December 27th, 2012

A day that changed my life forever.

It was an average day. Christmas having just ended and the reunion with my mothers side of the family over, it was now the first completely free day since Christmas Eve. Naturally I used the free time to go out into the field and practice some shots with my BB gun. A wonderful present that was and I'm getting the hang of it really fast. It's more of a rifle than a hand gun, but I've got the aiming of it down. The next thing I proceeded to do was purchase an ice cream at McDonalds. Having walked the distance, my brand new BOSE headphones made it a quick trip, listening to the same song on repeat for a good half an hour really sped up time from my perspective.

Unfortunately that was the last time I would be buying an icecream for quite some time...

As I made my way back I saw a massive billboard with a message or advertisement of some kind. In giant letters it wrote "Scientists want you to help them! Sign up now at 1-800-966-2437!" The advertisement bore a picture of Uncle Sam in a lab coat, which I thought was pretty clever. I smiled briefly and continued on my way back.

Suddenly my phone buzzed and I pulled it out. My friend Caleb had sent me a text message. It read "You wouldn't believe the things people have done in reaction to 'the end of the world.' People are selling all their belongings" I rolled my eyes and sent back "They did the same thing when that one man predicted the rapture." I put my phone back in my pocket and kept walking.

I stopped at the intersection and waited for the "go" light, telling me it was safe to cross. As I was waiting however, a car suddenly sped through the red light, narrowly missing another car. I heard the driver of the car that was nearly hit swear out the window, and then he continued on. The car that went past me was a silverado. All black, much like my dads truck, but not quite as shiny and new.

I walked across the road when the light said I could do so, and looked out beyond the market place I was right beside. As always I could see mountains from here, and the beautiful peak of Mt. Baker loomed in the distance. It was shimmering white as it seemed to do all year round. On this clear day it was an amazing sight. The only thing that was missing was a sunset...

Right as I was thinking that though, I heard a scream come from a nearby store. I turned my head quickly and saw a small crowd of probably 20 people come running out. In my confusion I cautiously approached.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

There inside the store, was something I thought I would never see. It was the sort of thing that made you stop and think to yourself "No way, I must be dreaming. There's no way this can be real." Of course, there was no doubting that it was. There on the other side of the store window, was a huge sign reading "75% off all electronics!" I almost ran towards the store in excitement, but then I noticed something else in the store. I blinked briefly and squinted to try and make it out. On the floor was a spatter of blood.

My eyes widened and naturally I approached slowly to see it. Only a few meters away from the store now, I kept behind a bush in case there was some sort of crazy murderer inside. I slowly raised me head and looked in. There was no one inside, but suddenly I heard what sounded like a moan of pain. I dropped all concerns about a murder and ran to the window. I heard a cough and the sound of something moving. I ran into the store and looked over the table where customers normally take their purchased items.

Once again, I couldn't believe my eyes.

On the ground was a man, presumably the shopkeeper, or whoever was operating the till at that time. He was struggling, trying to get up. There was blood all over the floor beneath him, and he reached up and grabbed the table. I quickly grabbed the phone to dial 9-1-1 emergency, but something stopped me.

I realized what had stopped me was the hand of the very same man bleeding to death. I turned and looked at him. He had a stupefied look on his face and his jaw hung down. His shirt was torn open and bloody, and his eyes were filled with fear. He looked me in the eye and said "Run...!" At first I paused and thought "What? Why would I run! I can still save him if i call an ambulance!" He let go of my hand and collapsed on the table coughing.

I watched horrified as the man seemed to die in front of me. I looked around frantically and decided "Screw it, I'm calling the hospital!" I began to dial 9-1-1 when once again, something stopped me. But this time, it wasn't the man. It was my own mind stopping me from finishing. My eyes were frozen on spot as something come out of one of the aisles. I took a moment to process just what I was looking at.

There staring at me, was another man. His clothes were bloody and he seemed to limp towards me. His eyes were glazed over and his mouth hung open stupidly. He moaned as he approached.

It took way longer than it should have for me to recognize what was happening.

The word echoed in my mind for a moment. "Zombies..." It clicked and I dropped the phone. It clattered onto the desk, only held by the springy cord. My eyes wide, I began to back up, but a bloody hand suddenly landed on my shoulder. I whirled around and there was the shop keeper, giving me the same look the other man, or zombie, was giving me.

I didn't have time to yell for help, as what I had learned back from Tae Kwon Do flashed into my mind instantly. Of course, fist and foot would do nothing on a zombie from what stories and fiction had told me. But it sure was useful for getting that thing to let go. Hitting the zombies arm with my forearm, I broke free from the hard grasp and ran out the door. I ran until I reached the other side of the market and looked on.

I looked around and saw similar things in other stores. One or two men or women limped around in the stores, some walking out the doors. The terrifying realization hit me and Caleb's earlier text flashed back. The word apocalypse came to mind, much like the zombie, and I put the two together.

"Zombie Apocalypse."

I froze a moment and double checked. "What are you thinking?" I asked myself. "It's completely fictional. It's far from real." I thought. But the evidence kept fighting back. I couldn't help but laugh nervously to myself. "So 'the nutjobs with the signs were right the whole time...'" I said outloud, quoting the movie 2012 which me and Caleb had just watched last Friday on the 21st. "What are the odds..." It was a strange reaction, but I decided there wasn't much time to act as more and more zombies seemed to pour out of the stores.

I ran away from the market and thought out something quickly. "If this is really happening, and they're based on the fictional ones we always heard about, I better start formulating a way of survival!" You know that moment when adrenaline kicks in? This was the moment.

Barely even thinking I ran down the street at full speed, down hill, dodging any other people as I went. I didn't have time to warn anyone, I had to prioritize. My first destination was home. I had to get tell my family what was going on whether they believed me or not.

Then it struck me, how do I make people believe what I'm telling them? Being the daredevil I am, I turned around and ran back to the market, pulling out my phone. I switched to the camera app and got ready to snap a picture. When I arrived I was surprised by the amount of "people" wandering throughout the parking lot. I took 1, 2, 3, 4 pictures, and began making my way back.

What a foolish move it was to try and grab pictures.

On my way back I met more Zombies and realized there was no way I could get through them. Panic set in and I flipped open my phone and began writing a text message to everyone I knew. "You're not going to believe this, but it's legitimately happening." I attached the pictures which were far too real to be fake and got the heck out of there.

"Well what now genius?" I asked myself. "Shelter, a place to hide, a place to stop and think." I answered. The safest place I could think of was deep within the park and forest. I figured Zombies are usually attracted to light and sound right? So wherever there is less sound and light, there will be less zombies.

I took off once again at full speed towards the nearby park, heart pounding and head spinning. "This isn't where I'm going to die. Not now. Not a chance."