How to survive a Zombie Apocalypse ©

«⟨𝟬𝟮⟩»

The scene was dominated by concrete security barriers, military personnel, and anxious crowds. Everyone yearned to leave there to take refuge in the camp that the United States government had promised. The scene resembled an old toll booth, with small booths designed to accommodate two people. Signs with warnings such as "One at a time" and "No entry for animals" adorned the place, although no one paid attention to those signals.

Amidst the chaos, a military officer tried to stop a woman before she crossed the boundary.

"Ma'am, ma'am!" the military officer insisted. "We need to conduct a check."

"I have to go through! My four-year-old son already passed! 

Please!" the woman pleaded desperately.

"Ma'am, we need to check if your vital signs are normal! Have you received the vaccine?" the military officer asked with empathy, showing a sincere desire to help.

"Yes..." she responded with fear.

"I'm really sorry, from the bottom of my heart," the military officer apologized with regret, and the woman sensed that something was wrong.

"What? What's hap—" She couldn't finish the sentence when the military officer shouted, "Code red!"

Quickly, more armed military personnel arrived, subdued the woman, and took her away, while she screamed desperately to be reunited with her son.

Chaos engulfed the crowd; everyone wanted to move forward at once. Desperation spread throughout the area.

In the midst of all this, Jade observed the scene, frightened, desperately looking for her father but unable to locate him. She had lost sight of him.

People pushed without consideration, regardless of whether they were children, elderly, or anyone else. Each individual cared only for themselves.

Little Jade continued to advance, her eyes crystallized with anguish.

"Hello, little one. Are you lost?" a man asked, noticing the confusion in the girl's eyes.

The girl just looked at him and moved away. Fear took over her body more and more, and she began to tremble, gripping her backpack tightly. She wouldn't let it be taken from her; if she didn't find her father, her furry friend, carried in the backpack, would be the only one with her. Her mother was no longer there, nor her father nor her friends. No one, only Chester.

She advanced not because she wanted to, but because the crowd was pushing, and she didn't want to end up crushed by all those people.

Things worsened when it started to rain. The girl hurried her pace until she reached another checkpoint after passing the health check.

"Next!" shouted another military officer from the booth.

"Hello..." the girl expressed with much fear.

"Hello, is there someone accompanying you?" the soldier asked indifferently.

Jade simply shook her head. What else could she do? After all, she was just a little eight-year-old girl, full of fear and alone.

"Do you have anything in the backpack?" the soldier inquired.

"Food" she uttered with a trembling voice.

"Go through. Next!" the soldier shouted.

The little girl passed fearfully through a metal detector and followed the people who had already passed before her.

She observed everything carefully, calmer but not entirely. She walked along a long path whose destination was unknown to the girl. There were various containers scattered around, health tents attending to the injured by people who were still waiting their turn to enter the "safe place." Flares lay on the ground, trash scattered around, and destroyed cars serving as protective walls in case of danger. The scene was a constant reminder that normality had completely disappeared.