Non-art book

School Story - A Terrible Choice, Really

We got prompts on Halloween to write stories based off of. Mine was zombie apocalypse, I had to include two siblings and a treasure hunter, and spooky spiders.

Enjoy.

TW: spiders being more unsettling than normal, gore

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The cold, dusty air awoke me from my slumber, a slim beam of sunlight bathing me in its weak cover. A guttural groan escaped my throat, and the weakened, deteriorating wood making up the floor sang with me as I pushed myself upright. After allowing the stuffiness to leave my sinuses, I stood up, keeping my blanket wrapped around myself as I shivered.

I became aware of soft, tired snores that gave me a start, as they resembled a... similar, less pleasant sound, let's say. My eyes swept over the peaceful faces of two others, a girl and a boy, both with similar bright red hair. One head of hair was curly, the other more wavy. I smiled softly, relaxing as I saw them getting their rest. I'd found Micheal and Regan alone about a month back, beaten up and starved, having shown up after their house was broken into by one of the creatures and set on fire. They claimed to have been staying with their father, who managed to have survived the Red Release and provided for them until he was killed.

Deciding to let them rest, I quietly shuffled across the room and opened the large suitcase I'd found a while back and pulled out my ripped-up, tattered coat. A bit ragged, and sloppily sown in many places, but enough to keep me warm on cold days like this. I slipped it on and left the room without a sound.

Closing the door behind me quietly, I made my way down the disheveled hall. It was less messy than we'd found it - we found the remains of what we had thought to be a human corpse, though there was no telling what it could've been judging by its mangled state. The wallpaper was faded and peeling, faded bloodstains still splattering that specific section of wall I clearly remembered finding the aforementioned corpse at. The carpet probably was some shade of white or grey at some point, however it was caked in so much grime and crimson that there was no telling for sure. I wasn't risking anything - I'd put on my boots before leaving the room.

Walking around the corner of the living room, I met blonde hair turned away from me, staring into an open cityscape that lay in ruin outside. She seemed to be holding a tin can, the label well beaten and gone by now. I thought it looked like peaches. Slowly I decided to walk forth, through the broken glass door and out onto the balcony.

Despite the apartment room being somewhat bright, I still had to shield my eyes as the sun struck my pupils. Glimmering on the apartment complex were the windows, most broken like the one I'd just walked through, the sun reflecting off of them and creating an almost mesmerizing effect. The wind shifted my hair slightly, a steady breeze that disturbed the deathly silence. Some fever dream ago this place would be busy and brimming with activity this time of day, cars coming and going as people left to go to and returned from their jobs. Now it was nothing but a desolate wasteland.

My hands found the metal railing as I stood a foot or so away from the blonde girl. We didn't look at each other, we didn't speak. After a moment of silence the girl glanced over at me, holding the can in her hand towards me. I had guessed correctly - golden slices of fruit taunted me from the bottom.

"Peaches?" The girl inquired. "I've eaten my portion already, feel free to eat the rest."

"Thanks," I nodded gratefully. My stomach rumbled and my throat crawled with dryness as I took the can, downing the last bit to satisfy my insides. She smiled at me, dark blue eyes like deep oceans settled in white scleras.

Pamela was the only person alive to my knowledge that I actually knew, a girl previously in some of my classes at school. I'd known her for years, and because of that I was grateful she managed to live this long and find me near the start of the apocalypse. We'd been the stereotypical girl besties, and still kind of were, just instead of slumber parties and mall trips we participated in taking turns keeping watch for creatures and raiding long-unstocked stores for food.