Prologue...

The exact date of that unforgettable day was, unbelievably, forgotten. With no calendar of any kind and most technology rendered useless, the date simply faded away from my memory. I'm sure that someone out there remembers, but here, I don't. And I'm not the only one. Many people here don't remember it either. It was during November of 08, that much I know, but the day? No clue. What I do remember is what I was doing when it happened. I was 18 and waiting in the school cafeteria with a journal on my lap when it happened. Now, I'm 21 and waiting at The Gate with a rifle on my lap. Funny how that day changed everyone's lives...

It started when, in midautumn, a group of unknown terrorists for unknown reasons from unknown places somehow got their hands on explosives of some kinds. They set it off some days later in numerous parts of the world. The bombs were huge and so was the damage. There was an unbelievable number of deaths. A large percentage of the worlds population was killed. The survivers lay in hospitals just clinging to life. And then there was the thick smoke that lingered for days in the sky. Eventually a series of storms helped it to disappear, but no one forgot the smoke and how dark the world became when it covered the sky.

During those days the world waited for news from the terrorists. But nothing came. No demands, no explaination, nothing at all, forcing life to move on as best as it could. The dead were mourned and prepared for burial and it seemed that maybe life was calming down.

Then the dead began to walk again. All over the world, on the day no longer remembered, all hell broke loose as the recently departed rose and began to terrorize the streets. It was like being in one of those games or movies. Only worse. If you died in the game it would tell you so and allow you the option to continue. But this was no game, this was real life.

The movies provided fairly accurate information. If bitten or scratched by them, you became one of them. They ate live people and had no taste for their own. Most were slow and all were stupid. There are claims that over time they could become intelligent and be able to plan attacks and set traps, but they're dismissed as nothing more than 'claims of the crazies'. They could withstand numerous bullets anywhere on their body, but if shot in the head, they would die, for real.

Yet despite movie and game knowledge, killing these things was harder than it would have seemed. They would often attack in packs and when they did, God help you if you ran out of ammo. Another thing was that they were quiet and they sneaked up on many people, most of whom are never heard from or seen again, at least not as living beings. They never seemed to stop coming. Even today, years later they turn up at The Gate, attracted to the living humans that struggled to survive. But then again with cemetaries packed with the dead from hundreds of years ago, and of course the recent deaths, it wasn't all too suprising.

Another reason they never stopped coming, people don't live forever. They get old and die, or get sick and die. And as soon as you are dead, you turn into one of them. Because of this there are 'special' measures taken when your time is almost up. A bullet to the brain. Any old people are sent to special buildings where they are kept a close watch on. As soon as they die, bam, a shot to the head. If you are sick and have three days to live, they cut it to two. Some find it cruel that some people are killed before their time, but having one day less to be with your grandmother is better than having her come at you with every intent to eat you. And if you need an operation, forget it. With the ever present chance that you might die on the operating table, there are few doctors who are up to the task. And those who are, charge a fortune which almost no one can afford.

When it happened everyone asked the same thing: How? How did they come back to life? I read in the paper that it was all planned by the terrorists although nobody really knows why and no one knows the real details. Some say the smoke had some sort of chemical or toxin in it. Others say the bombs released some sort of radiation. Others still claim that the smoke was just a coincidence and that aliens came and infected our water supplies with some kind of virius, using the smoke as cover. One thing's for sure. It destroyed the world. Whole towns and cities gone. My city, in fact, is only about a third of what it used to be.

Today, people try to live their lives as best they can.The chaos that followed after that date destroyed much of the technology. There are some computers, but it took a long time to fix them. I don't know much about the computers but I do know that pretty much everything had to be reset and all information previously on the computers was lost.

Most cities are in shambles and overpacked with a post apocalyptic feel to it. There are few that are rich and even more that are poor. Yet despite this, life goes on. But the danger is always present, and so cities have been fenced, bordered up and gated, allowing nothing to come in or out without permission.

Apart from everyday jobs, those that are still needed, there are special jobs. One of the special jobs helps with the problem of supplies. Some factories still work, but they are unwilling to just send out the supplies to the cities themselves. Apart from the walking dead, there are Individuals who steal these supplies for themselves and their family. So each city has its own group of Retrievers, who load up a van of some sort with guns and ammo and such and get the supplies from the factories.

There are also Scavengers, though this is more of a unofficial job. They, obviously, scavenge any city or town for thing of worth. Less important things such as furniture and clothing. Alcohol and drugs were deemed unneccessary by Retrievers and so any alcohol or tobacco or drugs of any kind are scavenged and and sold at high prices.

Then there is the very important task of watching and protecting The Gate. Each city has a couple Gates, the only entrances to the city. At these Gates the walking dead try to enter the city. That's where I come in. It's my job, along with a few others, to keep them out of the city and protect The Gate. My city has three Gates in the South, East and West. There's a huge body of water in the North that gives us natural protection, so no Gate was built. I protect the East Gate. Gate Two. No, it's not the biggest Gate, nor most important, but it gets a bunch of action. The Gates are numbered by importance. Also known as amount of supplies recieved by that Gate. And not side supplies like alcohol and tobacco products. Food and water. And ammo. But most importantly of all, they're numbered by the amount of the walking dead that try to get in. I could work at Gate One. I have a higher critical hit percentage, meaning head shots, than most at Gate One. But I choose not too. Too many horny guys who think they're all that. I don't need that kind of distraction.

So that leads to now. To me, Amelia Hunnigan, sitting on a beach chair at the Gate Two Post with an M1903 rifle on my lap, a DAO-12 shotgun by my side, a five-seveN pistol on my hip and a shit load of ammo. I've got more guns but these are my favorites.

Perfect for taking out the creatures that used to be us.