//------------------------------// // Day One of Eight:My Mornings. // Story: Out of All The Worlds... // by gordobraveheart //------------------------------// My Mornings. Detroit, Michigan 8 days before Halloween. Edited By Sandover. I opened my eyes, only to view my room filled with darkness. The only light that could be seen was coming from the hallway window. I never really liked waking up early, especially at seven o'clock in the morning. But I knew this was necessary, how else am I supposed to stay alive, knowing that they walk while I sleep? I got up from my bed, very slowly and lazily. Hey, not my fault it’s a Monday, you would hate everyone that day too if you had to wake up just to scavenge for food. I sat on my bed, rubbed my eyes and yawned aloud. I scanned my dark room, not caring that the lights weren’t even on. I touched the floor around my bed, looking for my glasses, since I didn't bother placing them on the dresser last night. I eventually felt my glasses, along with something else, something that seemed to be breathing. I quickly placed my glasses on my nose and grabbed my phone. I turned it on, the phone’s glow reflecting off of my glasses. "Monday, October 22, 2012." I read out loud. I shined my phone’s light at the cheap, wooden floor below me, looking for the breathing object I touched a moment ago. I sighed in relief, happy it was only my dog, Nino. (Nee-no, in case you can't pronounce it.) "Nino, you scared the shit out of me." I muttered. My dog's ears perked up, and he directed his attention towards me after the mention of his name. He jumped up on my bed and started to bombard my face with licks of affection. "Calm down, Nino, I'm glad you're alive too." Nino was a husky, and a big one too. His eyes were mixed colors, one of hazel and one of brown. His fur was dark brown, and his belly was white. He had white spots on top of his head, kind of like a killer whale. I got up, causing Nino to re-position himself. I turned on my light and looked around my room again, allowing myself to take in the lit-up surroundings. It was rather messy, kind of like your average fourteen year old's room. Well, average for me at least. I walked up to my wooden dresser and slid open one of the drawers as I searched for clothing. "This'll do." I smiled. The shirt I pulled out was a brown Dickies logo shirt, with a few bleach stains. I used to clean tables at my job, so of course I was bound to get a few stains here and there. After putting on the shirt and applying some extra scents, for less body odor, of course, I pulled out some khaki pants. Not brown, but the color you see when a man is working in his little cubicle, providing for his miserable life. I put them on and pulled a belt around my waist so my pants wouldn't fall off. I didn't sag, but the leggings were long, so they made me look like I was sagging. I then slipped my feet into my white socks and looked around the room for my black Nike shoes. No, I wasn't a wannabe 'cholo', a Mexican-American gangster; I just wore what I wanted to wear. Besides, I don't look good in bright colors. "Where the fuck are my shoes?" I asked to the air around me. I started down the stairs, but not before turning off all of the upstairs lights, so as to not bring any unwanted attention. Forgetting about my shoes for a second, I walked straight to the fridge. Opening it, all I saw was a carton of expired milk, eggs, and, thank god, bacon. I could give up other foods, but bacon? HAVE YOU NO SOUL!? "I'll cook some after I find my shoes." I said to myself. I walked out of my little kitchen and straight into the bathroom. I turned on the lights, thankful that there were no windows. Nothing special, just a big mirror, shower, toilet, toilet paper, and my shoes. "Oh, there's my shoes!" I said cheerfully. "Now I don't have to go outside barefoot." Grabbing my shoes, I studied myself in the mirror. I was about 5'9. Not too tall, yet not too small. My hair is usually curly, black, and generally just a tangled mess. Almost like Pinkie Pie's, except my hair doesn't smell like cotton candy and other sugary sweets. More like marinating sauce and tacos. Coincidence anybody? I'm not really in shape, but I'm also not that fat either. Walking I can handle without breaking a sweat. But running? It's amazing I didn't die a month ago. A month ago. That's when it all started. I sighed on my way out, momentarily sitting on my couch and sticking my feet into my shoes. I tied the laces, making sure they were extra tight so I wouldn't trip when I'm in conflict. I heard my dog's paw steps creeping behind me when I stood up. As I was turning around, I noticed a growling noise coming from his throat. "What's wrong, Nino?" I questioned. He turned around and walked towards the back door. I peeked my head through the curtains, and immediately I shrunk back in fear a little. A 'man' was outside in my backyard. His skin was falling off and his face looked like it was clawed off and reattached by a third-grader who had no skill in sewing. His right leg was twisted sideways, bones sticking out. The 'man' was limping, his jaw hanging, kept attached by one, skinny piece of flesh. "Fucking disgusting." I muttered, scowling. Nino growled, letting me know he didn't like those rotting flesh bags one fucking bit. It was still dark outside but I didn't care, I had to get that walking trash can out of my backyard. I walked towards the sink and pulled out a glass mug that hadn't been washed yet. I walked upstairs, with Nino behind me. I didn't grab a flashlight because if you're like me, or Batman, you're more comfortable walking in the dark than in the light. When I opened my window, the 'man' was scanning the area around him, looking for the source of the noise. One eyeball was falling out while the other remained in the socket. I pulled back my arm and threw the glass cup across the ally. As soon as the sound of breaking glass could be heard, the 'man' turned toward me. I could hear its bones snap and crack with each limp he took. I shuddered in the dark, silently thanking the big man upstairs that I survived another hour. Pulling out my phone, I noticed that the time was now seven thirty. Still dark outside. "Might as well kill some time." I said smiling. I closed the blinds in my room and shut the door. Only small beads of light could be seen under my door. I turned on my PlayStation 3, lowered the volume to five, and sat on my bed. Grabbing the remote that I always leave next to me, I logged into PlayStation Online. "Let's see who's on." I muttered, checking my friends list. All red X's, not surprising. "Of course, they all must have either left or died." I concluded darkly. I laid on my back, the warm blankets around me wrapping around my body slowly. I started to think about the month before they all left. They didn't want to leave me behind, but in an infestation that can infect you with a single bite, nibble, or scratch, I'm not surprised. My hands were behind my head, supporting it while I thought. "This all started just a month ago. I should've seen this coming from miles away. I mean, I know I believe in some crazy shit, but I just can't believe I ignored it all, even though the back of my head was screaming that it was all true." I closed my eyes, remembering the whole damn day... September 15, 2012 Cesar Chavez Academy High School 2:50 PM "And that, class, is why you should never, ever, have a wife." My teacher said. Mr. Gardells was a nice guy, as long you stayed on his good side. I rolled my eyes whilst half of the class laughed. One kid raised his hand. "Why didn't you just hit it and quit it, Mister?" I wondered that as well. I mean, he was a cool guy, I just didn't expect him to stay with a woman. "Good point, Martinez." Mr. Gardells said. The class waits for his response. "So why didn't you?" Another kid asked. The teacher sat back down and facepalmed. "I was thinking with my second head, if you get what I'm saying." The girls did their usual "ew!" and the boys laughed their asses off. Because I didn’t really care to listen, I was instead on my phone. After a few minutes of casual browsing, a kid right next to me noticed me on my phone. "You lookin' at porn?" He asked. "Yup, readable porn. It turns me on." I snicker and he just shakes his head. I wasn't actually reading any pornography; I was instead on YouTube, looking up random ass videos until I came across one. "Zombie Apocalypse 2012. Prepare for infestation." It said. I raised a brow and clicked on it anyway. I plugged in one earphone and quietly watched the video. "The government has been lying to us all! Do you all remember the man who chewed off the other man's face? Down in Florida? Yea, well first off, may god keep that homeless man well. My thoughts and prayers go out to him. Second, do you all really think it was a drug that caused him to do it!? Well, you're right. Because that drug was a virus carrier.” I raised a brow again. Virus carrier? For real? I didn't leave the video yet, it actually got my attention from this boring day. “This video isn't going to last long so here it is. The government sent this man out in public with the V carrier, forced him to eat it, and left him outside.” I thought this guy was making shit up, so I turned off my phone, right before the bell rang. All the kids ran outside, but I took my time since I had nowhere else to go. By the time I got home my little brother, sister, mom, older sister, and my dog were in the living room. All of them had a look of horror and fear on their faces, while Nino whimpered. "Ma? What's wrong?" She ran up and hugged me, crying. I got worried faster than I usually do. "Ma? What happened? Is everything OK?" My sister looked at me, eyes red, most likely from crying. "Giovanni, look." Her voice cracked. My eyes followed to where she was pointing at, and they widened in surprise. She pushed the play button on the remote. I stood there quietly, waiting for the T.V. to resume its programming. "This is an emergency broadcast. Please stand by for further listening." A woman in her mid-twenties was holding a stack of papers, pointing her finger at a bloody backed man on a miniature screen. "Warning, the recording we are about to show you is extremely graphic. We recommend children under the age of 12 do not see what we are about to show you." The video played and I heard sounds of screaming and strange noises. There was a hunched over man, and under him was a women. The camera wielder walked up to the man, laughing. "Dude, if you wanna have sex with her do it in a room, not on the f***** street." He touched the man's back, and probably instantly wished he didn't. The hunched over man's mouth was covered with blood. His teeth were jagged and sharp, while his eyes were a soul-less white. The 'man' fully turned around toward the camera wielder, intestines dripping out of his bloody hands. "RAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!" It screamed. The camera man tried running away, but was ambushed by the roaring 'man.' He screamed in pain, blood and flesh flying all over the phone, making the video go red. This video took place in Florida. We advise you that all families stay in their homes, lock their doors, and keep weapons around you... An outbreak of this infection has already covered the entire state of Florida My eyes widened with fear. Taken aback by this gruesome scene, I ran away from the T.V. and into the bathroom. The next thing I knew, my front door was being forcefully smashed open. An entire S.W.A.T. team entered my house. Curios, I peeked through a crack of the bathroom door. They were all holding guns, riot shields, and batons. "Ma’am, you must evacuate the city to higher ground. Come with us and we will help you all." Bullshit. I knew that they were lying. I wanted to confront them, but I was too much of a coward to do anything. The next thing I knew, all of my loved ones were being forced out of the house, leaving me inside. I thought I heard my mom cry out for me, and I did want to leave. But like I said, I was a coward. As soon as the door closed, I hopped onto my computer. I looked all over the internet for that guy's video, and I finally came across it. "This video has been deleted." I read out loud. I refreshed the homepage, and another video popped up. When I clicked it, my fears for my safety only began. It wasn't just Florida. Asia had become infected as well. The guy said a passenger from an airplane cruise was bit and didn't tell anybody about it. When the plane crashed into a Japanese airport, a body fell from the plane. Two crossing guards went to go see if the body was okay, and to their surprise, it was. Just with a broken neck, twisted legs and bleeding skull. One of the idiots decided to carry the body, but regretted it the second it bit him. His hand was all bloody, and the second crossing guard rushed him into the airport. I stopped the video. I knew what was going happen. I sat on my chair, taking everything all at once. I cried. I was all alone in my house, a virus outbreak had started, and I had no experience in this type of shit. As the weeks passed, I boarded up all of the front windows so nothing could get in. In about a month, the whole country was infected and I was all alone, with only my dog, Nino. We were living in a Zombie Apocalypse. I snapped out of my daze and pulled out my phone again. "8:30" I read aloud. I decided to scavenge for food later. I grabbed my remote and pressed the Netflix icon. "Searching... and... there it is!" I said happily. I don't exactly know why I like this show. Animation? Voice actors? The fandom? All I know is that it helps me forget about my problems. It helps me forget about this zombie outbreak. I heard several scratches on my door, so I got up and opened it. Nino gladly ran inside and rested on my bed. I smiled. Even though I had nobody to talk to, my dog always cheered me up. I sat back down, and let the theme song play. "My Little Pony, My Little Pony..." That's how it started. Yup, I'm a brony even in zombie outbreak. My stomach grumbled, and I ignored it. “I'll go scavenge for some food after watching 'Nightmare Night.'” I leaned back, Nino lying beside me while my hands were behind my head yet again. "And so it begins."