I had a life before the world ended. I had a girlfriend who was moving in with me, a Border Collie that had just given birth to a litter of four, a goldfish that really only sat by the window, bills that needed to be paid, and food that needed to be put on the table. It seemed my life couldn't have been better. Then the end of the world happened.


It had been a hot day. A day that made those who weren't in an air-conditioned environment melt with the heat. For me, the long day of tiring work had just ended, and I could finally return home to all that I loved. I remember cursing my luck that I had to take my girlfriends beast of a van because mine had broken down just two days before. My luck didn't get better when I saw the elevator crossed off, shut down, and realized that I had to walk four stories of stairs.


It was when I exited the stairwell, already pulling my keys from my pocket, that my blood ran cold. The door to apartment D23 was open, just a crack. That wasn't what stopped me, though. I knew my girlfriend enjoyed leaving it open so our neighbor, Mrs. Donny, could knock on the doorjamb and receive the cookies for her grand-kids. No, what stopped me was the alarmingly large amounts of blood leading into the apartment.


Immediately, I rushed in, calling out for the love of my life. "Victoria!" I shouted, noticing Mr. Duck, my goldfish, laying still on the tiled floor among broken glass and trailing water. "Victoria!" I cried again, rushing into the bedroom, seeing the trails of blood dragging that way. I slammed open the door, cursing when I couldn't see her. Where was she?! I was about to exit the room when I heard it. The small whine of Jax, my Border Collie. Rushing to the restroom, Jax immediately rushed over, still making those whimpering noises even as I pet her in comfort. But I knew why she whined.



Laying on the floor, still gurgling, was Victoria, the love of my life. Blood drenched her body, seeming to come from her neck. Her eyes were glazed, her skin was pale. Dropping beside her, I tried to put pressure to the wound, dripping tears onto her skin. "No, no, Victoria! Don't do this to me, please, no! You're gonna be alright! You'll be fine!" I gasped. Her cloudy eyes slowly turned towards me, trying to focus. "Vicky," I cried. "You're gonna be okay. I love you. I'm here." I rushed to find my phone, cursing when I realized I had dropped it along with my keys in the entrance to the apartment. Underneath me, Victoria choked. Her eyes rolled back, her body jerked once, twice, then - she went still.


"No, no, no!" I screamed, dropping my head down to hear her heart. There was no sound. Her body had gone cold, skin transferring from a creamy milky color into a sickly grey color. I clutched her body to mine, hating the way it just fell limp, no sign of moving. We rocked back and forth with me sobbing my heart into her chocolate colored hair and Jax whining anxiously beside me.


It only took a second for the sound to register. Another for the movement of her body. My heart beat painfully, hopefully. "Vicky?" I questioned quietly. Was this all some elaborate joke put together by my punk brother and his friends? Was Victoria in on it? "Victoria, baby?" Slowly letting go of her body, I watched her open her beautiful brown eyes. Only a second too late did it register that her eyes weren't brown.



She pulled me down, snapping at me, trying bite whatever she could grab a hold of. I cried out, shoving her away, but she kept coming back. Jax had run from the room, whimpering and growling from the doorway at the beast the love of my life had become. I didn't need to watch one of Vicky's favorite horror movies to realize what she had become. The proof was right in front of me, possessing the woman I loved. Still love. With my heart in pain, I quickly realized what I had to do.



"I'm sorry," I whispered before grabbing the sides of her head and slamming it into the floor, hearing the growls and howls she made along with the thuds. Twice I did it, taking my chance as she was dazed to rush out of the room and slam the door shut, telling myself that Victoria wouldn't want me to end up with the same fate that had befallen her. Thuds and bangs echoed in the empty bedroom as I heard her slam herself repeatedly against the door, hissing and growling all the while. Tears cascaded down my face as Jax nuzzled my hand and peered at me with her big brown eyes. She quickly rushed over to her bed, nosing her pups in the belly, licking them before once again centering me with her panicked eyes.


It took looking into her eyes and a loud creak from the door and it's added weight that I finally focused on what I had to do next. Bundling the pups up in a small blanket from the bed, I packed what I needed and began heading out the door with Jax and the pups, hearing cracks as either the door or my heart began to shatter. Just in case, I shut the bedroom door before packing whatever else I needed from the rest of the apartment. Rushing to my forgotten keys, phone, and bag, I quickly scooped them up.


I turned once more to look into the home that held Victoria. With a breaking heart that now matched the door of the bedroom, I turned and clicked shut the apartment, leaving my love with the dead.