The Dawn of the end.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Zombies.

I couldn’t believe it at first. My brain had refused to acknowledge what my eyes had seen. Who could? Who could have thought that they could actually be real? I still can't believe it sometimes. Sometimes I think it’s me who lost it somehow. Zombies, for crying out loud! They weren’t suppose to exists! They were suppose to be a figment of a demented imagination on some television screen and in some kid’s nightmares. Not outside my door! But believe me the dead are alive, I know I’ve just said an antinomy, but it’s true. It's almost funny in a very sick kind of way, to see that the geeks who thought up those aberrations of nature actually had a vision of the future.

They are dead and they are alive. Well, I'm not sure if I can say they are alive since they appear to be rotting on their feet...but they are standing on their feet! They have the faces of everyday people, with a little something more mind you, or less depending on how you see it. They're dressed normally for a day's work, for a date, whatever. Sometimes, under the vacant look of their eyes, you recognize someone you used to know. You recognize the body but the soul who inhabited it, is no more. I have to believe that their soul is gone to heaven or a better place. I need to believe it. The alternative is too awful to even consider. To think that the soul is still there, trapped and transformed into...into something that is neither quite dead nor quite alive. Into a flesh eating decaying corpse is unbearable. What does happen in Limbo or wherever for you to return like that after a brief sojourn? What is life when you cant die? Is life even more precious when you know that as you die you wont stay dead but come back as a monster? Or is it a burden, a curse?

Sometimes, it can be horrifying as you see a friend or a parent and you know that the one you used to know is no more when you see them... when you see them looking at you with their dead eyes. Looking at you like you're...like you're food, like you're a piece of "filet mignon" on sale. How can you mourn the death of a loved one when he or she refuses to stay dead? To be confronted with the death of someone close is heartbreaking. To see that someone standing up after its death as he or she try to...to eat you is...is... I don't think I can find words for that.

They are dead, but also alive. They live to eat. They have returned to eat us (This is so disturbing when I get to think about it.) It's all we've seen them do so far. Eat. And we are on the day's menu. You, me, us. They crave human flesh, our flesh, my flesh! Could they at least snack on each other? Well of course not. Not that dead, unappealing, rotting skin. They're maybe dead, undead, whatever, but they know what they want and it's fresh meat. Oh so very fresh meat, because we're alive when they get their teeth on us. I've seen it happen so many time... I've heard it too. I've seen people running for their lives, trying to escape and I've seen them fail. I can close my eyes to the sight of a person being torn open by nails and teeth and I can try to block out the screams but even if I stick my fingers in my ears I will still ear them.

I can still hear them even now... crying out, screaming for help, begging to uncaring ears and then they scream in pain. The human voice can produce an infinite range of sounds, an infinite range of screams. The kind of screams that tear at your very soul. The ones that makes you feel like you are the one suffering. That turns your blood into ice and make you hair stands on end. They break your heart and shatter your mind.

Screams that will haunt you for the rest of your life.

I can still hear them at night, when everything is quiet in a false peace. They reverberate in my mind like an echo that doesn't want to die. They help me remember that the world has gone horribly wrong.

What made them? I don't know. Is there a cure? I surely hope so! But I doubt there is a cure. I mean not for the ones already turned. You can't turn dead flesh into living flesh once again. Bah, who knows, the dead are alive after all so maybe a cure is fathomable. I'm sure some scientists in some government issued bunkers are working on that.

I hope at least.

Nobody knows how it started, where the first of these creatures appeared . We're in total darkness in more sense than one. Some thinks that the government made them using biological warfare or with experiences on the human DNA or whatnot. Can you imagine crazy scientists of WWII creating weapons like that? Maybe. Nobody knows.

The only thing I do know for sure, is that the dead walk and that they want to eat us. The only beginning I do know, is mine, how it started with me...

An annoying beeping noise infiltrating my dreams, my unconsciousness. Damn noise just wont stop. Wait, annoying beeping? Annoying beeping! My alarm! In a second my eyes are wide open and my brain is half awake. I fumble with my many blankets trying to extricate myself from their warm embrace. Finally, I cross my bedroom in two gigantic strides and manhandle the alarm clock from hell with clumsy numb hands. I sigh as the infernal sound stop and without thinking I turn around and go right back to bed. I moan slightly as the warmth of 8 hours of sleep wraps itself around me once again. With my eyes close and with a blissful smile on my lips I gently berate myself not to forget to cancel the alarm next Friday night. I open my eyes and look at the alarm clock. I’m pretty sure I have something to figure out here. I stare sleepily at the greenish glowing numbers , it’s 6h03. It then dawns on me as I dejectedly think; it's not Saturday right? I have to get up huh?

Almost every morning it's like that. I start awake because the beepbeepbeep is always too loud, shrilling and it always seems to turn my blood into ice whenever I hear it. I always wonder, why, oh why do I have to get up this early? Cursing capitalism and my own choices in life. Not before 6h05 though I stand in the middle of my room scratching my butt and pushing my hair out of my face. Faintly thinking of the clothes I'll want to wear, that a bowl of Cheerios sounds nice right about now and oh, coffee. At the thought of coffee I smile. At 6h06 my brain is completely clear of the fogs of sleep and I put my naked feet on the cold floor of the kitchen to get the coffee going.

Today is no different as I plug the kettle into the wall's socket. I lean my back against the counter as I open my mouth in a wide yawn. Crossing my arms on my chest, I stare out the window of my fourth floor apartment and gaze at the still dark sky. It's dawn but somehow today, the low grey sky makes the day feel like night.

I like these no thought required moments of the morning as I wait for the water to boil. It's always peaceful, quiet. My usually noisy mind is still silent so I try to make the most of it. Most of the time I can't get it to cease its whirling tornado of thoughts.

I draw in a lung full of air and walk quietly to the window looking through the thin bamboo curtain. My eyes trail on the red brick wall of the neighboring apartment building to stop randomly on windows. It feels like I'm the only one who's awake around here as I gaze at the curtained windows. I'm about to go unplug the kettle when something catches my attention. I uncross my arm and move the curtain aside slightly. I frown when I see movements beyond a window, I squint and make out two bodies straining against one and other. I grimace as I let go of the curtain feeling like a nosy pervert neighbor. What's going on is none of my business. A smile appear on my face as I make the coffee though, at least I'm not the only morning bird this morning, though they probably have more fun than me.

The bowl of Cheerios has been eaten and now lies empty in the sink with the 2 or 3 little o that will be as hard as cement when I get back home tonight. I’ve managed to quickly decide what to wear and it’s 6h37 , still a bit of time before I have to leave. My classes at the Montréal University start at 8h30, it takes about an hour and a half to reach it so I'm not late. I grab another cup of coffee and settle in front of my old pal who start to hum as I press its back to life button. I watch without any interests and without any clue of its meaning as the white writing of the DOS fly across the screen. I wait for "window 98" screen to appear. I really ought to buy a new computer. My thoughts are suddenly interrupted as I hear a horrible crash that make my arms spasm in a surprised fright, splashing coffee all over on my jeans and key board.

"What the hell!" I murmur as I hurriedly put my keyboard upside down to prevent the coffee from damaging it. I hear my two drunk neighbors from the apartment below mine stumble around, slamming doors shut and stomping like there's no tomorrow, and no other neighbors either apparently. Their muffle voices reach my ears through the thin rice paper floor and I frown; they are alcoholic but it's way too early for them to get the party going. Usually at this time it's the man's angry puking that I hear. I let out an angry breath and get up, now I have to change pants thanks to those two pathetic losers.

Fumbling around my closet I stop my archaeological digging for another pair of pants when a short scream resonate in my room. I stop moving, a pair of socks in my hands as I strain my ears. After a fashion I discard the socks and start muttering to myself as I resume my search for one evasive pair or pants.
"Can someone tell me what they're doing down there? I swear they have no respect whatsoever for me." I let out a small sound of victory and barely react when I hear another scream followed by a loud stomp and the slamming of a door. I sign loudly as I put on the pants I’ve just found. I know it's wrong of me to think that but sometimes I wish that they'll kill each other in one of their daily drunken brawl. I smile at the thought of never having to put up again with their "Shut your goddamn mouth" contest. They can scream this phrase for hours on end, both drunk out of their minds and always throwing this phrase at each other’s face. Needless to say that « Shut your goddamn mouth» can be repeated a lot by two drunks idiots who have the combined IQ of an hamster. Usually in the end, I’m so strung-out that I want to participate and scream my own sets of colorful words.

I sit back in my chair and turn my key board over. I make a mental note to clean it tonight. I’m about to click on the Internet Explorer icon when fast stumps are heard all around my apartment. Ok, now I’m truly puzzle. I scratch my arm absentmindedly as I frown staring at my pc screen, thinking. My neighbors children are never up at this hour. It can’t be them running around at 6h45! 6h45? School! Damn I have to leave, screw my morning net surfing to check out the news. I'll read the news paper in the metro instead.

As soon as my feet are outside my apartment building I know something is wrong. Call it my superior power of observation. I might be living in a wacko neighborhood but it's never been this hellish before.

My mind is blank as I can’t make out any thought. I stand immobile on the porch, eyes open wide and mouth equally open. I don’t understand anything as I watch the unfolding scene in front of me. It’s unreal. Surreal.

"What the hell is going on?" My voice doesn’t even reach my ears as my wide eyes shots from scene to scene. People are running as if hell is after them. Some are running after the runners. I can see people fighting. I hear screaming. I start and flinch when I hear the loud crash of a car accident somewhere on Pie-XI street. I barely acknowledge myself as my hands rest themselves on my forehead in horrified disbelief.

«What the fuck is going on?»

I start again as I hear a deep gurgling scream near me. It’s then that I realize that my heart is beating madly in my chest. My breath is coming out in short and fast puffs of air. I feel my eyes almost bulge out in disbelief. I...I think a girl is being rape right in front of me! My hand flies to my mouth as I finally move. Without thinking anything and as a pure reaction I start to walk toward the fighting couple on the park’s ground. As I get closer I clearly see the larger man over the trashing girl, his head is in the crook of her neck and even from the distance I can see her wide panicked eyes as she wails and cries. Her wailing stops abruptly as I see her eyes bulging out of her skull. I feel like I’ve been dunk in frigid water as she lets out the most horrifying scream I have ever heard. Galvanize, I start running toward her. I have no idea what I will do but I have to do something. Anything to stop that scream. Using the momentum of my running I kick the son of a bitch on the side of his head. I’m silently snarling as I watch with satisfaction the guy roll off. I turn my gaze on the girl and I can't help but flinch backward violently as I see a red, gaping, blood spurting hole on the side of her neck. I…is that her…her throat…her trachea, what?

«Oh my god!» I hear myself say in horror. I take a glance at the girl's white face. She's staring unseeing at the sky and her mouth is open ceaselessly moving like she's trying to say something...like a fish out of water. The only thing I hear is a wet gurgling sound as blood cascade out of the wound. I feel like the world has gone upside down and grey as I drop myself on my knees. This is nothing making any sense...

I stare at the gushing hole unsure where to put pressure, where is the carotid in all this mess? Should I just put pressure on the whole wound? But…I can see the inside of her throat! My hands hover over the wound not knowing what to do.

On the verge of maniacal tears I put both of my hands on the wound. I don’t know what to do!

«Help!» I scream as loud as I can. In the corner of my eyes I see movements. The man I have kick is unsteadily trying to get back on his feet. I feel the thickness of the blood leak through my fingers as the wound still gushes, the metallic smell so rich in my nose. Oh my god, there is so much blood! This isn’t real! The man is finally up is back to me.

"What's your fucking problem man?!» I rage at him with a trembling voice. « Wha..." I shut up as the man turns around swiftly looking at me. His face...

Shit! I can only stare in horror at his face. Without thinking I let go of the girl and fall on my ass in the puddle of her blood. I barely acknowledge the warmth seeping through the material of my pants as I stare at an impossible sight. He's white as a sheet, like a corpse but his eyes...oh my god, his eyes! His mouth is dripping with her blood and I can see he is sporting several wounds himself. His body is like a macabre patchwork of crimson and white. I feel like everything stop as I stare at him. Nothing is moving, only us exists. Staring at each other. He growls and the world kick start again. He lunge at me and I scream. Adrenaline pumping through me I scramble to my feet inhumanly fast. I run, not realizing I’ve join the other runners in the madness. I run and refuse to look back. There is only one thing clear in my mind; my apartment building's door. Nothing is important except the fact that I have to get to that door. I see my running reflection on the glass door and he's so close behind me! I hear myself whine pitifully. The street is crossed and I stretch my arm toward the door, I grab the knob and throw it open. I turn around swiftly and let out a yelp as I realize how close he really was to me. I barely have the time to pull the door close when his body slam right on the thick window. I yell and stumble backward falling hard on my ass, the wind knock out of my lungs. I can only stare up at the man. Watching with his bloody hands pawing the glass making red smears all over it. My heart is pumping widely in my ears but the soft stomps his head and hands make when he hits them on the glass are starkly clear in the silence of the vestibule. Weirdly, he suddenly makes me think of a fly. A stupid fly that wants to get outside but only manage to bump against the window.

My eyes suddenly widen in horror. The door is not lock! I quickly stand up and one swift motion the door is closed and I'm pressed on the wall. As he saw me get closer to him, he seemed to get madder and smashed himself on the glass. It's almost as if he couldn't see it and thought by my being closer he could get me. This is madness! Suddenly his head turns swiftly to his left and he starts running away. A quivering hand cover my mouth as I slid on the ground. I can't make up any thought. My body trembles in shock as I stare at the bloody door. I watch with a sick fascination the coagulate blood that leaks on the glass. My eyes sees other people running behind the glass, my ears hear screams of all sorts but my mind doesn't make any sense of it. All I feel is a numbness and a thick humming in my head. I try to swallow but my mouth is so dry, it feels as if I just ate a shovel full of sand. I finally move and I look down at myself. I'm covered in blood. Her blood. My pants are soaked with it. I'll have to change pants again, I stupidly think. I blink numbly and try to rub off some of, I grimace as I only make it worse.

My mind takes me back to the girl. He took a bite out of her. I shakily stand up. Like in some bad horror flick. I can't understand anything. Why would someone do a thing like, like that? With unsure feet I step closer to the disgustingly red glass and watch what's going on in the park. The madness is still going strong. I can see fire in some building on the other side of the park. I hears screams and sirens from police and ambulance in a nightmarish cacophony. I watch it all disbelievingly, my hand almost covers my mouth but I see it red with blood. Her blood. Standing on tiptoes I try to see where the girl was. My eyes fills with tears. With the amount of blood she was losing she must be dead by now. I could have done more, called for help. Called 911, I could have...She's standing up, she is getting up?!

«She's ok!» A thin sliver of hope shines through my personal dementia. She seems to be watching around herself. I stare at the hellish park and pull in an unsteady breath as I make my decision.

I cross the street, this time with eyes all around my skull. I'm wringing my hands as I step on the sidewalk beside the park. I refuse to step in it though. walk.

"Hey! Over here!" She seems to have heard me for her blond head snap toward me and she start running in my direction. I frown as I watch her getting close and my frown deepens as she get closer. Her face. I take a step back. She didn't had that look when I last saw her. Her eyes...they look dead. I stumble off the sidewalk. Yet she runs. Yes toward me and with her teeth bare like a lioness who just happen to see a prey. I turn around and she's so close that she closes her hand on my hair. I dimly feel the pain.

I close the door in her face and scramble backward as she too crashes into it. Her veil blue eyes stares right at me and I feel my face lose all of it's few remaining colors. She too is pawing the glass trying to get at what I now guess is me. My eyes see the huge gaping coagulated bloody hole where her throat used to be...

«What the hell is going on...oh, my god, what is going on?»

I feel tears of terror and despair prick my eyes as I stare at her, minutes ago she, she was dying and now, now...I turn around sharply as a I hear a door slam against a wall in my building. I gulp and wait as unsteady steps comes toward me. The expression, having your heart in your throat, has suddenly a new meaning for me while I wait. I'm so scared I feel like throwing up right here and now. I can't move, I have to know who or what is coming toward me. I moan cowardly when feet appears on the steps. I feel myself grimace with fright as the whole body comes into view. I take one glance at the face and without a second to lose I bolt toward the emergency exit on the other side. I'm suddenly so glad of having that weird exit that nobody never uses. It leads into a tight circular staircase that can either lead you outside or in the apartments, I take the steps two at a time as I desperately want to reach my place. I barely stop when I get to my door and I slam right on the hard wood. I fumble around in my pocket to get my key and once I have it my hand it doesn't take a second for me to be standing in my orange kitchen, my back leaning against the door. I barely acknowledge the heavy trembling of my body as I feel myself lose it completely. Feeling a growing darkness in a corner of my mind I grasp it pulling my consciousness into it with all my might. For the very first time in my life I faint.

I know they are a few information missing on our heroin, don't worry.

Chapter two coming soon...
So, bad, very bad, not bad, good? Tell me watcha think.
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The Dawn of the end.: Chapter 1

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Chapter 1: Chapter 1

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