The Apocalypse: Shelter

Chapter 1: After

Nick's POV

Rain. Rain pours down on me like a cloak. Covers me. It feels good. It has not rained since the End. That is what I call it now. The moans and groans of zombies surround me. They don't phase me anymore. I have somewhat gotten used to it. I walk down Dogwood Ave... alone. I would have gotten here earlier if it wasn't for all the detours we had to make. It has been a week since the school got overrun. I have not seen Riely, Mickey, Lauren, or anybody since then.

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We turn back one last time to see the school. I see Lauren run to her friend Amanda Bennet. Hopefully she is safe. We keep running. Riely and I start to lose our breath. We pant and wheeze behind Mickey.

"I think we should slow down," I say

"Why," Mickey says, "There's still a lot to go!"

"I'm getting tired," Riely says.

"Yeah," I say, "Me too."

"Come on," Mickey says, stil running, "We just started."

"How 'bout we slow down for a little now," I say, "and start running after we catch our breath."

"Fine," Mickey says reluctantly as she slows down.

Riely and I catch up to Mickey. We walk side by side as the night grows sooner.

"You think we'll ever see them ever again," Riely says.

"I don't know," I say honestly.

"Well I hope we do," Mickey says.

"Yeah," I say, "Me too."

I think about being alone in this world. Hopefully that will never happen. Maybe I will be the one leaving someone alone. I don't like to think about that. Right now I have these two. Right here. Right now. I do not like to think about the future. I think about the present. Because thinking about the future means you are wishing your life away or not appreciating what you have in the present. And what I have right now in this world is pretty good.

"Wanna start running some more?" Riely suggests.

"I guess," I say.

"Alright," Mickey says, "Let's get going!"

We run into the night. I do not hear anymore screams or yells of the distressed. I still hear the moans and groans of the zombies around me. We turn right to see a horde of zombies in front of us. They start coming towards us. A look of horror appears on all of our faces. We know what could happen.

"Go back!" I say.

We all turn around and run the other way. We will have to figure out how to get to Lafwood this way. More zombies come towards us. The other horde is advancing quickly.

"What are we going to do?" Riely asks.

"We have to run through them," I say.

Then I get an idea.

"Everybody find a zombie, kill it, then spread the blood and stuff on yourself," I say.

"Why?" Riely asks, "That's gross."

"The zombies will not come at us if we smell like them," I say, "They only come at us if we smell like humans."

"Eew" Riely moans

I glare at her "It's the only way we're going to survive"

"Fine," Riely agrees reluctantly.

I find a lone zombie in a yard. I run to it. Mickey finds a zombie stumbling towards her, stabs it in the head, and spread the blood and guts on herself. Riely has a look of disgust on her face as she does the same. I do it too.