, we couldn''t be more different.


    "We have received information that a person in this airport is infected. Don''t panic we are handling the situation," I hear over the speaker.


    Everyone panics, even though they were told not to. I see a man in the corner eating another person.


    "We need to hide! Now!" I say to Jade.


    We get up and run into the bathroom. We hear screams, then gunfire. After ten minutes, the screams and gunfire finally stop.


    "We have room for ten more people on the flight that is headed to California," I hear over the speakers.


    "We have to go. We can make it!" I say.


    "It''s not safe," Jade says. I pull the door open.


    "It''s our only chance!" I step outside.


    There''s blood everywhere. There''s a few people who survived the zombie attack. We run towards the plane. We''re checked for infection at the entrance and found negative.


    We sit down. We made it! We are on our way. I look to my left and see Jack sitting across the aisle from us. He''s okay!


    "Jack? I''m so glad you''re here!" I hug him.


    "Iris, I thought you were dead! When I got here, they forced me onto the plane," Jack says.


    I sit back down. Me and Jack talk for almost an hour. He says that he had to run from ten zombies. I look out my window. I see collapsed cities and destroyed towns. I wonder how many people are still alive. I know the number must be small.


    I fall asleep. Jade shakes me awake hours later.


    "We made it," she says.


    We get into a truck with some other people. We finally arrive after twenty minutes of driving.


    There''s a tall cement wall surrounding a community with small houses. It''s the size of a small town. I get out and go up to the entrance.


    A person stands at the entrance. He checks to make sure no one is infected before we get inside. There''s a large garden area in the center. If they can grow their own food, that''s a big bonus. There are lots of houses, too.


    On the radio, we were promised a zombie free city, but honestly, I''ll settle for just this. I''m sure Jack and Jade will be fine with it, too.


    A man with brown hair greets us.


    "I''m Daniel, one of the safe house leaders. I hope you''ll like living here. We not only have a garden here, but we also have a greenhouse on the other side of the safe house. We don''t scavenge often, but we do find a good amount of stuff out there. So don''t worry about the food supply."


    "Good, it''s nice to not worry about food all the time," I say.


    "You three will have to work. Everyone here has to work. It''s mainly how we keep things running. You can help take care of the crops, you can help in the hospital we have, or you can go on food runs. All of this makes it easier for everybody else here," Daniel says.


    "How many people currently live here?" I ask.


    "Five hundred-thirty-six and we are still waiting for more to come later today," he says.


    "How do you keep the dead out? They can easily scale those walls," I say.


    "We have people watching and killing them," he says. "Anyways it''s late. You guys are in the house down by the garden, it''s the blue one. It has the number two-ninety-two on it," he hands me a key.


    I explore a bit before I go to the house. Jade and Jack are decorating the house when I arrive.


    "Don''t get too comfortable. We still need to make sure this place is safe. We aren''t out of the woods yet," I warn.


    "Why not decorate though? This place is...ugly," Jade says.


    "I know...has anyone seen your bite mark?" I say.


    "Bite mark?" Jack asks.


    "When we were in the grocery store Jade was bit. She''s immune though."


    "How come, no one told me? How come, I''m the last to know?" Jack asks. "People can be immune?"


    "Yeah, and I''m one of them. Apparently one in ten million is immune. Just don''t tell anyone here I was bit. I don''t know how they would react," Jade says.


    "I can''t believe they''re feeding everyone here with those gardens," I say.


    "Yeah, and even if one of those gardens is destroyed, they aren''t going to have much food to feed people with,"Jade says.


    I look around the house. It has one floor, but it''s only the three of us, so space really isn''t a concern. It''s bigger than that stupid bunker we spent half our lives in. Being in that bunker was worse than anything. We had barely anything to do. We only had a few books. We mostly just talked about our pasts.


    Anne stayed in her room most the time though. We only knew her name. In all ten years we lived there that''s all we learned about her. She was weird.


    When we did go outside, which wasn''t very often, I''d try to bring back stuff to entertain us. I''m so glad to finally be out of there.


    "Hey, do we know if we have electricity?" I ask.


    "We didn''t think to ask," Jade says.


    "We just assumed we don''t," Jack says. There''s three bedrooms, one bathroom, a small living room, and a small kitchen. It''s not the biggest, but we''ll manage.


    I go into one of the bedrooms. The walls are painted light pink. There''s a closet, a bed, and a nightstand next to the bed. I open the closet. There''s plenty of clothes inside for all of us. I want this to be my room. I don''t really like the color pink, but it''s a nice shade.


    I go back to the living room. Jade is now painting the walls a light blue like the outside. I grab a paintbrush and help. Jack walks over to the kitchen.


    I hear a knock at the door. I open the door. It''s Daniel.


    "Hey, I just wanted to tell you we have electricity, so you guys can use the oven, fridge, and lights but keep the use to a minimum. We get the electricity from solar panels so don''t keep the lights on too long."


    "Okay. Thanks for telling us." I close the door.


    Jack starts cooking canned soup on the stove. I can''t remember the last time I ate something that wasn''t from a can. I switch the lights on. It''s seven o''clock at night. We eat and then Jade and Jack go to sleep. I stay up the whole night. I don''t trust these people here, yet.

 Chapter 3: Iris

    It''s been two weeks since we arrived. We are doing great. We help out by planting vegetables in the garden. I head into the kitchen. Jack is standing by the counter.


    He turns around. "Look what Daniel brought us!"


    A carton of eggs, a loaf of bread, and assorted fruit are sitting on the counter.


    "That''s great!"


    Jack starts cooking some eggs.


    Jade is sitting on the couch.


    "Hey, Daniel also brought by our clothes," she says.


    I take the basket by the front door and sort out the clothes. This place feels like home now. I sit on the couch with Jade. Jack comes out from the kitchen and places our plates on the coffee table in front of us. He made toast and scrambled eggs.


    We eat, and then Jade and I go outside. Today we need to help scavenge food from nearby houses. We''re headed out with ten others are headed out now.


    As we drive, I see all kinds of animals.


    "Do animals get infected?" I ask.


    "They know not to hang around the dead but sometimes they do get infected," Daniel says.


    The truck stops. There are five buildings ahead. One is a grocery store. The other four are houses. Jade and me go into the grocery store. We walk through the store, passing the registers.


    I hear a child crying. I pull out my pistol.


    I walk towards the sound with my gun ready. I see a woman behind the counter. She''s holding a child who has a bite mark on his arm.


    "Don''t kill him!" the woman yells.


    "I wasn''t going to," I say.


    "Those people from the fort killed my daughter and my husband, when they were bit. They were immune and they shot them! Don''t take my son. He''s immune, too. He''ll be fine. Just leave...you can take some food but leave us some," the woman says frantically.


    "I won''t take your son," I say. "I''m not like that."


    "You said the people from the fort? Did you mean the people from the safe house?" Jade asks.


    "Yes, they don''t care if a person is immune, they still kill them or take them away," the woman says.


    Jade looks worried.


    "Just don''t tell them about the bite," I tell her. Jade starts getting the food while I sit with the woman.


    "You said they take them. Where exactly do they take them?" I ask.


    "I don''t know...somewhere far away. Probably to be killed," she says. "No one knows where exactly they take them. I saw the bite mark on your friend''s arm...you need to get out of there before they see it, too."


    I don''t want to leave, but if what this woman is saying is true, Jade is in danger. I need to protect Jade and Jack as much as I can. I''m the leader of our small group, and a leader is supposed to make sure everyone is safe.


    "I understand. I''ll figure something out," I say.


    "Don''t let them take someone else," the woman says.


    "I won''t, I promise," I say.


    "Alright, I took most of the food here, but I did leave some for you," Jade says to the woman.


    "Thank you. You two are the only kind people I''ve met in the last ten years," the woman says.


    I get up. We walk out of the store. I see a horde running towards us.


    "I''ll get the others you start up that truck!" Jade says.


    "Be fast!" I say.


    I run to the truck. I look around for the keys. I look in the glove boxes and the center console. Jade gets in the passenger''s seat. She hands me the keys.


    "Everyone is in the truck! Drive now!" Jade says.


    I hit the gas. I see the horde following in the rear view mirror.


    "Faster!" Jade yells.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "I''m going a hundred miles per hour, if I go any faster I''ll crash," I say.


    "We need to get rid of some of those zombies," Jade says. She crawls into the back of the truck.


    "I found a rifle!" she says.


    "Use it then!" I yell. I hear gunfire.


    The passenger''s side door opens. A person with enlarged pupils gets in. He grabs my arm. I start swerve off the road, zigzagging from left to right. I punch the zombie in the face. I find a pistol on the ground. I grab it and shoot the zombie. I push the zombie out the open door.


    "What was that?" Jade yells.


    "A zombie got in. I had to shoot it," I say.


    "You''re not bit, right?" Jade asks.


    "No, I''m fine," I say.


    I finally drive to the safe house. I get out of the truck. We lost the horde a few miles ago. That horde had about five hundred zombies. That was a close call.


    I walk into our house. Jack isn''t here. I look at my arm. There''s blood all over it.


    Did that zombie bite me? Please, tell me it didn''t! I run to the sink. I grab a bottle of water and pour it on my arm. The blood washes off, revealing a bite mark.


    It bit me. Jack opens the door. I can''t let him see. I run to the bathroom. I wrap a bandage around the bite. I cover the bandage with my shirt sleeve. I''m not going to tell them. Once a person shows symptoms, that means they aren''t immune. If I do show symptoms, I''ll leave but if I don''t, I''ll stay. I go back into the living room.


    "Are you alright? You ran into the bathroom when I came in," Jack says.


    "I''m fine. I just wanted to get something from the bathroom," I lie.


    "So what did you two find out there?" Jack asks.


    "A horde! A giant horde followed us!" Jade says.


    "You guys didn''t get bit though, right?" Jack asks.


    "No," Jade says.


    "Uh, yeah, we''re both fine," I say.


    I find Daniel outside planting vegetables in the garden.


    "That horde could easily take over this place. We need to defeat it," I say.


    "And how would we defeat this horde?" he asks.


    "I could do it. I''ve done it before," I say.


    "Are you serious? You''re going to defeat the horde? No. I''m not letting you go out there and get killed. Let the adults handle this," he says.


    "Come on. Give me and Jade a truck, a few guns, and we can do this," I say.


    "Fine, if you think you can do this go right ahead."


    I''m surprised he said that. He probably thinks I''m going to back out. I have defeated a horde once, when I was fifteen. There wasn''t as many zombies as there is in this horde, but I''m pretty sure I can do it again.


    I go back into the house. I notice my bite wound has bled through the bandage already. I go into the bathroom and change the bandages. I walk back into the living room.


    "Jade, I''m going to defeat the horde. I could use some help," I say.


    "Sure, I''ll go," she says.


    We drive out and view the horde from a distance.


    "You told Daniel you can do this?" Jade asks.


    "Yes."


    "I don''t know now. There''s more of them. Now there''s at least a thousand," Jade says. I grab the assault rifle.


    "We can do this," I say.


    I start shooting at the horde. Jade starts shooting, too. The horde notices and runs in our direction. We get into the truck.I get into the back and start shooting at the horde. I kill thirty zombies before I have to reload. I keep shooting. Finally, after ten minutes, about half the horde is left.


    Suddenly, the truck is flipped over. I hit my head and pass out. I wake up a few hours later. I''m on the ground.


    "Jade?" I yell. I go over the the front of the truck. The truck is upside down. I see Jade passed out in the driver''s seat. I hear zombies approaching. I open the driver side door. I pull Jade out.


    "Wake up!" I say shaking her.


    Her eyes open.


    "We have to go!" I yell.


    "What happened?" Jade asks.


    "The truck crashed!" I say.


    She closes her eyes.


    I look at my bite mark. The skin around it is turning a grey color. I hear a car approaching us. I pull Jade behind the truck and hide with her. Please, let this be Daniel or someone from the safe house. I hear the car stop and the door open.


    I lost my pistol in the crash. I pull out my knife. The person walks over to us. It''s a man.


    "I''m from the safe house. Daniel sent me," the man says.


    Thank God it''s not somebody else.


    "We need to get back to the safe house," I say.


    Jade wakes up again. I pull her up and get her into the man''s car. Jade passes out again.


    I get in the passenger''s seat. He starts driving. When he''s not looking, I check the bite again. It stopped bleeding finally, but it''s turning grey which is not a great sign. I don''t feel well, either. I''m burning up. We make it back to the safe house. I take Jade to the infirmary. They have it set up in a small home. While they check on her, I go back to the house. Jack runs to me as soon as I open the door.


    "Are you alright? Where''s Jade? I heard about the crash," Jack says.


    I don''t think I''m going to be alive much longer with this bite.


    "Im fine, Jade seems okay," I lie to him.


    "I was afraid the zombies got to you after the crash. I''m so glad you''re alive!" Jack says while hugging me.


    Should I tell him? I don''t want to, but then I feel like I have to. Jade walks in a few minutes later.


    "Are you okay?" I ask her.


    "Yeah, I''m fine," she says. Jack starts cooking canned soup. I go to the bathroom. I''m very pale. I''m guessing I have at least twelve hours left give or take.


    I don''t know what to do. Should I tell them? What would they do if I did? I know Jack would be an absolute wreck. Maybe I could tell Jade? I throw up in the toilet. It''s a black color. I start to panic. What is wrong with me? Is this normal for an infected person? Am I turning? I must be. I have so many questions that can''t be answered!


    I hear a knock on the bathroom door.


    "Iris, are you okay?"


    Jack must have heard me throw up.


    "Yeah, I''m fine," I say. I flush the toilet and I leave the bathroom. I eat and sit in my room. Jade walks in.


    "Are you alright?" she asks. She closes the door.


    "No...I''m infected," I say crying. She''s shocked by it. Was telling her the right thing to do?


    "How?" she asks.


    "When we were driving from that grocery store and a zombie got in the truck, that''s when it bit me. I didn''t know until after I had got home," I say. She hugs me.


    "What do I do? What do I tell Jack?" I ask.


    "I don''t know, but whatever happens I will help you through it all," she says.


    Jack knocks on the door.


    "Give me a minute," I say.


    "This can''t wait, Iris!" Jack says.


    I run to the door and open it. What could be this important?


    "What?" I yell at him.


    "We need to leave now!" Jack says.


    "What? Why?" Jade asks.


    "The horde is coming! It''s bigger and it''s going to attack. Daniel says we have to leave," Jack says frantically.


    Are you kidding me? Why can''t we ever just have one day where nothing bad happens?


    I run back into my room. I grab all my clothes and stuff them in my backpack. I know I''m not going to be alive much longer, but these clothes are Jade''s size. Jack and Jade have all their stuff. We run out the door. I can''t believe this.


    We run as fast as we can. I don''t feel like I can run much longer. I don''t even know where we are going. I feel dizzy and sick again. I fall over.


    "Iris!" Jack yells. I pass out. I wake up a few hours later. Jack is holding me. We are in a shack.


    "Where are we?" I ask


    "Why didn''t you tell me?" Jack cries.


    "What? Tell you what?" I ask sitting up.


    "You were infected, and you didn''t tell me! Why not?" he says.


    "Because I didn''t want to upset you," I say. "I knew I should have told you, but I didn''t want to upset you especially if it was nothing!"


    "Are you immune?" he asks.


    "No...how long was I passed out for?" I ask.


    "Five hours," Jade says.


    I look in the mirror. My skin is slowly turning grey. My veins are a very bright blue, brighter than usual. I don''t have much time left. I''m thinking at most, an hour.


    "Let''s go! The more time we waste here is less time we could have had traveling," I say.


    "She''s right," Jade says.


    We continue on. Jack is holding me as we walk. I''m freezing now.


    "Is anyone else cold?" I ask.


    "No," Jack says. He pulls a blanket out of his bag and wraps it around me. It''s somewhat better.


    "Jack, I don''t have much time. I want you to know that l love you and that no matter what, I will always be with you. Jade, please protect Jack. I know you can keep him safe. Promise me you will protect him," I say.


    "Iris, don''t give up. Keep fighting," Jack says.


    "I promise you that I will protect Jack with my life," Jade says.


    "Jack, I don''t have a choice! If I could keep fighting, I would. Just listen to what I have to say!" I fall over. I can''t move. This is the end for me. I have no control over my body, whatsoever.

 Chapter 4: Death

    Iris has her eyes closed. She''s close to death. Jack is crying and holding onto her. I try pulling him away.


    "Jack we need to go. She''s going to turn." I yell.


    "No. I''m not leaving her," he says.


    I finally manage to pull him away. Iris or what used to be her gets up. She stumbles away growling. My best friend is one of them now. I know I should kill her so she doesn''t hurt anyone else, but I just can''t bring myself to do it.


    We had been friends since we were eight. I miss her. I need to be strong for Jack. Jack must be wrecked. I am, too. I didn''t want this to happen. She didn''t deserve this. No one does. I know we shouldn''t have left the bunker!


    If we didn''t, she''d still be alive. I wish she said something sooner. Maybe we could have done something. I know it might be a long shot, but maybe someone could have helped her. Maybe given her more time.


    Now I need to protect Jack. I can''t let him get hurt. I''m not going to break that promise. I will try my hardest for her. Jack and I start walking. Where do we go now? What do we do? I feel so lost without Iris. She was our leader for weeks. She always knew what to do. I hope I can be a good leader like she was. I see a car up ahead. I go over to it. The keys are in still in the ignition. I try to open the driver''s side door. Of course, it''s locked.


    I pick up a rock and throw it at one of the back windows. I unlock the door. I get into the front. I grab the keys. I start the car up. It''s got half a tank of gas. It won''t get us that far, but it''ll help.


    "Let''s take this," I say. Jack gets in. I start driving. After a half hour of aimless driving, I see a camp. A woman walks up to the car. I roll down the window.


    "Hey, do you guys need a place to stay?" the woman asks. Her eyes are normal.


    "Yes, can we stay here? We''ll only be here a little bit," I say.


    "Yeah, pull the car in," she says.


    She opens the gate and we drive in.


    "Are you sure about this?" Jack asks.


    "No, but if things go wrong, I will protect us," I say.


    I get out of the car. The woman comes back over.


    "Where are you two from?" asks.


    "We were at the safe house, but we had to leave," I say.


    "I heard about that. So, are you two siblings? You look similar," she says.


    "No, his sister...died," I say.


    "Oh, I''m sorry! I didn''t know," she says.


    She gives us two bowls of beef stew.


    "We just ate," I say. She puts the soup back.


    "Hey, I was hungry," Jack whispers.


    "Who knows what''s in that stew," I say. The woman comes back.


    "So, are you two staying with us?" she asks.


    "Yes, for now at least," I say. "Once we are ready, we are going to leave though."


    She shows us a tent and tells us that we will be sleeping there. I only plan to stay until tonight, then we leave. We go to sleep a few minutes later. I have trouble falling asleep for a bit, but then I finally do sleep.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I wake up at six am. I get up and explore the camp a bit. I need to know my surroundings before anything else. Jack is still sleeping. I go back to the tent. Jack is up now. He''s holding a picture. I notice it''s a picture of him, Iris and I. I remember that day. I found a camera in the bunker. We took a few pictures together but the film ran out after that.


    "Hey, I was thinking we should leave soon," I say.


    "Alright, let''s go then," he says.


    We get back in the car and drive on the road. I didn''t like that camp. I just wanted to stay for a bit. I didn''t feel all that safe either.


    "Do we have any food?" I ask.


    "No," Jack says.


    "We are going to need food and water," I say.


    After ten minutes, I pull into a house driveway. We get out. I grab my pistol. We walk inside. The house is small. Jack looks over the island in the middle of the kitchen. He jumps back just as a person rises from behind the island and grabs his arm.


    "Hey! Let go of him!" I yell pointing my gun at him.


    "This isn''t a person! It''s a zombie!" Jack says.


    I need to get the zombie away from Jack. The zombie pulls Jack towards him. I shoot the zombie in the arm, but it has no effect. I shoot him again and nothing. I run at the zombie and push him over. The zombie growls and tries to bite me. I hold the zombie down.


    "Jade! There''s more of them!" Jack yells.


    "Get to the car!" I yell.


    Suddenly someone pulls me off the zombie. It''s another zombie. Jack grabs my pistol off of the floor and shoots the one holding me. The shot nearly misses me. My ears ring. The zombie holding me falls. I run to Jack who is on the other side of the kitchen. More of them flood into the tiny room. One tries convincing me he''s not a zombie.


    "Get to the car!" I yell again.


    We run to the door as the undead chase us across the house. I get the keys to the car ready. Jack pushes the front door open. I unlock the car with the button on the key. I open the driver side door and get in. Jack opens the passenger''s side door and gets in. He starts to close the door when a zombie starts opening it.


    "Shut the door!" I yell.


    The zombie grabs Jack''s hand and pulls him. I start the car. I get out and stab the zombie in the eye. I rip my knife out and the zombie falls. I get back in the car and drive as fast as I can.


    "We barely got out," I say.


    "Oh no...," Jack says staring at his arm. I look over. Blood is all over his arm and his seat.


    "It''s just blood...maybe it''s not a bite," I say.


    "But where would this blood come from?" Jack says frantically.


    "Maybe you cut yourself by accident," I say. He grabs a bottle of water.


    "Pull over for a second," he says. I pull over. He gets out and pours water on his arm.


    "No, no, no!" he yells. I go over to him.


    "One of them got me," says.


    I look at his arm. There is bloody teeth marks by his wrist. I start to panic. We just lost Iris we can''t have this now! I promised her I''d protect him and I failed! How could I let this happen? Why did I let this happen? I know I shouldn''t be blaming myself but how can I not? I was right there and I still couldn''t protect him!


    "Let''s just get in the car and go," I say.


    "But I''m bit," he says.


    "I don''t care. We need to stick together...no matter what!" I say. "Let''s just go!"


    We get back in the car.


    "I hope I''m immune like you," Jack says.


    "I hope so, too," I say.


    I start driving. I notice we are low on gas. I see a gas station ahead. I pull in. I grab my pistol.


    "Stay here," I say to Jack. He nods.


    I get out of the car. I open the door. None of the lights are working. I reach for the light switch. The light switch is wet and sticky. I flick the lights on. There''s blood on the light switch, my hands, and all over the floor. The blood is smeared on the floor.


    I get ready to shoot. I follow the blood trail which leads to a small broom closet. I see a woman my age on the floor holding a gunshot wound in her abdomen. She has black hair and brown eyes. She looks at me, staring into my eyes.


    "Help me, please! One of those infected shot me. I need help," she says.


    "I don''t have any medical supplies. How can I help?" I say kneeling next to her.


    "There''s a broken down ambulance a few miles away. I need you to take me there," she says.


    I help her up. I bring her to the car. I give her a shirt to hold on the wound. I start driving again.


    "Who is she?" Jack asks.


    "Someone we''re helping. So, where''s the ambulance?" I say.


    "Just keep driving straight and you''ll see it," The woman says.


    I start driving.


    "Who shot you?" Jack asks looking in the rear view mirror.


    "A zombie. He had a gun. I thought he wasn''t going to pull the trigger. I was wrong," she says.


    Jack looks shocked.


    "I''ve never heard of them shooting someone," Jack says.


    "Jack, are you alright?" I ask.


    "No, I have a fever and I feel really sick," he replies.


    I see the ambulance after a few minutes.


    "I''m Elizabeth by the way," the woman says.


    "I''m Jade and this is Jack," I say.


    I pull over. Elizabeth goes over to the ambulance.


    "Do you need help?" I ask.


    "No, I got this. My mom was a paramedic. It came in handy," Elizabeth says.


    Jack steps out of the car and throws up. It''s a black color. What the hell? Why is it black?


    "Are you okay?" I ask.


    "No," he says.


    Elizabeth finishes fixing her wound after about twenty minutes. We all get back into the truck. Elizabeth lays down in the backseat.


    "Where should we go?" I ask.


    "I don''t know. I''m not immune. How much longer do you think I have?" Jack says.


    "Let''s just drive and we''ll see what we see," I say. He nods.


    "It''s weird, you think I''d be happy to die, but I''m scared. What if there is nothing after I die? What if it''s just...nothing? What if I don''t see Iris after I die? I don''t want to die today," he says.


    "I''m sorry. We should have stayed at that camp. I feel like this is all my fault,"  I say.


    "Pull over," he says. I pull over. He gets out and throws up again. He falls over.


    "Jack!" I say.


    I run over to him. I roll him onto his back. His eyes open. He has enlarged pupils. I can''t bring myself to kill him. I get back in the car. I''m crying.


    "What''s wrong, Jade?" Elizabeth asks.


    "My friend''s brother...he turned," I say. She leans over and hugs me. How can I keep going after this?

 Chapter 5: Miles To Travel

    I wipe tears from my eyes


    "I don''t even know where to go from here," I say.


    "Would you mind if you took me to my parents'' house?" she asks.


    "Sure, I''ll take you. Where do they live?" I say.


    "Emerald street. It''s a eight hour drive from here. I''ll guide you," she says. I failed Iris. I failed Jack. I should have kept them safe.


    "Tell me about your family," I say.


    "They''re nice. My cousin Lisa is supposed to be with them. When this all started she was visiting. I have younger sisters, their twins. I miss them so much.Then there''s my parents: my mother was a paramedic before all this. My dad was a doctor. They both taught me everything I know about how to help someone medically. Tell me about your family," she says.


    "I never had a family. I was in foster care. I met Iris and Jack at school. They were like a brother and sister to me. When this all happened, they were the ones I looked to for help," I say.


    The sun starts rising. A few minutes go by and then I see two kids on the side of the road. It''s a boy and a girl. They are waving their arms to get our attention.


    "Pull over. They need help," Elizabeth says.


    "I don''t know...what if they are infected? Or with another group and trying to set a trap for us?" I say.


    "But what if they aren''t? Are you really going to drive away and leave them?" Elizabeth says.


    I pull over. The kids are pulling on the back door handle trying to get in. I roll the window down an inch.


    "Hey! Stop it!" I yell.


    They stop. I look at their eyes. They''re not infected. I wonder where they came from.


    "Why are you two out here alone?" Elizabeth asks.


    "Where we were staying was taken over by the zombies. We just need a ride to our grandparents'' house. Can you please take us?" the boy pleads.


    "Where''s your grandparents'' house?" Elizabeth asks.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Emerald street. It''s about a eight hour drive," the girl says.


    "Give us a second to talk," I say. I roll up the window. I turn to Elizabeth.


    "What do you want to do?" I ask.


    "They''re kids, we shouldn''t leave them. We should take them with us. They''re going where we are, so why not?" Elizabeth says. I roll down the window.


    "Get in," I say.


    They get in the backseat. I start driving again. I first drove a car when I was thirteen. Me and Iris found a working truck on a run. Needless to say we crashed, but we both learned how to drive...eventually. I''m not too good at it, but it''s not like there are other cars on the road or even laws to uphold. Iris was a way better driver than I was.


    "What are your names?" Elizabeth says.


    "I''m Alex and this is my brother Jake," The girl says.


    "I''m Elizabeth and this is Jade," Elizabeth says.


    "How old are you two?"


    "I''m eleven and she''s ten," Jake says.


    "Where are your parents?" Elizabeth asks.


    "We don''t know. One day they went off on a run and never came back. Our house was attacked by the zombies one day, so we had to leave. We don''t know if they are still alive or not," Jake says.


    These kids seem...suspicious in a way. I don''t trust them just yet. I know they''re just kids, but who knows if they are working with a larger group to draw survivors in.


    What if they aren''t even human? What if they are zombies who somehow figured out a way to hide their eyes? Elizabeth seems to trust them...more than she should. I have seen first hand that you should never trust anyone.


    I continue driving. I look in the rear view mirror every few minutes. I''m checking to make sure no one is following us. I know their probably isn''t going to be anyone, but I still check.


    "You seem...paranoid," Elizabeth says.


    "Uh, yeah...I just am trying to make sure no one is following us. I know it sounds odd, but I''m just making sure," I say.


    "Let me drive. I actually have a license to drive unlike you," she says.


    After a few hours Elizabeth is now driving. I see a small store in the distance. Maybe we should stop there.


    "Pull in there. We are going to need food and water."


    After a few minutes of driving, we reach the store. I get out of the car. I count my bullets: ten. Better make my shots count. I open the door with my gun drawn. I slowly walk towards the shelves. I quietly step through the store.


    I hear a crashing sound behind the counter. I turn quickly to the sound. I peek over the counter to see a raccoon eating out of a garbage can. He looks at me and runs out the door. I grab some canned food and get back to the car.


    "Did you find anything?" Elizabeth asks.


    "Not much. Some canned food and a few bottles of water," I say. She starts driving again.


    "How much gas do we have left?" I ask.


    "Half a tank. It won''t get us all the way, but it will get us a long way," Elizabeth says.


    Suddenly an explosion tosses the truck back. The truck is now upside down. A woman pulls Elizabeth out of the car. The kids are then pulled out of the car. It all happens so fast I can barely react.


    "Jake! Alex!" I yell. I unbuckle myself and try crawling out but someone grabs my leg. The person starts pulling me out. I grab onto on of the seats. I kick at the person.


    "Let go!" the person yells. The person pulls me out. I grab my gun and point it at the three people holding Alex, Jake, and Elizabeth.


    "Let them go!" I say. "We didn''t do anything to you!"


    "We are not letting go of our dinner," one of them says. They''re not zombies, they''re...cannibals!


    "You are sick!" Elizabeth yells.


    "I''ll give you all our food, if you let them go," I say.


    "No, This isn''t a negotiation," the man says.


    "Let them go or I''ll shoot all of you," I say. The man pulls out a gun and points it at Elizabeth.


    "You really want to threaten us? Choose your next words carefully," he says.


    "Don''t shoot her!" I say.


    "Then lower your weapon slowly," he says.


    "Don''t do it!" Elizabeth yells.


    I lower my gun.


    "Now put it on the ground and kick it to me," the man says. No way! I''m not doing that!


    "No," I say.


    "Really? Well, then I guess your friend dies," he says. I have no choice here. I put the gun on the ground and kick it to him.


    "Don''t kill her," I beg. Someone hits me over the head with a wooden plank. I fall over. Everything''s blurry. I pass out.

 Chapter 6: Escape

    I wake up. I''m tied to a tree. I don''t see the cannibals. Elizabeth is next to me unconscious. Alex and Jake are tied to trees in front of me. We are in the woods. It''s nighttime now. There''s a campfire to the left of us. We need to get out of here now! Who knows how long until the cannibals show up.


    "We need to escape," Jake says.


    "Yeah, we do," Alex says. My head still hurts.


    "Where are we?" I ask.


    "Those cannibals took us here," Jake says.


    "Is Elizabeth okay?" I ask.


    "Yeah, they knocked her out, too," Alex says. I hear footsteps all around. Jake looks scared.


    "They''re back," he says.


    The cannibals walk over to us.


    "Which one do we cook first?" a woman asks.


    "How about the boy?" another man suggests.


    "I don''t care who we cook as long as we start soon," another person says rubbing his hands together.


    "Let''s cook the boy," the woman says.


    "No! Don''t do this!" Jake yells. They untie Jake and tie him above the fire. Elizabeth wakes up.


    "Let go of him!" I yell.


    "Let go of my brother!" Alex yells.


    "He''s just a kid!" Elizabeth yells. "Don''t do this!"


    One of them comes towards me.


    "Back off!" I say.


    He turns around. A small knife falls from his back pocket. I use my foot to slide it to me. I pick the knife up. I cut myself lose. I stab the man in the head. He falls over. The other cannibals run when they see me. I untie Jake and put out the fire.


    "Those damn freaks tried to cook me!" Jake says.


    "We need to move now!" I say. I untie the others.


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    "We had to worry about zombies eating us, now people! What is this world coming to?" Elizabeth says.


    "People get desperate when they want to survive," I say. We move through the dense forest.


    "How long will it take us to get there now?" Jake asks.


    "Weeks, maybe months, if we move on foot," Elizabeth says.


    We finally reach a road. There''s a black car parked in front of a gas station. It''s in perfect condition. No one would just leave a car like that.


    "Look! We could use the car," Jake says.


    "It''s in good condition, too, which means it was parked there recently," I say. This is...suspicious though.


    "So then what do we do? Do we leave or take it?" Elizabeth asks.


    "I''ll go and check it out. You guys stay here," I say.


    The others stay back as I sneak to the car. The car doors are unlocked. I see the keys on the driver seat. I feel a hand grab my ankle. I look down to see a zombie. His eyes are red. He pulls me down to the ground. My gun lands feet away from me. I try reaching for it. I can''t grab it. It''s too far. The zombie is biting at my leg. Suddenly, I hear a bang and the zombie is dead. I crawl away. I see Jake pointing my gun at the zombie.


    "Thanks," I say. He hands me the gun.


    Elizabeth and Alex are standing behind Jake.


    "I''m going to go in the gas station. You three get the car ready," I say.


    "No, we should get a move on. If there was one zombie here that means there''s probably more." Elizabeth says.


    "And pass up life saving supplies? No way," I say.


    "Fine, but be careful," she says.


    I go inside. I look around. I see bloody handprints on the walls. This isn''t good. I then hear screaming.Outside zombies surround the car. I run to the car. I shoot the zombie by the passenger''s side door. I get in the passenger''s seat. The zombies bang on the windows.


    "Let us in!" One of the zombies yells. He presses his face on my window. It freaks me out.


    "Drive!" I yell. She speeds out of the parking lot. A zombie is on the hood of the car.


    "How do we get this thing off?" Elizabeth yells.


    "I don''t know!" I say.


    I roll the window down and shoot the zombie. The zombie falls off and rolls to the side of the road. I open the glove box. A map falls out. I look at it. We are six hours from Emerald street.


    "We are six hours from Emerald street," I say.


    "Good! I can''t wait to get to back home," Elizabeth says.


    "I can''t wait to see our grandparents!" Alex says.


    "How old are they?" I ask.


    "Eighty-two and ninety," Jake says.


    I don''t think they are alive. This virus has taken young, healthy people. I doubt they survived long. I look out the window. I wonder how many people are even still alive.


    "Hey, have you ever seen a zombie with red eyes?" I ask.


    "No...that''s odd." Elizabeth says.


    "I saw one a long time ago," Jake says.


    Are the zombies mutating? What does this mean? For us and the zombies? Will we see more with red eyes?


    I hear the kids scream. Elizabeth slams on the brakes. I hit my head on the dashboard. I pull out my gun. I look in the back.


    A zombie who must have hid in the trunk has torn through the seat between Jake and Alex. Jake unlocks the door and jumps out. The zombie grabs Alex''s arm and is trying to bite her. I unbuckle my seatbelt and and crawl into the back. I stab the zombie in the eye. The zombie yanks the knife out and tries to stab me. I back away. He grabs my gun. I hold the hand that has the gun down.


    "Alex, unbuckle yourself!" Elizabeth yells.


    "I can''t!" Alex yells.


    The zombie has his hand over the seatbelt release button. I push the zombies head down into the seat. The zombie growls. I unbuckle Alex. She jumps out of the car. I stab the zombie again and again until he stops moving. I get out of the car and sit on the ground. Elizabeth drags the body out of the car.


    "That damn thing was waiting in the trunk!" I say.


    "We are all fine though," Elizabeth says.


    "That thing tried to shoot me! He took my knife, too!" I say. I get up.


    I grab a dish rag from my bag and clean the backseat down as much as I can. The zombie was covered in dirt and blood and got it all over the car. I try pouring a little water on the seats but that just smears it more. We all get in the car again.


    I start driving. We have almost a full tank of gas. It''s twelve in the morning. I can''t believe it''s only twelve. Just this morning, I met the kids in the back. When I met them, I was a bit scared. I didn''t know if they had weapons or not. Now I''m protecting them with my life. I met Elizabeth only last night and we have helped each other so much. It never occurred to me that I''m in a car full of strangers...but they feel like family now.


    "Turn left when you see the next stop sign," Elizabeth says.


    I see a body lying in the road. The body has its blood and organs smeared all over the road. It makes me sick. This was the work of a zombie. I drive around the body. I see a hotel to my left.


    "Do you want to stay there for the night?" Elizabeth asks.


    "No...who knows who''s in there," I say. I continue driving.

 Chapter 7: Survival

    It''s morning. Elizabeth wakes up.


    "How much longer?" Alex asks.


    "Half an hour," I say.


    "We''re that close? Good," Elizabeth says. "Hey, what''s your grandparents address?"


    "Twenty-five-thirty three," Jake says.


    "That''s about six or seven houses away from my parents. I never knew we were that close," Elizabeth says.


    "I''m hungry," Alex says.


    "We are almost there. We''ll eat at my parents'' house," Elizabeth says.


    After a while of driving, we get to Emerald street.


    "That''s my parents'' house!" Elizabeth says pointing at a light blue house. I stop. She gets out.


    "Take them to their grandparents'' house, then come back here," Elizabeth says.


    She goes up to the door. I drive down the street.


    "There!" Alex says pointing at a light yellow house.


    I pull into the driveway. We get out. I go up to the door. I knock. No answer. I try opening the door and it''s locked.


    "There''s a back door, maybe we could try that," Alex says. We walk around to the back. I knock on the back door. No answer again. I kick the door open. Alex steps inside.


    "Stay back. We don''t know who''s here," I say. I walk through the kitchen. I hear a crunch under my foot. I look down to see a bloody bone. I then hear a scream and a growl.


    "Get to the car," I say.


    Suddenly the door in front of me swings open. A woman with blood all over her face growls and lunges towards me. I back away. It''s a zombie with red eyes.


    "Get outside!" I yell.


    I pull my gun out and run outside. The zombie follows us. Alex trips over a rock. The zombie grabs her arm as she''s getting up. Jake throws a rock at the zombie causing the zombie to run at him. I shoot the zombie in the arm. The zombie falls over. I run over and shoot the zombie in the head. Alex walks over.


    "You''re not bit, right?" I ask.


    "I''m fine...we have to find our grandparents," Alex says.


    "Fine, but I go in first, and you two stay back," I say.


    We walk into the house once again. There is a blood trail leading up the stairs. We slowly ascend the stairs.


    "Help me!" a woman screams.


    "Stay down here," I say to Alex and Jake.


    I reach the second floor. There''s a woman sitting up against the wall. She''s bleeding. She''s too young to be their grandmother.


    "Help...me. There''s another...one of those things. In that room," the woman says pointing to a bedroom.


    I walk over to the room. Alex is behind me. Jake is waiting by the top of the stairs. I go to the door. I kick it open.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Someone is sitting on the bed. The person turns around. There''s blood all over the person. I look at their eyes. It''s a zombie. The zombie leaps from the bed and lunges towards me. I quickly slam the door shut. The zombie bangs on the door.


    "Run!" I yell to Jake and Alex.


    They run downstairs. I hold the door closed. What do I do? The zombie pulls on the door almost opening it. This one is strong!


    The woman who was sitting against the wall gets up. She growls and charges towards me. She turned already? There''s a door to the left of me. I open the door and slam it shut. Both zombies bang on the door violently. What do I do here? There has to be another way out!


    I''m in a small bathroom. I lock the door. There''s a window in here. I see Alex and Jake running from three people who I''m guessing are zombies. I open the window. I climb out and stand on the porch roof. I walk towards the edge of the roof. I jump down onto the ground. I run towards the zombies.


    "Alex! Jake! Get to the car!" I yell. They run to the car. I pull out my gun and shoot the zombies. I run to the car and get in.


    "You guys okay?" I ask.


    "Yeah,"Alex says.


    "Jake, you alright?" I ask.


    "Yeah, I''m fine," he says.


    I start the car. I drive back to Elizabeth''s house. She''s sitting on the front porch with a note in her hand. I pull the car up and get out.


    "Did you find your parents?" I ask.


    She stands up.


    "No, they left a note for me. They were headed to the city. They needed some supplies so they left," she says.


    "How far is this city?" I ask.


    "A long ways. About a five hour drive," she says.


    "Then we''re going to the city," I say.


    "Are you serious?" she asks.


    "I don''t have any where else to be. I have nothing else to do. If your family is in the city, then that''s where we''ll go," I say.


    "We''ll have to gear up then," Elizabeth says. Jake rolls his window down.


    "Our grandparents'' neighbors had guns and ammo. Maybe we could try there?" Jake says.


    "Sounds like a plan," Elizabeth says.


    We get in the car and drive until Jake tells us to stop. I pull in. I put a tarp over the car. I don''t want someone to steal it. We go inside the house. I see a small kitchen area.


    "Alex, check for food in here," I say. She runs to the cabinets.


    I turn to my left and see stairs leading down.


    "They kept their guns down there," Jake says.


    Elizabeth and I go downstairs while Jake and Alex search the kitchen. There''s a rack with twenty guns down here and a shelf full of ammo.


    "These people were ready for anything. I wonder what happened to them," Elizabeth says.


    "They probably turned like millions of others. It really doesn''t matter if you''re prepared or not, becoming one of them can still happen," I say. We both grab duffel bags and stuff them with loaded guns.


    Alex stands at the top of the stairs. "There''s tons of food in the kitchen!" I toss a duffel bag up to her.


    "Put as much food as you can in here," I say.


    She runs back into the kitchen. After we finish putting the guns in the bags, I go back into the kitchen. Jake is sitting at a circular dining table.


    "The bags full!" Alex says. I walk over. Alex is digging through the cabinet.


    "Is that all of it?" I ask.


    "Yeah, we got everything," she says closing the cabinet. Elizabeth reaches the top of the stairs with both duffel bags.


    "Are we ready to go?" she asks.


    "Yeah, I think we are," I say.


    Jake and Alex go outside and get in the car. I put the duffel bag with the food and water in the backseat between Alex and Jake. I put the duffel bags with guns in the trunk. We don''t need them right now.


    Elizabeth volunteers to drive. I get in the passenger seat. I eat a protein bar. I miss the safe house. It felt like maybe that could have been home for us. I also miss Jack and Iris.


    "So what''s this city called?" I ask.


    "I can''t remember its old name, but my family called it the city of the dead, because it was crawling with zombies. I don''t know why they''d look there but we need to find them," Elizabeth says. I see sky scrapers ahead.


    "That''s the city," Elizabeth says.


    "When did they write that note?" I ask.


    "Recently," she says.


    "We might catch them while they are traveling,"


    I say.


    "I hope we do," she says.


    I see a young girl walking down the road. Elizabeth looks over at the girl.


    "That''s my cousin."she says.


    Elizabeth pulls over and walks over to the girl. They talk for a minute. Elizabeth walks over to my window which is rolled down.


    "Can she come with us, please?" Elizabeth says.


    "Yeah, sure as long as she''s not infected," I say.


    Her cousin gets in the back seat. She looks a lot like Elizabeth.


    "Hi, I''m Lisa," Elizabeth''s cousin says.


    "I''m Jade and those two back there are Alex and Jake," I say.


    "I haven''t seen many kids these days, especially so young," Lisa says.


    "Why were you walking alone?" I ask.


    "I was out on a run before Elizabeth''s parents left. They left a note for me," Lisa says.


    After a few minutes, of us talking I fall asleep. A few hours later Elizabeth shakes me awake. What now?


    "What''s wrong?" I ask.


    "We''re out of gas!" Elizabeth says.


    The sun is setting. We get out of the car and grab the bags. We start walking.


    "We need to get off the street. It''s going to be nighttime soon. I don''t want to deal with zombies in the dark," I say.


    I look around for a place to stay. I see a old house ahead. We walk up to the door. I kick the door open. It''s empty so far. I check the rest of the house. It''s clear. I put our bags down.


    There''s two bedrooms. Elizabeth and Lisa will sleep in one and Jake and Alex will sleep in the other.


    I''m not sleeping anytime soon. At any moment someone could break in. I push the couch up against the door.


    I go into the bathroom and clean my face. I go into the closet in the bathroom. I see a black hoodie with black jeans and black and white shoes. I put that on. I sit at the small table in the kitchen. I accidentally fall asleep a few minutes later.


    I wake up at six o''clock. I get the others up. We grab our things and start walking to the city. It''s raining.


    "How long until we get to the city?" I ask.


    "If we had a car, half an hour, but since we''re walking I don''t know," Elizabeth says.


    Lisa looks upset. What''s wrong with her? Lisa turns to Elizabeth.


    "Liz, do you know where my mother is? I haven''t seen her since the start of all this," Lisa says.


    "No, I don''t know. She''s probably still in Maine," Elizabeth says. We are so far from New York where the bunker was. I wonder if Jason and Anne are still alive.


    I see the city in the distance. It''s going to take forever to get there. Elizabeth sits on a bench.


    "You alright?" I ask.


    "Yeah, I''m just tired," she says. We move on.

 Chapter 8: City Of The Dead

    After a while of walking, we finally reach the city. We are moving around broken down cars. I''m afraid a hand is going to grab my leg like a few days ago.


    "Did your parents say a specific place they were going?" I ask Elizabeth.


    "Yes. They were going to a old food bank that turned into a shelter after the zombies came," she says.


    "Is this shelter even still there?"


    "My parents seemed to think so."


    Lisa screams. I run to where she is. She''s on the ground with a zombie on top of her. I shoot the zombie. Lisa pushes the dead zombie off of her. Elizabeth helps her up.


    "Did that thing bite you?" I ask. Lisa doesn''t say anything. She''s shaking.


    "Lisa! Did it bite you?" I say again. Lisa is still silent. Answer me!


    "Lisa, you''re alright?" Elizabeth asks.


    "Yeah, I''m okay."


    We move on. Lisa shouldn''t be here. She''s going to get bit.


    "Lisa can''t handle this. She shouldn''t be here. She is going to get all of us killed!" I say to Elizabeth.


    "No, she''s fine," Elizabeth says.


    "She''s obviously not," I say.


    "She''ll be fine!" Elizabeth says. "I can protect her."


    "You need to teach her how to protect herself. How to evade the zombies, how to kill the zombies, and above all survive this world," I say.


    "Don''t tell me how to take care of my cousin," Elizabeth says. Fine! Don''t teach her anything and just see where she gets.


    "How far is this shelter?" Alex asks.


    "Down the street," Elizabeth says.


    Elizabeth sees something. Elizabeth runs at a building. We follow her. She pushes the door to the building open.


    There''s a woman sitting up against a wall with a bloody bite mark on her arm. There''s a man sitting next to her. I assume these are Elizabeth''s parents. They must be.


    "Mom! Dad!" Elizabeth says running to them. She kneels next to them.


    "Are you alright?" Elizabeth asks.


    "I''m fine, Liz," Elizabeth''s mother says.


    "Where are the twins?" Elizabeth asks.


    "They are hiding in the bathroom,"The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Elizabeth''s father says.


    Elizabeth walks to the bathroom and opens the door. Two ten year old girls run to Elizabeth. They both have black hair and brown eyes like Elizabeth.


    "I''m so glad you''re both safe," Elizabeth''s hugging them.


    "Can we do this later? We need to go now! Any moment zombies could attack," I say.


    "She''s right let''s go," Elizabeth says. Elizabeth and her father help her mother up. We walk outside.


    "Stay vigilant. So far we''ve only seen one zombie, but who knows where they could be hiding," I say.


    "We''ll be fine. We just need to be quiet," Elizabeth says.


    "Is your mother immune?" I ask.


    "Yeah, she was bitten once before,"


    We walk through the city. Elizabeth stops.


    "Why''d you stop?" I ask.


    "I need to bandage her wound. It''s bleeding too much," Elizabeth says.


    "The zombies will smell the blood and come here. We need to go, then we''ll bandage it," I say.


    "If we fix it now, she''ll be better off. Just get me some bandages and we''ll move," Elizabeth says.


    "Fine, where could I get them?" I say.


    "There''s a pharmacy down the street. That''s where you might find them," Elizabeth says.


    "I''ll go with you," Jake says.


    We go down the street towards the pharmacy. I go up to the door. It''s locked. There''s a window above the door. Jake grabs a rock and tosses it at the window causing it to shatter.


    "Hey! No loud noises! Your going to draw those things here," I say.


    "Did I find a way in?" Jake says.


    "Find something to get us up to the window then," I say. He grabs a ladder and brings it over.


    I lean the ladder against the door.


    "You first," I say.


    "Why me?" Jake asks.


    "You''re the one who broke the window," I say.


    He climbs up the ladder and drops down into the pharmacy. I climb in. The shelves are knocked over. There''s blood all over the place. A zombie was here, I can tell.


    "Get ready to run," I whisper.


    I slowly walk through the pharmacy. I pull out my pistol. I slowly make my way to the counter. There''s a first aid kit on the wall. I jump over the counter and grab the first aid kit. I hear a bang.


    "Jade! There''s something in here...," Jake says.


    "Get down!" I say. He runs to the counter and jumps over it.


    "What did I say?" I yell.


    I hear footsteps. Jake hides behind me. We need to get out now!


    "Find another way out," I whisper. He stays there.


    I see someone moving around underneath the shelves. A woman crawls out from under the shelves. She has a white coat on with the hood up. She''s covered in blood.


    "Please! Don''t shoot! There''s something in here...with us. It...it bit me," the woman says.


    A man comes out from one of the rooms. He has blood all over his clothes.


    "It''s him! He bit me!" the woman yells pointing at the man.


    The man runs at the woman. I shoot the zombie in the head. He falls over.


    "Get to the door!" I say to Jake.


    We jump over the counter and run to the door. I help Jake up to the window. He climbs down the ladder. I grab the ledge of the window and start pulling myself up. A hand grabs my leg and starts pulling me down.


    "Jake! Help!" I yell. He climbs back up the ladder and grabs my hand. He helps pull me up. I kick at the hand on my leg. I hand Jake my pistol.


    "Shoot them!" I yell.


    He aims the pistol. He shoots. The hand lets go. I get out and climb down. We run back to the others.


    "What the hell took so long?" Elizabeth says.


    "We were attacked," I say handing her the first aid kit.


    She sews and bandages her mother''s bite wound. We move down the road. I see two people hunched over.


    Their clothes are torn. I hear them...eating. One looks up. It has blood dripping from its mouth. His skin is grey. They must have just turned. After weeks of being a zombie, they learn to hide their real appearances.


    Zombies mostly depend on their sense of smell. They use it to determine whether or not someone''s a zombie. They also can smell blood.


    I shoot them both in the head. They fall over. The rain begins again.


    We walk past the body the zombies were eating. Jenny and Hannah close their eyes and hold onto Elizabeth. Jake and Alex look away. The person they were eating reaches a hand out to me and growls. She turned.


    I shoot her. There is a man walking towards us.


    "Do you need help?" He asks. I look at his eyes. He''s not a zombie.


    "We''ve got it." I say.


    "I have a camp up ahead. I can take you all there." He says.


    "How far is it?" Elizabeth asks.


    "About a mile." He responds.


    If he had a camp we would''ve seen it on our way here. I look at his hands. He has blood underneath all his nails. This reminds me of Kim. The zombie in the grocery store. I slowly start to pull my gun out. The man notices. He throws me across the road. He lets out a shriek. He''s calling more zombies. I hear footsteps all around us.


    "Jake, Alex get to cover," I say.


    They get behind a car. Jenny and Hannah hide with them. Lisa crawls under a car.


    Zombies run at us from all directions. Me and Elizabeth shoot at them. They keep coming. Lisa screams. A zombie has her foot and is dragging her out from underneath the car. Elizabeth runs over and shoots the zombie. Lisa runs to me.


    "Help me!" Lisa yells. Her leg has a bleeding bite mark and it''s really torn up. She can barely stand. She leans on me. Elizabeth runs over.


    "Lisa was bitten!" I say. Elizabeth looks around, thinking.


    "Liz!" I yell bringing her back to reality. She picks Lisa up and is carrying her.


    "She''ll be fine," Elizabeth says running off.


    Jake, Alex, Jenny, and Hannah run after Elizabeth. I follow them. The zombies chase after us. I shoot them as we run. They just keep coming. They don''t tire out unlike us.

 Chapter 9: Shelter

    We finally reach the house we stayed at last night. We lost the zombies after miles of running. I sit on the ground for a minute. We''re all tired and drenched from the rain. Jake hands me a bottle of water.


    "Thanks," I say. Lisa is sleeping in Elizabeth''s arm.


    "If Lisa turns, you know what we have to do," I say.


    "She''ll be fine," Elizabeth says. I stand up.


    "Even if she is immune, you still need to be careful. Those things could have ripped her apart," I say.


    "Just stop it!" Elizabeth yells.


    Lisa wakes up. She walks over to the side of the house. She leans against it. She throws up. It''s the same black color that Jack and Iris had thrown up before they turned.


    "That''s not good," I say. Lisa sways then falls over. Elizabeth picks her up. We go inside. Elizabeth lays Lisa on the couch.


    "We need to do something about Lisa," I say.


    "Jade! Just stop! You don''t know anything about this! You don''t know how this virus works," Elizabeth says.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Yes, I do! I lost both my friends to this virus. Don''t say I know nothing about it when I''ve seen what it could do!" I yell.


    "Don''t tell me what to do with my cousin," Elizabeth says.


    "Think about the kids. Your putting everyone in here at risk! At least, lock Lisa in one of the other rooms," I say.


    "Let''s just see how it plays out."


    "No! This isn''t like the flu. You can''t get over it, if your not immune. Once you show symptoms, that''s it. Your bound to turn," I say.


    "Just give it time, please," Elizabeth says.


    Lisa groans and walks over to a bucket. She throws up again.


    I grab my backpack. I look through it. I see a picture of Jack and Iris. They look so happy. I don''t want to see someone else turn. It was painful enough once, but three times? I can''t handle that. Not again.


    The kids eat some food. Jenny and Hannah are crying. Lisa is sweating. Elizabeth gets up and sits with her.


    "I''m Susan. My husband is Henry," Elizabeth''s mother says.


    "I''m Jade," I say. I''m afraid Lisa is going to turn and bite Elizabeth. Lisa''s crying. Elizabeth gets up.


    "She wants every single second she can get. Let''s just wait it out," Elizabeth says.


    "I understand, but when the time does come, please do what''s best for all of us," I say.


    "I will," she says.


    She gets Lisa some water and comes back to the table. Alex and Jack stare at Lisa. Their scared, too. Lisa throws up in the bucket again. It''s taking longer than usual for Lisa to turn but it will happen eventually.


    "I...I can''t watch my niece die. Let me say goodbye then me and Henry will go in the other room," Susan says.


    Susan and Henry hug Lisa and say goodbye before going into one of the bedrooms. We all sit here, waiting.


    After a few minutes, Lisa rolls off the couch. Elizabeth starts walking towards her. I put my arm in front of Elizabeth to block her.


    "Stop. Let me check on her," I say. I go over to Lisa while Elizabeth hangs back. I nudge Lisa with my foot. She doesn''t respond. She then growls and starts crawling towards me. She turned. I back up.


    "Get the kids out of here!" I say. Elizabeth brings all the kids into the other room. I grab Lisa''s foot and drag her outside. I shoot her and come back in. Elizabeth is on the floor crying.


    "I''m...I''m sorry." I say.

 Chapter 10: New Beginning

    In the morning, we set out. We walk through the dense forest. Nobody says a word. Elizabeth is staring at the ground. Susan is holding her as we walk. Jake and Alex are upset, too. We all are. I''m just glad Lisa didn''t infect anyone else.


    "Jade?" Jake asks.


    "Yeah?" I say.


    "Where are we going?"


    "I don''t know," I say.


    I hear crunching leaves.


    Everybody hides. I pull out my pistol and run behind a knocked over tree. A German shepherd dog runs through the woods. He jumps over the tree I''m hiding behind and sits next to me. Suddenly he starts barking loudly. I pet him to try and calm him down.


    "Stop! Stop it." I say.


    A man comes over to the sound. He jumps over the tree. "You found my dog!"


    I point my pistol at the man.


    "Whoa! Put the gun down," the man says.


    The dog barks at the man loudly. He growls at him.


    "Why is he barking?" I ask.


    I look at the man''s eyes. He''s a zombie. The dog jumps on the zombie, knocking him over. I shoot the zombie. Everyone comes out of hiding. The dog runs off. I run after him. Maybe he came from a nearby camp.


    "Wait!" Jake yells running behind me.


    "That dog belongs to someone. Someone who may help us," I say.


    The dog runs into an old house. We all run through it. The dog stops at a woman. She has light blonde hair. She''s wearing a blue coat. The dog is happy to see her. The woman turns to me.


    "You found my dog!" she says. "I see you''re traveling with kids. We have a community up ahead, if you guys want to come."


    "That would be nice," I say. I turn to the others.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "I want to see this community. I think we could be safe there," Susan says.


    "I agree with her," Henry says.


    I turn around.


    "We''ll go," I say. She leads us through a tunnel.


    "I''m Sam," the woman says.


    "I''m Jade," I say.


    Everybody introduces themselves. We finally reach the place. It''s got giant, wood walls. Sam knocks on the wall. A small door opens just a crack. A woman pokes her head out. She has black hair and green eyes.


    "Samantha! What have I told you about sneaking out?" the woman says.


    "Mom!" Sam says.


    "Oh, I see you have...company. Where did you find these ones?" the woman asks.


    Did she really just call us "These ones"?


    "They found my dog. I saw them in the woods. Can they stay? They have four kids with them. We can''t just leave them out here!" Sam says.


    "Give me one moment," The woman shuts the door.


    "What was this place before? I can tell you built onto something," I say.


    "It used to be Oakwood summer camp. There''s a lake, some cabins, there was a smaller wall that we built onto," Sam says.


    I hear voices behind the wall. Please let us stay. Even if it''s just for one night. We just need shelter. The door opens all the way.


    "Come in," the woman says.


    We all walk inside. They have a large garden, ten cabins, multiple tents, and a larger building. This place seems defendable. Sam shows us where we''ll be staying.


    It''s a small cabin with several bunk beds. I explore the camp a bit. It''s pretty safe. There''s people watching the areas outside.


    Sam walks over to me.


    "Jade, me and a few friends are going on a trip to the grocery store, would you want to come?"


    "Yeah, sure," I say.


    It would be nice to go out and get my mind off the subject of death. We walk outside. Two people meet us outside the wall.


    "This is Tom and Taylor," Sam introduces them.


    It''s a woman and man my age. Tom looks a little like Jack. Taylor has black hair and brown eyes.


    "I''m Jade," I say.


    After a few minutes of talking, we start heading out. We go through the tunnel, and after ten minutes, of walking we finally reach a large grocery store. We walk up to the doors. Sam pushes on the door.


    "It''s locked," Sam says. She kicks it a few times but it doesn''t budge.


    "When is anything not locked?" Taylor asks.


    There''s a window above the door. I grab a rock. I throw it at the window. I know it was loud, but we''re far from any zombies. If there were any inside, the noise would draw them out, instead of us going in and being attacked so maybe it''s a good thing.


    "What the hell?" Tom yells.


    "What? Now we can get inside," I say.


    "You''re going in first then," Taylor says.


    "Fine, is anyone going to help me up to the window?" I say. No one answers.


    Sam pulls a bench up against the door. I stand on the crate and pull myself through the window. I drop down. The lights are off. I turn my flashlight on. I unlock the door and they walk in.


    "Alright split up. You know what we need. Food and water," Sam says.


    "No, we shouldn''t split up. We don''t know who or what''s in here. It would be safer to stick together," I say.


    "Who''s the leader here?" Sam says.


    "I know you shouldn''t be a leader. I''ve survived long enough to know you should never split up," I say.


    "We will split up. Remember your place, Jade. I''m the leader here," Sam says. "What are you people waiting for? Go!"


    I walk away. I grab some canned food. Sam is being so stupid! We have no idea if this place is filled with zombies or not. I''m guessing she thinks since her mother is leader of the community that she''s got some kind of authority but she doesn''t. She doesn''t even know to lead.


    I hear running and a scream. Sam and Tom run past me.


    "Where are you two going?" I ask.


    "That might be Taylor!" Tom says. I run after them. I hear another scream. We all stop. I look around.


    "That''s not Taylor," Sam says. "I don''t know who that is."


    "Then there''s someone else in here with us and we''re going to find out who it is soon," I say. Another scream and then a gunshot. Sam starts running again. We run after her.

 Chapter 11: No Turning Back

    Sam turns down an aisle. She steps back, horrified.


    "What is it?" I ask.


    "Sam?" Tom asks.


    "It''s...not Taylor," Sam says.


    "Then who is it?" I ask.


    Sam starts walking down the aisle. I grab her arm stopping her. I see a woman lying on the ground. A zombie is eating her.


    "Run!" I yell.


    We all run as fast as we can. The zombie is chasing us. Sam pulls out a gun.


    "Don''t shoot! We don''t need more of them chasing us!" I say.


    Sam jumps across a display table. I hear a scream. It''s close.


    "Taylor!" Sam yells running.


    She stops. She''s staring at something. It''s Taylor''s dead body. Tom catches up with us.


    "Oh my god!" He yells.


    "We gotta go before we end up like that!" I say.


    "You go we''ll catch up," Tom says.


    "No way! We got to go now!" I say. I hear growling. A zombie is close by.


    "Come on! Let''s go!" I yell.


    "Go!" He yells. I run.


    I''m not staying there anymore! If they don''t want to move, I''m not going to make them. I climb up one of the shelves. The shelves are really tall which means I can put distance between me and the dead.


    I jump to the next shelf and then the next. I see Tom and Sam running.


    "Get on a shelf!" I yell.


    They nod. I keep moving from shelf to shelf. Splitting up was Sam''s stupid idea! If we didn''t, Taylor would still be alive.


    I look down. A person is climbing the shelf. I jump to the next shelf. I realize that it''s not a person, but a zombie. The zombie jumps to the shelf I''m on. He runs at me. I push him off the shelf. He falls all the way down to the hard tile floor.


    I feel the shelf tipping. I look down to see twenty zombies pushing the shelf over. I jump to the next shelf and keep going. The one they were pushing knocks into the next one. I keep going until I reach the last shelf. I climb down and run far away from the shelves that are now tipping into each other and knocking each other down like dominos.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Tom and Sam hiding under a table.I hear the shelves crashing all around me.


    "We need to get out of here!" I say.


    "We can''t. Both doors are blocked by shelves," Tom says. "And who''s fault is that?"


    "You should be nicer to someone who''s getting you out of this mess. Is there any other way out? Like a back door?" I say.


    "There''s a window in the break room. We can climb out that way," Tom says.


    "But the break room door has zombies all around it!" Sam says.


    "Then they must know that the window is there. They''re trying to trap us but I''m not going to let them," I say.


    I need to get them both out of here no matter what.


    "You run, and I''ll distract the zombies. It''s our only chance at getting out of here," I say.


    "No way! That''s crazy. There has to be another way." Tom says.


    "Can you think of any other way?" I ask.


    "Well, no."


    "Then this is how we do it," I say.


    "Fine, just be careful," Sam says.


    I run towards the break room. The zombies notice me and start chasing me. Tom and Sam flee to the break room. I shoot at one of the zombies. I miss. There''s twenty zombies. I have to be careful. I run past a clothing rack.


    A zombie leaps from the rack and tackles me to the ground. I push the zombie back as he tries to bite me. Another zombie pulls the one on me off and is throwing him around. I get up and run.


    Five zombies chase me across the store. The other zombies are beating each other up. Their fighting over who gets to eat me. I''ve seen it once before. I run to the break room door. I see Tom and Sam climbing out the window. I get in and slam the door shut with my back up against it keeping the dead out. Tom pushes over a locker and blocks the door with it.


    "Let us in!" I hear on the other side of the door.


    "We don''t have much time!" I say.


    Tom and Sam get outside. The door flies open. A zombie grabs my arm. More zombies are running over. I punch the zombie, knocking him down. I climb out the window. Tom and Sam are running through a horde.


    I run after them. A machete falls from Sam''s bag. A zombie grabs my arm. He bites my wrist. It hurts really bad. I grab the machete off the ground and cut his arm off. There''s blood all over my arm and my face.


    Arms are grabbing at me. A hand grabs my coat sleeve. It''s...Iris.


    "Iris?" I ask. Her skin is a pale grey, her eyes are now dark black. Her hair has dried blood. She growls. She bites my coat sleeve but doesn''t actually bite me.


    "Iris, please. Don''t you remember me?" I say crying. She pushes me back.


    She''s gone. She''s gone and she''s never coming back. I  get up and run through the horde. I finally reach Sam and Tom. Seeing her like that...all of the humanity she had is lost. She''s just a shell of what she once was. She used to be so happy, now she''s...empty. She has no control of what she''s doing. She''s just another host for this virus.


    "Jade, your arm!" Sam yells. I look down. Blood is streaming down my hand and pooling on the ground. I fall over and pass out. Is this the end for me?


    ...


    I wake up in a cabin. People are standing over me.


    "Is...is she dead?" Tom asks.


    "No, just barely alive," Sam says. I sit up.


    "What happened?" I ask.


    "You were bit," Elizabeth says.


    I remember seeing Iris, I wish that was the part of my memory that was gone. I can only remember running through the horde.


    "Why did I react like that? I''m immune. I felt like I was turning! What''s wrong with me?" I say.


    "Even immune people have their limits. The next time you get bit, you will turn. The immunity is weird. It only works a few times and then you turn," Sam says.


    "I''m not immune anymore?" I say.


    "No, you have to be really careful," Elizabeth says. I get up. I look at the bite mark. It stopped bleeding thankfully.


    "So, I''m screwed is what you''re saying? I can''t believe this. The only thing that has kept me alive is no longer going to work!" I yell.


    I go outside. This can''t be happening! I thought because I was immune, I was safe. Realizing I''m not safe anymore is terrifying.


    Six months later


    We recently got electricity at the camp. We found generators a few months back. We got so lucky. Ever since I was bitten, I''ve had slightly enlarged pupils. I know I''m not turning. Sam tells me it''s because I was infected with a small bit of the virus. I know I''m still in control of my body. It freaks me out knowing that one more bite will kill me. I don''t want to end up like Jack or Iris.


    I still think about seeing Iris in the horde. I never thought I''d see her again. I was hoping some part of her still remembered me.


    Elizabeth is much happier now. Her parents love to fish in the lake. Jenny and Hannah have fun playing with the other kids here. Since this was a summer camp, they have toys and games.


    I mostly sit in our cabin, unless I''m out on a run. I don''t want anyone to see my eyes. I''m afraid of what might happen. Sam tells me it''s hard to see if my pupils are enlarged, but I''m still afraid. I miss Jack and Iris so much. I would do anything to get them back. They didn''t deserve what happened, but there''s nothing I can do about it which makes me feel helpless.


    I think this place is our home now. I feel safe here. I really do love it here. It''s nice not to have to keep running from place to place.

 Chapter 12: New Guests

    I''m seated with Jake and Alex. Elizabeth walks into the cabin.


    "Three new people are outside the gates. Melissa isn''t here. What do I do?" she says.


    I stand up.


    "I''ll talk to them," I say.


    We all walk outside. I look outside. A man, woman, and teenage girl are standing just outside the wall. The woman waves to me, trying to get my attention. I check all their eyes. They are not zombies.


    "We''re looking for a place to stay tonight. We have been traveling on foot for days," the woman says.


    I don''t like this. I feel...off about them.


    "What are we going to do? Can we even trust them?" Elizabeth asks.


    Sam opens the gates. The people walk in. I wish Sam asked us before doing that.


    "Thank you so much. We thought we were going to have to spend another night in those woods," the woman says.


    "You three aren''t going to spend another night out in the woods again. I''ll show you where you''ll be staying," Sam says. While she shows them the cabin, I pull Elizabeth aside.


    "What do you think of them?" I ask. "Well, I think they''re nice...so far," she says.


    "So, I''m not the only one who thinks they''re a tad bit off, right?" I ask.


    "Yes, but they might really be nice, normal people. We''ve been out on the road so long it''s destroyed our ability to trust. Let''s just give them a few days before we jump to conclusions," she reassures.


    Melissa arrives back at the camp shortly after. I tell her about our new guests. She is displeased with the fact of having new people here until she meets them. Then she quickly takes a liking to this new family. Jake stands by me. He isn''t keen on them being here either.


    "Who are they? Why are they here?" Jake asks.


    "Sam let them in. All they told us was that their car broke down a couple hundred miles ago." I respond. I learn the mother is Lauren, the father is Chris, and the daughter is Emily.


    "We''re so glad we found this place. We''re so thankful to all of you," Lauren says.


    "We owe you guys one. We don''t even know how to repay you," Chris says. Repay us by leaving and going far, far away.


    "Keep eye on them for me. Tell me if they do anything weird," I whisper to Jake. He nods. I go back to my cabin. Melissa steps inside.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Would you mind going on a run for me? Elizabeth and Sam will go with you," Melissa says.


    "Okay, what am I getting?" I ask.


    She hands me a list. I grab my pistol, knife, and backpack. I''m out the door and on my way to the wall.


    Sam, Elizabeth, and I head towards a shopping center. Sam tries the door handle to a pharmacy. Its locked as usual. She pulls on the door handle again, this time with much more force. It doesn''t move. She picks up a rock and throws it at the glass door. Jagged glass shards fall in front of our feet.


    "Sam! Any zombie around here probably heard that. What were you thinking?" I say.


    "I was thinking I want to get this done as fast as possible," she says unlocking the door.


    She opens the door and we step inside. I take a glance at the list. Pharmacy: bandages, gauze, ibuprofen is written on the list. Sam jumps over the counter. She tosses a box of gauze to me. I put it in my bag. We get the rest of the list items and head over to a grocery store. I try the door. To absolutely no one''s surprise, it''s locked.


    "We need to get in there. There has got to be another way in," I say. Sam looks over at a flag.


    "Easy, we climb up that pole and jump to the roof," Sam says.


    "I don''t know...maybe there is a back door," I say.


    "You two can go find a different way in, but I''m climbing up," she says. She climbs up and jumps across with ease. Maybe I underestimated her idea.


    "Will you two just get up here!" Sam yells looking down at us. I climb up and jump across. Finally Elizabeth makesit up here.


    "So now where do we go?" I ask. Sam steps towards a skylight.


    "No. I know exactly what you are thinking. Sam, even if you get the skylight open it''s a fifteen foot drop to a shelf and a even bigger drop to the ground. It''s very risky. Let''s think about this first," I say.


    Sam opens it. She jumps down onto a shelf. As soon as she lands on the shelf it tips over. I can''t see where she landed in the fall.


    "Sam! Are you okay?" I ask. She doesn''t respond.


    "We need to help her. She could be seriously hurt," I say. Elizabeth pulls out a rope.


    "Tie this around your waist. I''ll lower you down slowly." She says. I tie it in a tight knot. She lowers me down. Once I reach the floor, I untie myself. Sam is trapped under a shelf. I try lifting it myself. It''s way too heavy.


    "Elizabeth! I need your help." I yell to her.


    "I''m coming down," she says.


    "Sam, are you alright?" I ask.


    "I''m fine," she says.


    Elizabeth reaches the floor. We start lifting the shelf. Even with Elizabeth helping, this weighs a ton! Sam crawls out from under the shelf. She pulls herself up. She starts limping away. Elizabeth helps Sam to a chair. I look at the list. Might as well get what we need. I collect all the list items.


    We get back to camp. I go to Melissa''s cabin. I empty out my backpack on her desk.


    "Thank you. I need to talk to you...alone," she says. I sit down.


    "What is it?" I ask.


    "Jade, I think you are my daughter," she says.


    What? This is crazy!


    "Why do you think that?" I ask.


    "You look just like the daughter I gave up. She pulls a birth certificate from her desk. I pull out my birth certificate. Both are exactly the same.


    "You abandoned me! You left me. Why would you leave me?" I yell.


    "I didn''t want to leave you."


    "Does Sam know? Does she even know that we are related?" I ask.


    "I knew from the day I met you that you were my daughter. I told Sam later that day. She knows."


    I walk outside. Elizabeth walks over to me.


    "One of our people went missing," she says.


    "Who was it?" I ask.


    "Someone from the cabin next to us. Her name is Mia," She tells me.


    "So, what do we do?" I ask.


    "Melissa wants us to search the woods where she was last seen. She wants us to see if we can figure out where she is."


    We walk through the woods. I see a tree with a bloody handprint. Whoever was here must have been injured.


    "Jade, over here," Elizabeth calls.


    I walk over. There is a tree branch on the ground. It''s covered in blood. There is a knife on the ground, too.


    "A zombie wouldn''t hit someone with a tree branch, at least I don''t think so. What if another group kidnapped Mia?" I say.


    "A zombie once shot me. I don''t think a tree branch is too far fetched. Why would a group only take one person? If they really wanted leverage they''d kidnap multiple important people. Like Melissa and Sam," she says.


    We search the area thoroughly. After that we go back to camp. I go into Melissa''s cabin.


    "I went looking for Mia...it doesn''t look hopeful," I say.


    "Did a zombie get her?" she asks.


    "I think a human kidnapped her. I think we might be facing another group," I say.


    "Look, would you mind connecting with a group up north? We used to do trades with them. I''ll give you a bag of supplies to get there. Your going to ask them if they can help us. In return, they are probably going to want you to scavenge some areas they can''t get to. They are our only chance at having a real opportunity to defend ourselves," she says.


    "Okay, sounds like a plan. When do you want me to leave?" I say.


    "The end of the month. I should have everything ready for you by then," she responds. I nod. A month will give me enough time to finish up some of the things I have been putting off.

 Chapter 13: Deceivers

    It''s been almost a month since that new family arrived.


    "David was taken last night," Sam says.


    "Did anyone see anything?" I ask.


    "Everyone was sleeping when it happened. Melissa wants you to look through his house."


    "Okay, take me there."


    She brings me to the cabin.


    "I have to warn you, the place is covered in blood," she says.


    "I''ve seen worse than blood."


    She opens the door. Blood is splattered everywhere. Chairs are knocked over. I step inside. An untouched plate of food is on the table. As I step towards the table, I feel something under my shoe. It''s a knife. I pick it up. In the wooden handle the name "Lauren" is engraved. I knew something was wrong with that new family. I show it to Sam.


    "This doesn''t mean anything. It could just be someone else''s knife," she says.


    "I understand, but I saw her carry this knife when we first met," I say. "They must be a part of another group. This camp isn''t safe anymore. Be careful. I''ll bring this to Melissa''s attention."


    "Why...why don''t you call her mom?" Sam asks.


    I pause, trying to think of an actual answer.


    "Because she abandoned me when I was young. She left me on the doorstep of a neighbor''s house. She never wanted to be my mother. Do you know how many years I waited for someone to adopt me? Ten and no one did. I suffered for ten years in the foster care system. You don''t understand what that''s like," I say.


    "She wants to be your mother now. Why can''t you just at least try for once?" she says.


    "I can''t try to do something I obviously don''t want to." I leave. I stop by Melissa''s cabin. I put the knife on her desk.


    "What is this?" she asks.


    "I found it at David''s house. It''s Lauren''s."


    "What?" she says.


    "We need to start considering the possibility that Lauren and her family are from another group."


    "I''ll talk to them. This is probably just a coincidence," she says.


    "Will you please, for once, think about the group? We might have a family who is taking our people without us knowing! When they are gone, let me search their cabin. I''m sure I''ll find something incriminating."


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    "No, let me handle this, Jade," she says.


    I start to form a plan. I can have Jake sneak in their house. If he doesn''t find anything, maybe they''re innocent. I go back to my cabin. Jake is eating at the table.


    "Hey, you want to help me with something?" I ask.


    "What?" he asks.


    "Mind sneaking into the new family''s house?" I ask.


    "Are you crazy?" he asks.


    "Please, it could possibly save someone''s life. After all I''ve done for you and Alex, I think you owe me a few," I say.


    "Fine."


    Now all I need is someone to distract the family while Jake and I look through their things. I''m sure Elizabeth wouldn''t mind helping. I saved her life and her families. I walk over to her.


    "Hey, could you do me a favor?'' I ask.


    "This can''t be good. What?" she says.


    "Can you distract that new family just for like fifteen minutes?" I ask.


    "What are you scheming?"


    "Look, I think they''re doing something shady. I just need your help this once."


    She agrees to help. We''re right outside the new family''s cabin.


    "Let''s go over the plan one last time. Elizabeth is going to distract the family. Jake and I are going to climb in the back window. Elizabeth, you need to stall the family as long as you can. We''re going to need as much time as you can give us," I say.


    "Let''s do this," Elizabeth says.


    She knocks on the front door. Jake follows as I sneak to the back. I look through the window. I see the front door close. I slide the window open. Jake climbs inside, then I climb in.


    "I''ll look upstairs. You check down here," I say.


    I ascend the stairs. Two bedrooms, one bathroom is all that''s up here. I check both bedrooms and come up with nothing. I check the bathroom and it''s clear. I go back downstairs.


    "Anything?" I ask.


    "Nothing! These people are either innocent or really good at hiding evidence," Jake says.


    I think it''s the latter. The front door starts to open. Jake runs down to the basement. I run up the stairs. I hide in the bathroom. Please, don''t find either one of us.


    The floor creaks. I hear someone climb the stairs. The bathroom door knob begins to turn. I back away slowly. The door knob stops turning. I hear the person outside walk away. I need to get Jake and get the hell out.


    Screams erupt downstairs. They must''ve found Jake. This is going to be a hard one to explain. I quietly open the door. The basement door is open. I don''t see anyone inside. I go down the stairs. The yelling is coming from outside. Chris is holding Jake down.


    "What are you doing?"Elizabeth yells. I run at Chris. I tackle him. Jake gets up.


    "He''s just a kid!" I yell.


    "He was in our basement going through our things," Chrissays.


    "That doesn''t give you the right to attack him. You are hiding something in the basement, aren''t you?" I ask.


    A crowd has now gathered to watch us. Chris hits me. I fall back. Elizabeth gets in between Chris and I.


    "Both of you need to stop," she says.


    He growls at her. I pull out my gun. I know what he and his whole family is now.


    "Elizabeth, you need to move." I say.


    "Put that away! I can handle this," she says.


    "He''s not...alive. You can''t reason with a zombie," I say.


    She backs away. Chris starts to shake. He growls again. His pupils enlarge. I put my arm around Jake.


    "You and your entire family are zombies," I say.


    "It took you longer to figure it out then I had thought you would. We took your people and you didn''t even figure out it was us. Your one of us. Your infected. Come with us," he says.


    "I''m nothing like you and I never will be."


    I shoot him in the head. He doesn''t even flinch.


    I push Jake out of the way as Chris lunges towards me. Chris tackles me. Sam cuts his head off with a machete. Lauren and Emily run to Chris. They growl at me. I shoot them both. We lived with them for weeks without knowing what they were. They hid their eyes so well. We can''t trust anyone anymore.


    The next day


    "This place isn''t safe anymore," I say.


    "Jade, we are safe. It was just that one family," Elizabeth says.


    "I''m just saying that we''d be better off on the road. "Melissa will let in anyone who walks up inside," I say.


    "We have food, water, and shelter here. We won''t find that on the road. I''m sick of traveling and hoping we don''t starve to death. You can go if you want, but my family and I are staying," Elizabeth says.


    I go to Melissa''s cabin.


    "I''m ready to travel to that group up north," I say.


    "Would you mind bringing Sam?" she asks.


    "She can go with me," I say.


    "Good, I didn''t want you to go alone." She puts a bag on the desk.


    "I packed enough food and water for you two. I wish I could let you take a car, but we''re low on gas so it''d be pointless," she says.


    I take the bag. I walk to my cabin. I grab my map, knife, gun, and backpack.


    "Where are you going?" Alex asks. I forgot to tell Jake and Alex about this trip.


    "I''m going to trade with another group," I reply.


    "How long will you be gone?" she asks.


    "I don''t know. Maybe a month."


    "What if you don''t come back?" she asks. I never thought about that. What if I die out there? No one here will know.


    "I will come back," I say.

 Chapter 14: The Long Road Ahead

    We walk down the road at a nice pace. It''s been a few hours since we left.


    "How long do you think it''ll take to get there?" Sam asks.


    "It all depends on how fast we move and if we have to take any detours," I respond.


    "I''m sorry."


    "For what?" I ask.


    "For not listening to you. If I had listened to you before Taylor died, she''d still be here. If I listened to you, I wouldn''t have fell and hurt myself in that grocery store. Everyone should have listened to you about that new family. I hate to admit it, but you''re right almost all the time," she says.


    I hear a car engine up ahead. We hide behind a dumpster. The car zooms by. I notice a white skull painted on the hood and side. We emerge from cover. I hope that car wasn''t headed to the summer camp. We continue down the road.


    "I''ve never seen that truck before," Sam says looking over her shoulder.


    "Let''s just hope they''re not traveling to the summer camp," I say.


    The road further down is blocked by broken down cars.


    "I don''t like the look of this. Zombies like to hide in and under cars. Let''s find a way around," I say.


    "A detour is going to make this trip so much longer though," she says.


    Sam is right, but our lives are way more important than a few hours of time saved.


    "We can find a way around," I say.


    There is a small gift shop a little ways down the road. We both agree to scavenge some supplies from there before we move on.


    I open the door. A bell above the door rings. There goes the element of surprise. I silently step inside. Sam follows along. Everything but a small shelf for food is fully stocked. Maybe there is more in the back. Sam looks over the counter. A man jumps up from behind the counter, scaring both of us. He''s pointing a shoutgun at Sam.


    "What are you doing in my home?" he asks.


    "We were just looking for supplies. We''ll leave. No one has to die today," I say as calmly as possible.


    "Where are you from? I saw you come down the road."


    "We''re from a camp that was destroyed. We''ve been on the road for months," I lie.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "That''s an awful lot of supplies for you to have scavenged," he replies.


    "We came across a bunker a few miles back and we took everything," I lie again.


    I don''t want him to know about the camp. He''d probably ask to stay there. After our last encounter with new guests, I don''t think we will let anyone else inside.


    "Give me the bags."


    "No! Find your own food," I say.


    "It seems I''m the only one with a gun drawn. Hand it over," he says. I pull out my pistol.


    "I offered to just leave. For us to just walk away peacefully, but you didn''t like that. We can play this one of two ways. You let us go or I shoot you," I say.


    "You''re going to regret saying that." More people rise from their hiding spots. Only now do I realize my poor choices.


    "Lower the gun, slowly," The one behind me says. I comply.


    "Don''t you remember me? You killed my brother! You stabbed him in the head!" the man behind me says. What is he talking about?


    "We''re the cannibals," he whispers. "You called us sick! We are desperate. We always have been. You came along and ruined everything! I''ve even waiting for this moment for months. The moment I make you pay for killing my brother. Tie them both up outside. I know exactly how I want them to die," he says before walking in the back.


    "What do we do?" Sam whispers.


    "Don''t fight them...not yet," I whisper back.


    Two woman take us outside. They handcuff us to a stop sign. They walk back in giving us some time to think up a plan.


    "Handcuffs are going to be harder to get out of. Any ideas?" Sam says.


    "No...I mean what can we do? We can''t shoot them, we can''t run. This is looking pretty hopeless," I reply.


    "Well, if you didn''t threaten that man, maybe we wouldn''t be in this situation," she says.


    "We''d be here no matter what I chose. They know me. Everything he said about me was true. His group kidnapped us and tried to eat us. I had no other options."


    They all walk outside. The leader takes our bag of food and water. Two of them walk over to a car. They open the hood and start messing around with it.


    The car alarm starts blaring. It''s like their trying to attract zombies.


    "What the hell are you doing?" I yell. He shows me a key then tosses it over his shoulder.


    "You''re going to die here," he says.


    They walk away as zombies exit the tunnel further down the road. The key, I''m guessing, unlocks the handcuffs. I sit on the ground. I try reaching it with my foot. I can almost reach it. Sam tries. She slides it straight to me. I unlock myself than her.


    The cannibals turn around. Their leader pulls out his gun. We pull ours out. I take a look behind us. The zombies are now running full force at us. I grab Sam''s arm. I pull her behind a car. Bullets hit the car.


    "What do we do now?" Sam asks.


    "I''m using the zombies to our advantage."


    Zombies run past us barely noticing our hiding spot. The cannibals scream as the dead attack them viciously. The tunnel is our only option we walk towards it. Hopefully, the majority of the dead were drawn outside.


    I turn on my flashlight. It barely illuminates the path ahead. The batteries have been going dead for a few days now. I would change them if I could find batteries. The walls are covered in dirt and blood. I see a figure move in the distance. I point my light at it. It''s a woman.


    "Who are you?" she asks. Can we trust her? Is she really a person?


    "Behind you! They''re coming. We need to go. Follow me," she says.


    We follow her as she runs in between the tightly spaced cars. Sam can barely keep up with woman and I. We finally reach the other side of the tunnel.


    "Your eyes...they look like...mine," the woman says. Her eyes are blue mine are green. What does she mean by that?


    "What are you talking about?" I ask.


    "You''re partially infected. I am, too." I do notice that her pupils are slightly enlarged.


    "I''m Jade. This is Sam," I say.


    "I''m Sarah," she says. "Where are you two headed?"


    "A place up north," Sam says.


    "Would you mind me coming along?" Sarah asks.


    "That''s fine," I reply.


    The sun is setting. We should find a place to sleep. There is a small shopping center ahead. There is a grocery store, clothing store, coffee shop, and nail salon. The grocery store would be the best choice. It''s spacious and easy to hide in if zombies come around. Everyone else agrees.


    We walk up to the doors. Its locked. Sarah starts lock picking it. That''s a good skill to have in the apocalypse. She gets the door open after a few minutes. We search the entire store. Afterwards, we roll out our sleeping bags.


    "How did you become partially infected?" I ask Sarah.


    "The first time I was bitten, I found out I was immune. I''ve gotten bitten two more times since then. The last time I was bitten I became infected.," she says.


    "The same thing happened to me. Is it only immune people who become partially infected?" I say.


    "So far, I''ve only heard it being immune people," Sarah says. Sam comes back from the canned food aisles.


    "Please, tell me you found something," I say.


    "I found nine cans of soup and six water bottles. It''s not much but at least it''s something," Sam says.


    "That''s not going to last very long. That will only last maybe three days," I say. We ate this morning so we''re not starving.

 Chapter 15: Survivors

    I wake up to the sound of glass being broken. I look over to the front door. Three people stand outside. One is holding a large rock. They don''t see me yet. I wake up Sarah and Sam. I quickly grab my sleeping bag and stuff it into my backpack.


    I hear shoes crunching on glass shards. We need to clean up anything that shows people were here recently. I sling my backpack over my shoulder.


    "Let''s go!" I whisper.


    "Where?" Sam asks.


    I look around. There''s got to be another exit. The footsteps grow louder as the people come closer. I guide Sarah and Sam down the aisles.


    "I know you''re in here," a male voice says. "I saw you look at us when we were outside."


    "What do you want?" I ask.


    "I want to talk with you." Why?


    "I have nothing to say to you," I reply.


    "I want to trade with you," he says.


    "I''m listening..."


    "We found a bag full of food. It''s more then we can carry. I''ll give it to you in exchange for a gun," I walk over to them.


    It''s a man, woman, and young boy. The woman has a duffel bag. It''s the ones the cannibals took.


    "That''s actually mine. I lost it," I say. The man obviously doesn''t believe me.


    "Hand a gun over and it''s yours," the woman says.


    I check all their eyes. I don''t think their zombies. We really need that bag, but is it worth a gun? We only have the three.


    "I can''t do that," I say.


    "Jade, let''s talk about this," Sam says.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She takes her backpack off. She pulls a small revolver out of the side pocket.


    "Give it to them. I haven''t used it in three years. We need that bag back," she says.


    I offer the family the gun. They take it. The bag is ours once again.


    We leave the store. I pull out a map. We still have six days until we reach this group. I hear a car engine. We hide. It''s got skulls painted on it like the one yesterday. It pulls to the side of the road.


    A man gets out. He''s got a black mask on. Sarah sneaks into the gas station behind us. She calls us over quietly. We walk over.


    "What is it?'' I whisper.


    "You don''t want those people anywhere near you. They have a base hundreds of miles from here. I have no idea why they travelled all the way out here," Sarah says.


    The man approaches the door. Sarah leads us to the roof.


    "What are we going to do? We''re cornered up here," I say.


    Sarah stands at the edge of the building looking down. A raging river is what she is looking at. Across the river is a road. Sam pulls out a map.


    "We are going to jump," Sarah says.


    "Are you insane?" I yell.


    "Jumping wouldn''t be such a bad idea...I mean we need to get to the road on the other side of the river anyways. This might shave a whole day off our trip," Sam says.


    I understand what they are saying, but this seems too dangerous. The man makes it up to the roof. Sarah jumps, then Sam. With no other options I hold my breath and dive in. I land in the water. The water is so cold, I worry about contracting hypothermia. I see Sam having difficulty keeping her head above the water. I swim over.  I help her up to the surface, grabbing her hand. Sarah is sitting on a large boulder that is just above the surface of the river.


    "I''m freezing! We''re going to die in this damn river," I yell.


    "We just need to make it over to the road," Sarah says like it''s so easy.


    Fighting the current, we all swim over. Now we have to climb up.


    Sarah goes first. Sam then starts the climb. Sarah reaches the road. She pulls Sam up. They both pull me up. There is a house close by.


    "Let''s rest inside there for a bit," Sam says.


    "No, we''ve wasted enough time already. We''re


    going to push forward," I say.


    "I''m tired, cold, and soaking wet! I just need five minutes, is that so much to ask?" Sam says.


    "Fine, but then we''re moving on," I say.


    Sam sits on a bench. We don''t have time to waste. Who knows what else we''ll encounter today. Finally, Sam starts walking again.


    "What happened to that bag you were carrying?" Sarah asks.


    I''m missing the bag with all of our supplies. I must have lost it in the river.


    "Are you kidding me? We gave up a gun for that bag and you lost it?" Sam yells.


    "The only reason I lost it is because Sarah made us jump into a river!" I yell.


    "Will you both just shut up! We''ll find more supplies. You both should be grateful that we''re alive. Most people don''t have that luxury," Sarah says.


    "Well, since we don''t have anything, we should search that house." I say.


    I open the front door. There is dried blood leading from the door all the way into the kitchen. On the fireplace are pictures. The two kids in one of them look eerily familiar. Once I get closer I realize who they are. It''s a younger Jake and Alex.


    "Is that those kids?" Sam asks.


    "Yeah," I say.


    Jake and Alex mentioned that their parents house had gotten overrun by zombies and that''s why they left.


    "I''ll check the kitchen, Sam will check the living room and bathroom, and Sarah will check upstairs," I direct.


    I walk in the kitchen. There''s a knife on the counter. I take it. I notice there is a note hung up on the fridge. It says "To Jake and Alex. If your reading this, that means we''re gone. You two are probably never going to see this. We hope you find someone who can protect and care for the both of you. We love more than the world. Mom and Dad."


    I put the note in my bag. The kids will want to see this. I search the cabinets. I find two cans of fruit and a box of protein bars. I''m surprised I found anything. I hear a scream in the living room.


    I run to the sound. A zombie is on top of Sam. I pull the knife I found in the kitchen out. I stab the zombie in the head. The zombie is still moving.


    "Don''t move," I hear behind me. "Now slowly pull the knife out and drop it."


    "But it''s a zombie," I say.


    "And so am I."

 Chapter 16: In Harm鈥檚 Way

    "Let''s talk about this...please," I say.


    I see Sarah walking down the stairs. She notices the zombie with the gun. She slowly steps backwards until she''s out of sight.


    "Turn around," the zombie says.


    I turn to face him. He''s got a large scar over his left eye. I see Sarah behind him holding a aluminum baseball bat. How did she get down here that quick without being seen?


    She swings the bat so hard that the zombie''s ear falls off. With the zombie stunned momentarily, I grab the gun from him. I shoot the zombie in the head. He falls down. He''s dead.


    Sam picks up the knife I dropped. She stabs the one that attacked her. I never quite believed Elizabeth''s story about a zombie shooting her until now.


    "Are you okay?" I ask Sam.


    "I''m fine," she says.


    "Did either of you find anything good?" Sarah asks.


    "I didn''t find much," I reply.


    "Me neither," Sam says.


    At least this wasn''t a total bust. We found a bit of food, two weapons, and the note so it wasn''t all bad. We walk outside.


    We walk for another four hours not finding anything. Sam struggles to keep up with the both of us.


    "Can you please walk a little faster? It''s like having a snail follow me," I say.


    "Ever since the last time you got bit, it seems like you''re faster. We used to walk at the same speed?" Sam says.


    I never noticed a difference, except my response time to be a little quicker.


    "I noticed the same thing about myself since the last time I was bitten," she says.


    I''m so tired. I hope we find a place to camp soon. We only have about an hour left of daylight. I check the map. It doesn''t say much in the way of buildings.


    "Not much further until the next house. I know this area well," Sarah says.


    After twenty more minutes, we reach the house. Sarah mentioned. Sarah pulls out a key.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Is this your house?" I ask.


    "It''s been my house since this all started. I was just about to give the landlord his money when he attacked and bit me. I''ve kept it in pretty good condition since," she says.


    She opens the door. There is a couch, table, a small kitchen area, and a bathroom. It''s so small, but at least it''s a place to stay for the night. Sarah flicks on the lights.


    "You have electricity?" I ask.


    "I have a generator in the backyard. It''s low on gas so the lights might turn off in the middle of the night. I''m going to make...something for dinner. Make yourselves at home, I guess," Sarah says.


    Sam lays on the couch. It begins to rain outside. It''s freezing in here. I put my backpack on the coffee table. I place my gun next to it. I don''t feel like putting it in my bag. I want it in reach at all times.


    "Your door is sturdy, right?" I ask.


    "Not really. You can push that book shelf in front of it," Sarah says.


    With a little help from Sam, the bookshelf is pushed in front of the door. Sarah announces that dinner will be ready soon.


    I roll out my sleeping bag, even though I''m probably not going to get much sleep tonight. Sarah places three plates at the table. She made chicken with peas and corn. It doesn''t look too bad. We eat dinner then lay in bed.


    It''s been a long day, but every day is long when you''re fighting for your life. The lights turn off signaling the generator used all it''s gas.


    I wake up to the sound of someone banging on the front door. Before I can even, react the bookshelf falls over. The others have already sprung out of bed. I jump over the coffee table grabbing my gun as I do. I climb over the bookshelf not a moment too soon. As the door starts to open, I close it with my back.


    "A little help here?" I say.


    Sam and Sarah stand by me helping me hold the door. I scan the room for an alternate exit. I can see a window in the kitchen. Now that I have an exit all I need is a plan.


    "Sam, I need you to find something to hold the door closed long enough for us to escape," I say.


    She moves quickly. As soon as she let''s go of the door, it becomes five times harder for us to keep it shut.


    "What about the couch?" Sam suggests.


    "Go," Sarah says.


    "What?" I ask.


    "Get out of here and go! You have people that care about you. They need you. I have nobody. I''ll hold the door long enough for you two to get away," Sarah says.


    "You are one of us now. We don''t leave our own behind," I say. "Sam, get that window open and climb through. I have a plan." She opens the window.


    "On three, you will go out that window," I say to Sarah.


    She starts to object, but stops. I start the counting. At three, she does what I told her. I make a run for the window. I climb out. We run into the woods. The zombies chase us.


    "That''s what you call a plan?" Sam says.


    "Just go!" I yell.


    Branches scrape me as I run through them. Although my legs are tired, I have no intentions of stopping. Sam trips. Sarah and I turn back. I help Sam up.


    "I can''t walk," Sam says.


    "What do you mean?" I say.


    "I think I twisted my ankle," she says. Sarah pulls out a gun.


    "I''ll protect you two just do whatever you need to," she says.


    I sling Sam''s bag over my shoulder. I pick her up.


    "Let''s go!" I say.


    We continue running. Running becomes so much harder while holding Sam. Carrying her does help with her issue of being slow. Maybe I should carry her all the time. Some of the zombies that look well fed stop and lose interest in their fast moving prey. The others are still very keen on chasing us down.


    "I don''t think we''re going to outrun them," I say. We both slow down to a stop. We pull out our guns.


    "There isn''t many left, let''s just put an end to this," Sarah says. We shoot the remaining four.


    "What do we do about her?" Sarah asks looking in Sam''s direction.


    "I really don''t know. Her ankle is going to take a little while to heal. Until then, she can barely walk by herself let alone run."


    "There is a small town not far from here. We can let Sam rest in the hotel there while we scout the town for supplies," she suggests.


    "That would be great," I say.


    Sarah offers to carry Sam the rest of the way. I let her. In less than then twenty minutes we reach the town. Sarah wasn''t lying when she said it was a small town. There is the hotel, gas station, grocery store, restaurant, and ten houses.


    We go straight to the hotel. I open the door. I grab one of the keyrings. We get Sam set up in the room.


    "If you run into trouble, get up to the roof," I say.


    First we enter the grocery store. There is also a small pharmacy inside. All the shelves are empty. We head over to the gas station. I open the door. This place is untouched. I put my bag down.  I check the expiration dates on the boxes and cans before tossing them in the backpack.


    "You should know better than to steal," a man says as he steps out of the back room.


    I pull out my gun. He puts his hands up.


    "Calm down. I''m not here to hurt anyone. Just please leave some food for me," he says.


    Two young kids walk out of the back room. They hide behind the man. I lower my gun. It''s good to know there are still nice people out here. We finish gathering supplies. We enter the hotel. I go to into Sam''s room.

 Chapter 17: Holding On

    Sam is asleep in the bed. I wake her up. She rolls over.


    "How are you?" I ask.


    "Not great. My leg is killing me," she says.


    Sarah hands me a bottle of aspirin. I give one to Sam. Sarah calls me over. We step outside of the room. I shut the door.


    "She''s getting worse," Sarah says.


    "Don''t you think I know that?" I snap.


    "We need to do something. I''m not saying leave her, but we need to do something," she says.


    "What if we go back? It''d be easier then going forward. We can get her back to my camp," I say.


    "We went through hell to get here. We could stay where we are for a while. Wait until she''s healed," Sarah says.


    I don''t like that either. All of our options suck and there is nothing we can do about that.


    "Just...let me think," I say.


    I walk away. We need to go. The faster we get to that camp up north, the better off Sam will be. I remember seeing a wheel chair in the lobby. I grab it and bring it to her room.


    "We''re leaving," I say.


    Sarah helps Sam into the wheel chair. We leave the hotel. I push Sam down the road. I look at the map. One day left until we arrive. After seven hours of walking all of us enter a house. Sam goes to bed early.


    "I don''t now how you did it today. If my sister was hurt like that, I wouldn''t be able to think straight," Sarah says.


    "You have a sister?"I ask.


    "Had. She turned into one of those things," she says.


    "It''s hard...losing someone to the virus. One minute they are their normal selves and the next...they''re gone. Dead inside and no matter how much you try they aren''t going to come back," I say.


    "Who did you lose?" she asks.


    "My best friends. I was all alone after they died. They were like siblings to me. I grew up with them. They were all I had," I reply.


    After our conversation ends, we go to sleep. I wake up earlier then the others. It''s snowing outside. That''s just what we need. A reason to go even slower. When Sam finally wakes up, I ask her how her ankle feels.


    "It doesn''t hurt anymore," Sam says. She stands up.


    "Can you walk?" I ask.


    She tests it out. She walks from the couch to the front door with no problem. We skip eating and just leave. Sarah unfolds a map.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "There is a shortcut ahead. Might save us quite a bit of time," she says.


    "Then let''s take it," I say.


    She leads us through a small cave. On the other side is a large camp. We made it. A frozen lake is the only thing that stands between us and the camp. I step onto the ice. The ice seems to hold our weight.


    I hear a gunshot. Sam stops. She slowly turns around. Her hands are holding a bleeding bullet wound on her stomach. She falls over. I flip her onto her back. Two men and one woman run toward us from the camp. I pull out my gun.


    "Back away!" I yell.


    "We want to help her," one of them says.


    "You are the ones who shot her," I yell.


    The woman charges at me. She tackles me to the ground. The gun is just a few feet from my hand. I reach for it. The woman pushes the gun farther away. I punch and kick, but she still doesn''t move.


    The two men force Sarah and Sam inside. The woman starts strangling me. I pass out.


    I wake up in a cabin. My backpack, gun, and jacket are gone. I still have my knife. I get out of bed.


    Where is Sam and Sarah? I look out the window. In the cabin across from this one, I see Sarah speaking with the woman who strangled me.


    I go to the front door. It''s locked from the outside. I slide the window open. It''s going to be tough to fit through. I climb out. I sneak over to the other cabin. The door is unlocked.


    I go inside. Sam is lying in one of the beds. Sarah is standing by the bed. A man is with her. I reveal myself. The man draws his gun.


    "Put it down, Jade," he says.


    "Or else what? Are you going to shoot me like you shot Sam?" I say.


    "Jade, it''s okay. They helped her," Sarah says.


    "I know that you three are here for help. We need help, too," the man says.


    "I want my things back," I say.


    He points to a locker.


    I open it. Everything is here except my gun. He tells me his name is Derek.


    "Where is my gun?" I ask.


    "I don''t want you to have it just yet. I can''t trust you with a firearm," he says.


    I don''t like this guy. I can''t do much with a knife. I''d feel safer with my gun.


    "Look, I want to get as far away from this place as fast as possible. You give my group the help it needs and I help you. After that, we go our own ways," I say.


    "Okay, I need you to scavenge a local hospital. Our doctors are running out of supplies," he says.


    "Give me a car then."


    He pulls a car around. He gives me my gun. I get in the driver''s seat. I check the map. The hospital isn''t that far. Even though I have the heat on, it''s still freezing inside the car. I reach the hospital in twenty minutes. I walk up to the doors. I walk inside. I have to climb stairs.


    I hear two car doors slam outside. There is an office behind the main desk. I get in the office and hide under the desk. The front door opens. I have my gun in my hands. I take a look at the two people inside. One has slightly enlarged pupils like me. The other looks normal. I hear the normal looking one call the other one Dave.


    "Someone is here," Dave says as he walks into the office.


    He is going to find me. He looks under the desk. I point my gun at him.


    "Back off! I''m just here for supplies. I am going to get what I need and leave," I say.


    "You are like me. I have a group. A place that you can be safe," he says.


    "I have my own group," I say. "Now get out of my way."


    He stays in the doorway blocking my path.


    "Move!" I yell.


    I get fed up and shoot him in the shoulder. He doesn''t flinch or bleed. He grabs me by the throat, lifting me off the ground.


    "Be careful about what you do next," he warns.


    He throws me into the front desk. I struggle to get to my feet. When I do I run down the hall. He follows me. I push a cart in his path to hopefully slow him down. I start climbing the stairs. I stop at the third floor. I go into one of the rooms. I block the door with a hospital bed.


    I grab an I.V. Pole. I use it to smash the window. I look outside. The window isn''t that far from the ground. The door flies open. The hospital bed rolls right into me.


    I jump out of the window. I hit the ground running. I pull out my car key. The buttons on it don''t work, so I have to unlock it with the actual key. I unlock the door, get in, start it, and drive away.


    "Jade?" I hear over the radio Derek gave me.


    "Yeah?" I ask.


    "Can you go into my house and grab some things for me?" he then tells me where his house is and what to grab.


    I pull into the driveway.


    The garage door has a gap between the floor and the door. I crawl into the garage. I hear something move around inside the house.


    As I open the door to the house, I pull out my gun. A person tackles me as soon as I open the door. The person is wearing sunglasses and a hood. They have a knife.


    "I''m not going back!" she yells trying to stab me.


    I grab her hands and push them back. She''s not very strong. I finally push her to the side. She pulls herself up and grabs a crowbar from the counter.


    "Don''t do this. I''m not here to hurt you," I say.


    "You''re from Dave''s group, aren''t you?" she asks.


    "No, please put the weapon down," I say.


    She places it on the counter.


    "Who are you?" I ask.


    She pulls her hood down. She is a teenager.


    "I''m Clarissa. I was apart of Dave''s group, until he went crazy. In the last few months, he''s been acting strange. He used to be a good guy but now...he''s insane. I think it''s the virus that''s making him go crazy. I''m one of the few who is...partially infected. I know you are, too," she says.


    "Do you need a place to stay?" I ask.


    "If you''re okay with that," she says.


    "Sure, there is a car out front. Go wait in there."


    I get everything that Derek told me to get. I put it all in the trunk of the car.

 Chapter 18: Friends

    "You met Dave? What did he say? Does he know you''re helping me?" Derek asks.


    "He doesn''t know why I was at the hospital," I say.


    "And you decided to take in Clarissa? Do you know the kind of war that you just started? He is going to be pounding on our door, because you took that girl in," he says.


    "What the hell did you expect me to do? I wasn''t going to leave her to die out there," I say.


    "You need to bring her back. Tell Dave that you''re sorry or else there will be hell to pay."


    "I can''t take her back. She doesn''t want to be in Dave''s group," I say.


    "You don''t understand. Clarissa is his niece. I also...had a little fight with him. We were trading supplies. In the middle of the trade he shoots at us. He is a psychopath.  Now he''s just looking for any excuse to to wipe out my entire group. If he finds out that you have Clarissa, he''s going to attack that summer camp with all he has."


    "I will figure something out." I step outside.


    Clarissa is sitting on a bench.


    "I heard what you two said. Just take me to the woods. I''ll leave and I won''t come back," she says. That might be for the best.


    "Are you absolutely sure?" I ask.


    "Yes, I can make it on my own."


    We get in a car. I drive out to the forest. She gets out. I see a shack far into the woods. Three people appear out of nowhere. One is a woman. They all have slightly enlarged pupils. They all have their guns aimed at me.


    "You must be sent by Dave," I say.


    "You are coming with us," the woman says.


    "You''re going to wish you died with Iris and Jack."


    How does she know about them? She has no right to say something like that. I hear gunfire from all directions. I grab Clarissa''s arm and get behind a tree. The gunfire stops soon after. I see Elizabeth, Jake, and Alex.


    "What are you doing here?" I ask.


    "Melissa sent us to find you. She was worried," Elizabeth says.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "It''s dangerous for all of you. Head back to the summer camp," I say.


    "No, we just got here," she says.


    "Did you bring your parents or sisters with you?" I ask.


    "No, Jade, you''re acting weird," she says.


    "There is a group. They are on the brink of war with the group I''m helping. It''s not looking good for anyone. I''m only here to make sure that the summer camp isn''t going to be attacked because of what I did. Once this is all sorted out, I will go back," I say.


    "We can help you," Elizabeth says.


    I pull the note I found out of my bag.


    "Your parents wanted you to have this," I hand it to Jake and Alex.


    "Did you...find them? Alive or dead?" Jake asks.


    "I didn''t find them at all, but that doesn''t mean that they are dead," I say.


    "Jade, you need to get back here. Now! Bring Clarissa," Derek says over the radio. Something must be going on.


    "Get in the car now!" I say to the others.


    "What''s going on there?" I ask over the radio.


    "Dave''s here and he''s asking for you," Derek responds.


    "What''s wrong? Is something happening at that camp?" Elizabeth asks.


    "Yeah, something horrible."


    When we arrive at the camp, five trucks are parked outside. We sneak into the camp through the back gate. Sarah opens the back gate for us.


    "Good, your back. Derek wants you by the front gates," she says.


    "Is Sam okay?" I ask.


    "She''s fine, but Dave is threatening to attack the summer camp," she says.


    "I need your help. I need you to protect those two kids over there if things go south, okay?" I say.


    "Got it."


    I head towards the front gate. Derek hands me a rifle.


    "Are you ready? I don''t know what Dave is going to do, once I open those gates," he says.


    "I''m ready," I say.


    Derek, with the help of two others, opens the gates. Dave walks inside. He''s holding a pistol.


    "Why are you here?" I ask.


    "I''m simply here to warn you," he says.


    "About?" Derek asks.


    "I want you, Jade, to tell your friends at the summer camp to clear out. I''m going to take that place. By force, if I have to. You can try to stop me, but you won''t succeed," he says.


    "You can''t do this. That place is our home and we will fight to protect it," I say.


    "In any case you have one week until I attack," he says. "What''s that look for? Be grateful...most people don''t get a warning."


    "What about Clarissa? Don''t you want her back?" I ask.


    "My niece? That girl made her choice when she left Honestly, I could care less about what happens to her." Dave says.


    I start to reach for my pistol. This guy doesn''t deserve to live. Derek notices and grabs my hand, stopping me. Dave climbs into his truck. They drive away.


    "Why the hell did you stop me?" I ask.


    "Even if you actually shot him, you''d be dead seconds later. It wouldn''t be worth it. It would just make his whole group attack right now. At least we have time to prepare," Derek says.


    He is right. I just got so angry at how Dave was acting. The way he thinks he''s going to win no matter what. He reminds me of Jason.


    "You are going to help us, right? My group can''t defend itself on its own," I say.


    "Of course, you''ve helped me and I will return the favor," he says. I return to the others.


    "What happened?" Sarah asks.


    "He''s going to attack Oakwood. We have to get there before he does. We''re going to defend it as best we can," I say.


    "What about me?" Clarissa asks.


    "You can stay with me for as long as you need," I offer.


    "Thanks."


    Derek brings a us a van. The others pack up their


    stuff. I check on Sam.


    "I''ll be ready in a few minutes," she says getting out of bed.


    "Sam, I want you to stay here. You''re already hurt and you''d be safer here," I say.


    "No, Oakwood is my home. I want to help defend it,"  she argues.


    "Please, can you just listen? The truth is you won''t be much help. You''ll just get in the way. If we lose, at least you''ll be safe here," I say.


    "You can''t make me do anything!" she yells.


    "But I can tell Derek to keep you here. Don''t make this harder then it needs to be," I say. I go to the front door.


    "Don''t force me to stay! Please," Sam yells.


    "I''m only doing this to protect you," I go outside.


    "Don''t let her leave, unless I tell you to," I say to Derek.


    I get in the van. I start driving. Derek told us we have to take the long way. It''s going to take about six days to get to Oakwood. That''s if we keep driving with absolutely no stops.

 Chapter 19: The Way Back Home

    Jake and Alex are asleep in the back.


    "I can''t believe you left Sam there. She wanted to help us," Sarah says.


    "I had to leave her. I had no choice. I didn''t want her getting hurt worse than she is," I say. "There is no going back now. We only have one day left until Dave attacks and we are nowhere near Oakwood."


    We ran into many problems on the way. First, the van had a flat tire. We fixed it, but then it ran out of gas.


    So much time has been lost. I''m afraid we won''t make it in time. I''m afraid of arriving and seeing everyone dead. I''m trying as hard as I possibly can to be there for everyone.


    "Maybe you should stop for the night," Elizabeth suggests.


    "We can''t stop...not until we get there," I say.


    "At least let me take the wheel. You''re exhausted," she says.


    "No, even though I am tired, I won''t be able to fall asleep."


    I just need to keep going. After a few hours, the sun starts rising. The kids wake up.


    "Are we close?" Clarissa asks.


    "No, we''re still pretty far away," Sarah says.


    We pass by a sign for a hiking trail. Sarah looks at the map.


    "Jade, stop the car now!" she says. I hit the brake.


    "What?" I almost yell at her.


    "That trail leads right to the summer camp it will be quicker then driving," she says.


    "Are you absolutely sure about this?" I ask.


    "Yeah, look!" she says showing me the map.


    It would be quicker. We''d have to walk though. I pull over.


    "Let''s do it then," I say.


    We get out. I grab our bags from the back. We walk through the forest. I can see the walls of the summer camp in the distance. We reach the camp. Melissa lets us in.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Where is Sam?" she asks.


    "She''s okay. She is at the camp up north...a group is coming here tomorrow to attack the camp. Derek''s men are going to be here soon to help us. We have to fight them," I say.


    "We can''t win...the walls can only keep zombies out, not people. We have barely any ammo or guns," Melissa says.


    "We have help. It''s not like we''re alone in this,"


    I hear trucks pulling up. I go outside. A woman slightly older then me gets it of one of the trucks.


    "We''re from Derek''s group. Is there somewhere you''d like us to be?" she asks.


    "I want a few of you to guard the road. That way when Dave shows up they can give us a heads up," I say. "I want some of you to guard the gates and the rest in the camp."


    "Got it," she says.


    I head back inside the camp. I return to Melissa.


    "I''m taking all the elderly and children to a secret safe house we have in the woods. Do you want me to arrange for your kids to be there?" she asks.


    Honestly, I can protect them better. I''d also feel better knowing they were with me.


    "That''s okay. I''ll take care of them myself," I say.


    I help the others fortify the wall. Nighttime comes faster then usual. When we wake up tomorrow, we have to fight with all we have to keep this place. I miss when it was so much simpler. When we weren''t fighting for our lives everyday. The virus didn''t just make it harder to have a normal life. It made it harder to be human.


    Jake and Alex are too young to know what life was before. All they''ve know was surviving. Running from the dead. Me, Sarah, Jake, and Alex are sitting in front of a campfire.


    "What if we die tomorrow?" Sarah asks.


    "Don''t say that! Don''t even think it," I say.


    "Calm down, I was just saying if we die then what happens? Would Dave let the remaining survivors go?"


    "He wouldn''t. He wants us all dead no matter what and he will stop at nothing to make sure that happens," I say. "We should go to sleep soon. We have to get up early tomorrow,"


    I go to our cabin with Jake and Alex.


    I lie in bed, unable to fall asleep. Once the sun rises, our lives won''t be the same. Even if we manage to fight Dave''s group off, there will be people who didn''t survive. The walls might be completely wrecked. If that is the case we''d have to find somewhere else to stay. We''d be on the road again.


    I hear voices on the radio, sitting on my nightstand. Derek''s people are guarding the road, if they see anything they''re supposed to call me on the radio.


    "I see headlights down the road!" I hear. I jump out of bed and grab the radio.


    "Is it Dave?" I ask.


    "I can''t tell. Wait...it''s them!" I hear.


    Seconds later, I hear a bang over the radio.


    "Hello, Jade. Get ready. We''ll be there any minute," Dave''s says over the radio.


    I run outside. Sarah is still sitting by the fire. Everyone else is sleeping.


    "What''s wrong?" she asks.


    "Dave''s group is here," I say.


    Sarah makes a run for the fire alarm at the other end of the camp. We all agreed that when Dave showed up we''d use the fire alarm to get everyone ready. Soon people emerge from their cabins. I climb the wall. Dave and his people are here.


    "I''m giving you one more chance...leave and we won''t hurt anyone here," Dave says.


    Melissa looks at me. She wants me to say yes to Dave. How can I trust that as soon as we lower our weapons, he won''t start firing at us?


    "No, we''re not going anywhere," I say.


    "Jade!" Melissa says.


    "Fine, don''t say I didn''t give you a chance," Dave says.


    Bullets fly at us. We shoot back taking five of their people out. An explosion knocks me and Melissa off the wall. There is a hole in the walls. Trucks drive through it. My gun landed feet away from me. I crawl to it. I grab it. Jake and Alex are taking cover by a picnic table.


    "Keep your heads down. Where''s Clarissa?" I say.


    "She was in our cabin," Alex says.


    I make a run for the cabin. The door is locked. I kick it open. Dave is holding Clarissa at knife point. He is standing by a window.


    "Don''t do it!" I say.


    I can see Sarah outside pointing a gun at him from far away. Sarah takes the shot through the window. Dave falls over. He was shot in the neck. Clarissa gets behind me. Dave gets up. He seems unfazed by the wound. He steps away from the window.


    I shoot him in the head. It doesn''t do a thing. He growls at me. He tackles me. He''s acting like a zombie. Clarissa stabs Dave in the head. He finally stops.


    "Was he bit?" I ask.


    "You don''t know, do you?" Clarissa says.


    "Know what?"


    "If you''re partially infected you will eventually turn one day. Sometimes it takes years, but it''s months for others."


    "You can''t tell anyone else about this. I don''t need them to know about this. I''ll deal with it when that day comes," I say. We head outside. The battle isn''t over yet.

 Chapter 20: In The Dark

    "Jade, I need you to go and get supplies from a hospital near here," Melissa says.


    She is holding a person''s gunshot wound to prevent them from bleeding out. We fought Dave''s men off, but a lot of us are injured. Some of us died.


    "Okay," I reply.


    Jake, Alex, Elizabeth, and Clarissa get in a car with me. It''s a short drive to the hospital. The one thing on my mind is what Clarissa said. I''m going to turn and it''s only a matter of time.


    How long do I even have left? Will there be any warning signs or will it be out of the blue? Will I even know I''m turning until it''s too late?


    We get out of the car. Elizabeth gets the doors open. We walk inside. On the wall, written in blood is, "Leave while you can."


    How many people died here? I don''t mean when everything was normal. I mean towards the end of the world. How many people couldn''t leave?


    "Melissa said all the supplies we need are on the third and fourth floors. Clarissa and I will search the fourth, you three will search the third. Once your done, meet us in the last room on the third floor," Elizabeth says.


    We climb the stairs. We start checking the rooms. We find more then I thought we would. Jake opens one of the doors.


    The room is filled with zombies. He slams the door shut. The zombies push on it almost opening it. I help him hold it. There is a shelf by the door. Alex starts pushing it towards the door.


    "Help her," I tell Jake.


    He pushes it with her. I begin slowly moving out of the way. Finally, they block the door with the shelf.


    "That''s not going to hold very long. Let''s move!" I say.


    We search the rooms as fast as we can. Grabbing only what we truly need. The zombies break out of their room. We run down the hall and into the room Elizabeth was going to meet us in. We block the door as best we can.


    "What''s going on?" Elizabeth asks.


    "There is a group of zombies right outside that door. We need to leave now," I say.


    Clarissa walks over to a large window. She kicks the glass out.


    "Let''s go!" she says before jumping out.


    Jake jumps, then Alex. The doors starts to open.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Protect my family," Elizabeth says.


    She hands me her bag before pushing me out the window. Elizabeth is pulled away from the window by the zombies. She screams.


    I get up and look at the window. The zombies tumble out of it. Jake pulls me away. We run through the forest. Elizabeth had the car keys. Alex stops, she looks back.


    "We need to go. She...she couldn''t have survived," I say.


    We finally reach the woods surrounding the camp. I hear voices ahead. It''s not anyone from the camp. I see a horde moving towards the camp. All the zombies are talking to each other.


    "Those people at the camp are doomed,"  I hear.


    They are going to attack Oakwood.


    "What are we going to do?" Alex asks.


    "We''re going to save as many people as we can," I say.


    We go around to the back wall. Susan lets us in.


    "Where is Elizabeth?" she asks.


    Screams at the front wall interrupt my response.


    "We need to go, now!" I say.


    "Okay, I''ll get everyone," Susan says.


    I tell her to meet Jake and Alex by the cars on the other side of camp. I then tell Jake and Alex to head that way. I need to get Sam and Melissa. I head to their cabin. Sam is here.


    "Where is Melissa?" I ask.


    "I don''t know," she says.


    "We need to get far away from here," I say.


    "We can''t leave our own mother," Sam says.


    "I''ll find her. Go to where we keep the cars," I say.


    She nods and goes her way. I look everywhere for Melissa. I finally spot her on top of the wall.


    "Let''s go!" I say.


    "No, you and Sam need to leave. I will meet you guys down the road," she says.


    I go towards the place we all are set to meet. A car almost hits me. I get ready to yell at the driver, when I realize the driver is Jake. Who let him drive?


    "I''m sorry," he says.


    He climbs into the passenger seat. I get in. I look in the rear view mirror. Clarissa, Sam, and Alex are in the backseat. There is a car behind us with Susan, Henry, Jenny, Hannah, and Sarah inside.


    We drive through the hole in the wall. Zombies bang on the window and try opening the doors as we pass by. Horrific sights are all around us. A zombie tears a young girl''s throat out. She screams for help, reaching a hand towards the car. I want to help, but what can I do? She''s bleeding out. Jake and Alex turn away from the sight.


    The sun starts to set. Someone jumps in front of the car. It''s a woman. She''s covered in blood.


    "Open the door, please! Please!" she yells, banging on the hood.


    I can''t take the chance. She might be a zombie. Opening the door will put everyone in here at risk. I force myself to drive past her. Three zombies bite her.


    "You left her!" Jake says.


    "I didn''t want to."


    I speed up, once I''m far enough from the camp. The car everyone else is in pulls into the parking lot of a gift shop. I park the car next to theirs. We all get out.


    "Where are we going?" I ask.


    "That''s what we need to figure out," Sarah says.


    "There is a town not far from here. We could head there," Susan suggests.


    "Let''s do it," I say.


    "Jade, where is Elizabeth?" she asks.


    How do I even begin to tell her that her daughter is dead? That I let it happen? I really could have tried harder to save her.


    "She was trying to save me. Zombies got her," I say.


    Susan gets in the car. She''s crying. The rest of us get back in the cars. I hope there are survivors from the camp who made it out.


    Something runs in front of the car. I can''t tell what it is, because the headlights are dim.


    "You saw that too, right?" Jake asks.


    I nod.


    Susan and Henry''s car stops. Why did they stop? I see figures move around the car. I realize that we are sitting in the middle of a horde. How did I drive through the horde without even noticing?


    "Keep your heads down. Don''t let them notice we''re here," I whisper.


    I notice the zombies have their eyes closed. I have seen this before. They sleep walk. At least they won''t see us.


    I hear one of the back doors open. The lights in the car turn on. I look in the back. A zombie has opened Alex''s door. If I shoot him, the whole horde will attack. Clarissa stabs the zombie in the head. She then slowly closes the door.


    "Lock that door," I say.


    "It doesn''t lock," Alex says.


    We escape the horde unscathed. I can see a town ahead. We pull into the driveway of a house. Sam, Sarah, and I check the house. After that, we all go inside.


    I put my gun on the coffee table. There is one bedroom and one bathroom. Susan, Henry, Jenny, and Hannah will sleep in the bedroom upstairs. The rest of us will sleep on the floor downstairs.


    I roll my sleeping bag out. We have no food, water, or permanent shelter. I thought our days of worrying if we were going to eat or not were over. I try to fall asleep. After what I have seen today and what I have done, sleeping isn''t going to be easy tonight.

 Chapter 21: Infection

    I wake up. It''s eight in the morning. I go into the kitchen. I open one of the cabinets. We didn''t check them last night. The cabinet is fully stocked. I check the next. It''s full, too. Nothing in the house has a spec of dust on it.


    Someone grabs me from behind. I reach for a knife by the sink. The person pulls me back before I can grab it. I bite the hand of the person. Blood is on my teeth and dripping onto the carpet. The person let''s go. I grab the knife on the counter. I turn around. A man stands there.


    "What the hell are you doing in my house? You bit me!" he yells.


    I look at the coffee table. My gun is gone.


    "Give me my gun!" I say.


    "I don''t have it," he says.


    Muddy bootprints lead up the stairs.


    "Is anyone else with you?" I ask.


    "Yeah, my brother Steven," he says.


    I run up the stairs. I open the bedroom door. Another man stands over the bed with my gun. He notices me. I stab him the shoulder with the knife. He drops the gun. He reaches for it. I kick it away. The gun slides to the door out of our reach.


    "Stop now!" I hear.


    I see Jake holding my gun. The man backs off. Everyone in the house is awake now.


    "Shoot him," Henry says.


    "Don''t do it," I say.


    "Jake, shoot him now!" Henry yells.


    "Shut up!" I yell to Henry.


    I take the gun back. I hit the man over the head with it.


    "Tie him and his brother up," I say.


    We head downstairs. Henry ties them both up in the basement.


    "Why did you not want me to shoot him?" Jake asks.


    "Because I didn''t want you to have to kill someone," I say.


    "I''ve killed zombies before," he says.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "It''s different. Zombies are dead. When you kill someone, that stays with you for the rest of your life," I say.


    "Well, what do we do about them?" Sam asks.


    "We were the ones who came in here and slept in their house. Technically, we''re in the wrong. We untie them and leave," I say.


    "So, we just let them off the hook for trying to kill us?" she asks.


    "Would you react differently if you saw the people who broke into your house?" I ask.


    I hear yelling in the basement. I run to the sounds. I open the door. One of them has turned and is trying to bite the other. I pull out my knife. I stab the zombie in the eye.


    "That bite wasn''t on his arm when we came here," Steven says. Henry unties him.


    "I bit him when he grabbed me, but he wouldn''t have turned because of that," I say.


    He looks at my arm. He''s staring at the scar on my wrist. It''s from when that zombie, Kim, bit me. His staring is making me feel uncomfortable.


    "She''s been bitten before!" he says.


    Everyone here knows that. Did I infect him? Clarissa grabs my arm. She pulls me to the side.


    "You infected him. You carry a part of the virus in your saliva. So do Sarah and I," she says.


    I infected someone? I ruined someone''s life. I killed them.


    "We need to kick them out. They are a danger to us," Steven says.


    "No, I''m not a danger to anyone here," I say.


    The others back away from Sarah, Clarissa, and I.


    "How long until these monsters decide to sink their teeth into someone else? Like those little girls you two have," Steven says to Henry and Susan.


    "We''re not monsters. They are," I say pointing to Steven''s brother.


    Steven grabs Henry''s gun from the holster. He points it at me. He is going to shoot me.


    "We need to kill them, before they kill us," he says. Jake and Alex get in front of me.


    "She would never hurt us," Alex says.


    "They stay with us...for now," Henry says.


    Steven decides to stay at the house when Susan offers for him to join us. If anyone is a monster, it''s Steven.


    He was willing to kill anyone that he deemed a threat. I understand wanting to be safe, although Steven didn''t have all the facts about what I really am.


    We get ready to leave. We''re going to drive through town and try to find a grocery store. We arrive at the store. There is a already dug grave by the store. It''s empty. The doors are blocked by shelves. There is a window high up.


    "Alex, if I help you up there could you try to open the window?" I ask.


    "Okay," she says. I lift her as high as I can. She opens the window. I put her down.


    "Would you mind giving me a boost?" I ask Henry.


    "Look, it''s nothing personal, but I don''t want to after finding out what you are," he says.


    "This is personal. I am what I am and I can''t change that," I say.


    "I''ll help you. Unlike these cowards, I know you''d never hurt someone unless it was self defense," Sam says.


    Sarah and Sam struggle trying to help me up. I finally pull myself through the window. I push the shelves out of the way. Sarah opens the door all the way.


    I hear something being knocked over. I pull my gun from its holster.


    "Keep everyone up here. Wait until I say that it''s all clear," I whisper to Sarah.


    I walk down each aisle. My flashlight starts to dim. I really need to change the batteries. It dims slowly until it completely turns off, leaving me in the darkness. I don''t like not being able to see what''s right in front of me. I feel vulnerable and exposed. I hit the light with my hand a few times. The flashlight turns on. A young child is in front of me. It''s a girl.


    "I need help," she says. Her eyes are normal.


    "Whats wrong?" I ask.


    "Follow me!" she says before taking off.


    I follow her. She leads me to a door. It''s a break room.


    "You need to tell me why you need help," I say.


    "It''s my friend. She''s hurt," she says.


    She opens the door. We walk in. She stops. She begins to shake. I reach my hand towards her. I lightly touch her shoulder. She jumps on me. She''s growling. Her pupils are enlarged. I push her back. She snaps at me.


    I yell to the others. I throw the zombie off. She charges at me. I slide a chair in her way. She jumps over it. I grab her wrists. I push her back. She is stronger then me.


    Sarah walks in. She stabs the zombie in the head. She picks the dead zombie up.


    "I want to bury her outside. She was just a kid. She deserves a burial. It shouldn''t take long,"


    Sarah says. I find the others.


    "Did you find anything yet?" I ask.


    "Enough for maybe a week," Sam says.


    A week isn''t bad. I go outside. Sarah might need some help. Sarah stands over a grave. She sticks a shovel in the ground.


    "Jade, there is a house on the beach. It''s untouched," Sarah says.


    "Are you sure?" I ask.


    "Yeah, I looked through the windows," she says.


    Everyone exits the store. I tell the others about the house Sarah found. We walk towards it. As we walk along the beach it starts to rain. Maybe we can stay at the house at least for tonight. Jake screams. I turn around. Three zombies are headed towards us.

 Chapter 22: Allies

    A hand is wrapped around Jake''s leg. Zombies climb out of the sand. They walk towards us, stumbling as they do. I pull my machete out. I cut the hand on Jake''s leg off. The zombie rises up. It''s hand is laying on the ground. I drive the machete through it''s heart. It stops in it''s tracks.


    Jake pulls out his knife. We''re surrounded by the zombies. Henry is standing on the porch of the house.


    "We need help," I yell to him.


    He aims the gun. He looks at us. He lowers it then runs inside the house. I kill one of the zombies. I hear gunshots. Three zombies fall over.


    Alex stands five feet away with a gun. We run towards the house. I have my arms around Jake and Alex. I''m keeping them from getting grabbed and pulled away.


    We make it to the front door. Alex''s gun falls from the holster. Sarah opens the door. As soon as we are inside, she slams it closed. I help Sam push a couch up against it.


    I feel like punching Henry in the face.


    "You left us out there! I understand why you left me, but Jake? He''s just a kid. You were going to let him die! After all I''ve done for you and your family, this is how I''m treated? Like I''m some monster that lurks in the woods," I yell.


    "I...I''m sorry," he says.


    "Sorry? Your only sorry I almost died because of you?" I yell.


    "Jade, I get you''re angry, but yelling is only going to bring more zombies down on us," Sarah says.


    A man walks from the kitchen towards us.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "What the hell are you doing in my house?" he asks. I know him. It''s Eric. He''s the one who drove Iris and I to the airport.


    "Wait...you''re Jade," Eric says looking at me.


    "Eric, I''m glad that you''re alive," I say.


    "What about Iris?" he asks.


    He gets by the look on my face that she didn''t make it. I hear a gunshot. A zombie is holding Alex''s gun. The zombie climbs through the window.


    "There is a bunker in the basement, come with me," Eric says.


    We follow him down to the bunker. He opens the door. There are three bunk beds, a safe, a desk, and a file cabinet. There are walls of guns and ammo.


    "Is there another way out? That door doesn''t look all that sturdy," Sarah says.


    "Yeah," Eric says.


    I go to the other exit. The bunker door we came in through creaks.


    "Get out of here," Eric says.


    "What?" I ask.


    "I''ll hold the zombies off, get out of here," he says. The


    "That is not going to happen," I say.


    The door opens. Zombies flood in. We have no choice but to leave. Eric is attacked. I don''t want to leave him, but I can''t do much for him now. We get to the exit. We get outside. I close the door. The sun starts to set.


    "We need a place to stay tonight," I say.


    "There is a hotel not far from here. We could stay there," Sarah suggests.


    We all agree on it. We reach the hotel. I check two rooms that are right next to each other. Jenny, Susan, Hannah, Henry, and Sam will stay in one room. The rest of us will stay in the other. This was Henry''s idea. He said it''d be better to keep the infected away from everyone else. I sit on the bed.


    How could Henry not even try to save me earlier? Especially, when a kid was involved? Would he have done the same if it was Jenny or Hannah instead of Jake?


    I lie in bed. My gun is in a drawer in the nightstand. I have a knife under my pillow. If anyone even tries anything, I''ll be ready. It''s one am when I finally fall asleep. Alex wakes me up in the morning.


    I get out of bed. I grab my knife. I go over to Susan and Henry''s room. The door is cracked open an inch. I open it all the way. Everyone is gone. The place looks ransacked. I call the others in.


    "Where are they?" Clarissa asks.


    I see a note on the nightstand.


    "Hello, I have your friends. They are safe...for now. Time is running out, Jade," I read.


    Whoever wrote the note knows my name. Who wrote this?


    "They were...taken," I say.


    Sarah takes the note out of my hand.


    "By who?"


    "We need to get them back," I say.


    "Exactly," Clarissa says.


    Jake peels back the curtain, looking out the window.


    "We have a problem," he says.


    "What?" I yell.


    "Zombies are breaking doors down and searching the rooms," he says.


    I will find you, Sam. No matter what I will find you all, even if I die trying.

 Chapter 23: On The Run

    I stand here, trying to process all that is happening in this moment. Sam and the others were taken. Whoever took them knows my name. Who would do this?


    "Jade, we need to go now!" Jake says.


    I can hear the zombies outside searching the rooms. It''s almost like they are looking specifically for us. They might have tracked us from Eric''s bunker. Alex opens the back door. We make it outside. Sarah blocks the door with a dumpster.


    "What the hell are we going to do?" Clarissa asks.


    "We are going to get them back no matter what," I say.


    "How? We are five people, three are kids. We have four guns with barely any ammo, and you''re suggesting we take on a group with who knows how many people?" Sarah says.


    "You''re saying we just let whoever took the others keep them? I made a promise to Elizabeth when she died, that I would protect her family, and I intend to keep that promise. She trusted me to keep them safe," I say.


    "You want to save Henry and Susan after how they treated you? How they treated Clarissa and I? They wouldn''t have cared one bit if Steven shot you yesterday, and you know it," she says.


    "Jenny, Hannah, and Sam were also taken. It''s not just Henry and Susan that needs us. I will not let two kids be taken," I say.


    "One of these days you''re going to get yourself killed trying to save everyone you meet," she says.


    I can''t live with myself, if I don''t at least try to get them back. I see a store in the distance.


    "Let''s check in there. Maybe we can find something inside," I say.


    We make our way towards the store. I look at the note that was in the hotel room. Who wrote this? Could it be one of Dave''s group? We reach the store. One of the windows is bashed open. I can hear someone inside.


    "I''ll go in. The rest of you stay out here," I say.


    I pull out my gun. I climb through the window. I see someone bent over, looking through a box. I have my gun pointed right at them. The person turns around. She has a gun in my face. She has short black hair, and blue eyes.


    "Put it down," I say.


    She looks behind me. She sees something. I don''t dare to turn around.


    "Don''t move," The woman whispers. Now she''s threatening me?


    "Don''t even try to..." She cuts me off.


    "You need to listen to me. I can see a sniper on the building across from us. He has his gun on you. Any sudden movements and you''re dead," she says like it''s nothing. Is she warning me or threatening me?


    "What are you..." She cuts me off again.


    "I''m trying to help you," she says. What about everyone outside?


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "I have people outside. Will the sniper shoot them?" I ask.


    "If the sniper could see them, he''d shoot."


    The door behind the woman opens. The others walk inside. I hear a gunshot. I jump behind a shelf. More shots ring in my ears. The sniper missed all of us, thankfully. The woman is hiding behind the shelf directly across from me.


    "If I can make it to the roof, I can take the sniper out. I''m going to need you to help me though," she says.


    Eight months ago I would have never trusted a stranger to help...a lot has changed since then. She is the only one who can help. I just have to trust her.


    "Go, I''ll cover you." I say as I shoot at the sniper.


    The woman sprints to the back door. Five minutes later all the shooting stops. The woman returns.


    "Who are you?" I ask.


    "I''m Karla. The five of you look like hell," she says.


    "You don''t know the week we''ve had," I say.


    "I live not too far from here. I have food and water. You guys could come back there with me," she offers.


    We just met and she''s offering to let us stay at her place? It''s too risky to go with her. We can scavenge our own supplies like we always have. Like we always will. I don''t like accepting help from people, because afterwards they can hold it over your head and make you work for them.


    One time while Jack, Iris, and I were still living in the bunker a small group found us. At that time we had run out of food and had only two days worth of water left . The group offered us enough supplies for a few weeks.


    Desperately, we accepted. Two weeks later they forced us to gather supplies for them in the most dangerous of places. From then on I refused anyone else''s help.


    "No, we''re fine," I say.


    "Actually, we could use some help," Sarah says.


    Why the hell would you say that?


    "This way," Karla says before going out the back door.


    This store is empty. Whatever was left, Karla probably took.


    We move through gift shops that line the streets. We come across a chain link fence with barbed wire across the top. Karla starts climbing it.


    "What are you doing?" I yell.


    "I''m climbing it," she says.


    "My friend once got cut by barbed wire. He got a horrible infection and was pretty close to dying. Get down now. If you get cut, I''m not helping you," I say.


    She throws her bag over the fence and continues to climb it. I pull a thick blanket out of my bag. I toss it over the barbed wire. I tell the kids to be extremely careful. I toss my backpack over the fence. As it lands, the bag''s zipper pops open. All of my things fall into the dirt.


    I scale the fence. I jump down, once I get over the wire. I start collecting my things and putting them back in the bag. Clarissa stands next to me. She stares at the photo of Jack, Iris, and I. It''s the last thing I have left to remember them by.


    "That''s Iris and Jack, isn''t it?" she asks.


    "Yeah..." I say. Wait, I never told her about them.


    "How do you know them?" I ask.


    "I...Dave had me...spy on you before we met. I know everything about you. I know what happened in your past, the bunker, all of it. Dave knew what you were and he thought that maybe you would join the group," she says.


    "How long? How long were you watching me?" I yell.


    "About seven months," she replies.


    "Were Lauren, Chris, and Emily sent by Dave?" I ask.


    "No, we never did that,"


    "You didn''t ever think to mention this before I took you in?" I say.


    "If I said something earlier, you''d still be mad at me,"


    "You watched me for seven months, of course, I''m mad! I just wished you would have said something before I trusted you," I yell.


    "Can we please take this somewhere else?" Karla says.


    We continue on. Was Clarissa telling the whole truth or did she lie about a few things? At this point, I think we have to kick her out of the group. She''s Dave''s niece and I can see some of his traits in her. Who knows what she is actually capable of.


    "You shouldn''t be so hard on her," Sarah says.


    Maybe I am being too hard on her. Dave could have given her no choice and forced her to spy on me.


    Karla opens the door to an apartment building. We walk inside. I step into the stairwell.


    "Are there other people here?" I ask.


    "It used to be me and my two sisters but...they were taken," Karla says.


    "By who?" Sarah asks. Karla stops.


    "The group I was with took them," she says.


    "Some of our people were taken, too," Sarah says.


    "The group isn''t what it was a year ago. Ever since the new leader took charge of the place, the group has been kidnapping and trading people. I tried to leave. In retaliation, they took my sisters. That''s probably who took your people," Karla says.


    As we walk up the stairs voices grow louder.


    "I thought you said it was just you living here!" I say.


    "It is just me. Whoever is in there is not with me," Karla says.


    I walk towards the door where the voices are coming from. I open the door an inch. I see three people walking down the hall. Two men, one woman. I close the door.


    "There are three people. They might be zombies," I whisper to everyone else.


    "Might? Did you look at their eyes?" Karla asks.


    "Their eyes don''t always tell you if they are zombies or not. We encountered zombies with normal eyes not that long ago. The virus is mutating. Some zombies have red eyes, some have dilated pupils, and a few have eyes that look normal," I say.


    I pull out my gun. I open the door all the way. Karla, Sarah, and I step out into the hall with our guns drawn. The kids stay hidden in the stairwell.


    "What are you doing here?" Karla asks.


    The three people also have their guns drawn. Their eyes look normal.


    "We were just looking for a place to stay. Just let us leave," The woman says.


    Karla lowers her gun. Really? You''re going to trust them that easily?


    The woman takes a step towards us.


    "Don''t move!" I yell.


    "We don''t want any trouble," the woman says.


    One of the men shoots at Karla. I duck behind a wall.

 Chapter 24: All Hope Is Lost

    The three people are zombies. The woman zombie makes a break for the stairwell. I''m out of bullets. I need to get her away from the kids. I run across the hall.


    I grab the zombie by the hair and pull her back. I stab her in the neck. Karla and Sarah are fighting the other two. Once the zombie is dead, I take her gun. I check the clip.


    The gun only has three bullets. I check her pockets and find two more bullets. I get behind the wall again. I see one of the zombies on top of Karla. I shoot it in the head. Sarah kills the last one with a crowbar. I open the door to the stairwell.


    "It''s safe," I say.


    Karla leads us to her apartment. She sits on the couch. I walk into the kitchen. I open one of the cabinets. It''s full. When Karla isn''t looking, I take a few cans of food. It''s not like I''m stealing all of it.


    "Did Karla say you could take that?" Jake asks.


    "Don''t let her hear you! No, she didn''t, but she promised us food. She''s not even going to notice," I whisper.


    "You could''ve just asked, you know?" Karla says.


    "Thanks a lot, Jake," I say.


    Karla takes a bunch of stuff out of the cabinets.


    "You can have everything that is on the counters, everything else is mine," she says.


    A large pile of cans, boxes, and water bottles are on the counter. It''ll last us maybe three weeks. I start putting the supplies in my bag. Sarah is outside on the balcony with Clarissa. In a few minutes we''ll all leave.


    I get all the supplies packed and ready to go. Sarah and Karla are talking on the balcony. I open the sliding glass door.


    "What''s going on out here?" I ask. Karla points to a building in the distance.


    "That''s where the group has your people," Karla says.


    "Could we rescue them ourselves?" I ask.


    "No way. That place has several people on watch at all times," Karla says.


    "Have you checked the other floors of this building for weapons, ammo, or anything like that?" I ask.


    "Every floor except the one below this one," she says.


    "Then let''s go check it. It might not be totally empty," I say turning back towards the sliding door.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Karla grabs my arm to stop me.


    "Wait, there is a reason I haven''t gotten around to checking it...it''s infested with the dead," she says.


    "Which means that maybe it isn''t as picked clean as every other place in this city. How long has it been infested?"


    "Since the start of the apocalypse," Karla replies.


    "I''ll help you, Jade," Sarah says.


    Karla takes us to the floor. I put on a bulletproof vest that I found a couple hours ago. It might not withstand zombie teeth, but it will stop a bullet if one of the zombies has a gun.


    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Karla asks.


    Not really, but I need to do this. I nod.


    She opens the door. Sarah and I step in. The walls are covered in blood. It smells like rotting flesh. The zombies look awful. Their bones are sticking out. Some are sitting against the wall and can barely reach their arms towards us.


    I have my machete. I drive the tip of the blade through the skull of one that''s lying on the floor. These zombies must have not have eaten at all.


    I open the door to one of the rooms. A female zombie is tied to the radiator. She growls at me.


    I''m surprised none of the zombies have tried to act like normal people. I stab the female zombie through the chest. Her eyes close.


    I go into the kitchen. I check the cabinets. I come up empty. I check the bathroom. The closet has a few towels. I take them. If someone is bleeding these will help to stop it. I check the medicine cabinet. I find gauze and antibiotics. I go back into the hall.


    Sarah screams. I run into the room she is in. Zombies follow me slowly. Sarah is on the floor with a zombie on top of her. Three more are moving towards her.


    I stab the zombie, on Sarah, through the head. I stab the other three. I turn back towards the door. Five zombies are almost in the doorway. I slam the door shut. I notice the door handle is gone. Who would remove that?


    The zombies push on the door. It doesn''t take much force to hold it closed. I scan the room for either a way out or something to hold the door.


    "Sarah, find something to block the door!" I say to her.


    She goes into the kitchen and comes back with a small lightweight shelf.


    "Do you have anything heavier?" I ask.


    "No," she says.


    I slide the coffee table in front of the door. It''s a bit heavier than the shelf.


    "Get ready," I say.


    "For what?" She asks.


    "I''m going to let them in. They are slow, we can kill them," I say.


    I jump over the coffee table. The door opens. Zombies stumble inside. One trips over the coffee table like I intended. I stab the one on the floor. Sarah kills two. Soon all of them are dead. We search the rest of the floor. Karla opens the door to her apartment for us.


    "You made it," she says.


    "The zombies down there are starving," I say.


    "So? You want me to throw a rabbit down there for them?" She says sarcastically.


    "They are slow and weak when they aren''t fed. We can use this to our advantage," I say.


    "Did you find anything good?" She asks.


    "A few guns, ammo, and some food," I say.


    I take off the vest. The others are talking on the balcony.


    "Jade! You need to see this!" Jake yells.


    I run to the balcony. I look down. Four cars all with skulls painted on the hoods are driving towards the building. I''ve seen these cars before. When Sam and I were headed up to Derek''s group, we saw a few trucks with skulls on them.


    Karla rushes inside. She grabs a duffel bag. She stuffs all of the supplies that are in the kitchen in the bag.


    "What are you doing?" I ask.


    "We need to go now! Those people are the ones who took your friends. They are coming to get the rest of you," Karla says. "Don''t just stand there, help me,"


    I grab a bag and start loading supplies into it. Karla opens the front door. She turns to the right and walks down the hall. Sarah follows after her. I am still in the room.


    I''m not going to blindly follow this stranger. She could very well still be working with this group.


    "What are we doing here, Jade?" Alex asks.


    "We are going our own way," I say.


    I turn to the left. Iwalk towards the fire escape. I open the window. We climb out. All of us sprint down the fire escape. We reach the ground. Karla and Sarah run past us. One of the cars is driving towards us.


    We have no choice but to follow Karla. As I''m running I take a look behind us. Those people aren''t following us anymore. Karla opens the door to a gift shop. The windows are boarded up.


    "In here," she says. "We need to find a place that we can stay in for the rest of the day," I say.


    I pull out a map.


    "There is a grocery store not too far from here. It would be a good place to stay for a few days," I say.


    "Sounds like a plan," Karla says.


    I step outside then look around. No one in sight.


    We move at a steady pace. I have my gun in my hand just in case we run into someone. I can see the store in the distance. I see something run across the roof. Whether it''s a zombie or not, I can''t tell.


    After a few minutes of walking, we reach the front door. I look up at the roof. I don''t see anything now. I open the door. We step inside. Karla blocks the door with a shelf. I can''t see anything. I turn on my flashlight. A pack of zombies stare at us. They growl, ready to attack.

 Chapter 25: No Escape

    Everyone runs in different directions. Three zombies are chasing me. I run through the gardening section. I grab a shovel off the ground. I turn around. I slam the shovel against a zombies face. Three of its teeth fly across the room. This only seems to anger it. I hit it again. It falls over.


    I ditch the shovel and pull out my machete. I stab one in the heart. I stab the last one in the head. I see Sarah and Karla. They are trying to fight off five zombies. I grab a pitchfork. I stab one of the zombies in the back with it. The other four turn their attention to me. A zombie behind me grabs the hood of my jacket and pulls me back. Sarah shoots the zombie behind me. It drops to the ground, letting go of my hood.


    We finish off the zombies near us. I haven''t seen any of the kids since we split up. I hope they''re okay.


    "Did you see where the kids went?" I ask.


    "No, we didn''t," Sarah says.


    I call out their names. No response. Panic starts to set in. Where are they?


    I walk through the store. Are they...dead? I look straight ahead. A zombie is hunched over a body. I can see Alex''s bag next to the zombie.


    I stop. I lost them. I couldn''t protect them. I should''ve been there. I should''ve ran with them. I turn around, crying. Sarah shoots the zombie.


    "Jade!" I hear.


    I turn to the sound. Jake, Alex, and Clarissa are running to me. I hug them.


    "You guys weren''t bitten or anything?" I ask.


    "We''re fine," Jake says.


    I look over at the body the zombie was eating. It''s a girl about Alex''s age.


    "Jade, we have company," Sarah says.


    I look in the direction she is looking. A woman and two teenage girls stand to the left of us.


    "Hi," The woman says.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Who are you?" I ask.


    "I...I noticed you have kids. I have a group. They''d be safe there," She says.


    "I''ve been doing an okay job of protecting them myself," I say.


    "Really? You lost them and thought they were dead," she says.


    She is really testing my patience.


    "They are fed, safe, and alive. That''s more then most people can say," I say. "You avoided my question, who are you?"


    "I''m Mia," she says.


    "I don''t think we can trust them," Sarah whispers.


    I agree. They just all of the sudden appear out of nowhere?


    "Where were the three of you, while we were fighting the zombies?" I ask.


    "There is an office at the other end of the store. That''s where we were," Mia says.


    I hear something being knocked over in a far away aisle.


    "It''s just the three of you?" I ask Mia.


    "Yeah..." she says.


    Either she''s lying or we missed a zombie. I pull out my gun. I walk towards the aisle. Everyone else hangs back. I turn the corner. A zombie crawls towards me. I pull out my knife and stab it in the head. I return to the others. It''s nighttime now.


    "Are we leaving?" Karla asks.


    "It''s dangerous to be outside at night. It wouldn''t be a good idea," I say.


    "I guess you''re stuck with us until the morning then," Mia says.


    As long as those three don''t bother us, I guess it''s okay. I put my bag down. We all sit on the floor.


    "You said you belong to a group. Where is this group?" I ask.


    "We live in a mall nearby. If you want, I can take you back there in the morning," Mia says.


    That doesn''t sound too bad. We could stay with her group for a few days. Maybe get a car from them. I walk to the front door. I look outside. I see a person running up to the door. It''s a woman.


    "Let me in! I need help!" she screams.


    I look behind her. Three zombies are running towards her.


    "Go around the back," I say.


    She runs out of my view. I sprint to the back door. I open it. She''s not here yet.


    Come on! Hurry up! She runs inside. I slam the door, shut, and lock it. The zombies bang on the outside of the door. I turn around. I look at the woman. I notice a bite on her neck.


    "Are you immune?" I ask.


    "I don''t know yet," She says.


    How could I let this happen? How did I not see the bite?


    "You need to get out, now!" I yell.


    "We are not opening the door. We''ll just let more in!" Karla says.


    "We need to do something! We don''t know how long she has left," I say.


    "I think we have bigger problems!" Alex yells.


    We turn our attention to what she''s looking at. A horde is walking towards the store.


    Zombies are pushing on the glass doors. There is a little window on the back door. I look through it. The horde is on this side, too.


    "Stay away from the windows and doors," I say.


    We''re going to die today. There is absolutely no way we''re surviving this. What could we even try to do at this point? We''re surrounded.


    "We need to do something!" Karla says.


    A vent lid pops off. A zombie crawls in through the vent. Sarah stabs it. I run to the carts. I grab one that is connected to ten others. I wheel it in front of the doors. It will at least slow the zombies down. I look around. The shelves aren''t tall enough for us to stand on and be out of the zombies reach. They could help us in a different way.


    "I need you and your sister to get as many weapons as you can find," I say to Jake.


    I remember earlier I saw a bunch of folding tables by the gardening section. I send Sarah and Karla to get them.


    I ask Mia and her daughters to help me move the shelves. We arrange them in a way so that zombies have to climb over them to get to us.


    Karla and Sarah return with the tables. I unfold them and flip them on their side.


    Alex and Jake return. They lay everything they found on the table.


    There is a sledgehammer, screwdriver, rake, chainsaw, claw hammer, crowbar, and cleaver.


    "Guns are the last resort. As we all know, noise agitates these things," I say.


    I pull out my machete. The folding tables and shelves encircle us. Everyone grabs a weapon. I can hear the glass doors breaking. This is it. Will we survive?

 Chapter 26: Standing Our Ground

    Zombies climb over the shelves. I stab one in the eye with my screwdriver. I cut one''s head off with the machete. Sarah cuts a zombie in half with her chainsaw.


    The woman with the bite screams. A zombie has her hair. Before I can do anything, she''s pulled away. She screams as the zombies eat her alive. Blood pours onto the tiles.


    I grab the cleaver and hit a zombie in the middle of the forehead. I don''t know how much longer I can keep this up. The zombies just keep coming. One after the other. After what feels like hours of fighting, the zombies finally stop coming.


    "Did we do it?" Karla asks.


    "I think we did," I say.


    The whole store is filled with bodies. I look outside. The sun is starting to rise. How long were we fighting? I walk towards the front door. I hear a gunshot. I get down. Who is that? Mia is next to me.


    "You need to get to the roof. It will give us an advantage against who''s shooting at us," she says.


    I can see the back door. It''s far, but I can try to make it. I get ready. I sprint to the door with my head down. Shots are fired at my feet. They all miss. I push the back door open. There is a ladder leading to the roof next to me. I start climbing it. I reach the roof.


    There is a table and chair set up. Someone is, or was living up here. As I get closer, I realize a dead body is in the chair. He has a bite mark on his arm and a bullet wound to the chest. I''m guessing he turned and someone else had to shoot him. By his feet is a rifle with a scope. I pick it up. This will come in handy.


    I hear a gunshot. Looking through the scope of the rifle, I can see a man with a rifle like the one I''m holding. He is on top of a gas station roof across the street. He has a black shirt on with a skull painted on it. The same skull that was on those trucks yesterday.


    He takes another shot. I aim at him. I begin squeezing the trigger. Someone pushes the rifle right as I take the shot, making me miss. The gun is knocked out of my hands. A woman wearing a gas mask is holding me down. I pull out my knife. She grabs my hand before I can stab her. I push her off. I stand up. She pulls out her knife. She charges at me. I throw her into the table. The table collapses.


    She rips off her mask. I''m shocked at who it is. I never thought I''d see her again. She comes at me with her knife. I grab her wrists.


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    "Drop the knife, now!" I say.


    She lets it go.


    "What the hell, Elizabeth?" I yell.


    She has a skull on her shirt.


    "You''re with them?" I ask.


    Another gunshot rings out. I grab the rifle. I aim at the man across the street and shoot him. I sling the rifle over my shoulder.


    "Where is my family?" Elizabeth asks.


    "You don''t even know? The people you''re with took them,"I say.


    "No, they don''t take people," she says.


    "Yeah, they do. They have my sister, and they have yours, too," I say. "Why did you attack me?"


    "You left me," she says.


    "What?"


    "You left me to die at that hospital!" she yells.


    "You pushed me out of the window. I heard you scream, I thought you died. What did you want me to do? Risk my life to see if you were dead or not? You and your parents will never appreciate all I''ve done for you. I saved you. If I didn''t help you, we wouldn''t be having this conversation. You''d be dead. Even after that, I helped you find your parents. I did everything I possibly could for you and your family and I''m treated horribly. The other day, I was surrounded by zombies, and Henry left Jake and I to die," I say.


    "Why are you even here? What about Oakwood?" she asks.


    "Oakwood is gone and so are the people who used to live there," I say.


    I start climbing down the ladder.


    "Jade, what happened?" she asks.


    I reach the ground. She climbs down.


    "A horde wiped the camp out. The things I saw...it was horrifying," I say.


    "Does my family think I''m dead?" she asks.


    That''s what you''re most concerned about? I nod. We head inside. How come I''m the bad guy here?


    "Let''s go to your group," I say to Mia.


    We walk outside. Mia leads us through the streets. I pull out my map. The mall isn''t too far. Mia tells us the mall is surrounded by a fence. I''m so tired. I haven''t slept since the day everyone was taken.


    We reach the mall. Mia unlocks the gate. We walk through the large parking lot. I wonder if any of these cars work. Mia walks through the revolving door. We all step inside. People walk towards us. They have their guns drawn. We raise our hands.


    "It''s me," Mia says annoyed.


    A woman with long brown hair stands in front of Mia.


    "You leave in the middle of the night only to come crawling back three days later? I guess life out there is too tough for you," the woman says.


    "Please, just let us stay here," Mia pleads.


    "Fine, but no one stays here for free. You and the people you brought along better contribute or I''ll send you right back out on the street," The woman says.


    "They''ll help out, right?" Mia asks.


    "We will," I say.


    Everyone lowers their weapons. We walk up the escalators. All the stores have tents and sleeping bags inside. People stare as we walk by. A man looks at the scar on my wrist. I pull my sleeve down to cover it. These people would probably kick me out if they found out I''m partially infected.


    "You guys can go pick where you''re going to sleep. I need to do a few things," Mia says.


    "Where can we sleep?" I ask.


    "Anywhere that isn''t in the way or already taken," she says before walking away.


    I look around.


    All the stores on this floor are already occupied. I walk down the escalators. There are two places without any tents inside.


    One is a shoe store which isn''t very spacious, the other is a book store. I walk into the bookstore. Jake, Alex, Clarissa, and Sarah follow me. I put my bag down. I wish we had a tent. I did have one at Oakwood that I wish I brought with us. I roll out my sleeping bag. We eat and then go to sleep. I hope Sam is okay, wherever she is. Jenny and Hannah are probably terrified.


    They probably don''t even know what life was before the world ended. Jake tells me he remembers it a little, but it''s sad that all these kids have known is this way of living.


    Early into the apocalypse, Iris was hopeful that things might return to normalcy. I never had hope that things would be normal. I knew the zombies couldn''t be destroyed or cured. I knew it was always going to be like this.

 Chapter 27: Attacked

    I get up. The sun is just starting to rise. How long did I sleep? Jake and Alex are awake. We walk up the escalators. Sarah is making oatmeal.


    "Jade, do you want some?" She asks.


    "No, I''m good," I reply.


    She gives the kids some.


    Today I want to explore the area around the mall. I''m trying to find somewhere better to stay. I feel...weird here. Everyone stares at me. I also want to find another place just in case the people here kick us out. After the kids eat, I tell them the plan. They agree to come along with me. Clarissa wants to stay here though. We go through the doors.


    As I step outside, a grenade lands between my feet. I need to do something fast! I kick the grenade as far as I can before I turn around. I push Jake and Alex inside and try to shield them with my body. The grenade goes off. Glass rains down on us. My ears ring.


    "Are you guys okay?" I ask.


    "Yeah," Jake says.


    We run up the escalators.


    "What the hell was that?" Mia yells.


    "A grenade," I say.


    She grabs an assault rifle and sprints down to the first floor.


    "Get up to the third floor and hide in the bookstore," I tell Jake and Alex.


    They do what I tell them. Karla hands me a rifle.


    I step down the escalator with my gun drawn. People dressed in black shirts with white skulls flood into the mall. They''re the kidnappers. They shoot at me, missing. I shoot back, not missing a single shot. I take cover behind a shelf.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A young girl is lying on the ground bleeding. I have to help her. I sprint towards her. She''s barely older than Alex. Her hair is matted in blood. Another grenade is tossed inside. It explodes. I help the girl up. Sarah comes over to us.


    "I got her," she says.


    She carries the girl up to the second floor. More of the kidnappers rush inside the mall. People are dying all around me. I need to get to the second floor, or I will die down here.


    I''m scared. If I die who will be there for Jake, Alex, and Clarissa? I finally muster up the courage to run up the escalator. I climb the steps. Shots are fired at me. I reach the top, but I''m not safe yet.


    The people fighting us climb up to the second floor. I get inside a shoe store. I duck behind the counter. My rifle is empty. My pistol is empty, too.


    I hear someone walk inside. I pull out my knife. The person gets closer and closer. They start to turn to see behind the counter. I attack him with my knife. He grabs my wrists. I struggle to even turn the knife towards him. He knees me right in the stomach before pushing me into a shelf.


    The shelf falls. I crawl away as fast as I can. He pulls a gun out. I roll onto my back.


    "Don''t move," he says.


    He gets ready to shoot me. Someone shoots him in the ribs. He collapses. He gasps and pleads for help. Clarissa is standing with her gun drawn.


    I get up.


    "Where is Jake and Alex?" I ask.


    "They''re hiding in that bookstore you told them to hide in," she says.


    "We need to find them and get out of here. The people here won''t last much longer," I say.


    We stay in cover as we make our way to the bookstore. Along the way we use the last of the bullets we have. I see the store. I walk inside the doors. The place is in disarray. Shelves are knocked over. Books are all over the floor.


    "Jake! Alex!" I call out.


    They run to me. We hug.


    "We need to leave. Even if Mia''s people fight off the others, zombies will or already have been drawn in by all the noise," I say.


    I hear the doors open. I turn around to see a woman with a knife. She has a skull on her hoodie. The kids get behind me. I draw my knife.


    "Back off!" I warn.


    I''m ready to die protecting these kids. They are all I have left, and I''m not letting someone take them from me. The woman charges at me. She raises her knife. I block her hand that''s holding the knife.


    I stab her in the abdomen. She is completely unfazed by it. I look at her eyes. Her pupils dilate in a matter of seconds. She''s a zombie. She grabs me by the neck and starts choking me.


    Alex grabs a metal candle holder and hits the zombie over the head with it. The zombie''s grasps loosens. It''s stunned. I stab it through the eye. It reaches it''s hands toward me. Stabbing them in the eye usually works, what happened this time?


    I yank out the knife. I can''t stab it''s heart. I could never get the knife through the chest. How do I kill it? The zombie grabs my shirt.


    "Do something!" I yell to the kids.


    The zombie tries to bite my neck. I push it''s head back. I can''t believe I''m losing a fight to a dead person.


    A gunshot goes off. The zombie slumps down to the floor. Alex shot it. It finally died.


    "Are you bit?" she asks. I check my arms. No bite marks.


    "I''m fine," I say.


    I look outside. How are we going to get out of here? I look at the zombie. I take off the hoodie that it has on.


    I put it on. Maybe with this these people won''t shoot at me. People run past us as we move forward. We just need to get to the doors. I can see them. Zombies are running inside. The noise must''ve drawn them here.


    "Your gun has bullets, right?" I ask Clarissa.


    "Yeah," she says.


    I ask her to give it to me. She hands it over. It has four bullets left.