Ashes to Ashes (Book 1 of 2) A ZOMBIE FICTION

Chapter 1 The Calm...

       The forecast had called for torrential down pours and some serious thunderstorms. With winds up to seventy miles per hour, there would be no chance of getting outside and out of here. With my bags packed with the essentials that Drake told us to grab and a few others, master locks (don't ask), an extra pair of boots that I tied up high on the bag so they wouldn't hit me when I walked, and my bow. I set my bow next to it and placed the arrows in a small quiver and found a shallow spot on the bag. The next day I had woken up to the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS)warning the local area about a high chance of tornadoes and the infected.

So the world along with mother nature officially hated our area and whoever else had a storm coming towards them. We didn't even have a working radio at this point and had to sit in the living room and talk, something that I'd rather not do because of their tormenting words about so many things. My friends, me, how I looked, why I was taking four walkie talkies from the cabinets... things like that. Those walkies, I stuffed them in the small side pocket of my bag after testing that they worked. It would be a long day, but I was able to sleep on the floor of our living room while my parents spoke; and that's actually how I spent most of my day. Sleeping, or eating and drinking.

       About six pm I was awoken by my mother, she was frantic and pulled me to my feet, then practically dragged me downstairs without telling me what was happening, but I could guess.

"Everyone stay down! Tornado's supposed to pass right over us according to the radar!"My father shouted.

We waited, huddling around our stack of thirty-seven inch off-road truck tires, but it was silent. No noise, no wind, no rain.

"Are you sure they said tornado?"

"Shut the fuck up Alex! You were asleep, you didn't here them like we did!" My mother, like always, snapped at me.

I stayed silent and kept my head down while they hyperventilated and freaked out. They seemed like they didn't even care about my life, like always. Within an hour they had calmed down and we returned upstairs. The news was back and talking about the infection more, "The infection spreads through bites and slowly kills the body only to reanimate it. Many of the area's civil protective and police services have fallen and all that is left is the remnants of the US Military personnel; of which have fallen back into a small defensive camp by the coast. They are slowly withdrawing onto Navy ships and keeping a few personnel to hold major military and/or government facilities. Most of these facilities still stand, although we cannot be sure of how lo-"

And with that the power went out with a loud mechanical 'sigh' if you will. I had heard that sound before, usually when the entire area's grid went down. I could only assume it wouldn't come back. Not long after we heard a constant thumping against our door, that's when I started becoming frantic. My father approached the door with his .357 revolver in hand, then opened it only to be tackled by multiple strangers who then... Oh god, I never liked him, but even he didn't deserve a death like that. I ran out of my room with my bag and my bow, I looked upon the scene and then down towards the carpet where his revolver laid.

I ran and took it, then stuffed it into my deep jean pockets. I had just gotten an idea, if I could get a set of keys...

"Alex!" My mother threw our F-350 keys to me as she went down.

"Mom!" Despite everything she did to seem to hate me, I still loved her.

"Go! AHHHH! RUN!" She screamed as she was ripped apart.

With the front door blocked by the strangers, I would have to go out our back sliding door... that was pretty much a cliff. An eleven or twelve foot drop. I threw my bag and could only hope that nothing would break, then i dropped my bow, then myself... the impact sent pain through my entire body. Painfully, I stood back up, grabbed my gear, then ran to our white stone parking pad where our lifted F-350 was parked.