At the end of the world- A walking dead fanfic, Book 1

Prologue

Kyllian sat up straight and pushed the old tattered blanket off himself. They'd been here for a couple of days now. They would have to move on soon if they didn't want to die of thirst. They had nearly run through all the cans of soda in the small corner store already.

At least, he figured it had been a couple of days. He'd lost all sense of time. And ever since he lost track of time he'd started to lose hope of ever seeing another person alive that wasn't here with him in this store. He was glad he still had his family. His dad was there, standing guard by the glass front door they'd covered up with cardboard and newspaper with a shotgun in his hands. Kyllian hadn't seen him sleep in days.

Then there was Levi, his younger brother. He'd always been the good kid compared to Kyllian. When they were younger it used to drive him crazy that everyone seemed to agree that he should be more like Levi. Because Levi was kind, caring and smart. Kyllian was pretty sure he shared those traits with his brother, he was just different in the way he showed them. He always managed to work himself into trouble by getting into fights and mouthing off to teachers in defense of his classmates. Luckily, his school years were well behind him.

Levi was fast asleep. He should've been worried about picking colleges now. He was supposed to enjoy his senior year. He wasn't supposed to fight the dead. Atlanta was supposed to be safe, instead the military had bombed the city and for as far as they could tell there was no one left alive but them. They'd only made it because their dad had been stubborn and smart enough to sense that something was off, but it had already been too late to get out of the city they'd fled to for safety. That's what had resulted in them breaking into this store without feeling like they broke the law. They had blocked the windows with newspaper and cardboard straight away, all in the hopes of remaining undetected. And it worked.

When the bombings started the world went to hell. It was loud, too loud. With each bomb the ground shook. They'd huddled close in the corner with the five of them, hoping they'd make it out alive. The store remained untouched, outside the world had ended. And now with so many of the dead outside it was never quiet. They were always out there.

They were why they had to stay quiet, otherwise they'd be back at the windows trying to get in. Then it would be over.

Kyllian stood up slowly and walked to the backroom. It was the only place they could talk, although they still had to be careful. As soon as he pushed the door open he was greeted by his mother smiling warmly at him.

Technically speaking she wasn't his and Levi's mother, only their stepmother. Their biological mother had died in a car crash caused by a drunk driver when Levi and Kyllian were young. Levi had been too young to remember. That's why Levi had always clung to Theresa as their mother. Kyllian, however, hadn't because he could still remember his mother and the car crash that took her life. So when Theresa showed up he was mad. And he remained mad, hating her guts, for a couple of years till their sister was born. Ashlyn changed everything. When she was born Kyllian had been an angry 13 year old, but from that moment on he had accepted Theresa as his mother.

Theresa's face dropped when she saw Kyllian's pressed expression. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

"We have to get out of here soon. We've only got enough soda for about two more days." He replied, speaking softly. "And I don't know where we're supposed to go." He took a deep breath. "Ash can't outrun them. I don't even know if I can."

"You want to go out there and find a way out?" She asked, concerned. She knew Kyllian had always been the kind of person to act first and think later. That's what had always gotten him in trouble throughout his life.