Zombies Happened

Chapter 1

The day it happened, Stacy had just finished an intense workout. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she caught her breath on the couch, mindlessly flipping through channels. She should have felt relaxed, but a nagging sense of unease tugged at the edges of her mind. She brushed it off—until something on the screen made her freeze.

She quickly flipped back to the channel, heart racing as she turned up the volume.

“We advise you to lock yourselves and your families in your homes and await further instructions.”

Stacy leaned forward, her eyes glued to the screen. The news anchor’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke, standing in front of the White House. Behind her, chaos erupted—people screaming, running, protesting. Stacy’s pulse quickened. She recognized that look of fear on the anchor’s face; it was the same look she’d seen in her own eyes every time she’d imagined this moment. The anchor continued, her voice shaky, “We’re not entirely sure if the outbreak is worldwide or confined to certain areas. As you can see, some have decided to protest right outside the president’s residence. So far, there has been no response—”

Suddenly, a man lunged at the anchor from behind, his jaws clamping down on her shoulder. The anchor’s scream pierced the air, blood spraying as she struggled to break free. The camera jerked wildly as the cameraman fled, and then the screen went black.

Stacy’s stomach dropped. It was real. The day she’d always known would come was finally here. A cold dread settled over her, but beneath it, a flicker of something else—validation. She wasn’t crazy. She had been right all along. But there was no time to dwell on it.

She snapped into action, moving with the precision of someone who had rehearsed this moment a thousand times in her mind. She grabbed her cell phone, her keys, and a coat, throwing it over her workout clothes as she bolted for the door. Her hands were steady, her mind clear. She knew exactly what needed to be done.

She sprinted to her customized Jeep, her fingers already dialing her mom’s number. She’d drilled this into herself—call her parents first, get them to safety. The phone rang as she hit the automatic gate controller, the heavy steel gate creaking open. She jumped into the driver’s seat, glancing at the fortified fence surrounding her property. It felt surreal to leave the safety of her home, but she knew she had to. She couldn’t abandon her parents.

Her Jeep roared to life, the engine growling as she tore down the driveway. The moment she was clear, she hit the button to close the gate, watching in the rearview mirror as it clanked shut, sealing off her sanctuary.

Her Jeep wasn’t just any vehicle—it was a fortress on wheels. Over the years, she’d poured every spare dollar and ounce of ingenuity into it. The windows were reinforced with the most durable, bulletproof glass available. But that was just the beginning. She’d rigged it with hidden gadgets, defenses that could turn her Jeep into a rolling weapon. With a single push of a button, dozens of blades could spring out from various parts of the Jeep, including the rims—sharp, deadly, and capable of cutting through anything that tried to stop her.

As she sped down the road, her mind raced. She tried her mom’s number again, glancing nervously at the sky. It was too quiet. The world outside looked eerily normal, but Stacy knew it wouldn’t last. She had seen enough movies and read enough books to know how quickly things could unravel. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel as the call went to voicemail once more. The voice that had always comforted her in times of need now only deepened her fear. Where were they? Why weren’t they answering?

She pressed harder on the gas, her Jeep eating up the miles as she hurtled toward her parents’ house. Memories flashed through her mind—her dad teaching her how to drive, her mom fussing over her during family dinners, the way they had always looked at her with that mix of love and worry, unable to understand her obsession but loving her all the same. She couldn’t lose them. Not now.

Stacy’s eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. The road behind her was empty, but her gut told her that wouldn’t be the case for long. She wasn’t the only one who would be out here, trying to reach loved ones, trying to find safety. But she had an advantage—she was prepared. Every part of her life had led to this moment, and she wasn’t going to let it slip through her fingers.

As she neared the edge of town, the first signs of chaos began to appear. Cars abandoned in the middle of the road, doors left open as if their occupants had fled in a hurry. A small grocery store had its windows shattered, the door hanging off its hinges. Stacy swerved around the debris, her heart pounding in her chest. It was starting. She could feel it—the slow, inevitable unraveling of everything people had taken for granted.

The houses she passed were eerily quiet, blinds drawn, doors shut tight. Were they hiding? Or had they already fallen victim to the outbreak? Stacy didn’t want to think about it. All that mattered was getting to her parents.

She hit redial for the fourth time, this time leaving a message. “Mom, Dad, it’s happening. I’m on my way to you. Don’t go outside, don’t let anyone in. I’ll be there soon.” Her voice was steady, but inside, a storm was raging. She had to get to them before it was too late.

The familiar turn onto her parents’ street came into view, and Stacy’s breath caught in her throat. Smoke billowed in the distance, thick and black, rising from what she feared was the direction of their home. Panic clawed at her, but she forced it down, focusing on the road ahead. She couldn’t afford to lose control now.

As she rounded the corner, her worst fears were confirmed. Her parents’ house was still standing, but the smoke was coming from their neighbor’s place, flames licking at the roof. The street was a mess of overturned trash cans, scattered belongings, and a sense of abandonment that chilled her to the bone.