Life Goes On (The Walking Dead)

~~~Sorry, this I know this first part probably isn't the best but stick with me :) ~~~

CHAPTER ONE

The thing about being alone is it gives you time to think. Right now, in this world, thinking, getting lost in thought, was dangerous. But what isnt in this new world? The apocalypse had definetly turned things sour. The dead rising, completely unaware of their past lives, fueled only by the most basic need: hunger. Which leads to a problem. The living, we're the food, the prey to sate the dead's hunger.

I was lucky, thats why I was alive. Luck. You can be as tough as nails, with resolve to survive, be as careful as can be and it won't matter. One slip up can cost you your life. I thought of my sister and my parents and tears welled in my eyes, clouding my vision.

My walking became mechanical as I remembered.

We were trying to gather as many supplies as we could before fleeing our home in pursuit of a safer destination. I was in the far corner of our large basement, looking for our camping lanterns, lanterns we never got a chance to use.

We had just finished moving so everything was boxed and stacked. I rifled through a box, finding a couple of my dad's hunting knives. I shoved them in my worn knapsack and continued my search.

I heard my family shuffling behind me, searching for useful items, so I turned around to ask if they'd found anything. When I turned I was face to face with a corpse. Its flesh barely clung to its bones as blood dripped onto the floor, its smell engulfed me immediately and I wondered how I'd missed it. In the background I saw my family staring in silent horror, my sister in the left corner, my parents in the right.

The corpse took a staggering step towards me and I fumbled backwards, cringing away from it. It kept advancing and I was backed against a wall. Barely thinking, I swung my arm rigidly and hit it upside its crumbling face. It stumbled giving me time to grab a hammer that was sitting on a nearby box. Quickly, with every ounce of my strength I swung the hammer downward into the corpses skull. Blood spurted all over my face and torso, but the corpse fell and remained motionless.

I turned towards my family who still remained still, staring at me with looks of almost confusion across their faces. In sheer horror, I notice another corpse advancing unnoticed upon my sister.

"Nicky!" I screamed in terror, trying to warn her, but her name was the only thing that could escape my lips.

She flung around just in time and was able to back up a few steps, distancing herself from the creature. My parents raced towards her, dragging her away to the right corner, where several more creatures appeared, surrounding them.

"Go!" They screamed.

With that, I raced upstairs, shutting the basement door with a slam before pushing the kitchen table against it, giving me time. I ran into the bathroom and ripped the medicine cabinet open. With shaking fingers I swept everything--from bandages to ibuprofen to cough medicine--into my bag.

I ran into our mud room and reached up on the shelf where I knew my father's pistol was. My fingers closed against the cold metal and after checking that the safety was on, it joined the knives in my bag.

My heart was thumping erratically in my chest. I didn't know how much time I had but I didn't want to waste the things in this house that could save my life.

I sprinted up the stairs and snagged an old duffel bag. I gathered clothes, hair ties, my combat boots, and other things I deemed worthy enough to save, in my arms. Racing back downstairs I packed the rest of my bag full of granola bars, water bottles, canned food, a flashlight, and some matches. Hearing clawing sounds from behind the door, I knew it was time to leave.

The weight of my bags slowed me down considerably but I lugged them with me anyway. On my way out the door I grabbed my bow and sword, slinging them over my shoulder along with my bags. I carried the sheath of arrows in my arms as I dug through a pile of keys before finding the ones I needed.

I ran out the door and swung myself into our Ford pickup and sped away. Only then did I realize what I had done.

I had left my family to die.