To Survive Or Perish

Hello and welcome! Just a little note before you start reading

'anything like this is inner thoughts' now enjoy the story!

The crickets chirped and the wind swayed as midnight rolled around. The sound of gravel crunching ever so slightly under my shoes echoed loudly in the quiet night, making me flinch with every step. The USPS building wasn't far from where I was holding up at the time. About a five to ten minute walk. I once saw a movie where there was a bomb shelter under the local post office

'Why not give it a shot?'

It felt ridiculous, relying on a half-remembered movie plot to survive, but desperation makes people do stupid things. At the very least, I could go through the packages left behind and maybe find some useful trinkets. Hopefully, some food.

My stomach gave a dull, hollow growl at the mere thought of a meal, a constant reminder of how close I always was to starvation.

Getting closer it seemed this place came with some "friendly" local helpers and their left overs.

I stopped at the edge of the dark parking lot to figure out a plan. My chest pounded with anxiety as I stared at the building.

'Please let this be worth it. Hopefully this is a safe place to camp for a while. Just one night where I don't have to sleep with one eye open.'

The sheer exhaustion of the last few months felt like lead weights tied to my ankles. I crept into the parking lot. The stench of rot hit me first, thick, pungent, and heavy in the stagnant air, burning my nose with every breath I took. My throat seized, a wave of nausea threatening to pull up what little was actually in my stomach.

Quickly, I pulled the bandana hanging from my neck up, wrapping it tight over my face. It didn't block the smell-nothing did-but it put a thin barrier between me and the vile stench. Mucky piles of decay littered the pavement, swarmed with hordes of buzzing black bugs.

I navigated around the many lifeless-looking bodies, driving my dull kitchen blade into the skulls of any that looked twitchy as I passed. I had reinforced the handle with thick layers of electrical tape, a desperate attempt to give myself a better grip and keep it from slipping and slicing into my palms. Every time the metal pierced bone, a cold jolt of disgust traveled up my arm, but at the same time it's become so normal.

'I hate how routine this has become. I don't even flinch at the sight of open ribs or globs of meat anymore.'

Finally, I reached the front concrete steps. Up the stairs right before the doors, two fucked up people stood mindlessly. If I hadn't known that a zombie apocalypse had happened, I probably would have thought they were just tweakers. They were hunched over, swaying back and forth, just gurgling with every breath they took.

My heart jumped into my throat, hammering so hard against my ribs, I was terrified the creatures would hear it. Sweat rolled down my face, stinging my eyes.

'I'm so tired. So hungry. I just want a safe place to stop and rest.'

Pushing myself forward, I closed in, taking the first infected out as silently as possible. The body dropped, its dead weight hit the concrete with a loud, wet slap.

The second zombie whipped around, its milky eyes locking onto me.

Panic clutched my throat. I leaped backward down the stairs, creating distance between us to get a better angle. It stumbled toward me, missing a step and tumbling awkwardly down the concrete flight. The moment it hit the bottom, I smashed my knife down into its skull.

I froze, chest heaving, pulling quick ragged breaths through the hot fabric of my bandana. I frantically looked around to make sure I didn't attract any more Infected, my heart doing gymnastics in my chest.

'Nothing.'

The night stayed quiet, except for the circadian rhythm of the bugs. I took a minute to catch my breath and calm my raw nerves, listening to the dark symphony the bugs created.

'There's a twisted irony to this. Nature doesn't care that humanity has fallen apart. The bugs still sing their songs.'

Tiredly heading back up the stairs, I tried to look through the windows, hoping to scope out the place before entering. There wasn't much to see. It looked like someone blocked most of the windows with some sort of paper from the inside. Fortunately, I was able to get a couple good glimpses through a few tears. It didn't seem like there was anyone inside, alive or dead.

The heavy door shrieked as I pulled it open. The sound sliced through the quiet night like a blade. I stood completely still for a moment, holding my breath until my lungs burned, listening to see if the creatures of the night would stir. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the coast seemed clear.

I cautiously walked into the dark office lobby, picturing the past as I took in my surroundings. Everything was so dingy and bare.

'I always had to come to places just like this with my parents when I was younger. The air, stained with the tangy, metallic, ink, and stale cardboard. We listened to people complain about long lines. God, what I would give to be bored in a post office line again. What I would give to hear a normal human voice instead of this dead, suffocating silence.'

I inched the door shut behind me, desperately trying not to let it slam. Click. The latch caught, and I pulled my flashlight out just as the door closed.

A muffled shuffling sound echoed through the building.

Every muscle in my body froze. I whipped around toward the sound, getting ready to either run and hide or fight. My mind frantically raced through my options.

'If I run out the front door, the noise might bring more of them from the street. If I hide here, I'm cornered in a glass lobby. But I need a place to sleep, I can't go back to the library... it's too dangerous now.'

My thoughts making my heart thump viciously against my chest.

'I need to do this! I'm here now, there's no point in going back.'

With every step I took forward my body pleaded with me not to keep going. My legs felt heavy and trembled beneath me, but I knew I had to clear the area to stay safe. I crept further into the lobby closing in on the back hallway. Trembling as I got closer to the archway, forcing myself forward.

'One step at a time', I repeated over and over in the dark cavern of my head. 'Just one step at a time.'

Once flush with the entrance, I peeked around the wall. The hall was dimly lit, my light creating the perfect balance of sight and concealment. Two doors lined the left wall, with a final one at the end of the looming hallway.

Taking a deep breath, I shuffled forward. I pressed my ear against the first door, listening intently, hoping to pinpoint the source of the sound without exposing myself. Silence. I gripped the doorknob twisting twice, letting the old metal grind with a harsh scrape. I waited, holding my breath to see if I had baited whatever was inside.

The building stayed quiet, except for the wind howling against the lobby widows. Reluctantly, I pushed the door open. Slipping my head inside to scan the room, I was met with what seemed to be the main sorting station. After ensuring the area was clear, I moved onto the next room. Before I could even twist the handle, a low muffled groan made its way from the door down the hall.

Keeping a steady pace, I approached the last door. I gulped audibly, the sound loud in my own ears, knowing the sound had to be the undead. I only managed a single twist of the handle before a hard thud slammed against the wood from inside.

I jumped back, losing my footing and crashing hard to the ground. I clutched my chest, gasping for air as my adrenaline spiked into pure horror. My mind, fragile from months of isolation, broke and spiraled backward to the beginning.

The memories began to flash violently in my head.

The sirens, I thought frantically, my eyes staring blindly into the dark hallway as the past collided with the present. I could still hear the sirens screaming. There's chaos everywhere, people are being torn apart right in front of me, and I'm just running. I don't even know where I'm going, I'm just running.

A cold, heavy weight of absolute despair pressed down on my chest, suffocating me just as much as the memory.

'No one is coming', the realization echoed in my head, exactly as it had months ago. 'The world is ending right now, and nobody is coming to save us. We are completely on our own.'

Another low groan from behind the door snapped me back to reality. Scrambling away from the wood, I now knew not to open it.

'Opening that is a death sentence. There's no way to tell how many are trapped in there.'

I pulled out a can of red spray paint from my bag. My hands shook so badly the mixing ball rattled loudly inside the metal can, the clacking sound echoing dangerously in the quiet hallway. I froze, waiting to see if it drew anything I didn't see or hear to me, before quickly spraying a big, dripping 'X' on the wood.

'There', I thought, staring at the wet red paint. 'I don't have to think about the nightmares trapped behind it. Just pretend it's a wall. Just pretend it's empty.'

'If I stay quiet enough, I could still loot and get some rest in one of the clear rooms.'

Now a bit calmer, my pulse slowing from a frantic sprint to a dull throb, I headed back to the first room where a decent number of dusty packages sat mostly untouched on the sorting counters, with a few laying on the floor. Several boxes and paper bags had been torn into by mice, their tiny chew marks visible on the corners, leaving scattered shreds of paper packaging across the floor. Along with some pebbles of poop.

'Gross, I'm definitely not sleeping in here. It smells like a musty old garage or attic.' I scrunched up my nose at the thought just wanting to get whatever supplies I could and get out of there.

The space was a tomb of forgotten lives. Over the last few months, a thick, undisturbed layer of gray dust had settled over everything, turning the mail sorting tables into a graveyard of cardboard and paper. The only thing left behind were tiny paw prints from the mice. The air was stagnant, smelling heavily of old paper and a slight ammonia smell.

Even with the smell and knowing the things the mice must have done here, I still tore through the packages one by one. The sound of ripping tape and paper echoing sharply in the quiet room. At first, I found nothing but random, useless junk. Cat toys, a pair of expensive shoes, make-up things from a world that didn't exist anymore.

Tossing a pair of sleek, cheetah print heels into the pile of trash I was making, I thought to myself.

'Someone sat at a computer, paid money, and waited for these things to arrive. They probably died before the people even sorted them out. It's all just garbage now. Trash from a ghost civilization.'

The more boxes I emptied, the more desperation clawed at my chest.

'Please. Just give me something, anything, I just want to survive a little longer.'

Finally, after opening a few lucky bags and boxes, I scored some fresh clothes, a lantern, different types of batteries, and a hunting knife. I took all my new found things and my backpack to the next room hoping to find a clean area to sleep in.

Slowly closing the sorting room door, I crept down the hall. I didn't get to check out the room next door so I remained cautious. Doing the same routine I did on the first room. The creaking of the handle echoed in the quiet hallway. The infected became restless in the other room, banging and growling at the door begging to be let out.

I waited to see if anything would stir in this room. Thankfully, nothing made noise from the other side, I pushed the door open scrunching my face from the sound of the hinges squeaking.

'So much for being quiet'. I shook my head as I walked through the entry way.

This room looked like a packing room, bubble wrap, empty envelopes, bags, and boxes littered everywhere. This room didn't seem touched by the mice. I guess they were only after the edible stuff. Looking around the room I settled in.

Slipping out of my filthy, stiff rags and into the clean fabric felt like a luxury I didn't deserve.

'This feels so wrong, I bet there's people out there in the same clothes they've had since the beginning, if there's even anyone else alive. Why did I make it out? It's not fair, no one deserves this.'

The sadness hit me as I transferred my old clothes to my pack, 'maybe I'll find a way to wash them later.' I thought as I took out a small tin of spam for dinner. It was one of the last two cans of food I had left.

'I didn't eat yesterday or the day before I have to eat today. Even just a bit. I won't have any energy tomorrow if I don't eat this now.'

Sitting on the floor, I pulled the tab up and popped the can open, my stomach growled loud with the aroma filling the air. I dug in with my hands devouring what I had the way the infected did to the living. I ate what I could from my sparse rations, my stomach still growling for more after I finished-a lingering, aching hunger.

This felt like a safe spot to stay for the night. So I decided to set up camp here in the packing room, putting an extra wall between me and the zombies. Taking in my surroundings, I found a few metal racks, an old looking wooden desk, some plastic buckets, and a battery powered clock on the wall. I pushed the heavy old desk that was tucked in the corner across the floor, wedging it firmly up against the door.

'You can never be too careful.'

Finally after a long day, I tucked myself into the far right corner of the room, shifting the metal shelves used to hold the packing materials to create a protective barrier around my sleeping area. Sitting in the dimly lit room thanks to my new lantern, it was the safest I had felt since this whole nightmare started.

But being alone for so long had really taken a heavy toll on my mind. My thoughts are too loud when the world is this quiet. Any little sound has me crawling out of my skin.

'Is this going to be the night my luck runs out? There's literally a room full of the undead right next to me.'

I tried to settle down for the night, my mind refusing to shut off. Thoughts of the infected breaking through the wood, their rotting fingers tearing through my barricade, cycled endlessly through my head.

When I eventually fell asleep, I was silently praying, pleading with anyone or anything that might be listening in the dark, that tomorrow would bring better luck in finding a permanent shelter.

Authors note:

Welcome to the end of chapter one. I hope you all enjoyed it! The reason I started this story is because I love movies and TV shows about zombies. I've watched everything there is and read a few books. I wanted to create something new that didn't have the same super dramatic, lots of bad guys, mc's always fighting plot. So here we are, I just write the things I would like to see when it comes to a zombie series. Hope everyone has a great day and thank you for the support!!