Rise of the Undead

Undead: Intro

She shuffled around in the back seat. The window rolled down creating a strong breeze. Enchanted by the power of sleep. She lay there, not completely motionless, but sound asleep. 

He drove carelessly down the long stretch of empty highway. He chewed on his thumbnail as he swerved. His thoughts taking over his every being. Consumed with his torturous mind. 

Stars spotted the sky in all directions. The crescent moon shined its light across the land. The bitter air was layered over the desert ground. The night had fallen upon them.

 Stranded souls, lost within darkness. Death is staring them straight in the face. They refuse to die, but how long until their will fades. 

The world consumed with horror. Cities painted with blood. Lifeless, rotting corpses layering the streets. Psychopaths prey off the innocent lives still struggling to survive. 

The evil they face is from forces unknown. This is not a virus or a plague. This is a vicious form of annihilation. Lifeless bodies shrouded in the swelling darkness. Flesh still rotting away. No remorse, no love, its pure evil.

"We are going to die. There is nothing I can do. I can't save her or myself. Where do I even go? What do I do? We might as well just kill ourselves now. What am I saying? How could I ever let that happen. I can't just let Anna die! I will save her. I don't know how, but I will find away to keep her safe."

Sweat dripped down his chin, leaving tiny spots of liquid on his shirt. His grip on the steering wheel strained his muscles. His eyes were shaking, their hazel color reflected pain. Blood silently slithered down his arm. He has faced death.

Her eyes twitched underneath her eyelids. A strand of her dark, wavy hair rest down the middle of her face. Dry blood splattered across her skin. Even while asleep she is frantic. Not knowing what will happen. The ones she has lost, the ones she will never see again. Nothing can change that, nothing.

A rest stop known as the "Waterhole" appeared down the horizon. A small light flickered on and off. The red SUV he was driving tore through the asphalt. Bits of rock would ricochet behind the tires as he slid into the gravel driveway. Smoke littered the air around them.

"Anna, wake up." he alerted her. His eyes fixated on the tiny rest stop. 

She jumped from her seat. Her hands clenched the fine leather. "Where are we?" she asked.

"I'm not sure" his voice trembled as he spoke.

"Are we safe?" she asked searching for comfort.

"I don't know" he said. His thoughts kept playing back to the gruesome events that took place earlier. 

"What are we going to do?" she begged for an answer. Her eyes displayed sadness as if they were a fine painting.

"I don't know Anna! Just let me think!" he shouted. He shook his head violently, then felt a rush of guilt. "I'm sorry. Its just everything that's happened. I don't know if I can handle it." he said.

"We can make it. I know we can. There has to be some place safe. There just has to." she said. Her hands slowly caressed her legs. There was a numb feeling from the way she was sleeping. "John?" she asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Stay in the car! Lock the doors! I'll be right back." John said fiercely. 

"Wait! What are you doing?" Anna called. He was already stepping out of the vehicle. The engine rumbled softly and the lights shined perfectly into the small shack. "John!" she called again. 

He didn't answer. He slowly slid his feet across the loose dirt. Sweat began to drip from his pores. A sign hanging near the door rocked back and forth. The words were unrecognizable. Tattered from the desert air. His feet clomped down on the rotted steps. Creak after creak he reached the door.

Anna crawled her way to the front seat. Her eyes peered deep into John's shadow. Slowly he faded into the dark. 

An overwhelming smell of death swarmed John's nostrils. Fatigue swelled inside him. Parnoia was an unhelpful partner for his small quest. "Hello?" he called out, "Is anyone here?" His feet stumbled and he fell to the floor. The moon light shined through a broken window, layering John's skin with light. His eyes cast forward and what he saw made his heart stop.

Lying there, silent as stone, there was a body. Bathed in blood and a putrid black liquid. Its eyes were hollow and dark. Its as if once you gaze into them you will lose yourself forever. Its flesh was tattered and torn. Bits of organs slipped through its gaping wounds. This was the undead.