The Dead Are Living

- Five Months Earlier -

"Are you serious? We have a free day without Mom and Dad and you want to spend it at the gym?"

"Well, yeah. That's kinda what I just told you." My sister rolled her eyes at my sarcastic response. "I won't be long. Just find a way to entertain yourself until i get back."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

I smiled and winked at her as I grabbed my Nike bag from the floor. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water and made my way out of the door. I already had on my workout clothes and running shoes.

I made it quickly to the gym, doing a forty-five minute workout and then I headed home, getting there in just under an hour.

I walked through the front door, dropping my bag beside it and shutting the door behind me. The house was quiet, odd when my sister was here. I looked around to see nothing. "Kelly?!"

No response. I walked through the the hall to the living room where the TV was on but the volume was turned all the way to zero. I let my eyes roam over the scene until I saw a pool of blood. The trail leading to Kelly's body with a hole in her neck as if someone dug at it, not cut.

I put a hand over my mouth and let out a strangled sob. "No... no!"

Suddenly I heard a groan coming from behind me. It sounded gargled and gravelly. I slowly turned around to see a boy. His clothes were tattered, his skin was rotted looking and dry, his eyes were black and glassed over and most noticeable was the fact that he was covered in fresh blood, it running from his mouth.

Kelly's blood.

He looked familiar. I looked closely and through the dirtiness, blood, and gore. I saw Rob, Kelly's boyfriend. He suddenly lunged at me. I screamed and turned around, running towards the kitchen where the nearest weapon would be.

I opened the first drawer and pulled out the butcher knife, I grabbed it's handle and just as Rob came in I made a running start towards him, the knife plunging into his chest. I pulled it back out and brownish green liquid started to pour from the wound as he fell to the floor.

I was breathing heavily but I had to get control over myself. It was over. I walked out of the kitchen, sidestepping the body on the floor. I walked back around the corner to the stairs. "I have to call the police." I was talking more to myself as I grabbed the railing and made my way of the stairs.

I went into my parent's room and grabbed the phone. I dialed the number and let it ring once. I was suddenly exhausted. I sat down on the bed, my head turned slightly to see my sister standing at the door, her appearance like Rob's.

I dropped the phone. "Kelly?" She groaned as began to move towards me. I stood up and held my hands out. "No. Kelly I-" She suddenly jumped. I dodged her and opened my dad's closet. I pulled the clothes to the left to see the end of a shotgun. I grabbed it, thankfully Dad kept it loaded in case he needed it in a hurry and I turned around and pointed it to her.

She groaned again but obviously she didn't have enough since to realize what I was holding. She jumped towards me and I pulled the trigger. Her body slumped down, the brown liquid started pouring out of her too. I let out a strangled sob and I felt a tear fall down my cheek. I didn't want to shoot her. I had to. "I just killed two people." I breathed the words out.

I couldn't believe I did it. Why didn't I panic and let one of them kill me? Why did I react like that? So quick to kill two people, one of them my won sister even if they were... whatever they were. It was easy and I did it without a second thought!

I made me sick.

I heard a faint. "Hello? What was that? Was that a gun?" I knew it was my Mom having answered and heard what happened. I shook my head at myself. She wasn't going to blame me.She would.

My mind was racing. After everything that just went down, i was confused. I didn't know what to do. I grabbed the gun and the box of shells sitting on a shelf next to where I found the gun and carried them downstairs. I shoved them in my gym bag, they somehow fit.

I ran back upstairs and hung up the phone then I went to my mother's jewelry box, I pulled five hundred dollars from the drawer of it and shoved it in my pocket. I went into my room and grabbed my phone and it's charger.

I ran back downstairs, grabbed my bag and left the house and didn't ever go back.

That was the first time I saw an infected.

- End Flashback -

- Present Day -

I looked around, my shotgun raised and I stood watch. I saw an infected run around the corner. I shot it in the head, it fell. I smirked. "Bastard."

"What?' My attention was now drawn to Luke as he walked around the corner. He looked over at the infected laying on the ground. "Nice shot." He smiled.

He had perfect teeth, I had always noticed. He had brown, untamed hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. He was pale though. So the features he had stood out most, probably why I noticed them so quickly whenever I see him. He wore a black muscle shirt, even though he didn't have much muscle, black jeans, and black leather boots.

"Thanks." I muttered. I turned around to be face to face with a metal gas tank. The reflection of myself almost scaring me. Over the last five months I shot at whatever moved.

Unlike Luke my features weren't to noticeable until you close to me. I had green eyes that were bright unless I was angry then they turned dark. My skin was tan since my usual attire walking around the wastes and shooting infected was a black tank top, black skinny jeans or short shorts (depending on the heat) and black combat boots. We wore black so when we slept at night we could blend in with the darkness and the infected were less likely to see us. My hair was red, short though just like my stature. I was never tall even with my boots.

I stared at my reflection, I looked so different I was almost entranced when Luke broke me from my thoughts. "Jade? You coming. We have to move?"

I looked at my reflection one last time and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." He led the way.