The Rising - A Zombie Novel

Chapter I - World's End

Author's Note:

Hey guys! You might be wondering about the new chapters. Well, I'm in the middle of a huge rewrite, and so every chapter that is published is constantly revised. I, then realized that because of the changes in the story, some readers might get confused in the following chapters, so to solve the issue, I'm posting the old and the new version of each chapter.

Chapter I is also a rewrite but it didn't have any changes as much as the others, so I'm keeping the most recent edition for you guys to begin this journey!

I hope you understand and consider once again these changes. I will keep you updated as much as I can! Thank you and enjoy!

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There was news. Rumors. Gossips. I'd been hearing the same things over and over for a couple weeks—some things that didn't make sense.

I never had the chance to watch the television, but tonight, I overheard. I listened. Eavesdropped from my room. The muted thrum of the television reached me through the thin crack beneath my door. I pressed my ear closer, trying to catch snippets of the broadcast while my stepfather's heavy snoring filled the room with a dissonant rhythm. It surprised me that it didn't disturb him from his slumber. He had definitely drowned. I couldn't tell if my mother was around. She must have gone upstairs to sleep. She always had the same lingering headache every night.

My hand trembled as I turned the doorknob, only to find it stubbornly fixed in place. My stepfather tied it with something from the other side. A sharp discomfort twisted in my stomach, and I shifted anxiously from foot to foot. His harsh command echoed in my mind—'Pee in the corner'—but the thought made my skin crawl. The thought of relieving myself in the corner was unbearable, a last resort I resisted with all my strength. The mingling stench of urine and blood felt like a betrayal of my dignity, yet the pressure in my bladder was relentless.

The TV whooshed with urgency before switching to a new broadcast, its screen flashing urgent, red headlines that cut through the gloom of the room. It was something about people going crazy. It must have been the newest product of drugs, some might say. But the others would say it wasn't.

Drugs were supposed to stimulate you, make you hallucinate, and think everything was okay, make you forget your problems, but kill you slowly in the process. However, what the people on the TV claimed that the ones under the influence weren't showing any stimulations or hallucinations at all. Instead, they claimed they were hurting other people, intentionally making a public disturbance, shouting, roaring, and attacking. Some had claimed they had seen them eat other people that were in an unlucky proximity.

But there was also a claim that one person had actually died and was brought immediately into the morgue for forensic examination. Then, a man was interviewed on the news—city Mayor of Wyoming. He said Wyoming was in lockdown, and the residents were in distress, wanting to leave the city. "The US Army is doing it what it can to protect the citizens..." sirens wailed over him, and then loud gunshots. Then the Mayor added, "... There were no signs of substance intake. We are not sure of the cause of death but we have found bites on the body that might have led to heavy loss of blood."

"But what about the other victims?" a female voice said, which I assumed came from the reporter.

"They are sent to the hospital immediately."

"What's the status at the hospital? Are there more deaths that were caused by the same bites? Are these bites the reason people have gone strangely aggressive..."

Then I heard scrambling, screams, and loud bangs. The interview was cut off by the sudden commotion. I didn't hear anything else.

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