The Infection.

James:

James:

We'd been travelling for over a month now... searching for some place that wasn't infected with the zombie cannibal race that had overrun the population. It was getting dark, and we'd have to start setting up camp shortly. I sent my sister ahead as I usually would to scope out the area to make sure it wasn't dangerous. Lydia was tall for her age, with long strong legs that made running a simple act for her. She sped off ahead of us, rounding an abandoned building, and down into the parking garage. It wasn't long before she had returned, trailed by two runners.

*Runners were an advanced breed of zombies that over time had developed the ability to sprint. They ran faster than a normal zombie, but still nowhere near as fast as Lydia.

She smiled as she raced toward us, giving us a thumbs up; our cue to get ready to shoot. We raised our guns, aiming at the runners heads. Lydia jumped to the side, leaving us two open shots. Boom, Boom. The runners fell to the ground in a heap of rotting flesh.

"Yes!" Lydia howled, running up to us and giving us high-fives. "We make the best goddamned team of zombie hunters there has ever been." I grinned, and nodded, after all she was right.

"So how did it look down there?" I asked after she came down from her high. "Safe enough for us to set up camp?"

"Those were the only two down there I'd seen. I can go and check again if ya want?" She laughed and it echoed in the darkening alleyway. "You just want to blow off another runners head, don't you?" Lydia pulled her curly brown hair back into a ponytail, waiting for the OK for round two. I shook my head and offered her her baseball bat back. She grabbed it from my hands and snuggled it into her as if it was a child, I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Let's go, it's getting too dark out here to just be standing around. Lydia, go ahead and give us the thumbs up if it's still clear down there."

"Yes sir," she mocked, giving me a salute and off she went. We followed close behind weapons at the ready in case a stray runner, or even a climber took the chance to appear. I turned to Sarah, giving her a quizzical look, she sighed and nodded.

*A climber is a zombie that has developed the ability to climb walls. They often wait on the tops of buildings and run down the sides attacking when your back is turned.

Sarah was Lydia and I's younger sister. She has just turned 11 years old a few weeks ago. She told me it had been her worst birthday ever.. I can understand why. That morning we woke up and found that we were in the middle of a feeding frenzy. 13 or more pack zombies were feasting on the carcasses of small animals that had braved the night. When they sensed us, they all moved into formation, and began to move toward us, ready for the kill. We lost the fourth member of our group, Sarah's friend Austin. Since then she has hardly said a word to me or Lydia.

We followed Lydia down the sloped cement and into the faintly lit underground room. The lights had been turned on by another passing group of survivors. It was a custom and a courtesy to leave the lights on whenever you could. It meant 'we know you're out there, and we hope this helps'. A canteen of water had been left, the top open and the contents spilled onto the floor... we hadn't missed them by much.

Lydia picked the canteen off the floor, sipping at what hadn't made it onto the concrete. She sighed with relief, and passed the canteen to Sarah, who took a gulp before passing it onto me.

I put the empty canteen into my backpack. We could use it later if we found a well or a clean enough body of water. I'm certain I still have a few iodine tablets left... If not we would have to boil it. Fire attracts zombies, much like noise does... so zombies love animals and small children. Though they aren't filling so they often turn on their parents next... that is, if they've stayed around to witness their child being ripped apart.