Dead Reign: Bipolar (Part 1)

Story by Anna Sandoval on SoFurry

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Jesus Christ it's been a while since I've done any writing... Oh, uh, hey guys! Pretty happy with how this came out, personally. I started writing this back in... April 2014? Some time around there. Just never really got down to editing it and uploading it. Enjoy!~


Journal entry 15, 7/4/14

It's deathly quiet for once. And of all the days, too. The past three months have been nothing but a blur to me, And yet, I still remember that first day as if it were yesterday. Everyone around me just dropped dead, all at once. It was as if a killswitch had been thrown. The entire store, almost the entire city, just up and dropped dead.

No one knew what had happened, what had caused it. All we knew was that entire cities were wiped off the map all across the country, all at once. And then, not even a week later, they rose. I had taken refuge with a group of survivors, most of which were just as defenseless as I was. I was the odd one out, being the only miqo'te, everyone else was just a normal ol' human. Being the only catgirl made things... Interesting. Being the only girl only served to make things that much worse.

Anyways, back to the story. The streets were still piled with the dead. In some places the bodies were literally stacked several feet deep. I was raiding a nearby convenience store for supplies. I really should be thankful that only two bodies, likely the shopkeep and a customer, were there. But it still sickens me, to this day.

As I was sorting through the boxes that had been tossed about the back room in the looting sprees the previous week, something in the air made the fur on my tail stand on end. That feeling still sends shivers up my spine to this day... Then came the shriek. The shriek of thousands of dead all rising from the grave in unison. Even if I live through this hellhole, and make it past thirty... I doubt I'll ever forget it.

As soon as the deathly howl petered out, I heard what sounded like panting, really raspy panting, as if someone had just sprinted a mile with a god awful sore throat. I turned around, to be greeted by the shopkeeper I had stepped over not even an hour ago, hunched over, staring at me with dead, blank eyes.

I screamed. I screamed loud enough to be heard down the block. He was just... Standing there, staring at me with those lifeless eyes. I really don't know how to describe how I felt, other than scared shitless.

I felt my entire body go numb with fear. I stood there, frozen, as the shopkeep lurched forward on a path towards me. As it drew closer and closer, my heart began pounding. It was as if there was an over-caffeinated drummer playing a drum solo on my rib cage. Eventually, I began backpedalling, purely based off instinct. I had never been a fan of horror movies, nor zombie flicks, but it was painfully obvious what I was looking at. The living dead were real, and this day was about to get really, really shitty.

So this was how I was going to die... Alone, hungry... Unable to defend myself.

For a second, I accepted my fate, but something in the back of my mind dragged me back into reality. I wasn't dead, just yet. There was still a chance of me surviving, however slim. I stopped backpedalling, and stood my ground in a vain attempt to scare it off.

The shopkeep was on top of me in seconds, his face mere inches from mine. I collapsed to the floor with that... Thing on top of me, screaming into my face. I was pinned, completely at the mercy of that beast. Or at least I thought I was.

The devolved shopkeeper barred his teeth, ready to bite down. I watched, helpless as it wrestled my left arm out from under me. Just before it could chomp down on my apparently rather juicy looking wrist, the shopkeep hissed and lurched off to one side. The moment it had slipped off of me, I rolled to the other side and stood up, staring in awe at my savior.

In the doorway stood a short haired, tough looking bobcat, armed to the teeth with throwing hatchets, knives, and probably whatever else she could fit on her. "Come on then, we don't have all day," She growled, motioning for me to follow her.

Trembling in shock, I followed her outside, more out of fear than anything else. The street was surprisingly clear of both the dead and undead, and there were several similarly armed furs waiting for us. I don't recall exactly what I said to her, but I imagine it was something along the lines of "Who are you?"

I didn't get an answer to that question or the many others I asked until after I was literally tossed into the back of an armored jeep. She took the seat beside me, and another one took the seat on the other side of me. I was now sandwiched between two heavily armed furs that I knew only by the fact that they had lots of weapons. Yaaaaaaaaay. Well, better than being dead! ... I think.

The other two furs had piled into the front, and without a single spoken word we were off. The entire car ride was uneventful. Well... Kind of. I spent the entire trip curled up in a ball.

The jeep stopped in the parking lot of a place I knew all too well. We were at my high school. But now, all of the first floor windows were boarded up, and two armed guards stood in front of the door. Jesus Christ, where were they getting all of these people?

I almost had to be carried out of the jeep. I guess you could say I was... In not the greatest state after almost becoming zombie chow.

With the two guards close behind us, the bobcat led me to what used to be the school's library/media center. Most of the books were still on the shelves, which was a relief. I recalled many fond memories of my time spent in there, both as a regular student, and as a librarian's aide. "Why here, of all places?" I asked.

The bobcat stopped behind a man tearing apart a computer. She said a few words to him, and he got up and left without even looking at me.

"Listen here, girlie," She said glaring at me. "Do you have any idea what's even going on here?"

For a moment, I stood there silent, watching her pace about the room. After collecting my thoughts, I began explaining what little I did know. She didn't know much more than I did, apparently.

I asked if I could sit down, and she casually motioned to one of the multitude of empty chairs strewn about the room. "Why here?" I asked. It didn't make sense, turning a school into a stronghold.

She ignored my question, and pointed to a map on the wall, with a swarm of paper tabs stuck to it, and explained that each tab marked an area that had gone "silent," which meant they had effectively been wiped off the map.

I... Really don't remember much of the conversation after that, and don't feel like boring you with the details I do remember. But whatever was said, it horrified me. Before I was shoved off by a guard, I was told what I was and was not allowed to do, where I was to be staying, and that I had a roomie. As well as her name. Marlene.

Well... At least now I would have stable electricity, right? Not that there was much use for that, but hey, I had it! And that roommate of mine... Oh man. Quite a character, she was. Energetic, talkative, a bit seductive... Basically everything I wasn't. I was the loner, gamer-girl type who wore hoodies in summer simply because they allowed me to hide my face. I don't think anyone could blame me, after watching my entire family drop dead around me.

She went by the name of Ziva. Ziva Damiani, to be specific. I was escorted to our room by one of the guards that had been following me ever since I had arrived. He didn't exactly push me through the doorway, but he wasn't gentle with the suggestions. I didn't recognize the room without all the desks, but it soon dawned on me that I was in my old US History teacher's room. Wonder if any of my classmates survived...

Ziva was relaxing on a cot in the far corner of the room, just watching me. At first, I didn't noticed her (I admit, I had kind of spaced out, trying to process what had happened throughout the day). and it took her both throwing a shoe at me and shouting to get my attention.

It's safe to say our friendship started a little... Bumpy. Naturally, I tossed the shoe back, and asked (Yes, I still managed to maintain a relatively calm tone after all of that) her what the hell her problem was. She ignored my question, and instead began to assault me with a list of her own. Where was I from, why was I here, what had happened to my clothes... They just. Kept. Coming.

I was too tired to answer any of them. But that didn't stop Ziva from babbling on about herself. I just wanted to sleep... Make it all go away, if even for a little while.

She took the hint... Eventually. After two hours of chattering on and on she stopped, and gave me a funny look. The gal asked me if I was okay, and after climbing into the bed next to her own, I responded with a grumbled no. For the rest of the day, and following night, she kept silent. As far as I'm aware, anyways, I passed out rather quickly.

Well, wrist's starting to hurt, and Marlene wants to talk to me about something. God... Hope it's good news for once. We don't need anymore hardship around here.