Inevitability
The Second Survivor

December 20th, 2003. I can't really compensate for what happened here all in one day but I do know that it wasn't, in any way, possible to stop. The day it all happened my life just fell apart. I had my whole life ahead of me but now it's all gone. Day after day I wake up and wish that what happened everyday before was just a dream or rather a nightmare. None such luck. I don't even know where to begin. Those things out there could find me if they really wanted to. I'm at least grateful that they aren't very intelligent. They can only compensate for what they need. If they get hungery they feast upon anything they see, even each other as I have witnessed. It's both, grotesque and hypnotising at the same time. It makes you feel sick to your stomach but you also can't seem to look away when you want.

These things, these...zombies, I guess is the word, have taken over my city that I lived in and more than that. I know they are at least half way across the country, even world-wide in some kinda of epidemic apocolypse. My fiance was with me for a while and then one day he didn't come home. That was the day all hell broke loose. I know he's gone but there has to be other survivors out there besides me! I can't be the only one left! I'm writing on these sheets of paper because I need to record the things that have happened but I'm not sure if I started in time. This thing has happened quite a few months ago and I only found these clean sheets of paper a week ago. I got the pen yesterday and now I found a secluded spot to record my own findings. At least I think it's secluded since no zombies or anything have made any sounds since I got in here. Oh yes, "here" is in an abandoned warehouse. It's big but not too big and the crates they have in it are just high enough to see if anybody would be coming. I turned out the lights and use only the sunlight and moonlight to write in these pages now.

I guess you want to know how I got here. I'm not so sure I know myself but I'll try anyways. If someone comes and finds these documents or whatever you might call them then at least they'll know there was one more survivor.

-----

I was only reaching to be twenty-one when it happened. Yes, it was on my birthday. I had barely even started to sleep when my fiance reached his arm over me and started pulling me closer to him. I wasn't really in the mood to be fooling around cause I had work to do tomorrow so I gently rolled over on my side. He didn't seem offended by my gesture and just stayed still. We were both on our way to a deep sleep this time until a loud noise was made against the door. It sounded like someone falling against it almost. Jenkins, my fiance, got up and went to check and see what it was. I sat up in the bed and turned on the light on the nightstand as I waited for his return. He was a cop now and he could handle himself. As I waited I noticed one of our bushes outside was moving a bit more than the others in the wind. As I got up and headed for the window Jenkins stopped me and told me that there was nobody at the door. Nobody was on the ground outside either. I nodded to him and decided to check outside tomorrow.

-----

I got up before Jenkins did the next morning and put on a shirt and pants just so I wouldn't be seen in my lingerie outside. I grabbed my slippers and quietly unlocked the door then peeked outside real quick. Nothing there. I took slow steps outside and shut the door as quietly as I could. There was no need to wake up fiance a couple hours before he had to get ready for work.

When I got to the bush that had been shaking last night I noticed there something wrong. Wind couldn't break the twigs underneath the bush and sure as hell couldn't leave what looked like blood on the thin needles of it. Somebody or somethign was definately here but where it went I didn't know. Nothing else seemed to be out of the ordinary. Nothing at all. If it was a person they may have been trying to find help since they were bleeding. No trails of the blood were anywhere else. It was as if the person just vanished right there. Maybe it was an animal or something. But it had to have been big to break some of the sticks and branches off the bush. The bush was about three feet high so anything that big that was an animal would be a certain threat in the city.

I decided it was of my best interest to get breakfast started. Time seemed to slow down then speed up suddenly. I walked back in the house and closed the door slowly as to not make much noise. If I was going to wake up Jenkins it would be with baccon, eggs, and pancakes.

-----

The next few weeks seemed to go by like a breeze. Nothing important seemed to come up or even arise when boredom set in. Jenkins worked everyday of the week from usually eight in the morning to about eleven or so at night. I kept telling him that he needed to cut his hours shorter but he complaind that his boss wouldn't let him until he was working there for over a year. That was just complete bullshit for someone to have business like that.

Day in and day out were extremely dull until just one day Jenkins came home shaking and looking pale. "My God, what happened?!" I asked him. It took him a while to calm down and relax. He drank some tea and ran a shaking hand through his brown hair. Once he was calm he told me exactly what happened and to this day I mourn every bit of it.

He told me how he was getting off duty and on his way home he found what thought was a drunken man. The man was clearly staggering and looking clumsy. He said that when he got closer the man turned around and he saw what it truly was. It was zombie in his terms but I didn't get it then. Only now I do. He shot it a few times then told me once he shot it in the head it just collapsed. The thing was lifeless and didn't move again. He told me how decayed it was and how nobody could look like that and still be alive. I was trying to comfort him by now with my arm around his shoulder and hugging him closer to me. He then told me that he left for he thought that there might have been others coming.

He almost looked as if he could cry at any given moment now. I held him for a while longer and hummed into his ear to soothe him as well as myself in the process. He was back to normal now, or at least much as he could be. I told him to go take a shower and lay down, it might make him feel better. He nodded and went off to do exactly that. It was probably around one or so in the morning. I had to get some sleep to. I didn't have a job but I did have to keep the house clean.

-----

A couple days later Rick, a good friend of my fiance's, died. Nobody told me how or why did. He just seemed to...die. It probably wasn't any of my business. I knew when Jenkins was out there on duty he didn't have to think about me but I wasn't bothered by that much. Whenever he got wound up in something he barely knew I even existed. Still, I loved him and that was what mattered.

Rick's funeral was a closed casket ceremony in the cemetary. Not a soul spoke during the funeral nor after it was over. It was probably police business not to talk about it or something. I was worried that Jenkins might have an emotional breakdown but he seemed confident in himself enough to talk to me just fine when we arrived home.

The whole city seemed quieter everyday. The thought of no one being here was enough to send chills down my spine. Sadly enough, that thought has now become a reality. No time to grieve for nothing now. I must record all the memories I have since this happening. We both sat down on the couch that night and watched some television for a couple hours until we both deicded that we needed some sleep.

It wasn't until then that Jenkins brought up something from the funeral. "I have to tell you something," he said, almsot whispering to me as if this house was 'bugged.' One of those police terms of cameras and microphones hidden everywhere. He sat up straighter and looked at his feet before beginning. "A couple days ago, Rick was supposedly bitten by a corpse. I know you're thinking that's impossible but it's the only that measured up back at the crime scene." He seemed to focus solely on his story now. "All I remember is that he yelled and gunshot was heard. When we got in there, someone was trying help him stop the bleeding in his leg. The thing that really disturbed me was that a corpse had fresh blood crusted around it's mouth." Jenkins sighed and rubbed his forehead. I was a little bothered about all this and began to ask him what happened next but he started before I could. "Then our oldest member on the force...or it was second oldest, I forgot but anyways, he shot the other corpse that was just laying there. I drove him home upon his insistence. I went back to the scene and Rick was being treated for his wound while the rest of the team were finding clues. He told me that the thing reached up and bit his leg then he shot it. I wasn't sure to believe him but I think something is going on in this city and I want you to be protected so I got you this."

Jenkins reached into his jacket and pulled out a Beretta pistol. It looked like it had never been fired before and was cold steel black. He gently put it in my hands and I almost dropped it from it's weight. I forgot how heavy just a pistol was. The first time I held one was when Jenkins first joined the police. He was so excited and showed me how to aim with both hands so the aim wouldn't shake. He taught me a lot that day. I found the clip eject reluctantly and looked at it for a moment noticing the thing was completely full of rounds. There was even one chambered as well.

He told me to keep it within reach at all times and I agreed. Within the next thirty or so minutes we were both drifting off to sleep. The pistol was resting on the nightstand with safety on but very near me. Jenkins always kept his belt with his gun hung around the bedpost at his head. It was going to be a long night.

-----

Days went by and weeks went by. It seemed like an eternity waiting for each one though. Sooner or later it came clear that these murders around the city were being more and more common. Roadblocks were set up all around the outskirts and even patrol units were guarding certain areas. The city was on full alert for these murderers and not a single person had any clues leading to a suspect. Jenkins told me all about it every night he came home after he got me my own gun. He updated me on information and everything.

It was getting rare for a perosn to step outside even for the newspaper. It didn't matter though cause I felt protected from anything with Jenkins here and when he wasn't here, I still felt at least a little protected for the gun he gave me. At least I knew he was thinking about me some of the time. People were starting to act crazy and even the news reporters were starting to refuse their assignments. Businesses closed down and everyone began staying inside thinking they too were safe.

Streets were lined with empty cars and motorcycles. Discarded papers would flutter by like dead leaves. The days seemed darker and the nights seemed longer. Emergency broadcasts were sent out all over the place and there was rarely, if anything, on television. Nobody would call anyone else either. The whole city going into this effect was scaring me so much. Jenkins always went to work and playing brave for my sake, God bless him. Witnesses who saw the murderer or whatever he was said that he was just all black and had the most evil yellow eyes.

Those were the people that went to the insane asylum. Jenkins and his old friend worked well together from the sound of it and he mostly would hang around him since he was the only one that wouldn't call him a rookie to his face or even behind his back. It was almost as if Jenkins admired him. At least he had someone he could look up to if needed. There was still a lot of hell to go through.

-----

After a few weeks I had to go to a doctor's appointment for a check-up. I was afraid to go outside since those murders kept happening. Finally I got enough courage to pack my purse and decided it to be of best interest to bring the gun Jenkins gave me. I just hoped I didn't have to use it. A last check in the house to make sure nothing was on and everything was unplugged that had to be then I went out the door and locked it. It was freezing outside earlier but now it seemed to be a little hot and I couldn't tell why. It didn't particularly matter then anyways so I unlocked my car and started it up. If Jenkins was at work he could handle himself. He said something about checking out a deserted building today which was wasting electricity so it was his job and his friend's to go in and see what was up.

The drive down the empty roads was just like it was out of an old horror movie. Not a soul in sight. Things were getting weirder and stranger every second. Not just the streets that had nobody driving except myself but the houses and buildings looked completely empty or dead themselves. I decided to obey traffic laws while riding to the outskirts of town. I was lucky enough to have a doctor in this place than outside of town. The roadblocks were still up and guards were stationed at the most convenient ones. All the stores were closed earlier than what they should be by a long shot. Half the stores I passed were supposed to close at eight or so but it was only five and they were already out.

The hospital was almost as deserted as the roads but there were still a few cars in the parking lot. I parked next to a Toyota and left my gun in the passenger's seat for easy reach if I came back out here to get it. The lobby looked empty as well from the middle of parking lot but it could've been the glass. I was completely wrong when I got closer. The building was nowhere near having anyone in it. The lights were on but nobody was at the front desk and papers were scattered like a hurricane went though the place. I opened the door check inside and almost puked at the instant I looked down the nearest hall. There was a body lying in the middle of the floor with blood coating it and the walls around it. It used to be a doctor since it was still wearing a coat which used to be white. The crimson pool reflected the flourecent lights from above giving it an unnatural feeling about it. I didn't need to stay any longer to know if anyone else was in there. As soon as I turned around low rasping voice came from behind down the same hallway the body was. It sounded like Dr. Freedman, the doctor I was supposed to meet here. I turned back around slowly and saw nothing but the same grizzly scene I did a moment before but something was different about it. The body on the floor was now facing me. It's right arm was also now outstretched towards me but no sign of movement.

I waited a few moments longer and was about to leave when the body moved. It clawed blindly at the floor and groaned in that raspy voice I heard earlier. Slowly, it hunched itself over and started pushing itself up. This thing was alive and seemed to be intent on getting closer to me. I took a step back and grimaced as the thing's left foot made few crackling sounds from broken bones. It didn't look human but it had to be. It was also wearing a name tag but blood was smeared all over it. I suddenly remembered the gun in the passenger's seat and ran out the front doors hearing the monstrosity making it's way nearer. I hurried to the car and fumbled with the keys trying to get them into the damn slot. It took only a few seconds but I managed to get it open and quickly grabbed the Beretta by the handle and spun around to see the zombie doctor just reaching the front doors. Jenkins had taught me a lot about firing a gun and now it was hopfully going to be paid off. I lifted the gun and aimed at the creature's chest trying to keep a steady hand then grasped the gun with my free hand as well. It stayed on a solid aim and I pulled the trigger wincing at the deafening 'crack' from the gun. There was a flash and glass door the doctor was behind shattered instantly but hardly affected the monster at all. I fired a few more times letting the bullets tear through the thing and exit out his back and into the wall behind him. The wood desk it was in front of splintered from the bullets that passed through. This thing wasn't going down! I fired a few more shots, now getting use to the sound and one bulelt found it's mark at his head. I entered right above his left eye and blew the inside of it out and all over the desk and floor. Speckles of blood and shattered bone hit he wall while most of the brain matter just slid across the tiles.

I waited a second or two more then sighed and lowered the gun. I had to see who this person was before they turned into this...thing. The smell of rotten flesh suddenly washed over me as I took a few steps forward. It never reached me before probably because the air conditioning was on inside. It was rather cold outside now and they had the AC on? My lunch suddenly felt the need to rise in my throat and the bile was too much to hold back. I turned and let myself vomit coughing and gagging on mucus that clung to my throat. After a minute I stood back up and wiped my mouth. The lifeless body still lay there motionless from when it fell. I took a few more steps forward and squinted at the name tag. It said, "-r. F--m---." Most of it was covered in blood so I couldn't read it clearly then gasped as I reaized who it was. Dr. Freedman. I killed him. No, that can't be right. He was already dead before I came along and judging by the smell he was letting off and the way he looked, he was dead long before I came. All of his face was gone except bits and pieces of flesh left in the eye sockets. His skulls was stained red, like the rest of him, and seemed to be missing more than his face from the emptiness his coat gave.

This was too much. I needed to find Jenkins and now! I grabbed my keys and got into the car then plugged them into the ignition and started to head back towards the house. There was a couple buildings on fire now and for some odd reason I felt that this was only the beginning of a nightmare. The roads were still empty but not as much as it was. I wished it still was empty. The only things out there were now were those damn zombies. They finally came out of hiding from where they were. A few tried grabbing my car but were only so fast as to turn before I was gone. I had to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting a couple of them. This car was only for looks, not for taking damage. A few managed to grab ahold of the car but only for a split second before it slid from their grimy and filthy fingers. I did hit one by accident though. It was a child only a few years old. The poor thing hit the side of the bumper and spun around with it's arms and legs flailing wildly until it landed and bits of flesh and blood painted the sidewalk. I didn't want to check the rearview mirror because seeing a child affected by this outbreak was enough to make me almost vomit again.

I finally got home and unlocked the door quickly then yelled for Jenkins. He should be here if something this terrible happened. I couldn't check the television since every station was out. The radio was also out and had nothing but static but it was worth checking. I turned it on and rolled the dial a few spaces until there was silence. Suddenly there was the sound of something moving and finally a man's voice started speaking. There was a waver in his voice as he spoke, "This is the TBCN! Oh God, this is horrible! There are these things outside the station right now as we speak and they seem to be the dead walking and eating! This is not a joke! This broadcast in an emergency! Everyone who can hear this please give us a sign that there may very well be survivors in this chaos! This all happened in a flash and we don't really know anything that's going on around here! I repeat, if anyone is-," the man cut himself off at the sound of breaking glass and screams can be heard in the background along with yelling and cursing. There was a loud thump probably when the microphone hit the floor and more screaming but this time it's louder. Closer. A few moments later the place is silent and then a disgusting wet noise is heard. It continued for a while then a few rips followed it and low moans. Out of nowhere the radio errupted in static making me lose my concentration on the thing. TBCN was the Texas BroadCasting Network. Texas was quite a few states away and only meant that this thing was global. There is no hiding it or covering it up by the government this time. There's isn't even a way to know how this thng started.

It took a moment and I realized I left the front door open when I rushed inside. It wouldn't matetr since I'd just be going back out. Jenkins wasn't here and he probably won't be either. I turned the radio off and headed back out but stopped and remembered I only had half of a clip left in my pistol. I couldn't stop by a store to snatch any ammo if I wanted out of here now. I decided to just leave it at that and conserve my ammo until I really need it. The cold air was rushing in the house making it feel like it was dead itself. I got back in the car and backed out of the driveway then headed for the nearest way out of the city. It may be blocked off but the roadblocks don't do much against cars. This city has gone to Hell and there was no bringing it back. This whole world has gone to Hell. It was useless to try and think of where I could be safe. Darkness was starting to fall and fast. I needed to get out of this city now.

Clouds were covering the entire place and even more. Not a star in sight. I was going about fifty down the street and slowly gaining more speed as every minute ticked by. I finally saw the bright orange and white roadblocks ahead and let myself smile a bit in relief. I may not be safe anywhere but I was certainly safer outside the city than in it. I quickly gained up more speed and plowed through the wooden blockades breaking them apart and also busting one of my headlights and cracking the windshield signifigantly. I was home free.

December 25th, 2003. I found the warehouse a little after I left the city. It's a nice spot but there's been no sign of life in what seems like ages. I haven't found Jenkins either or heard a word from him. I keep hoping he's fine but I know he's not. Something has happened to him but I don't know what. I probably don't want to know either. I still have the amount of ammo I did the last I fired. I guess I should go out looking for somebody. Anybody. I just don't want to be the only one having to bear all this weight on just my shoulders.

I did find something that made me think there was somebody else here before me but I'm not sure how long before. It was an empty clip from a pistol. Not sure what kind but it wasn't a Beretta like mine. It was in the fresh snow so maybe there still is someone else out there. Christmas Day isn't the same now and probably never will be. I've made up my mind. I'm going out to find this person no matter if they're dead or not. I have to find out why this all happened! These pages were found in this same warehouse and so was the pen but it just took a while to find them. I'll bring more paper with me incase I do find this mystery person.

January 4th, 2004. No more sign of the lone person on their own. My car ran out of fuel a long time ago so now I travel on foot carrying these pages in my pockets and keeping my pistol drawn at all times. It's so cold now and I wish I had some kind of protection against the harsh weather. There's no sun or moon anymore since the clouds have now blocked them both out constantly. It's snowing more than it should and I keeping seeing footprints in the snow. I'm beginning to wonder if I traveled in a circle even though I've just been following the road. It is possible. Many people think they're traveling in a straight line until they end up where they began.

January 5th, 2004. There's a fire in the distance. Nothing like a burning building or anything of that sort. It looks to be man made. I'm going to go in for a closer look and find out if this person is still here.

They are. I'm not alone! They're clad in black mostly with a heavy trenchcoat and have a pistol at their disposal. Somehow they knew I was human from the moment he saw me. I guess it gets a little obvious after being away from the living for so long. He showed me his journal he kept and told me a few things in it. After a while it donned on me that he was Jenkins' good friend and fellow policeman. I asked him where Jenkins was and all he said was that he saw him die. My heart sank so much today. I showed him my kept records on these folded and crumpled pieces of paper. He seemed to act so distant from me but then again I probably seem the same way to him. I took a peek into his journal late tonight when he was resting and found out how Jenkins really died. I guess that those zombies carry some kind of disease from a demon thing. I don't know how it could still be going on even after Jenkins killed that damn demon.

Tomorrow we get ready and travel along the road towards another city in search for some answers. I asked him what his anme was but he never replied to me and only looked away as if he was ashamed to say it. There were worse things to be ashamed of but I can't judge at this point. I guess he'll tell me when he's ready and I'll tell him too. Let's just hope this place doesn't die anymore than it already has. Please, someone else be out there...