Chapter 1

The only reason I remember when this all started was because PVRIS come out a few months before this all happened. I was blasting their song "Fire" on my iPod while walking to Barnes and Nobles, located in Manhattan, to spend a 50-dollar gift card. I love reading just as much as I love music. I was on 14th street Union Square on January 10th, 2015, five days after my sister's birthday. She was now 18 and will soon be a college student. You're wondering who I am and where I am going with this and you will see.

It was a fairly cold day in the city but not as cold as Far Rockaway. I lived down the street from the beach and it was ten times colder there than on Union Square. Anyway, I was walking up the block to Barnes and Nobles and that's when shit hit the fan. At first, I heard some kind of explosion than a piercing scream that suddenly stopped. I turn around to see a woman had ripped out another woman's throat. I reacted fast and pulled her off this woman and I tried to stop the bleeding. "Hey! Stop crying! You're going to be okay", I said trying to calm this person down. But I knew she wouldn't.

I watched as the life slowly drains from her eyes and cursed. Other people were trying to hold this crazed woman down. She looked horrible like she was hurt. People ask if I was a doctor or a nurse and I said no. The only reason why I know about first aid was because I am a recruit in the Army National Guard. I asked to leave because I wanted to be on active duty and travel the world with the Army. So, I knew what I was doing. From the weekend training sessions with the Army National Guard.

I asked the three men that were holding her down to hold tight because I was going to try and see what was troubling this person. She was rabid. Blood was flowing out of her chest and sides, but she was still kicking and fighting as if nothing was wrong. "Miss, I need you to calm down, you are hurt," I spoke loud and clear for her. She wouldn't stop, then she tries to take a bite out of one of the men holding her down. I quickly grab her head to try and keep her still to look her over. That's when I noticed her eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot, and it looked like she was crying black blood, but it was more sludge-like then blood. I started to take into account how blood was supposed to look like and her blood did not look bright red from her wounds it was a deep dark red almost black and it was gross to touch.

I look over to the woman who was lying on the floor and notice that her blood was starting to look the same as well. Then she shot up and starts running towards us. I yelled at people to run and don't too near her. But it was too late. She attacked a small child and her mother. I watch and run to them, to try and help them but I was too late. They were lying on the ground and that's when NYPD shows up and shot her. But she didn't go down. She was still standing running towards them making this growling sound. I got close to her and tackled her to the ground while the cops came and put cuffs on her. They started asking me questions about her. I told them I saw her get her throat ripped out and watched her die. They looked at me as if I was crazy, but I had witnesses to confirm my story.

Then about two blocks away I heard more yelling and screaming. Then more gunfire. I was looking around and saw more people with this reddish-black like fluid coming out of their mouth and what looked to be burn marks with shrapnel wounds on their bodies, some were missing limbs. I just stood there trying to understand what was happening until one of them notices me and took off towards me. I wasn't dumb, I ran like hell! I am always in the city, so I knew where I was running to. Someplace where it was less crowded and less open. During the cold months, people still explored Central Park but there were fewer people and more places to hide. I took out my phone and open up chrome to see what the fuck was going on. Everything was fine at first then all hell broke loose. I was reading different articles that were being pushed out by all types of sources. I was reading one saying a new virus broke out. Another with the headlines consisting of the word's zombie and outbreak in bold letters. Another was about a terrorist attack and a truck exploding killing people, then the dead came back. I mean who wants to be in a zombie outbreak area. No one! That's who. But here I was in the middle of one. It was a cold damn day and it continues to get colder as the sun goes down. I couldn't believe that this was happening. I mean I was always joking with my friends about this and here I am in the fucking middle of one. But it couldn't just be Manhattan, it was also a small part of New Jersey but that was it. No other place around the country was experiencing this. They said something happens over there.

It was only noon and hell decide to fuck shit up. All I knew was that I had to get out of the hot zone and make it home. But that was going to be hard since everything is going to be at a standstill. I could walk home but that would take all day and go through the night. I had to choose between staying here or going home where this could also be happening. So, I chose to stay. Maybe I made this choice because if my family turned into one of these things, I would enjoy killing it if it could die. So, now here I was hiding in one the greatest parks ever during some type of outbreak. I mean I figured it was zombies but at the same time something else. Like in the movie "28 Days Later", it started as a virus but so did other zombie movies. It was weird to think about it, so I just hid not thinking about the word zombie.

It was now four in the afternoon and the sun was slowly setting. It was getting colder and I knew I needed to find someplace warm to make plans and survive this night. I was pretty close to 81st on the west side of Manhattan. My favorite place was there, the American Museum of Natural History. I slowly made my way there. Stopping every time, I heard someone yell or one of those things growling or clicking its teeth. I think these things are blind. I remember seeing the lady's eyes before the other woman got up and attacked someone. It was like she knew I was there but only because of the noise I was making and the fact that I was touching her. Other than that, her eyes stare off as if she couldn't see me.

I put that thought to the back of my mind, so I can focus on not being seen or heard by anything or anyone. I made my way out of the small clearing and was now facing the museum. The streets weren't crowded, and I look both ways to make sure no one saw me. I quickly made my way to a car that was abandoned. I hide behind it for a minute and then peeked out the hood and saw nothing. I made my way to the front entrance then thought better than that. I went to one of the side entrances and check to see if anyone or anything was there. The coast was clear... for now. The glass door was open, and I thought to myself that I should block it. I was thinking of how I should block the doors when I saw the retractable dividers. I was happy that I had my pocket knife with me. I just had a gut feeling to bring it with me today; I took off my bag and jacket and started to work on blocking the doors. An hour later, I step back to look at my handy work. I braided the dividers together to make the binding stronger and tied it through the door handles.

Then I took the bars to make a small barricade. I went deeper into the museum to look for more dividers to make the barricade a bit stronger. But I didn't just do one entrance I did them all. That meant the subway and the main and the back ones. It took a little over five hours to fully finish them. I was beyond tired, but I was glad I was the only one here. I check and recheck all of the barricades I had made and turned off the lights. I didn't want anyone to know I was here and try to get in. I know that was selfish, but it was about surviving. I made my way to the top floor of the museum to see if any of the offices that were there were open. Just my luck one was. I made my way in and locked the door behind me. I went to the window and saw the last of the sun dip below the water and the street lights came on. I wonder how long that would last?

I just sat quietly by the window till my phone went off. I'm not going to lie it scared the ever-loving shit out of me. I pick up the phone and saw it was my mother. I roll my eyes; it took her all of ten hours to reach me. I debated with myself to pick up the phone. In the end, I did. "Hello," I said in a tired voice. "Jackie! Where are you? Why aren't you home yet? I will lock this door if you're late again," she yelled into the phone. My mother didn't know what was happening and how I was in the middle of it all. "Mom, I'm still in the city. Some weird virus is out there killing people. This is not a joke. I'm telling you the truth. Watch the news and you'll see. I am stuck in the city," I calmly said to her. She yelled at me again and I got pissed off and hang up on her. I turned off my phone to preserve battery and so she wouldn't call me again.

I walked away from the window and sat in the big chair that was in the office and made myself comfortable. I was tired, and I just wanted to sleep, but sleep did not come easy to me. I just stared out the window wondering what will happen tomorrow. Soon sleep took over and I dreamt of nothing but darkness as if it was an old friend.