The Apocalypse Adversaries

Part 1: The beginning

Logan was fourteen when the world went went to shit. Luckily for him, he was prepared. He'd always loved horror stories and movies, and he'd always loved imagining what the zombie apocalypse would be like. Since he was constantly bored, he'd made himself an apocalypse survival plan. Little did he know that one day, that very plan would save his life.

The day started like any other. He woke up at noon, made himself breakfast, got out his laptop. Just as he was about to put on some music when he noticed something. The silence in his house was almost deafening. This was definitely unusual, considering his mom, dad and brother were usually arguing by now. He climbed out of bed, checking the house for any sign of them. They usually left a note or texted him if they were going out. He glanced at a piece of paper left on his dad's work desk. Written on it was a short note that sent shivers down his spine.

"I'm sorry Logan, but we had to move quickly. Check the news. We hope to be reunited with you someday. Your supplies are in the garage. Good luck."

What the fuck. Logan didn't know what to think, so he ran to the living room and turned on the news. Almost instantly, the sounds of screams filled his ears. People were yelling, shouting, obviously terrified. Then, he saw why. They were being chased by green, rotting, grotesque creatures. They had a human physique, but they couldn't be considered human. Their eyes were white and sunken and there were tears in the skin, exposing bone under their discoloured skin and rotting flesh. It was official. The walking dead had risen.

Logan had planned for this. He ran to the garage and grabbed his biggest backpack. His supplies were all there: A battery powered radio, 2 battery powered walkie talkies, enough spare batteries to last him at least 2 years, an axe, his baseball bat, a small handgun(The gun was actually his dad's spare, and he couldn't legally use it, but something told him that no one was going to arrest him for it in these times), as many bullets as he could find, and six bottles of water. He grabbed the bag, flung it over his shoulder and ran to the kitchen. The good thing about his family abandoning him was that he only had to take care of himself. He swept all the food he could find off the shelves and into his bag. Canned food, cereal, fruit, it all went in. He was adamant that he wouldn't die of starvation in the apocalypse. Finally, he ran to his room and packed a few changes of clothes. He packed what would keep him safe and warm, a leather jacket, jogging bottoms, tshirts, fleeces. He changed his clothes to, putting on an oversized shirt and a hoodie. He flung his big coat and a blanket into his bag too. Better safe than sorry. He glanced at his phone on his bedside table. Was it worth taking it? It'd be a miracle if he found anywhere with electricity to charge it. Still, he thought it couldn't hurt and slipped it into his pocket, alongside a charger in case he did get the chance to use it.

Now all that was left to do was go. He said a silent goodbye to his childhood home, to his last scrap of safety and comfort before leaving and beginnig his journey to... well, actually, he didn't really know where he was headed. Somewhere safe, hopefully. He'd figure it out. One thing that he didn't expect was to be so aware of how alone he was. As far as he could see there was no one. I mean, Logan wasn't really much of a people person, but the silence still felt eerie. A companion would make everything maybe a little less unnerving. Isn't group survival vital in situations like this. He thought back to every apocalypse book he'd read and every game he'd played. Quickly, he made up his mind. If he was going to survive, he'd need a team. The problem is, where could he possibly find one?

After another 20 minutes of walking, he reached a large building. It looked to be a school, but it wasn't the one that he went to. This place seemed ideal. It had gates to keep it secure, plus a school that size was bound to have a lot of supplies. However, he was aware he was almost certainly not the first one to find it. The gate had already been pried open, and if he knew anything about the apocalypse, whoever was in there was probably hostile. Careful to be as quiet as possible, he closed the gate behind him, pulled his gun out of his bag and loaded it. His dad had taught him how to shoot at a range a few months ago, using bottles as practice. Was he comfortable handling a gun? Not by any means. But could he use it if he had to? Yes. 

The door he opened to enter was loud and heavy, clearly alerting anyone in the building to his presence. The gun was held tightly in his hands. He knew it was his only means of defence.

"Hello?" he called out, "I know there's someone here. Just come out and no one gets hurt". 

To emphasise his point, he cocked the gun. As he did so, he heard a clatter in a  nearby room. It sounded like it came from the room to his left, which looked to be some sort of computer lab. Alert, he moved in the direction of the room. He searched it thoroughly, checking under each desk, leading with his gun. Finally, he reached what he assumed to be the teacher's desk. He was cautious. This was most likely where whoever else was there was hiding. As he pulled the chair back to look under the desk, he heard a whimper. 

"Come out," he announced, "And no one gets hurt".

He didn't expect a response, but a soft, quiet voice whispered back to him.

"Please don't shoot"