Tapered

Chapter 1

He touched my face lightly, his fingers grazing my neck. Our faces were close, I felt his breath warm on my cheek. I bit my lip looking up at his eyes, which were focused on my lips. For a minute everything was okay, no destruction, no murderers, no apocalypse. It was just me and my Jack. He was leaning further in for a kiss when we heard the cries of the murderers. They were getting closer and we had no time to spare. We had to run.

We were used to this, running town to town hoping we would be safe for a while. For the first couple months we lived with a group of people in a safe house. Unfortunately, the murderers came and killed everyone. Luckily Jack and I escaped. It was just us two. We haven't seen anyone since.

It's almost the first year anniversary since it all started. Some teenage boy got sick and went crazy. He would go around laughing and crying hysterically at people. Slowly, everyone around him started doing the same. They would be admitted to mental institutes, but then the staff would get infected too. It started to evolve, allowing the infected to talk and run. Eventually, they started killing. They would run around slaughtering anyone they could find. Tear them into shreds, eating their flesh. Just thinking about this gives me the chills.

I was home with my mom when we heard about it. Someone on the news had a story on it. Mom told me not to worry. A couple days later we were evacuated from our home and had to move north to live with my uncle Victor. On our way up, we found the safe house. We got there on my birthday, I was turning sixteen.

We stayed there happily for a couple months. We were all really close, only a couple families lived there. There were about 30 of us. There was a wall surrounding the small village. Armed men stood up there, watching out for any murderers. All the children and mothers would sleep in the basement of the largest house while all the men guarded. There is where I met my Jack.

It was past curfew. It was dangerous to be out at night. I was overwhelmed and upset so I went to the gardens to think. I sat there and cried. I was so clueless and I felt so helpless.

A handsome boy touched my shoulder right then. His eyes were a deep dark blue. Deep enough to get lost in.

"Emma, right?" He looked down at me smiling. I just nodded, staring down. I was too ashamed to look up at him, it was obvious that I was crying.

"May I sit next to you?" I nodded once more, too shy to say a word.

"You know it's past the curfew, right? It's dangerous out here. I wouldn't want you to--" that's when we heard it. The screams and laughs of the infected were quiet in the distance, slowing getting closer.

I was about to speak when he covered his hand on my mouth and whispered something very quietly in my ear, "go tell the captain. Then warn the families. Stay quiet, if they hear you or see you, they will come after you. They won't stop till they get you. I need to stay here, it's my duty."

My heart sank. I was full of adrenaline.

"What's your name?" I took his hand and looked into his eyes.

"Sergeant Motile" he paused and squeezed my hand and hesitantly whispered, "Jack Motile."

I ran as fast, and quietly, as I could. The sergeant had already been notified about the situation and he had already sent soldiers to warn the families and to secure the homes. All I could think of was Jack. I had to find him and help him. I had to make sure he was okay.