Chapter Text
“Big sis!” You heard calling out to you while running into the forest.
He was bit, your sister was bit, everyone was bit, no one left but you. Deep down you wanted to save your baby brother but you couldn’t. Even if you grabbed him he would still turn in a matter of a day, it wasn’t worth it. Your entire family was getting mauled while you ran with a rifle and a bag on your back. You ran off like a coward, adrenaline pumping through your body. You ran faster than ever before, eventually reaching a lake where you collapsed onto your knees.
Three months in. Just three months, and you’ve already lost your family. You felt like nothing mattered anymore. Rinsing the blood off your face with the lake water you begin to cry, trying not to be too loud due to zombies probably lurking nearby. The moonlight illuminated the area around you, something beautiful at a time of chaos.
Sobbing away you wiped your tears onto your sleeve. You couldn't believe that any of this was happening, especially after all the security precautions you took. The barbed fence you made with your father apparently couldn’t hold the horde that randomly came tonight. It was as if they were called to your family’s land to attack you all.
You couldn’t forget your baby brother’s screams, lost his life at the age of 5- his 5th birthday was only a week ago. You muffled your scream into your arms. You came back to your home state from college because it was winter break; you finally had freedom and were away for a while only to come back and be stuck with everyone due to the undead taking over the world.
First it was a virus, people fell sick and a quarantine mandate was put in place so you ended up staying at your parents home. Then the outbreak occurred, the ones who died or were about to die turned into zombies- your family didn’t like to call them that though, they called them “unwell”, that name pissed you off. You wanted to call them for what they truly were, zombies. They didn’t have any brain function other than to eat whatever that was alive. Humans mainly, they left other animals that were alive alone.
After a while you laid back and passed out due to all the sobbing you did. You were tired and only had a water bottle, bullets, a rifle, and some granola bars. Not much enough to take care of yourself, not that you cared really. Your entire family just died.
————
The sun hit your eyes, you squinted while opening them and quickly shot up tapping away at your body. You still had your bag, rifle to your side, and surprisingly you were alive. You couldn’t believe it, you thought you were dead meat after sleeping all night outdoors. Getting up you gripped onto your rifle and quickly made it your way back to your home. It sounded like a death wish but you knew that these zombies never stood in one place, they were always on the move.
By the time you made it home, or whatever was left of it, you were tired. Good news, no zombies out up front. Bad news, everything was broken. The doors, windows, and the porch.
Making your way over you look around your surroundings to see no undead, only ones that were shot down by you, your father, or your cousins.
You stepped up the porch quickly then hopped over the broken wood flooring where a zombie had fallen through. The door was wide open and you heard that the tv was still on, but no life. You walked into the living room and saw a run of Pokemon playing. Then switched it off, taking the CD out of the player and throwing it onto the couch. As much as you wanted to stay you couldn’t, but you had to do a run of the house to make sure you were safe.
Walking up the stairs you made a left to your room, it was the last down the hall and the safest room on this side. You peered into the other rooms, heart aching, your parents room was in disarray. After all, you guys were attacked in the middle of the night.
After that was your sister’s room. Her room was also in a mess of blood and it seemed the zombies got to her here. She was nowhere to be seen, most likely also turned.
You didn’t look into your baby brother’s room, you remembered grabbing him only for him to also end up being bit. You felt like a pussy. You didn’t deserve to live really, you were just pushing yourself over your limit.
When you got to your room you stood there in silence. You were just there about 8 hours ago but it felt like an eternity. You face planted down and sighed then flipping onto your back. Nothing was going to go back to being the same. This attack was a reality check. You turned to face your closet, at least you could pack some clothes.
————
Throwing the extra bag onto the floor along with your rifle, and then with your original bag you filled it with some canned food while you rummaged through the kitchen.
You remembered baking with your family the night everything was announced and before the news stations left air for good. You made cookies with your sister and gossiped about what trouble the kids at her school had gotten into, forgetting to mention she also had detention with the rest of them. At least she didn’t have to go to it.
Your house was unsalavageable and you had to come to terms and let it go.
After that, you grabbed your car keys and booked it to your car, filling it up with supplies that you deemed valuable: your bags, guns, gas, and finally a photo of you and your family. It was taken years ago on a vacation in southern Florida, you and your sister begged to go as it was nearing your brother’s first birthday and it would’ve been fun.
You teared up at the photo then placed it on your dash board and locked your car doors. You had to give up this home of memories, all the signs pointed to it.
————
“Ugh,” Colt panted leaning against a tree. He and his brother ran out of their childhood home and into the forest behind them. Their home was attacked by a horde of zombies as well, parents dying in the process.
He and his brother had very little on them, only one sleeping bag, two backpacks, and a gun, not much. He was just grateful to know Falco was safe- his parents on the other hand…
Falco cried into his brother’s arm, only 12 and now an orphan. The poor boys sat down as the sun glared down at them, life as they knew it was over for them. They had nothing left but each other. Colt wondered to himself what he did to deserve this– who did he hurt for his parents to die instead of him?
He got up and flung both backpacks over his shoulders while his brother still sat in the grass crying. Colt wanted to cry, he really did but he couldn’t; he was the only adult now in his brother’s life and if he showed any vulnerability that would lead to unrationable decisions.
“Come on, Falco,” he reached out his hand.
Falco stared up at Colt then grabbed his hand tightly, he’d never let go at this point.
“We’ll find somewhere, anywhere, okay?” Colt reassured his brother while walking in the woods.
He hated this world, hated everything that led up to this point– All Colt wanted was for the world to burn away. All this suffering could leave in a moment if the government wanted to do so, but who knew where they were? What underground bunker they were in, safe from zombies who wanted to tear their insides out. To be fair– it wasn’t just the zombies who wanted to do that…
Colt didn’t realize he was also crying until he felt tears dangling off of his jaw. He wiped them away with his sleeve, “We’ll find a safe spot, believe me there’s probably some cabins out here somewhere…”
That night you slept on the side of the road in your back seat crying to yourself after realizing the reality of your situation.
Meanwhile Colt gave the sleeping bag to his brother as he rested against a tree on watch for zombies.