//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: Old Memories, Same Heartbreak 
// Story: A New World, a New Terror 
// by TroWolf15 
//------------------------------//

A/N: This is Matt’s outward thinking. He is telling them the story of the first day, of how all this happened. So remember this is NOT PRESENT DAY. Though I use present tense, this is more of a recall of what happened. Don't forget to rate and comment! And I update my profile to let you know stuff going on regarding this story! Don't forget to check it out! 
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I was at school, an hour from home. I remember it clear as day.

It was a small class, only about a dozen of us, and we were discussing the effects of film on society in the US in my discussion class. 

“… and with those films by D.W. Griffith, they did do something special in the US then.” I finished my argument. Then we heard someone banging on the door.

“It’s open” my professor said. The person just kept banging. We were all confused a bit, and just laughed it off.
Eventually the one kid by the door got up and opened it for that person.

It was the last thing he ever did.

A fucking zombie collapsed on him, and starting eating his neck. His blood-curling screams of pain and terror were something I can never forget. It was a sight I still can’t stop envisioning. We all screamed in terror ourselves, at the sight of one of our friends getting murdered by what seemed like a cannibal, an insane one.

Eventually it realized there were a whole bunch of other hearty meals there and charged towards another guy. Big, burly guy. He pushed him off pretty easily, but the zombie landed on this one girl. None of us even thought about it but the zombie decided to take care of her. It made a good dent in her shoulder, the blood pouring out endlessly.

The big guy ran to the rescue, and punched the zombie to the ground. But of course, he was way too late. He went to her aid, while others focused on the first guy. They both rolled in pain and suffering, and we quickly did our best to get them ready to take to the medical center on campus. 

But, things can’t go smoothly, eh?

The zombie that was punched got back up, and got a hold of the big guy.

Down 3.

I and the professor got the zombie off and pushed it away. I remembered I always had my little 3” knife in my bag, for any reason. I ran for the bag, and frantically looked for it. 

*OOMF*

I got tackled by the zombie, and it tried to make me dinner. I was scared for my life, I kept it away pushing it at the shoulders. 
“THE KNIFE! THERE’S A KNIFE IN MY BAG! SOMEONE GET IT!” I yelled in desperation. The pretty girl in class ran over towards my bag and looked for it. She found it, but didn’t know what to do.

“FUCKING OPEN IT AND STAP THIS THING!” I yelled in panic.

“I don’t know how to open it!!” she screamed. But the professor grabbed it from her and stabbed it right in the rib cage.

No affect.

“What the fuck, get it again!” I yelled. The professor did so and nothing happened.

“Try the head!” and the professor quickly stabbed it in the head and it went limp.

“Thank god…” I swore under my breath. “Thanks professor” I smile at him

“Don’t mention it, Matthew” he smiled back. But the moment was quickly destroyed when we heard another girl scream.

The first guy who got bit, bit the girl who just screamed. 

Oh shit.

He was growling and foaming at the mouth, and his eyes had glazed over. And soon enough the first girl had the same stuff going on. 

“RRUNNNN!!!” I yelled, and everyone quickly did so. But a few people didn’t get past the doors. They got caught by those things.

Not many of us were left. 4 down in class. 3 more on the way out. We were down to 4: Me, the pretty girl, the professor, and one other guy. We frantically looked around and saw nothing, everything was fine and dandy.

“Why isn’t everyone panicking!?” The girl asked.

“I don’t know….” I slowly said as I looked in another room. Everything looked fine, professor teaching, students listening. 

“This is really weird.”

We all ran out to meet the true terror. 

Hundreds of these things walked the campus. 

“Oh god…” the professor muttered. “Listen, I want you all to get out of here. Run.” He told us, he didn’t have to tell me twice.

We ran our separate ways. I heard a yell and saw the guy get attacked, dammit. He was a pretty cool kid too.

I ran through the multiple zombies along the way to my car. Then it hit me. 

Mom. Dad. My sister. My girlfriend.

Oh god, I need to hurry. I plugged in my earbuds which had a mic in them and connected it to my phone as I ran. Thank god for voice command.

“Call mom” I yelled, and it actually recognized it, to my surprise.

*ring, ring, ring, ring*

“MATT! Where are you?” my mom quickly asked me, sounding terrified.

“I’m still on campus! Please don’t tell me these things are over there as well!” I plead, praying it’s all ok there.

“They are!” She yelled. My heart sank. “Me and your father are in the office room, and he has his shotgun out. But he’s hurt. I think he’s bit” 

What…..

“Mom, are you telling me…” I didn’t want to come to that realization…

“I don’t know Matt, but please hurry home!” she ordered me. I gotta listen to my momma.

“You got it mom. I’m on my way. But please, if anything happens to dad, do what needs to be done. I know he’s your husband, but PLEASE, for your children, do what needs to be done.” I beg her, hoping she will listen to me.

“I will Matt, just hurry!” She started crying, and hung up. I couldn’t breathe, my heart thumped harder than a wrecking ball on a building. The feeling was indescribable, I needed to get home.

I finally got to my car, and drove off. I next called my sister, hoping she would answer at school.

*ring ring ring ring ring ring*

No answer.

Dammit, I need to get her. Out of anyone, she was the most important. I couldn’t lose my baby sister. Not her, anyone but her.

I called my girlfriend next. I loved her, I really did. We had been together for 3 years, and on our 4th anniversary I was ready to propose. Fuck not getting married while in college, I loved her, and she loved me. I was ready, and I knew she was, hehe.
But I wanted to make sure she would be ok, if I needed to get her, if she was alive.

*ring ring ring*

“MATT!! Oh my god, I can’t take it!” She screamed through my Bluetooth device.

“What what what??” I asked

“These, things!! They all ate my parents!! Or, I thought they ate them. My mom tried to eat my sister but only bit her. I thought it was all ok.” She told me.

Oh no.

“And she isn’t! She turned into one of those crazy flesh-eating things!! It’s like a zombie apocalypse!” She yelled at me. I didn’t know what to say to that, her family was all gone, just like that. 

“I’m so sorry honey, I really am. I’m on my way to get you-“

“NO! Don’t! Please, don’t….” She tapered off, this really scared me.

“Don’t? Why not?” I asked her

“Because, I don’t need any saving. I’m saving myself from this.” She calmly told me.

“Wait, what do you mean? Do you have weapons over there?” I asked her, almost excited.

“Yeah, my dad’s .38.” Was all she responded, she sounded like she was crying.

“Well that isn’t going to get you very far babe” I say, trying to lighten the mood.

“It’ll get me far enough. I need to wake up from this nightmare, and this is the only way I can think of.” She resolutely said, mainly to herself more than me.

“Kim, please, tell me, you’re not thinking of what I think you’re thinking about….” Tears started to fall, I knew it, but I didn’t want it to happen.

“Matt, there’s no way out! Can’t you see it!? It’s a bad nightmare! And I’m going to wake up!!” She yelled, sobbing hysterically. She was broken.

“Kim you can’t!! this isn’t a dream!! It’s real life! If you do it, there is no waking up. It’s death. I won’t get to see you, you won’t see me.” I was crying hysterically myself.

“I will. Soon enough, I will see you Matt. I love you.” She calmly said again.

“Kim, will you marry me?” It was my last hope, I wanted her alive. She was what I thought my soulmate, I loved her with all my heart. 

“Not now. Later, Matt. I love you babe, see you soon. I love you” She said one last time.

“KIM NO PLEASE DO-“

*BANG*

I stopped my car in the middle of traffic. My love, my girlfriend, gone. I just sat there, in utter disbelief, she’s gone. I cried hysterically, hot tears running down my cheeks, my nose running like an avalanche. This whole thing was too much. Maybe she had a point…

NO.

I can’t just throw in the towel. I have family and friends, I need to get to them, I know Kim would want that…. At least, I hope.
I continued my drive, rushing over to my little sister’s school. She took priority, my parents, if they were alive, could wait.
I finally got there, and panic ensued all over. Shit, I was in panic mode myself, finally. I got out of my car and grabbed the little handgun I hid in my car. Yes, I know, crazy. But you never know when you go to a school in the ghetto!! You need to be prepared.

“CAROLINE!!! CARROLLIINNEE!!!” I yelled out at the top of my lungs as I ran throughout the school. I ran into a few zombies, luckily all the emotion drove me to dispatch them quickly. Tweens ran all around, screaming, some were zombies. That really struck home. Seeing those kids, barely 12 or 13, dead. Death all over.

God, why must you do this to us?

I kept yelling, trying to find mi hermanita. She meant everything to me, I had to find her.

“MATT!!” I heard a voice crack, I turned to see my little sister running over to hug me.

“Ohhh god Lina, I found you. Ohh thank god I found you, thank god thank god.” I was crying like a baby, so happy I found her. I kissed her all over her face, I couldn’t contain myself.

“Mattt stop!! What’s going on?” She asked, getting slightly serious. She always was a mature one.

“Don’t worry, Lina. It’s fine. We need to get home. Mom and dad are waiting for us, ok?” I softly told her. She nodded, but kept tending to her wrist, which was covered by her colorful yet dark jacket.

“Everything ok, sissy?” I ask, heading towards her wrist.

“Yeah, all fine. I just tripped” She said as she pulled her wrist away.

“Hey, lemme see, ok? I wanna make sure it’s nothing too serious.” I get a little more stern, just to be safe.

What my eyes saw in front of me, I could never have prepared myself for, not in a million years.

Bite marks, bleeding bite marks.

I gasped and covered my mouth, trying to hold back my emotions.

Not her, noooooooonononononononononono. Anyone but her, please god anyone but her.

“What happened?” I asked, trying to sound calm, like it was nothing. She fell for it.

“Some crazy guy bit me! Can you believe it? He just walked up to me, acting all weird, and grabbed me and bit my wrist! Luckily Mr. Horosney…” I stopped paying attention to the story.

Some guy bit her. 

Some crazy guy bit her.

A fucking zombie bit my little sister, and now… Now this, she is infected. My world, my little sister….

I hugged her. As tight as I possibly could, tears falling down my cheek. 

“Gah, Matt, enough!!” She annoyingly asked. Damn tweens, trying to be so mature and not display love.

“Oh Lina shut up!! Let me hold you” I said, choking on my own emotions. I didn’t want her to turn into those shits. So much rage, and depression was striking me.

I finally broke the embrace, and noticed she was crying. She had seen her share of zombie movies, and I think it dawned on her as well.

“Matt, I don’t want to die” She said sobbing

Oh, oh my god. That broke me.

“Oh, you won’t sweetie. It’s fine. I know a way to save you, I promise.” I warmly said, trying to calm her.

“Really?” She asked, sounding a little more optimistic.

“Yeah…” I kissed her on the cheeks, wiping her tears, but I was still crying uncontrollably.

“But why are you still crying, Matt?” She asked, picking up on it. Damn you and your smartness. 

“Oh, I’m just happy to see you is all, Lina.” I lied, but luckily as smart as she was, she was still gullible.

“Oh, ok…” was all she could get out.

“Now, let’s just get you home ok? Mom and Dad are worried about you.”

“Are they ok?” She asks. I didn’t have an answer, but I lied.

“Yeah, they are perfectly fine. They scared all the zombies from coming in, we are safe Caroline.”

“Sweet!!!” She yelled, and walked ahead of me. 

My sweet little sister. I love you so so much. Why did this have to happen to you? You’re too sweet and nice to die…

She couldn’t become one of those. I can’t let it happen. If my parents found out as well, the pain they would feel. I can’t let that happen.

I walked up to Lina, patting her head. She was still much smaller than me. I kissed her head once more. 

“I love you Caroline, you know that, right?” I ask her, crying.

“I love you too Matt, always!” She cheerily said.

My heart was in a million pieces. She walked ahead of me again, with me trailing. I looked at her, and looked at my gun I still held. I saw those zombies still walking around, mindless fucks.

This isn’t the fate for my little sister. She can’t fall to those levels. It had to be done.

I love you Caroline, I do, with all of my heart.

I always will.

My world.

Mi hermanita.

I will see you someday, my sweet little buggie.

*BANG*