The Past

Five years before the outbreak started, Matt was a seemingly normal person. He had joined the military and was making a life for himself doing it. He had always been good at taking things apart and being able to understand how they worked. He was part of the explosive ordnance disposal, EOD, team since it suited him.

He was deployed over seas to help with explosives that were being employed against the U.S. ground forces. There had been a number of casualties due to the explosions and it was now his job to ensure that as many as possible would be dealt with.

"Sergeant, we are ready for patrol." the young Corporal across from him stated.

They had been friends before they both join. Matt had risen faster due to his achievements and most said that he was undeserving of his rank. He simply didn't listen to them since he knew that they were just jealous.

"I hope you are ready for this. We have a ways to go." the Corporal said.

Matt was sitting on his bunk while reassembling the rifle that he had just finished cleaning. Once he was done, he put the sling on and put the rifle on his shoulder while wearing all of his gear.

"I'm ready when you are." Matt said.

They made their way to the gathering point where Matt assumed the lead position. They marched through the base gates and began making their way through the city. There were a few small skirmishes along the way, but in all there were no issues. This seemed a little odd since they usually encountered more resistance, but didn't think much about it. That was, until they reached an intersection that had a carefully hidden explosive.

Matt noticed this and called for everyone to take defensive positions against the buildings. He then made his way over to the device and carefully uncovered it so that he could disarm it. It took him only a few minutes to take it apart, then the group began to move on.

Moments after passing the intersection, they began to realize that something was really wrong. The streets were oddly quiet and there were no civilians running about. Noticing all the signs of an ambush, Matt called for a defensive formation, but it was too late.

As everyone moved to defend, the fire fight started. They fought off their attackers for about fifteen minutes when he heard something fall at his feet. Looking down, it was a grenade and he didn't have the time to take cover. His friend, the Corporal, shoved him out of the way and dove on the grenade. That was the last thing that he remembered before the explosion happened.

He woke up a month later in a hospital state side. The first person to notice that he was awake was the attending nurse. She rushed out of the room to grab a doctor. She came back moments later with a doctor in tow.

"We didn't think you were going to wake up." the doctor said.

"What happened?" Matt asked in a hoarse voice.

"There was a fire fight and you were struck by a grenade blast. The others were able to salvage the situation and pull you out of the fight to safety. You were airlifted to Germany where they did emergency surgery to save your life and then they shipped you here with the hopes you would recover." the doctor said.

"What about Corporal Reid?" Matt asked.

The doctor looked at him with sadness on his face. He didn't have the courage to tell the man in front of him his friend's condition. Matt instantly knew what that face meant. Reid didn't make it because he had saved him. He and Reid had spent years together like brothers. They only maintained the rank bit when they were in the line of duty.

"When can I get out of here?" Matt asked with a voice devoid of emotion. It was clear that the death of his friend had wounded him deeply.

"During the month that you have been here, you have made quite the remarkable recovery. Later today, someone will come to escort you down to rehab to see what the current state of your body is. If you are in good enough condition, then we will release you to go home." the doctor said.

"There is no need for rehab. I tested the way my arms and legs move while I was waiting for you to arrive. It'll hurt, but I'll be able to walk out of here today." Matt said.

The doctor could only sigh since he knew that the man in front of him was broken at best. He would probably leave this hospital and kill himself at a later time. The doctor had no ability to hold him so he had his things brought in and he left.

Matt left the hospital after making a few calls. He wanted to find out where his friend was buried and was going to go and pay his respects. After a few hour ride by taxi, he arrived at the cemetery and made his way to the plot where his friend was laid to rest.

When he got there, there was one other person standing at the grave site. It was Stella, Reid's sister. As he approached, she turned around to face him. Her face was cold as she stared at him.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"I came to pay my respects and say good bye to my friend." Matt said.

"Friend? You got him killed and that is all you have to say? He died saving your life and left the rest of us here. You sir, are no friend." She said.

Matt only bowed his head as she stormed away. It looked like he had aged in a matter of minutes. He expression was hagard and worn out. He knelt at the grave side in silent repentance until a few hours later it was dark. He then got up and went home.

After that incident, he was medically discharged from the military and he spent the majority of his time as a shut in. He no longer cared for his health which caused him to put on weight and have a more unsightly appearance. It wasn't until four years later, eight months before the apocalypse started, that he finally decided to get a job and integrate back into society.

The job that he got was at an old fashion blade smith store for people that liked to do fantasy role play. It took only three months for him to become trained enough to begin forging works of his own. Another three months and he was making works of his own with the master blacksmiths approval.

The day before the outbreak, he got a notice in the mail that the old man was going to leave his business to him since he didn't have any children of his own. The man had come to love the fantasy role play and decided to follow the tradition of passing your work to an apprentice. The next day, Matt would have to meet at the lawyers office in the afternoon and then head to work. He had decided that he would get up early and head to the mall so that he could blow off some steam and pay bills before heading to the office.

He laid down that night, hours before the apocalypse began, with hope for his future.

End of volume 1