Welcome to the End

Chapter 01: Last Round

Chapter 01: Last Round

Brennan Cobb raced down the street of the decimated city, clouds of dirt and dust kicked out by the pounding steps of his heavy boots.

The buildings around him had been ravaged, either by the defenders before the city was lost, during the chaos when it fell, or when scavengers picked it clean. Not a single window had been left intact, and the steel and concrete of the structures showed bullet hits and scorch marks, silent testimony to the violence that had taken place here.

Brennan was no stranger to violence. His torn shirt and the scar he carried on his right cheek were evidence to his own close encounters over the last few years. He slid across the bent hood of a burned out police car and took cover in a doorway of what had once been a jewelry store.

He took down the rifle from his shoulder and checked it, lifting up and pulling back the bolt. It was out of ammunition, but when Brennan slammed the bolt back into place, he noticed the barrel had been bent slightly. It had probably happened when the fire escape had collapsed out from under him this morning.

Zombies had shuffled into his apartment building where he'd been taking refuge. He'd tried to thin them out, but there were too many. Trying to leave via the fire escape had been disastrous. If he'd been any higher than the second floor, he doubted the rifle would've been the only thin broken.

Dumping the ruined gun to the ground, Brennan tried to catch his breath while taking an inventory of his available supplies. His backpack was nearly empty. His first aid kit had been exhausted, and he tossed the white plastic box aside. He'd already discarded the portable stove when the fuel had run out. A half filled canteen of water and a bent can of dog food were all that remained of the consumables.

Putting one arm through the strap, he swung it onto his back. The pack was so much lighter than when he'd first started carrying it.

When the troubles had first started ten years ago, Brennan was only seventeen and had enjoyed it. A pack on his back, a knife on his hip, and a gun in his hand; he took whatever supplies were available and didn't have to pay. It was a grand adventure, even camping in the woods with his family.

His enthusiasm vanished when his dad got infected and took a bite out of Brennan's little sister. His mother had tried to separate them, but she only succeeded in getting bitten too. Brennan had been forced to shoot all three of them. He stopped enjoying the apocalypse after that.

Three months ago, he managed to find a friend from school. Their reunion was short lived as a day later, a scavenger stabbed him in the back for the supplies he carried.

Resources, what were left of them, were getting tighter as those still alive used them up or stockpiled them for future days. Brennan chuckled humorlessly at the thought that anyone still believed there were going to be future days.

Walking through the jewelry store, he looked at the glittering stones. Before the zombies arrived on scene, the gems would've been worth tens of thousands of dollars, but they weren't worth anything any more.

Brennan thought it strange how fast the world had changed. Before the zombies, people fought over things like money and jewels, but food and old clothes were thrown away without the slightest care. After the undead started their slow march across the lands, everything had reversed. He'd seen a traveler beaten to death for a half eaten sandwich the man had found in a dumpster. The sandwich had mold on it, but it was still more edible than nothing.

It was amazing the horrible things people did to one another just to live another day, even in the ruins of a broken world.

A slight scraping sound drew Brennan's attention outside, and he investigated to find a group of zombies slowly shuffling down the street. There were more than thirty of them, far more than he had ammunition to take down.