The Apocalyptic World | Rilaya

Preparation

I feel my way around the kitchen before I find some flashlights in one of the drawers. I grab them and turn one on. I make my way back over to Farkle and Maya and give one to each of them.

"How is this even possible?" Maya voices my thoughts. Even in the darkness, I can still see her eyes. They were wild with panic. "I'm just gonna go to sleep and everything will be gone in the morning. This was all a dream." She mutters to herself.

"Let's just get those weapons you were talking about Riley." Farkle says, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the hysterical Maya. We went to the kitchen and began collecting all the knives.

"Sorry for the slipup, but I do think you should tell her how you feel." Farkle apologizes. "Farkle, that's crazy!" I whisper so that Maya doesn't hear me. "We are in a zombie apocalypse! There's no place for feelings here!"

"Yes, there is! How do you think humans will have to repopulate after most of us become those flesh eating monsters!?" Farkle exclaims. I quickly look at Maya to make sure she wasn't listening. She was staring at the carpet, giving no indication of whether she was listening or not.

"Farkle, can we not talk about this right now!? We still have to board up the windows and gather all the supplies we can!" I say back. Farkle gives in. "I'll go find some wood." He says and races to the attic.

I put all the knives we have in a small pile on the table. They clatter as they hit the glass, startling Maya. She realized what I was doing. "Sorry I wasn't helping. Is there anything I can do now?"

I think for a moment. Farkle was going to board up the windows while I was collecting weapons for us. "Yes, actually. Find all the nonperishable food in the house. And maybe try to find something we could eat for dinner as well." Maya nods and goes to the kitchen.

I go looking around the house, seeing what everyday objects we could use. I grab the tennis racket Maya used to hit the zombie, a baseball bat, and a golf club. While rummaging through a random box, Farkle startles me by appearing out of nowhere. "Agh! Farkle, don't do that!" I scream. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Everything all right over there?" Maya calls, hearing my shouts. I blush, hearing my crush ask if I was okay. She cares about me! Or maybe she just doesn't want to be stuck in an apocalypse alone. Yeah, that's probably it. My spirits went from flying high to crushed underground. "Everything's fine!" I say back.

"Sorry Riley. I was just gonna tell you that I think we should try to contact someone for help. Like, look around the area and see if there are any people around." Farkle suggests. I look up to see him carrying a massive pile of wood in his arms.

I pull out an old canoe paddle from the box and add it to the pile of weapons. "How are we supposed to do that without being confronted by a zombie?" I ask.

"We'll just have to fight them off." Farkle says. "We're going to have to eventually, and we'll need all the experience we can get in fighting them. So why not start as soon as possible if we want to live." He thinks strategically.

"I guess so." I shiver thinking about being face to face with a zombie. Farkle's plan might be okay if we were athletes, but a weakling like me against a zombie? That would just be a death wish. But nonetheless, I think about that man I saw earlier, being mauled by a zombie. Surely if we save even one life, it would all be worth it? Plus it would be one more person we can ally with.

I hear a couple bangs. Farkle had begun to board up the windows. Knowing that I won't find anything else to use for a weapon, I make my way back to the living room. I survey the weapons I was able to find. Five knives, a racket, a bat, a golf club, and a canoe paddle. Maybe not the best, but it'll have to do.

I look over at the kitchen to see a bunch of cans stacked on the counter along with a whole case of bottled water. Maya was currently standing on top of one of the counters, trying to reach for a can at the very top of the cupboard. She may have a short physique, but I thought it just made her even more adorable.

"Need some help?" I ask. Maya looks sheepishly at me. "Sorry, I would've asked if I could stand on the counter but you were busy..." She trailed off.

I waved my hand. "Doesn't matter. I don't think that a few footprints on the counter during a zombie apocalypse would really make a difference." I joke, trying to make the best of our situation. I wonder if the rest of the world has heard what has happened yet, I wonder if my family was worrying about me right now.

Maya gives me a small smile. She jumps off the counter and moves away so I could reach for it. I grab the can and put it with the rest of the food Maya already had.

"Finished the windows." Farkle announced as he made his way back to the room, flashlight in hand.

For dinner, we cracked open a couple cans of beans. We had to eat it cold, as there was no way to heat it up. I gag as I force myself to swallow the slimy beans.

"So, Farkle had an idea." I say while gulping down the last of the beans. Maya motions for me to continue.

"He wanted to survey the area and try to find someone, anyone." I continue. "Someone that could possibly help us out."

"You mean, go out there?" Maya points outside. "Where the zombies are?" Her voice slightly shook.

"Yeah, I don't really like the idea either, but we could use all the help we can get." The chances of all of us getting through this was slim. But, it's better to try and find help now, while we humans are still overpopulating the zombies. If we wait, the zombies would be all over the place.

"Are you in?" Farkle asks.

Maya looks back and forth at us. She seemed to be thinking about it. I could practically see the gears turning in her head. Her once scared look slowly turns to one of determination. "Let's do this."

Linebreak

"Cory, you have to see this!" Topanga shouts. Cory was currently relaxing on the couch, sipping on some iced tea. Auggie was running around the house, playing with a new toy that grandma gave him.

"What's so important?" Cory asks, sitting up.

"This!" Topanga shows Cory her phone. There was a headline of 'Zombie Outbreak in New York City'

Cory drops his glass of tea in shock. "How!?" He scrolls through the article, skimming the information.

This is no joke, the zombies are here in NYC. We've received reports of them and they are reproducing fast. Unfortunately, we have lost contact with everyone in the city. The power lines seem to be down. Do not fear, the government is going to fix the problem. Do not try to reenter the city. Experts aren't sure of what caused this outbreak and are currently working on an antidote for it.

"How is this possible!?" Cory exclaims.

"Oh no." Cory finally realizes something. He turns to look Topanga in the eyes. "Riley!" He shouts.