our last night alive

Act 1

27th of October

Megumi

I don't know how it started, nor when, I just know that I was walking down the street when something I can't recall, a creature, a monstrous creature, tried to attack me.

"Crap, this place's filthy."I observed as I reached a small shop on the top of a small hill, in a town that was now already empty. "Would be good to find some people."I entered through a totally broken window, stepping on the few pieces of glass that were on the floor, cracking them more and reducing them to powder. I entered carefully, those things have a hearing that no one must underrate, they also tend to go unnoticed, they're not so dumb as some people think. I snapped, turning around when I heard the slightest sound, coming from a wood nearby. "I gotta do this quickly."I murmured as I started moving around, between the shelves of that small environment. Nowadays it is difficult to survive. It's an ability, a skill you must earn if you want to live. If not, you die, just like the 2.7 billion people that have died or got infected so far. It's not common to find humans, and if you do, it's important not to trust anybody. Even if we should help each other, people tend to use you in different ways, and then leave you suddenly without letting you know. They just do, and often they steal your belongings. That's why I am here. One of the people I believed was a friend, left just like the others, stealing my little pointed tailoring scissors, that I used in case of emergency. It's not that big of a deal, but they were mine. I usually defend myself with my gun, which is also silenced purposely so as not to make too much noise. However, if the gun jams or I don't have ammunition, I use a blade, similar to a machete, I always carry with me or a little knife. I wandered around and took advantage to take some other food and put it inside my backpack, together with another bottle of water. I moved on to the weapons and found a black case cutter that could replace the scissors. I got out and before moving further on I took a second to analyse the sounds and environment surrounding me. Nothing seemed too suspicious, but you always have to take it carefully. I came down from the hill quickly and reached the road soon after. The town where I had stayed for two days had nothing more to offer, I decided it was time to change place. My aim is to reach a refuge. There are several refugees where people created survival communities, it's difficult however to find one that doesn't get attacked and robbed by plunderers. Or, at least, it is difficult to find one that doesn't get destroyed and abandoned if you manage to survive after an attack. Despite the huge catastrophe, people still insist on causing troubles to society, which obviously makes survival harder, almost impossible. I took out my phone to see where the nearest city was, just to reveal a 72 km trip. I sighed. "Fuck." Refugees are actually usually stated in meadows and plains rather than big cities, that obviously, due to the frequency of the attacks and the density of population, are less safe. I sighed another time. I just want to come back to when everything was normal. I started wandering around the streets in vain, already conscious of my destiny for that day. I understood it was better to just stay there for the night, considering that it was already five in the afternoon. Travelling at night is even worse and more dangerous than the day. I decided to came back to the random house I had found shelter in, walking quickly so that to be protected as soon as possible. Zombies generally aren't that fast, however some types can run so fast that many people don't manage to escape them, like me. That's why I carry several weapons with me. If I can't escape them, I'm forced to fight them. Until now, I've happened to encounter one of them just once, I managed to kill it at last. I reached the house and entered, carefully locking the door behind me and moving a piece of furniture in front of it, to create a barrier. I put down my backpack and moved towards the kitchen to drink a glass of water. After placing it on the counter, I moved to the hall and took my backpack, went up the stairs and placed it on the floor of the nearest bedroom, the one I sleep in. I assume it's a child's room. I wonder how that family is doing. I emptied it and removed what was useless. After that, I sat on the bed, sighing. I'm tired of running away, hiding and getting betrayed by every person I accidentally happen to meet. I'm tired of fearing for my life every second, I hate not feeling protected, not even for a moment. I hate everything about this. And, even though I'm a loner, always having to be alone and not having the chance to trust anyone is driving me insane. Spending a lot of time by yourself isn't sane. I feel like I'm becoming crazy. I have to find a refuge as fast as I can. I had a shower and quickly cooked something for dinner and then decided to call it a day. Before going to bed I charged my phone and then slept till half past five in the morning. I quickly had breakfast and collected all of my stuff carefully. I raised a bit the roller shutter of a casual window and after ascertaining that there was no one, I got out of the house and said goodbye to that town. I understood that walking on the highway was way safer than walking in the woods. It was a quarter to seven when I reached another small town. Definitely not what I was searching for. I searched for a car or motorcycle I could grab. I have no licence but that's not my main problem now. I decided to look for a gas station first. I found it after half an hour of wandering around, already stressed and tired by everything. It was useless to search for a car nearby, it wouldn't have reached the pump anyway. I went inside the gas station building, carefully holding my gun and taking slow, moderate steps. Inside there was a tobacco shop, still filled with gums, cigarettes and sweets. I found petrol tanks in what seemed to be a warehouse or closet. There were just two but they were enough, also considering that they were luckily full, they were heavy though. I took them with me until I found a motorcycle nearby. I would have preferred a car, motorcycles are too powerful and dangerous for someone who has never driven one. They are furtherly dangerous during a zombie apocalypse, because they can attack you easily. I hesitated, unsure of what to do. I eventually decided to search for a car. There was something that worried me though, something deep. The keys. I must find them if I want to take a car, there aren't any other options. I found a car casually placed on the roadside, it seemed to be empty. I opened the car door and wasn't surprised to see that it was left open. I took a quick look around until I heard a gurgling. I froze on the spot. A zombie suddenly appeared behind the front seats. He grabbed my right arm quickly, trying to get it closer to him, opening his mouth. He seemed trapped though, he wasn't totally free to move. "Fuck."I exclaimed, acting on impulse and taking my blade as he pulled my arm closer. I managed to pierce his throat as blood started sliding down his neck and spilling from his mouth as breath slowly left his body. The blade sank through the putrid flesh and cut off his head. Blood covered the back seats almost totally. "Fuck, this bastard."I took a careful look at my arm, luckily revealing nothing worrying. I sighed in relief, already sweating. I immediately started looking for the keys, panicking, glimpsing them fortunately still hanging inside. Afterwards, I opened the back door and threw the zombie's body in the grass of a field nearby. I was right, the zombie was trapped between the driver seat and some luggage. I went inside and checked quickly what was inside the bags; some food and self-care products. Everything is a blessing in this situation. I managed to close all the doors from outside and immediately felt safer than before. After some attempts I turned on the car and carefully drove along the road. There was still some petrol left, that's good. Fog however soon appeared on the way, causing me to slow down. The view was horrific. All around, once in a while, bodies completely split in half or more parts appeared, covering the road in blood. I started retching as I felt the smell of decomposition through the window, that I had opened a bit to get some cold, refreshing air. Moreover, I had forgotten of the fresh, rotten blood behind me, causing me to lose it as I accidentally took a look at the back from the mirror. I had to stop the car and throw up through the window. "Disgusting" I said, panting. I came back inside and raised the car window, really realising how terrified I am; alone, in the middle of a road I don't know, fog surrounding me and driving a car without a licence on a field of dead bodies.I continued panting, breathing heavily trying to calm down. "Com'on, everything is fine, you can do it, calm down."I whispered to myself quietly. I had a snack to get better and because I was hungry, taking up the trip again at about eight in the morning. Soon after, it started raining, hailing, not helping at all. The smell of blood was making my stomach sick again, as nausea filled my body. I felt the urge to open the window again. I lowered it a bit, sticking out my nose, slowly feeling better thanks to the cold air. I sighed in defeat, looking down hopeless.I raised my gaze and my eyes widened, feeling panic filling my body as I quickly slowed down, just before hitting the two figures that were on the ground, one on top of the other. The bottom one is a human. I got out of the car and took my gun, pulling the trigger right away. The figure fell on top of the person under him, revealing a frightened middle-aged woman.
"Oh, God, thank you so much!"She tried standing up, failing until I lent her a hand. "Oh, thank you so much, you saved my life!"She exclaimed as tears started falling down her cheeks. She gave me a hug of relief, continuing to cry. I patted her back, while constantly looking around. However, something worried, almost scared me.
"Have you been bit?"
"No, no I swear!"She stated, looking at me in the eyes still crying. She didn't convince me, at all. I lowered my gaze to where blood was drenching her jumper, too suspicious not to stare. "I swear! Please believe me, don't kill me, please."She panicked.
"Can I take a look at your wound, please?"I asked quietly.
"No!"She yelled.
"Lower your voice, they're gonna hear us!" I raised my voice. She continued crying.
"So, why does that even care? We're both going to die anyway."She fell on her knees desperately. I was totally confused. "You're right, they've bit me."She raised her gaze, staring at me with teary eyes. I knew that. Anxiety made her way through my chest.
"I gotta leave you here, I'm sorry."I told her.
"No, please, don't leave me here!"She grabbed my arm, she needed to hold onto something. She sounded desperate. "Please..."She started crying again. I heard a sound from the field of grass next to the road, turning around immediately. A zombie was slowly about to approach us.
"I can't, you'll become one of them, there aren't any other possibilities, I'm sorry."I tried to shove off my arm from her grasp.
"No! Please!"She yelled louder. I moved my arm faster, trying to release it from her hold. She held it even tighter. I was getting angry. I turned around again to see that the zombie was getting closer and closer.
"Fuck"I said under my breath, finally freeing my arm and pointing my gun at her head. She stopped crying, despairing, even shouting. Her eyes just widened.
"Please, what are you doing?..."She asked quietly.
"I'm sorry, I'm obliged to, you'll become one of those things, I'll end your suffering now, do you understand?"
"No, please!"She started despairing again, clinging onto my waist, crying again. "I don't want to! Plea-"A gunshot ended everything, her body fell on the ground, blood coming out her head, her eyes still wide open.
"May god fucking forgive me for this."I murmured, turning around and shooting the other zombie as well. I then sighed and came back inside the car.