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. Finally, 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.
    "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 your 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 zombie. He told me he wasn't infected. I had to shoot him. There was no other way," I say.
    "It's good that your 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.
    "Yeah, what are you fighting over?" 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's not why. 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 worried. 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 a 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. Me and Jack 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 a 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, resembling a sinkhole. 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 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.