Present

This is the first time I've ever been in a thing like this. The rude driver told me it's called a car, and he also said I'm a dumbass. But I'm still scared. There's nobody else with me in here, just me and the driver. I don't know what he'll do to me. It's moving.

I stare out through the glass window and a forest as colorful as a rainbow grabs my attention. Orange, red like blood, and yellow - like the sun - leaves, but still plenty of green trees. It's a sight to see, but I need to focus on completing this mission for these people. Finally - maybe stupidly - I decide to break my silence.

"So, where are we going?" The man, probably in his fifties, doesn't bother to look at me. 

"A grocery store." He hands me a map, marking the place where we are supposed to be, but I don't really care to examine it anyway. I figure I should start finding my family, my group, maybe when I get to this place. I'm going on a 'supply run'.

We turn left on a paved road. There are the light blue creatures now, walking towards us, with their skin highly decomposed. Crap. 

"Shit," the man exclaims. "Infected are making their way over to the front of the car. Kid, let's get out of here!"

Bursting out of the car, the two of us run in the opposite direction. I turn to the man. "We should just wait for them to pass." He glances at me briefly. "Don't run away, kid. I have a gun. We'll hide in the woods." I am followed, with a pistol as we travel through the woods. We observe that the growlers slowly move themselves through the road, at the cost of my eardrums.

The man leads me back to the brown vehicle, putting away his weapon. "All clear now. Let's move." After we settle into the car, he begins to drive, for what it seems like endlessly. I drift off to sleep, wanting this hell to end. I want my parents to be with me. I can't be alone, with people I definitely don't trust. I need Alex. I need him to save me.

Eventually I hear a car door open quickly. "Get your ass out of there!" I do as he says. We stand before a large, almost completely empty parking lot with no living in sight. It's attached to a large building, which I'm sure is the grocery store. The guy takes out of one of those things - a walkie-talkie? We're here, Miko.

Good. Why don't you give him a weapon, maybe one of those knives I packed in your bag? And, George, if he gets bit, just spare him the misery, would you?

Yeah. Sure.

One last thing. If you screw up, it'll be the end of you.

He shuts off the walkie, I see somewhat nervously, then makes eye contact with me. "Listen to me. I'll be waiting right here. If there's no supplies, come straight back. Here." George reaches into the car and hands me a pocket knife.

"If you ever run into trouble, use this. And... you heard what Miko said." So like that he sends me off with a duffel bag and steps into the vehicle. And there I am.

With my weapon in hand, I vigilantly make my way to the store door, crossing the large lot. As I walk, I know I need to check the windows first. So that's what I do. Fortunately these are huge windows, and luckily for me, I don't actually see a growler in sight. The doors immediately open for me and I start to wander around.

There is some food still there, but I go ahead and scrounge up some perishables. All types of cans, from pasta and soup, to peaches. What I hear next is growling. I by instinct run briskly to the exit, when I hear a gunshot as I'm just about to leave. I turn around, very slowly, as the survivor walks up to me.

"Shit. Sorry for making it that loud. Didn't mean to startle you. My God. Marcus?"