Apocalyptic Surrender

Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

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2 months later..........

I looked around the wasteland before me before I sighed as I sat down on the rocky boulder, setting my battered camcorder next to me and pressed the record button.

"Video log entry number...er...54. So I guess that means we've been travelling for 54 days. We were going to stay at our home but, the infestation got worse. It was too much. So we travelled. Me and my brother, through thick and thick. We tight like grass," I twisted my index and middle finger together and smirked slightly. "We haven't heard of a safe zone, but I sure hope there is one. We've only seen little pocket of civilization so far, and their not much better of as we are. It is basically an empyt wasteland around here now. We've been surviving on food we find in houses and shops we break into and safe drinking water we can find anywhere...like the shops we broke into for food.. They don't seem to like the daylight, so we don't really see the infected around. I think the sunlight hurts their eyes, and it's not altogether good for their skin, it seems to fizzle and decay even faster. When they get desperate for human flesh they do seem to come out, but it's rare. Instead they stay in the darkness and turn against each other during the day. Then come out at night for us." My shoulders slumped further as my eyes burned. "But we have to survive, and we're gonna do it together. If anyone's out there, I hope we find you soon..."

I turned off the camcorder and shoved it into the deep pockets of my bomber jacket. We had been also going into abandoned clothes shops whenever our clothes began to get tattered and shabby. The sun had just began to rise and I needed to get back to the car. My brother, Darnell, had gone off to get wood for the fire that we use to surround the house that we break in for the night with. It keeps them away as they also seem to not like fire. It was like going back to prehistoric times. 

"What are you still doing out here?!" Darnell shouted from behind, startling me.

"Nothing," I replied, "Just doing my video diary for the day."

"I don't know why you bother doing that," He said exasperated, "We don't even know if there are more than 20 people left. We've only seen 20 people in our travells and they are all desperate as we are. There has been no news for a safezone and I doubt we're even going to survive!"

I glared at him, fear coursed through my veins but I wouldn't let it show. Fear is weakness. Weakness that you don't need. You are only as strong as your weakest link. 

"Stop it! There will be a safezone, I know there will. Stop being so pessimistic. Wherever there is darkness there is light..." I shouted, breathing deeply, "OK?" I asked him. 

He nodded, the bright gleam in his eyes dimming to a sombre chocolate brown. I turned to walk away, but I hadn't finished.

"Don't give up on me now. I need my big brother." I whispered quietly but I knew he had heard me. "I'm going to check on the house." 

I stalked up the shabby stairs of the abandoned house, pulling out a handgun given to us through our travels by a nice helpful newly-wed couple. The man had been a gun fanatic and had plenty to spare, that's not to say the woman wasn't too. I was so used to the heavy weight of it now in my pocket that I depended on it. It was like a safety blanket for me and the cool smooth contours never failed to calm me down whenever I felt under pressure.

We often had to check the houses before staying in them. Checking for lurkers. They liked houses, they were cool and dark if you closed the blinds or the windows were covered so we often looked for ones where all the windows were open, visible and nothing was blocking them. But you could still find the odd one or two. Once we had even found one skinny oneeating the rotting arm of a fellow muncher, his own skin hanging on by thin threads, practically peeling back revealing gangrene muscles, sinewy tendons and rusty coloured clotted blood. Let's just say he didn't last long. 

Munchers....that's what me and Darnell called them. Cause they like to munch your tender flesh like its a nice piece of succulent chicken they just found after being in the desert for a year.  

I kicked open the rotting door, my foot practically made a whole hole through it at the slightest of touches as it fell apart, I held the gun at the ready. You learnt how to use a gun fast now...you had to to survive. It only took me around 2 weeks. After shooting so many it gets easier, and you just have to remember: That. Is. Not. The. Person you once knew. The person who used to tuck you in at night, kiss your forehead and make all the monsters in the corner go away.

I took a deep breath of stale air, gathered my confidence and walked in.