I can't believe I've found a laptop. It's small as hell, but it's better than a computer that doesn't work at all. The other survivors and I all are cooped up in a small hardware store, right in the middle of a 3-story building right next to a dock of dozen or so boats. Too bad not one of them is a yacht. I don't know why in the hell I'm writing this after one week of un-nerving, never-ending, pain of running away from a horde of walking carcasses that feast on the living. I've pinched myself a thousand times and tell myself it's all a dream, but it ain't. If anyone survives this outbreak and lives to see this, let it be know that I have and will document every single step of my journey to the bitter end. It's my story, and this is how it all began.
It all started last week in an early breeze, sunny day in my town of Juneau, the capital city of Alaska. With bright sun came cold chills that might freeze you up if you stand out there with nothing but a short pajamas and a Rolling Stones t-shirt. At least the sun looks pretty enough to look at. After a quick shower and a small breakfast, I head out to college campus where I'm destined to become a journalist. Now that I think about it, that's kind of what I'm doing right now except no one is gonna read this for 2 decades. My life in school down the drain I guess. By the time I got there, people were crowding in front of television sets. Some of them were in awe and others in shock of terror. I look at the TV in the cafeteria room when the first thing I hear is "Epic pandemic is spreading all over the world, as hundreds; if not thousands of radiating people have risen from the ground." Obviously the word the reporter wanted to say is "walking dead", but I guessed even during this epidemic they're not allowed to say it. Like everybody else around me, I was shocked by this. After the breaking news, the PA came on and said as of now all classes have been canceled for the day. I was thrilled and at the same time sad since my English paper that I worked on all night and was due today was all the hard work for nothing.
My friends called me up one-by-one telling me their plans for defending this outbreak. Some are obvious, others try to be creative. But here's the thing about this town; it's isolated from the rest of the world. The only way out here is by plane or boat. We are fine since it's gonna take years for zombies to get up here. At least so I thought.
The next day I wake to a horrifying crash I hear from outside of my apartment. At first I thought it was a car until an explosion banged so loud, it ranged my ears and the apartment. I walked outside only to see a piece of a air wing in the middle of the elementary school nearby, burning like it's a bomb-fire. I see people scrambling around, getting into their cars, and fleeing away from here. Then I hear a groan coming on my right and I see I thought I would never see; a walking corpse. It lunges at me going for my head, but I swung my door right at it and I knocked it down. I ran back inside, heart beating out of my chest, and grabbed the nearest thing; a green cheap-metal broom. Not the first weapon of choice, but it was all I had. The dead-man rose up and lunges at me again only to meet the end of the broom straight through the heart. I plucked the broom out of the dead corpse and plunge it again this time through the skull. It's only risen arm fell after whatever life it had fade away. My heart didn't stop pounding thanks to the shock and thought that they're here in Juneau. Aftershock went through me when I saw one of my friends, Barry, ran into my apartment and witnessed my first un-dead kill. "How did it felt?" he told me.
"Like a wakeup call from life telling me to go die in a horrible and painful death," I replied.
Me and Barry gather our things and decided to find and rally up our other friends and find a safe place to shelter ourselves from the walking dead. Since phone lines were down and internet being the last thing to check up after a corpse walks into your front door, we decided to head towards The Valley Church around sundown once we find everyone. What I wasn't expecting was that's the last time I get to see my long time friend again.
Since the town is divided into three boroughs, traffic will either be 1) non-reverent, or 2) a major cluster of epic proportions. Either way, my Jeep will be covered in body parts by the end of the night. After stocking up on food supplies and more green brooms at the nearest supermarket, I headed downtown where another great friend of mine is there w/ no car or any kind of transportation that needs some help. As I swerve around the highway dodging wrecked cars left and right and hitting a corpse or two along the way, I stopped at the only red-light that was blinking. I noticed there aren't people or cars heading to the nearest hospital. I start to wonder why. But before I thought the hospital's contingency plan, I hear another vehicle swerving on the highway at full speed except it's taking both sides of the highway recklessly. I step on the gas and maneuver away from the truck, but by the powers it be, the truck notice my general direction and decide to head towards me. I step the gas so hard, I heard the engine roaring before the truck clipped my back Jeep and spun me around for 2 seconds before to a complete stop. The truck on the other hand ran off the highway and into the nearby lake, collapsing on its side. After recovering from a minor headache, I see that more of those un-dead walking towards me. I got out of the car, grabbed my only used broom and swung at any nearby hunk of flesh that dared to touch me. I was lucky enough to make it to the medical store, barricaded the door w/ furniture, and killed some more un-dead. After searching through the fridge for early dinner, I placed myself in a room w/ a barely lit candle. W/o a window to look through I had no choice but to close the door shut and place a desk right on the door. I thought that room was gonna be my tomb as I drown myself to sleep.
I once again woke to a thunderous bang. This time it sounded like a shotgun. Scarcely, I slowly pulled back the desk holding the door, and slowly check to see what the noise is. Next thing I knew, the door slammed open send me to the back of the room. A flashlight shines upon me before I heard a woman's voice shouting to the person to hold their fire. Thank god it wasn't the military. Instead it's a group of survivors like me, faces who I've never met before. That really says a lot consider this town is small. There were a total of 5 survivors; three male, and two female. Their names are John the middle-age janitor, Zack the high-school jock, Harry the mechanic, Lisa the brain-smarts, and Joanna the medic. I picked their titles after hanging out w/ them for the first hour. Sure it was by looks, but I know sooner or later we're gonna open up to each other. By this point it's close to midnight, and I was starting to wonder about my friends and if any of them are still alive.
"Hey guys," I asked them. "My friends and I were gonna meet each other at the Valley Church by sundown. And since it's midnight, you think we can stop by and--" Zack walks up towards me and tells me that The Valley is nearly filled w/ un-dead and it's very likely we'll be stopping by and knock on heaven's door and check if my friends were there. I want to punch him the face, but I stopped myself and ask nicely if we can try. After a quick talk to themselves, they agreed, but one condition; this will be the only time they'll head down The Valley. I swallowed my pride and agreed. W/ their handful of arsenal and ammo and my only trusted broom, we get into a minivan and headed down the Valley.
Morning broke as we reached The Valley. Zack was right; nothing but walking carcasses. The Church was in the middle so we all know that the only we'll go in is also we'll get out. No alternative. I just can't abandon my friends and I hope they're alright. We fought wave after wave of those things. It seemed like for every horde of meat we fought off, we move two miles and it wasn't easy. By the time we saw the Church it was afternoon, and so far no sign of life. We finally reached our destination and had little time to spare before more of them head towards us. W/ my nearly broken broom, I banged on the front door hoping for someone to respond. There was nothing. Me and John open the doors only to find it mysteriously un-protected. We ran in and the only thing we saw was a note and 2 bags. On the note, my friend Barry wrote that by the time I get this. he is either dead, alive, or in-between. Everybody else we knew beside him and his girlfriend was dead by the time they got here only to find out it was a big mistake. Inside the bags were sticks of dynamite from his father who was a mine-worker. He gave instruction to gather as many of those things inside the church and blow it sky high. It was a daring risky move, but at least it will give anybody else alive in The Valley a decent chance to leave while they can. After a moment of silence of my fallen friends, we placed the dynamite and use some of the gas from one of our tanks and create a line so that the dynamites would go off like dominoes. As me and John throw ourselves as bait, we lured them in, and when it was full, I gave him the signal, lit the fuses, and jump out of the building, and ran away before the walls exploded and collapsed on them. I wasn't so sure if Barry or anyone else I knew was in there. But now it was turned into rubble.
We made it to Downtown once midnight broke signaling another day of staying alive. We searched for wherever to stay in and camp until we find a way out of this town. Of all the places, we found a 3-story compartment building big enough to last us a week. For those last several days we killed those things in the morning, scavenge in the afternoon, and have fun on the roof in the evening acting as if this is our new home. My new friends did a proper burial for the loss of our friends and loved ones. Since I'm closest thing to a catholic, I tried my best to be a priest and prayed that they will find rest in the afterlife. Lord knows were struggling to survive.
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