Chapters Afterworld: Dead Days - Volume 1
My name is Matthew Calden and I'm a lone survivor. I can't tell you exactly where I am in this point in time because I simply don't know. It is hard to tell where anywhere is anymore. No home, no family, no friends, nothing. Pretty much everyone died in the plaque that consumed the Earth. Anyone you've ever know, dead. Think about it - loved ones, your family and friends. All dead. Everyone you've ever known are dead and you are on your own, fighting for your very life every day. It isn't easy, any survivor can tell you that, and I say the same.
Life as we all know it has died, gone. Anything that walks is pretty much dead one way or another. As for this plaque? Ha, that is something else entirely. It first started as a simple infection, a virus. How it was transferred, I don't know but it was highly contagious. In my time of experiencing this, I have come to learn that keeping moving is the only way to stay alive and out of harms way. Stay one place long enough and they find you. Kinda strange, isn't it? All those times you watch horror films, filled with guts and death and zombies and then it becomes a reality, a living nightmare. Or undead nightmare, as some would call it.
Anyway, the only thing I can do to protect my life is hold my pistol in my hands and shoot until my target stops moving. My leather jacket may be tough to tear but the bite one of those zombies can give makes it look like wool. My shirt and black jeans may not be much in the way of protection, but I don't really plan on going near zombies anytime soon. I walk the streets, looking for supplies to aid me on my travels through the town I'm currently in, and that is lucky considering I was right outside of a small newsagents. The windows were all barricaded up with wooden planks and the brickwork was burned in small areas, but the door to the small shop seemed unlocked, so I went inside, pistol at the ready.
When I moved into the shop, I could clearly see that it was minorly burned, various surfaces fire-blackened, the smell of burning lingering in the air, making it slightly hard to breathe. On the floor were small pools of blood, though dry it was letting off a foul, irony smell. Shelves barely had any stock on them, presumably this place had already been looted by a previous survivor. I grabbed what I could from the shelves, and turning to leave, I noticed that the trail of blood I saw earlier ended near my feet, going around the corner behind the cashiers desk. I cautiously walked around and sure enough, there was the dead body of a man laying in a pool of his own blood that has dried and coated part of his blue shirt. His skin was rotten and dead, the colour grey and strong with the scent of decay.
I tapped his booted foot with my own black boot and not surprisingly, he stayed still. Normally, I would of expected the corpse to move, but this one didn't, thankfully. When I turned to leave the building, a bright, purple flash blinded my vision to white, making me shield my eyes, feeling as though it was going to melt them from the intensity of the sudden burst. Soon enough, it dissipated and when I removed my hand from my eyes, I stared in shock at the figures before me - six ponies. Shock ran through me at such beings.
''What are you?'' I managed to whisper, my eyes still wide with shock. They responded with a loud, long scream, the yellow, winged pony hiding behind the white pony with a horn and curly, stylish purple mane. The purple one, another horned pony looked into my eyes, though still small and filled with fright, she managed to find her voice.
''You can talk?!'' She exclaimed, ''What are you, anyway?! I've never seen anything like you!''
''I could ask you the same thing.'' I stated softly, mind going through more shock upon knowing that such a being could talk. ''I didn't know animals could talk...''
I heard a groan behind me, and then I saw the corpse in the blue shirt move, twitching at first and then clumsily getting to it's feet, moaning hungrily as it drooled blood. He turned to me, those lifeless, pale blue eyes looking into mine, the intent of eating me within them. He lunged at me, arms nearly at my shoulders right before I quickly aimed at his head and fired my pistol, the round echoing loudly as the bullet drilled a hole in his head, splattering his thick, chunky coagulated blood over the wall as he dropped down without a sound, blood soon pooling around his now dead figure.
The ponies just stared in shock at the act, their breathing now heavy as they stared at the now dead zombie next to my feet, soon averting their gaze into my eyes and it wasn't hard to tell what was running through their minds having witnessed a person getting killed in front of their eyes.
''You...you killed him! Why...?'' The yellow, winged pony asked me, her eyes glazing over as she hid behind her mane.
''You wouldn't understand. I...move!'' I yelled, the ponies soon moving away, having seen a few zombies behind them, moaning hungrily as they looked at us. The sound of my pistol shooting must of drawn them here. Christ, I should really get a silencer for this thing. I fired at the few zombies, each bullet hitting them in the head before they collapsed like a sack of potatoes into the ground with a dull, meaty thud. I could clearly see they were coming through the front door, while some just mindlessly clawed at the barred windows, trying to make more entries to get to their targets.
I looked around in a hurry for a place to run to as more zombies limped their way in, soon finding a hallway that lead to the back of the shop and to an exit. I called to the ponies as I ran in the direction of the hallway, the ponies in tow with quick pace. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, dodging zombies that were in my path and shooting them down, soon rounding the corner to a door with the word 'exit' displayed above it and without hesitating, I barged out of it, an alarm sounding with enough volume that more zombies were probably going to start coming and come they did, as I found when we finally got to the streets. Zombies, some with arms and other limbs missing were limping their way towards the shop to the sound of the alarm.
I had to act, and fast. The ponies looked terrified to say the least, the yellow one especially whom was being carried on the rainbow-maned pony's back. I spotted a small alleyway and seriously hoping it wasn't a dead end, headed towards it, motioning with my arm for the ponies to follow me. We ran down the litter-filled alleyway and luckily, it wasn't a dead end - it opened up into the streets that were thankfully zombie-free. The majority of the rotting things must be at the shop. Good riddance. Still running, we made it to a bridge leading to a freeway, hiding underneath it, panting for breath as we were all finally free of flesh-eating zombies.
I sat down with my back against the wall, facing the ponies who I hoped were alright, especially the yellow one.
''Hey, you all okay? Didn't get bitten or anything?'' I asked them, still panting for breath. They faced me, and the breathing of the yellow pony had slowed to its normal pace.
''What in the name of Celestia was that?!'' The purple pony asked me, a mixture of shock and fright on her face.
''Zombies. Now, seriously, anyone get bitten?''
''Wait, what?! Bitten?!''
''Yes, bitten. Whatever you do, do not get bitten! Not unless you want to end up like one of them things!'' I said, getting back on my feet as I faced the scene before me. This place was a freaking nightmare! Cars overturned, crashed, pools of blood and fires raging in areas around towns and cities visible from miles around. I checked the ammo in my pistol before turning to them again.
''We can't stay in town. I have no idea where you all came from, but we need to get out of here. Everything is going to hell pretty fast and some survivors like me will more than likely do something terrible to you if they find you. I guess you should stick with me for a while, just don't get in contact with a zombie or get bitten. That is the last thing anyone in this world wants.''
''By the way, I'm Matthew Calden. You may call me Matt.''
Afterworld: Dead Days - Volume 1
Welcome To The Afterworld
I walked along the dead streets with the ponies beside me. So far I knew their names, some of which I liked. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Twilight. They have told me where they are from but not how they got here. We just walked, barely making conversation and towards an unknown location. What I was more worried about was running into other survivors. The last one I met around a couple weeks ago tried to slash my throat in an attempt to get my supplies. It was just lucky I killed him before he killed me.
The streets were completely silent, the only sound being the air howling softly like a ghosts whisper and the occasional smell of decay or fire. What I did know was that we were walking towards the larger parts of the town and it was going to be hell. My only reason for going in that specific direction was that we needed supplies and with seven of us now in a group, that means that we will need more supplies to keep going. Rainbow was flying above me and even though I was facing forward, I could tell she had her eyes on me.
''So...Matt, did you say your name was? How did you survive all of...this?'' She came next to me, motioning with her hoof the area around us. I only frowned a bit, not making eye contact. I didn't really know the answer, seeing as I wasn't much of the 'survivalist' or strong type.
''I didn't.'' Is all I said, looking at Rainbow for a brief moment before moving on, picking up pace a little. Rainbow didn't stop though, instead she came beside me, her brow raised in curiosity.
''Howcome?''
''I just made it out by my luck. The others didn't. Family, friends, colleagues, innocent bystanders, anyone I've ever known in this world are gone. Dead.'' I said the last part quietly. Saying that felt cold on my lips, like venom. I didn't have any regrets in life; just remorse. Rainbow stopped, landing to the ground with a shocked expression on her face, much as the other ponies as they just watched me continue on my way.
''What?'' Twilight said, her voice matching the quietness of a ghost.
''Twi. Don't.'' Applejack said as she placed her hoof to Twilight's shoulder, looking her dead in the eyes. I actually felt glad about that. It wasn't the ideal topic in conversation terms, anyway. I turned as I faced them, still seeing them stood as still as statues.
''You coming, or are you just going to stand around all day?'' I asked them. They quickly gained pace and were soon beside me, following me like before. I silence wasn't there though. I could hear it. Footsteps. I motioned with my hand to tell them to stop, soon realizing that the footsteps were none of ours. I pulled my pistol from my pocket, telling them to stay put as I went around a corner leading to an alleyway just off to the side of the street. I didn't see anything at first - just dirt and strewn litter. And blood. Then I heard it, that low, hungry moaning sound. I could hear it becoming increasingly louder. I could see a dumpster, a bloody hand-print on the side of it. Beside it I could just see the head of a zombie. He was eating a not-so-long-since dead survivor. The zombie looked up from his human-happy meal and stared right at me. I cringed heavily at the sight.
He had intestines in his mouth, blood drooling heavily from his slightly open mouth, dripping down his chin. His whole face was literally covered in blood and his stare was nerve-racking. I pulled my gun up, pulling the trigger but only heard a small 'click!'.
Oh, not now! Anytime but now!
My reaction made my turn and run the way I came, the zombie straight behind me. He was now groaning loudly, the blood in his mouth muffling it slightly. I was actually being chased by a zombie! Oh, christ, I've never been so scared in my life! If I stopped now, I would surely be killed. I just ran, trying to go faster but to no avail. I ran out of the alleyway, the ponies gasping as they saw the zombie run after me, dead on my tail. I was slowly growing tired but the adrenaline coursing through my veins was keeping me going. I ran through streets aimlessly, hoping I wouldn't run into more zombies.
I could hear wings above me but I dared to look up, fearing I'd run into something. And I did. Straight into a wall. My vision was a blur as I was knocked forcefully to the floor, my head ringing. Within moments, I was beneath the zombie that was earlier right behind me! I struggled in my fazed state, feeling the blood from his lips drip onto my face and clothes. His mouth was right near my neck and I feared he would bite straight into my flesh but before he could have a chance, I felt the newly added weight atop me be released as he was flung off me by Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow had just saved me from death. Holy hell, I owe her one for that. I slowly got up and went up to the downed zombie whom was struggling to get up. He grasped at my boot with a bloody hand and I booted him in the face, a sickening crack of bone telling me I had just broken his jaw. I didn't stop there, either. I just kept kicking and kicking and kicking, even after I knew he was dead I continued kicking him. I must of broken his ribs by time Rainbow and Twilight pulled me off of him.
''Hey, hey, hey! Matt, calm down! He's dead!'' Rainbow yelled at me. Her voice was just like an echo to my ears, my mind just full of shock and the adrenaline still running through my body. I stared at the body of the monstrosity I had just killed, the six ponies just looking at me in horror at the sight of me. ''You okay? Did he bite you?'' She put a hoof to my arm, snapping me from my trance, my hearing back to normal.
''Y-Y-Yeah...'' Is all I could say, though it came out as a mutter. Twilight looked at my now bloodied face and jacket, relieved to see no bite marks on me or anything between.
''Matt, is any of that blood yours? You sure you didn't get hurt?'' Twilight asked me, still looking at the blood.
''N-No. Not mine. I...''
And then I blacked out.
Afterworld: Dead Days - Volume 1
I could feel my head thumping loudly and painfully, something I haven't ever felt before. It was like my heartbeat; strongly thumping like a hammer to a nail, ramming into my ribcage like my brain into my skull. My head just hurt and I could feel myself hyperventilating. It soon subsided as I awoke on a worn couch. My vision was blurry and I felt dizzy. When my eyes refocused fully, I could see Fluttershy, gently dabbing my forehead with a damp cloth.
She backed off a little bit as she noticed I was awake. I could see blood on the cloth. Lots of it. At least it explains why my head is thumping like I have an alarm clock for a brain. I just looked at her, soon realizing that the rest of the ponies were watching me, worried and concerned expressions on their faces. When I tried to get back up to see where we was, Fluttershy gently placed her hooves to my chest, stopping me.
''No, stay still. You lost a fair amount of blood. You'll be dizzy for a while.'' Her tone was almost motherly.
''W-Where are we?'' My voice sounded dry and quiet.
''You blacked out so we stayed in an empty house for a while.'' Twilight explained, momentarily looking at the gash on my head before looking into my blue eyes. ''Come to think of it, why did you act the way you did? We just saw you running while being chased and then you're kicking the zombie in the chest repeatedly.''
I looked away. I mean, really? They wanna know about that and we barely know each other.
''Twilight...I can't. Not yet.'' I said softly, turning to her before I looked over to Rainbow whom looked right back at me. ''Rainbow. I...thank you. You saved me. I owe you one.'' She blushed as a response. I couldn't help but chuckle. Looking around the room, I could see that it was actually secure. The windows were sealed with wooden planks and the door was barred up with the same form of reinforcement. It was probably the safest place I've seen so far. I slowly got to my feet and Fluttershy wasn't kidding when she said I would feel dizziness. I felt like I was drunk! The walls moved side to side even though I knew I was looking straight. Same when I walked - I felt like I would collapse.
The living room in which I was in didn't have much in it apart from the couch, a non-working TV and a few framed pictures on the walls as well as a few decorations and a kitchen in the back. I couldn't help but look at some of the pictures, seeing the small family of three within them. A mother and father and a daughter of a young age, possibly eight or more. I felt a tear roll down my cheek at the sight of them hugging lovingly. I really hope the ponies didn't see that, either.
I held a hand to my thumping head as I checked the reinforcements to the house. They seemed to be intact and still holding strong, which was surprising. The lights didn't work, unfortunately, but I made my way upstairs anyway. There was only about three rooms, so that meant not much to look around for. The first room I entered was clearly the parent's room. What gave that one away was the pictures of the family all together scattered on the walls and the queen-sized bed in the centre of the room. In the corner of the room, I could see a soft red coloured electric guitar on its stand. I eyed it for a moment, soon looking away from it. As much as I wanted to play it, I had to resist against it.
I turned, leaving the room of memories and walking down the hall, my footsteps making the floorboards squeak softly as I approached a door with a name-plate stuck to it.
Ellie's Room
The name-plate was yellow and had pink butterflies on it. When I opened the door, I saw a different sight than I'd expect to see. On the floor was a massive pool of deep, slick red. A heavy smell of iron in the air causing me to gag. On the floor were three bodies. Two adults, one girl. I covered my nose and mouth with my shirt hoping to block out the smell, but it didn't do much good. Beside the corpse of the man was a revolver. A small, 32. revolver to be precise. Though stained in now black blood, I could tell it was a shiny silver colour.
I cautiously walked forwards, knowing that my pistol wasn't going to save me if they weren't truly 'dead'. When I got close enough, I reached down to the floor, taking the pistol and small handful of bullets that were next to it. I quickly moved back, taking one last look at the corpses. They looked so peaceful. The daughter was being cradled by her parents. I wonder what their last moments were like, although I guess the obvious answer would be horrible. Or heartbreaking, seeing suicide as a way out of the cruelty left in the world. Whatever it was like, I closed the door to the room and walked back into the parent's bedroom, taking the guitar in my hands as I brought it downstairs.
The ponies watched me as I sat on the couch with it, eyeing the shiny instrument. I caressed its body with my hand, feeling the smoothness of the plastic cover. Soon, I began to pluck the strings, slow at first to check the tuning and then began playing in a slow, sad tune.
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Some point after I played the guitar, I must of fallen asleep because when I woke up, I noticed I had the guitar in my lap and Rainbow Dash had he warm cheek pressed into my side. I blushed softly and when I got up, being careful not to wake her, I placed my leather jacket over her, a noticeable smile appearing on her lips. I still had blood around my chin and it had gone through my shirt and onto my chest, so next I went upstairs to the bathroom. A quick clean later, I made my way back downstairs, but before I did, something stopped me.
The door to Ellie's room was open. I left it closed not too long ago.
''Hello?'' I called, hearing nothing in response but silence. I walked closer being as quiet as I could. When I peaked around the corner, my heart literally stopped. The body of Ellie was gone. I swear my body turned to ice. I quickly went downstairs, seeing that the ponies were all still asleep. I went into the kitchen, searching for a weapon. Any weapon! Pulling through draws feverishly, I took out a large carving knife. The noise of rattling silver ware must of awoken the ponies because they were all staring at me as if I was mad.
''What're you doing?'' Pinkie asked me, clearly confused. I planted a finger over my mouth.
''Shh. We're in trouble. Zombie upstairs somewhere. Stay here.''
Quietly but quickly, I went back upstairs. I checked each room as quick as I could, not finding her anywhere. Then I heard a groan behind me.
Shit. She's right there, isn't she?
Slowly turning around, I saw her. Her skin was dead and dry, her eyes lifeless and pale blue in colour. Her hair was blonde and her dress was a soft pink. She was just a kid! Eight or not, I really didn't want to kill her! She lunged at me, nearly biting my hand in the process. I dodged her, causing her to run into a wall and knock herself down. God, she looked so weak in her current state. When she ran at me again, I pointed the knife in her direction, closing my eyes. It wasn't long until I heard the sickening slash that was the blade piercing her flesh. I reopened my eyes, seeing that the knife had gone straight through her eye socket. I let go, letting her drop to the floor with the knife still in her socket.
I felt numb and cold. I had just killed a child! A CHILD! Guilt and remorse fills my mind as I limply go back first into the wall of the corridor, sliding down as I curl myself into a ball, hugging my knees with my hands and head, crying openly.
I could hear the ponies come upstairs, their hooves clanking softly on the wooden floor. I heard them gasp as they saw the dead girl with the knife in her eye. I felt a hoof be wrapped around me in an embrace and looking up, I could see Applejack looking back at me, sorrow in her emerald eyes. She and Rainbow helped me to my feet. I could of sworn I saw Pinkie's bouncy mane deflate a little at the sight of Ellie on the floor.
Downstairs, I found a seat on the couch, my leather jacket beside me. I planted a hand across my face as I felt tears come like a broken damn behind my eyes. Rainbow rubbed my back with a hoof, the soft and tender touch calming my aching heart. When they asked me earlier about why I acted the way I did to that zombie that chased me, it was a reason related to what I had just done to that little girl. I remember what my mother used to tell me when I was little:
''No one is born a monster, Matt. They become them. Some do, some don't. You're lucky if you don't become one of them.''
She was right. Monsters are made. I think that I'm partly a monster. After all I've witnessed, I barely feel like the Matt I used to be.
I'm slowly changing. Becoming one.
Afterworld: Dead Days - Volume 1
Scarlet
''Rainbow, help me!'' I yelled as I struggled to keep the door shut against the barrage of zombies eager to get in. Within seconds, Rainbow and the others were beside me, pushing against the door of the building to try keep it closed.
It took all of our weight combined to force the door shut, allowing me to put the lock into place before I pushed a few heavy crates in front of it, hoping it would hold them off. We have made it into town but ended up in this office building when we were chased by an enormous riot of zombies.
I barely had enough bullets to keep myself and the others alive, let alone kill off a few dozen zombies. I counted a half clip left for my pistol. Looks like it was time to find a new weapon.
The ponies were panting heavily as they allowed themselves a moment to regain their strength. The insides of the building were small and the walls were painted white. The floor was just simple wooden planks and thankfully with no body parts or corpses on the floor or any trace of blood. I walked along the not so long corridor, gun in hand and checked a few of the rooms, being glad to find they were empty with only a few destroyed or abandoned computers sat on the desks. The first floor only consisted of around six or so rooms, including a break room. Finding nothing of any use, we made our way upstairs and from my guess, there wasn't many flights of stairs. When we were being chased, I barely had much time to see how many stories high the building was, but an office building of this size would usually be about four or five stories high.
The second floor was just the same as the first floor, if only a little longer and bigger. A few doors to offices were open and the lights were on, illuminating the darkness with their dim light. For some reason I felt like something bad was going to happen. Something really didn't feel right.
''Matt?'' Rarity asked from behind me, worry evident in her voice. ''Something the matter, darling?'' I just shrugged lightly, turning to face them.
''Stay as close as you can. Something doesn't feel right.'' They huddled together as close as they could and we continued. I had to stop them so I could check the rooms every now and again, but found nothing, and even though I know it should relieve me, it only made me feel even more weary.
Knowing my gun was low on ammo, I looked for a new weapon. I could of used the guitar that was strapped to my back, but it did't feel right to use such an instrument on a walking corpse. After all, when and where would I ever find another one in as good a condition as the one I'm carrying?
Lucky enough for me, when we continued down the corridor, I saw a case with a fire axe in it. It was covered by glass, but after hitting it with my elbow a couple times, it was free to take. I just hoped that the sound of shattering glass didn't attract anything nearby. With the axe in hand, I suddenly felt safer. I had to remember to get the ponies some weapons at some point.
I looked back to them again, seeing if anything was coming from behind. And then I heard a groan from behind me, the groan of a flesh-craving zombie. The others gasped in fright and surprise as they looked at it. I span around on the spot as fast as I could and sliced the end of the fire axe's blade into it's neck, sending blood squirting on the wall and floor as well as my face and silencing the abomination in an instant before his corpse fell to the ground with a dull, meaty thud.
I wiped the blood from my cheek and quickly checked both left and right and behind. I guess that glass shattering did attract something. Maybe more of them. I've got to remember to be more quiet in future. It was just us and the silence again. Even though I should of welcomed the silence, it just made me feel as if something bad was going to happen. I haven't been in a building that was as quiet as this one before, and it was really starting to make my nerves twitch.
Thankfully, the while we spent scavenging was uninterrupted by anything and for that I was greatful. However, when we got to the fourth floor after scavenging the third, I noticed that the lights were brighter than before on the previous floors and it seemed cleaner and tidyer. Some doors were barricaded, too, almost as if to keep the zombies from getting in (out?) and that did kinda puzzle me a bit.
The ponies looked at them too, all with puzzled or wonderous expressions. Especially Twilight. She seemed to be observing other than being cautious. Fluttershy, though, seemed to keep close to Rainbow Dash. I don't know why, linked to her name or not, why she is so shy. I haven't had much chance to get to know them, but at some point I really wanted to talk to them all.
And then I heard shouting and grunting.
We all faced the direction of the source of the noise in an instant. It was coming from directly in front of us, at the end of the corridor and from what I could tell, from the left. As we got closer, I could hear it getting louder and louder. When we turned left, my nose was instantly filled with the smell of iron, blood clearly splattered on the wall. It was still fresh, and I could see one or two corpses of zombies on the floor, fresh wounds both from bullets and blunt objects on their bodies. The door at the end of the corridor was open, a dead zombie leaning against it in a pool of blood, as well as all over the brown, wooden door. When we got to the door, I cautiously peeked around the corner, just in time to see yet another zombie fall down just a few inches from my face, causing me to jump back a bit. Looking back around, I could see a young women, not far from being my age or a little older.
She had beautiful, shiny red hair and hazel eyes. Her clothes consisted of a black leather biking jacket and slate-grey jeans. She also didn't hesitate to fire a bullet in my direction, hitting the wall before it could hit me in the face.
''You! Show yourself!'' She shouted over, her voice sounding just like an angel, yet I could tell she was scared. I looked over to the ponies whom shared the same semi-frightened expression as mine. I gently put down the axe and slowly walked into the open, not knowing weather she was going to shoot me or not. She seemed to relax as she saw I wasn't a zombie, but what made me feel slightly uneasy and cautious was the blood covering her clothes and face. I couldn't tell if she got bitten or not, and I was really hoping to get a positive answer.
''Are you unarmed?'' She asked me, to which I slowly nodded. ''Are there any more of you? Are you on your own?'' I shook my head, nervously looking over to the scared faces of the ponies before looking back over to the women. It's not everyday that you meet a talking, multi-coloured pony and the way other people would react to it is untold. There are many things that they might do to them, and I don't really think that saying I have six pony companions is going to set the right impression. Maybe she would shoot them? My thoughts were cut short as I heard them scream. I instantly reacted by running in their direction, quickly seeing the reason behind the sudden outburst of fright. More zombies were coming, including a couple undead dogs. I cringed internally at the glare in their milk-white eyes. Slowly, everypony apart from Fluttershy moved back. She was frozen with fear, just staring into the undead eyes of the dogs.
''Fluttershy, move! Quick!'' I whispered to her, not wanting to make the dogs jump at her. I could just grab her and get her out the way, but I couldn't possibly be fast enough. It would be game over if anyone makes any sudden movements. As if reading my mind, a blur of rainbow blasted from behind me and snatched Fluttershy off of her hooves and into the room, the dogs moving almost as quickly at the sudden movement. As fast as I could, I ran back into the room and slammed the door shut, the sound of loud growling and scratching and barking being heard on the other side as the animals fought for entry. Fluttershy was visibly shaking when Rainbow placed her on the ground. She sat on her haunches as Rainbow held her shoulders, looking into her terrified eyes.
''What were you thinking, Fluttershy?! You're gonna get yourself killed!'' Rainbow yelled, tightly gripping Fluttershy's shoulders as she herself was shaking. Fluttershy could only whimper in fright as she tried to find her voice.
SNAP!
The door was torn clean off of its hinges, a swarm of zombies coming through followed by the dogs, showing their decayed, bloody teeth that had flesh dangling from inbetween a few of them. We moved as fast as we could, running to the back of the room. The women didn't try to run but instead tried to fight them off. Bullet by bullet, she took them down. It amazed me at how accurate she was with a side arm. I saw one of the dogs jump her by time I managed to smash a window, letting the ponies get out first. She managed to keep the dog from biting her, but only until the second dog came up and threw itself on top of her with the other undead hound. I reacted by grabbing a metal pipe from the floor and running up to the dog, swinging the piping with all my strength and striking it directly in the head, sounding a loud crack. The other dog focused it's attention on me and jumped at me, me missing it with the pipe. He clung onto my jacket with his paws and tried to bite me repeatedly, making me stumble on my legs
and eventually making me lose balance. Within seconds, I ended up being thrown out of the window, falling with the hound on my chest, the pipe being the only thing from keeping it's jaws off of my flesh. I hit my back hard on a metal balcony before I hit the ground, thankfully with the dog going first. Luckily, the fall seemed to of broke it's back, making it unable to move. I ended it's misery by delivering a final strike to it's head, silencing it for good. The ponies hurried towards me when they got to the ground, concerned looks upon their faces. I felt Twilight and Applejack help me to my feet.
''Oh, my...you're bleeding!'' Twilight said, pointing to a gash on my arm. I looked over to my arm, seeing the wound. I felt my brain go into panic mode as I checked it over, hoping it wasn't a scratch or bite I somehow didn't feel. It was a clean slash, but it didn't look like it came from the dog. It wasn't as deep as a dog bite, either. I relaxed upon knowing my days weren't rounded down to minutes.
''Don't worry. I didn't get bitten, I'll be fine.'' I reassured her, but she didn't look too convinced. For such a small cut, it did make quite a large amount of blood flow down my arm than I expected. I felt my arm be engulfed with a purple aura, making it unable to move. That's when I noticed Twilight's horn glowing with purple.
''What are you doing?'' I asked her, cautious of what was about to happen.
''Just hold still.'' Is all she said. In seconds, my arm began to burn with heat, like I've been touching a boiling radiator, and then I saw the wound begin to close. The amazing thing was that after she released my arm, there wasn't even a scar visible where the wound once was!
I turned to her, smiling at her.
''T-Thank you, Twilight. Just...how? How did you do that?''
''Healing magic,'' she sighed, a couple droplets of sweat falling from her brow. ''kinda takes it out of me. You're welcome, by the way.'' I leaned down and hugged her. Just around the same time, the women from the room upstairs jumped from the balcony, and upon hitting the ground fell to her knees. She looked even more hurt than me. I saw a few scratch marks on her jacket, but none looked as if they went into her flesh. That didn't explain the amount of blood on her face, though. There was more on her than before, and it looked fresher.
''Hey, you alright? Get bitten or anything?'' I asked her, about to pick her up by the shoulder when she knocked my hand away with her shoulder, taking me slightly aback.
''D-Don't. Just don't.'' She seethed. Quite clearly, she was hurt. At the moment, I suspected that she actually was bitten by either the dog or a zombie. ''Ugh...just...go. Leave me.'' She grunted as she leaned back into a sitting position on the curb of the street. I knelt in front of her, looking into her eyes that she didn't bother focusing on mine. She kept her's on the ground, looking colder than stone.
''Are you alright, though? We're not gonna leave you behind on your own. I wanna know if you got bitten by one of those dogs.'' I noticed her cringe. ''Please? I'm not going anywhere unless I know you're alright.''
She looked up at me this time. Her face was emotionless as a statue. She tried to stand up, but fell back down in an instant, grunting loudly in pain. I caught her just before she could hit the ground. She was breathing slightly faster now.
''I twisted my ankle, okay? One of those things threw me off of the balcony just after I got through the window. For god's sake, just go. You're wasting your time by trying to help me.'' I frowned as I turned to Twilight, seeing a some-what unsure expression on her face. Something tells me she knew what I was going to ask.
Twilight came forward, taking a look at her ankle, seeing the condition it was in. It was pretty swollen and could of been broken in more than one place.
''I'm not sure if this will work, but I'll give it a go. Hold on. You may want something to bite on if this gets too painful.''
''I'll be alright. Just..try to make it fast, okay? Damn thing hurts enough.'' Twilight nodded as she used her magic to heal the women's foot. The purple glow around her ankle grew brighter and brighter as the process progressed, and from the women's expression, it was getting more painful.
She gritted her teeth as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain but failing miserably. Twilight was visibly sweating as she focused harder on the injured limb. The women let out a small scream as something clicked in her foot, followed by a few other clicks, and in a matter of seconds it all ended.
Twilight's magic died down and she fell to the floor, bullets of sweat falling from her head as she panted heavily for breath. Pinkie helped her up from the floor and allowed her to lean on her shoulder as she regained her composure.
I helped her back to her feet, sending relief and shock through her mind as she found that her twisted ankle was repaired. She sighed softly through her nostrils as she gave it a test by moving her foot in a small circle, amazed to feel no pain. Looking back to Twilight, she smiled.
''Oh, wow...you fixed it! Thank you. Who are you anyway? I've never seen anything quite like you.''
Twilight breathed a short breath before she looked the women in the eyes. ''I'm Twilight Sparkle,'' she motioned to herself with a hoof. ''And these are my friends, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. And that's Matt.'' She pointed a hoof to me, smiling, and then she pointed a hoof to the women. ''And you are?''
The women smiled softly. ''I'm Scarlet.''
Afterworld: Dead Days - Volume 1
Nightmare
Tap, tap, tap...
My feet clicked and clacked as I walked up the stairs of my house, the one I shared with my family. The time was late and it was dark and the house was more silent than death at this time, nothing too unusual.
My mother and father and my younger brother, James, who had just recently turned six I presumed were getting ready for bed. Everytime I walk upstairs, my attention is always focused on the pictures that hung from the walls in their frames, ones that displayed the whole family. My favourite picture had to of been the one with us all hugging at James's birthday, each with smiling faces.
It brought a smile to my face every time, just being able to see myself with my family the day it was taken at the local bowling alley. Truth be said, it wasn't something I could say I enjoyed, but being there with my family made up for it.
Continuing upstairs, I myself was planning on getting some sleep. Today's activities sure have taken it out of me and my body felt like a dying car, about to shut down due to lack of energy. Making my way to my room, I noticed my little brother's door as well as my parent's door were closed, giving me the indication that they were already in bed.
My room was a mess to say the least. I know I should of gotten around to cleaning it some point earlier in the day, but with a tight schedule for work and other things that need to be done, it has been knocked from my list.
Clothes littered the floor, in desperate need of cleaning and the air was thick with the scent of old socks, almost similar to the smell of a footballer's changing room after a long, sweating match on a hot day.
However, before I could get ready for bed, a faint sound caught my attention. I couldn't hear what it was at first and after a short while it became slightly louder, being easier to make out where it was coming from.
Leaving my room, I made my way towards where I presumed it was coming from. My parent's room. Slowly approaching the door, I leaned in close and gently pressed my ear onto the doors body.
I heard it again, although this time, it was a bit more like a scream, muffled slightly by the thickness of the door. As it became louder, I became more worried and carefully and slowly puched down on the door handle, opening the door just a crack, allowing me to see inside.
Oddly, the room was dark and something seemed very off about it. Pushing the door open thurther, I could feel something wrong in the air, something eery. With the door now fully open and with the light from the corridor in which I was standing in illuminating it the slightest bit, I still couldn't see properly and when I reached for the switch on the left side of the wall inside the room and flicked it on, I froze and all my nerves turned to ice while my heart thumped wildly in my chest.
The bed which my parents shared was caked in thick, fresh blood and my mother was laying over the majority of the beds width in her nightie with a huge chunk bitten out of the side of her neck, the blood still oozing from it. She was gagging and choking on her own blood as she struggled to get air to her lungs.
And on top of her was my dad, with my mother's blood staining his once white teeth a slik red while most dripped from between his lips. Dad was also wearing his night wear and what was meant to be in a dark blue colour, it was not stained with red, matting it to his body.
His gaze met mine and mine met his and I saw no life in his icy stare while his saw the fear within me. He growled, clumsily getting off of the bed and onto his feet. On his right arm, I noticed a bandage that was smeared in blood, turning it dark red in colour.
My heart was thumping like the engine of a steam train now, almost like it was going to burst straight through my ribcage while my mind raced with horror and shock. Not thinking, I took the slightest step backwards, the floorboards creaking beneath my weight.
At the sound, dad launched towards me, charging at me and barely giving me enough time to retreat downstairs.
On the way down, dad slipped on the landing and slammed into a wall, knocking loose the picture of the family I was looking at not so long before. As he tried to rapidly get back up, I raced into the kitchen and grabbed a large carving knife from the drawer, weilding it in my hands with a tight grip.
Dad came back at me, causing me to jump back as he made an appearance in the doorway. He wasted no time in taken a lunge at me, and when he did, I sealed my eyes shut and instinctively held the knife with the tip towards him and I heard a sickening slash before a groan of pain followed by a dull thud.
Opening my eyes again, along with a few tears, I saw dad lying on the floor with a slash across his throat and running the a small fraction of his cheek. I don't know how long I stayed there and stared at his body, watching the blood flow freely from the new gash on his body and pool on the floor. I knelt down and let a sob escape me as I shakily placed a hand to his right forearm. The only thing my mind was focused on besides the fact that I had just killed my own father was the bandage wrapped around his arm.
Ever so carefully, I pulled it off, revealing a sight that made me gasp in horror.
It was a bite mark.
*** *** ***
''M-Matt? Matt, wake up.'' A soft and gentle voice said as I felt something gently poke my body. ''Matt?''
''Gah!'' I awoke with a jolt, my mind fully aware and awake in a snap. Sweat rolled down my face and I could feel cold tears beneath my eyes. Looking around, I calmed myself a little at knowing I was safe.
We were back in that house from earlier, all the ponies and Scarlet watching me in worry. I looked next to me and saw Fluttershy whom seemed to of backed off a little bit at my outburst of fright.
''F-Fluttershy?'' Is all I managed to utter, still feeling quite rattled.
''Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep.'' Fluttershy said quietly, her voice like a whisper, though soft and sweet. I could only feel the fright and not much else. Flopping back down on my back, I rested my head on the arm of the couch on which I was occupying and rubbed my eyes and face with my hands.
''I...I don't want to talk about it.'' I said, my voice quieter than Fluttershy's.
''You kept mumbling someone's name. 'James' I think.'' Twilight said, looking cautious to wheather she should of said it or not. She should of been. I turned my head from my laid back position and looked at her, a serious glare within my eyes that made her step back a few paces.
''I said I don't want to talk about it.'' I stated pretty bluntly. ''What's done is done and there is no changing what has happened, so I just want us all to forget about it.'' Taking the hint, they all held understanding expressions on their faces. Scarlet, however, didn't.
Scarlet's expression remained the same yet in those gorgeous eyes of hers, I could sense something that told me she knew what I felt like but if not, gave her an idea. If she wanted to say anything, she was wise not to.
Whenever I have a nightmare, which is nearly every night, it always revolves around the one I have just had. The night I lost my entire family in a matter of minutes.
Getting up, I trudged into the kitchen, a strange feeling like the night I slashed my dad rising in my mind, sending a chill down my spine. All the eyes of the ponies were stull fixed upon me and I could feel their stares behind my back, watching my every step as if they were scanning me over.
Mindlessly, I leaned over the counter weakly, seeing my miserable reflection in the black marble surface. I could see the bandage that was placed on the far left of my forehead, slightly hidden by my black-brown hair. I took it off, seeing a still-healing gash underneath. It looked horrid to say the least and would more than likely leave a scar.
''I know how you feel.'' I heard Scarlet say from beside me, her back pressed softly against the marble as she had her smooth, white hands on the surface.
''Do you?'' I said with no hidden anger or annoyance in my voice without even looking up to make eye contact. ''We barely even know each other and you're saying 'you know how I feel'?'' I snorted softly. ''I doubt that.'' For some reason, it seemed to amuse her the slightest bit.
''I don't. We all heard you, Matt. You kept mumbling in your sleep about someone called James and you were crying.'' She motioned to my eyes and when I touched a hand to it, I felt a wetness on my palm. I didn't even realize I was until now.
''Look, Scarlet, I'd really rather not talk about this now or ever. I just want to drop it completely and put it behind me, regardless of how it makes me feel.'' I looked away for a brief moment and then fixed my eyes on hers with seriousness. ''Don't bring it up again.'' And then I walked off, exiting the kitchen and headed upstairs, the ponies all watching me before I disappeared from sight and into the previous owner's bedroom and slammed the door shut.
*** *** ***
''James!'' I exclaimed as I heard him scream from his room upstairs, causing me to break my running into a sprint, nearly making me fall down on my way up the stairs. Within a few moments, I came up to the door of James's room and was alarmed to see the door smashed open and a bloody hand print smudged on the white paint and smeared to the left, entering the room.
I held the carving knife in my hand, ready to strike but when I got around the door frame, my blood chilled to a temperature that matched ice. My mother was biting her teeth into James's neck on the side, that sickening, gut-wrenching sound of flesh being grinded between molars being audible yet slightly covered up by James's screaming.
Without thinking, I charged at my mother and plunged my knife into her throat, slashing a clean opening in the side with the tip of the knife sticking out of the other side. She gagged and choked on the blood that followed and when I pulled it out, blood spat on my face and she fell to the floor, trying to breath with rapid breaths as the blood flowed freely onto the floor and pooled around her shoulders and head, dying her blonde hair a goopy red.
Wasting no time, I grabbed James and supported his head with my hand whilst I used my other hand to support his back. He had tears in his eyes and I could see that they were screaming with pain. His neck bled uncontrollably and went partly on the floor as well as my arm.
''James! Breathe, just Breathe!'' I commanded him, knowing that it wouldn't do that much good as I removed my hand from his back and held it onto his heavily bleeding wound, applying pressure.
In seconds, I could feel his breathing slow down and gradually cease. With disbelief, I shook him, hoping that he wasn't dead, even if I didn't want to admit it. His eyes were still open and instead of their usual life-filled, blue colour, they were dull and icy, as cold as stone.
With tears now pouring out of my eyes and down my cheeks like mini waterfalls, I closed his eyes before I hugged him tightly, holding him close to my chest.
*** *** ***
I awoke with a jolt, sweating fiercly for the second time in the same night. I wiped my brow with my hand, coating it in a thin layer of sweat. Downstairs, I could hear thumping, clearly audible through the thickness of the bedroom door.
Curious but cautious, I took my pistol from my holster and climbed out of bed after turning the safety off. Heading downstairs, I could hear what sounded like cheers or applause. Coming to the landing, I had my pistol at the ready, slightly raised but lowered it as I saw that Pinkie and the rest of the ponies were sat in a circle all giggling at something unknown to me.
However, it wasn't long before they saw me standing there with my pistol in my hand. Quietly, I slowly walked towards them and since none of them said anything first, I did.
''Hey.'' I said slowly. ''What're you all doing?''
''Oh, hey, Matt, darling, we were just having a little girly fun.'' Rarity said with a warm smile. ''Care to join us?''
''Are you saying I'm a girl?'' I asked, feeling a little embarrassed yet with a weak smile on my face, to which the group burst into laughter, including Scarlet who I didn't realize was at the back of the room, watching the fun and torment take place.
''N-Not at all, darling, just a little game of truth or dare.''
''No, thanks, I'll pass.''
''You're loss.'' Applejack said briefly before turning back to the game.
Walking over to the back of the room, I joined Scarlet and took a place on the wall beside her.
''Hey.'' She greeted me. ''Feel any better?''
''No, not really. Couldn't sleep.'' I kept it plain and simple, not wanting to go into the conversation about that night I lost my family. ''Hey, Scarlet?''
''Yeah?''
''I've been meaning to ask, what were you doing at that building when we found you?''
Unlike I expected, Scarlet just gave me a soft, left-sided smile. ''Surviving. It didn't really go to plan as I found out when I finally got into the building. It was filled with those...things.'' She cringed internally and her smile faltered. ''I don't know what would of happened to me if you didn't come along.'' The smile returned to her lips, a thankful smile. I could only smile back.
''Don't mention it.''
For a short while, we both watched the ponies carry on with the game they were playing, seeing them laugh as it unfolded. However, the sound of laughter must of been able to be heard, as I could hear something outside. Scarlet took notice of this and unholstered her own pistol, flicking off the safety.
The sounds outside sounded like groaning and moaning, that flesh-hungry sound that made hairs stand on end. They started scratching at the windows, the sound of wood being scraped against fingernails becoming audible as more and more of the undead joined in.
''Everyone, get away from the windows, now!'' I instructed, the ponies hurriedly getting onto their hooves and gathering towards me and Scarlet, fear plastered on their faces and in their eyes. I had no idea how many undead were outside but I could tell it was a high number.
I was too busy focusing on all the other windows that I forgot about the one behind me until a dead, dull-grey arm managed to punch through and wrap itself around me, taking me by surprise. I struggled for a moment, Scarlet quickly reacting to shoot it in the arm so it would release me, the blood splattering onto the wall before I could get mself out.
''T-Thanks, Scarlet.'' I said, my voice a little shaky and fear visible on my face to her eyes. She gave a simple nod. Moments passed and we watched as the wooden barricades were torn from the nails that held them in place, allowing the undead to clumsily crawl their way inside.
All we could do was run upstairs, so we did, locking ourselves in the bedroom I had slept in not so long ago. I had Scarlet help me move the bed, moving it so its weight kept the door shut, hopefully heavy enough to keep the walkers back.
''W-W-What d-do we do n-now?'' Fluttershy asked, her voice shaky and her body trembling slightly. Rainbow Dash stood beside her to place a comforting hoof over her back.
''Relax, Fluttershy, I'm sure we'll be able to think of something.'' Rainbow told her, smiling warmly even if she knew that it probably wasn't true. The room had two windows in the area we were standing in now, and in the onsuite that was to the left of us, there was only a small vent, so it left us with the option to either try and escape or just sit and wait to get eaten.
Annoyingly, the glass had wooden barriers protecting it and looked like it would be hell to get off. I looked around to see if anything would be able to help break it. Even more annoyingly, the room was that tidy that it didn't really have much furniture in it, only a single dresser that had some old clothes in it and not much else besides junk.
Gritting my teeth, I approached the window and used the handle of my gun as a hammer to strike it a few times before it finally gave in, the glass shattering making everyone flinch.
Now the undead were at the door of the bedroom, pounding and scratching to gain entry, the bed being the only barricade between us and them.
''Move aside.'' Twilight said before lightly using her hoof to push me aside. She braced herself by tensing her muscles in her legs and a faint, purple glow appeared at the tip of her horn before engulfing the whole of it, sparkling before it turned a hot-looking white in colour and released a devastating beam of energy towards the wood, shattering it into many shards and splinters.
Wasting no time, I looked out of the new exit and saw that, luckily, it wasn't a steep drop. It went down a couple feet and onto a sloped room that was a garage, by my guess. Looking back to the group, I ordered that the ponies get themselves out first, and they did.
Just in time too, because the undead had broken past the door and the bed, yet the bed was now pressed against the wall of the room, allowing only a small gap to be made in which the door could only let around one or two in at a time.
Scarlet went out next, me being held back by a walker that got through. I put a bullet through his head, pinning it right between his eyes that caused him to drop like a ragdoll in an instant. Then I moved for the window and climbed my way out of it, landing on the sloped roof and losing my balance a bit before rolling down and taking a final drop to the floor where everyone else was waiting.
''Oh, my...'' Fluttershy murmered softly as she saw the hard landing I took. ''Are you alright?''
''Peachy.'' I grumbled softly as I got myself to my feet. ''We can't stay here any longer. We have an option to stay here and wait to be killed or to go and find someplace to stay or at least hide.''
''Matt.'' Scarlet said, nudging my shoulder. ''I think we should just leave town and try to survive. It's all we can do now. We can't just hold out in any house, they are bound to find us. At least we know that they are attracted to noise, so if they hear us, we're gonna need someplace heavily reinforced to stay.''
Okay, she had a point there. When the ponies were having a good time and laughing, they caught their attention and so they were drawn to us. Though they are pretty much mindless, they are still a very big threat to everything.
''So where do we go, then? 'Cause right now, we're just standing in the open!'' Rainbow said, her eyes scanning me up and down.
''I don't know. I guess we just leave town and survive the best we can.'' At that, I slipped my pistol back into its holster and lead the group out of and away from town, hopefully to someplace safer.
The roads ahead were going to be tough but as long as we stick together, we should do just fine.
