Apocalypse

The Outbreak

"Please, everyone stay inside your home at all times, do not exit your house!" Those were the last words the News ended with. You were sitting on your couch inside your apartment with your door locked and your curtains closed. You were bundled up inside your favorite blanket and yet you were shivering, not because you were cold though. You were shivering out of fear. This new disease has already wiped-out half of your city, and that's just your city, nothing compared to the world.

This new disease, Kamptel, it was terrible. It didn't kill who it infected, instead ate their flesh and rotted their brain, turning them into some dumbified walking corpse. They smelled rancid, like decaying roadkill and they looked dead, like a corpse not done decomposing in its grave. It chilled you to the bone, you had already been stuck in your apartment for about a week and a half now. It seemed like the world is crumbling.

You can constantly hear gunfire and the yelling of soldiers from the military outside of your apartment complex. Most people had the good idea of leaving the place to go be with family so most of the apartments were vacant. You were one of the only tenants left here. Today was another day of worrying and trying to shut out the dying world around you, trying to shut out the constant sound of gunfire and the loud screaming of the infected dropping dead.

But you hear things start going silent after some time, you think it's a moment of peace, well, as much peace as you can get in a rapidly decaying world. You get up from your spot on the couch and walk to the dimly lit kitchenette, a pot of coffee sits on the counter, you look at it for a moment before grabbing the handle of the large pot and pouring some into your mug. Coffee has been your life saver, the only thing keeping you sane besides your TV and your favorite Squishmellow.

*BANG BANG BANG* You suddenly hear from your door making you drop your mug on the ground. You nearly jump out of your skin, but you soon settle and quietly grab a knife before tip toeing to the front door and slowly opening it, ready to attack, but to your surprise you see two familiar masks. Your eyes close and your head falls as you sigh a sigh of relief.

"Goodness! You guys scared the hell out of me! Holy..." You look up at them with a nervous smile and messy hair (or no hair). It was just your neighbors, they were both in the military, both of them were usually not home because of long deployments, but you have seen and even spoken to them a few times, you guys aren't besties or anything but you're acquaintances.

"You put the knife down now, love." Ghost speaks in that rough voice that makes you blush like a high school girl fawning over her crush. But pushing that out of your mind you sit the knife down on the coffee table.

As you turn to face them again Ghost speaks once more, "We're checking out the apartments to see if anyone stayed, we seem to be the only ones left in the whole complex." Konig is standing behind him, keeping an eye down the long hallway of the large building. Seeing him so close makes you realize just how massive of a man he is; it's intimidating yet comforting in a way.

"That makes sense, everyone probably went to see family or got caught in the horde of monsters with the munchies." You shrug before opening the door a little wider, "Would you guys like to come inside?" You motion to the inside of your apartment with your free hand. 

"Ja." Konig speaks up in his thick German accent. You've always found his accent so interesting; you haven't even really heard him talk much; you mainly give each other a small nod when passing in the hallway. They both make their way into your apartment, and you motion for them to sit on the couch or the chair beside it, which they do, you swear Konig takes up the entire couch with his massive size! 

You quickly make your way to the small kitchenette to clean up the broken ceramic and the mess of coffee on the floor. You grab a broom and dustpan to get the ceramic pieces but before you can continue a large hand grabs the broom from you and gets it up for you. Your head snaps up only to be met with a skull in front of you, nearly scaring you to death and making you jump. Simon just throws away the sharp pieces of ceramic and grabs some paper towels to get the coffee up. 

"You didn't have to do that, Simon." You say with a frown, you are grateful, but you feel bad that he just cleaned up your mess. The mess that you made because you got scared of a little noise. 

"I know." He replied simply, just shrugging and throwing away the dirty towels before turning on his heel and walking back to the living room and sitting down. You just follow with a confused look plastered on your face. But you decide to just shake it off and sit in the corner of your couch with your knees to your chest and your arms wrapped around your legs with your head resting on your knees. In the silence your mind wanders to the events outside. What's going on? Will you be able to defend yourself when they leave? What if they get in? 

"What are you thinking about, Liebling?" Konig questions, now facing you, clearly able to tell that something is on your mind. You look at him for a moment before looking at your feet that sit on top of the soft material of your couch. You're hesitant to tell them what's on your mind.

"It's just... What will I do if they get me?" You ask in a quiet voice, not daring to make eye contact as you profess your worries. You're afraid of what will happen if those walking corpses make it in your apartment. Will they devour your flesh and turn you into one of them? 

"Don't worry about that, ja? We can teach you how to defend yourself and we can protect you." Konig responds to your worry with a softer tone than his normal voice and with a large hand on your head, gently petting your hair (or no hair) comfortingly.

Ghost joins in on the conservation in a gentle yet still gruff voice, "Yeah, kid, we'll help you. We all have to stay together." Their words bring a smile to your face, your first actual smile in quite some time, at least since this disease started to spread. You finally look up at them, your eyes full of gratitude and now happiness. You don't think you've ever felt so happy over some words and a head pat. 

"Thank you, both of you. I'm glad you guys are willing to teach me how to defend myself." You say in a quiet and gentle tone full of sincerity. Your smile stays as you lay your head back on your knees, you still look towards Ghost and Konig as you lay your head down. Your eyes are getting heavy, you haven't had sufficient sleep since the virus started spreading. You feel so comfortable in their presence. They'll protect you.