A metallic clanging sound reverberates outside waking me up with a jolt. I sit up and unclip the MAC-10 out from my belt and point it in the direction of the noise.

“What the fuck was that?!”

I slowly stand up out of my sleeping bag, wipe my cyan locks out of my eyes and walk across the room in a low crouch towards the window stepping lightly on the creaky floorboards. I slowly make my way through the sea of obliterated pews littering the church floor towards one of the side windows that had been covered in a tarp almost like a curtain. I lift the tattered cloth away from the window and peek out at the small side alley below.

Outside the sky is light orange hue as the sun rises; long dark shadows cascade down from the fallen skyscrapers of the ruined city. I look up and down the alley searching for whatever could have made that noise and spot an old, rusted trash can lying on its side spilling out rotten trash and papers which were carried away by the wind.

“Hope that was the wind’s doing,” I muse reclipping the gun to my belt and make my way back to my sleeping bag at a more relaxed pace. Considering I was so kindly awoke it only made sense to get the day started. I eye the large travel pack sprawled next to my sleeping bag. “Well I might as well eat something,” I unzip my pack and rummage around a bit before I feel the small cardboard box hiding off to the side with my granola bars.

“Shit, only twelve bars left,” I mentally state as I grab one of said bars and carefully open it up before scoffing the dry bar down leaving no crumbs behind. With breakfast secured it would probably be good to just check what supplies I have left. I did check just a few days ago, but I would hate to run out of food and water again.

“Okay I have about two and a half litres of water left, 2 packs of bandages and plasters, a roll of gauze, two 50. Cal ammo boxes filled with .45 ACP and my granola bars. Not too shabby, but food and water will probably only last a day or so, so I should probably go scout for that,” I determine before closing my pack and rolling up my sleeping bag. I always hated rolling up a sleeping bag as no matter how hard I tried I could never get it to fit in that shitty small bag that it came it; however, having done the same routine of rolling and unrolling the damn thing I would say I got pretty good at it. Still fucking hate it though.

With my sleeping bag properly secured to the top of my pack I grab my makeshift bandoleer off my pack, that I had fashioned from the strap of a fanny pack and a tool belt, before securing it over my shoulder and upper chest. I unload the mag from my gun checking the amount of ammo in the mag before reloading it into the gun with a satisfying click. I look back to my pack as I reclip the submachine gun to my belt before checking the rest of my weapons.

I reach down to the sheath on my hip and pull out my old diving knife. I flip it about in my hands a bit giving it a few practice swings and stabs before I slide it back into the sheath. The small blade had served my well all these years and would hopefully be around for a few more; however, it had been overshadowed by one of my more recent additions.

Reaching down to the back of my pack I loosen a few straps and carefully remove my badass fireman axe. I had salvaged it from an old station a few years back and had modified it to have a larger mass on the head to increase its stopping power as well as replacing the old heavy wooden handle for a more lightweight aluminium one. I slowly checked over the surface of the axe before securing it to a quick release strap on the side of my bag.

After checking that my fireman axe was properly secured to the side of my pack, I hoist the hefty bag onto my back and grab an old tourist pamphlet out of my pocket. “Right looks like if I continue East down Norris Street, I should reach Broad Street which I can then follow North to the more sparse regions outside of the city,” I mentally state as I walk to the front door of the old church I had stayed in for the night and out into the ruins of Philly.

The Sun had risen slightly in the time it took me to gather all my stuff, and the sky had started to transition to a more bluish hue. The streets were littered with abandoned cars, concrete blockades and military vehicles, all casualties of the great collapse. I looked down to the watch on my wrist which told me that the time was 07:13. “Huh I actually managed to get a good night sleep for once.”

I remove the small explorer’s compass from my belt and determine the direction to go before setting off at a slow walk making sure to check around every corner and listening out for any sounds. The city had become eerily quiet as of recently and I was not about to be ambushed due to complacency.

I sneaked slowly ahead before a slow ticking noise made itself known from the side of my pack. I reach back and grab my battered Geiger counter before checking the reading. The small needle had drifted to about 0.4 μSv. “Shit so the bomb had been dropped closer than I thought,” I realise as I look down to the demolished city centre on the horizon.

I start to pick up the pace hoping to get further from the radiation zone before I suffered any radiation sickness. I zig-zag between the cars in a half-run-half-jog making sure to regulate my breathing and to conserve as much energy as possible.

The noise of the Geiger counter slowly starts to increase as I ran motivating me even more to get out. I suddenly reach a large intersection up ahead which had been converted into a military blockade. “That must be Broad Street!” I mentally exclaim as I skid around the corner and ran up the road trying to get as far away from the radiation as quickly as possible.

I continue my mad dash for a few more minutes as the noise of my Geiger counter slowly diminishes to an occasional click before stopping all together. With the radiation hopefully know behind me I slow down to a quick walk before stopping altogether. I look back over my shoulder at the crumbling buildings in the distance and the monsters that no doubt roam the rubble.

I turn around to take in the city for hopefully the final time. The once majestic buildings have either collapsed or have been shredded to pieces in the blast. The buildings look like the distorted teeth of a large beast as it howled up into the sky. I chuckle quietly as the mental image pops into my mind as well as how the thought was unironically true. Millions had lost their lives in those streets and those who didn’t weren’t human anymore.

I take a deep breath and continue away from the city taking it slow and keeping low to the ground to avoid any corrupted that could be roaming around. If there was one thing I wanted more than anything it was to get as far away from this hellhole as I could.

A few hours later

I slowly approached what looked like an old bank. The sun had started to get low, and the streets were covered in harsh shadows. I clipped the MAC-10 back onto my belt and grabbed the fireman axe off my pack.

“Okay, get in, confirm if corruption, if there is get out,” I tell myself as I hold the axe in my hands getting a feel for it before slowly moving through the broken glass door and into the bank.

The tiled floor is littered with shards of broken glass and spent ammunition. Piles of rubbish lie up against the walls and some lie about across the floor in old barricades. I slowly step up to the counters making sure to step clear of the glass, spent casing and trash.

As I approach the counter, I stop and see the last thing I was hoping to see. Through the cracked bullet-proof glass, I get a somewhat clear view of the walls behind and the stuff on it. The walls are covered in a black slime-like substance which pulsates erratically giving off red, yellow, green and blue flashes occasionally like what would be seen on a glitching TV screen.

“Fuck,” I whisper in my mind. I start to scan every inch around me being more alert and careful than ever with this newfound information. I just had to hope that there were no corrupted in the building currently. I had been very quiet though so if there were any they hopefully hadn’t heard me yet.

I turn around to walk back to the door when a crash off to my left catches my attention. I immediately shoot up into a combat stance holding the axe tightly in my hands as I prepare myself for an attack. My heart pounds in my chest as adrenaline shoots through my system.

The door leading to an employee room on my left is smashed off its hinges as something barrels through the door and into the main room of the bank. The creature slowly gets up off the ground before turning to face me. The creature resembles a human, but heavily distorted. Parts of the creature are coated in the corruption and some of its skin appears to be melting off. Its mouth and jaw are distended into something that resembles the mix of an open-mouthed smile and guttural howl of anguish with its eyes being completely white and glow slightly.

The creature looks at me for a moment before laughing manically.

“Why so serious child?” The creature says in a glitching and distorted voice as it continues to giggle.

I just glare at the abomination ahead of me. Anger coursing throughout my system as I glare at the creature with pure hate.

“Why must you resist so?” The creature says its mangled jaws moving unnaturally with its speech.

“The darkness is eternal; you and your pathetic world have lost. You can’t save us,” It continues tilting its head to the side as its shoulder slumps down.

I remain absolutely silent as the corrupted continues to laugh and giggle manically. My entire being wanting nothing more than to rip into the corrupted before me, but I know that given enough time it will lose its patience.

“HAHAHAHAHA… RAAAA!!!” The corrupted roars before charging at me. Unlucky for it having known it would eventually attack I was prepared.

Placing my one leg back to get a better stance I grip the axe at the base and swing it as hard as I can at the corrupted smashing its chest in with a resounding crunch and a spray of blood and bone fragments as its lungs and heart are pulverized.

The corrupted flies across the room and crashes into the wall before falling to the ground in a heap with its organs spilling out of its chest.

Just as I think it’s over a second and third corrupted barge out of a separate side door alerted by the sound of their comrade having an intimate moment with the wall.

Twisting the axe around I hold it by the base in my left hand to free up my right. Drawing from the power within me I summon a red and black flaming microphone into my right hand. With practised ease I hurtle the flaming microphone at the attacker on my right striking its face with enough force to shatter its skull killing it instantly.

The one on my left attempts to flank me however I see it and pulling my mic back before hurtling it to my left twirling the wire of the mic around its throat before pulling it in. The corrupted stumbles and flies through the air before landing at me feet. With no time for it to react I smash the axe down on its head causing it to explode in a shower of gore.

I pull the axe out of the remains of its head with a wet squelch and dissipate my mic before grasping the axe in both hands again and looking around at the scene before me. The scene of violence brings a smile to my face, and I start to giggle at the display almost wanting more to appear so I can kill them too.

A separate distorted laugh joins mine and I freeze. The first corrupted is lying on the ground laughing as the corruption covering its head shimmers and pulsates violently.

“You… don’t realise… your end…” the corrupted wheezes through the blood and corruption flowing out of its mouth. I just stare at it with all of my hate and anger as I slowly make my way towards it to finish the fucker off.

“You… are doomed Keith,” I pause in shock. How does it know my name? I had never met who this person used to be and if I did it should not even be able to remember something like that.

“This universe… is ours now. You’ve lost… boyfr-”

“DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT NAME!!!” I yell in pure rage my voice hoarse and gravely from years of disuse.

“Hehehe… face it… you’ve failed… you failed your friends… your family… girl- “

The start of the nickname sends me over the edge and before I even know it my gun is in my hand, and I empty the entire mag into its head pulverizing it into sludge.

I stand as still as a statue the gun still pointing at what used to be the corrupted’s head. My mind is completely blank and devoid of emotion as I breathe heavily.

I don’t even feel the tear leaving my eye.

Author's Note

Hey if you've read this far and you have any advice please let me know.

I've never written anything as ambitious as what I have planned so any criticism is welcome.

If you absolutely despise this story and want to write a raging rant about how terrible it is feel free to do so just please let me know what it was that ticked you off so much and I will try my best to improve in the future.

If anyone gets confused I just want to state now that any italicized words are supposed to indicate a character's internal dialogue. I will try my best to make sure that any character interactions are as legible and understandable as possible however as english is not my first language I will probably make mistakes and my editor is me, myself and I.

That is all I have for now.
Farewell