The Virus

The virus... No one knew what caused it, or how it started, or who patient zero was, but the virus came, and it was deadly. The starting symptoms were usually just a cough, so no one thought anything of it at first. Then people began to develop small black bumps on their face and neck. It was almost like a new form of acne. People also developed high fevers. Then it just went downhill from there. People began to start becoming wild with unpredictable behavior. There were many reports of people gaining extreme cases of Dermatophagia, which is a disorder where people eat or bite their fingers. Thousands of people began dying of the virus. Supposedly, 30% of the population of the earth had the disease. As time continued on, and more people died, things got even worse. The dead, began to come back. They were a straight up from a Hollywood horror film, doing everything that was predicted. The dead began to eat living creatures. If you got bit, you only had about eight hours left of your life. Then, you became one of them... We call them the infected.

My name is Jose Gutierrez, and I'm fifteen years old. I'm quite tall, standing at six feet, which is pretty substantial for my age. However, despite being tall, I'm very light. I only weigh about one hundred and thirty five pounds. My skin is a healthy tan color, mostly because I'm of hispanic descent. My eyes are a grey color, which I find kinda cool, but some people have said that it's creepy. My hair is a deep black color, and it's quite thick and wavy. It falls just about shoulder length. (Don't ask me why I like my hair long. I just do.)

I'm also one of the few survivors of the virus. I grew up in the city of St. Louis, living with my parents in a two bedroom apartment. I was an only child. When the virus began to turn the dead to the undead, my parents and I tried to escape, but my parents didn't even make it down to the lobby. I somehow was able to escape my apartment without a bite, and I hastily fled the area, watching as others attempted to drive away from the infected. The first place I thought to go to was my friend Rochelle's house. She lived about a mile from me at the time, but I was a pretty fast sprinter, so I made it there in only about five minutes. I ran up her front steps and up to her front door. I was just about to knock when she quickly opened the door, and yanked me inside. She then bolted the door shut, and handed me a hammer.

"Use this to kill anything that tries to break in 'ere. I'll get some supplies ready. Just 'ang tight." She stated before running to the kitchen.

She grabbed two sling bags, and began to fill them with foods that were loaded with preservatives. She then put three waters bottles in each slingbag. I wasn't exactly sure how long three water bottles would last us, but I didn't bother questioning her. She then put on one of the sling bags, and picked up the other, bringing it over to me. I put on the slingbag slowly. It wasn't terribly heavy, but I figured that it would definitely be an inconvenience to travel with. Rochelle then lead me upstairs, and to the entrance to her attic. She pulled down the stairs, then both she and I went up. She then closed the door of the attic, making us completely sealed in. Thankfully, it wasn't pitch black, for there was a stained glass window on one end of the attic. The glass was a brilliant pattern of a flower growing from the ground.

Rochelle and I had been friends since Kindergarten. She's a fourteen year old girl who grew up in the ghettos of St. Louis. She's much shorter than me, for she only stands at five foot three, and weighs only about one hundred pounds. Her skin is a cocoa brown, with matching, gorgeous brown eyes. Her curly, thick black hair falls just past shoulder length. She also has a thick inner-city accent

"Hand me your hammer." Rochelle commanded, holding her hand out.

I did as she asked. Rochelle then took my hammer and went over to the slanted ceiling of the attic. She then started smashing the ceiling, breaking off bits of wood at a time. The sound of the banging was so loud, I was almost certain that it would attract the infected.