Author's Note

*Inhale*

Hi.

Here we are again. I said I was done with this site, but this story? This story means a lot to me. It's never really left my mind and I really want to finish it. But the problem? I feel that the earliest chapters don't match my current writing style, and to no one's surprise, I had no plan back in the day. I know, shocker! I never really knew where the story was going next until I was writing the next chapter, and that feels obvious upon re-reading... But, as I said, I love this story-- the mental picture I have of it and have held dear for almost 8 years... so, my solution? Rebuild! Re-do this entire story from the ground up.

The original story will remain posted because as I said, it holds a special place in my heart and I don't want the original story to be forgotten. But nonetheless, I was 13 years old when I first wrote The Zombie War, and I think that showed. Now, almost 21, I feel like I can show the experience I had gained on this very site in all that time. And, of course, to finish this story I still have a fondness for. So... here it is! The Zombie Chronicles remastered and reimagined!

Prologue

The sun shone down on the academy of Crystal Prep. Just outside, police cars were parked by the main gates. On the inside, students went about their day for the most part, save for a few—members of the Shadowbolts, Crystal Prep's athletic team. The Shadowbolts were all praised as the best and brightest of the academy, but today, officers had them in different empty rooms, asking a slew of questions.

In the infirmary, sitting on one of the beds, was Kyle Williams-- a sophomore student with fading bruises on his face and messy brown hair running down to his shoulders.

Just outside, some students couldn't help but peek in.

"How bad did they say it was?" One of them asked.

"Pretty bad—he was on the roof, and Sugarcoat said he was seconds away from jumping--"

"Ha! Some kid, huh? Got all broken up by old shit, or what?" Joel, another athlete at Crystal Prep, asked.

Tapping tactical boots from the hallway caused most students to scatter, save for Joel, who turned and saw a female police officer in her early 40s with the same brown hair as Kyle... On her side were a holstered Taurus Judge revolver and a currently inactive radio.

"Got anything else you'd like to add, son?" She scowled at him.

Joel read her badge, which read "Williams," and quickly bit his tongue.

"N-no, ma'am!" He said, quickly joining his fellow peers in their fleeing.

The officer reached for the door, noticing her shaking hand, took a deep breath, tried to gather her nerves, and twisted the knob.

"Hey, sport..." Beth said, her voice soft and somewhat shaken.

Kyle glanced at her but didn't say much else other than that.

She sensed the cold shoulder and took a seat next to the bed.

"So, who caused these? Was it that meathead I just spoke to out the door?"

Kyle gave a faint chuckle but stayed silent other than that.

"Kyle, you know I'm not angry, right...?" She asked, her voice beginning to shake more.

He closed his eyes and nodded, trying to hide the tears forming.

Sure enough, she wasn't too far behind.

"I know it's been hard... and that's somewhat my fault. After what happened to your dad... I can't imagine how that's been on you, and coming here? I don't even wanna think about what those... juveniles were doing."

Kyle finally turned to face his mother.

"Kyle, you know you can talk to me about these things, right? So, they don't... get this bad." She said, trying to choose her words as carefully as possible.

He didn't say anything in response, and Beth knew what she had to do.

"Kyle... either I can question you about today, or someone else can. I'll leave that up to you... do you understand me?"

He finally acknowledged her and nodded.

"You do it..."

Beth nodded and reached for a notepad on her side.

"...Your peers said they found you up on the roof. Were they going up there to hurt you?"

Kyle waited for a moment.

"...Most likely."

Beth drew an angered sigh and took a note.

"Can you identify the students who found you?"

"...Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Jet Set, and Upper Crust."

She jotted down the names.

"Son... were you... going to jump?"

Kyle stayed silent, trying to find the best way to answer.

"...I don't know..."

She took a moment, confused by his answer.

"They said they saw you with one foot over the roof... that's not an 'I don't know'--"

From the side, a nurse nervously tapped on Beth's shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but this room is for medical personnel only..."

She glared daggers at the nurse, rising from her chair.

"This is my son... and I feel that I have the authority, here... so I suggest that unless you want to risk being arrested for interfering in an active investigation, you turn around and walk away... now."

The nurse let out a nervous yelp and quickly walked the other way.

Beth huffed and took her seat.

"You didn't have to do that... she's nice."

Beth softened a tad at her son's voice.

"If that's this school's definition of 'nice,' then no wonder Cinch is in deep shit right now."

They both stayed silent for a brief moment.

"...So, what happens, now?" Kyle asked.

Beth looked at her son.

"I talked with your aunt and cousin. They told me that Canterlot High is a much better school than here... Jason's there to look out for you... and I heard that Twilight was there, too."

Kyle's head perked a bit at hearing her name. He also processed the idea of going to Canterlot High—he overheard a lot of rumors over the past year or so about magical shenanigans and such... he didn't know what to make of them when he heard about them. But then the Friendship Games happened, and that changed everyone's opinion...

"But that's for later. Right now, we should get going, let the others do their job... and maybe let an actual doctor look you over. How does that sound?"

Kyle nodded.

"Okay... can you stand?"

Kyle answered her question by quickly hopping off of the bed.

With that, they both made their way out of the exit in the nurse's office, the students in the hallway stopping and watching them both pass.

The ride back home was a quiet one. Kyle sat and scrolled through his phone with an earbud in one ear.

Beth focused on the road, unsure how to start discussing what had happened with her son.

"Kyle... I want you to know that you could've told me about this... what, did you think I'd be mad?"

He didn't answer.

"Kyle?" Beth asked, her voice growing a bit sterner.

Still no response.

"Kyle!"

Kyle turned to her, pulling out his earbud.

"Would you have cared? Would you have cared about some light bullying? You already knew they were beating me; why didn't you do something sooner?!"

Beth went to answer but couldn't find the words.

"Ever since Dad died... it's like you just stopped caring for me--"

Beth quickly turned to Kyle, taking her eyes off the road.

"That's not true, and you know it! Everything I've done this last year has been for both of us! Do you think I wanted this?! Do you think I wanted you to come out here to this preppy school because I didn't have the time to think about other options? You think if I knew they were pushing you to... to this, I wouldn't have pulled you right out?!"

Kyle didn't respond, his throat beginning to burn with emotion.

Beth sighed and turned back to the road.

At that moment, another car's distant yet close horn roared in both of their ears as they found themselves hit from the side.

Kyle's ears rang as he slowly came to from the crash. He turned to his mom, seeing that her seat was empty... save for a blood trail leading outside.

Kyle looked outside and saw a crazed figure beat down a body on the ground.

He slowly made his way out of his door, the sun's light blinding him for a brief moment.

The first thing he heard was the snarling and growling of the creature on his mom's side of the car.

Kyle got on his feet and started to reach for his phone, seeing his shattered screen.

A gurgled scream got his attention as he turned to see the body that the monster above was beating...

It was his mother.

Kyle sprang into action, quickly running over and trying to pull the crazed person off Beth.

"Hey! Get off her!"

It turned to him, and Kyle quickly realized he wasn't dealing with a normal person...

Its eyes were bloodshot, and blood covered its mouth and torn clothing...

The zombie roared at him and lunged him to the ground. Kyle could barely hold it back from chomping into him as it snarled and drooled right above his face...

"G-get off!"

The zombie began gaining the advantage, getting closer to biting him...

BANG!

The corpse hit the ground as Kyle turned to see his bloodied mother holding her smoking revolver up high.

The arm holding it quickly fell back to the ground, lifeless.

"M-mom?"

He quickly ran over to her and saw her dead, lifeless expression...

"Mom?"

Kyle put his head against her chest to feel for a heartbeat or any sign of breathing... but felt nothing.

But suddenly, she gasped, and her body began to seize.

He jumped back, seeing that her gun was dropped and close to him.

He watched as her body violently contorted until she stood upright, with the same bloodshot eyes as the other creature did...

"Mom?!"

She twitched towards him, snarling as a single tear fell from her cheek...

Knowing what she had become, Kyle grabbed her gun and fired it, hitting her right in the heart.

The adrenaline quickly passed as he realized what he had just done...

He finally began to hear faint explosions and gunfire. Knowing he had to move, he picked up his mom and started making a run for it, only for a sharp pain in his leg to stop him.

He realized that his leg was sore and looked bruised...

Knowing he couldn't possibly carry her all the way back home, he made his way back under the car.

"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." He repeated to himself, laying her inside the car.

He quickly took off her holster and quickly limped away...