The Desolation Of Sanity

Well this is… unfortunate, I think as I examine the blood stains splattered across the walls. I sigh and take a sip of my drink, feeling the heat as it goes down. It's always a good day for a drink when you have to put an axe through a man's face. I take another swig and pull out the cigarette I had tucked behind my ear. Out of all the things that could have brought the apocalypse it had to be this! I think pulling matches out of my backpack to spark up my smoke. I begin to wander around the house to collect anything useful. Wilted flowers, old dishes in a china set... Goddamn does this house have anything useful? My eyes fall on a sword hung on the wall. Hell yea, now we’re talkin I think reaching up yanking it off the wall. I wander back over to the man's corpse and stare for a moment before yanking my axe out of his forehead, watching as the blood slowly oozes out.Gross, I think putting my cigarette out on his face before walking out of the house.

The streets are barren of life. you would think that I am taking a stroll right through hell with the way things are now. There's always blood almost everywhere you go now, if there's not you can expect to see a whole plethora of morbid nightmares. I step in a puddle of blood and almost fall. GROSS! I hate this, we couldn't have gotten aliens? Or natural disasters? Nuclear war? Even fucking zombies would be better then this. Good thing I spent all that time listening to true crime, I think frowning forcing myself to look forward and focus on my destination. If you had asked me a year ago if I believed in god I would have said ‘I think so’? But now after the outbreak happened causing everyone to go bonkers. I would say ‘ if there is, he can go fuck himself’.

As I trudge down the street the summer sun beats down on me making my skin clammy. I feel nauseous and lean over to puke but I can’t… Guess I haven't eaten in a while. I ate the last of my rations all the other night because I was feeling sad, in hindsight that was a huge mistake. I sit up and take a drink of water. I don't have very much of that left either. Get your shit together V, gotta get someplace with food and water I think as I press forward. The grocery stores are all a double sided coin. You never know if you are going to strike a gold mine or have the worst day of your life. For better or worse I have to go... And I will not die! I have to get to Massachusetts, I will get there! I think, reaching for the heart locket that Connor gave me “I will find you I promise, just let me just make a quick pit stop first” I whisper and veer off toward the grocery store.

I arrive at the store “okay hopefully I won't have to give this a test try” I mumble, grabbing my sword and staring up at the busted Walmart sign. Totally on brand, I think walking toward the entrance. How convenient, someone already busted in for me. I step through the door trying not to step on any shattered glass. I hope they have already left… or are sane. Either way, I will be avoiding them. I walk to the canned food aisle and begin to stuff my satchel with whatever is left. I hear something fall off a shelf and hit the ground. Time to go. Rule number one: trust no one. I shut my bag and make for a swift escape but stop at the exit. “Help me”! I hear a woman yell. I freeze. No- no I have to go, I think taking a step forward. Rule number two: help no one. I learnt that one from Ted Bundy. “Please! No, no please! Someone help!” I hear her yell again. “God damn it,” I mumble to myself, turning around and trying to be as quiet as possible. The element of surprise is always a good thing. As I creep up on the aisle I peek from behind a shelf and see a girl maybe around my age tied up as a man standing by some Doritos is sharpening a knife. “Now, I'm sure you know what's going to happen next.” the man says with an eerily calm tone in his voice, holding the knife up with a charming smile. “I'm going to cut you up!” He says with a laugh. So fucking theatrical what an absolute shit bag, I think. I want to run up and attack him, but I know I need to think through my actions beforehand- otherwise I will lose, just like chess. I take a deep breath and step back but stumble into the shelf, making a two liter of soda fall off a shelf with a loud thump. “Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have had that drink earlier,” I mumble. “ Who's there?” The man asks. I hear footsteps heading towards me. I freeze and I can feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I have already fought twice today and the heat has me exhausted… I also haven't eaten I think, scooting back on the ground looking at the gone one heading toward me. He is alot bigger than me, and looks well rested and fed. What can I do against him right now? Think, Valory! I think as I start to panic. I haven't been listening to what the man has been mumbling this whole time, but a few words did stick out to me “I'll chop you up first”. Suddenly he is right in front of me. “Ready to die”? He asks me with a sick glint in his eye. I raise my eyebrow. “Are you?” I ask, a bluff that didn't work. He laughs and swings an axe at me. I gasp and hold my sword up with both hands, one on the blade. The sword digs into my flesh and I cry out rolling to the side. No not yet! Not while I'm this close! I refuse! I think as I jumped behind a shelf that was for little Debbie snacks but had been picked clean. Damn it, I knew I should have just left! That's sociopath apocalypse number one: trust no one and help no one. I think angrily as the man walks down the aisle towards me. I know there's no choice, I have to fight. They are not always like this, but most are once they want you dead. They will find you wherever you go and make sure to finish the job. “Ready now?” He asks. His voice is chilling, sending shivers down my spine. Maybe he's one of those few who were already serial killers before the disease and now he’s thriving. They are the worst, but I've survived 11 months in the nightmare. I will not go down without a fight. I reach up and clutch my heart necklace. I will not go down. “Yes,” I say, putting my sword away. He smirks and starts walking closer again “Good.” I laugh. “Fuck you!” I say, swiftly grabbing my axe, swinging at his arm holding his weapon. He grimaces and drops his weapon and stumbles back in shock. “That hurt you little shit!” He yells, his face contorting in anger. Okay, I might have messed up, I think, using this opportunity to turn and run. Suddenly, my path is blocked by the woman I thought was tied up. Okay what the fuck, I think feeling frustrated. She looks as if she's about to burst into tears when she sees the situation “What have you done”!!! She shrieks and lunges at me, knocking me to the ground causing me to lose grip on my axe and it goes sliding across the ground. I struggle to get out from under her, I'm at a major disadvantage like this. I force myself to push her away from me when the man walks up from behind, grabbing my hair to pull me across the room. He then throws me against a shelf and I cough, trying to catch my breath. I looked up at him, trying to depict true hatred on my face but of course got no sympathy as he yanked the necklace off of me “This is pretty, where did you get it?” He asks. “Don't most serial killers take their trophies after the victim has passed?” I scoff. He laughs. “Not me” He says, pocketing my necklace. I feel my blood begin to boil. If I'm going to die, it's going to be with that necklace on my body. I stand up and draw my sword going in for a hit to the jugular when the woman screams like a banshee and jumps on my back, causing me to fall and let out an abundance of curses. I elbow her in the face several times while I kick at my other attacker until finally she passes out and I'm able to redirect all of my focus on the man who was now swaying. He's lost a lot of blood. I have the advantage, I think as I kick him against the shelf and point my sword right between his eyes. “Did you drive here?” I ask as calmly as I can manage. He doesn't say anything, he just stares at me. “Answer me!” I yell, and he chuckles.

“Yes, I did.” he says. I narrow my eyes ``Where are your keys?” I ask, to which he seemed to find hysterical. “You really think it's my car?” He asks, and I sigh “No, of course you have to make my life difficult” I say, stabbing the blade though his head and yanking it out. I reach in his pocket and grab my necklace “I'll be taking that.” I say as I head to leave the building. With a car I can get to Connor by this afternoon, I think heading out the busted door to see where they had parked. I scan the lot and notice nothing at first then I notice the busted rusted van that seemed to blend in where it was parked. Smart. I walk over to the van and hop in looking at the two wires already pulled out for me. “Nice,” I mumble, twisting them, and then feeling the car jolt up. I take off. A CD that was already in the player starts blasting Helter Skelter by the Beatles and I roll my eyes. “Sick fucking bastards,” I mumble as I veer off toward the highway.

I arrived at Connors house late in the evening right as the sun was almost asleep, casting an eerie red glow across everything. I slam on the breaks and sprint out of the car running into the house. “CONNOR?!” I yell, sprinting to his room. Please be okay, you are the only reason I have survived this long! I think, flinging the door open, walking in to see Connor laying on his bed in a pool of blood. No! I sit next to him on the bed, hot tears stinging my cheeks as I see the gunshot to his head. The wound looks fresh, but his murderer could be far gone by now. I reach in my pocket and find my necklace “What now?” I say, wiping my tears away as I hear footsteps walking down the hall. They stop in front of his door. My heart drops as I look his killer right in the eyes. He smirks “What now?” He asks.