Aftermath

Prolouge

     After the disease settled we categorized ourselves into two groups. The Survivors and the Changed. People like my grandparents were lucky to have been able to hide underground  or in locked off areas before the mass spread. Only a small handful of our population were able to go into hiding. The rest of us had to wait it out and pray we wouldn't become the next victim. A lot of people died from being infected, but some of us had strong enough immune systems to fight it off. We thought the deaths were the worst part, but we were terribly wrong. In some of the victims was a special gene that instead dying they mutated into vicious, cannibalistic beasts who lived off of human flesh and organs.

     The Survivors, like me, formed large groups after everything fell apart. They began to rebuild from the ruble that was left after the government tried to fix their mistake by killing bombing cities and largely populated areas. Every government was in on the attacks together and convinced their citizens that we were at war with other countries.  We turned the ruins into large cities with a hundred foot walls around them to keep the Changed out.

      I was born in one of those cities and lived there with my family until about a year ago when I was banished. Why?  I decided to speak up against the leaders and that was never a wise choice. It used to be law that if you were still human you were allowed inside the walls and put into isolation, but then the law changed. They decided that only the pure are allowed inside. At least their definition of pure.

      I spoke against this law when There was family with small children that came to the gate needing shelter from the Changed, but they wouldn't let them in. I couldn't stand by and watch the innocents be turned away. I pushed my way past the guards of the wall which led to a fight I was determined to win. I was then banished by order of the leaders because they wouldn't have someone encouraging others to stand up for what was right.

      The worst part about that day was not only was I banished,  I was abandoned too. My family stood by and watched as I was dragged against my will and thrown out of one do the only safe places left in the world. They didn't protest, they didn't say goodbye or cry. They just watched as if I was no one. That was the day I realized just how cruel the world was and the people living here were even crueler.

     It really was survival of the fittest outside the wall. The people out here killed for territory, food, they even killed for the fun if they were in the mood. Almost everyone was alone out here. It was smarter and safer that way. You didn't have to worry about someone else slowing you down or turning on you.  I was alone for a long time until I took refuge in an abandoned house one night.

      When I entered the house I found the body of a dead man inside. His stomach was ripped open and all his organs were gone. It was a fresh kill which had me worried that there might be  Changed in the house. Quietly, I searched the downstairs and found nothing. I made my way to the second floor and checked the bedrooms and the bathroom before I made my way to the end of the hall. When I heard noises coming from the last room I reached in my bag for the pocket knife I kept. It wasn't much, but I wasn't lucky enough to have stumbled across a better weapon.

Inside I found another body laying on the ground ripped apart. My attention was pulled away from the corp when I heard another noise come from the closet. I tiptoed over the woman and made my way to the closet. I took a deep breath before I ripped the door open and raised my knife ready to attack who ever or whatever was inside, but I was shocked at what I found. Crouched in the corner, shaking and crying was a little girl. There was no way that she was older than four years old. She looked up at me, saw my knife and started to cry harder.

      "Mommy!" She screamed in between sobs. "Daddy!"

      Placing my knife back in my bag I crouched down to her level. "Shh. It's okay I won't hurt you." I cooed.

      "Where's mommy?" She asked me.

      "She... she isn't here right now, but I'm here and I can help you. No need to be scared."

      "You're a stranger. They're bad."

      "Do you think I'm bad?" I'm asked her. She tilted her head to the side and looked at me with her glossy eyes.

     "No....I think you good."

     "Good. Now we have to go, but I want you to do something for me, okay."

     "Okay," she replied not taking her eyes off me. Which is exactly what I wanted. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess her mother was the one laying on the ground only feet away.

     "I want you to close your eyes and walk over to me. And then you are going to keep them closed until I say you can open them. Okay?" I asked her and she nodded before closing her eyes and stumbling towards me with her arms out. She let out little giggles when she almost fell over which made me smile. It had been a long time since I had felt the urge to and it felt nice to smile again. When she finally got within reach I picked her up and placed her on my hip. "Gotcha. Now keep your eyes closed until I say, remember. It's like a game. Let's see if you can win." She giggled and nodded before resting her head in the crook of my neck.

     I checked the kitchen for food quickly. Luckily I came across a couple cans of soup, vegetables and fruits. Tucking them away I realized why this girls family had most likely stopped here. It was stocked and still furnished pretty well. I check a few more cabinets assuring her that she only had to wait a little long to win. When I found nothing else useful I headed for the door leaving the  girl's dead parents behind. I didn't know how I was going to accomplish it, but I was going to keep the little girl, that was now asleep in my arms, safe.