#DeadLives4Ever

Prologue - Thomas

The Zombie shuffled towards me with a groan; bloody flesh dripping from it's mangled carcass. It's lower half and left arm had completely melted away to reveal just bone and fresh blood dripped from its mouth. It had already feasted on Living flesh, but as was always the case with these fiends, it wanted more!

It and the rest of its damned army marched forward, an endless horde of the dead.

But I, Thomas Goodman, stood firm! I was the only thing that stood between them and the city. The fate of not just my home, but the entire world rested on my shoulders! Calm as anything, I lifted up my shotgun; took aim and fired.

The Zombie's head exploded in a barrage of gore, staggering around before falling to its knees. I quickly reloaded and prepared to fire again. My aim was accurate as always, and my shells took off Zombie head after Zombie head. Even though there were hundreds of the undead in front of me, I had stockpiled plenty of ammo. I fired in all directions – I wasn't going to let these monsters take my beloved city! Each shell I fired was a headshot each time. I could feel my heart pumping and my joy rising Today was the day I saved the city! Today I stopped the Zombie plague from-

The screen went dark.

"Mom! I was playing!"

I'd been playing Call Of Honour 13: Zombie Killer for days and was SO CLOSE to getting the Hero of the City achievement, which you got for killing every single Zombie with a headshot. Some had said that achievement was impossible, but I knew I could do it. And thanks to Mom, all my hard work had been for nothing!

"You've been playing that thing all morning!" Mom said sternly, button up the top of her blue shirt. "Go have your breakfast! You'll be late for school!"

"But Mom!"

"No buts, Tommy!"

I slumped his shoulders and threw down the remote on the couch.

"Without the attitude!"

God, Mom could be such a cow sometimes – but even I knew better than to argue with her. I slumbered into the kitchen. I was hungry, to be fair, so I guess I could eat.

"Honestly, why did I ever let your father get you that game, it's so inappropriate for an eight-year-old!"

The game was the last present Dad ever got me, before he went on his business trip. Mom told he had gone on a trip to Heaven, but he was yet to return. I hoped he came back soon, I missed him.

I pulled up a chair to the kitchen table, and I smiled when I saw Mom had prepared a bowl of Happy O's, my favourite. I ate my cereal whilst Mom looked in the mirror, probably trying to make herself look pretty.

She didn't need to do that – she was already pretty.

I heard some people talk on the radio, sounded like another news report. I don't know why Mom had these on, they were just boring.

"Earlier today the number of confirm cases of the so-called Romero Virus rose to around 950,000,000 worldwide, with around 600,000 confirmed to have died – and returned. The virus is said to reanimate (Mom told me that this meant bring the back to life) the body upon death and bring them back from death. However, unlike in the films, where the walking dead are portrayed as cannibalistic monsters, these retain their Living intelligence and all the capabilities. Currently there is a debate as to whether these people should have the same rights as they did when they were living.

"Senator Denise Clunden – who will be running for Presidency next year stated this in an earlier press conference.

"These people are not like you and me!" It was a ladies voice now. She always sounded scary whenever I heard her. "They aren't living, so of course they shouldn't have rights! Let's not forget, these people spread the virus! They also don't need to eat, sleep, they can't be hurt and the only way you can put them down is by taking out the brain. What if rapists and murderers come back from the Dead? Do you want THEM walking around?"