The Outbreak- Riley

The Outbreak

You’ll never forget the first time you see a Treader tear apart a living human. It is a horrible sight, which I would never wish upon my worst enemy. Unfortunately, anyone still alive in this abject mockery of a world has seen a feeding. It is a part of the life we fight so hard to live.

Even worse than seeing a loved one eaten by a Treader, is to see a loved one turn, and have to put them down. That one swift motion is enough to drive many people across the narrow line of sanity. Some might say that I have crossed that divide, but I would disagree. I do not feel particularly mad, but perhaps that is the nature of madness.

Killing your first Treader is similar to your first kiss, in the sense that you will never forget it. It is something that sticks with you forever. Everyone’s first is the hardest, it is usually a friend or loved one. The first time rarely goes well, like young lovers kissing in the moonlight. It may seem odd for me to compare killing flesh-eating undead corpses to kissing, but perhaps that is just a hint of my madness showing through. Or, perhaps I am simply an analogical genius. I will leave that for you to decide.

As I said, I will never forget my first time. It was a Thursday afternoon when I first made contact with the undead. It was just another day in the gym, like any other Thursday. That is, until a bent, shambling old man stumbled into the gym. I had seen enough zombie movies and shows to know what was happening. Unfortunately, my best friend Connor had not, and approached the Treader slowly. I will never forget the guttural growl that thing made, and Connor’s screams will haunt me until the end of my days. Needless to say, I did what needed to be done, and I feel no regret for it.

I have lost track of the days, but I believe today is Wednesday, which makes it nearly two weeks since the initial outbreak. Two weeks since my life was changed forever, my innocence lost. Two weeks that I have been barricaded in my once safe house, with no one to talk to except for my feline companion Boo, and needless to say he is not much of a conversationalist. My food and water supplies are running low and I tomorrow I will venture out of my home for the first time since this nightmare began. I cannot live my life devoid of any human contact, so I suspect Boo and I will not be returning to the place that has been our home for the past 14 years.  I hope beyond hope that we will find someone out there, otherwise I fear for my sanity, and ultimately for my life.

                                                                                           -Riley Dyer