Life can be great, precious and valuable. But life can also be boring, inadequate and in some cases, it can be destructive. Your actions can have consequences on not just your life, but those around you. It's the same when the situation is reversed. Other peoples decisions can impact your life on a huge scale. Life can throw crazy things at you. Usually these things are unexpected, and sometimes they are overwhelming. The event that life threw at me was beyond overwhelming, as it made me question everything I had been previously told. Everything I had believed to be true, everything that I thought was just fairy tales was now to me, a lie. A perception. Maybe if I had of stayed at home, I could of avoided all of this mess that had happened. I could of hidden, taken my family with me. But I guess in some ways, it was inevitable. They have been tracking me for a while now…

I think that in fact, it was better that I had decided to leave the sanctuary of my home… Because if I hadn't, then it was likely that I would never of met Shane. I wouldn't be where I am now, and I am grateful he came into my life, but if he was to know where I was now, it would hurt him… Physically and emotionally. I will miss him so much. There is no way I would be ever able to see him again as There is too much risk. Perhaps he would report me missing to HQ, or maybe he could sense my fear and knew that I ran away. But I wasn't being cowardly, I was facing the terror that awaited me.

As I lay here, in the shadows concealed by the darkness, merely inches away from the hundreds of people who pass by this desolate warehouse on a daily basis, I try to gather a scream in my throat that would maybe alert somebody's attention. I plan ways to escape from this torture, but my thought process starts to falter. I can't make out anything in the misty haze of confusion which was slowly creeping it's way into my mind, forming a thick barrier of fog, deeming it impossible to think rational thoughts. The alarming, forceful smell of burning suffocates my sinuses. I panicked then, but I was numb. I had lost all feeling in my body. I could only helplessly lay here and prey that somebody would discover me… Friend or foe. I could feel tension in the air, and it was deadly, pressing down on me. I felt restricted and claustrophobic which only alarmed me further. I attempted to open my eyes, but they were weighed down with some unknown force, probably fatigue. An excruciating pain hit me, curling me into a ball. That's when I screamed out. I slowly surrendered to the pain, sinking softly into the darkness that had been beckoning me for a while.

Let me start from the beginning. It's a while back. It was an ordinary day. I got up at half seven as usual. I poured my familiar bowl of rice crispies and glass of orange juice. I hurried to get my shoes on the right feet, my favourite sneakers. Black converse, with little silver stars on the tongue. I pulled on my leather jacket over my tee shirt. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and brushed my fringe into something that resembled presentable. I wasn't really that fussed about my appearance. I was one of those what you see is what you get girls. I grabbed my bag and called out goodbye to my mum, but with no reply. She had probably stayed out last night. I hurried out of the door, pulling my keys from my bag. I unlocked my car as usual, got in and started the engine. Pulling out of my mothers drive, I turned on my favourite CD… Everything was as it normally was. The only difference today was I was shopping. Usually on a Saturday, I am asleep in bed. But I wanted to go shopping for some new clothes and I was running low on new books to read. So I was driving down the road, when I noticed the first strange thing. Lenwood was deserted. Now, my town is usually full of people, kids riding on bikes and scooters, postmen delivering post, people just going about their daily business. But not today… Nothing. Bikes and scooters were laying abandoned on the sidewalk. All of the windows in the houses had curtains drawn and blinds pulled down. There were no cars. There were no birds chirping and singing like they usually did in their nest in the large oak at the end of my road. I realised my music was pretty loud, so I turned it down to background noise. So there I was, driving along on this deserted road when I spotted somebody in the distance. They were of tall height, with chin length hair in a dark blonde colour. As I drove closer, the first thing I noticed was his striking eyes. Blue green in colour with flecks of gold, opened wide with curiosity at my approaching car. He wore dark jeans with a leather jacket, similar to mine with black converse. We were dressed pretty similarly in fact. He stood in front of my car when I was near enough. I wound down my window so I could speak to the stranger.

"Um, excuse me?" I called.

"Yes?" He replied, in a bored, deep voice. It sounded rich with invisible emotion that his face had failed to show. He looked at me like he knew me, which I thought was completely impossible, but I felt a tug in my stomach. A feeling of knowing. Good or bad, I was unsure.

"Sorry to bother you, are you local?" I asked.

"You could say that" He smirked, a smug look on his face.

"Do you know where everyone is?"

"Yes, and no. I know where everyone was. I know where they were headed, but I don't know where they are now. You should be with them…" He replied. All smugness gone.

"What do you mean?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"Why aren't you with them all, you should be. Who are you?" He asked, and before I could do anything, he was in the passenger side of my car. I turned off the engine and faced him.

"More importantly, who are you?" I asked slightly panicked. I tried to remain calm in situations that may cause others panic, but this seemed to fail.

" That's irrelevant. I know you from somewhere…" He was looking at me in the 'I know you' way, a deep wistful look that had my stomach go funny just moments ago. Thinking about it, I did know him from somewhere. There was a familiarity in his eyes and my mind and soul seemed to recognise him…. Soul? Hmm, that was weird.

"Look, I don't think you do know me, but can you please tell me where everyone is? My mum isn't at home, and I need to get going, which I can't do with you sitting in my car." I said, trying to make my voice sound steady. My hands were sweating.

"Your mum's with the others. You need to get out of here… They're coming." His words hung in the air like a thick fog.

"Who's the others? Who's coming? Why are you sitting in my car? Answer me!" I was starting to get frustrated.

"It's a long story. I will explain in time, now if you just let me introdu…. DRIVE NOW!" He suddenly burst? I looked in expiration at the review mirror and nearly screamed. Hundreds of people were thundering down the street. I say people, they weren't people. They were fumbling down the street, looking as if they were trying to run, but somebody was holding them back. Their skin had a green/purple bruise like twinge, they looked ill. Their clothes were blood stained and torn. They looked like Zombies…. Zombies? No. They were things of horror films, nightmares and vivid imaginations. Not real life.

"Drive god dammit Zoey!" He yelled.

I didn't know how he knew my name, but I didn't need any further persuasion. I fumbled to turn the keys in the ignition, and I slammed my foot on the accelerator. I did a sharp turn at the end of my road, and pelted down the side roads leading to the motorway. Adrenaline pumping through my veins, I was driving faster than I ever had before.