"I'm waking up

To ash and dust

I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust.

I'm breathing in

The chemicals..."

The haunting chords energize my entire body, and I tap the beat with my foot, humming along as I sit in the car speeding down the highway.

"So April, how's school?" My father's voice reaches me in the backseat, and I shrug before answering.

"Alright. We have a test tomorrow in math. Mainly the Pythagorean Theorem."

My mother turns in her seat, a smile splitting her face. "Happy early birthday, honey. Do you know what you want to do on Saturday to celebrate?"

"Just hang out. Nothing special. Can Hannah and Eilene come over?"

She nods and turns the radio up. "Sure. What do you want for-" She's cut off as a black pickup truck sideswipes the car into the trunk of a tree, smashing her head into the window and knocking everyone out.

-----

I regain consciousness, my vision bleary and wobbly. Black spots dance across my vision, seeming to stagger toward the car. I blink and realize that they are staggering, but they aren't shadows.

They're people. If you can even call them that. They're all maimed and bloody. Some of them are missing limbs or pieces of flesh.

The first line of...zombies...reached the car and drags my mother out, tearing at her hair and arms. Her seatbelt snaps under the force and she falls out of the car, her descent marked by a squelching thud. The things descend upon her, tearing at her skin.

I gasp, then clamp my hand over my mouth. But it's too late. Several zombies look up at me, hunger burning in their eyes. I reach over to the passenger side rear door, turning on the lock and ignoring the pain all over my battered body before doing the same on my side of the car. Hands scratch at the door, struggling for purchase, when a car drives up. A man steps out, dressed in all black and holding a knife and a gun. He stops in place, and a ghostly after image detaches itself from his body.

He runs forward, determination plain on his face as he cuts down the zombies, one after another in rapid succession. Three surround him, but he just fights harder, eventually gaining ground towards my car. One sneaks up behind him, but he doesn't notice. I yell out, hoping to draw attention away from him, but it doesn't work.

I fumble with the door lock, adrenalin making my hands shake. I throw open the door and jump out of the car. I fist my hands together and run up behind the zombie, whose face is inches from the man's throat. I swing my hands up over my head and bring them down over the zombie's shoulder, my slightly bent elbow landing in the dip between his collarbone and shoulder blades. The thing goes down, landing with a solid thump, and the man turns around, his crystalline eyes holding mine in surprise.

"What the-" His voice is cut off as my body shuts down from exhaustion and terror, and black spots swirl in front of my eyes before overtaking my head. The last thing I see is a flicker of bright red jump across my vision.