The Infection

Chapter 1

April 18th, 2009

I was camping with my daughter. The night sky glistened and danced above us, filling us with joy. The wind gently caressed our skin as we admired nature around us. In a brief moment, the breeze paused, and the stars began to dim. Everything became still. There was a slight rustle in the bushes to our right. It became louder, more menacing with each breath we took, I told my daughter to get behind me as I approached ever so slowly towards the noise, the silence was deafening, and the shadows were bright; I was in arms reach, I stretched my arm out to peek inside. It jumped at us, launching us back into the hard, muddy soil! It tried to eat me? Bite me, I should say. It was savage. I fought it off, channelling all my might and strength to throw it off me. It ran off. I went to my daughter to check if she was alright, but she wouldn't look at me. She started to cry as the rain began to bounce off our faces. She embraced me and told me she loved me and that it was okay, but I knew something was off. Those sweet tears slowly turned into a crazed screech. My daughter had been bit, and I ran as far as possible. I ran as far away from my Ellie.

Chapter 2

December 31st, 2039

It's been 30 years since then, and the infection has only worsened. I didn't know it then, but the infected, as we call them, are hardly human. Once bitten, your mind is no longer. You become brainless and emotionless. The longer you are infected, the worse it becomes; you become hungrier, crazed, and more powerful. 

We don't live. Every day is more of the same; we hunt, we kill, and we survive. I can hardly remember life before the infection. The warm aroma of the café still sits in my mind to this day, with Ellie's gorgeous smile lighting up as she drank her steamy coffee. I miss her. I wonder what she would think of what the planet has become. I try to forget the day she left, but the pain never goes.

I grow more tired and weak as each day ages past. The government has promised a cure more times than I can count and controls all the quarantine zones in the city. We cannot leave the zones due to the infected in the outskirts. The government (FEDRA) portrays itself as our saviour, but it's all a facade. There is no peace, there is no freedom, THERE'S NOTHING! Living in a place like this for as long as I have drives any sane man to the insane. I've stayed with my brother Tommy's girl Sarah for a few months. I promised him I'd take care good care of her before he killed himself. He couldn't handle it anymore. I don't blame him. 

February 9th, 2040

Sarah wants to leave the quarantine zone. She wants freedom like a normal kid deserves, but I don't believe in such a fantasy nowadays. Her optimism and hope is delusion to me, but I promised her I'd find a way to escape together. I told her a few stories about what Ellie and I would get up to before the time infected. A time when kids could be kids and live life to the fullest. Sarah can only dream of such a time.

I know an underground tunnel that heads through to the outskirts, but it is too dangerous. There are guards down there, and worst of all, infected. 

I told Sarah, and she frankly doesn't care; the positives outweigh the negatives in her mind. She's a brave kid.

February 11th, 2040

We were drenched in cold sewage water as we scoured through the dark abyss. The tunnel was damp, and the darkness was overwhelming. All that could be heard was the screeches from infected and the occasional murmur of the FEDRA agents. As we approached the end, a horde of infected emerged behind us. The screeches were deafening. I had never felt such horror. Not for me, but for Sarah. I didn't want to lose another kid. I screamed at Sarah to run towards the light and told her everything would be okay. She is a brave girl.

Chapter 3

February 12th, 2040 

Uncle Joel got bit. He's not in good shape. I took his diary to help construct my thoughts. It has been a day since, and he is getting worse. It is only a matter of time before he turns. We're watching the sun go down. He laid his head on my lap and told me about life before the infection. We laughed, and we cried. He called me his brave little girl and told me not to lose hope; he slowly closed his eyes, and his body was no longer. I wept and bellowed. I have lost everyone and everything. I ran. I ran as far away from Uncle Joe. 

Chapter 4

June 12th, 2040

The outskirts are beautiful. The long, green grass sways as the wind passes by. The birds peacefully sing their songs in unison without a care in the world. The generous sun boils my face as I sit here admiring its beauty. I am lost in planet Earth's beauty, and there is still so much to explore. I am free.