The Dead Walking | Teen Ink

The Dead Walking

January 25, 2023
By eblum BRONZE, Willits, California
eblum BRONZE, Willits, California
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Jonathan walks through the halls of his high school to his next period. Walking into English, Jonathan has a midterm to do. He dreams the world will end so he doesn't have to do it. Jonathan's wish might just come true. 

The windows in the class start to vibrate as the front of the high school crumbles. The kids in the class scramble to block the door and close the blinds as the monsters' rampage through the halls. Horrifying creatures ripped apart anyone who was unlucky enough to be in the halls at the time. The class tries to hide and make no noise as the monsters search for more victims.

The screams of fellow classmates die down as they begin to perish outside. Jonathan lifts the blinds to see his high school overrun by these animals. Cars crashed, smoke, fire, these things have taken over Jonathan's hometown. One of them is at the door of the classroom and trying to get in, the class tried not to make noise so as not to be heard. 

The ones inside the school retreat as a wailing ear piercing screech was sounded. With every footstep of the beast that seems to be their leader the chairs barricading the door fall. The leader was massive at least a mile high overseeing the town. Its underlings swarmed to it as it calls to them. The leader commanded his army to push forward and rampage through the next town. 

After a while of silence, the class decided to go outside, the whole town was in ruins, what used to be a beautiful place was now a barren wasteland. Jonathan rushed home to find his family but he was too late. All his family was home that day and he saw one of the monsters eating them. Jonathan watched in horror as the monster tore his family apart and swore to get revenge. This specific monster had a red stripe running down its back. The monster quickly ran away to catch up with its leader.

Jonathan went looking for survivors but what he discovered was much worse. He saw a trail of the monsters crawling out of a pit glowing red with lava and fire that looked like a gate to hell. Jonathan came across a group of people who had survived one was injured the other two were unscathed but terrified. The one injured was a girl around Jonathan's age with brown hair. Her name was maggie. The other two were siblings, twins they were younger than Jonathan but not by a lot.

Maggie has sustained a deep cut trying to escape one of the “rippers” as she called them. They had it patched up but she wouldn't be able to maneuver very well for a little while. They were safe where they were so Jonathan decided to stay with them as the rippers soon stopped coming out of the pit. 

“Is she going to be okay? ” one of the twins asked.

“Yeah, she should be able to stand in a few hours. ” Jonathan said.

Jonathan went out to scavenge for food and supplies he found a cafeteria at the middle school that wasn't to be trashed and found food. He went to the infirmary to find anything for Maggie's leg but all he found was some alcohol disinfectant for the wound. Jonathan returned and put the disinfectant in Maggie's wound to help stop infection. 

Jonathan gave some food to the twins because they were hungry and he and Maggie had some too. Jonathan had recently been learning how to drive so he could get his provisional license so he went out to look for a car. He found a van that had enough room to carry them all. The twins helped Jonathan carry Maggie to the car while getting any supplies they had gathered.

The van Jonathan found had enough fuel to get to the next town so Jonathan took a back road around the rippers which would get them there just before they did. Jonathan's town had been destroyed so fast that no one was able to get the word out that these monsters had begun to roam the earth. They could see the rippers out in the distance. The leader was too big to move very fast so they would be able to reach the town before they had to evacuate the town.

Night fell just as they began to approach the town Jonathan slammed on the horn to get everyone's attention. Most of the town had gathered around as Jonathan began to stand on the van and tell them about the approaching doom that was coming to the town. They didn't believe him at first until they saw him towering over the trees and hills they saw him. Jonathan explained they can either stay and fight or evacuate. 

The entire town wanted to protect their homes so they decided to stay and fight. Since the leader isn't moving very fast they had enough time to gather as many weapons as they could find. Some made crude spears and swords to attack others and began to build a wall to help hold them back. Maggie's leg was starting to heal a little bit so she could stand. She crafted a bow and joined the other archers.

The town had split into different groups: the frontline of people who held shields, the ones behind them who held spears, and behind them were the archers and melee groups. Jonathan had been scavenging around and came across the museum with an RPG inside. Jonathan had no idea if the thing would even fire after sitting for so long but it was their only chance. 

Jonathan joins the others in the wall of people ready to defend the town. As the leader inches ever so slowly towards the town the rippers push closer. Soon the front lines of the rippers begin to hit the front of our defenses. The shield holders stand their ground as the spear holders pierce the rippers through the gaps in the shields. The town is holding them off decently and as the rippers start getting closer the archers start to fire volleys of arrows taking out hordes of rippers. 

The rippers start thinning out as the leader approaches and the arrows bounce right off of him. The only option left is to try the RPG, jonathan hefted the RPG onto his shoulder and pulled the trigger. The old rusty RPG fired off its rocket just as the leader roars the rocket shooting right down his throat. The leader screamed and fell to the ground defeated and the rest of the rippers alive ran back to the gate. As they were running Jonathan saw one with a red stripe down his back, the one who killed his family. 

Jonathan grabbed a spear and hucked it spearing the ripper in the head and avenging his family. The town cheered as their town is saved,  little did they know a news helicopter had videotaped everything. The world saw this small town save the world from impending doom.


The author's comments:

Very Loosely based of the walking dead


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