The Morphed

Right now, I'm succumbing to this darkness. It's not pleasant but is comforting at the same time. I'm falling into a deep black abyss, a never-ending stream of darkness. It's a pleasant fall like I'm floating. It feels good… Snap out of it, John. You are tougher; this can't be your ending. That traitor needs to be killed. How did all this happen? He opened the gates, and the morphed ones flooded in. We were surprised. The fucker even brought some unknown gangs from outside the area. To think I'll meet my end here because of blind faith. I shouldn't have trusted Jake, but he reminded me of myself after everything went to shit in this world. Alone, depressed, and suicidal. All the good stuff.
 I need to get up. I need to open my eyes. Why can't I open these damn eyes? Ah, finally. So bright… Where am I? I remember. We ran towards the school, and I was bitten while trying to save others. Is this one of the classrooms? Someone's crying. It hurts all over. Who's that on the left? Is that Linda? I'm glad she's here; she's tough. She reminds me of my wife.

She was tough too. At first glance, you wouldn't say that; her face had soft and elfin features. One could tell she was the kind of girl who'd never worked once in her life, but it wasn't true. She was the most hard-working person I'd ever met. If I had stayed home that day, maybe my life would've been different now. Who knows? It's all in the past. But I often wonder, could have I saved them both? Could that have stopped the nightmares following and haunting me for the past ten years? But who knew that after arguing with your wife, an apocalypse would happen. The same scene awakened me every night and made me go insane. My son eating his mother's face destroyed my very core. He was bitten at school and morphed by the time he got home. The virus was unknown; everyone got infected fast after the outbreak. I had to put them both down; I had to… I died that day.

Today I died a second time. Ten years… Ten years in this rotten world. Where is this crying coming from? Who's that on the right? My vision is blurred; I can't recognize her. She seems young; one of the kids? She reminds me of her… I miss her too… After Lexington has fallen to the morphed ones and the gangs have been destroyed, everyone has fled. I met a group of people on the way to Bourbon. Lexington's survivors have been planning to start anew, and we have heard the city is safe. This group… I remember. The morphed ones surrounded them and couldn't get out. We saved them, but many of them died or morphed before.
She was so young, hiding behind her mother. Her eyes grew wide when she saw me for the first time. She told me later that it was love at first sight. What a load of crap, I thought. But she was relentless. She followed me everywhere; she was like my little personal stalker. Every time she saw me coming back from a run for supplies, she would jump and hug me tight and yell: "You're back, old man! You're back!". She was so annoying, and everyone laughed at me. I felt so embarrassed. And sometimes, she came stealthily from out of nowhere and whispered in my ear that she was saving herself for me and that when she would grow up as an adult, she would marry me. She was crazy and annoying… I miss her.
If I close my eyes now, can I feel at peace? That peace I've so longed for all this time. Just for a second, one second… This familiar darkness. It's calling me… NO! Wake up, John. WAKE UP! Think of her lips, her sweet red lips. Think of her… Wake up! Wake up! I can't move. I can't talk; my mouth is filled with blood.

Did she feel the same in her last moments? She was so young… She never had her first kiss, her first date. She never felt the world's pleasures and ultimately died in my arms. Another one on the long list of people that I failed to protect. What a joke… This rotten world. She died just days before turning twenty-one. Her first kiss was after passing… What a joke.
That girl is still crying in the corner of the room. I wish I could comfort her and tell her that everything would be ok. But who am I lying to? It won't be ok. I don't know if she will die by their filthy hands or mine after I morph. Ah, such a tragic end for you, John, after killing so many and dying in such a pathetic way.

Linda is waving at me. If only I could talk, I could yell… Yell and ask her to shoot me. Better than the alternative. Met her while I was doing runs for the gangs in Lexington. She was protecting some people from the morphed. She thought I was there to take their supplies. Well, I was, but I never got the chance to tell her. We fought, and I lost… fast. Later, found out she was a soldier before the outbreak. She didn't kill me. I was lucky, not because she saw something in me or anything. Brandon was the culprit. They knew each other from the army when they served together. He stopped her and saved my life. For a small woman, she packed a heavy punch. Brandon and I were under the gangs; we had no choice at that time. Lexington was theirs. Four years under their tyranny. I still don't know how I survived. One of the most challenging periods of my life. They were despicable. After the gangs fell, she and Brandon decided to follow me. I still don't know why they appointed me as the leader of the group that decided to go to Bourbon. They said that I was the reason the gangs were destroyed—what a load of crap. I was so lucky that I didn't die that day. I was so close to the explosion but somehow managed to survive. If that debris had fallen just a foot closer, I would've been split in half. They've both followed me since and managed to make their teams for runs after we settled in Bourbon. We had lots of people after we saved Bourbon from the morphed. And a lot more were coming after they heard of our safe space.

I don't know where Brandon is now. No idea if he has survived this shit. We have been so cocky, so unprepared. Human scums… Lowlifes… TRASH!! The blood I'm coughing is black. I'm close to my last moments… but… I don't want to die. I can hear Linda yelling. What's she saying? Watch out, Linda! Someone is behind you. Scums leave her alone. They took her! They took her! I want to kill them, but I can't move. I want to end their miserable lives. I feel my rage growing. Think of your wife, John, of your child. Think of those happy days. Don't let it end like this. Think of your wife's embraces, sweet smell, gentle caresses, and calming smile. Remember how lucky you've been to make a family with her. Think of your son, his joyful laugh and silly dancing. Think of his desire to become an astronaut. Ha… All gone. What a joke… What a rotten world.
What are these bastards doing? Leave the girl alone. Stop, you bastards. Come on, John… A push. Get up! GET UP! Save her! You couldn't save your family. You couldn't save Christine! At least save this girl. Do something for once. That's it, get up. Kill them! They deserve this. They are not human beings. They deserve to die! Bite his throat. That's it. Take his knife and plunge it into his neck. Do it! That's it. One more… This scum is panicked. His pants are down, and he can't move. Kill him! He deserves it! One less scum on earth. Go for the head! That's it! Come on, John. Pull yourself together. Stab the other two in the head. Don't let them morph. That's it!
Damn it. I can't talk. The girl looks terrified. I can't tell her to run. I need to get closer. I see the fear in her eyes. Her tears are overwhelming. I wonder what she is thinking. I can write with my blood on the wall. Run. Live. I saved the girl. I did something with my life for once. I need to get up. I am so tired… I… fall here. I can't. Linda is still out there. I need to get out of here.

She and Brandon were my closest friends in this rotten world. I had met Brandon while the gangs captured me on the road. I was starving and ill. They wanted to kill me, but Brandon stopped them and told them to take me in. He told them he would train me and make use of me. That was the first time Brandon saved my life. I lost count of how many times he bailed me out since then. I need to do the same for Linda. I can pay him back like this. Linda was weird. She liked young girls and hit on each one she found on the way. Even Christine was on her hit list, but crazy met crazy. She told Linda that she was mine and only I could deflower her. She even used that word. Linda laughed at me every time we went on a mission together since then. I wanted to kill myself. She knew how to make fun of me, and she knew how to push my buttons. But the one she loved the most, even though she preferred young girls, was Brandon. The chemistry between them could be seen from miles. They loved each other, and both were weird. One was a calm, kind and composed man; the other was a bisexual happy-go-brawny woman. You couldn't read Brandon, but Linda was all over the place. But who am I to judge? A 40 older man who was stalked for four years by a young girl who was asking to take her virginity and marry her every time we were alone.

I hear screams coming from all over. These hallways are filled with corpses, but I can't smell anything. It seemed I had walked for an eternity since I left the girl in the classroom. I need to push myself. It's the end anyway. I might as well go swinging. I am finally out. The bright light it's hitting my face and blinds me. The warmth of the sun seems more like a scorching heat. Voices... Morphed ones. They are close to me. They… ignored me. I… alive?!
What is happening?! I just went through them, and they left me alone. They haven't even looked at me.
HA! HA! HA! I am dead. Why am I laughing? I died. But… I am still walking. Where am I going? … gunshots? I need to see who is fighting. They've killed the morphed that passed by me. Who is that guy? I recognize him. Scum...
Is he wearing… our outfit? I need… get closer. Slowly! Jake! Traitor! Thrash! I want to kill him. Yes! Last thing I will do. Kill that traitor and end his pathetic life.

I hear gunshots from everywhere. I will slip from behind. What a dumb plan. I am slower than a fucking snail. How am I going to kill that bastard? Wait! Patience! Brandon? Is he alive?! Fucking hell, he is harder to kill than the morphed ones.
I need to get closer! I will eat his brain. Yes! I will enjoy it too… He saw me. Damn… shot me. That motherfucker. He shot me! HA! HA! HA! I am already dead, you piece of shit! I will eat your face. You deserve this. Finally! I ended his pathetic life. I can feel someone approaching; I know them… They are both alive. Happy. I am smiling! Please, Brandon! Save me one more time. Oh, this peaceful darkness…