Before the Silence
Prologue:
Gunfire thundered from every direction. “You okay, John?” someone shouted. “Yeah, Colonel,” John replied, breath heavy. “But I don’t know how much longer we can hold. They’re endless. It’s only a matter of time before they multiply again before they eat us alive.” “Pull yourself together,” barked Colonel Jamie. John snapped out of it and kept firing at the infected storming his position. So did Jamie. It was a relentless fight against the undead. Body shots meant nothing. Heart shots were useless. The brain that was the only way to stop them. But the more they fired, the louder the battle got, and the more of them came. Jamie’s team was collapsing. The rescue was a failure. John kept shooting, nailing infected between the eyes, saving who he could. “Thanks,” said Ben, another soldier helping civilians in the Chicago zone. The word “ARMY” was stitched on their vests. These men had been through hell. But this time? No guarantees they’d make it out.
John was thirty-five. Back home, his wife and two kids were waiting for him. That’s all he could think about. Survive. For them. But ammo was low, and Jamie’s unit needed saving now. John stood up, eyes scanning the street.This is getting out of control,he thought then felt a hand grab his shoulder. One of them. He spun around. The infected’s face was torn to pieces, eyes bulging, stinking breath thick in the air. The teeth rot and blood, but sharp as razors. The thing bled from everywhere. Loose skin, twitching limbs, unstable... but it stood strong. And lunged.
John saw death.
Jamie slammed the thing away just in time. Before John could breathe, he saw Jamie get bitten—hard—right in the neck. Ben was down. So were the others. Some had been bitten. Some had to shoot their friends to stop the infection from spreading. And John? Alone.
“Run,” Jamie choked out. John bolted. He ran until he found cover, heart pounding. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his radio, and whispered, barely audible. “Rescue team from San Diego, do you copy?” No response. Again. Again. Then “Copy...” Static.
“I’m not going to make it,” John said, words tumbling. “Chicago’s team is gone. Everyone bitten. They’re multiplying. If you don’t act, they’ll leave Chicago and hit the other cities. You have to shut them down, post guards protect the civilians!” But San Diego only heard fragments. “...going to make it... team... gone... multiplying... time...” They thought he was fine. The signal cut. John knew they hadn’t heard him. He got up, rolled his sleeves, gripped his rifle. “I won’t die as one of you,” he whispered. “I won’t die without a fight.”
He loaded his final rounds. Pulled the pin on his last grenade. Threw it. Fired nonstop. Fifty of them went down before he did. The swarm kept coming. Through smoke. Through fire. John pulled out a photo of his family. Held it close. His fate was sealed. He wouldn’t be going home. He just hoped Carla, Kim, and Michael would be okay.
Eyes shut. Photo at his chest. One infected grabbed his arm. Another bit his neck. A third devoured his leg. Then came the rest. They ripped John apart piece by piece. Blood pooled around him. There was blood everywhere. Soldiers, civilians… all gone. What was left were monsters hungry, diseased, human in form only. And before the end, John muttered one last thing:“I... hope... they heard... me... in... San... Diego...”
2 month later:California – May 20, 2029 – 8:30 AM
Today’s the day,I told myself. The day I’d propose to Ella. Three years together. The ring was ready. We both had the day off. I woke up at 8:00 AM and started packing for the picnic. Made her favorite pancakes. Grabbed the syrup, a blanket, some fruit, and of course our photo, the one she loved so much. I always dreamed of proposing while sitting with the girl I love, surrounded by nature, with the sun on our faces. I shaved, looked in the mirror, and felt fresh. Slipped on the ring Ella gave me last year maybe a hint she was waiting for mine. I laughed to myself and put it on. She loved seeing me wear it. White button-down, dress pants. Uncomfortable for a picnic? Probably. But for this moment? Worth every wrinkle.
In my mind, I pictured Ella. her golden hair glowing like sunlight, brown eyes sparkling as she looked at me. The sun on her skin, sitting beside me, laughing, hugging, and then I’d get on one knee. “Ella, I love you. Since the moment we met, my life has changed. I want to spend the rest of it with you. Will you marry me?” I smiled just thinking about it. She loved quiet places, nature, fresh air. She’d fall in love with what I planned.
9:00 AM. I saved some pancakes for her and let her sleep in. I was excited like a little kid with a new toy. Confident. Calm. Noon came. One hour to go. The ring was ready, the basket in my hands. I headed upstairs to wake her whenBoom. Explosions rocked the city.
I hoped everything was okay. Grabbed the remote. Tried turning on the TV. Nothing.“Ella... wake up!” I shouted toward the second floor.She didn’t stir. Not even from that noise.Tried the TV again. Still dead. Frustrated, I threw the remote it hit the floor, and the TV came on.
“...Shelters in San Diego, Anaheim, and San Francisco...” That’s all I heard before the screen glitched and died again.
Something was happening.
Then came a knock at the door. Not just a knock more like... a dragging motion. Cold ran through my spine like ice. Goosebumps. I approached slowly.“Dan?” I heard my name. It was Ella. She had just woken up.She came downstairs, eyes half-closed. “Dan? You there?”“Yes!” I called back, heart racing.Another knock. Same weird dragging noise.
Ella grabbed my hand. I opened the door slowly... but no one was there.I told her to stay inside while I checked it out. The street felt... empty. Silent. Gray skies. Not even our loudmouth neighbor yelling like he always did. It was eerie. The same feeling I got when I heard the news earlier.
Suddenly, a light touch on my shoulder. I assumed it was Ella.I turned.A man stood there. His face was shredded. Blood everywhere. Head to toe.
I stumbled back.
It was Johan. The neighbor from across the street.“Johan? You okay?” I asked. “We should get you to a hospital...”No answer. Just... growling. Like a dog eyeing a bone.
He stepped toward me. Something was off.
Ella screamed from behind, telling me to run.Johan lunged, tackled me to the ground.I held him off, arms trembling. I didn’t understand why he was so violent. No time to think. Just survive. My hand landed on a brick I smashed it into his skull. Once. Twice. Silence.
I exhaled. Lucky. So damn lucky.“Dan! Behind you!” Ella screamed.I turned.And froze.
The entire neighborhood.All of them looked like Johan.Dead eyes. Dead skin. Hungry.
I rushed back inside. Slammed the door. Locked it. Ella looked terrified. So was I.Tried calling my friend, Tom. Nothing. Line dropped instantly.
Then I remembered the news shelters. Thirty, maybe forty minutes away.
I calmed Ella. We packed water, food, just in case. I grabbed my handgun.We slipped out the back door. Quiet. Careful. Reached the car.
“Are we going to be okay?” Ella whispered.I forced a smile. “Of course. Trust me. We’ll make it.”
I wasn’t sure. I typed the security code, tried starting the engineIt roared for a second and died.
Normally I could fix it in minutes.But not today.
The engine noise was loud. Too loud. I looked up.Twenty maybe twenty-five neighbors were already heading our way. Dead-eyed. Bloody. Starving.
Locked the doors. Windows up. Tried the ignition again nothing.
Ella tried to stay calm, but I could see it in her eyes.The front windshield filled with faces. Hands. Teeth. I turned the key one last time the engine roared to life.
I floored it. Didn’t care who I hit. They weren’t alive anymore. We sped off toward one of the shelters. Forty minutes of hope.
Ella took a sip of water.Looked at me. Scared.“Let’s make it,” she whispered.
