The window breaks, the wrecked bodies flood into my room like water. I have slept with a pistol under my pillow for some time. They shamble and gargle as they make their way into my room. I yell out “Stop!”  They continued to make their way to my bed. I release the safety with an audible “click”. I am curled in the corner of my bed in an attempt to stay out of reach. One lunges for me.  The sparks fly and the room is bright. The first one falls on the floor. The rest continued toward me. With a deafening ringing in my ears, I fire again, again, and again. The bodies drop, though one attempts to return to its feet just to be knocked aside by another. One grabbed hold of my leg and pulled me off the bed. He was above me coming in close with a mouth wide open, the 1911 barks once more.  Its head parts from its body, without guidance the body drops on me.  I push and roll to freedom. My bedroom was filled with them, the dark mass closing tight around my life. I fire blindingly into the mass while crawling my way to the broken window. I fire again as I go through the broken window trying hard not to step on any shards glass, the 1911 yelps once then click. As I slip through the window one of them grabs me at the ankle I smack the grasping arm with the end of the pistol. The arm breaks and its grip gives slightly, I pull my leg free and run from the house. The street was filled with mayhem; neighbors ripping the limbs off of family members, friends shooting friends. I can’t say taking shoes from a dead man is a noble thing but I did need them. I guess the worst part was I knew the man, he was always pleasant to me, and by that, he always waved when we crossed paths. A regretful loss of a wonderful person I’m sure.

Everything had gone to hell; I really need to watch the news more often. I made it to the end of my street where I saw a mother and her child trapped in a car that was t-boned by a truck. She was cuddling her daughter as the beasts circled the vehicle. I didn’t know exactly what to do so I did the only thing I could. I look at the useless gun in my hand then at the crowd, yep, threw it at them. Two turned but not enough. I shouted and waved my arms trying my best to cause a distraction. It worked, maybe too well. The mass around their car moved like a school of fish now slowly making their way to me. The mother in the car saw what I was trying to do and made her escape. I never saw her again as the 25 or so beasts were closing quickly on my position.  I booked it- if it was a cartoon I would have left a cloud. I ran and ran, in boxers and boots. This city was dying as I ran through her.

After an hour of jogging and dodging the adrenaline wore off and the tired set in as well as how much I fucked myself. It has been a very long time since I left without my device, and at all times to do so this was not the best time. Tired and frustrated I found a school with a flat roof. With some scraped knees and tired arms I made my way to the roof. It was moist from some recent rain but it was wonderful to be out of any apparent danger.  I lay down and stared at the stars “why do bad things always happen on clear nights.” I thought as I drifted off to sleep, doing my best to ignore the noise of people dying.

The sun warmed my face but the smoke burned my eyes as I woke. The city I loved was burning to the ground, the God damn ground. There to step on the ashes were these zombies, with no purpose just a reckless need to feed.

I stood at the roofs edge of the school trying hard to make out any noticeable structures in the distance. The smoke from the fires made it difficult to see very far, I somehow lost my bearings in the hustle of last night that I truly had no idea where I was. One thing for certain though was I was hungry and thirsty and needed to do something about it. I climbed down from the school. Right, when my feet touched the ground I heard a diesel engine and rapid fire approaching me. Just as imaged it was a single humvee with the gunner firing aimlessly at the buildings they passed.  This included the stray fire pelting the brick building that stood behind me. I fell to the ground as they drove into the smoke and disappeared. Regretfully their action had attracted a parade of ghouls behind them, around 300 blank faces. There wasn’t enough time to get back to the roof before the wave made its way here. So again I ran. I hopped the fence and ripped my boxers on the fence, I was truly starting to look ragged. I turned down a seemly empty street only to turn again into another horde of these bastards. I doubled back took a left on the next street. My lungs were burning from the smoke and my mistreatment of them.  I turn again down another road, trying to make a zigzag pattern away from the crowds of zombies. What I didn’t notice is that I turned down a loop road that would lead me to the first horde. With such a meeting I turned around and headed back the way I came just to find the second horde, dumb luck. I jump the fence of the nearest house where I come face to face with a twelve-foot wall. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I thought. To make the situation worse rain started to pour. I find a ladder in the backyard just tall enough to get the roof of the first story.  I make it up to the roof and try the only window on this side. Lucky for me it was open. I let myself in and closed the window behind me. It was a little girls room, pink was the main color for the room. I make my way to the door leaving muddy footprints with my progress. I open the door slowly and look out. Everything was clear, from what I could see. I check each room, each as clear as the next. I look through a window facing the street. The two hordes soon made one. I duck down and remain quiet. The rain pours hard as the moans from the street echo into the house.

To be continued.