Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

day one

zombies seen: 0
zombies killed: 0
near-death experiences: 0
human deaths witnessed: 0

I'd always believed the apocalypse was a load of shit made up by sci-fi brainwashed geeks who wanted to get a kick out of scaring a bunch of innocent people. I mean, let's be real: there was absolutely no possible explanation for a bunch of dead people rising from the grave and eating the brains of normal humans. It was completely fictional. Just a concept made for the movies.

So why was I huddled in the middle of the living room with all the lights off and windows boarded up while Anthony scavenged every inch of the house for anything that could save us from a hoard of flesh-eating monsters?

When the alert first flashed on every television in the house, I was sure it was a prank. Or I was dreaming. I simply ignored it, going back to sleep. But when I was awoken by a desperate call from my mom, telling me this wasn't all a joke and my dad had actually seen one while at the grocery store, I was convinced everyone had gone mad. Some homeless guy who hadn't eaten in days and was running around begging for a sandwich was probably mistaken for a zombie. That was it.

And then came the sound of a scream from outside my window, and Anthony running in my bedroom to demand "what the hell is going on why are people screaming why are news reports saying the apocalypse is happening" and I knew that the world was about to end. Literally.

So now, just a few hours later, the electricity was shot, all the phone lines were down, and I had a feeling running water wouldn't be a luxury for too much longer. I wanted to know what was going on out there: how many cities had it spread to already? How many people were dead? How many were there?

"You could help me, you know," Anthony said from behind me, startling me out of my worry. He rummaged around the kitchen using only the light of an almost-dead looking flashlight, pulling out water bottles and canned food and every knife we had. I shuddered as his light beam reflected off one of the blades, realizing what we could possibly need those knives for.

Nonetheless, I stood up, striding over to where he frantically pulled out every canned vegetable we had stored up since God knows when. 

"Take this." He handed me a second flashlight. "Go into the back room and grab the two biggest backpacks you can find. And anything else you think would be useful. Batteries, containers, whatever. We'll have to leave tomorrow."

I swallowed hard. "Leave?"

Anthony turned to me, raising his eyebrows. "We can't stay here forever. Might as well try to get out before it gets worse."

I nodded, seeing his point. It was just hard to think about.

"And besides, I can't sleep knowing Kat's out there alone. I haven't even talked to her. She didn't answer before the lines went down."

I bit the inside of my cheek, glad it was too dark for him to see my expression. Of course, in the midst of the end of the world, all he cared about was his stupid girlfriend. And we'd have to go pick her up, and pray we could figure out a plan, and try to conquer the apocalypse together. The three of us. Me, my best friend, and my best friend's girlfriend who I completely despised for the sole reason that she was dating the man I loved more than anything.

In the back room, I dug through both of the closets, past stupid props and dresses. Eventually, I found two spacious bags and a box of double As.

And then came a knock at the window.

I spun around, my breath stopping. It wasn't a knock, per se - more of a crash. Like someone was pounding against the glass. Trying to get in. Desperately.

My first thought was to run over and rip the boards off, thinking it might be a person searching for any sort of safety. But after the sound of bone-chilling moans and snarls filled the air, everything stiffened, and I dropped the box of batteries.

There was a zombie outside of the window. Mere feet from me. With just a thin sheet of glass and two pieces of plywood between us.

I swallowed hard, backing up.

And then came the loud pierce of shattering glass. And the sound of fingernails against wood.

I heard Anthony down the hall, in the bathroom, filling empty bottles with tap water. I wanted to call for help, to tell him shit man there is a fucking zombie right in front of me, but I felt as if I made a single sound, he'd call to his zombie friends and my problems would only get a million times worse.

I snatched up the bags and batteries and scurried into the hallway just as I heard the crack of a board.

I looked back to see a hand sticking through the remnants of the window. A bloody, bruised, rotting palm with frail fingers.

I was mesmerized. I knew I needed to flee, to run as far as possible, but I still couldn't believe it wasn't all some dream. I'd had apocalypse dreams before, usually after watching marathons of The Walking Dead. 

"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" Anthony asked from down the hallway, going into his bedroom.

"Anthony." I swallowed hard. "We need to leave. Now."