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The zombie stands at your front door, his eyes searching for a way in. He's not going anywhere and needs to be put out of his unliving misery. You consider your weapons—M9 pistol and taser.

You unlock the door and remove the wood you laid against the frame. As the door swings open, you retreat a few steps.

You raise the M9 pistol. You've fired at a zombie before. The weapon feels light in your hands, and moving targets have never given you trouble. But this is different. This zombie, this thing, has one purpose—to kill. You can't reason with it, and he can't be scared into submission or ordered to stop. If you miss, there's a good chance you'll die, and those odds are terrible.

You squeeze the trigger. The weapon jolts. The zombie's head flops backward in one swift motion, and his body seizes up, legs stiffening and arms straightening to the side. A moaning whimper seeps from his mouth. Like a falling tree, he teeters to the side and crashes to the ground.

You sit beside the dead zombie. That thing you killed was a man before, with friends and a family. He had hopes and dreams. The virus took them all away, and you ended what's left.

You find a sheet of plastic in storage and roll the body up. You don't think about the task, but just work to clean the blood and drag the body outside. The details blur, and you don't think of what you're doing until it's over.

You wash your hands and face and change your clothes.

Thinking of what just happened, you feel…

A zombie attacking your home puts the dangers of this outbreak into a spotlight. With civilization breaking down, you need to prioritize your survival needs. Food and water will become even more important as supplies dwindle and essential services fail. In a short time, people will run out of resources and do anything to survive: steal, hurt, even kill. As more and more people succumb to the virus, zombies will become an increasing threat.

Time passes, and you know the outbreak won't wait while you contemplate the threat of the infected.