Chapter 2

I was a little surprised when I didn't see another zombie as I walked down the streets. Though I did hear an additional groan and sometime heard glass shattering, overall it was quiet and at the same time haunting. It was dark out and there was only on street light one, but I could still see shadows of dead figures and blood. I did my best to ignore it and moved on.

I needed a plan. No, I needed a good plan. So far, my only plan was to get the hell out of here. But I needed water and food too. I knew I would be able to last a few days without water, but in a week tops I'd be dead. Water was my main focus and I knew there was a small store that was still open even after everything that had been going on. I figured it would still have supplies in it. Yet there was always the chance that the place could be infested with nothing but zombies. I guess it was a risk I was going have to take.

It only took a few minutes to reach the small market, 'Sal's'. That's what it was called. I remember it from the first day me and my siblings arrived, Sal's was the only real lively thing in this whole save area. Now it hardly looked that same. Shattered windows, blood on the sidewalk, and even the old Sal's sign had crashed to the ground. I turned back to what was in front of me, grabbing my gun and clicking out a bullet shell and reloaded.

Once I was ready, I slowly made my way to the door, staying as quiet as possible. My heart was pounding and cold sweat was beginning to roll down my cheek. I took a quick step by the said of the door, gun ready at my side. Slowly I reached out to the door handle. Taking a deep breath I slowly pulled the door open, just a little bit, and then I ripped it open and jumped inside readying my gun to shoot. Only there was nothing but an old cash register and wall to shoot at. I sighed with relive and but my gun in my belt loop for quick reach.

Water and food that was the only thing on my mind. I took a few steps in, when I heard someone moan. I reached back for my gun and turned to the sound. But it wasn't a zombie. It was someone I knew.

"Mr. White?" I asked sounding shocked. He was sitting in a small corner with just a bit of moonlight shining on him, but he was still hard to see.

"Addison Taylor," he said "Please put your gun down." I hadn't realized I was still pointing my gun at him. I quickly put it back in my belt loop and rushed over and knelt down next to his as he tried to sit up more. I held him back, "No, don't push yourself." I told him.

Mr. White used to be the mayor of the town before it became a save zone for survivors. After the outbreak he militantly order for a wall to be made around the area and ordered to the guards to only let survivors in. He then stripped himself from mayor and personally introduced himself to any person who arrived here. He was young to be a mayor, yet he had a daughter who was my age. He always looked fit and tough, he even had a great sense of humor. But now he looked like death. Pale and blank.

"What happened to you?" I asked. Mr. White only grinned and shook his head.

"What do you think Miss Taylor?" He said sarcastically "The zombies reached us and have been biting and turning everyone. What do you think happened?" He was more serious then I had ever heard him. He then gestured to his side, and it was the first time I noticed the pool of blood.

My eyes widened and I gasped. It was too dark to see his actual wound, but I couldn't help but imagined it. I kept staring at the blood.

"You see? They never show mercy." Said Mr. White. I looked back at him suddenly feeling like I was a little girl again, but Mr. White smiled. I forced a weak smile on my face.

"It's okay," I said amazed to hear that my voice wasn't steady at all. "It's not so bad. We could just get a doctor and…" I didn't dare continue my sentence. I knew everything I had said was impossible. For one, there was no doctor around for miles, possibly another state. That is, if there were any doctors still alive. But that still won't matter anyway. I know his wound was from a zombie bite. Even if someone was to give him medical attention, he would still die and become a zombie anyway.

You can become a zombie in one of two ways. You were either given the drug Kure, which was originally going to be used for a cancer treatment. But it backfired and there was a mutation and it turned them into a deadly weapon. Only thing was, they didn't die. When someone is given Kure, they feel fine for the first very hours, maybe even a few days. Soon though, they started to feel achy and feverish. In the next few days they would have flu like symptoms, headache, fever, runny nose, the list goes on and on. Then their skin became pale and green like. They were lucky if they died before they went crazy. And it wasn't until then when all of their organs stopped working and they suddenly became the walking dead.

Once a zombie bites you and breaks your skin with their teeth, you were done for. In my opinion it was better off to be shot in the head and killed before you turned. When your bit, you start to feel the same symptoms as the Kure drug, but instead of you dying and becoming a zombie in a matter of weeks, when your bit, it only takes several hours for you to turn. Sometimes you turn right away, at the most, it's three days. Yet somehow I knew Mr. White wasn't going to be alive much longer. If I had left him now, he would end up becoming a zombie like everyone else in this town, and slowly start to decay.

I was almost tempted to run, but the thought of being stuck as a zombie until someone ended their life was sickening and horrifying to me. Mr. White seemed to kind and loving to become a killer like that. I don't like killing humans. Even if there is no other way the person will live, I still don't like the idea.

I suddenly felt myself start to rise up, when Mr. White grabs my wrist. He then twisted it so that my gun was pointed at his head. Deep down, I knew he was going to ask me to kill him. Who was I to not honor his last wish? He had done so much for me and my siblings. Without him we would probably be dead, or worse. I started to protest.

"I can't." I said shaking my head and dropping my gun to the ground. I lowered my head so that I wouldn't see his face. There was silent's.

"Please." Mr. White said after a few long minutes. "They turned my daughter, and I don't want to be like that." Shocked, I looked back to his face widened eyed. He lost his daughter, most likely killed her himself, was going to turn into a zombie, yet he was still smiling.

I sat there frozen for a few seconds as he reached for my gun and placed it back in my hand. I met Mr. White's eyes again.

"I don't have many bullets left." I said.

"There's some in the back. Take all that you need, food, water. Anything you need."

Finally, I nodded and agreed. But I still needed to know something.

"Where can I go?" I asked.

"Head west, there's a much larger save zone then this one." He said.

"And where would my brother have headed?"

"The same direction. Just keep going west, and I'll bet you that you'll find them." there was his smile again.

Though I knew I wasn't going to cry, I couldn't help but feel a bit num. I took my gun tightly and aim it right at his head.

"I will make sure people will know how you saved us." I promised. "How you saved many people. Without you though, I wouldn't be here. So, thank you."

He closes his eyes can keeps his smile on his face.

"You're very welcome Addison." He said.

I turned away as I placed my finger in the trigger and fired. I heard his body collapsed on the ground, but I didn't dare to look at it. I do bow my head for a second, and I prayed for a second though I never practice religion. But it's the closest funeral I can give to Mr. White.

When I finished, I stood up and headed to the back of the old store. I gapped every water bottle I could find, food that hadn't gone bad, and found the bullets Mr. White had told me were back here. I stuffed it all into my small bag and through it over my shoulder. It was much heavier then I thought it was going to be, I shrugged it off however, and dealt with it. When I heard a sudden crash from the top floor, I didn't hesitate to run out the back door. There was no doubted in my mind that I was the only survivor left here. Whenever I heard a zombie close by, I ran and ran until the only thing I could hear was the clapping of my feet on the ground. I turned around to make sure that there was nothing behind me.

It was still dark out, but I knew I would be able to see a zombie moving in the night. It was also very quiet too, and I would have heard if a zombie was near. I slowed to a stop, placing my gun back into my belt loop and grabbed a water bottle from my bag. I was right at one of the entries of the save area. I took a deep breath as I stepped out. It was the first time I had left the area in almost a year. I kept wondering what I would come across out here.

The weather remained clear and was cool against my skin. I had been walking for hours and was already finishing my second bottle of water. I knew I need to save them better then I was. There weren't going to be stop in shops at every corner anymore. I also knew that there wasn't going to be any clean water just anywhere.

I was exhausted and did everything I could from collapsing from lack of sleep. I hadn't slept well since Mark left in to find Jase, no I haven't slept well since this whole outbreak started. I could feel my eyes getting heavy with each passing minute and I knew I needed to make camp or find a place to hide so I could camp.

I heard groans in the distance. I winced silently and spun around in the direction I heard it coming from. They weren't very far, but I could see two zombies in the distance. Normally in a time like this, I would just keep walking, but then I see something large and white.

A Van! I thought in excitement. It may not be able to run properly, but I could easily hide and sleep in it. I then decided to go on with my small plan and ready myself to fight.

Even with more bullets, I couldn't risk using and wasting them. The world had basically ended and I knew there wasn't going to be a life time supplies of bullets, sometimes I wondered if there were even large quantities left. But I set the thought aside me and made my way slowly to the van with my gun at my side. When I felt I was at a save distance, I stayed quiet a tried my best to get a good look. As I got closer, I was able to get a good look at the two zombies. They both hadn't been dead for very long. Maybe a week tops. Both were male, one looked to be in his late twenties, the other was close to my age. I think they were brothers, both had striking blond hair and other similar features. I'm sure they both had the same eye color, but it was impossible to tell.

I walked far enough for them not to hear me, but close enough to scope my attack plans.

Plan A was simply to run up to them and smash their heads with my gun.

Plan B was to fire my gun at their heads.

Both options stank. I knew I was going to end up with plan B anyway. My first plan was just too risky and I certainly didn't want to get myself killed. So I designed against my plan to save bullets and knew I needed to shoot them. Yet I had to act fast, once I shoot, the one zombie left alive will come after me right away. I can see the scene play in my head. I knew how to react to how the zombies attack and I raised my gun.

I pinpointed my gun to the closest zombie, aiming for his head and fired. His head exploded and snapped back, he collapsed to the ground landing on his back. He made a hissing groan and was dead. The other zombie immediately started to make his way to me. He was a fairly new zombie and was already showing signs of early decay. He was fast and coming straight at me. I raised my gun quickly again and fired. The bullet hit him right at the brain and he stopped moving and collapsed dead on the ground as well. I still got it. I grin to myself and make my way to the van, ready with my gun for any zombies I might not have seen. There was no more in sights and for one I was safe. I could get use to that.