The New World

Before

It was like any other normal day.

I got up, I showered, I got dressed, and then I headed downstairs to meet my family for breakfast. It was Christmas, so our friends from Australia were visiting us for a couple weeks. After that day I would be on break and the holiday festivities would begin.

Every other year, we go to Australia and on the opposite year, they would come to San Diego to visit us. It was my mom, my two older brothers Chase and Miles, and me. My mom's friend always brought her son Ashton to visit us whenever they could. That day particularly, Ashton offered to drive me to school so he could see his friend that he made while visiting here last time.

Everything was in balance.

Everything was normal, and everybody was safe.

Ashton led me out to the car, snapping at me for dragging my feet like he always does, and then we left. The traffic was piled up enormously, more so than usual in South San Diego. Ashton's car radio only worked some times, and fortunately, this was one of those times. He found the radio station for the news, and the usual weatherman was talking about some new form of disease traveling through water systems in California, and then he read off the time as Ashton let out a quiet 'fuck'. Cars were at a complete stop along the highway, and the school was the first exit. He looked at me, with his sparkling hazel eyes, giving me a weak smile as he ushered me out of the car to walk towards the school after pulling off to the side and parking.

I remember sitting in Chemistry when the intercom went off. We were going over some of the safety precautions needed to ensure we wouldn't get this strange mystery disease that didn't have a vaccination quite yet. The small ding went off, causing everyone to look around as the principal tried to clear his shaky voice. He repeated the words "Please remain calm," several times, letting out more stale breaths. He was explaining the steps of the lock down drill, and the teacher all made us rise from our seats and head towards the door.

That's when it happened.

That's when the glass of the window smashed, the piercing sound causing a wave of shock to course through everybody simultaneously, curious eyes peering over to the shimmering pieces scattered across the black counter and floor. For the first time, I made eye contact with the lifeless orbs sitting inside of the rotting skull of the human desperate for his own kind. His grey hairs were wiry and strung around his purple skin, withering over his bones. I almost heard the pleading gasp from his lips emit a 'help', but then he grabbed at the counter so forcefully all signs of life were blown away by the crowd shoving and pushing and screaming. Within seconds, I was on the floor, people kicking and screaming as finally, the dead man made it into the building. He stumbled and crawled towards me as I sat in shock, feeling my heart pounding as I watch him, seeing the man who always checked us out at the grocery store with a pleasant smile on his face, his teeth no longer straight and friendly, but falling out of his skull and rotting around his gums. He snapped and launched towards me with the hunger of an animal. Hands wrapped underneath my arms and I was dragged away, a scream finally emitting from my lips as I kicked away from the one trying to eat me. I snapped my head around, my hair loose from my ponytail covering my shoulders and neck as I looked back, seeing two blue eyes and a head of black hair. I felt something click in my brain, like I was supposed to know his name. Instead of trying to find it in all the scrambled thoughts running through my brain, my mind just kept replaying the picture of the dead orbs staring at me with hunger. I finally screwed open my eyes and I looked around, feeling the crisp air hitting me as more bodies collided into mine.

Michael. His name was Michael.

I looked around, feeling his arm wrapped around my waist keeping me up as I see Ashton runs up to us and grabs my arm, my body tingling from the sensations of pulling and tugging at my body. Once I was on my feet and running towards the highway where the car was, I feel the burn in my right ankle as I gasp, seeing the purple and blue spots forming on my foot. Amazingly, we found the old black jeep and two more people found us. Michael was still following us, Ashton's sweaty hand wrapped through mine as the man and woman approached us, gasping for air and crying. I stopped, ready to help, but Ashton pulled me along, the woman's hand grabbing my arm as the color in her eyes was faded into a glassy green. Her nails ripped at my skin and I watched her fade away, the car disappearing with her. We ran up the steps of our home, seeing the door busted open and glass from the door scattered on the ground. There was an order to pack everything I could find, my body reacting and bursting into my room while grabbing my things before my mind could keep up.

What did I need? Clothes. I needed clothes.

There were more voices downstairs, I think it was Ashton's friend from back home that came to visit the states, Luke. As I tried finding things I needed, there were shouts downstairs and I froze, only my knees shaking as Ashton screamed. I ran down the stairs, stopping as I see more people with purple, blotchy skin swarming the living room. Luke was rushing up the stairs towards me, and I was again grabbed and pulled into my mom's room. Luke smashed in the window, and childishly, my mind first went to the thought, my mom is going to be so pissed. Luke climbed out first to help me, but soon his eyes weren't on me, they were on something snarling behind me. My heart pinched as the stomps became closer, and Luke's hands wrapped around mine, dragging me out as the exposed glass ripped at my slick skin. I felt the gash immediately start flowing with blood, but Luke was forcing my feet to move. I felt the gutter snap at the top of my converse, and Ashton was waiting in a red jeep wrangler, the top of it resting a couple feet below me. It looked like my neighbor's, his name was Kyle. He was in my English class. You would've thought in a time like this, he would've needed his car. I shimmied to sit on the edge of the roof, Luke jumping down to open his arms to me. I saw his distraught eyes staring up at me, his blonde hair falling around his face as blood and different things covered his arms, my heart pinching as I questioned to myself whether it was all his or not. I fell on top of the car and I was guided to the sun roof, falling down on to the plush seat as I let out a heavy gasp. Searching desperately for a sign of any explanation, I saw soldiers in all black body suits walking around and pulling people from their homes, using a can of spray paint to label the house, which was flooding with people running out and being shoved, 'EVACUATED'. Kyle's once peaceful looking house was now shattered and broken, and I saw a boy lying on the porch with his fingers wrapped loosely around a gun, his brown hair matted to the back of his head and the poo of crimson on the light blue deck. I looked back, for the first time seeing the big, bold spray painted words across the front of our house saying 'EVACUATED'. I felt the same pinching feeling in my chest as I saw my mom's car sitting in the driveway still. I felt the tears prick my eyes, but I swallowed the knot in my throat. Even then, something inside of me forced myself to suppress the emotion boiling inside of me, because crying over my family would not bring them back. I had to be okay with the fact that they were gone.

This was my family now.