The Land of The Dead

They just kept banging on the walls and growling through the boards. The noise faded out as I stared at the blood covered face I didn't recognize in the mirror. My brown hair was now long and my skin as tan as ever. My blue/gold eyes full of hatred for the world. I recalled when this had all started.
The beginning:
I woke up to the sound of my alarm. It was a Monday which meant I had school. I got up and threw on my jeans, blue t-shirt and my soft blue jacket. I couldn't wear it in school, but I still put on my Super Man hat, which I thought looked good with my side swept, short brown hair. I unlocked my phone, checked my Wattpad, did my daily vlog on YouTube and ran downstairs.
"Today someone was attacked on the streets by a man presumed to be on bath salts, but the police will not release anymore information on the subject." The news reporter stated on the T.V.
"Brad turn that non sense off, it'll scare your sisters, and whatever it is will never make it to us." Said Mom. "It's time for you to go to school anyway." And she swept me out the door.
In gym class I was approached by John, my best friend. "Hey, Brad, did you hear about that attack? Sounds like Resident Evil or something!"
"Yeah I heard. I don't think it's anything big, I mean how could something like this just happen?" I asked him. "Let's just talk about it later."
John laughed. "Whatever, I'll just go back to being BORED!" And he went back to running.
"Ok class," Said Mr.Wagner, the science teacher. "Today we'll be looking at..." Mid-sentence the phone began to ring, " Hello?" He got a worried look on his face. "What? Ok I understand."
The principle came over the P.A., "Lockdown now, Lockdown now! This is not a drill!" The class ran into the closet and Mr. Wagner locked the door behind them. "Ok everyone remain quiet, we can watch the cameras on my laptop." He brought up a screen of the security system. "Sir, on screen 8!" A child whispered.
On the screen was a man, just standing there, no weapon, nothing. Just standing there staring at the office door. It stood there ten minutes and finally an officer ran in and shot it with his shotgun. "Woohoo!" The students whispered. But as the officer called in reinforcements, the worst happened. He stood back up. BOOM, another shot. BANG, another. The officer ran out and came back with all his comrades, spray firing with their weapons, but he just stood their until someone sent a bullet straight through his brain. Classic zombie death.
The children waited until the officers came to let them out, and let them go with their parents.
Most fled the country or hid in the shelters that the most prepared owned.
The Nelsons tried to leave the city, but sadly we were too late and had to walk after being stuck in traffic.
"Dad, we need weapons, I've seen what they do!" I yelled as we started down the highway. "Well we will have to find some!" He yelled back obviously nervous.
"You guys need some help?"
I looked up to find a big guy carrying a gun bag and some sort of multi-blade sheath. "Yes sir, we could use all the help we can get!"
"Well I've got tents and weapons and some MREs for us to share."
We got the supplies and started walking until darkness stopped us.

"Brad, get up, it's time to eat." Said a familiar voice.
"Ugh, why didn't my alarm go off?"
"Your alarm clock isn't with you." It all came flooding back... The man gunned down, the crowded high way, the camping out...
"Is everyone safe?" I asked while getting up.
"Yes, everyone is fine."
When I finally got out of the tent I was handed a can of beans.
"So, what's the plan Dad?" I asked across the campfire.
"I don't know, I kind of figured we would come up with one..." We waited for some ideas.
"How about the base?" I asked.
"What base?" He gave me a look of doubt.
"Camp Grayling is about ten miles from here. I'm sure we would be safe there."
"I don't know let me see what Michelle thinks..." He said.
"No." He looked at me with shock. "This isn't like it was before, she can't make the right choice. Who wants to go with my plan? Let's take a vote." I looked around.
Chris, the third oldest Kenzie, May who was next oldest, then Michelle and John, all of the kids voted for me.
"It's settled, we leave as soon as we are packed." And I walked to the tent to prepare.
"What was that all about?" It was Mom.
I told her, "I knew he would let her decide and I wasn't going to let him get us killed." I zipped my bag.
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!" It was one of the kids!
I sprinted to the sound with my knife at the ready, but when I got there I didn't see a dead man walking, instead there was Chris standing above a body, while holding a bloody mallet.
"Are you alright?" I asked Chris and May.
"I'm alright." Answered May.
" Good job, Bro. You're a hero." I said
"Just protecting the family." He said.
We all hurried to leave the campsite.
"How far have we gone?" Asked May.
"We are going to stop at this store up here... The Ole Dam Party Store?" We stared at eachother...
"Hahahaha, that's good I need to use the "Dam" bathroom!!!!!!"
After a few minutes we stopped laughing.
"Ok everyone be quiet, Mom you watch the kids and we will empty the store." I said. " Let's go on three. One, Two... Three!" We opened the door slowly.
"Seems to be clear." Chris crept toward another door and opened it. "Ruughhh!" A zombie tackled him to the floor. "No!" I sprinted over and kicked the zombie off of him and stabbed it in the head.
"Oh my god..." He stood up and checked himself for bites.
"We don't tell Mom." I said to him and Dad.
"Agreed." They said.
After they set up camp everyone was quiet. While everyone else was sitting by the fire I looked through the family albums mom brought.
I remembered all the good times with my family, before all this happened.
"Are you ok, Brad?" Asked John.
I looked over at my blonde little brother. My family is funny to look at because they all have many differences. My whole family had brown hair down until John who has blonde, blue eyes until Michelle with brown, May has an accent and Chris has freckles. Kenzie and I are just about identical except for our genders.
"I got scared yesterday in the lockdown..." Said John, hoping for a reply.
"That's alright." I said. " A lot of people were."
"Are you scared?" He asked.
"I... No." I lied. I didn't want him to think he had to be scared.
John smiled. "I knew you wouldn't be. You're too tough!"
I smiled at him, holding back a tear. I hated that he would have to grow up in fear.
"I'm going to sleep in your tent... If that's alright with you?"
"Just grab your sleeping bag and you can stay by the wall." I told him.
And he walked off to go to sleep.
BANG!! The front door flew open and team stepped in. "Is anyone bitten!?" Their leader asked.
"No." I said back.
They started to drop their bags. "Can we join you? We can help get food and we have weapons."
"First, what are your names?" Dad asked the leader.
"My name is, Ranae. Im 22." She said." This is my younger sister, Linea, she is 14."
Linea stepped around Ranae brandishing a cross-bow.
"I'll help you set up your tent." I said pointing her next to Kenzie's tent.
I picked up her tent and we left to set up. The adults kept talking about plans while I went to sleep.
The next morning I woke up to the sound of people laughing and talking.
"Good morning everyone." I said sitting down next to Linea and her friends.
"How did everyone sleep?"
"Pretty good... Better than we have in a while." Said Ranae from across the fire.
The night before I hadn't really gotten a good look at them, but now I can tell that Ranae has dirty blonde hair, wearing a bandanna and a camouflage t-shirt, she is holding a baseball bat and a revolver. Linea is stunning, with her brown hair in a ponytail,Detroit Tigers t-shirt and jeans. She has the same cross-bow as the night before.
"So, um, where were you headed?" Asked May.
"Well we were headed to... I actually don't know where we were going." Said Ranae."But I think we will be joining you if that's alright?" May turned around and looked at Dad.
"Dad, can the pretty ladies come with us?!?!" She asked.
I laughed. "Yeah Dad, can the pretty girls come too?"
Linea looked at me, trying to give a look of anger but failed and smiled.
"Yes, there will be room at the base."
He told us, "Which reminds me, we need to get going soon if we are going to make it today."
"Yeah, someone watch guard while the rest of us pack. We don't have much so it'll take around ten minutes."
We began to prepare for the long journey still ahead of us.
About half an hour later we set off toward the base. "Ok, does everyone have their weapons ready in case we encounter some... Zombies?" I'd never really thought about what we'd call them. "We are going to be passing by Hanson Hills, we can stop there for a while."
As we walked down the long road, I saw everyone clearer than inside the party store, and what I saw shocked me, everyone looked courageous and ready for what lied ahead. I guess that was just their hope of what was to come.
"Rrrrrrrrrrrgggghh..." I looked back and sure enough there were two zombies hobbling after us. "We got it." Said Ranae and Linea, and for the first time I saw them working together. Ranae sprinted over and kicked her zombie back, knocking it over onto a car, where she swung her baseball bat and took it's head clean off and torn into pieces. Linea, on the other hand, took her cross bow and took a long shot at hers, stopping it dead in it's tracks, pinned to a tree, where she stabbed it with her dagger.
"Whoah." I whispered, staring. "I know who I want covering my back in an attack!" I told them as they joined us again. "Thanks." Said Ranae, walking with Chris. " I think it's time to get to those hills." She said pointing left. We all turned and started on our way to our campsite.
Later, when we got there, we found a small building in front of the hills. " I'll take Linea and check the left wing, Chris and Ranae can take the right and work their way in." I said to the group. Chris and Ranae nodded and set off on their side. "Let's get started..." Linea said, holding her cross-bow at the door.
1...2...3! I kicked open the door and we stepped in, waiting briefly for any zombies. None came. We walked through the hall, hearing nothing. " Main lobby, we'll be meeting them here." We opened the door slowly, stepped in, and waited. Shortly after the door finally swung open and in came Ranae and Chris. "Anything?" They asked us. "No, you?" I answered. They shook their heads.
"GRRR" A zombie came out from behind their door and grabbed Linea. I grabbed the zombie and threw it off of her. I took my knife and stabbed it in the head. "Are... You alright? I asked, breathing heavily.
"I'm fine, thank you." She gave me a hug and walked with Ranae, to get the group. "Let's get this thing outside." I told Chris, and so we dragged him out where the kids wouldn't find him.
"Yeah, it was the bravest thing I've ever seen." Said Chris later, around the fire, after camp was finally set up.
"He saved my life." Said Linea, looking down at her cup of water. I looked at her, "I... It was nothing..." I said, thinking back to the attacks I've seen.
"You know what I can't wait for?" We all looked up. It was my mom. "A hot shower! I bet the base will have hot running water!" We all laughed remembering the time before this crap.
" Well we have barricaded the entrances, no one needs to watch guard tonight. Let's get some sleep, it'll be a long day tomorrow." I told everyone.
We all went to our tents for the night, where I drifted into a well deserved sleep...
"Is everybody ready to go?" Asked dad. It was already about 12:00 in the afternoon and we were excited to get to safety. "Before we go, we need to set positions." I said. " Chris and I will watch our backs, Linea and Ranae can lead us and the parents can watch the sides."
"Sounds good." Said Linea. "Let's get to safety!"
So we opened the doors and stepped into the spring sun.
"Hold up." Said Kenzie. "There's a zombie next to that car, I've got it."
She unsheathed her machete and jogged over to the car, her brown hair blowing in the wind. Back before all this, she wanted to look like a "nerd". She wore suspenders regularly, tucked in her shirt, skinny jeans and she picked big glasses to wear daily. Now her shirt was ripped, un-tucked and dirty.
"Guhrrrr" The zombie growled at her, and she stepped over and cut it's head in half. Her first kill...
"Good job, Kenz." I told her, staring at the zombie. She looked at it too.
" I don't think I'll ever get used to it, but whatever I've got to do, I'll do." She said to me. " It looks like he had some food in his car though." We popped the back hatch and dug around inside. A can opener, some MREs, a bunch of assorted blades and canned foods.
"We'll be set for a while as long as we ration it out." Said Linea with a smile. That smile... for some reason i just love that smile. Something that could just remind me of old life, happiness and fun. " Brad, are you ok?"
I realised i had been staring, looking like a creep probably. " Yeah, sorry, I just love your smile. It's pretty." She smiled, turned and started walking. We all followed along and soon I saw the best news ever... "Welcome to Camp Grayling"
To read more, go to the next part: Safety