Seven.

I sweat as a continue to survey the area I'm in. The gymnasium is a lot larger than i expected it to be. The orange tone seems to ripple with every floor board and crap color painted bleachers in vicinity. I reach for my knife and start fidgeting. I need to get out of here, what happened? Was that girl all just a dream? I adjust to the lighting again and see her. she's walking towards my cot and i oddly hear nothing except an eerie silence.
I ask her, "Am I the only one?"
She smiles, "Actually.. you are. Jack and Marie went to go scout, they should be back later. Go back to sleep."
I sit up and look around. The entire gym is empty except for the likes of both of us. She glances at me and asks "Do you have a weapon?"
"Y-Y-Yeah i do" i say nervously as i flip out my butterfly knife.
"Wow that's pretty cool, let me see that."
I toss her the knife and she embarrassingly tries to flip it open.
"How the hell do you get this working?" she says with a frustrating look.
I take the knife back and show her. As i flip it open and close, i notice she's not staring at the knife rather she's staring at me.
"I-I-Is something w-wrong?"
She snaps back into reality.
"Oh! sorry it's just, fancy seeing you around here, do you live around here?"
I put my knife back into my pocket, "Oh yeah i live d-d down the street more or less, what about you?"
I notice her confident demeanor is slowly starting to fade.
"I live on campus.." she pauses "Hey do you know what the fuck happened?"
I shrugg and explain my whole situation beginning with me waking up to this mess.
She sighs.

"I dont know what happened exactly, I just remember the screams. It was around like 2 am when i heard a lot of my floor mates screaming and yelling. My roomate got up and ran out the door and told me she'll come back and tell me what happened. I waited for like ten minutes and nothing. I didn't hear anything that entire time and I could tell something was wrong."
She lets out a sigh.
"Hey do you like zombies?"
I shoot her a glance, my eyes widen.
"You know what, I got to say I Love zombies, everything about them, i watched all the George A. Romero classics and they're okay remakes. I've played countless games."
Before I can finish she excitedly starts up
"Oh my gosh me too! I loved Dead Rising, my favorite zombie flick was 28 days later, holy shit!"
We both chuckle
"Then why does this feel so shitty? I mean, I thought a total zombie apocalypse was going to be fun. There's nothing fun about knowing you're going to die or knowing that your family is one of them." she lets out another sigh and continues.
"I was in the softball team here and we weren't bad. I always kept my autographed Affeldt bat I got during the world series. I held onto it after she left the room. I was worried more that frat boys would raid our dorm or something so i wanted to be prepared. When she didn't come back i got really worried. I looked outside my window which was like ten floors high. I could barely make out people running. I thought since it was a week before finals, people were just raging you know just partying hard."
She rolls her eyes
"I waited for a little while longer and decided to call my roomates phone. She left it, which totally pissed me off. So, I got dressed as quickly as I could and I remember grabbing my keys and my phone. when i opened the door you could see the lights flickering and huge dents in the wall. It was eerily quiet when i went outside. When i walked towards the elevator i saw a bloodstain on the stairs and thought, okay fuck that i'm not going on the stairs. So i walk to the elevator door thinking zombies wouldn't get trapped in them. Stupid stupid stupid."
She face palms and takes out her bat
"I saw two of them, both girls just standing there. Then they started moaning ... That fucking moan. God it was like they had a dick stuck in their throat or something."
She lifts the bat and swings it with force.
"She tried grabbing onto me, it was unreal, all the biting and stuff. This was an actual zombie and since i didn't know her i might as well stop from eating me. I didn't actually hit her. I thought it was a joke or something and you know what if it wasn't? I might get kicked out of school or worse arrested. So instead i ran the other way. stupid stupid stupid"
She sets the bat down and face palms again.
"I knew I shouldn't stay there and those two bitches were playing a really good joke on me, or so I thought, so i went down the stairs. The blood trail went both up and down so I thought getting out of the dorm would be best. I got all the way to the first floor door which led straight into the lobby and I could hear it. Not just the moaning but screaming. So much screaming, it was a wonder why I couldn't hear it in the first place. I think it was because colleges sound proof walls in dorms so when your neighbor is having sex the other people don't have to hear it."
She stops for a moment to think then sighs again.
"When I opened that door i saw my roommate getting eaten alive. I mean, what the fuck?! I almost had to throw up because again it just felt so unreal. I mean before i wasn't so sure if they were real zombies but this one. This dude was just straight up eating her neck with blood everywhere and bodies scattered around. Instead of going all stealthy like i should've i just rushed the bastard. I mean seriously three hundred style I ran in there with a roar and brought my bat straight down on this dudes head. Blood shot up from his head and hit my bat and my leather jacket. I was just so mad that i kept on hitting and hitting until i was sure he was dead. I looked at my roomate and started to cry. We were close you know? Her name was Allyson, she was a total quiet girl but we got a long."
I hold her hand and say, "you don't have to finish this if you don't want to."
She squeezes my hand and says, "Listen cowboy, you're gonna wanna hear the rest of this."

Six.

I never believed in visions or delusions. I say this because when i grew up I used to go to church with my family and we would have this specific time when the kids would be separated from their families to learn about Jesus in a mild mannered way. I remember we used to do a lot of those praying and believing that we were feeling god and that we could see him. To be honest, I just sat there with my eyes closed literally staring at an infinite black plane. You know what, it wasn't even that profound, it was literally just dark. I knew what was going on, i was closing my eyes while probably everyone else did the exact same thing and the end of the day they'll make believe they felt or saw these wondrous and magical things while I sat there going with the flow. Don't get me wrong I was and still am a very religious man it's just, i believe in what I want to believe and that's that. Sometimes miracles happen like stumbling upon this girl who whacked me in the head with a baseball bat. Or waking up and seeing zombies try to rip my neck from my body. I digress...

So you can see why at first these images of seeing myself and my child-hood was hard to take in let alone believe at first. Just memories passing by extremely quickly. Little snipets that make me remember things that were once lost i guess. It's a sunny summer day and my sister and brother are playing outside. I see them from my second story window and rush downstairs. I feel really excited seeing as how i rarely get the chance to play with them outside. The moment i walk outside they drop all they had and walk back in. Needless to say i played ninja alone with a hockey stick. Ugh.. out of all the times i remember, this one pops up the most..

I then start to think about my sister and how my only family member in this world could still potentially be out there, and I need to find her. Then the accident comes into view. I can see a birds eye view of the entire thing. Mom and Pop joking around in the front seat, I'm playing with my game-boy while my brother and sister are discussing what happened on last nights Simpsons episode. Dad's not looking, veers off the road. Mom yanks for the wheel but accidentally pushes it further left. The car starts to tip, my game boy flies out of my hand. My brother and sister brace for impact as they grab the sides of the doors. You can see them crying. I yell out for my parents and they both look back. They have a smile on their face that puzzled me. With tears in their eyes i make out just three in audible words. "I Love You."
Then.
I'm met with that familiar abyss. except this time the memories don't come back. It's just a dark empty space. I hear nothing, feel nothing. I shoot up from the cot breathing heavily, Daphne holds me down and says "whoa there, it's okay, you're safe."

Five.

"No i dont want to think about it, No fuck this i'm not killing her." I say to myself.
She's getting closer and i decide to cut my losses and run the other way. I hop the fence again into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant. I look back and take one more good look at her then turn my head. THWACK was the last thing i hear as i see the world slowly turn into black. Game Over. Continue? 10, 9, 8, 7

"Hey! Hey! dude im sooo sorry!"
I slowly come to and see this cute Asian girl staring down at me. Her shocked and concerned face looks kind of cute from where I'm laying. Her short hair flips as she shoots quick glances from me to someone else i cant see from where I'm laying.
"Why'd you hit him?" says a deep voice to my right.
"I dont know! I thought he was a Zed!" the cute girl says.
"Yeah well he's your responsibility now, don't get too attached." a mature voice says.
"We can bring him along and besides he looks like he can fight." she says again
"Whatever, we'll scout the area, stay with him here." the mature voice says again.

I take a look around and see a basket ball court bleachers. I try to get up but i'm soon held down.
"Now where do you think you're going?"
I take a glance back at the girl
I open my mouth "H-H-Hi" i say
She looks puzzled and smiles
What's your name?
"A-A-Alex"
She smiles again.
"Well now, you speak English Alex?"
I look at her puzzled.
"O-O-of course, i stutter."
She looks embarrassed.
"Oh! i'm so sorry! uh um, yeah uh. haha."
She continues to laugh embarrassingly.
"It's okay it pp pops up from time to time."
She smiles again.
"I'm Daphne"
This time i smile back at her.
"I've always liked that name."
Then soon enough i dose off into my dark abyss.

Four.

"Fuck Fuck Fuck"
I say as my steps sound like thunder with every slam on the pavement.
I hear the moans, those evil moans.
Gotta keep moving, just gotta keep moving.
My left hand is aching from that punch and my chest is feeling heavy.
Even more weight is being put upon my chest and I'm slowing down.
I have to make a stand here. I have to prepare to fight them one by one in order for me to survive.
I look around and see this alley way big enough to fit me and one other person. On the other end is a fence so just in case things cock up i can make a run for it.
I look behind me and see they're going to reach me in no less than five minutes.
I fix my position on my knife and practice stabbing upwards. I let out a breath and start stretching my arm and legs.
"Go for the eyes, Go for the eyes"
i keep saying to myself, dont let them grab you and front kick them if they get too close for comfort.
I finally get a good look on the assailants and see that they all have similar wounds. They're color drained and their eyes pale. My first guest was a cute girl minus the wounds, i would've totally dated her. Her model body is shuffling towards me and black hair flowing in the breeze. She lunges forward and with a swift move i kick her to make some distance and with all my might, i yell out a RARGH and drive my Butterfly knife directly in her eye socket. I hear a crunch and scrunch my face. "FUCK MAN EW!" I yell as i abruptly bring the knife out of her eye. She crumples over and grey shit oozes out of her eye socket. I think of something clever to say you know like all those desperados do in westerns or the smart ass in those zombie flicks.
Nothing I didn't have time for that, my next guest wasn't to far. I look at her and said, "you've got to be fucking me."

Three.

I continue walking briskly down the avenue and soon enough am staring at the front of the school. The big open entrance and pathway would be a nice scenic route and the open area can warn me of any potential attackers i suppose. As soon as I enter, another thought came into my head. Why am I experiencing this? This isn't a damn movie, why am i walking so far away from these potential "zombies?" In all the survival guides and books I've read there's always been one conclusion. Zombies aren't real unless they're voodoo zombies which are just coked up Jamaicans. I take another look at the street and see it torn up and littered with debris again.
"okay, i must be dreaming or this shit is serious." I say trying to re-assure myself.
I walk down the path way of the college into the main courtyard. There's nothing in sight just an eerie sight. Usually there's one or two people on the slow days but never completely empty.
I let out another sigh.
"Okay, lets try to lose our followers this time shall we?" i say to myself.
I run across the court yard and hop the guard rail onto a ramp. I run up the ramp and try to shimmy the door open. It's locked... I should've known. Hmm maybe i can try to smash the window open.
I take a step back and lunge forward.
A loud thud meets my shoulder and i get pushed back.
Duh. These doors are made to be shatter proof..
I run around the building and continue hopping the fence into the science building.
My breath catches up to me and i start sluggishly heading towards the street again.
'Ugh, i wasted my energy just from jumping..' I say to myself.
As i head out of the grassy area i feel arms grab my collar.
In that moment without instinct i give a good left hook and cock my right arm back to stab whatever the hell grabbed me.
"Oh shit" I say as i look past the ghoul i dropped.
"There's like.. twenty of them"

Two.

I see a group of 4 shadow figures all seemingly dragging themselves as they walk towards me. They couldn't be more than twenty feet from me and something tells me that i really should get out of there.

I walk the other direction screaming for my sister, for my mother, for.. for damn near anyone. No answer and those shadow figures are still following me at a creepy slow walk. I've seen enough zombie movies and shit flicks to know those are the mother fuckers i do not want to deal with. I open my knife and tightly clasp it as i'm running up the hill of my avenue. Nothing in sight just more blood splotches, papers, clothing and random debris.


By this point i walked around 8 blocks and have not encountered one single human except those fucking weird shadow figures that are stumbling upon each other as they walk up the hill. 'Fuck' i say to myself. 'Those are either crackheads or fuckin zombies'. I look for which way i should head and see the college. Thats a nice landmark to head to but not into. So i turn left and head down the avenue.

Should i run? No. Why not? Well because fucking I'll waste my damn energy. The streets are clear and the only potential zombies I see are behind me, just stay away from corners and cramped areas. I pick up my pace and imagine my scenario of me going toe to toe with a zombie. I practiced flipping my knife and fighting with it and now i finally get my prayers answered, i can use it. Go for the head and all that shit, stab them through the eye socket since my blade wont penetrate their skull. I'm prepared, Probably more prepared than any of those other assholes you always see.
As I continue to argue with myself i look back and raise my eyebrows. 'Oh fuck. there's like twenty of them'
[Pause]
"yeah fuck that I'm gonna keep going a little faster."

Just then i heard it. That moan.
Not a sexual moan, the one you hear when you hurt your foot.
It was a long drawn out moan that signaled something in my brain that finalized my thoughts.
Yeah these are fucking zombies.

I continue power walking down the abandoned streets looking for a better weapon than my knife. "Maybe a baseball bat or blunt object i can use" i say to myself. Nothing just thrown papers and debris and clothing everywhere. I wonder why papers out of everything in the damn house, papers get thrown everywhere. Whatever
I keep pushing on
I start letting out tears as i imagine my entire life just got fucked in the ass by zombies. The idea that my entire world, everything i knew and loved could potentially be decimated in a day. Death was always weird for me, then again we try to rationalize how it's the way of life or how normal it is. I think back to my close friend who passed away and imagine how weird it was being at the funeral. The thing that always gets me is the idea that, everything that they did up to the point of their death was only done by them and now they can't ever do that again. With that i just could not accept.. The idea that someone just ends, and they can't produce any future legacy ever again.
I let out another tear
"Okay i have to stop this crying shit" i say to myself.
Lets take a look at my fanboys.

I turn around again and see them growing bigger but getting slower.
I let out another sigh and wipe my eyes.
"Lets keep going."

One.

I wake up from a daze, where am I?
Something must've happened, i open the curtains and the air is filled with smoke and decay. I can vaguely see burning buildings in the distance. I look to my left and see someone tried to break my door open. 'Wow' I think to myself, i slept through a possible home invasion.

I continue down my dark hallway of my two bedroom apartment trying all the lights but to no avail.
I call for my sister, no answer.
I check her room and see she left already but usually she leaves a note or something.
I look around her room and see that her clipper card and wallet and everything else is still here.
'Something's wrong' i say to myself. I head back into my room to grab my phone and knife and to get dressed as quickly as possible. I try to reach my sister, no signal. No power and i have this sudden urge to get out of there as quickly as possible. I grab my back pack and put a bag of cookies and my watchman novel. I head to the garage and try the garage door. Won't budge. I face-palm and head towards the back. I open and lock the door behind me and hop the fence to the street.

It's eerily quiet at twelve in the afternoon as i walk down this san francisco avenue. I walk three feet and see that the streets are littered with paper, belongings, trash, and various blunt objects. I look up further past the street and see smoke rising up from the buildings in the distance. I see pools of blood that are scattered around the side walk and street. I see broken doors into the many suburban houses that surround me.
"What the hell?" i say when i first catch glimpse of the scene.

I try my phone, no signal. I check the windows of the houses, nothing.
Shit this better not be no fucking zombie invasion i say to my non-existant companion.
I continue down the street trying to recollect what the hell happened the night before. I crashed around midnight and woke up to the streets torn up and houses smashed into. Anything else?
[I pause]
Fuck.
I let out a sigh.

As I'm walking down the street i ask myself why the hell am I wasting time trying to figure out what happened when i can easily take whatever is in those houses. Consoles, computers, TV's etc. I take a moment after walking up the hill to realize it's probably a stupid idea. Why it was i still didn't know maybe because cops might be around or even worse my sister.

I continue walking down the street when suddenly i knew this wasn't anything I thought it would be.