Walking Among the Dead

Part 1.1 (The New World We Live In): Chapter 1

Walking Among the Dead: The New World We Live In

CHAPTER I

            A buzz from his cell phone awakens him around a quarter after eleven. The house is empty, save for himself, and is therefore frighteningly quiet. It is not a peaceful silence either, and gives that eerie feeling of lonesome. Every time a sound is made, you are forced to check around you for anything threatening. That type of silence. Being a light sleeper, his body rises just as quickly as his eyes had opened, in one swift movement. After only a few moments, he regains his composure and decides to check his phone to see what it was that had woken him up. Upon unlocking his phone, he notices the time and then remembers that he is to meet his friends for lunch in less than an hour.

It is Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving. The reason Andrew had slept in later than he had wanted was because he had been up late the previous night watching a football game. They say eating turkey on Thanksgiving has soporific qualities, making you sleep. Not when you are a big fan of watching football, because three professional games were now played every turkey day which served as a supplement to the already grand festivities of eating and eating without care. Andrew and his friends planned to meet at a local restaurant, Wing Warehouse, at noon. They figured all of the crazy overnight shoppers would be back home by then, leaving a gap before the mall and stores filled to the doors once more with the daytime shoppers seeking the great savings for the upcoming Christmas season. He is a bit angry about not waking up as early as he had wished, but he has no one to blame but himself. After all, he is home alone. His dad, mom, and sister were up and gone long before, having left at 7:30 for Columbus. It is quite the haul from their town of Niles, Ohio. Andrew's younger sister, Mariah is a member of her high school's volleyball team and had helped them in making it to the state tournament, which takes place in Columbus. He is a kind brother and wished to go but was not able to with midterm exams coming up. Having the house to himself for the weekend would allow him a lot of time to study, even with spending the afternoon with his friends.

After fully awakening and remembering the reason for why he is home alone, he notices an icon in the notifications area of his phone that informs him he had received multiple text messages during the night. However, the one that woke him up, and the only one of any actual importance, was from his friend Alex. "Hey Drew, was wondering if anything was planned for after we get wings. I'm feeling football," is what the message reads. Andrew lives closest to the restaurant out of all of the guys going and there is a park right around the corner form his house with a few very big fields. During the fall, the guys always liked playing football with each other there, using the weather as an inspiration considering it was football season everywhere. Fall is undoubtedly Andrew's favorite time of year. In addition to his immense love for both football and Halloween, the weather is perfect for his liking. Not sweltering hot like in the summer, but not freezing like the winter; a nice temperature complimented by the crunch of leaves beneath the feet and the brisk chill of air in the throat. He often found himself taking long walks in solitude, just absorbing the autumn atmosphere in years past. In the end, Andrew tells Alex that no plans had been made quite yet, despite their synchronized thoughts to get a football game together afterwards. With Alex and Andrew both wanting something for the group to do as a whole, it was usually going to end up happening. They both have an unwavering, natural leadership ability and it often times causes the two of them to clash. But, they have been the best of friends for about twelve years and could usually compromise on disputes. What makes them the self-acclaimed leaders of the group? After all, Andrew is even the youngest of their close-knit troupe. It is their skillsets. They are the "Jack of all trades" type guys with a lot going for them. Intellect is their most prominent quality though. Along with their friends, they are honors students, all being looked up to by their peers and praised by their teachers. The thing is, they possess their intellect in very differing manners. Alex is more books smart, graduated valedictorian and able to make tough decisions on impulse, whereas Andrew takes time to meticulously plan out everything. He actually enjoys planning things more than acting them out. Maybe this is what makes them, when together, an unstoppable tandem, reaching compromise wherever possible.