The streets were eerily silent. Wrecked cars filled the street. Fires long ago died out from the spilt fuel, their only evidence were the charred masses of twisted metal. Some contained the ashen remains of the lucky few who died suddenly and swiftly. They had escaped the fate that befallen countless others.
Alexis tread softly between as she emerged from the front door of a home. She had spent the night in the home using it as a safe haven for the night, but now it was time to move on, and she needed supplies.
Her pulse quickened with every step, but she forced herself to remain calm. The infected started to show signs of intelligence. They respond not only to sight, but smell, and sound. She has even heard rumors of them being able to distinquish between ill and healthy. Despite the rampant infected, her worst fear still remains other survivors.
Senses heightened she reached the door to the next house. It was locked. She looked around, still very weary of her surroundings, looking for another method of entry. The windows were all heavily boarded. Her eyes fell upon a window on the second story just above the porch. It didn‘t appear to be secured. She let out a heavy breath and taking one last look around slung her rifle across her chest and started to climb the lattice. Pulling herself to the roof the lattice beneath her began to give-way with an audible splintering of wood. She cursed under her breath and froze, hoping noone was around, infected or otherwise, to hear it.
Several silent moments passed without as much as a sound. She released a held breath. Bringing herself up she again froze as the lattice finally snapped and began to fall. It came crashing to the ground. Her heart thrashed in her chest as she once again froze solid. No way in Hell that that sound went unnoticed.
Sure enough, the sound of shuffling footsteps broke the silence. One of the walking abominations turned the corner and glared in her direction. Her heart sunk as she made eye contact with the creature. Bile burned the back of her throat as the beast moved closer.
Its eyes were milky white and its flesh grayed and leathery. Its jaw hung slack from strings of muscle and its teeth stained with blood. It was impossible to tell if it was its own or the blood of one of its unfortunate victims. Torn clothes hung in ribbons from its body. Alexis stepped slowly back towards the window as it slowly made its way towards her. It gave out an ear-splitting shriek the pierced the silent air. Alexis could feel her heart sink and the blood drain from her face. She cursed as she quickly slid the rifle from her back and broke the window. Little use in worrying about being silent now.
She slid into the window and emerged into a messy bedroom. The room appeared to be that of an infant. The walls were painted in a soft pink hue with stickers of teddy bears and balloons. She grabbed a nearby dresser and slid it affront the window. As it set into place she released a heavy breath. Sweat beaded on her dirty face. A soft metallic click caught her attention.
Two azure eyes looked up from the dresser and fell upon a large pistol. Behind the weapon stood a ragged looking man with a long salt & pepper beard. His steely gray eyes glared at her sending a cold chill down her spine.
"What are you doing in here?!" the man asked with a malicious snear, it was he had lost his mind. This was her worst fear. She‘d rather deal with the infected outside then remain inside with a crazy man, at least the infected were mostly predictable, humans were nowhere close.
Alexis put her hands in the air, "Please, think this through. I'm not here to hurt you. I was just passing through."
"Drop your gun," he demanded.
"Okay, okay," she said slowly sliding the weapon off her shoulder and to the floor.
"Now your backpack. Drop it! Now!"
Fear welled up within her as she could only guess what was going through his mind as her backpack dropped to the ground with a light thump.
"Now follow me," he motioned her to follow him with a wave of his gun.
Alex complied but could feel tears forming in her eyes. He escorted her downstairs the cold steel of the gun pressing against her back, driving her forward. As they emerged into what appeared to be the living room. A large bloodstained sheet covered two masses, one tiny and one one larger. It was no secret it was a woman and her baby.
Alexis shook her head as tears finally broke loose and rolled down her dirty cheeks.
"You don't have to do this!" she protested.
"ON YOUR KNEES!" he snapped.
"Please, just let me go... I'll leave right now," more tears streamed down her face and dropped to the dusty floor. So this was how it ends. She had survived so well, but now she would die by the hand of a madman.
"My daughter had hair just like yours... so beautiful...I couldn't bear to see them become one of them."
He pressed the barrel to her forehead. She clenched her eyes as she felt her body begin to quiver.
"I'm sorry, my dear."
The front door suddenly jostled violently. A familiar shriek echoed from the other side. The creature had not forgotten her. The man jumped, and pointed his gun to the door. The beast was not alone this time. He ran towards the window and peeked out the cracks in the boards. Alex could hear at last three on the other side, but they didn't concern her now. For now, she only had to escape. She saw her opportunity and took it.
She leapt up from what almost had become her grave and took off into the kitchen. Wood splintered the doorway beside her as a bullet struck.
"Not so fast, you!"
The man took off after her, ignoring the beasts outside.
She scooped up a large knife from the counter and hid just around the corner to the laundry room. As the man passed the threshold she buried the knife into his chest. With a gargle the man slumped to the floor, the knife still standing from his chest. She couldn't help but sob. Her hand covered her mouth as she now saw what she had done. Even through all this she had never taken the life of a human. The ill, she no longer considered human.
She gave herself a few moments to compose herself, at least enough to worry about what lay in wait outside the front door. She slowly picked up the pistol, the weight a comfort, and yet a burden in her hand. It would only be now she would notice fresh blood running down her wrist. She opened her hand to reveal a deep cut. The window, she recalled.
- - - - - -
Her reflection peered back at her through the glass. Her eyes, still blue as ever but they had a weariness about them. Her once fair skin now a mixture of tanned and burnt with a layer of dirt.
"What I would do for a hot shower about now," she said as wrapped an old tshrirt around her hand and cutting it to size. Disgusted with what she saw in the mirror she left the room and headed to the kitchen to hopefully find supplies.
She found a few cans of food and stuffed them in her backpack. The front door still rattled but it still seemed secure enough to at least allow her to escape. She stuffed the pistol in her pants and slung her rifle across her back the strap crossing her chest.
She peeked out the back window. What she saw made her heart sink. She was surrounded. The infected were everywhere outside now.
They seemed to know she was watching as many turned in her direction and started to stumble to the door.
“Shit,” she cursed as the front door began to violently shake. It wouldn't be long before it gave way under the barrage. There was nowhere to go but up, and up she went. Back up to the bedroom where she first entered she heaved the dresser away from the window and let it fall to the floor, no use in being silent now. Back out the window she climbed and onto the roof. Below her was a small horde, ten, fifteen, maybe more, trying to get inside. She heard the door give-way and the infected began to filter inside, the scent of the living and freshly dead leading them onward. She had one chance. She had to make a run for it once enough were inside. That was her only hope.
As the mass filtered inside leaving only a few stragglers she figured the time had come. Taking a deep breath and giving a small plea to whatever god would listen she jumped and as soon as her shoes hit the ground she took off running down the street. If she was lucky, maybe she could find a place to hide, but distance was the most important factor now...