3. Day 1.2

‘No that’s stupid, it can’t be, not possible there has to be another explanation’.

Alex sat down and started to think back on the day, then the week, the month, the year, trying to remember any piece of news that would help him figure out what was going on. He sat there for more than 30 minutes, but nothing came to mind.

‘Got to check the news’.

He started to go through his pockets looking for his phone only to realize that he had dropped at some point.

‘ fuck fuck’

“HAAAA HAAA aaaaaa dammed god dammed agggg”

Alex made a fist and started to hit the floor reputedly trying to regain his calm but the more he tried the more difficult it became getting closer to getting a panic attack.

From behind Alex came the sound of footsteps coming towards him.

This scares Alex so much that he starts sprinting without looking back. As he runs, he stumbles and almost falling multiple times, the adrenalin in his body is so much that he runs faster than ever had and pushes his body to keep running even if he is already exhausted.

After running for what felt like an hour, he stumbles one more time and falls to the ground completely exhausted.

Alex stays on the ground trying to get his breath back. After not having anything to eat since last night, running to complete exhaustion, and having gone through a roller coaster of emotion he falls unconscious.

“HAA A WHAT, What Happen, where I am”

Alex suddenly sits up in panic, looking around he remembers what had happened.

‘It wasn’t a dream; this isn’t a dream!’

Feeling himself starting to have a panic attack Alex gathers himself up.

‘STOP IT get yourself together, you can do this just breath in and out’

After having some minutes to calm down Alex stands up and starts pacing around.

‘Ok, first I need to know what really is going on, if it is just happening around these parts or if it is a Global thing. Fuck, if is a global thing it means it’s the apocalyptic’

Feeling himself starting to panic he stops that trail of thoughts.

“NO NO no don’t jump to conclusions.”

‘Ok forget about that I need a short-term plan. First, I need shelter, then I need food and water then either ask someone or find a way to connect to the internet and find out what’s going on. To get this I should keep making my way towards the exit and look for a gas station, if my memory servs me right there is an old gas station on the other side of the highway, it has small windows and a wooden door this which should be easier to secure instead of the more modern ones that have glass doors and a lot of big windows’

With a rough plan in mind Alex started to walk towards where he hoped to see the highway to make sure he was walking in the right direction. It didn’t take him long to find it but decided not to get too close for safety reasons and he might fall into panic again if he see the ‘not Zombies’ again.

After orientating himself Alex starts to walk at a slow and steady pace and almost immediately, he stops. Even after his short ‘nap’ he is still exhausted and he also notices that his arms and hand have small cuts, also his legs are extremely sore and hurting, most likely a result of kicking branches and rocks in his mad sprint.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Sigh………. I’m not going to say it”

More out of desperation than willpower he pushes through the pain and starts walking again.

The next hour of walking is the most terrifying, emotionally exhausting, and physically challenging experience Alex has ever had to deal with. For approximately one hour Alex must stay in high alert to make sure that one of those things isn’t coming from behind him or his surroundings, jumping at every sound and staring intensely at every shadow. Alec also has to keep his focus on his current goal because if he lets his thoughts wander, he immediately starts thinking about his family and friends, are they alive, did they change, were they alone, where they outside. This and many more thoughts keep swirling in his head and to top it all he is starving; he hasn’t eaten or drank anything in more than 12 hours. Both his arms and legs have buses and cuts.

Alex was reaching his breaking point when he finally spotted the traffic light of the exit.

“Haaaa thank God”

Alex only needed to get to the top of the small hill in front of him and he’d be back on the road. Because of his excitement he almost missed the figure coming down from the hill on his right. Alex, not taking any chances, throws himself to the nearest bushes tyin his hardest to make as little noise as possible.

Holding his breath, he stares at the figure descending from the hill, looking behind the bushes. The figure, a man for what he gathers, walks down the hill slowly and drunk? His body moves back and forward, side to side and his arms move erratically, like a drunk person or maybe even a high person. For a split-second hope burns from Alex hearth thinking that he stumbled into a normal person but as the man gets closer Alex starts no notice verry concerning signs that stop him for calling out to the man.

Firstly, while the man moves like a drunk person, from time to time his whole-body twitches. Secondly, there is a big wet area going from his collar to his stomach. This makes Alex decide to wait for the man approach to make sure he isn’t making a big mistake.

Alex waits patiently for the man to get closer. Once the man gets close enough for Alex to get a good look at him, his hopes for having a conversation whit another person get destroy.

The man’s skin is unnaturally white almost like paper or wax, his eyes are completely black, like the man on the highway, and the wet spot in his shirt it’s clearly blood.

This observation makes Alex’s heartbeat so hard that is like it’s trying to come out of his chest. As Alex tries his hardest not to make as little noise as possible and not been seen, he can’t help but notice a few things that are different compared to the other creatures that he has seen.

Number 1, his movements are slow and clumsy, not like the others that he has seen, fast. Number 2 while his eyes are as black as the others, he has seen they don’t have the same bestial hunger. And number 3 on one of his hands he has one black claw.

Alex isn’t sure what that means but he is willing to bet that that’s a bad sign.

As the man gets closer Alex makes sure not to be in the man’s direct eyesight, by moving around the bush. Once the man passes Alex’s hiding spots he starts to calm down, after waiting a couple of minutes so that the man leaves his line-of-sight Alex stats to make his way towards the road but this time slower and whit more cautious.

Once on the side of the road he squats on the side of a tree and starts to look around franticly, ones he is sure there are no more ‘people’ around Alex starts to make his way towards the bridge. Fortunately, there weren’t any cars around where there could be waiting some nasty surprises. As he makes his way across the bridge, he keeps himself low and moving, only stopping a couple of times to make sure nothing was following him. After a short while he makes it to the end of the bridge.

Alex decided that the best course of action is to spring as fast and as quiet as possible towards the wooden area close to the gas station. After gathering his breath and having one more look around Alex sprints as fast as he can towards the woods, ones there he starts to look around franticly thinking that dozens of those things are going to show up and Torne him apart. After looking around for ten minutes he is sure that nothing notices him.

Ones more he cautiously hides himself in the trees to assess the situation. The gas station looks almost abandoned, there are no obvious signs of fighting, no blood, no bodies wandering around or bodies on the floor, the only thing of interest is the truck parked on the side of the gas pump. Alex’s doesn’t hear any engines so it must be oof. he cautiously makes his way towards the almost certain that is empty. At around 2 meters of distance from the truck Alex starts to walk around making sure it’s empty and there wasn’t anything under it or behind him, he got close enough to touch it. Once there he notices that in the back of the truck there were a pickaxe and a shovel. Thinking that it was better to have a weapon was better that been empty handed, picking the pickaxe making sure it wasn’t too heavy for him, he examines it.

‘it’s rusty and dirty but it feels sturdy’

After a couple of minute thinking of how he is going to use it to attack and defend himself, he feels ready to take the last few steps towards his current goal.

Taking a deep breath Alex approaches the door nervously and cautiously, he grabs the doorknob and turns it slow and gentle, getting mentally prepared for a fight. Alex isn’t a fighting expert, only having a few high school fights and a drunken brawl in a bar under his belt (not winning any of them), but if he has the element of surprise, he has a chance.

Slowly openi-

“Are you coming in hun?”.