Survival of the Fittest

Chapter 1

Moans and screams filled the air. The stink of rotting flesh blew on the breeze. Gunshots mixed in with yells of terror. The dead were alive, reaching towards those still alive with nashing teeth.

"Avoid the teeth!"Jackson Hayle yelled out as he popped another one in the eye with the pistol he carried.

"Get 'em in the head!" Jared Knoll shouted, swinging his pickaxe down on the head of another.

Alexis Corbit swung the katana she held, slicing the creature's head in half. She was soaked in sweat and blood, her red hair matted and clothes clinging to her body like a second skin. She was glad she had went and bought this blade, practiced with it, kept it sharp. Finally, all that was left was sobs and pants, all the reanimated dead lying on the ground, dead again.

Alexis looked around her, counting. One, two, three, four, five, six... all accounted for. Her dad and youngest sister, two of her dad's friends, and their girlfriends. All still alive and breathing. She sighed in relief and managed a smile before she crumpled to the ground, exhausted.

~Survival of the Fittest~

It was snowing, again. Alexis sat on her air mattress rolling cigarettes. She shivered and pulled the sleeves of her jacket down, tired of looking at the scars on her arm. "Ugh, I hate rolling these." She sighed and stretched a bit before going back at it.

"You should quit, anyway." Natalie leaned over into Alexis, snuggling against her older sister.

"It's either smoke, or I get more scars." Alexis avoided the gazes she knew were on her. She didn't like cutting, and didn't do it for attention. She had become addicted to the pain. She pushed her sister off and rolled another cigarette.

"Whatever." Natalie rolled her eyes and got up, grabbing her guitar and playing a few chords. She started humming along, closing her eyes and lifting her face towards the ceiling.

Alexis smiled and lit one of her newly rolled cigarettes. She brushed some hair off her face, tightening her ponytail while she held her cigarette between her teeth. She had brown eyes and red hair, dyed of course. She was a little on the chubby side, and average height at about five-foot-three.

Natalie had dyed black hair, cut in the cliche "emo" style. She had the same eyes as her sister, and stood taller at five-foot-seven. The girls swapped clothes often, ranging from skinny jeans to band merch.

The door opened and their father walked in. The forty-nine year old had dark hair and brown eyes. He was just a couple inches taller than Natalie, and had laugh lines on his face.

"Hey dad, how was work?" Alexis glanced up at him and frowned when he rushed past them.

"Pack your stuff. We have to go!" He called back to them.

Alexis got up and started packing her few possessions. She tossed some clothes in her back pack and her wallet and cellphone in her pockets, along with her cigarettes and lighter. She packed in her rolling stuff next and then went to find her dad. "Dad, what's going on?"

"Take this." He handed her his butterfly knife and made sure the gun he had in his hand was fully loaded. "Is Nat packed?" He went to the kitchen and started filling a duffel bag with cans of food. "We need to go."

Alexis went to see that Natalie was packed, and had her guitar in it's case. "Alex, what's going on?" She zipped up her jacket and rubbed her arms.

"I dunno, sis. Dad says We need to leave." Alex scrunched her eyebrows and grabbed her painting case. Then she went to the closet and pulled out her katana, which she had purchased awhile ago. She put on the belt that came with it and made sure all was secure.

"You really need that?" Nat had followed her and stood behind her, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Maybe. I don't know. Something's happening, can't you hear that?" They listened and sure enough, screams of agony filled the silence.