Tallahassee, United States
7:02 a.m.
— August 25, 2010
It was around seven in the morning when a scream tore through the silence of the city.
Melody woke with a start.
Her body jerked slightly, but before she could speak, Jason quickly covered her mouth with his hand.
“Shh…” Still drowsy and unable to understand what was happening, she looked at him.
Jason didn’t say a word.
He merely pointed beyond the warehouse wall.
The fog that morning was thick, making it difficult to see more than a few yards ahead.
Gradually, however, a scene began to emerge through the mist.
A woman lay on the pavement with a man kneeling over her.
No…
That wasn’t a man.
It was one of the dead.
The zombie tore into the woman’s flesh while she continued struggling beneath it, her screams growing weaker with every passing second.
Melody covered her mouth with both hands.
Jason carefully helped her to her feet, lifting her from his lap.
Without saying a word, he picked up the bow resting beside the chair, pulled an arrow from his quiver, took a deep breath, and aimed.
Despite the fog and the distance, he released the string.
The arrow cut silently through the air.
Thock!
The arrowhead pierced the zombie’s eye and entered its brain.
The creature immediately collapsed on top of the woman.
Jason didn’t wait.
He quickly climbed down from the guard post, opened the warehouse gate, and ran into the street.
Melody followed close behind.
The commotion woke part of the group, and Robert emerged from the office building almost immediately, followed by Donald.
Jennifer also appeared in the doorway, still trying to understand what was happening.
When they reached the gate, they found Jason kneeling beside the fallen bodies.
He first gripped the arrow shaft and, with one firm motion, pulled it from the zombie’s head.
The body remained motionless.
Jason quickly wiped the arrowhead on the dead man’s clothes before returning it to his quiver.
Only then did he turn his attention to the woman.
She was still breathing, but only barely.
The entire left side of her body was covered in blood, and large chunks of flesh had been torn from her arm.
The bites were deep.
She tried to say something, but only a hoarse sound escaped her throat.
Her eyes, however, said everything.
Desperation.
Pain.
And a silent plea for help.
Donald hurried forward and knelt beside Jason.
He examined the wounds for only a few seconds before his expression became serious.
Very serious.
Robert remained several steps behind them, watching the street.
The fog concealed almost everything, but new sounds were already beginning to emerge from the mist.
Moans.
Dragging footsteps.
Distant screams.
It was as though the entire city were awakening to a nightmare.
Jennifer covered her mouth with one hand.
James, Dennis, Jimmy, Madson, and the others also began leaving the warehouse.
When they saw the dead man with an arrow wound through his head and the severely injured woman dying on the pavement, no one had any doubts left.
The apocalypse had begun.
And she would only be the first victim they encountered.
Donald finished examining the woman, and his silence already said everything.
She was struggling desperately to breathe, the bites were too deep, and the blood loss was massive.
Even if they could take her into an operating room at that very moment, her chances of surviving would be almost nonexistent.
Jason remained kneeling beside her for several seconds.
Then he reached toward his waist and drew the pistol from its holster.
He slowly screwed the suppressor onto the barrel, and the quiet metallic sound caught everyone’s attention.
Robert frowned.
Donald’s eyes widened.
James took a step forward.
Jason, however, simply knelt beside the woman again and leaned down until his mouth was close to her ear.
He spoke so quietly that only she could hear him.
“I’m sorry…” Jason paused briefly.
“I can’t save you.”
His voice faltered for a moment.
“But I can end your suffering.”
The woman’s eyes met his.
She tried to speak, but no words came out, only a faint movement of her lips.
Jason slowly stood and raised the pistol.
For a moment, everything became silent.
The woman looked at the weapon before turning her gaze back to Jason.
There was no longer any desperation in her eyes, only exhaustion.
Very slowly, she closed them, as though she understood and had accepted her fate.
“Jason!” Jennifer called as she stepped forward.
Donald raised one hand.
“Wait…”
James also tried to intervene.
“She’s still alive.
Maybe…”
Dennis looked toward Donald.
“Isn’t there something we can…”
No one finished the sentence.
Jason remained motionless, his eyes closed for a brief moment.
He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.
The shot, muffled by the suppressor, echoed through the silent street.
No one said a word.
The woman was no longer suffering.
Jason remained standing for several seconds, unable to lower the weapon.
When he finally did, he took a deep breath and returned the pistol to its holster.
The entire group stood around him in silence.
At that moment, they all understood a cruel truth.
From then on, survival would mean making decisions none of them had ever imagined themselves capable of making.
The silence lasted only a few seconds before Jennifer reacted.
“Jason!” Her voice was caught between shock and outrage as she hurried toward her son.
“What did you do?
She was still alive!”
Tears filled Jennifer’s eyes.
“How could you kill someone?”
Robert gently grabbed his wife’s arm.
“Jennifer…”
But it was already too late. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Her voice had shattered the silence of that morning, and the fog answered.
A moan.
Then another.
Slow, dragging footsteps followed.
Everyone turned toward the street as four silhouettes began to emerge through the mist.
With every step, their bodies became clearer.
Torn clothes.
Uncoordinated movements.
Empty eyes.
The dead were coming.
Madson instinctively stepped back.
Angela grabbed her husband’s arm, Claire clung to Peter, and Noah hid his face against his mother’s leg.
Dennis retreated a step while James remained motionless.
Even Donald, who was accustomed to emergency rooms, felt his body freeze for a moment.
Robert reacted on instinct.
He drew his pistol and raised the weapon, but before he could aim, Jason grabbed his arm.
“No.”
Robert looked at his son.
“We need to stop them before they get close!”
Jason kept his voice firm.
“Firing now will only attract more of them.”
The two held each other’s gaze for a brief moment before Robert slowly lowered the weapon.
Jason released his father’s arm, reached toward his waist, and drew the kukri.
The blade reflected the weak morning light.
Without saying a single word, Jason began walking toward the dead.
“Jason!” Jennifer called desperately.
He didn’t stop.
Behind him, no one found the courage to follow.
The adults remained motionless, not because they lacked courage, but because their minds were still trying to accept that any of it was real.
Everything had happened too quickly.
A woman dying on the pavement.
A mercy killing.
The dead walking.
And now…
A fifteen-year-old boy was advancing alone to face them.
James watched the scene, unable to look away.
As a psychologist, he understood human behavior during extreme situations.
He knew that during the first moments of trauma, many people simply froze.
That was exactly what was happening there.
While grown men and women stood paralyzed between fear and disbelief, Jason acted.
He didn’t shout, hesitate, or wait for someone to tell him what to do.
The boy continued forward, each firm step seeming to carry the weight of a responsibility far too great for someone his age.
At that moment, James understood why Robert and Donald trusted him so much.
It wasn’t because Jason knew more than everyone else.
It was because when everyone else froze…
He was able to keep moving.
When they returned to the warehouse, the silence was absolute.
The people who had remained inside the office building came out to see what was happening, and then everyone looked at Jason.
The white armor he had worn throughout the night was no longer white.
Dark stains of blood covered the reinforced plates, some already beginning to dry.
The kukri remained secured at his waist, the bow hung from his shoulder, and even his face bore small marks of dried blood.
Claire stepped back.
Noah hid behind his mother, while Isabella tightened her grip on Sofía’s hand.
For several seconds, no one dared to say a word.
Jason walked directly toward Robert and Jennifer.
When his mother saw him approaching, her face went pale and her body began to tremble.
The image of her son kneeling beside that woman…
The gunshot…
Then Jason facing the four dead alone…
Everything returned to her mind at once.
Jason noticed.
His steps slowed, and for a brief moment, he hesitated.
His own mother’s eyes were filled with fear.
Robert noticed it too.
Without saying anything, he walked toward his son before Jason had to come any closer.
The two stopped face-to-face.
Jason briefly glanced around the warehouse before speaking quietly.
“Dad…”
Robert waited.
“How long do you think our food and water will last?”
Robert crossed his arms and thought for several seconds.
He made a quick calculation in his head, remembering the warehouse shelves, the boxes hidden in the basement, and the number of people who were now part of the group.
Finally, he answered.
“If we ration everything properly, about two years.”
Jason quietly released the breath he had been holding.
It was more than he had expected.
He nodded once before looking toward Donald.
“Gather everyone.”
Donald understood that it wasn’t a suggestion.
He began calling each family, and a few minutes later, everyone had gathered in the center of the warehouse.
The children remained close to their parents, while several people continued casting frightened glances toward Jason’s bloodstained armor.
Jason walked to the front of the group and waited until everyone was silent.
“The end has begun,” he said.
His voice was calm but firm.
“If anyone still has doubts, go up to the guard post.
When this fog clears, you’ll see the city with your own eyes.”
No one responded.
“From this moment forward, some rules are going to change.” Jason looked at every person present.
“There will be no shouting, no unnecessary arguments, and no loud noises.
The less attention we attract, the better our chances of staying alive.”
James carefully observed every word.
Jason took a deep breath before continuing.
“There’s something else I want all of you to understand.
My priority will be protecting the people inside this warehouse.”
He paused briefly, slowly looking over the group.
“If anyone puts this group at risk, or behaves in a way that threatens our lives, I will do whatever is necessary to stop them.”
The silence became even heavier.
Jason didn’t raise his voice.
He didn’t need to.
Everyone remembered what they had witnessed that morning.
The woman.
The fifteen-year-old boy who had faced four of them alone.
“And if any of you still doubt that I’m capable of making difficult decisions…” Jason briefly looked toward Robert, Donald, James, Dennis, Melody, and Jennifer.
“Ask the people who were with me this morning.”
None of them said a word.
Because they all knew the answer.
Jason simply nodded, turned around, and walked toward the office building.
His footsteps echoed through the corridor as he passed the conference room and the infirmary before stopping in front of the former manager’s office.
He opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him.
Outside, no one moved for several seconds.
That morning, they had all lost some of their innocence.
They had also realized that the fifteen-year-old boy leading their group would never be the same again.
Later, while the others finished arranging the table, Melody discreetly approached Jason.
She looked around and noticed that nearly everyone was still casting cautious glances in his direction.
A crooked smile appeared on her face.
“You managed to make everyone afraid of you.”
Jason followed her gaze.
Peter looked away when he realized he was being watched, Claire quickly pretended to focus on something else, and even Noah seemed to hide a little farther behind his mother.
Jason let out a quiet laugh.
“Someone once said it was better to be feared than loved.”
Melody raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, really?”
She lightly bumped her shoulder against his.
“Don’t get too attached to that idea.”
Jason chuckled.
“Don’t worry.”
Her playful shove brought a faint smile to his face, and for the first time since the world had begun to collapse, the two of them managed to share a brief moment of lightness amid the chaos.
After lunch, Jason could barely keep his eyes open.
He had spent the entire night awake in the guard post, and since dawn, he hadn’t had a single moment to rest.
Without saying much, he stood from the table.
“I’m going to get some sleep.”
Robert merely nodded.
“Go ahead.
I’ll take over the guard post.”
Jason gave his father a small nod before heading toward the office building.
As soon as he entered his room, he removed the holster from his waist, rested the bow beside the bed, and lay down without changing his clothes.
Exhaustion overcame him almost immediately.
Within minutes, he was sleeping deeply.
Robert took the portable radio, his pistol, and the binoculars before climbing to the guard post to keep watch while his son rested.
Throughout the rest of the warehouse, everyone gradually began searching for some way to help.
Dennis and Miguel opened the improvised workshop to inspect the tools and check the condition of the motorhome.
Donald, Peter, and Olivia organized the medicine and medical equipment inside the infirmary, while James walked around the warehouse speaking with the families and trying to keep everyone emotionally stable as chaos consumed the city.
Melody silently watched everything until her gaze settled on Noah, Claire, and Isabella.
The three of them were sitting in a corner, far too quiet for their age.
Even Madson seemed unsure of what to do.
Then Melody had an idea.
She walked toward Sofía Álvarez, who was organizing several backpacks when she noticed the girl approaching.
“Sofía…”
The woman smiled gently.
“Yes?”
Melody discreetly glanced toward the children.
“I think they need something to distract them.
If they keep thinking only about what’s happening outside, they’re going to become even more frightened.”
Sofía followed her gaze, and her expression became more serious.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“You’re a teacher,” Melody continued with a faint smile.
“Maybe you could create some kind of classroom, even if it’s only for a few hours.
That way, they can learn something…” She paused briefly.
“And forget about the world outside for a little while.”
Sofía smiled sincerely for the first time that day.
“I like that idea.”
She looked around the former conference room.
“I think we can improvise something.”
Sofía gathered several sheets of paper, pencils, and a whiteboard that was still mounted on the wall before calling the children.
“How would you like to have a different kind of class?”
Noah immediately raised his head, and Isabella smiled shyly.
Even Claire, who was already a teenager, approached to help organize the materials.
Melody watched the scene with satisfaction.
Perhaps they couldn’t save the world.
But they could still preserve a small part of those children’s childhood.
And at that moment…
That alone was a small victory.
The rest of the day passed slowly.
No one dared to leave the warehouse, and the hours were measured not by the clock but by the sounds coming from the city.
First came the screams.
Then the gunshots.
Sirens moved endlessly from one side of Tallahassee to the other.
At times, they seemed to be drawing closer, while at others, they disappeared completely.
It was impossible to know what was happening beyond the walls.
Early in the afternoon, a powerful explosion caused the ground to tremble slightly.
Everyone rushed out of the office building and watched as a column of dark smoke began rising over the horizon.
No one knew what had exploded.
Several hours later, another explosion echoed from the opposite side of the city.
Then another.
As the sun began to set, the gunfire became less frequent.
Not because the situation had improved, but because there seemed to be fewer and fewer people left to pull the trigger.
When night fell, the city sank into darkness.
Neighborhood after neighborhood, the lights began to go out.
Some of them never came back on.
Even during the night, no one managed to sleep deeply.
The distant moans of the dead replaced most of the human screams.
Sometimes, a single gunshot shattered the silence.
At other times, an entire burst of automatic fire followed.
Then…
Silence again.
A heavy silence.
A terrifying silence.
As though the city itself were slowly dying.
Inside the warehouse, Robert and Jason took turns keeping watch throughout the night.
No one needed to say it aloud.
They all understood the same thing.
When the next sunrise came…
Tallahassee would no longer be the city they had known their entire lives.
I’m using AI to translate this story.
English is not my native language.
If you would prefer to read it without an AI translation, you can find the original Portuguese version on this same profile.