Playing With Death - Part 20: The Decision

Cody sat back. How was he supposed to respond to this? A safe place for his younger siblings... or a life on the road, on the run from the un-dead demons that ruled the earth? He had been out and about long enough to know that somewhere safe and sound... being taken care of... all of it... would be the most comforting thing to hear right now.

"I understand if you all need some time to think about it." Jeremiah said.

Trev nodded. "Well... only one of us needs to think about it..."

All eyes went to Cody.

"Aw geez..." Cody said, feeling instantly uncomfortable. He stood up. "Lemme step outside a moment."

***

Cody leaned on the second story balcony. The cool air hit his face, and he smiled. The cold weather was his favorite. He had always wished he lived up north, maybe Michigan, where it was much colder than down here in Texas during Autumn and Winter. He even knew some people up there he could stay with. Maybe he and the gang would head up there eventually and see if they were okay...

He shook his head quickly. He needed to stay focused. He looked down at his hand. Shaking... again... if the walkers didn't get him, his anxiety would. Then who would watch out for the littler ones? Would it be a good idea to send the littles away?

***

Blair looked over to see Cody tromp down the stairs. She walked over before he reached the group. "Hey," she said. "You alright, Bambi?"

Cody smiled. That was his nickname she had given him a year ago, Bambi the Blondie, after they became better friends. "Yeah... I think so. Just... do you think it'd be a good idea for the little guys to go there?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should check it out first?"

"That's what I was thinking." He walked into the living room. "Jeremiah... I want to see the place first."

Jeremiah nodded. "I figured as much." He grabbed his backpack. "Grab a couple of your buddies and I'll show it yo you."

Cody hoped all that Jeremiah said was true. Otherwise...

Well. Cody didn't want to think about the extremes right now. He'd rather not use his machete on the living. Not yet.

Lion Heart

Hello, I am a new author, The Ranger.

I wont say much about myself except that i love sports, I am a Marvel fan, and I was asked to write here by my friend, Ryan. 

I will be writing the series, Lion Heart, and the first part will be posted on Thursday, February 18th for all who are interested. Please come check it out after the release and tell me what you think! 

Dark Legends - Part 5: Twitch

He didn't want to be here. Ever since he stepped foot in his new home, he felt like he didn't belong here. He didn't feel like he belonged anywhere.

"Hey," his younger brother said, "We'll be alright here. I'm sure you'll get used to the place." He smiled and walked inside. His name was Liu. and he was barely twelve.

Jeff nodded. "Maybe. We'll see." Jeff was fourteen.

It was just the two of them and their parents. Their father's work took them here, and they were forced to move.

A few day after they moved in, Jeff and Liu went to their new school for the first time. They enjoyed it, made some friends, and Jeff started to feel like he could make this work.

A month passed. Jeff and Liu were waiting for the school bus when they heard three skateboards zoom towards them. It was the school bullies, Kieth and Troy, led by Randy. "Hello, Jeff." Randy taunted. "I think you know what we want."

Jeff sighed. "And what would that be?"

Randy scoffed. "Cash... money... the green stuff... shall I spell it out for you more, toddlers?"

Liu faced him. "Dude, just walk away. We're not giving you any."

Randy grabbed Liu's collar. "Oh?? Is that so?" he chuckled.  "Boys?" At Randy's signal, both Kieth and Troy pulled out knives. "Cash or guts, kiddies. It's up to you."

***

Jeff awoke with a start, sitting straight up. He put a hand to his face.

He was sweating.

He stood up and shook himself off. He shouldn't be having these dreams. He had forgotten about his past, and he didn't want to start remembering it now. Not all of it. The bullies... the party... the fire... the hospital... the following night... He remembered those things, though it was a blur in his head.

Jeff had spent the night in the alley... again. Maybe he'd get a motel room in a few nights... drag a prostitute along with him... and laugh at the motel manager from a distance as they tried to figure out who gutted her. Oh that was always fun.

A chill went down his spine. He quickly looked around him. He left the alley to look around the street. "What the hell was that..." he shrugged and turned around to enter the alley again.

He froze.

A man stood at the end of the alley, staring at him. "Hiiiiiiii Jeeeffff." His hair was a bit messy, but what really distracted Jeff were the goggles he wore. Currently they hung from his neck.

Jeff was at a loss as to what to do. Here was this random guy, who knew his name, just standing there... staring at him.

"Geez, you gonna get in the alley already? I don't have all day Jefferey."

Jeff slowly walked in, his hand now on the knife hidden in his pocket.

"Oh for- don't pull that out. I don't need to deal with that s*** today." The man said, suddenly twitching quickly. "I'm just here to talk with you."

Jeff stopped walking. "What do you mean?"

The man smiled. "I mean I need a favor of you." He started to walked towards Jeff, revealing two hatchets. "You're good at what you do. Really good. So I... well... we need you to take care of someone coming into town soon."

Jeff scoffed. "Why the hell would I do anything for you? What's in it for me?"

"I'll tell you who's been doing the extra killings."

Jeff's eyes squinted. "You know who?"

"Yep, and where she is."

So it's a girl... Jeff thought a moment.

"Tic Tock, Jeff. I don't have all day. I got a drunkard a few blocks down I need to take care of."

Jeff nodded. "Okay. I'll take the job."

"Heh. Good."

"But what's your name?"

The man's neck twitched. "Toby. Or as some like to call me, Ticci Toby."

Dark Legends - Part 4: Like Clockwork

Jane sat in the dark alleyway, alone again with her thoughts... just like always. It didn't really bother her much, she just wished for a... companion. Maybe she'd find herself a hell-hound. She chuckled at that thought, as she lay against a brick building, resting.

It had been a couple days since she had killed Candace. She had hoped it would get Jeff's attention, but so far there was no word. Only that everyone blamed Jeff for the murder.

Someone walked into the alley. Jane wasn't concerned, she just continued to rest.

Then she heard the sound.

Tic... Toc... Tic... Toc...

The sound came from whoever entered the alley. From what she could tell, it was a girl, no older than fifteen or sixteen. She sat down on the opposite side of the alley, on Jane's right., and a long sigh escaped the girl's mouth. The shadows cast in the alley only allowed Jane to see the bottom half of her face. The girl was smiling.

Tic... Toc...

Jane watched her closely, trying to find out where the ticking was coming from. She almost jumped when she heard the girl speak.

"You seem... annoyed."

Jane didn't answer.

The girl chuckled. She looked straight at Jane, however, Jane still couldn't make out the top half of her face. "What's your story, hm?" The girl inquired.

"What's it to you..." Jane said darkly, almost murmuring.

"What is it to me? Oh everything. And nothing. I don't really care. I just like to get to know a person before I-" she stopped mid sentence.

"What's your issue?" Jane asked.

"You're Jane."

"How did you-"

"I can feel your awful presence. It's disgusting." She spat to her left. "The black man told me about you."

The black man. Jane knew what she was talking about. The black man who haunted people's dreams, the demon king of the forests. "Uhg, you're one of his puppets, aren't you?"

The girl only smiled wider. "Either way,.. now that we've met, I'd like to warmly tell you to stay out of my way."

Jane stood up. "Oh no. You stay out of my way, b****. I so much as see you around my victim when I'm there, I swear to god, I'll cut you open, slowly."

The girl just kept smiling. She stood too, and her face was finally revealed. Jane almost gasped at what she saw. Where the girl's left eye should be... was a clock, from what was probably a wristwatch. "I guess time will tell... won't it?" She turned her back on Jane, and started to leave. She stopped half way out, and said one last thing. "Oh... by the way... you can call me Clockwork." And with that, she exited the alley.

Jane stood there, not sure what to do with herself. Clockwork... that girl threw her off. She didn't know how to react around her.

It probably wouldn't be the last she'd see of her.

Playing With Death - Part 19: The Offer

Kimberly opened her eyes... and immediately regretted it.

"EEK!!!" She screamed, as she saw a face looking straight down at her. Somehow, Kimberly fell out of the bed. Hitting her head, she became slightly dazed, and became aware of her surroundings.

It was Jen. She had been sitting right next to her on the bed, staring down at her.

"Jen! WHY."

Jen simply jumped off the bed and sat next to her. "Rose sent me inside. I'm bored, Kimby."

Kim sighed. "Well... I'm going to get dressed. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Jen nodded quickly.

"Course you have... kay gimme a minute." She stood Jennifer up, walked her out of the room, and closed the door. "I'll be out in just a sec Jenny."

Jen smiled. "Kay kay!"

Kimberly was half tempted to just go back to bed. She didn't want to deal with Jen. and she didn't want to deal with today. She'd been dealing with this past week already, and it was wearing on her. Running around, killing dead things, looking for food and supplies... it was so exhausting. Why couldn't this all just be a dream or something? Sure, it'd be a traumatizing nightmare, but at least none of it would be real.

But it was. It was a living nightmare. And she couldn't do anything about it.

She quickly got dressed, threw her hair up in a pony tail, and grabbed her bow. She could take Jen hunting today. Maybe she could teach her how to be quiet.

She went downstairs and in to the kitchen. Blair had breakfast on the counter: waffles. "Morning, Kimberly." she said.

"Morning." Kim replied. She grabbed on of the plates set out and threw a couple waffles on. They were good enough to have just by themselves, so she just ripped off little pieces and popped them in her mouth.

"Goin' hunting today?" Blair asked.

Kim simply nodded. "Gonna take Jen with me."

"YAY!" the scream of excitement came from the living-room. Jen came bursting in, just about running into a wall. "I'm gonna go hunting!"

"Good luck." Blair said, knowingly.

"Yeah, I'll need it." Kim said sighing. She turned to Jennifer. "Alright look... today I'm going to take you hunting. But that means you have to be super duper quiet. Whispering and such. No loud noises. That means no chainsaw."

Jen cocked her head.

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "No chainsaws."

Jen still looked confused. The her eyes widened. "Oh! You mean George!"

Kim nodded, making sure she stayed patient. "Yeah, we don't bring George when we hunt."

Jen nodded. "Okay."

Kim sighed once more. "Come on."

***

The man in the field slowly walked over. Rose regretted going outside without a weapon of some sort, but she was confident she could manage this.

"Hi." she said, when he was within talking distance of her. "What's your name?"

"Jeremiah!" he said. "Yours?"

"Rose."

He was just across the street now, and that's where he stopped. "I'm not here to cause trouble."

Rose nodded. "Well that's good, if you really aren't." she heard the door open and close behind her.

"No. We cook them first, then we eat them." Kimberly was saying as she walked up next to Rose. She was addressing Jennifer. She turned. Upon doing so, she flung out her bow and notched an arrow. "Who's that, Rose?"

"His name is Jeremiah. He says he doesn't mean us any harm."

"Right..." Kim said, "But is that true?"

Rose shrugged. "Jen. Go fetch Trevor."

In moments, Trevor was outside. "Jeremiah, eh? I'll go have a chat." He said this, letting his machete swing freely.

Kimberly sat on the bench. She hoped this 'Jeremiah' would be on his merry way soon. She didn't want anyone new. She was just now getting a handle on how many there were in the group already. Before she knew it though, Trevor and Jeremiah were walking towards the house together. Oh terrific...

***

Everyone sat in the living-room, Jeremiah standing in the center. "I'm a scout. For the government. I'm out and about trying to find anyone under the age of 9 - 12 to take back to our secure facility." He looked intently at the younger audience. "We can do safe, non harming tests. Nothing is done to the children, other than taking their blood once, and they'd be very safe."

"Why the kids?" Cody asked.

"They're not infected."

A silence hit the room.

Jeremiah continued. "There are scientists who were in a concealed environment, and have not had contact with the infected. They're the ones working on a cure. Their theory is that they can find it in non-infected blood."

"Hold on. Hold on just a dang second." Jordan said, his hand up. "What do you mean? I'm not infected..." he swept his hand across the room. "No one here is infected. Do you see anyone trying to eat flesh!?"

"Oh yes you are. And so am I." Jeremiah said sternly. "The minute you die... you start to turn. The only way you don't turn is a bullet through the head."

Again, the room became silent.

"The cure... if we can find a cure... we can fix everyone up. Make everyone immune to the infection. Stop the spread. Save the world." Jeremiah smiled at himself. "So here's my offer: I take those four..." he pointed to Tyler, Rose, Jack, and Lucy, "And we take a little blood and give them a safe, secure place to stay."

Cody sat back. He had a decision to make: keep his siblings in a dangerous cruel world run by the dead... or give them a better chance to live.

Kimberly frowned. She was sure that Cody was ready to wake up from this nightmare, just as much as she did.

Dark Legends - Part 3: Lana and the Tree

It was a Thursday, 10:45 Pm. Sixteen year old Lana was walking through the woods. No, her mother didn't know she sneaked out, or that she sneaked out almost every night to be out here. She couldn't. It was her only escape from people... from problems... from life in general.

She tromped through the woods, walking deeper and deeper into it's heart. She came across a small gorge, where she had placed a log across it, having grown tired of climbing down and up the gorge just to cross it. She easily ran across the placed log, having crossed it multiple times and mastering her balance.

She went a bit farther until she came across a tiny, abandoned house. It's windows were still intact, and were sparkling clean. Lana had brought some all-purpose out here to shine them up. The door was still a bit dirty, but that was her next project. Besides the windows, she had scraped the walls of the moss, dirt, and fungi, as well as clearing brush against the house. The roof, she had given up on until she could find an easier way to get up there.

Walking inside, she surveyed her safe-haven. The door opened into the small living room. To the left was the dining room and an open kitchen, a door in the dining-room led to the bathroom. A door on the right side of the living room led into the only bedroom in the house. It had it's own bathroom, but unlike the one in the dining room, this had a bathtub. A door at the opposite end of the living-room led to a small back porch with an overhang.

This was her home. This is where she wanted to live. No one was here. No problems could be made here. Nothing and nobody around... not until she found that special someone...

She shook that thought out of her head. Not yet. Not for a long while.

The inside still needed a bit of work. She had gotten the trash out, dumping it in another part of the ravine. Sweeping was the only thing left to be done. And there was a lot, because all the floors were wood. She preferred it that way anyway, seeing as how carpet would be such a mess to deal with.

Eventually, she'd have this place up and running; a bed in the bedroom, a couch in the living-room, food stored in the pantry. She figured maybe one day she could get some generators or something, get some electricity going through the house... that was her wish. Perhaps one day.

Tonight she wasn't going to work on anything. Work was saved for the weekends. She usually just came here to lie on the beanbag chair to read her book, with a clip-on book-light.

A noise sounded from behind the house, and she froze in her reading. Glancing at her digital watch, she read the time: 11:23 Pm. Creeping to the backdoor, she peered through the door's small window. She couldn't see anything. She slowly inched the door open, peeping her head out. "Hello?" she whispered. There was no response. She stepped outside and continued to survey the forest around her. Nothing seemed to be out of sorts, until she examined the trees. She did a double take.

The trees had grown taller, thinner. and the one in the middle looked more... ghostly than the others. It mesmerized her, and all the fear she might have had vanished. She closed the door behind her. She sat on the back porch, watching the tree.

Then the tree moved.

It started to shrink, though it didn't lose it's leanness. It shrunk until it was about eight feet tall. It no longer looked like a tree. It had the appearance of a tall, slender, mysterious man. It stood there, staring at Lana.

She wanted to panic. She wanted to scream. She wanted to fear. But she couldn't. She was calm, unafraid. What did scare her was how submissive she felt to the tall man. She slowly stood. Upon doing so, the tall man started moving forward. It walked towards her, stopping ten feet away from her. A chill ran through her spine, as she heard, no felt, whispers all around her. She barely made it out, but she heard I am the shadow of the trees. I am the darkness in your dreams.The thing from which every human has ran. I am what my enemies call me: The Slenderman.

Lana quickly sat up, and looked around her. She was sitting inside, book to the side. She stood up and ran out the back door, stopping on the back porch. Was that all a dream? But as she surveyed the distance, she could make out the tall man's figure, slowly walking away. She blinked, and it vanished.

Lana decided it was time to go home. Not because she felt in danger, but because she always made sure to be home before twelve. She looked at her watch. it read: 1:47 Am uhg, I'm gonna be tired tomorrow...

As she hiked back home, her thoughts were on nothing but... the Slenderman. She didn't feel threatened... but the more she thought about it all, the more she became scared.

She wasn't just gonna let this go. She was gonna find out what she could. Whether this was just a hoax, or something... otherworldly... she was gonna find out.

And nothing was gonna stop her.

Dark Legends - Part 2: Jane

Her mother leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Sweet dreams, Candace. I love you."

Candace smiled, as she kissed her mother back. "Love you too mommy." the tween said, settling in bed.

"Do you want the nightlight on?"

Candace shook her head. "Naw, I'll be good tonight. Besides, the moon is really bright tonight."

Her mother smiled. "Okay baby. Sleep tight." And with that, she shut the door.

Candace, closing her eyes, thought of her best friend, Leslie. Tomorrow was Friday, and they were going to have a sleepover. Her excitement kept her awake. thinking about all the fun they'd have, playing Truth or Dare, having pillow fights, and talking about boys. Especially Jason... Oh yeah, she thought, Jason... sigh. Jason was just a year older than her, and oh. My. GOD, was he hot!

A cool breeze blew through the room, and she tightened the blanket around her.

Wait.

The window is supposed to be closed.

She opened her eyes and sat up, surveying the open window... and then she froze.

A woman was standing not a foot from the open window. She just... stood there. Candace couldn't move, couldn't scream. She could only stare. And that's when she noticed the eyes. They were black. No pupils, no iris, nothing. Just black. And streaks of blood ran from both of them. Slowly, gently, she walked over to the bedside. Slowly crawling on top, she revealed a long knife. Candace finally spoke, though it was barely a peep. "Stop..."

The woman put her hand onto on the girl's forehead, and gently pushed her back onto the pillow. Slowly, she leaned in towards her ear. "Don't go to sleep," she said, "I need you awake for this."

Candace's eyes widened, feeling the knife plunge into her neck. Choking, she gripped at her neck, as she felt her own warm blood oozing down her body. The woman kissed her cheek, the girl's last breath hitting her face. "I'm sorry, Darling. I'm so sorry... but I needed the blood."

Jane exited back through the window, and in a matter of seconds, she had disappeared into the alleyways. Her work was done, and she could rest against the trashcan. She gave a long sigh, as she surveyed the area around her. A lone newspaper fluttered towards her, and she picked it up.

The headline was about Jeff the Killer. She chuckled. Funny, she thought, they think he's doing all the killing. I bet Jeff is curious who's been doing the extra gutting...

She threw the newspaper aside, walking away into the darkness. She was done for a while, and it was time.

Time to find Jeff.

Dark Legends - Part 1: Jeff

FRIDAY, OCT. 20th 2017

KILLER STILL AT LARGE AFTER ELEVEN YEARS

After eleven years of investigation, homicidal serial killer, known as Jeff the Killer, is still at large. Jeff the Killer is known to seek out seemingly random victims to gut, stab, and eventually kill. Officials are baffled as to how he's eluded them for so long. "There's been multiple times when we thought we had him," Officer Garret Bean says, "But time and again, he just... slips away." 

Reports have been gathered that the FBI is now possibly getting involved.

Statistics show that there are ten deaths every month on average caused by Jeff the Killer.

Physical description: Pale skin, black lined eyes with missing eyelids, a scar on either side of his mouth, forming a smile. His hair is ragged and black. Usually wears a white hoodie, skinny jeans, and black sneakers. Contact your local officials if you see a man fitting this description.

Jeff chuckled, crushing the newspaper into a ball. Shaking his head, he surveyed the ally he was sitting in. Nice and dark, no one here but the couple making out next to the dumpster. "Fools." he said softly, throwing the newspaper ball into the dumpster, "Give it up. I've been going 11 years strong. You will never catch me." He sat back, pondering. There was one thing he was concerned with. Jeff made a note to count how many victims he had. There were a lot, that was for sure. But not as many as described in the article.

For the past year and a half, he knew there was someone else out there, gutting his victims. And while he wasn't concerned about the deaths, he was curious as to what would happen if he were to run into this mysterious killer. Of course, he would kill him. But not after a long, probably painful, talk.

The feeling.

Jeff stood. The feeling was here, and it had to be satisfied. He slowly turned his head to face the couple. Not caring if they heard him, he casually approached them, tapping on the man's shoulder. The man turned, wiping his mouth.

"Ay, D***wad! leave me 'lone, will yas??" the man yelled. He saw Jeff reach his hand into the front pocket of his hoodie.

Jeff took a step closer. "Go to sleep." and in the blink of an eye, A knife was protruding from the man's neck, as he fell, grasping himself. The woman screamed, but it didn't matter. As the man fell, Jeff whipped the knife back out, pinned the woman against the brick wall, and whispered in her ear, ever so seductively, "Go to sleep, darling." and proceeded to stab her chest, once... twice... three times... and then a slice at the neck. She too fell.

It didn't take long for Jeff to throw them both in the dumpster. Wiping his bloodied hands on his jeans, he walked away from the ally. The feeling had left, and he was at peace once more.

But something nagged at the back of his mind. Something told him it was time to find the other killer. A shiver ran through his spine, causing him to become confused. Nothing could make him worried... yet the thought of this... other killer, did.

He shook it off.

Playing With Death - Part 18: Beauty Among the Ashes

Rose sat up in bed. The sun was shining through the window next to her. She smiled.

No matter what anyone else said, there was still beauty in the world... even in the midst of the end, it seemed, and the sun was just one of many examples of that beauty. It was something she looked forward to every night before she fell asleep. And even at night, there was always the moon and stars to look forward to. Beauty still reined among disaster, and it reminded her that there was still a God.

She got up and changed, having taken a shower the night before. Walking down the stairs, she wore a large smile. "Morning guys." she chipped.

"Yo," Trevor replied. "Sleep alright?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah. I did." she filled a glass with water. "I dreamed darkness."

"Better than a nightmare..." Trevor said shrugging.

Rose took her water outside, and sat on the bench on the front porch. It was peacefully quiet this morning, other than the single walker roaming the field a bit aways. She watched it, as it meandered along the grass, with no direction.

The front door opened, and out came Jen, chainsaw and all. She sat up against Rose, cuddling up beside her. Rose started to stroke her hair, as she continued to watch the undead traveler.

It was sad, those soulless bodies. Mindless creatures, with no purpose in life. If there was something she could do, she would. But there wasn't. Nothing could help them but putting them out of their misery.

Jennifer gasped. "Rose! Dead person!" she exclaimed, sitting up, a smile creeping on her face.

Rose nodded. "Yep. Let's let it walk a bit. I'm watching him"

Jen cocked her head, but nodded back. "O.. kay..." She leaned back against Rose.

Rose sighed. She saw beauty, but that didn't mean she wasn't worn. It didn't mean she didn't cry. It didn't mean she didn't wish it would all end.

Rose froze. Another figure emerged from the woods, and before she knew it, the zombie fell, the figure standing above it.

"Jen. Go inside." She said, nudging her.

Jennifer complied slowly. Rose followed, but simply walked back outside with a pistol. She stood on the porch, watching the figure carefully.

And then he waved.

Playing With Death - Part 17: The Stranger

Somewhere, deep in Sunset Acres Woods, a lone figure traveled through the brush, hacking away at the low hanging branches with his long machete. On his back the figure carried a backpack, crossbow, M2, and a long sword.

It was night, probably about 11:00 Pm. The moon was full and bright, allowing the figure to see somewhat clearly. Soon enough, he came to a small clearing, atop one of the many hills that rolled across the forest.

BLAM! A gunshot rang out in the distance, followed by many more. He stood still, studying where the sound came from. Then, slowly, he sat down. Pulling his backpack off, he unzipped the back pocket, pulling out a journal. He opened it, and began writing.

October 12th, 11:27 Pm

Gunshots ring out from the neighborhood. I'll have to be wary when I investigate. I'm hoping the shots were directed towards the dead, and not the living. It really shouldn't matter though. I'll be able to take care of whatever it is.

Today has been uneventful. There was one dead biker that I put down, and that was it. I should be thankful, but it's hard to be so when the world's gone to shit. I'm hoping there'll be an end to this one day. There may not be.

Tomorrow I'll venture to Sunset Acres.

He closed the journal, put it away, pulled out a sleepingbag, and zipped himself inside.

Playing With Death - Part 16: This is Crazy

Cody walked inside and greeted his mother with a kiss on the cheek. "Hey Mumzy."

"Hi dear," she said sweetly. "How was work?"

"It was okay. I'm glad to be done and home."

"Me too..." she said slowly.

Cody glanced towards the kitchen. As he walked towards it, he asked, "So what's for dinner?"

"Oh. You of course."

Cody chuckled. "Ha ha... what?" He turned back around and froze. His mother was staring at him, eyeing him, licking her lips. Then, slowly, her face and body contorted. The skin on her face grew pale, and slightly sagged. Her eyes became bloodshot, as her pupils enlarged, and her iris turned a rusty orange. Half her hair fell off her head, and turned a slight grey. Her clothes became faded and tattered.

Cody screamed, as his mother, now a deformed flesh eater, leaped at him.

Cody sat up straight, sweating, breathing hard. Nightmare... He had had one every night ever since he killed his mother. It haunted him, ate away at him. He knew he had to do it, but it still made his stomach turn and knot up.

The sound of gnarling and growling fully awakened him. Jumping out of his bed, he exited his room and made his way downstairs. Crowded in front of the front door, a few of the survivors were huddled around a single figure: Jennifer. She was asleep, snoring loudly.

"Jen!" Jordan yelled. "You need to get up! Like, right now!"

Jen simply mumbled back, "Ermm-num-no..."

"Where's Rose??" Kimberly piped.

"The roof, sniping walkers!" Jordan replied.

"I'll grab her!" Cody yelled, and darted up the stairs. He went into the master bedroom, out onto the balcony, and climbed the ladder propped against the roof. Reaching the very top, he saw Rose standing close to the edge of the roof. "Rose! They need you downstairs!"

Rose turned to face him. "What? Why? There's dead people trying to get to the house!"

"They're trying to wake Jenny up."

"Aw stars... here, take this." she said, tossing him the sniper rifle.

Cody didn't think twice. He threw the rifle up to his right shoulder and put his eye to the scope. "Don't miss, Blondie..." he mumbled to himself. Aiming, he scoped a walker, and pulled the trigger. The rifle hit his shoulder as it fired. "Damnit..." he wasn't used to firing a rifle, an aching burn coursing through his shoulder. Moving the scope from his eye, he watched as the walker fell. "Sweet!" He threw the scope up to his eye again, and aimed... until he saw two figures hobbling towards the house. Trev and Daniel! What's their rush? That's when he noticed that, not too far behind them, they were being followed by ten walkers... and... What the hell is THAT!?

***

Daniel patted Trevor's back. "Keep it up, you're doing great."

"Would you please stop giving me moral support!?"

Daniel rolled his eyes, then glanced at the roof of Trevor's house. "Wait... why is Rose leaving?"

"Huh?" Trevor looked up to his roof, watching as Rose left... and another took her place. "Looks like Cody..." As he said that, a zombie fell lifeless in front of the house. "Oh... and he's firing the gun. I swear... if he hits me..."

They came to a stop, as they were now in between two hordes of zombies: One focused on the house, and the other coming straight for the two of them.

"Wonderful. We're stuck." Trevor complained.

Daniel stood up, and tried to keep himself off his hurt ankle. He pulled out a small, curvy sword. "Well, I guess we're gonna have to do something about that."

Trevor nodded, and pulled out his own small sword, this one having sharp points on one side. "Let's rage."

***

It was the biggest zombie Cody had seen. The thing was massive! He watched as it made it's way to Trevor and Daniel. Well... let's see what damage I can do. He targeted the giant and fired. He could tell he made a head-shot, and he pumped his fist. He watched as the walker staggered... but didn't fall. ...what...!? It was still moving forward. Cody lifted the gun back up, aimed, and fired again. Again, he hit the head. This time the zombie fell backwards, lifeless. Geez... that thing is STRONG... He aimed his gun at the other walkers, as they got closer to Trev and Daniel. ...I might hit them... I don't trust myself yet. He put his focus on the ones trying to get inside... until a loud noise erupted from the ground.

***

Trev's sword hacked through another head. He was startled when blood flew from the giant, and then again as it fell. "Oh thank you Cody..." he was just about to wave to him when the front door burst open, and the sound of a chainsaw sounded loudly.

"Annnnnnd the cavalry." Daniel said. "Thank God..." and then turned back to focus on the small horde that followed them. There were five left, but from what he saw, there were about twenty trying to get into the house. Not really worried about those guys though...

***

Un-alive the dead people. Un-alive the dead people.

There were more than five, Jen knew that much. At least, that's what she assumed. She couldn't count past one hand, and seeing as how she couldn't count them...

What the heck, it didn't matter. They were all going down anyways. Un-alive the dead people, she thought. Rose will be happy. So proud... so proud...

She lifted the chainsaw, and brought it down, swinging it from in front of her to the right, sawing through three zombies. Before she knew it, there were none left standing. she stood there, breathing hard, blood dripping off her body and face. A drop trickled down her cheek, and she wiped it away. "Yay!" she said aloud. "Rose! I un-alived them!" she happily skipped back inside and laid on the couch in the livingroom, falling instantly asleep.

***

The last one fell, and as it did, both Daniel and Trevor turned and hobbled to the house as fast as they could. The gang was waiting for them, and Jordan brought his brother to the living room and tended to his ankle. Rose was stroking Jennifer's hair, whispering sweet nothings to the chainsaw wielder. Cody came down and sat next to Rose.

"Good Lord." He said. "Is this every night?"

Rose shook her head. "This is the worse it's gotten. Usually there's only about five lurkers that try to get in. Tonight..." she shook her head again. "Tonight was messed up."

Trevor and Daniel looked at eachother. "Yeah," Trev said, "Really messed up." Trevor then volunteered to take watch, and went upstairs to chill on the roof.

Cody leaned against the couch, eyes drooping. I hope tomorrow isn't as insane.

Playing With Death - Part 15: Don't Drop Me!

Trevor and Daniel continued to walk down Nyman, one of five streets in Sunset Acres. The sun had set four hours ago, but the moon was bright this night.

"Let's hit that house there." Daniel said, pointing.

They both headed over. "Do you know who lived here?" Trevor asked.

"Yeah. The guy who owned the farm on Sarah Dr.? He married one of the gals who lived here."

"Oh! I saw him around every now and again."

"Yeah, they live on a ranch an hour or so from here... not sure if they're dead or not."

Trevor nodded. "Bleh. I hope this doesn't last long... this stupid living dead crap. I hate it."

"Mhm."

Walking up to the front door, they found it was unlocked. Pulling out their flashlights, they entered and examined the house. After throwing some batteries, canned goods, and a couple blankets into their bag, they made their way upstairs.

Reaching the top of the stairs, they noticed some weights on the floor. Trevor moved them aside, and faced the door. It was was closed, so Trevor put his ear against the door. He shook his head, and slowly opened the door. The master bedroom was a wreck, knocked over lamps, clothes strewn, random items on the floor, as if thrown about. A slight breeze was sweeping the room, the window being open.

"Obviously a struggle..." Daniel commented.

"Yeah no joke." Trevor glanced around the room. "Not much in here to grab... And I'm tired."

"Yeah, me too."

The two left the room, closing the door behind them. Daniel took one step forward, and lost his balance. "S***!!!" he yelled, falling down the stairs, bouncing down all the way. "GAH!" he yelped, hitting the bottom. Trevor jumped down half way down the stairs, and did so again, landing next to Daniel.

"Dude! You okay?"

"No... I tripped on the weights... and... whooaaaa..." Daniels head swayed back and forth for a second. "I feel light headed. I might've broken something... my ankle is killing me."

Trevor hoisted Daniel up, putting his arm around his own shoulders. "Let's get you out of here."

CRASH!!!

The two of them turned towards the back room, where inside was the back door. Then a gargled, deep groan sounded from inside the room.

"Trevor... you closed that door, right?"

"Yeah, we should be fine." The two started to the front door, which they left open. They barely cleared the entryway when a second crash sounded from behind them. They once again turned around towards the back room.

There, standing in the door way, was the biggest, ugliest zombie they'd seen. It looked mutated, enlarged, as if it's body were to explode any second. In front of it laid what was left of the door. The walker had destroyed it. It eyed them for a second, and then ever so slowly started making it's way towards the two scavengers.

Daniel's eyes widened. "Oh..."

"...shit." Trevor finished, whipping themselves back around. "we gotta book it!" Closing the door behind them, they hobbled as fast as they could down the street.

Once again, a crash sounded behind them, but this time they didn't stop. Daniel looked behind him to eye the massive freak. "That thing is freaking huge!"

"At least it's slow. Otherwise we'd be in a real pickle."

The blue dot shows where the
survivors are taking refuge.

The two were still on Nyman. Sarah, where Trevors house was, was on the opposite end of the neighborhood, two streets down. Legters being in the middle, and Zuni connecting the three together, Otomi being the exception.

Daniel continued to keep an eye on the large walker, as he noticed a few zombies join it. "They wanna have a party with us Trevor..."

"I'm not in the mood! They can go f- WHOA!" Trevor tripped, and almost lost his balance, but in the process, dropped Daniel. "Crap!" He quickly helped Daniel back up, and continued on.

"Can you not drop me!?"

"I'm sorry! I'm freaking out right now, okay!?"

"There's... uh..." There were now ten walkers following them along with the large one. "There's only three, along with the big one."

Trevor turned his head to look.

"Don't look behind you! Just keep going!"

"Okay, okay!"

They passed Legters, travelling up Otomi. They could see the house... as well as a small group of walkers gathering in front of it.

"I should probably say now that there's actually... eleven including the big guy behind us..." Daniel said.

"...you told me there were four so I wouldn't freak out, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

"You suck."

Playing With Death - Part 14: All Together

David peered out the window again. "He better be okay..."

"I'm sure he's fine." Howie said.

"But what if he's not?"

Howie sighed, annoyed. "Kid... he's fine. Stop."

David plopped on the couch. "Uhg." Why couldn't have Cody just taken everyone? Why was he stuck here doing absolutely nothing? It wasn't fair. Not in the least bit. He was old enough to take care of himself, wasn't he?

A voice from outside the window made David sit up straight. FINALLY, he's here...

Then Lucy, Rose, and Mark screamed. Howie and David both turned towards the window.

It wasn't Cody. It was three walkers, snarling and growling as they walked up to the window, hearing the screams from inside.

"S***!" Howie exclaimed, swooping up Tyler. "We gotta go out the back door now!"

David jumped off the couch and started herding everyone to the back door. They all stopped right outside, closing the glass door behind them.

"Okay," Howie whispered. "We need to figure out where we go fro-"

"Sh! Wait..." David interrupted. "Listen."

The sounds of hacking and grunting from the front yard caught Howie's attention. "Your brother?"

They slowly made their way around the side of the house. Howie peeked around the corner. "Damnit... that's not your brother... it's three guys with Machetes and stuff..."

David peered around the corner as well. "No... but I know them!" He turned the corner, making himself visible to the newcomers. "Hey guys!"

"What the... David??" one of them said, as the last Zombie fell to the ground. "What the heck are you doing here??"

David laughed. "Hey Jordan!"

Before him stood three of Cody's friends: Jordan (19) and Daniel (17) Wilson, and Trevor Johnson.

"Wait," Trevor said. "You're Cody's little brother, right?"

David nodded. "Yep! We're actually waiting for him to get back. He's looking around."

"Hey guys!"

The voice came a few yards away. It was Cody and Rose.


***


The kids were put upstairs to rest and nap, while Cody, David, and Mark stayed downstairs to chill.

"Damn." Trevor said. "With there bein, what, seven of you?? That's insane you've made it all this way..."

Cody nodded. "It's been crazy. It's nice to be able to chill for a bit and catch my breath."

"Heh..." Jordan chuckled. "During the day, sure."

Cody cocked his head. "W... what do you mean?"

"Around here at least, the walkers are much more active at night." Trevor said.

"Yup." Daniel said. "Soon as that sun is down, they're walking everywhere and anywhere, more unpredictable. We usually have two or three instances every night of those freaks trying to get in here."

David then piped, "How long have you guys been holding up here?"

"A few days now." Trevor responded. He turned back to Cody. "We kinda have a system going.. though we're still tryin to figure it all out. Since you just got here... we'll let you rest tonight and tomorrow night maybe. I dunno." he looked around the room. "That sounds good, right?" He got a few nods from the others, and he continued. "Well, it'll only be an hour or so before the sun is down. I'll show you where you can sleep."

Cody nodded. "Get these guys situated first," he said, gesturing to Mark and David.

"Kay kay."

Cody sat back. He let out along sigh. Are we ever gonna get a break?

"Hey..." Rose said. "You okay? I noticed your hand shaking."

He looked down at his right hand. She was right. He had totally forgotten about his anxiety problems. Now that he was sitting and feeling somewhat safe, it was starting to hit him. "Aw joy... Yeah, I should be fine. Just need some sleep maybe." He didn't need sleep.

He needed this madness to end.

Playing With Death - Part 13: Settling In

This was the moment Cody wished he didn't know so many people, people that he got close with. If he didn't have a lot of friends, he wouldn't have a lot to risk losing.

Rose (16) and her adopted little sister, Gabriela (15). Their parents turned, and their 18 year old brother was eaten.

Trevor (18) and his older sister Blair Johnson (20). Their family was off either over seas or out of state. Their conditions unknown. It was their house that they were taking refuge in.

Jennifer Sailor (16). Family dead from zombies, she hit her head hard and became mental.

Kimberly Taylor (16). She was tromping through the woods when the walkers hit and she lost her family.

All these people, and more. He wanted them all to live. But he couldn't say they would. It was a painful thought, but it was reality. People will die. There's no getting around it.

"We've got this whole house barricaded pretty well." Rose said. "Windows boarded, doors guarded and ready to be boarded up at a moments notice, and we take turns for look-out on the roof."

Jen had been following them this whole time, still holding the chainsaw in her arms, like a mother holds her child. She always kept close to Rose, never losing sight of her.
Rose turned to Jen. "Jennifer, it's nap-time."

"Oh..." Jen said. "Okay." she then ran up the stairs, disappearing.

Rose walked into the kitchen. Pulling a glass from the cupboard, she said, "Want some water?"

Cody smiled. Even in the Zombie Apocalypse, she still offered to get him water, like she always used to. "Absolutely"

Rose smiled and filled the glass with ice and water. "Electricity is still running thank God, as well as plumbing. We're trying to enjoy it while it lasts." She handed him the now full glass of water.

"Thanks," Cody said, putting the glass to his lips. After taking a gulp, he sat the glass down. "My folks didn't make it."

Rose nodded. "Same." she looked away, staring out the kitchen window, now frowning. "It feels... weird... and wrong... but they're gone. And I can't do anything about it." She leaned on the counter next to the sink, still staring out the window. Cody slowly walked over and joined her, putting an arm around her. He saw a tear running down her cheek.

"Listen," Cody said. "I know it's hard... and..." he stuttered, not sure where to go with that.

Rose looked up at him. "And what?"

Cody shook his head. "I don't know. That's the best I've got right now."

She nodded and smiled. "It'll do for now." she cleared her throat. "Lets grab the rest of your group."

Playing With Death - Part 12: Friendly Faces

The gun! Cody quickly pulled his gun up and aimed towards the crazed lunatic.

She didn't stop.

Cody yelped as he dodged the chainsaw coming for his neck. Dropping to the ground, he pushed himself backwards with his feet. He kept backing away from the chainsaw killer, feeling helpless. He just couldn't use the gun, not on someone who was still alive.

But it was his only means of survival. To protect himself. He had to. He threw his hand to his side to grab his weapon.

It wasn't there.

He quickly looked around and found it a couple yards away from him on the ground. He had dropped it. Well that's just fantasmical... wait. He felt his other side. Duh! My machete! He grabbed it and pushed the chainsaw away from him with the machete's blade, being only inches away from him. Cody tried to stand up, but she simply pushed him down with her foot, knocking the breathe out of him.

He couldn't move. All he could do was try to breathe, as he watched the chainsaw lifted into the air, ready to make contact with his skull.

"JENNY! STOP!"

The crazed female stopped. She turned to the sound of someone running up to her. She let the chainsaw drop to the ground, and she fell to her knees, looking down in defeat.

The other figure ran up. "Jen! I said no un-aliving people!"

Cody's breathe came back. Jennifer? Jennifer Sailor?? He stood up, resting his arms at his side, still holding the machete. Jenny is the one who tried to kill me just now... whuh...

The other figure turned to him. "Hey Cody!"

Cody's mouth dropped, but he recovered. He started to tear up as he tried to talk. "R.. Rose?" he ran up and embraced her. The two didn't let go for some time.

"Oh my gosh..." he said. "It's so good to see you alive..."

Rose smiled. "Same for you. I was worried about ya." She turned to Jen. "Jen, say hi to Cody."

Jen stood back up. "H... hello..." she then turned and ran back inside.

"...Rose... what happened to her?"

Rose frowned. "Not sure. We found her like that. Either she was super traumatized... or she hit her head on something. Either way... she's way off. People tried to calm her down, but they didn't do such a good job." she smiled. "Then she saw me. And just like that, she calmed down. Evidently, I'm the only one she really likes." she grabbed Cody's hand. "Come on. There's more peeps inside!"

Cody smiled. There were other survivors.

Soul Mates

            I can't wait, she's almost home. She always comes home at the same time every night, 10:30pm. Its the best part of my day, watching her come home from work. Nothing is better than seeing her face. I, Jim, have been in love with Melinda since the second grade. I watched her through the school years. I tried to take all the classes she took, and always sat a table or two from her but kept her in clear view. I have tried talking to her but other larger boys would keep me away from her saying, I wasn't in her league. I showed them. It's ok though, the police never found their bodies. After graduation she still wouldn't notice me, her true love, even if she didn't know it yet. She didn't, she started to date a jerk. All he wanted to do was use her, giving her what she wanted just so he could get in her pants. I kept that from happening. It took a while for her to recover from her missing ex, be it was for the best. I'm the one who is meant to be with her, not some idiot.

            A car began to pull into the driveway. Melinda's home. I stood behind a tree across from her house, watching. She stepped out, keys and purse in hand. Seeing her brought warmth to to my body, and a smile creeped across my face. There you are, right on time. She was wearing a red shirt, brown leather jacket, and jeans. I remember those clothes, they were in her lower left drawer in her dresser. She had seven drawers in her dresser, one with a set of clothes for each day. She was quite organized, I liked that about her. Melinda reached the door, fumbled with the lock for a few seconds then pushed the door open and stepped inside. That lock has always been a pain, she needs to replace it. Maybe I will tomorrow.

            The house's lights lit up one by one. Its time. I slowly moved up to a large window at the living room. I could see the hallway to my left where she was sitting on a stool, taking her shoes off as her brown hair fell in her face. Every time she would brush her hair away from her face butterflies flew through my body causing my knees to buckle. She is the most beautiful thing ever, nothing can compare to her.

            Melinda finished with her shoes and placed them on a rack next to the door. She headed to the kitchen, out of my site, so I moved to another window for better vision. Finding a suitable window, I peered through it to see Melinda pulling out two pieces of bread, peanut butter, and jelly. To many, this is a simple over used sandwich but she enjoyed every bite of it...so did I. Watching her enjoy something as small as a sandwich filled me with joy. If she can enjoy something like a basic sandwich then how can she not enjoy being with a simple person like me?

            After she finished the sandwich she placed the dishes in the sink and walked to her bedroom, with me close behind her. She walked up to her bedroom windows and closed the blinds. This happened to me once before so I went in her house to rig the blinds to give a little bit of vision. When I looked through she walked into the bath room to turned on some running water, shes going to take a bath. When she returned to her room she began to remove her clothes. I quickly turned around, I'm not going to be like one of those jerks, want her for her body not for her. I want her for her, not her body. I have been tempted to watch her many many times, but I know she wouldn't want me to watch her naked unless she allowed me. That day will come soon, when I proclaim my love for her, she will love me and we will be together forever.

            I sat there with my back against the house waiting for Melinda to finish her bath and dress herself. It usually takes her about thirty minutes, with a look at my watch I proclaimed that it has been thirty minutes. I looked through the gap in the window to see her finish putting on her pajamas, perfect timing, like always. She walked around the house turning off the lights and locking the doors. Shes getting ready to go to bed. After turning off all the light she kept on a small lamp on the right side of the bed for reading. Melinda pulled out the book, “Romeo and Juliet” a perfect description of our relationship. We will always love each other, we can not live without each other, and would die for each other, she just doesn't know she would yet.

            After twenty-three minutes she put the book to the side, pulled the sheets over herself, and turned off the lamp. Now I wait, wait for a few hours to allow her to fall into deep sleep, so she won't be startled by me. Sitting at the window for a few hours wasn't hard, I've done it too many times, plus I'm waiting on the love of my life. I don't care how long I wait; I could wait for centuries till we are together. Doesn't matter how long it is as long as we are together. I glanced at my watch, 3 A.M. That's long enough. I took out a spare key I made from hers and opened her front door, quietly closing it behind me. I stayed still for a few minutes to allow my eyes to adjust to the darkness. When I was convinced they were adjusted enough I made my way to Melinda's room. I slowly pushed open the door and peered in. She was in the same position as when she fell asleep, on her back, looking like an angel from God. I walked over to the side of her bed, looking down on her like a guardian angle here to protect her from all evil in the world. As I inhaled I could smell her shampoo and soap, wonderful smells, I cherish every moment I get to breath it in. I couldn't smell any of her toothpaste, guess she forgot. I leaned over and gave her a slight kiss on the lips, “Sleep tight angel.” I whispered. I turned and left the house, ready to come back to watch her wake to go to work and spread her purity with the rest of the world. “Melinda my love, rest well.”

Playing With Death - Part 11: Welcome to Sunset Acres

"Hey, Cody," Danny said from the drivers seat, "We're on West Camp Wisdom Road..."

Cody sat up straight and looked out the window. We're almost there...after a week on the road... we're finally almost there.

David nudged Cody's shoulder."What if they're not there... what if, like, they're all dead, or they're zombies?"

'Then we'll deal with it at that point."

"Hey," Vera said, "Here." she handed Cody a backpack. "It has a couple days of provisions in it."

Cody took the backpack and nodded. "Thanks..."

Vera nodded back, but didn't look away for a second. She finally turned back around in her seat and sat back.

Cody had quite a few friends that lived in Sunset Acres. Good people. People he felt like he had lived his whole life with, yet had only known them for a couple years.

And now he was going back. Back to where he felt he belonged. To a place that was filled with joyful people... at least, that's the way it used to be. Who knew what the neighborhood was like now.

They turned in to Sunset Acres and stopped. They a hopped out of the van and surveyed the area.

"It's quiet," Danny said.

"Too quiet..." Vera said, smiling.

Danny rolled his eyes, and then focused on Cody. "Anyways, I hope you fellas find what you're looking for. Maybe we'll run into eachother again one day." He handed Cody and Howie each a pistol, and extra rounds. "You might need it."  He looked back at the van, and then back at Cody's family. "You sure this is where you wanna be?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for getting us here man. I appreciate it."

The two shook hands, and they parted ways.

Dany's crew climbed in the van. "Hey, Howie! You stayin or comin'?"

"I think I'll be stayin," he turned to Cody, "If that's alright with you."

Cody nodded.

Danny waved, and drove off.

"Alright then."Cody said. "Howie, you keep rear, David, I want you right in front of him, holding Tyler. Mark, behind me, and the rest of you in the middle holding hands." they all complied, and they started walking down Sarah Dr.

Passing the backyard farm on the right of them, they noticed the lack of animals. "Hey, where'd the chickens and lamas go at the farm?" David piped.

"Dunno," Cody replied, "they could've been eaten, or let go, or anything."

They made it halfway down the street,and stopped in front of the Carson's house, where Cody's good friend Rose lived. Cody walked up to the front door and turned the knob. It was open. They all walked inside, and after sweeping the house, they settled in the living room.

"Alrighty," Cody announced, as he equipped a gun and machete, "I'm gonna scope around for a bit. I'll be back a little later, alright? David, watch the kiddos, but listen to Howie, kay?"

David was about to argue, but stopped. "Kay."

Cody walked back outside. He continued down Sarah Dr. Ah, the Johnson's house. Maybe someone is inside, he thought. The house was all the way down at the end of the street. He walked slightly faster so as to reach the house sooner, but as soon as he got in front of the house, he tripped. He fell straight forward, but made sure to go with the fall. Upon hitting the ground, he rolled with it, and stood back up. He had hit his arms, and scraped his knee, but other than that, he was okay.

BLAM!

the dirt flew not a yard to his right from where he stood. "Oh geez, hey! Stop!' he threw his hands in the air.

"Cody??" he heard a female voice almost squeal.

The voice came from on top of the house, where he saw figure holding a rifle. She had long, what looked like brown, hair. She was kneeling on the roof, holding her rifle in one arm. Cody was just about to respond, when all of a sudden, he heard what sounded like a chainsaw starting up. He looked towards the front door.

Running straight towards him, was yet another female, but this one had the most deranged look on her face.

S***, he thought, it WAS a chainsaw! He gasped in fear as he realized that she was coming straight at him with the intent of tearing him apart.

This was it. His final moments. He was going to die.

Playing With Death - Part 10: Hitting the Road

The back door bursting open, Cody ran right behind his siblings, Howie next to him as he held Tyler, leading them around the left side of the store. they slowed to a stop as they neared the front. "We're gonna get to the van, and get the hell outa here." The rest were still inside, grabbing some supplies from the store before the zombies over ran it.

Cody peered around the corner. Most of them were right in front of the store. If they were careful, they could make it to the van and be just fine. "Stay right next to me, got it?" His siblings nodded, and they moved forward, crouching the whole way, and moving ever so slowly.

Tyler had been asleep. But now a stranger was holding him. He was weary of the man holding him... who was this person? Cody was in front of him, and this man was following him... he started whining.

"Nononono..." Howie whispered, "You're alright... it's all okay..."

What?? Who did this guy think he was? Telling him to calm down... where was Mom and Dad? Why wasn't Cody holding him? He whined louder.

"Aw s***... Cody? Tyler's whining..."

Cody stopped. He looked back at him for a moment. "We're almost there... we should be fine..." he was convinced they were fine. The zombies weren't paying attention to them, being too concerned with the area the gun shot had come from, and the moving live flesh inside... until three of them turned towards the sound of the whining. "Aw crap... faster guys!" He whispered hoarsely. they were just twenty yards away.

 Gun shots rang out. Cody looked to his right to see Danny bursting through the hoard, dropping zombies as he ran, with the rest of the gang close behind. "Get your asses in the van already!" Danny yelled.

"Run guys!" Cody yelled back at his family. They all made a mad dash for the van, but Cody didn't go full speed. He had to make sure his family made it into the van first.

They all clambered into the back, and shut the doors. Garry, Shaniqua, and Vera hopped into the back seat, Danny and Dominic getting in last to the front. Danny turned the car on, and slammed the accelerator. They were out of the parking lot in thirty seconds.

"Way to close back there... what the hell Gary??" Danny snapped.

"I'm sorry, the ****ing undead were walkin up to our front door!!"

"Language!" Danny yelled back. "And it doesn't matter! You can't just unload the lead on em. Use your damn head Garry..."

"Where are we going?" Cody chimed in.

"Dallas." Vera answered. "We gots fam over there."

Cody and David gave eachother a look. "Oh?" Cody said, "Well is there anyway you could drop us off in duncanville? We got people up there, friends."

Danny nodded. "I think we could do that."

David smiled. "Maybe things are okay over there?"

Cody nodded. "They just might be..."

Playing With Death - Part 9: Quiet Please

The family was back together again: Tyler, Rose, Jack, Lucy, Mark, David, and Cody.

But for how long?

Jack and Rose sat next to their other siblings as Cody talked with the newcomers.

"I've been ready for something like this for years... wasn't expecting the undead..." Said Danny. He was a thin, scruffy looking 27 year old, with long, messy brown hair, and blueish grey eyes that just seemed to look... unsatisfied. He seemed to be the unspoken leader of the little group he brought in. He wore a pair of heavy, outdoor work boots, jeans, and a ripped up tee. He held an AK47 over his shoulder. "We've got tons of weapons, amno, food... enough to last us a good solid two months while the government figures out what the hell is going on."

"And it's not just here," Said Veronica, (AKA Vera), Danny's Niece. She was a cute 17 year old gal, with super long brown hair that reached to her waist, and beautiful blue eyes that could catch any guy's attention. She wore work boots, ripped skinny jeans, a light red tank top, and a denim cloth head band. "There's been cases all over the States, just like here... some much worse though."

"Gosh..." Cody said, "Is it just here then... in the states?"

"Well..." Vera said, "There's rumor that England was infected with... whatever this is... the virus."

"Right now though, it don't matter." Danny spoke up. "What matters is stayin' alive, and stickin' together."

Cody nodded. "You're right, that should be our main focus."

There were three others that came along with Danny and Vera: Dominic, a muscular black man and his wife Shaniqua, and Gary, a 65 year old geezer of a man, whom Cody didn't particularly like.

"Guys," Dominic said, running up. "We've got a slight prob..."

They all ran to the front window to see what was going on. Vera gasped. There were about twenty to thirty undead, from what Cody could tell, strolling through the parking lot. "Well then," Danny said, "I think as long as we stay quiet and stay in here a while, we should be goo-"

BLAM!

Everyone turned towards the direction of the sound. Gary was standing right outside the exit, holding a rifle.

"Unless, you know, we weren't quiet..." Danny sighed, as he ran towards Gary. "What the hell Gary!? You tryin to get us killed!?"

Cody watched as the zombie hoard quickly changed course, now walking straight towards the store. The panic he felt the day before returned, and he quickly ran to his family. "Grab your stuff. We're going, NOW. David, grab Tyler. Everyone else, stay right behind me, and hold hands."

"Here," Howie said, "give me the kid."

Cody hesitated a moment. "Fine." he got closer to his face, "but I swear, I will kill you if anything happens to him. Got it?"

Howie nodded. "Understood."

Cody sighed. On the run again...

Playing With Death - Part 8: Lost and Found

David woke with a start. Where was he? He looked around him and saw Mark asleep next to him on a dog-bed they had laid out the night before. Oh... right. The end of the world.

Whoopey.

He stood up and looked around for Cody. Howie was sleeping a few feet away from them, but he couldn't see Cody. He walked towards the front of the store and peered out the window. It looked somewhat peaceful out there. Only a couple cars were parked in the lot, no people, the sun was shining... he had to remind himself the events from the day before.A tear ran down his cheek... both his parents were dead. It felt so unreal.

"Down!" David heard his brother whisper harshly to him from behind. He quickly complied. Ducking under the window, he leaned up against the wall with his brother. "I saw one," Cody whispered again, "Coming out of the woods across the parking-lot, heading straight this way. Hopefully it'll just pass by..."

They peeked over the wall. It was still coming their way, slowly, but surely, dragging it's left leg along. "Damn it all... it's still coming..." David said. He looked over at the exit and noticed his Machete. "Is... that.."

"Yes."

It was the same machete Cody had used to kill his own mother. David sniffled, but held back his tears. "I didn't realize you took it with us..."

Cody picked it up. "I figured we'd need it... I'll go take care of it." he ran outside.

David watched closely. The walking corpse had made it halfway across the lot already. It was right next to a car when it noticed his brother walking up with the blood stained machete. he watched as Cody stopped and let the zombie walk up to him, machete ready to swing. This was new, seeing his older brother like this. He didn't think he had it in him to act so mature, and to be brave.

Cody swung, and blood flew, as the zombie's head fell off its shoulders. As Cody ran back inside, a van pulled into the lot. Cody stopped just before entering the store. David got excited and ran out to be with Cody. "Good grief, people..." he said.

"I know right? Kinda nice to see." Cody said, smiling. He waved at the people as they exited the van.

The first one out waved back with his AK47

David's heart skipped a beat. "Whoa..." he wasn't about to admit it, but it kind of scared him. He jumped a bit at a sound to his right. Turning, he noticed that Cody had dropped the machete and was staring at the van. "Cody, what-" he stopped as he watched people exit the back of the van. He started shaking, and he couldn't move.

There, being lead inside by a large, muscular, African/American man, was Jack and Rose.

Playing With Death - Part 7: The First Day Ends

Cody drove up slowly to his work-place. "Alright, stay in the car, I'm going to check it out inside..."

"What??" David yelled. "And leave us in here??"

"Hey!" Cody barked back, "I have to make sure it's safe inside, alright!?"

David opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. "Fine."

Cody hopped out of the car and made his way to the left entrance. He put is finger near the trigger of the gun and rounded the corner, keeping the gun up. The automatic doors were still working, and the lights were on.

But it was quiet.

He stepped inside. He rounded the next corner and examined his surroundings... for a quarter of a second. He gagged, and was barely able to stop himself from losing everything in his stomach.

There were dead bodies. Everywhere. Not just the zombies, but people too. Oh my gosh... What's happened to the world? There was obviously a major struggle... and he gasped as he saw the woman and children... some whose legs and arms had been completely torn off, a man's face had been chewed to a bloody mess, a woman's decapitated head lay nearby.

It was terrifying. But he had to push himself. He had to if he was going to survive.

He moved on to explore more of the store. He knew every corner of the place, which came in handy. He could examine every spot in the store without missing anything. He examined the store for the next fifteen minutes, not finding anything but dead bodies. But now he had to make his way into the back of the store, where they stocked everything.

He pushed his way through the double doors on the far right of the store. He looked inside the break room: nothing in there. He made his way to the back office: still nothing. I think I'm good then, time to grab-

CLICK

Cody whipped around and threw his gun up, his heart racing like a thousand horses. Fear and dread ran through his mind.

A man stood before him, holding out a gun as well.

They both stood there for a moment, and then a sigh of relief came from both of them, as they sunk to the ground against the wall.

The man spoke first. "Livin' hell out there..."

Cody nodded. "What was your first clue?"

The man chuckled. "Bennings. Howie Bennings." he extended his hand. Cody took it, and shook his hand firmly.

"Cody. I used to work here... this morning."

Howie laughed. "A lot's happened in the past few hours... you alone?"

Cody shook his head. "No, in fact, I gotta grab the rest of my family real quick."

"Cool. I'm gonna find something to use as barriers in front of the doors while you do that."

Cody walked outside to the car. He had no choice but to let them see the horror that was inside. If they were going to live like this, it was time for them to get used to it... sooner than later. "Guys," he told them, "You're going to see some scary stuff inside, but you need to be strong, okay?"

They all nodded, but it was a different story when they walked inside. Lucy hid behind Cody, and Mark Just stood in shock. David held his stomach as he said, "Oh Go... this is messed up..." Tyler was simply ignorant.

"It's getting dark." Howie piped. "There's some dog beds we can use to sleep on."

While David helped set up sleeping arrangements, Cody and Howie dragged the bodies to the far end of the store, away from the veggies and fruits. After an hour of dragging corpses, Cody found his own spot and tried his best to get comfortable. Howie was to take the first watch for half the night, and then switch out with Cody.

Right before he fell asleep, all he could think was Will I survive tomorrow?

Playing With Death - Part 6: On the Run

Cody panicked.

He and the walking corpse locked eyes with the other, and neither were moving. Then, all of a sudden it seemed, the dead man was half way towards the house.

Cody came back to earth, and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He watched as the zombie slowly made it's way over to the front door, and start pushing on it. A few more zombies heard the noise and joined in.

Cody realized the reality of the situation. He grabbed the Civic keys and ran downstairs. "Guys, we're leaving NOW."

David nodded quickly. "But where?"

"Everyone needs to get in the car, quickly and quietly. Okay?"

"Wait, why? Why so secretive? It's our car." David was thoroughly confused.

He looked David straight into his eyes. "You'll see in a second." He crouched down to Lucy's eye level. "We need to blind fold you, alright? Just for a tiny bit."

"Why?"

Cody bit his lip. "Because... because I don't want you to see the bad people outside, okay? You might get bad dreams."

Lucy understood this. She hated nightmares. Cody quickly tied the cloth around her eyes, and said, "we have to be very quiet, okay? Listen to me, do not talk until I say you can, alright? Can you do that?" Lucy nodded, as she held Cody's hand. Cody then looked at Mark. "I need you to not scream, squeel, or anything that will make noise. And I need you to listen to every word I say, okay?"

Mark nodded. "Sure, yeah, fine."

"Good." Cody opened the back door. "Hold hands, stay right next to me." Cody started to lead them through the backyard, to the gate that lead to the front yard. The driveway was practically right next to it. "Okay guys, almost there. Crouch down, and stay quiet." he whispered. He slowly walked over to the car, and opened the back door. "Alright, David, get them in. Put Tyler in his car-seat in the middle."

David started to comply, but then he saw the people on the street. He was frozen, and Cody knew why. Cody grabbed his brother's shirt. "David, you can't focus on that right now. You have to help me." David snapped out of it, and put the rest of the siblings in the car, then hopped into the passenger seat.

Cody didn't want to, but he started the car. Upon doing so, he attracted the attention of every single zombie in the area. "Aw damn..." he threw the car in reverse, and pulled out quickly. Swerving out of the driveway, he ended up hitting five zombies to the ground. He threw the car in drive and hit the gas.

As they left the neighborhood, David piped up. "Where the heck are we gonna go??"

Cody was shaking, but he heard his brother. "I think... I think we should go to Brookshires."

"Where you work? Why?"

"Maybe they'll have a bit of a defence set up, I don't know."

They both fell silent. It still felt unreal to them.

Only one thought ran through Cody's head: How long until I'm dead?