It had been over a months since the epidemic. Epidemic wasn't the word, the apocalypse. Or was it really all over? It must have been a month without a sign of life. The city was once alive. I had only been a month. A month ago I had been living in this apartement alone. An average guy in an average apartment trying to make a living. Now I was trapped in this tiny space trying to stay alive.
Death was all that was left to do. I had always been alone. I wanted to be isolated. In the past month had a really changed? I had always been isolated from everyone I thought that was what I wanted, I was wrong. During this month of hell I thought of all the people I missed. Not just family and friends but everyone who had said a kind thing about me, every co-worker who smiled and said hello every morning dead or one of them.
Them the infected. It was a viral infection but it was something no one had every seen before. It took control of your brain or did it? I have done nothing in the last month but think. Debate, reason, remember, all in my head. No matter how long I sat here nothing made sense. Why did it turn the infected as they called them on television into mindless cannabalistic animals? It could spread so fast so easily but how? Is it safe here from the infection? My head had been spining like this for the last four or five weeks.
The chances of the military rescuing me are slim even with the word HELP painted on the back of a rug hanging out the window. I wasn't going to leave though. I wasn't going to take the chance of turning into one of them when I have enough rations to last another week or so. If someone saw the sign how would they even know I was still alive? Could they even see the sign. My apartment was on the fourth story it would be difficult to see. They would have to be walking on Broadway street just below to have a chance of cathing a glimpse of the rug.
I had been eagerly awaiting rest from the nightmare, trying to dose off and put my mind to rest, then I heard them. They say the scariest moment is when the last person alive hears a knock on his door. It was one of them I was sure of it. The door was locked though, I was safe. Why even bother looking. The knocking got louder and I heard the first human voice in weeks. Should I open it I thought. Now was my last chance I heard footsteps now he was leaving. Stay here and die or go out there and take my chances. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life in this tiny room I thought. I opened the door. A man carrying an axe had his backed turned. I said "hey". It had been the first sign of life in weeks and I was overwelmed with joy. The man must have been 6 feet tall. He looked like mid-twenties probably italian juding from his dark skin, hair and eyes. "Are you bitten" he asked? 'No, why?' I asked. "No time to talk get back in your room" he looked like he smiled for an instance then turned away and headed down and began walking down the stairs. "Wait stop" I almost screamed I was uptight I had seen the first person in weeks and now he was going to leave. "I'm going to get the others go back into your apartement and wait for me there". I obeyed his orders and looked around the hotel room early morning sunshine was already making its way through the window. Its a new day i thought no more isolation no more sleepless nights.
I heard footsteps again several men that looked like about my age twenties maybe even older teenagers walked into my room they looked like men of war or men coming back form battle. There cloths were stained with blood and they carried weapons. They were not soldiers though. They didn't have helmets or uniforms. "Mind if I sit down" said a blond one armed fellow. I did what any person who had just seen a person missing a limb stare. I wondered how he got it. "Fuck are you looking at" said the short blond man. I suppose I gotta tell you a story about how I lost it?" "Don't mind him" him the Italian looking man said in an irritated voice". The third man was different then the other two. He had short dark hair and blue eyes and had a muscular build. "Name's John Blithe thats Dacosta" he pointed to the Italian looking man "that's Evans' he pointed to the one-armed short blond man. Almost immediately all three of the men took a seat facing me. "Why did you ask if I was bitten" I asked Dacosta. I had been pondering the question since he first asked. "I'll explain later" he resonded "do you have anything to eat?" "Yeah" I pointed to the cabinet above the sink. "I'm starving" blithe stood up and grabbed some chips I had been saving. I didn't even bother to stop him, I knew it wouldn't make a diffrence. Three armed men against me. The other two followed pillaging the cabinet. I had to say something. The were going to eat all my rations in one sitting. "Are you done yet" I screamed on the top of my lungs. Evans turned around from the cabinet he was pillaging. "Listen you little shit we make the rules around here, you see this" he pulled out a long knife out of his pack he had been carrying. "Yes" I gulped when I responded. I should have never let them in, there animals I thought to myself. "Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on" I stood up as I nearly yelled. "I'll handle him Dacosta" tried to whisper to the other two. He turned around and picked up his blodied axe on the table. "Lets go" he said I followed him out the door as the other two continued to eat.
We began walking down the hall sunshine was coming through the lone window at the edge of the hall. "I couldn't take another second of Evans" he said. "Where should I begin where should I begin" he repeated to himself. "The world is ending" Mandkind is dying. "Everyone you knew you don't know anymore. See the infection spreads through the bites that is way you didn't turn into one of them, you can either kill them let them turn into one of those bastards or.... well there is a third choice but it is risky. Evans is the only man I know who survived a bite. You see this axe" he pointed to the gleaming edge red from dried blood. "This is what saved his life. I the infection spreads to your brain within minutes I thought it was possible to save him by ampitating the infected area. He is probably the luckiest guy alive. To survive a bite from the infected and live. Don't ask about it he's been on a mean streak since the infection started and he was bitten. After that I pulled him in my car and drove until we saw to the little groccery store down the street. We found Blithe inside he had been a bag boy until the chaos started. He had made the perfect base to live in. We had food, water, safety. There were other survivors. About three days ago one of them snapped and opened the door no one knows why he did it the infected had been gathering outside in masses. They killed everyone they ripped them apart. If Blithe didn't show us the back exit we would have been dead to. For the last three days we've been around the city trying to find a stonghold. Eventually we got so hungary and thirsty we tried to go back to the groccery store. We didn't even get close those bastards out there chased us and I had remebered seeing the HELP sign when we were driving weeks ago. I ran inside and locked the front door. The know were here. We might never leave this building."
Four people trapped in a building. They have everything they want food, water, shelter or do they? It's human nature to want more. You can never have enough. The rich want to be richer, the average want to be famous. They famous want to be average. Maybe some people can never be pleased.
"I can't take it anymore" said Evans. Blithe had called a meeting we all were sitting in on my neighbors room on the fourth floor. "We have to get out of this place". "And go where?" Blithe and I seemed to agree on everything. He and I both thought we were safe in this building. "Dacosta and I both think the barricades won't last another week I've checked every day and they are banging even harder on the door"Evans was easiest the fastest of the four he went on solo missions checking the floors of the hotel. "We need weapons and supplies, tomorrow were going to check out the first floor more thourouly after that we can decide what to do from there everybody go back to your rooms and get some sleep tomorrow's a big day."
Chapter 2
We all had our own room on the fourth floor. I kept my own in between Dacosta and Blithe. I wasn't sure what was going to happen tomorrow but I was afraid. I wasn't a warrior. I was a white collar computer programmer just out of college. I wasn't strong like Blithe or quick like Evans. I knew I didn't stand a chance against those things. One bite is all it took. We would have to beat them or stab them to death in order to kill them. At least Evans said the hallways were safe at least.
"Wake up twig boy" Dacosta was towering over my bed. He looked like a lumberjack. His axe over his shoulder. "Get up" he said. "All right how did you get in here" I said. "You forgot to lock the door your going to get yourself killed." All right" I grabbed a large kitchen kife I used to cut meat from the nightstand. I didn't even bother changing cloths I told Dacosta to wait outside while I put my shoes on. The others were already waiting outside. Beams of sunshine were already making its way through. They all had coats and jeans on. I was wearing the same to protect from bites. I little bit of protection is better then none I thought to myself.
We walked silently to the wood stairs at the end of the hall. No one said a word until Evans told us to check the first door. Dacosta and Blithe stood in front of the first door as Evans prepared to open it. I stood there and watched trying to stay out of the way. "Ready" Evans said with an eager look on his face. He wore a denim jacket and an eager look. His job was to simply open the door as Blithe and Dacosta stood there making sure anything that alive inside was was destoyed. I guees I was suppose to watch there backs but I was more intrested in seeing one of these things. Dacosta hesitated and said "yes." Evans swung the door open and put his back against the wall. I didn't even see what came out for more then a second with one blow to the neck Blithe dropped a middle aged man with an aluminum baseball bat. Dacosta reacted immediatly the thing hissed as it saw the gleaming piece of steel came down below his chin. Blood was everywhere. Both Dacosta and Blithe's shoes were soaked with blood. The body was in the hallway and the head had rolled backwards to the room. It was the most terrible thing I had ever seen. I was completely speechless. Evans who had been behind the opened door with his back against the wall walked up to the sigh and said "Damn". "Yeah lets go you alright Barnes" said Dacosta. "Yeah I'm okay" I answered.
chapter 3
I'm not okay. The head keeps rolling. I can't sleep at night. Their all around me. All of them they could be anywhere. The could be lurking behind me. Everything I see it's one of them. I haven't slept for days. I haven't left my room. It seems like weeks. My mind is in hell and my body is somewhere in between. Their planning to leave soon. I think I heard them say there going down the fire escape. I'm safe here though. This apartement is the only place I'm safe. But for how long? Those things could be coming up the stairs right now.

This post has been edited by helpme on March 27, 2005 03:29 am

Interesting writing style, i like it. Please continue!

this is good we like

we like, definately. Its very good, but I really miss a few commas ( , )...

Thanks everyone thinking of character backgrounds on everyone I don't want to make 2 dimesional bad guy good guy characters or flat characters. I think that makes them boring and predictable.

This post has been edited by helpme on March 26, 2005 06:28 pm

the best way of showing character is how they deal with situations, just to bear in mind as you continue.

I'm trying to keep the killing to the minimum. Most of this story will be about the characters. Their will be action and some killings I have an idea about what they will do next but I'm mainly going to focus on the characters.