The Strong Will Survive

Chapter Two - KC

Running from zombies is a great way to get that one cardio exercise per year in. My pocket knife brandished in front of me, I made my way to the subway. Realizing that maybe there would be zombies on their daily commute, I sprinted the other way for, I don't know what. The amount of people panicking in the streets made it hard to run. A zombie stumbled out from the subway entrance. People ran away, trying to get inside wherever they could.

I was stuck out there, not knowing where to go as the zombie slowly closed in on me. An abandoned car seemed like the best place to go, seeing as nobody in Manhattan was kind enough to let a kid into their house in a time of peril. I slid into the front seat and see that the dummy who left this car hadn't even stopped the engine. That meant I could drive it.

The car was NICE. Although the make of the car didn't matter, I had never driven a Camaro before. Only my dad's car when he was not using it. I mean, I'm almost legal. Almost. But not even having my temps wouldn't matter now. There were freaking ZOMBIES everywhere!!!

Swerving down 5th Avenue, I drove somewhere. I didn't know where I was going. The Costco near my house loomed over me, showing that I was too close and was about to hit it. I slammed the brakes, turned the car off, took the keys out, and ran inside.

Surprisingly, the store hadn't been raided yet. I went to the bakery section, grabbed a muffin, and made my way to the furniture area. Sitting down in front of a TV that was shockingly turned off, I bit into my muffin. Then, I realized that I had nothing left.

My mom, dad, brother: zombified. My apartment: infested. Not even a friend to hide out with. Marianna was my only friend. I was always the outsider, but she reached out to me. Seeing her as one of the undead made me sick.

I broke down crying. This was the first time in FOREVER that I had actually cried, so hard that my eyeliner carved black streaks down my face. They were all gone. I was never going to see them again.

Crying felt good. I just sat and sobbed, letting years of pain out through my eyes. After about 15 minutes, my sadness hardened into a stony ball of anger. I had to find the source of the zombie virus and STAMP. IT. OUT.

Being a teenager living alone, I had to find something to do all the time. I hotwired a TV and watched some horror movies that I found on some channel that I've never heard of. The Costco got really spooky at night. I actually slept with a knife that I found at the kitchen utensils section near my pillow. I never thought of trying to use it, but I hacked a laptop and YouTubed basic self-defense.

Laws were broken. Probably at least 10 in that first hour. Hacking, child endangerment, et cetera. It was fun. I mean, I've broken laws before, but not this many or this major. Though I was lonely, and scared, and angry, I needed to buckle down and prepare for a breach in the security of my Costco.