Night's Masque

Chapter 1

April 2nd, 2021.
The Shadow Virus has taken over the news. I was with my aunt in Africa when I found out that it had spread from China to America. I jumped on the next plane and rushed home. When I got there, the neighborhood was eerily quiet.

OK...not creepy at all...

I went up to the house and knocked. "Mom? Dad? Wesley?" I called to my parents and younger brother, but no one answered.

I took out my house keys and opened the door. "Hello? Is anyone home?" I asked, but again no answer. I closed the door and walked through the entire house, but I was the only one there.

Oh no...they can't be...

I went up to my parents' room and saw some clothes and pictures were missing. I relaxed a little. "They're alive and safe," I told myself, though there was still doubt in my mind.

I went to my room and got my backpack. I got extra clothes and supplies. Then, I put a sheath on my back and grabbed my favorite weapon: double katana. I put a holster onto my belt, then got my Glock 43 and as much 9mm ammo as I could find. I loaded the gun and put the safety on before putting it away. After getting everything I thought I'd need, I said one last goodbye to the home I'd known my whole life, then set out. To be completely honest, I was a bit nervous and scared. I knew what the Virus did to people, even though I hadn't seen the effects with my own eyes but I had a feeling I would very soon.

As I walked along, I found a bike. However, sitting up against a tree nearby was a little girl. She appeared to be sleeping. I froze and gulped. Her clothes looked ragged and dirty. Was she alive, or was she...gone? I slowly approached the bike and carefully stood it up. I got on, all while not taking my eyes off the girl. A part of me wanted to go over and see if she was ok.

That's probably not a good idea, but what if she really needs help?

I sighed and got the kickstand on the bike out. Then I went over. "Excuse me, little girl? Are you ok? Do you need help?" I asked cautiously.

Her dark brown hair was all tangled and her skin was pale. When I got no response, I picked up a stick and poked her with it. Immediately, her eyes shot open with a snarl. I yelled and fell back in surprise. I scrambled to get up as she stood too. I quickly took out my gun and shot her in the head just as she was about to attack me. She fell to the ground, dead. I took a deep breath. It was then that I realized my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking.

I-I just...killed someone...calm down. It's ok, she was gone.

No matter how much I tried to justify it though, I still felt guilty. It took me a few moments to fully calm down. "It's ok, I have to move on. I'll deal with this later. I have to find my family, or at least shelter for tonight," I told myself as I got back on the bike. I looked at the little girl one last time. "I'm sorry," I said solemnly before riding off.

---

It had been a few days since I set out to search for my family. I had found an apartment complex. I made one of the apartments into a temporary base. At night, I covered the windows and kept as silent as possible. I had discovered that the zombies are more active at night, and that they are sensitive to movements and touch. I had become used to killing them. When I think about it, it sounds really bad, like I'm a murderer but at the same time I know I have to if I want to stay alive and that any doubt would surely cost me my life, just like it almost had once before.

It was eight in the morning, the time I always go out. I grabbed my weapons and went out to scavenge for more supplies. I locked the apartment door, then cautiously went downstairs. I hadn't seen any zombies in the building yet, but that doesn't mean they can't find a way to come in. I got to the front and after making sure the coast was clear, I went out. It seemed like no zombies were in the area, but I knew from experience that they could just be sleeping in the shade or wandering around somewhere that was out of my line of sight, so I was always very alert. After a few moments, I heard a hoard of zombies. I was about to ignore it and just keep moving when I heard someone cry out for help.