A virus is killing everyone. Looking all around people are dropping like flies. Only...this is no normal virus. The people are coming back to life! They are coming back to life and biting people, eating them alive in some cases. It is extremely painful and people do not survive at all.

If anyone is bitten by these people, it is signing a death wish. The virus spreads too fast through out the body and the world. There is no hope for a cure anymore. All forms of communication have been cut off due to the loss of power in most places. Emergency frequencies run on the radio non-stop for the first few months changing the more people know about these terrible monsters.
"Stay in your homes. Do not have any contact with the infected. Looting is still illegal and so is stealing. Barricade your homes and try to stay alive. The CDC is still working on a cure to save the world."
The radio message has not played in a few months now. People don't even know if there will ever be hope of life returning back to normal or not. There is no way to even tell either. How is everyone going to survive this? No one may never know. But the better question is....how will you survive?



Ashley was riding on her trike into the city of Cleveland. She was still desperate to find signs of life. She had a special compound that could feed as many people that she could...you know, the whole greater in numbers idea. She was hoping if she could find some good, helpful people that maybe there will be a chance and bringing back society. After a year of the walkers killing everything they could...and her time gathering cattle, horses, seeds for food, weapons...She had to know it was all for something. She knew it would easily feed about 30 people for a few years if she kept the place secure.

She rode her trike into the depths of the city running down the main street to downtown. There was no zombies she could see but she still got off her bike to head out on foot. She saw a nearby food store. They would have food that would still be good in cans or boxes if she could find out where they would be hiding. She thought maybe some people went inside. She saw the door was pried open. She grabbed her baseball bat off the side of her bike as she walked over to the store cautiously.

Hunter's truck ran out of gas a about a mile or so back, not too far but he was having trouble finding fuel at all. He found himself in a grocery store with his bag on his back, hatchet at the ready, his pistols in there respected holsters, and his compact shotgun strapped to his side. The store seemed to have been raided over a few times, but there was easily enough food for a single person here. He started loading up a grocery cart with what ever he could fit into it, this was not fuel but a decent meal is always nice.

Hunter had the cart about half full when he heard foot steps. They were steady and decently paced, Human. He raised the shotgun from and took cover behind one of the shelves. he made him self open enough to be seen but in cover enough so that he could be protected from gun fire. He aimed his shotgun at the person walking in, she was armed, he could see that, didn't seem to hostile though. "Who are you?" He said it as comply as he could, keeping his eyes out for other people. "You alone?" He kept the gun trained on her.

Eaton, Ohio (AKA: NOT where the other two are, but getting there)

Of all the things William Taggart could ride past in a stolen horse and buggy, it had to be an Amish furniture-store nestled between three churches and an RV-dealership. About a km ahead lay a hardware store and an IGA supermarket, plus a few iconic restaurants of a bygone era of civilization.

But what he was really after, lay the small single-strip Columbia-airport. Big enough to carry a plane that could get him to Cuba, small enough not to be crawling with rotters... except he now needed to find a pilot... and fuel.

His stomach growled, and told him to stop at the IGA.

Karen sat in her Humvee ambulance beneath the shade of what appeared to be an open lumber warehouse beside the Cuyahoga river on the outskirts of Cleveland Ohio. She'd had to drive a very random pattern since leaving the highway because of abandoned cars in the bottle necks near bridges and the river.

She was eating a jar of canned peaches she'd found at an abandoned farm. The flavor while not repulsive did puzzle her because the person who'd put them up had for some unknown reason used a cinnamon stick in the center. She set the quart jar down and snapped open the lid of a gallon clay pot and plucked from the oily green brine a fat Jalapeño pepper and ate the tangy little thing with a smile. She'd lucked out about three months ago when she found a truck that had been looted of all edibles except four gallon cans of Jalapeño peppers. They'd been deemed unworthy of other scavengers but Karen had seen them as a godsend because of their vitamin C content; she was now sure that she was safe from scurvy for a while.

As she ate her meal Karen didn't stupidly let down her guard but remained hyper alert which is how she managed to hear the motor of a vehicle near by. Rather than chase the unknown vehicle possibly exposing herself to danger Karen stepped out of her own slung her shotgun over her shoulder then tucked her ball bat into it's blue jean back holster.

She climbed a nearby ladder that took her to the top of a large loading crane that sat by the river. She didn't climb slowly knowing that she might only have a small chance of seeing the source of her interest. She reached the top and sat atop the operators cab then began her scan of the surrounding area even across the river.

Magnolia whistled cheerfully behind her bright red and black helmet as she shot through cluttered streets, bright red curls tucked into her black leather jacket.

She'd been riding for more than six hours straight, pausing only to fuel up her bike, using the 'pay inside' trick and checking out what food the gas station/convenience stores had left if that's where she'd stopped, trying to get somewhere, somewhere with actual living people. She'd gotten lucky with the gas - she'd found a few small-town co-ops and abandoned farms with private fuel tanks that hadn't been raided yet, sparing her the tragedy of dumping her bike somewhere and having to find other transportation. She'd been doing pretty well on her own, keeping a pack that was almost always full with some basics - some food, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, and, of course, as many bricks of ammunition as her skinny frame could carry - and motoring around on her bike, but in the end, what was getting to her was the loneliness.

Checking her fuel gauge - still three-quarters of a tank left, she'd managed to fill up shortly before entering the city of Cleveland - Magnolia spotted a large WalMart she decided to check out - she always was looking for more supplies. Riding her bike to the door, then walking it inside, parking it near the registers, Magnolia stashed her Glock in the top of her left knee-high black Doc Martin and maneuvered her Ruger between her breasts, replacing her helmet with a forest green beanie to keep her hair out of the way while she swung her Weatherby behind her back - in a big building like this, she took no chances. After placing the finishing touch on her weapon assortment - her knife in a sheath near her underarm, hidden by her jacket - she started creeping around, rummaging through the mostly-scavenged shelves, occasionally coming up with a small treasure - a box of kitchen matches, a package of yeast, Jell-O powder - great for mixing with water for a quick energy boost - her heart jumping out of her chest every time she heard something, even if she had been the one to cause the sound.

After refilling her pack with such small treasures, Maggy nervously started back to her bike at the front of the store, somewhat spooked - the lack of zombies and scavengers in such a prime supply depot wasn't right.

Pulling himself up and over the cold iron of the fire escape, Isaac's feet met home turf. While his appartment was small, he figured that made it easier to keep tidy, which it wasn't right now - but that was fine. Walking over to the window Isaac flipped the lock at the bottom and lifted the frame all the way up, a strong cooling breeze swimming into the room. Kicking a few clothes to one side Isaac grabbed a lolly from his jar, unwrapped it, and threw it in his mouth.

Putting his rucksack down on the kitchen top he unloaded the stuff he'd just found in the bottom floor of the building opposite. A few cans of fizzy drink and packets of crisps, a handful of candy and 2 bottles of water. There'd been more stuff, but it had all been too big to fit in his bag, and he needed both hands to climb back up to his place.

Opening all the blinds and letting the sun streak through, Isaac stretched with his arms high above his head and let out a sigh of relief as a faint click came from his back.

Sigh" Another day in para..." Cutting himself short, Isaac's head snapped to one side. He must have been mistaken, but he made his way over to the open window anyway.

Was that...
Maybe? He stayed still and silent.

A car was not too far away, maybe behind the apartments up the road. Having gone so long without the sound of an engine rattling through his ears, Isaac smiled. Peaking his head out he followed the sound, maybe a block east.

Suddenly the engine seemed to stop.

With a swift walk over to the cupboard, he pulled the door open and picked up his rifle. He had found it on the roof of his building, with a few mags. Lucky bastard he was. Pushing everything off the table and hooking the blinds back, he pulled himself and the rifle on top, the table was sturdy and was just the right height so he could see the stores and buildings that were deeper in the city. Adjusting the lens and pushing the butt of the rifle into his shoulder, he peered through the scope.

Blurry.

Re-adjusting the lens until the stores were in focus, he waited. Isaac wasn't stupid, whoever was driving the car would be looking for fuel or atleast food and water, they wouldn't turn back up the hill, so they'd have to head to the stores that he had in his sights. After ten minutes of waiting, his lolly almost down to the stick, a man walked out across the street and towards a grocery store. Shotgun? Yeah, or some kind of firepower. He headed inside and Isaac pulled in a sharp cold breath through his teeth, hoping that the amount of zombies down there was as much as up here - barely any.

Thinking about it, Isaac had only seen a handful of them and only killed one. Wonder where they are?

Someone else made there way over to the store, female by the look of it. Baseball bat in hand, they stepped into the door way and froze. Shit. C'mon guys, work together! Isaac didn't understand any of this raiding and killing, not when you could work together. Someone else was making there way out of an alley too, two stores down. Trying to focus on them, Isaac only noticed the limp and thier outstretched arms as they drew closer to the woman in the door way, oblivious to the danger she was in.

Taking a deep breath and closing his left eye - Isaac aimed.

Exhale. Pull the trigger.

- The bullet sailed through the air ahead of the blurry wall of lagging sound. Passing by the grey brick of another apartment building it crossed the road, the wind guiding it right a little. Breaking through the rotten flesh like a diver hitting the water, burrowing into the pale skull beneath. A spray of dull reds and deep crimsons painted the window behind the crumpling body as the bullet core crashed into the glass, leaving a spider-web like pattern of cracks. -

The rifles roar smacked Isaac, his ears buzzing, the soft twinkle of the bullet case hitting the table as he saw the figure drop to the floor.

Ella pulled out every drawer and opened every cupboard, the sound of the wooden drawers crashing onto the floor echoing in the rather small apartment on the second floor. She had found some cans, but it wasn't much, yet it was at least the fifth apartment she had looked through. She wasn't completely out of food, but she definitely needed to fill up her storage before leaving Cleveland, whenever she was going to do that.

Ella kicked aside a chair that was lying on the floor and dropped her backpack onto the table before picking up a can of pineapples. She had never liked pineapples, but since this goddamn apocalypse started she had gotten used to eaten whatever she could get her hands on.
She picked up a fork in the chaotic mess, which she was responsible for, on the floor and walked over to one of the windows facing the street outside. Ella sat down on the window sill, smiling slightly as a fresh breeze blew through the open window.

One of the things the virus, and the hell that followed, had taught Ella, was to not take anything for granted, to enjoy every possible moment. Like this one; sitting in a window in Cleveland, where she hadn't seen a zombie since she came yesterday.

Further down the highway, after checking the IGA for what very little there was (as the supermarket away from the chaos had been picked clean several times over, someone even took the Jalapeno peppers in 1 gallon jars... He kept glancing behind him, almost sure there would have been movement in the Eaton Estates; he expected at least a few squatters, despite the evacuations...

He brought the horse to a halt at an overpass, as the highway-bridge was clogged and underneath it stood a pristinely-clear railroad-track that would fit a buggy down just nicely.

About 500 meters in, he noticed the trees towering to either side of the trail, and decided this may not be the brightest idea as he saw a hint of civilization... a gun-shop. Hallelujah.

The most important part however, was that it had a garage-bay he could sneak his horse into for the night, and the building could readily be made secure. Why a place, still brimming with gun parts, had been abandoned was not immediately clear... so William affixed bayonets and gave the place a good stalk.

Then he realized, none of the parts were finished, none of the tools would be able to finish them without power, and there wasn't any ammunition. So even though he was surrounded by literally thousands of nearly complete guns, they all had the same critical parts missing or incomplete. Any complete firearms the store still had were in for repairs, and William didn't want to mess around with that... considering the complete lack of ammunition due to the previous-occupants stripping that part of the store dry.

Still, a new combination red-dot/night-sight and maybe a laser wouldn't hurt his Mosin any...

And with that, Mr Taggart locked-up shop, and walked out onto the rooftop with a few batteries he'd salvaged and some night-vision devices he wanted to try out before going to sleep for the night. If he found something he liked and was confident in,he could try stalking the airfield at night.

(I traveled 1.5 miles since my last post)

@Remipa Awesome@Pripovednik

Ashley heard the voice from inside the store. "Yes. I am alone." She said holding up her bat so he could see it. "I will not hurt you...Are you bitten?" She asked curiously wondering how he was going to react. She walked a little more to see he was up against a short shelf. She stood facing him so he could see her weapons on her holsters. An AR-15 was strapped on her back and a glock was on her shoulder holster on her left side.

As she waited for his response she heard a gunshot go off outside. From inside she could still tell it was a sniper rifle far off but she became worried it would draw walkers closer. She just hoped she could get back to her bike if she needed to leave quickly.

Pulling the scope away from his eyes and shuffling off the table, Isaac but the rifle back down against the sofa in the corner of the room. Walking over to kitchen once again, Isaac heard some shuffling below him as he drank from one of the water bottles, the floor below.

He hadn't heard anything these last few days.

Taking his knife from the table and throwing his bag over his shoulder, tightening the straps, he walked back over to the the fire escape window. Swinging his legs over the edge he gripped the first bar and dropped onto the level below. Ducking behind the metal frame, he peered through the mesh at the window. It looked like the window was blocked by something wooden, probably a cabinet or wardrobe.

Climbing onto the edge of the window, he planted one foot into the bottom right corner of the window frame and the other firmly against the fire escape. Swinging hard with his right arm - his left arm covering his face - he struck the glass with the butt of his blade. It didn't shatter, but it was close to.

A second swing of his arm and the glass eventually broke, falling down the 3 floors to the ground, crashing on the alley way floor. Kicking the rest of the glass away carefully, Isaac pushed against whatever it was blocking the door. After a final surge of energy from his legs, it topled over and left the window open to climb through.

Isaac heard a crunch as it hit the floor.

Sliding through the window he was enveloped in the dark, only the dim light passing through the fire escapes metallic frame. Something brushed against Isaacs leg and he swiftly stepped back, a zombies arm and head coming out from under the wardrobe. Kneeling down and stabbing into the head with his blade , gritting his teeth as the blood coated the blade, he pulled it out as fast as he dug it in.

Lifting his head he saw a dozen zombies , all facing the other way.
He didn't breath.

He slowly made his way back towards the window, parting the curtains and reaching up for a grip.

Suddenly his foot broke through the back of the wardrobe with a loud crash - the wood trapping his ankle - only just holding in a cry of pain, he pulled the curtains back tight together, dipping the entire corridor into blackness. Grimacing in pain he stayed still, careful no to make more noise.

Taking his bag from his back he took out the flashlight, and lifted it up to chest height. With a quick flash he splashed his enviroment in light. The zombies were still facing the same way, they hadn't turned thankfully. Sliding his blade into the gap between the wood and his foot he began to chip away at the sharp splinters, wincing as he pulled them from his flesh.

He couldn't climb with his foot like this, so he crawled slowly over to the nearest door and pushed it open.

Bright light surged through into the corridor as the window in the room was wide open, pulling himself through before the zombies noticed. Closing the door, he put his back against it.

A soft groan came from the corner opposite him, heavy thuds of steps, a rotten face breaking through the dark.

@Pripovednik@themadhatter420@Remipa Awesome
Day 1 Cleavland,

I would like to say a great city. But my job never lets me lie. this place is the worse. Reminds me of New York City on day zero, well, I lie in this journal, it looks like NYC without the screaming children. Man the children sucked, especially when we had to open up on them to save the thousands that had made it to Manhattan. Anyway, I cant write now, I am hearing gunshots two clicks down the road

He sat there, in silence. What was his life coming to? He was sitting in a whore house, surrounded by whores. They were dead, newly though. Such bad news when the "Young" and "Imperishable" go down the drain in a third rate apartment block. It wouldn't of been so bad, had they not attacked him to save their pimp. Even a whole year later they are still clinging to the drugs that once fuelled them. Sad, make good bait though... in a pinch could be a beef substitute. "MMM. Beef..." NO! I must focus. Concentration. Take down the sniper, then loot that store.

Getting up he took his grand, and old gun that still shoots good. Checking its sights he spun the flash suppressor on and put some of the hookers netting tights over the scope to stop it from flashing in the light. Lining up his show he saw the flash of a knife in the dark room opposite and from the short flash he saw a group of walkers in his room, the sights were lined and he pulled the trigger

"BANG!" was echoed through the streets. He hit the walker dead in the head. He kept aiming waiting for another flash from the knife to shoot again.

Isaac tried pushing himself higher up the door as the zombie approached, teeth clacking with anticipation. Lifting his blade above his head, he was ready to strike out when the zombies brains suddenly splattered against adjacent wall. Looking through the open window Isaac saw a blurry outline of someone in the opposite building. The shooter?

Waving with his unarmed hand Isaac began to stumble toward the window - hope rising through his body- when a second zombie turned its attention, from what Isaac now noticed was a young girls body in the corner, to him. Rushing forward with a cry of both pain and zeal as the splinters in his ankle shifted, he sliced down into the zombies skull, his arm being pulled down as it crumbled down to the floor.

Pulling the blade from the zombie, Isaac heard a crash and looked back to see the zombies from the corridor tumbling into the room.

"Shit!" he exclaimed shifting himself back over to open window.

Jumping out and onto the fire escape he began to hobble up the iron stairs to his apartment as the zombies began to clumbsily climb over the window frame in pursuit.

@Pripovednik"God damn locals. No sense of ergency" reaiming his gun. He could only see him waving and hobbling along. He wasnt going to make it without help. He took and deep breath and looked at the situation. We ave one guy running up some stairs. He will only waste one mag on him. Knowing the plan he got his sights locked on to take them out as they came. "One, two, three, four, five, seven" he counted them as they came from the window. 'There too many, too many to shoot' Looking at the bait running up the stairs "Looks like were doing a good thing today" he aimed his gun at some of the rivits in the old broken down emergency ladder.

Sighing as he thinks about the shot he will take. "Kid, you better be a fast runner. When I take this shot, the whole stairwell will fall and bring every damn walker out to see the rubble. You fail, your dead." with the sights on the rusting rivits he took the first shot. First rvit comes out. Second shot, a rivit flys out and falls to the ground. The stairwell is shaking with the broud mass of zombies comming out the window verging on the 20's. With the weight, this whole thing will come down in one more shot. "BANG!" was the final shot. Hotting the thrid rvit the stairs start to shake and flex. Many more suppoting bolts fly out along the left side. The stairs start to sag, then they shake violently. Then some of the stairs and gangplanks give way near the bottom moving up quickly towards the kids running body. "Good luck kid."

@Error

Halfway there, another shot rattled across the lifeless street, and into the zombie horde below him, whoever was firing can't of been the best shot.

They didn't hit any of the zombies - not one of them.

Having to grip his leg with every step he took, otherwise he couldn't take the steps, two more shots roared his way. Suddenly the iron beneath him lurched violently as the supports broke from the walls, the level below him tipped, zombies crashing onto the already blood stained concrete below.

"Oh Fucckk!" Isaac screamed as he picked himself back up off his hands and kneesm rushed up the last few steps and threw himself desperately at the open window of his apartment, the fire escape he had just been on toppling down to the ground, narrowly missing his legs.

He rolled and lay, huddled on the floor - opening his eyes after a moment. The soft white carpet against his face and the smell of sweet lollies creeping slowly into his nose. He turned painfully onto his back and his arms out wide.

Savoring the life he still had.

@Pripovednik
Seeing the kid made it he smiled. Taking his gun from the window he went back into the room, renforcing the door and setting up his bed. Kid wont find out who he is fr a while. "Ill be his gardian angel". Thinking that he took his mag out and engraved on the rounds 'If you need me. Fire a flare or something and ill see if I can help you. - Your Gardian Angle.' He did this to 3 of his bullets. Looking at his base he fired three rounds into the wall behind him.

@themadhatter420
Friendly? Someone who was friendly?! He lowered His shotgun and stepped out, "I'm Hun.." he was cut off by the sound of the rifle. he pulled the girl into cover behind one of the shelves. He waited and heard a few more shots. "High powered rifle, more then likely 7.62 High powered rifle. Shots were fired from north ish from down the block. Not shooting directly at us but it's hard to say why."

Hunter was bullshitting to sound smart, he saw the muzzle flash of the rifle, SO he knew Direction, and he was familiar with the rifle shell because his dad fired a rifle with a similar ammunition lot when he was younger. Also he didn't see the debris anywhere near them move when the shot rang out.

He turned to the mystery girl and raised his hand to shake, well still staying in cover. "Hunter Monroe, What's your name?" He kept trying to focus on her, but he kept eyeing the rifle on her back. Not the hardest piece of hardware to come across, but it's not easy to find either. He could ask about it later.

Gunshots. More than once, Magnolia heard gunshots. Her heart soared in her chest as she started her bike and shoved her helmet down on her dainty head - walkers didn't carry firearms, there were humans nearby - but then plummeted seconds later - what were they shooting at? We're there walkers nearby? Or was it one of the looters, shooting to kill other survivors? Magnolia's efforts increased tenfold to get her bike outside, jogging beside it while gunning the throttle so it'd move under its own power. As soon as she passed the glass doors, she swung on with a well-practiced, graceful movement and shot forward before her ass had even hit the seat. She didn't know where she was driving, but she prayed it was towards other survivors - hopefully not looters, either.

@Remipa Awesome

Ashely smiled when he asked her his name. She could see he was staring at her AR-15. It always seemed odd to people. "Names Ashely. Or Ashe for short." She said smiling. "I am looking for people to join me on my safe house. I have a huge farm with fields of different fruits and veggies. She said reaching for her pocket. "I am just getting my photos. I promise I am unarmed in my pockets." She said moving slowly pulling out a stack of faded pictures of her at the farm with her family and the crops and some of the animals. "Here see for yourself." She said holding them out for him to take. It was hopefully a sign of good faith to see if he would be able to help her out.

The Report of a rifle snapped Karen's attention towards it and off of the search for the source of the motor noise. To her the sound of rifles was salvation and dread for they were carried by both sinner and saint.

She lay down on the roof of the crane cab to limit her profile against the sky just as she'd been taught by the soldiers she had traveled with for several months. It was a strange world she now lived in and as frightening as it all was what worried her most of all is how she had adapted to it. The unimaginable was now fact, the brutal, normality an through it all she had become a person that would have held her old self in awe and fear.

Karen continued to watch in the direction of the rifle report and heard more sounds of gunfire she slid off the roof of the crane cab onto the walk then quickly slipped down the ladder to the concrete below. Once she was out of the ladder's safety cage Karen unlimbered her combat shotgun and chambered a round which she replaced in the magazine with one from her pocket.

"Always go in heavy" echoed Sergeant Hilderbrant's words in her memory, she missed the over weight man who'd taught her what he knew before the raiders had killed him. Then remembering what the sergeant taught her Karen did a perimeter sweep with the shotgun held in a relaxed grip against her shoulder and saw something moving near her Humvee.

Approaching cautiously Karen spotted a group of five horrors that had been attracted for reason's unknown to stand near her vehicle. She slung her firearm judging that she should be able to take out the shuffling bastards with her loaded bat.

She quietly moved closer to the farthest from the group and planted both of her feet before swinging the titanium alloy weapon with every once of weight she could muster. At 5'9" and 120 pounds Karen was stronger than she looked which meant that the first victim of her bat had his head caved in before he feel. The other monsters heard the metal bat crack their fellow diner's head open and moved towards the noise.

Karen dropped three more before she realized she wasn't facing five foes but about fifteen and she was in danger of being surrounded or cut off from her ambulance. Taking four quick steps back Karen tossed the bat onto the concrete distracting them briefly but allowing her to unlimber her gun.

"BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!" Went the 12 gage combat shotgun taking out five shufflers in rapid succession. Then finding a short pause Karen slipped in four rounds to replace those she'd spent. "BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!" The big bore weapon repeated so quickly she anounced she was military and semi auto to any with and ear for guns.

Karen ran to her concealed Humvee and closed the door locking it after jumping inside the gun still smoking. The military vehicle was a mini ambulance that had been up armored in the last desert war and basically immune to small arms fire so in it's confined space Karen felt safe against the weapons most lurkers and scavengers carried which was why she decided to start the military diesel.

She had to allow it to idle a little bit before moving out but still it's fording exhaust spewed black smoke into the air with a puff. She had to take a chance and head for the highway while it was still daylight so she could find another safe bivouac to spend the night.

As she headed down the street she thought of the gunshots she'd heard and hoped that whoever had fired them would read the white lettering on the front, sides, rear and top which read

@themadhatter420
Hunter calmly took the pictures, He was still keeping an ear out for the shooter, or shooters. But not much he could do now. He started looking through them, "Wow, this place seems, Amazing." Which kinda scared Hunter, this person seemed friendly, but he's met 'Friendly' People before. With safe Havens. He decided to go along with this for now, just in case. He needed to be able to trust people again.

He turned to face Ashley. "Hunter, Nice too meet you." He held out his hand to shake. "So how many people do you have here already? or are you by yourself?"