The leaves crunching beneath my shoes are nonexistent over the roars of the dead following me.

The burning sensation in my legs is the least of my problems right now. Looking around, I see no way out.

Behind me, a trail of running, screaming cannibals chase after me.

My breathing is ragged and I try not breathing through my nose because of the stench.

I look back to the running dead behind me and see them nearing closer. I'm slowing down, after running for only a few minutes.

I urge my legs to run faster, but I know I won't be able to keep this up much longer. The weight of my black backpack is slowing me down, but I can't leave it behind, I'll die without the food and water I have.

Sticks scratch my whole body when I pass them, not bothering to move them away from my face. They don't seem to faze the dead, they keep screaming and running, some catching up to me more than others.

Seconds pass, and my legs are close to giving out. I decide that the path I'm going down is taking me nowhere and I take a sharp turn to the left, confusing the dead for half a second before they come running at me even faster and screaming even louder.

My heart beat rises and I can hear it in my ears. I can't die. I can't leave my brother. Not yet.

I go faster with the last bit of energy I have. As I'm running, I see a small object in the distance.

Looking behind me, I see less of the dead behind me. I must've confused some when I took the turn.

I smile, being closer I can now see it's a two level house.

I keep running and as I near even closer to the house, the trees separate into a circle around the house and there's what looks like it used to be a flower garden.

The front door is wide open, although that's very concerning, I don't see any other choice but to run into that house.

I take that choice and run in and slam the door shut, but it just opens right back open and I don't have time to try to close it again. I look around, hearing the dead coming closer, I'm in a living room. There must be stairs. I look around frantically and finally see the stair steps.

Just as the dead piles into the house, I'm running up the stairs, tiredness taking over my body. Sweat rolls down my face and I'm gasping for air.

The dead has found me and are at the step of the first stair, climbing over each other to race to the top, fast.

I guess they're not as dumb as they look.

I'd say I have only a few minutes before they catch up to me. I start racing to bedrooms, opening each of them for a window or some sort of escape, but I find none.

One room, though, catches my attention.

It's a baby blue room with a crib and baby toys. There wasn't a baby, from what I could see. It saddens me that the baby was born into a world where you have the dead everywhere.

I shake my head and look back to the stairs. They're almost here. I panic and start looking everywhere, running down the hallway, even though I'm already so tired my legs could give out anytime now.

I spot a string in the distance and look up. There's a door.

I smile. Hopefully it opens. I tug on it and a ladder falls down. Just as I climb up the ladder, the dead reaches the top floor and runs at me.

I hurriedly pull the ladder back up and it snaps back into place. I fall back onto the dusty wooden floor, desperate to catch my breath.

Looking around me, I see a normal, cluttered attic. Tools, toys, furniture, etc.

The most running I've ever done in my life and now I'm trapped. Great.

Behind me, something falls. I sit up straight and feel a hand on my arm.

I let out a huge scream and scoot backwards rapidly until I hit the wall.

One of the dead, without any legs, is coming towards me, growling slightly.

Why isn't it screaming?

I look around me and scoot back further to the wall and feel something sharp poke my back.

I quickly look behind me and see a sharp piece of wood sticking out of the wooden wall. I pull it out just in time and jam it into the cannibals hand, which was near my foot.

I wince as it makes a squishy noise. He doesn't stop. What the fuck! I thought it would at least stop him for a few seconds.

I take the sharp piece which was now a brownish red color and slam it down on his head with both arms.

He stops and I take the wood out. He slumps down and falls onto the ground. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.

I wipe the blood off of my face and sigh loudly. What has this world come to? Tears drip down my face as I think about how life used to be.

Memories of my family laughing, me and my brother playing games, everything I took for granted comes into mind.

My brother. I need to find him. The sudden burst of realization hits me when I think about my brother. I need to get out of here.

With the dead barely screaming anymore, I think it's safe to check. They sound farther away, so maybe they're outside.

I push on the attic door and it falls down, but I manage to catch it before it hits the floor and I gently lower it down. It's no use though, the dead is still crowded around the ladder and now they're just screaming louder. Shit.

I look around the attic, seeing if there's anything that I can use.

I stand up and walk to the window and open it. The fresh air is a nice break from the decomposed body in the attic. It is a nice break from the disgusting rotting smell.

I then get a idea. I walk to the toolbox and pick up multiple screwdrivers. Grabbing them, I walk over to the ladder.

I inspect the hinges that is hooking the ladder to the attic door. I take a medium sized screwdriver and try fitting it into the holes.

I have no idea what I'm doing, but I used to watch my dad unscrew things and whatnot all the time when he was still with us.

It doesn't work so I try multiple other ones until one finally fits. When a smallish screwdriver fits in, I start unscrewing it with the little knowledge that I have.

Once I get the two hinges off, the ladder starts to slide down, but I grab it before it hits the ground.

I tug on it, but the dead screams louder and starts pulling on the ladder. What are they doing?

We have a tug a war until finally, it starts to come upwards. Just as I'm about to get it out of their reach, they suddenly pull it very hard. My leg slips out and I start panicking.

They reach for my leg and I scream when one multiple hands start pulling on my leg.

I start kicking everywhere until there's only a few hands. I manage to get my leg out of their grip. I continue pulling the ladder and finally, it reaches the attic.

I breathe deeply and loudly and roll up my leggings. I wince when I see deep scratch wounds and blood oozing out of them.

I gently touch it, only for my hand to quickly retreat back when it stings.

I can't do anything right now, but it needs to be treated as soon as possible or it will get infected.

I slowly stand up and put more pressure on my left leg, which wasn't injured.

I start dragging the ladder over to the window and set up the ladder so that it is going to the roof of the house across from me.

Here goes nothing.

I slowly crawl out of the window, careful to not hit my right leg on anything. I make sure the ladder was stable before continuing on.

The ladder creaks loudly and I look down to see more of the dead reaching up to me. My arms shake and I almost lose my balance, but I stabilize myself.

I force myself to look up, instead of down. I slowly crawl on the ladder until I get to the middle.

The ladder starts to dip. That can't be good. If I don't hurry, the ladder will break.

I rush and in a few second later, I'm just 2 steps away from the roof.

I can do this.

I take a step, but the ladder makes a loud creaking noise. I look down and see the bottom half slipping.

My eyes widen and I reach for the roof, but miss. I scream as the ladder falls and I fall with it.

The last thing I hear is the screams of the dead and loud gunshots.

1 month ago

"Wake up, stupid."

"Get out, Jacob, I'm trying to sleep."

"Fine bitch." I groan at my brothers words.

"I'm telling mom." I smirk when he starts begging me not to, "okay, then get out." I sit up when he leaves my room.

I start stretching and smile when I see my room is clean. I guess last night I really did a good job.

That reminds me, I need to tell Elena I cannot go to the party.

I grab my phone and unplug it from the charger and message Elena that I can't go. I'm sure she'll reply with something along the lines of I'm gonna kill you.

I set my phone down and start getting dressed. I put on some leggings and a oversized sweater.

I open the windows. Strange. Nobody is outside.

I look around my block and see garbage cans knocked over and red stuff splattered around the sidewalks. Who spilled red paint everywhere?

I shake my head and decide to ignore it, until I hear a woman screaming.

I rush back to my window and see 2 people chasing a girl who looks to be around my age.

The people following her are running funny and screaming.

Wait. They sound exactly like how they did in the news.

It can't be.

Did the dead already reach us?

——————-

Wow, sorry for such a late post. It's been like what, 3 weeks since the prologue?

Anyways, I wrote a extra long chapter to make up for it.