The blast was so loud it shook the house, knocking the picture frames from the wall. I woke up and glanced at my alarm clock that is set for 6:30am, its 5:15. Figuring I’m not going to be able to fall back asleep, I switch off the alarm. I flop down on m bed studying the ceiling until I fully wake up. I sat up and threw my short light brown hair into a ponytail. I looked around my room for something to throw on. I found my white camisole and my hunting jacket; I put them on over my favorite blue jeans and slipped on my boots. I started down the stairs only to find my dad at the bottom frantically packing canned food, clothes, our rifles, & hunting knives.
“W-what on earth are you doing?” I questioned.
“We’ll talk later go pack some clothes and get your Bow and arrows.”
“Dad are you-“
“GO, NOW!” he shouted
I ran upstairs and packed my bag without any further questioning. I quickly charged up the wind up hunting radio I keep in my room and herd the radio station announce through static.
“A nuclear power plant in Tennessee has burst into flames early this morning spreading its harmful fumes all over the state. Tennessee residents are urged to stay indoors until any further notice.”
I heard the truck start outside and I grabbed my bow, the radio, and my bag and ran out the door to the truck. We were just about to pull out of the driveway when I remembered the broadcast I heard earlier.
“Wait!”
My dad stopped the truck and I opened the door and hopped out before my dad could protest. I searched around in the basement until I found it. My dad is a veterinarian so he keeps those surgical masks thingy’s in a box in the basement. I grabbed the box and started up the basement steps when I heard a loud crash come from the dining room. I rushed to the dining room to see the sliding glass door broken and our neighbor Charley on the floor all cut up and bloody. I was about to help him when I noticed something, He had no color, his once bright blue eyes were gray and lifeless, and he was crawling at me despite the ear-to-ear slit in his throat.
BANG!
My ears rang for a moment and I squeezed my eyes shut until my head stopped spinning. I opened my eyes to find Charlie dead on my dining room floor in a pool of his black as tar blood. I turned to see my dad rifle in had motioning me t follow him back to the truck. I placed the box in the bed of the truck and grabbed two masks out before re-entering the cabin of the truck.
“Of all things, why did you get those?” My dad asked as I shoved one towards him.
“I heard the news broadcast this morning, over the hunting radio and that it is that turned Charlie could be airborne.”
“Did you bring the radio with you?”
“Yeah…OH MY GOD!” I shouted causing my dad to screech to a halt.
“What is it Kennedy?”
“Oh my god we need to go to Alex’s house, we need to make sure he is okay and- o my god if his brother-.” I stopped myself, remembering how Alex lost both of his parents in a car crash last July. “If his brother isn’t ok then I don’t even know dad, me and his brother, that’s all he’s got left” I could see the sympathy in my dad’s eyes.
“Okay, but we have to make it quick.”
“Thank you so much dad.” We drove to Alex’s house and I jumped out and ran up the driveway clumsily retrieving the key to Alex’s house that he gave me at the beginning of the year. I grasped the key from my pocked and shoved it into the door. It turned and I flung the door open and Ran to his room where he was packing a bag. He turned when his bedroom door opened.
“I-I thought you were-.” He stopped himself, but he didn’t have to say the est I already knew what he was thinking.
“I couldn’t do that to you.” I said through tears.
“Where’s Jake?” I questioned
“I- I’m not sure, When I woke up it was around 5, he wasn’t home.”
“Come with me my dad is outside you can stay with us.”
“But Jake.” Luke protested.
“You can’t sit around here waiting for him, more than likely he’s alive loing for you everywhere but here.”
“Babe I jus-“
“You have to or you’ll die” I shouted without thinking twice.
I grabbed his bag and he followed me reluctantly to the truck.
“Hey John.” Alex said to my dad
“Hey Alex, where’s Jake?”
“Not sure I think he left early this morning to go hunting, deer season just started ya’ know”
“I’m sure we’ll find him” Dad said without too much certainty. We drove in silence for 30 minutes till I reached over and turned on the CD player. I had just gotten the new Luke Bryan CD so I popped it in and it started playing “I don’t want this night to end”. I knew dad loves this song and he just couldn’t resist. He belted out singing and so did Alex. I couldn’t help but sing along. We were all one big family and nothing could go wrong, or so it seemed. One minute we were all laughing and singing and suddenly the truck was totaled and backed into a tree. Then I realized the terrifying truth. He’d been bitten.
“No, no, no, no, no, dad NO!!!”
“I’m s- so sorry baby” my dad said between breaths I saw it happening right before my eyes. My dad was turning.
“This morning, before you came downstairs I was bitten by Janice I didn’t know and I was trying to help her but after she bit me that is when I realized she was a zombie, I packed you some bags with some materials and I want you to get out of here, and leave me.”
“I love you daddy” I said kissing him on the forehead for what I was now aware was the last time. He stopped breathing and I knew we had to get out f there ASAP.
“Alex, Grab as much stuff as you can we need to leave now.” Alex nodded in agreement despite the fact that he was crying worse than me.
It was now midday maybe 2 o’clock when all of the sudden a big fluffy golden retriever approached up licking us and wagging his tail.
“His name is Aragon.” Said Alex.
“What?” I questioned
“His collar it says so”
“Can we keep him?” I asked
“Check him for bites or scratches, who knows if dogs can turn too” said Alex.
“He’s good no bites or scratches.” I said
We continued on with Aragon at our heels.
“Are you infected?” I heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar.
“No” I said.
“Suddenly the doors to the store about 20 yards in front of us opened.
“Well what are you waiting for get inside” said the same voice we heard before.
Alex was the first to stumble ahead. “J-Jake…is that you?”
Jake came running out from the store and embraced me and Alex.
“I thought you were…” His voice trailed off.
“Jake I’m fine, I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for Kennedy and John.”
“Where is John?”
I began to cry; my dad’s name still a painful reminder. Aragon walked over to me and I collapsed to the floor letting out every emotion I had been holding in. Aragon Curled up in my lap and began to lick away the tears staining my cheeks Alex, Being that he is taller and stronger than me by a lot, Scooped me up and carried me inside while Jake grabbed our bags and followed us inside with Aragon at our heels. I can’t help but believe that Aragon was somehow sent in the place of my father who had always comforted me. I still hear his voice now and again bringing back the fond memories of us before the world turned into this nightmare. It’s slowly being brought back up, piece by piece, we are recreating the world.