Leave the Age of Humanity and enter the Age of Zombies

From Create Your Own Story

The zombie apocalypse happened very quickly.

You went to bed that Thursday night that now seems like a lifetime ago, even though it's only been a few weeks. Everything seemed normal, except for one report on the ten o'clock news about some lunatics biting people. By six o'clock the next morning, the city was completely overrun by zombies.

The only reason you didn't become zombie breakfast is that you woke up in the middle of the night. You got a drink of water from the kitchen of your small studio apartment and were about to go back to bed when a sixth sense made you turn the TV back on. Sure enough, there was a breaking news bulletin about zombies attacking people all over the city.

You didn't wait. You got out as fast as you could, driving to the quickest sanctuary you could think of - a cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains owned by your grandfather. It's very isolated. No people means no zombies. It was a good idea for a while. The cabin was plentifully stocked with food and water, and for a few weeks you didn't see anyone else, alive or undead.

But they came eventually. A horde of zombies, smashing through the makeshift barricades you had set up. You barely escaped with your life out a back window. Your life, and the clothes on your back. You didn't have time to grab anything else.

Now, you have been wandering the mountains for three days, with nothing to eat except a few berries you picked, and nothing to drink but some water from a stream. And one or both of those have made you ill. You've already thrown up a few times, and each time the noise attracted zombies. So far, you've been able to outrun them, but you can feel yourself growing weaker and weaker.

You stumble down a slope, making your way through the trees. Suddenly, the forest ends and a wide open space appears in front of you. In the distance is a large castle-like building, probably a vacation home built by some rich person with odd tastes. You begin making your way towards the mansion. Inhabited or uninhabited, it's your only chance to recover.

They come from out of nowhere. Zombies, eight of them. You pick up the only weapon you can find - a large rock. When the nearest zombie reaches you, you smash its skull open, wielding the rock in both hands. You whirl and bash another undead head in. But there are too many of them. You are surrounded...

One zombie's head suddenly explodes. A split second later comes the sound of a gunshot. Another zombie drops dead, a steel bolt in its skull. You look up and see a man with a rifle and a woman with a crossbow standing on the front steps of the castle. Two more gunshots and another crossbow bolt take out three more attackers. You finish the last zombie with your rock.

"Are you okay?" the man calls out.

"I am now...I think," you reply.

"Come on in. Stay here with us," the woman says.