First encounter
Part 1
It was a peaceful day in summer and everybody was doing their own thing. But while we were watching a movie, an emergency broadcast was showing. There was a new germ discovered in Antarctica and it spreaded to the main land. The N.G.S was researching a cure for the virus. The N.G.S (National Germ Spesialest) warned to stay indoor and lock our doors. The symptoms are red eyes, foaming mouth, Grey like skin and aggressive behavior. They called the germ African Rabies. We thought about it, and decided to prepare but the whole neighborhood was calling us idiots and said we must not worry about it. Only neighbor supporting us was Mr Goodwill, an 70 year old man.
We rushed to the market to prepare for the outbreak and grabbed as much supplies as we can. We are planning to leave the city and go to the less populated areas. We ask Mr Goodwill if he would like to come and he agreed. 2 days later we got news and the N.G.S said that there is now a worldwide outbreak. We saw the news of people biting and attacking each other. Our hometown was one of the places that fell to the infected. We soon realized that this is not rabies but a zombie outbreak.
We didn’t wait around. As soon as we saw the news, we knew it was bad. People were going crazy, biting each other, and it was spreading everywhere. It looked like something out of a movie. But it was real.
Mr. Goodwill packed up his old truck with gas and tools. He used to fix cars so he said he could keep us moving if anything broke. My brother Jake grabbed a bunch of food and water. I got the flashlight, first aid stuff, and Dad’s old hunting rifle. We didn’t even know if it worked, but it felt better having it.
We left the city that night. Everything looked messed up. Cars were crashed, windows broken, and we heard people screaming. Some were yelling for help, others were just… screaming. It was like the whole place had gone insane.
We camped out on the side of a quiet road. Took turns staying up to keep watch. The second night, we heard something in the trees.
Jake said it was probably just a deer.
But it wasn’t.
Something came out of the woods. It looked like a person but... not really. Its skin was gross and gray, and it moved all weird. It made this creepy groaning sound, like it was hurt but not really. Mr. Goodwill pointed his shotgun, but I told him to wait. I don’t know why.
Then it ran at us.
We all freaked out. Mr. Goodwill shot it a few times. The chest shots did nothing. It only stopped moving after he hit it in the head.
That’s when we knew. These things weren’t sick. They were zombies. Like actual zombies. And the only way to stop them was a headshot.
Jake looked at me with wide eyes. He said, “This is really happening. This is the end of everything.”
I wanted to tell him it’d be okay. But I didn’t. Because I wasn’t sure it would be.
We didn’t sleep much after that. Every little sound made us jump. I kept thinking more of them were out there, just waiting in the dark. Jake stayed close to me, and even Mr. Goodwill looked nervous, though he tried not to show it.
The next morning, we packed up and kept driving. We didn’t really have a plan, just wanted to get as far from the city as we could. We passed through some small towns, but they were either completely empty or totally destroyed. One town had a gas station still standing, so we stopped to grab supplies.
That’s when we saw her.
There was a girl, maybe a little younger than me, hiding behind the counter. Her face was dirty and she had a baseball bat in her hands. When we walked in, she jumped up and shouted at us to stay back.
Jake raised his hands and told her we weren’t infected. She didn’t believe us at first, but then she saw we were scared too. Her name was Ellie. She said her parents were gone, and she’d been hiding there for days. She had barely any food left, and she said zombies had been outside the gas station just the night before.
We let her come with us.
I didn’t know if it was a good idea, but I couldn’t leave her there. None of us could. She climbed into the truck next to me and didn’t say much after that.
That night, we found an abandoned cabin in the woods. It was small, but it had a fireplace and a door we could lock. It felt safe. At least for a while.
While Jake and Mr. Goodwill took turns keeping watch, I sat with Ellie. She didn’t talk much, just stared into the fire. Then, out of nowhere, she whispered, “They got my mom. Right in front of me. I didn’t even have time to scream.”
I didn’t know what to say. I just sat there and handed her a granola bar.
The world was ending, but at least we weren’t alone.
The next few days were quiet. Too quiet.
We stayed in the cabin, took turns looking for food, and tried to keep a low profile. Ellie started talking more, even laughing a little sometimes. It almost felt normal. Like we were just camping, not hiding from the end of the world.
Then it happened.
Jake and I went to check out a nearby stream, looking for clean water. We were only gone for about 20 minutes. When we got back, the cabin door was wide open.
And the fire was out.
I yelled for Mr. Goodwill. For Ellie. No answer.
Inside, stuff was knocked over. Ellie’s backpack was gone. Mr. Goodwill’s shotgun was missing. There was blood on the floor. Just a few drops, but enough to know something bad went down.
Jake started to panic. He called Ellie’s name over and over. Nothing. Then we heard a noise from the woods behind the cabin. A slow crunching sound, like feet stepping on dry leaves. We grabbed our weapons and froze.
Out of the trees came a man.
Or what used to be one.
His clothes were torn and stained red. His eyes were white and cloudy. His mouth was hanging open, and something ,someone was dragging behind him, still moving.
It was Ellie.
She was still alive, but barely. Her arm was covered in blood, and her face was pale. She reached toward us and screamed, “Run! They’re coming!”
Behind her, more figures started to appear in the shadows.
Dozens.
Maybe more.
Jake grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I wanted to go to her, to help, but there were too many. The cabin was surrounded in seconds.
We ran into the woods, not looking back.
Her screams still echo in my head.
And now… I don’t know where Mr. Goodwill is. I don’t know if Ellie made it. I don’t even know if we’re going to survive the night.
But I do know this: it’s not just about running anymore.
It’s about fighting back.
**To be continued in Part 2…**
