Young Writers Society

Dana Morris

"Come on, my apartment is just around the corner," she said. Chris ran ahead with the key. Dana ran back to KJ and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. Alice gripped Dana's neck tighter in her sleep. They sprinted around the corner, the zombie tailing them.

Dana's heart raced. What if there were more ahead, and she'd just sent her nephew to his death? What if she couldn't run fast enough with KJ and she was sentencing herself and her neice to their deaths. Oh, she was too young to be saddled with these responsibilities. She wished more than anything that her brother was still around to take care of his own kids.

They rounded the corner, but Dana could still smell the zombie closing in on them. She hated that, how you could smell them. She hated everything about her situation in this stupid apocalypse.

Chris stood at the front entrace to the library, holding the door open and looking up and down the street cautiously. When Dana, Alice, and KJ appeared the relief was apparent on his face. They all managed to make it inside and begin baracading the door before the zombie reached the library.

Dana sighed and adjusted Alice's position on her back. "Come on, we can get to the apartments through a staircase from the basement."

(I apologize, everyone. I will be absent the next two weeks do to being put on a plane and sent to Texas during that time >.> I wouldn't mind playing my character when returning, but Dono can choose if he wants to make her a NPC instead. Sorry.)

K.J.:

I let out a short sigh of relief and nodded. The zombie ran against the glass a few times, before just standing there pitifully and moaning. I could hear it, even if I couldn't see it.

"Okay. Is this secure, though?" I ask quietly, keeping my voice monotone. Only when I'd made a lot of noise in the back of the vet clinic had they bothered me, after all, or when I'd moved around. Their senses seemed pretty bad, even if they could pick up the scent of blood or hear a high pitched sound better than humans.

Yeah, I had tested that.

I'd had a long time to do nothing.

While waiting on my answer, I continue to look around. No weapons here. Nothing much here.

I suddenly stiffen as a thought hits me. "While you're at that, did you have any neighbors?" I ask, using the same tone.

We could have just locked ourselves in with a whole mess of monsters. Lovely...

Hannah

Very soon, two had fallen asleep. When Hannah awoke the next morning, she was a bit shocked but also surprised to see that she and Kisa had made it through the night undisturbed. Then she saw the police station across the street and remembered what they had been about to do. Because she did not want to wake Kisa up, Hannah picked her up and carried her as she began to inspect the old police station. It had been ransacked, and looked to be completely deserted. But, as hard as Hannah searched, she was not able to find any guns. She shook her head. Of course there weren't any guns--police officers escaping would have taken them so they could have defended themselves. What had the guard been thinking? Maybe, Hannah thought, he had just heard a story and had been all too desperate to believe it.

Hannah sighed, clutching her knife carefully and slipping into her jean pocket. It was a good tool, and it certainly helped with defense, but she would need something bigger, something much stronger. She had barely gotten out of the last scrape just last night, and Hannah had the feeling that more would come, and in bigger masses.

She left the station and began to walk, holding Kisa tightly. Hannah looked down at her and wondered what kind of dreams she might have been having, if any. Where they happy dreams? Hannah hoped so. She felt sorry for the poor girl, being so young and having to so quickly be taken from her parents and catapulted into what was such a desolate world. But Hannah made a silent promise to herself that she would look after Kisa, be like an older sister, protect her. Under her watch, Kisa would survive.

As they walked for a while, Kisa sleeping quietly all throughout Hannah began to notice how oddly quiet and peaceful it seemed. The zombies could attack at any given moment, she knew, so she made sure that she would be ready to take out her knife if one did decide to come.

Eventually, Hannah came to what looked like an apartment that looked fairly peaceful. Well, it still looked ransacked and awful, to be sure, but it was in better condition then Hannah's apartment had been, to be sure.

That was when she smelled the zombie coming near her, and she ran, hoping to make refuge inside the apartment. She took Kisa, who was still sleeping, in one hand and grabbed her knife with the other so she would be ready to strike if any zombie came near her. The front entrance looked to be off limits, so she circled around the building, hoping that she could maybe crawl in through a window or a back door, and that someone would be there to let her in.

Were people making refuge down here? Were there others inside the apartment? She sure hoped so. Hannah wanted to scream to let people, if they were there, know that she needed help. She tried as best as possible to do this without altering the zombies to her presence.

(Sorry for not posting for a while)

Kisa

Hannah pushed Kisa into the room, and soon fell on top of her. Kisa awoke to the pleasant feeling of soft carpet on her cheek, only to become restless at the sound of a caulked gun. Hannah quickly stood and crouched in front of Kisa, while Kisa tried to peer over the small shoulder of her guardian.

Standing in front of them were not zombies... not even fierce-looking people. Just a mother and her son and daughter, who was even younger than Alice. Kisa pitied the woman, for she had to care for two children, one even younger than herself.

The woman lowered their gun as Hannah threw her hands in the air.

"What are you doing in my apartment?" the woman asked.

Kisa looked around and realized the place was nothing to be proud of. There was rotting food and papers scattered everywhere, not to mention the layer of mold that was on the window and now streaked Kisa's perfectly white nightgown.

"Please, we were just seeking shelter from the flesh-eaters," Hannah begged.

The woman snickered. "Best not deny the situation."

"Pardon?"

"They're zombies, no doubt about it. This isn't your regular fairy tale, though. I predict this one won't have a happy ending."

Kisa silently declared that that woman had gone mad. Her two children sat and tried to catch their breaths. Kisa avoided eye contact with any of them.

"Just - just please have pity. Don't make us go out there again."

"Well shoot! What kind of woman do you think I am?"

For the first time since they left her father behind after the raid of the apartment basement, Kisa smiled. The thought of her father all alone searching the apartment looking for her casted a permanent frown on her face. But the sheer kindness shook it away.

"Oh thank you!"

"What's your guys; names?" Kisa noticed a change in character of the woman. She wondered if she herself was going crazy - and Hannah?

"I'm Hannah, and this is Kisa. She's a bit shaken up. I'm afraid her father is... lost."

"Yeah," Kisa squeaked, "but he's looking for me."

Hannah tried to hide her doubt behind a smile, but she could feel it wasn't working. Thankfully Kisa wasn't paying attention. Instead she had walked over to the little girl that was sitting on the young boy's lap. Kisa thought she was so darn cute. She admired her perfectly white skin and blushing cheeks.

"That's Alice," the young boy said, smiling at Kisa. "And I'm Chris. And that's our Aunt Dana."

"Oh, I figured you were the mother," Hannah said to Dana.

"No... But I'm as close to a mother as these two have now."

"Well," Kisa said, walking over the window. "As soon as my daddy finds me, he will protect all of-"

And suddenly the zombie appeared in the window and reached its hand out and grabbed Kisa's hair with it's long bony hand with the damp and slippery flesh. Everyone screamed - Kisa the loudest - and ran to the window. As a team effort - minus Alice, who was too young to do anything and Kisa who was struggling - they pulled her away and quickly shut the door. But the zombie remained, trying to find a way in.

K.J.:

I cursed loudly and pulled the young girl away from all of them, checking her arm. "Did they scratch you? Bite you?" I ask, knowing if they did we'd have little or no time to correct...anything. She'd then be better off dead.
I'd watched it happen in the waiting room of the vet clinic after all.

"It's like snake venom, when it hits your heart..." I shake my head and keep looking.

((That's all I can come up with since your reactions will decide a lot...so, yeah.))

After about 30 minutes of mostly unsuccessful foraging, I decided to climb atop a building to see what I could see. I had a difficult time making ym way to the top of the small water tower, but I'd made it. Once atop, I took to surveying the area for fellow survivors like myself. Not those ones that had been hit with the nerve gas and had taken to shambling around. There were a few of the poor souls down beneath me about 75 feet away from the water tower. They'd undoubtedly been drawn to the sound of my clanging about as I climbed the tower. Resting my gun on the railing of the tower, I took aim and fired a round into one of their chests. Nothing. As much as I hated it, I had to try. I moved my gun, this time the crosshairs of the scope resting on the bridge of the man's nose. I squeezed the trigger, the silenced rifle only slightly kicking. The round hit him in the face and exited cleanly out the back. And then, in what seemed like slow motion, he fell into the dirt. His two compatriots moved along without noticing his death. So I had to get a headshot. Damn...

A minute later, the other two were dispatched. Since I was comfortable and I needed some lunch, I decided to make a small camp atop the water tower and eat a small lunch.

Dana Morris

Dana set down the gun and went into the small kitchen of her apartment. She couldn't believe she was doing this, throwing a gun around, trying to take care of her nephew and niece. She wasn't cut out for this. She was a college student, a librarian's assistant.

She sunk to the floor in the middle of the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her as she listened to K.J. search for a bite on the little girl who was just barely older than Alice.

Chris came in and set the radio he had taken from Dana's parent's house on the counter. He turned it on and tuned into the channel broadcasted by survivors somewhere in the city. He ignored Dana in her pathetic position on the floor and focused on the radio.

"Chris don't leave your sister alone," Dana murmured. "You're all she has left."

He didn't say anything, but left the room. Dana could hear him talking softly to Alice in the other room.

Dana wiped the tears from her cheeks but remained curled up on the floor. The radio buzzed while the survivors talked about the military and the disease. The military was no longer on our side, and survivors had developed a potential serum to hold off the spread of the infection. It was at the hospital, if anyone dared to try to make it there. It would hold off spread of the disease for three days, and three days only.

K.J.:

I let out a sigh as I finally figured she'd be fine. After all, I couldn't see anything--no blood, no tears in her skin or clothes, etc.--and, even if there were, had I really been going to tell a little girl she had a death sentence? No. I'd have let her live out the last bit of time, then we'd have had to...

I take in a shuddery breath then gesture at her caretaker to get her.

"She's fine," I mumble, then I walk over to the woman, Dana.
"Like I asked, does anyone else live here?" I question softly, noticing her troubled expression and tears. But that didn't mean I was going to let her wallow or just leave her alone. "And how much food do you think we have here, or other supplies? And would you mind if I took an inventory?"

I had to know. If there wasn't a good chance of survival here, I'd have to leave, try to get away. I wasn't sure if I could, but I wasn't one to lie down and take whatever came to me. I'd never been that way. And, heck, if I wasn't a good runner...metaphorically, of course.

Plus, I was sort of getting hungry. Dog kibble, bleach-y water, and a protein bar had been all that had entered my stomach in the past... How long? I wasn't sure anymore. It had felt like weeks, though.

Caspian

There weren't any lights on in the store. That didn't say much as any humans hiding out there wouldn't be so foolish, or at least any live humans wouldn't. As for the zombie population, well. They didn't seem to mind the dark. Cass still wanted to know if they slept. He hadn't seen a sleeping one yet so he didn't think so, but a lack of proof wasn't always proof enough.

Caspian was standing just across the street. He had the gun in his hand and the rucksack on his back was feeling particularly light. It wouldn't hurt to stock up on some food while he was at it. He might just live to need it. Swell. The pains a man went to for a pack of cigarettes. He felt awkward hiding in the shadows, gun in one hand, bat in the other. Like some psycho serial killer, except humans weren't his target. Zombies were.

The street was empty. Caspian crossed carefully to the other side and sidled up to the store door. If you could call it that. It had evidently been forced open during the last week and was hanging off its hinges. No sense of delicacy, that was the zombie's problem. Cass expected there'd be one lurking amongst the shelves. He almost turned back. Almost.

Pushing the door open, Caspian made his way inside and started checking the aisles. He held his gun steady and double checked everything. Nobody home. It would be a bad idea to really relax but Cass felt some of the tension dropping from his shoulders and made his way around to the counter. He double checked there too but other than a corpse sleeping in a fetal position, there was nothing. Humming under his breath, Caspian grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the shelf. He put his weapons carefully on the counter, swung his bag off and grabbed a few more. And a lighter. There was no telling when he'd next have the opportunity.

After that, Caspian took a brisk walk around the store and filled up on supplies. A lot of the best stuff was already taken or spoiled but he was able to find some biscuits, crisps and various other dry food types. He had a can opener in his bag already so he threw a few tinned things in. Some fruit, some corned beef. It was pitiful really, the stuff he was living on now. Cass had never been much of a food snob but it made you miss the good stuff when it wasn't available anymore. And what he missed most? Ordering take-out on a Friday night and watching a good film. Ah, those were the days. He returned to the counter for his weapons and headed for the door, back on alert. He needed to start thinking about somewhere to sleep for the night.

(So, so sorry this took so long)

Despite my tears I felt myself smile sheepishly. “That’s Patches, and I am Lucy.” I stuck out my hand, wiping my tears away with the other.

“Nice to meet you Lucy, I’m Vince.” He shook my hand, his eyes barely glancing at me as he scanned the roads.

“I need to find food.” I paused, looking intently around the store. “I doubt I will find much around here, seems pretty unlikely.”

“Well, if you like Twinkies and Donuts, you’ll find plenty here.”

“There is a larger grocery store up the street, they should have something with a little more substance. You hungry?” I said.

“Starved. Protein bars aren’t exactly filet mignon.”

I grinned broadly. “Well I am not promising anything quite so fancy, but I can probably whip up something tasty.” I gathered my things together. “I was in school to become a chef before… well before.” I told him proudly.

“Glad to know one of us has some experience. My culinary skills consist of mac and cheese and top ramen.”

“I can help with that.” I started out the door, Melvin clutched tightly in my hand. “The store is really close to where I have been staying. I don’t know if you’ve got a place or any people to get back to… but if not you’re more than welcome to come with me. I’ve got a pretty sweet spot.”

After stepping into the light I got a better look at my new ally. He was a taller man and very lean, he looked to be older than me, but not as old as my father. There were smile lines around his eyes despite the fact that he had a somewhat rugged dangerous look about him.

I watched as his face fell into a grimace, he stared at his feet for a moment before gathering himself and smiling at me. “I got nowhere to be. Lead on.”

I smiled weakly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up a sore topic.”

“Lots of sore topics these days, don't worry about it.” He paused and a moment passed in awkward tension. “So. You know how to use that thing?” He asked, gesturing towards Melvin.

“Who, Melvin? We’ve been buddies for years.” I giggled a little.

I watched as he raised an eyebrow, and I laughed despite myself. “Right,” he said.

“Sorry, I name things. I’ve been shooting this gun since my 13th birthday, and there’s not a whole lot that I would miss with him.”

“That's good. I don't carry, so I guess that works out.”

I laughed again. “Maybe you don't carry a gun, but you're certainly carrying something.” I gestured to the crowbar in his hands and the knives on his hips.

“Yes. A necessity, I’ve found.”

“No kidding.”

I started to laugh when I noticed his face had fallen, without a word he pulled the crowbar to the ready. I looked up and sure enough, there they were. Five, maybe six of them stumbling their way towards us. I shivered and dropped Patches’ carrier gently and raising Melvin.

“Ready to see how good I am with my friend Melvin, here?”

“If you wanna waste ammo, sure. If not, watch me work.” He stepped forward with a glint in his eye; this was a man that was ready to cause some chaos. And who was I to stop him?

Kisa

Everyone was worn out, so Kisa and Hannah looked for some food. Nothing was stashed in the cupboards, save for some Tap Ramen. So they began to start a small fire from papers and pieces of furniture that they broke apart. Dana really didn't seem to care as they smashed her end table to pieces.

The Ramen was cooking, and it smelled delicious. However, a loud noise interrupted their lust for food. They all covered their ears as some piece of technology sent a loud shriek through the house. Kisa tried to find the home of the noise, and discovered the howling fire detector above.

"I thought the power was out!" Dana shouted over the shrieks.

Hannah shook her head and gathered a stool to climb up to it. "Fire detectors run on batteries."

Just then, Kisa noticed a shadow in front of the window. They had placed a garbage bag there, held up with duck tape, to try to keep the walkers out. There was a little slit under the window that they kept to keep a little light in. But this slit was now a shadow of something standing behind it. Kisa shrieked, but someone held her mouth so it wouldn't let out into the air.

Then she started to hear banging on the doors, and the walls around the window, just as Hannah turned off the device. She threw the thing aside, then ran over to Kisa.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Kisa rose her arm slowly and pointed to the shadow. No one screamed, no one sighed. They all just stood there. Accepting it? Accepting that the walkers knew where they were?

The door started breaking, so Chris and Dana started stacking furniture against it. Then they looked out the peephole.

"Five walkers," Dana said.

Hannah walked to the window and carefully pulled aside the black plastic enough to look outside. "Seven or eight from what I can see, possibly more."

"Why are they here all of the sudden?" Chris asked, pushing the couch in front of the door.

"My guess? They're attracted to sound."

Hannah knelt and cradled Kisa's sobbing body.

"What do we do?" asked Dana.

"... I don't know."

I let the remnants of my light lunch blow off the tower, the wind pushing it across the landscape. I resumed my survey of the surrounding terrain. My eyes came to rest on the window of an apartment. Inside, a young woman sat on the ground, sobbing. Survivors! It would be risky, but I could possibly make it to the apartment and make some sense of this mess. I knew I wouldn't make it long on my own. It was about my only other option...

K.J.:

I rub my hands over my closed eyes and just sigh. "I can't believe this is happening...knew I shouldn't have..." I shake my head, then look up at the people. "Like I said, do you have any weapons here?" I ask, glancing around at the others as I look around, from where I'd laid my sweatshirt holding the two kittens (they were still alive and not suffocated, thank goodness) and everyone seemed okay, even if we were surrounded. Quite frankly I didn't care too much for the people yet, but I'd never been friendly. "And can they even get in? I barricaded myself in the vet clinic I was holed up in with crates, cages, and dog food bags and they couldn't get at me. They're not very strong--or smart."

I listen to the banging as I latch onto a table and tip it over, before sliding it until it covers up the front window. I realize they probably won't do anything, so I'd have to figure this out myself. I then use my pocket knife to start hacking at one of the table's legs. A stake might be a good thing to have...

"Oh, and I think it's just their saliva that changed--not their blood or whatnot. If you're not bit, you're fine," I say thoughtfully. "And it can't be passed through animals." I don't mention I know this because I used bloody animals as a distraction for my escape.

As I neared the apartment with the young woman, I noticed a small cluster of seven or eight of the things in front of the building. I dropped to my stomach and flicked the safety off of my rifle. Holding my breath, I squeezed off a round, which blew through the thing's neck. It didn't seem deterred, so I adjusted and succeeded in getting a headshot. By now, the things had recognized my position and were slowly staggering towards me.

I adjusted and took another shot at one of the creatures, the round pinging off his forehead, sparks flying.

"Chyort. Steel plates."

I began to back away slowly as they advanced, taking my time to ensure a headshot. Eventually, all but the one with the steel plates in his face was left. I stood, sprinted around him and got on my knee before putting a round through the back of his head. He fell. Sighing, I approached the apartment window.

"Hey there, I'm Phil. You guys all right?"