Undead

Nothing went through my mind as I slowly walked up the center isle to the front of the church, any emotion that had been had now been replaced with something numb…that had been ever since the last time she had been in my arms. Beautiful flower displays and bouquets had been arranged around the area where the coffin lay. The dark wooden coffin had been highly polished so the surface shone, the handles, which had been attached to the coffin perfectly, were made out of heavy brass. I looked down at the person that was lying inside. So beautiful and delicate she looked – just like always. Just like a small child sleeping at night, she looked so peaceful for the first time in so long. It was as though every ounce of pain and suffering that she had under gone in the past year and just suddenly vanished and exited her resting body. Her skin was now so much paler than it had been than the last time I saw her. Her dark black raven hair had been left loose around here pretty face, blood red roses had been placed under her hand, over her chest, I looked at the golden band that was still on her third finger of her left hand, I smiled slightly while holding back the tears that were desperate to escape. I touch her cheek and stroked it gently, she was so cold and it held none or the comforting warmth that it had when she had been alive. The stinging in my eyes were getting unbearable and soon the warm, salty tears of sadness started to roll down my cheeks.1

“Goodbye Ragen, I’ll always love you…” I felt the familiar strong grip of Nicholi Rivers on my shoulder. Nicholi was my best friend, always had been since the day that we met in 1st grade.2

“We’ll get through this together Danny…come on, the service is about to start.” Nick had been supporting me so well over the past week, the death of Ragen had been so hard on me – even though I knew that eventually it would happen, I wouldn’t have been able to survive if it wasn’t for him. The emptiness and heartbreak I feel now that I’m without her was horrific, it was like when she died, Ragen took half of me with her.  Sometimes I wondered to myself why was I still carrying on or why should I keep on living?…3

The funeral service started, the church was full of close family and friends – Ragen will truly be missed by so many people that knew her. I spent most of the time think about all the memories that I’d had and enjoyed with her. I was asked to do a small speech at the funeral it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do because I just couldn’t write down all the words that could explain how much she meant to me. I got up off the wooden pew that I had been sitting on and went up to the pulpit of the church and started to speak into the microphone, my voice projected and echoed off the walls.4

“Ragen was an amazing women. She was so loving, kind and caring. She was a great wife, daughter and a great friend to each and everyone of us here in this room. I’m so glad that I had a chance to share my life with her and nobody will ever be able to fill the whole that’s been left inside my heart by the death of her. She had a long and painful battle with cancer but Ragen never once let it ruin her life, not once did she ever want to let it defeat her. I truly admire my wife’s strength, the way she always managed to carry on and never give up. I’ll miss her so much as I’m sure everyone of us will too…” I looked up and I couldn't’t carry on, the tears were once again falling. Nicholi came and brought me back to my seat.5

“That was a wonderful speech Danny, she’ll be happy knowing that you loved her so much.” A small smile crept up onto my face until it was time for the undertakers to carry the coffin slowly out into the graveyard. Nicholi and me had bought Ragen a lovely black and white marble headstone that had the words “Ragen Summers. She will be greatly missed but shall always live on through our memories.”6

~Chapter 1~7

The harsh winter night’s breeze hit my face and stung it with its icy cold touch. The leaves on the trees rattled and I could hear the echoes closing in on me. I closed my eyes and concentrated I was so tired, my clothes were ripped, ragged and stained in blood…my blood. My body was covered in cuts and gashes. A twig snapped behind me, with quick reflexes I quickly spun round and aimed my gun from the spot the sound had come from. There in front of me was Ragen. She was smiling and her eyes seemed to glow brilliantly in the dark shadows that consumed her.8

“Danny….” She began to say my name softly as she came closer to me. I was so glad to see her that I just stood there looking at her, I was unable to move. She was about 2 feet away from me now, while looking at me she changed…her eyes became menacing and looked inhuman. Her face became distorted, she smirked and showed sharp razor blade teeth and ran towards me. Tears fell from my eyes as I closed them again and fired my weapon and then lowered it. I’d shot her…she was one of them.9

I woke up with a start and touched my face, I felt it was wet…I’d been crying again. So many nights had been disturbed with the images of this reoccurring dream. The doctor had put it down to the grief of losing Ragen. I was exhausted I hadn’t slept properly in days, weeks even, I sighed and got myself out of my cold and lonely bed and went to have a shower to calm my nerves. 10

Another day had started and I was still trying to get used to being without her, it was getting easier but it still hurt knowing she’ll never come back to me. I had made myself the usual breakfast, a bowl of cornflakes and a mug of coffee, and was sitting on the sofa watching the news. I wasn’t really paying any attention to what the news reporters had to say. I was going to be late for work again today, I realized, “it doesn’t matter” I thought to myself, nothing matters much anymore. I decided that I would go spend the day with Nicholi; I really needed the company so after breakfast I walked in silence to Nick’s apartment- which was on the next block. I stood outside the flats where Nick lived and I rang up to his apartment.11

“Hello?” Nicholi sounded tired.12

“Its Danny, can I come up?”13

“Yeah. Lemme just buzz you in.” The buzzing sound came and I opened the door and went inside. Nicholi greeted me and let me in, his apartment was a mess. Everywhere looked as though it had been trashed.14

“What happened in here?” Nicholi looked at me and then looked around the room.15

“Some maniac broke in last night and trashed the place, when I tried to warn them off they tried to attack me.” Then I noticed the small bite wound on his arm, it was red and the skin around it looked rather irritated. Sub-consciously Nicholi pulled the sleeve of his shirt down so the bite was out of sight,16

“They didn’t hurt you did they?” I wanted to know how his arm got like that, maybe it was nothing.17

“No not really…they did bite me but that was about it.” I suggested that Nick had best get that checked out but he said he was fine and it would heal over in a few days so I let the subject go. Nick made us some coffee and we started to talk about life. I was thinking about telling Nick about my dream to get It off my chest but I decided against the idea in case he gave me one of his funny looks that made me feel really stupid for ever mentioning something as daft as thatm, I spent the day there just to avoid having to go back to an empty house or being alone.18

Later that night me and Nick were sitting in front of the TV over at my place, I’d decided that I’d cook us both a meal and we could hang out for a while. I made chicken curry (one of me and Nick’s favorites).19

“That was a great meal, I haven’t eaten that well in a while.” Nick smiled and I went to go clear up the plates. The left over rice was put in the bin along with the scraps that I had from making the meal. I rinsed the plates and then placed them on the washboard so I would remember to clean them properly later. When I went back into the living room and found Nick sitting in front of the TV with his back to me.20

“Its been great hanging out Nick, its really helped me feel happier….thank you.” Nick didn’t reply to me. “Nick?” He didn’t even move to look at me, I went over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder “Nick.” Suddenly he snarled at me, he sounded like an animal growling at its enemy. He stood up slowly and turn around, his whole face had changed colour…it had become distorted and twisted, I’d never seen anything like this before. In shock I slowly backed away. He growled again and that’s when I saw his teeth, sharp and pointed like white razor blades. They looked like they could certainly do some major damage if he was to use them, then like a wolf hunting its prey he ran at me, I could see the glint of evil in his eye. I wasn’t quick enough to get out the way and he had a strong grip on me, his long pointy nails ,that looked like an eagle’s talons, were digging into the skin of my arms. I yelled out in pain. Anger swept through my veins and I lashed out.  Nicholi was sent staggering backwards, which gave me enough time to leave, I ran down the stairs taking two at a time and bolted through the lobby door and into the dimming light outside. I looked around me and I noticed that the whole neighborhood was crawling with the distorted creatures that I’d seen Nicholi become….  21

~Chapter 2~22

Over on the other side of the street my eyes came upon the sight of 4 or 5 of these creatures feeding on a struggling cop. His high pitched scream of pain and agony echoed through the street and off the building walls as he was being torn open and eaten alive. So ferociously, like a pack of hungry hyenas, they ripped away his dark skin and the contents of his body. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I felt sick to my stomach. Suddenly the pack of creatures stopped what they were doing, they stood up straight and started to sniff the air. Howls and snarls then polluted the air…they’d noticed I was there. Panic stricken I started to run the opposite way and away from the blood thirsty zombies. Fear ran through my whole entire body as I heated up from thinking of what they would do to me if i was caught and wondering if I'd become just like one of them.23

I ran down a side street, I was grabbed from behind then I was dragged into an alley that lead off from it and a hand was clasped over my mouth to prevent me from yelling out. I was pulled into the shadows of the alley and I saw the animals pass by and the howling faded away as they progressed deeper into the city.  The figure behind me let go and I faced it. In front of me I saw a tall (about 6ft2), muscular and slightly tanned man. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties. His clothes were torn, probably from close encounters from those things I’d just been saved from, he had dark spikey hair, dark eyes and dark stubble covered the bottom half of his face.24

“You’ve gotta keep your eyes open, especially with those things running around all over the city. You’re lucky you haven’t ended up as one of them, most people have.” His voice was deep and husky.25

“Who are you? What are those things?” I asked the man breathlessly.26

“My name is CJ and those ‘things’ are the dead that have risen and spread the virus among the people and animals that they’ve bitten, scratched or half torn apart. Once you’ve been contaminated there’s no turning back…you will soon or later become just as they are now.”27

“The dead cant just rise out of their graves and start terrorizing the living…” CJ turned his head slightly and looked me straight in eyes for the first time, I felt a little intimidated by him.28

“They can when they have help.”29

“What do you mea…” I was cut off by the sound of something moving half way down the alley. The outline of a thin womanly figure came into view and then too other slightly taller figures behind her.30

“Hey CJ..” The woman’s voice called out from the shadows as the three of the figures drew in closer to the yellowish light that was given off by the street lamps. “There’s no safe way out of here, this place is absolutely crawling with them, there’s no street anywhere that hasn’t got a pack of them lurking about. We’re going to have to fight them off somehow and we’re going to need more ammo, I haven’t found a single survivor down that way either….” She paused, she’d only just noticed me standing there beside CJ. “Whose this guy?”31

The women looked like she was about 20 -25 years old, she too had dark hair but unlike CJ she also had dark skin to go with it.  She was armed with a shotgun and extra ammo. The other two people beside he where both males, all of them were dressed in the same military uniform, I was guessing they’d been sent here to find people that were still alive. One guy was blonde and had a big build, he looked immensely strong. His face had a square sort of shape to it, mostly because of his slightly dominate bottom jaw. The other man was shorter than the other two guys but still looked as though he was capable of doing some serious damage to anyone or anything that crossed his path. His dark skin shone as it caught the light. He wiped his brow and rubbed his hair which was cut close to his head.32

“I’m Danny, your friend CJ saved me from a pack of those creatures that were chasing me. Who are you?”33

The women smiled and shook my hand and said “I’m Kez. The guy with the blonde hair is Gary and this guy here is Lauri.” Each of them in turn offered their hand out to me and I shook it.34

“We desperately need more weapons and ammo CJ, we’re almost out and it looks like Dan here isn’t even armed with a weapon…if we don’t get him one he’s gonna be a liability to us, plus he wont last long if we come up against those things again any time soon.” Gary sounded less threatening than CJ had when I first met him.35

“OK.” Kez brought out a map from a pouch that was attached to her belt. “Here’s a map of the city. Here on the outskirts of the city centre is a store that sells weapons, guns, ammo and here over across the other side of the city is an army barracks. If we can get to the gun store and to the barracks it’ll be a safe place to take out at least some of those creatures.” Kez pointed to each of the locations, there was at least a 3 mile walk to the ammo store, at least I stood a better chance of surviving this living nightmare if i was with these guys.36

We had now a plan of what we were going to do. It was also decided that when we get to the barracks there maybe a way of getting contact from a neighboring city or county for help. This task seemed simple enough but in time it soon proved to be anything but simple…    37