Planet Earth: Dead

Rex

The sound of my alarm and the ringing phone have waked me out of my deep sleep.

"Good morning, sunshine! Are you running late again?" asked the female voice.

"I'll be there," I said, still not in the mood to get out of bed.

"You better be, because we have a lot of customers today. See you!" said the female voice as the call ended.

The sound of birds chirping outside could already be heard as I forced myself out of bed and into my pajamas, the sunlight streams in through the window, and I can feel its warmth. Then I went downstairs to the kitchen to prepare a typical breakfast.

Rex, my German Sheperd dog, approached me and licked my face.

"Good morning," I said as I rubbed his neck and kissed his forehead.

I took a can of dog food from the drawer and filled Rex's bowl.

After breakfast, I showered and changed into an oversized shirt, cycling shorts, and white rubber shoes.

"Be a good boy while I'm gone, okay?" I said as I leaned in to hug Rex.

Rex responded by licking my face repeatedly.

"All right, all right, I love you," I chuckled.

As soon as I stepped outside, I tied my red-black hair into a bun and rode my bicycle.

My name is Adelaide. I work as a*****e clerk in our family-owned grocery.

This business was founded by my mother. She was a hard worker back then, until she became ill and passed away.

It was difficult for me and my sister to carry on with what she had started after she died, but we were able to survive and thrive.

As the store became bigger, I realized that protecting it would be one of my top priorities, which is why I decided to practice martial arts and learn the fundamentals of gunfire.

I also bring my dog Rex to the store on occasion, and everyone enjoys seeing him.

Rex is such a lovable and friendly dog that he sometimes gets to play with our customers' children.

When I arrived at our store, I was surprised by how many customers we had today. Customers are already lined up outside, waiting to pay at the counter.

"Good morning!" exclaimed a young boy with the name Chester on his tag.

"Hey, good morning. Sorry, I'm late," I said as I came to a stop beside him on my bike.

Chester is my cousin and he also works in our store. He usually assists with carrying items and inventory checks. He is with his older brother, Charles.

I entered the store and began assisting my sister at the counter and leaving Chester guarding the line of people.

Charles, on the other hand, is assisting customers with their purchases. He's preoccupied with customers' concerns.

"You're late," my sister Carmela said quietly as she packed the customer's items.

Carmela is my older sister and my business partner in this store. It's amazing to think that despite our vast differences, we were able to keep this thing going. My sister is an extrovert who enjoys socializing, drinking, and partying with everyone. I, on the other hand, would rather sleep at home.

"Isn't it Sunday?" I asked, as I assisted in the packing of items.

"We talked about this last night over the phone, have you forgotten? People are panic buying because the news is saying there could be a lockdown," Carmela said as she finished packing the items and handed them to the customer, "Thank you."

"Oh, sorry," I said, "I've just been thinking a lot lately."

She sighs.

"Well, anyways, I suppose the virus spreading around the world is real. People get violent after having a high fever with coughs or colds and they'll suddenly become aggressive towards any living person. They developed cannibalistic traits, which people called zombies but the medical community doesn't want to call them that," she said as she packed the next customer's items.

"What is our government's plan then?" I askes as I assisted her.

"They say there will probably be force lockdowns, evacuation centers, quarantine facilities, military checkpoints, and police roaming the streets. I don't know, I kinda' don't want to believe that this could be the start of a zombie apocalypse. I just finished watching The Walking Dead last week," she replied, her tone nervous.

As our conversation continues, a man standing in line coughs loudly, causing those around him to back away.

"Is everything all right, sir?" Charles asked as he approached the man.

The man collapses to his knees, coughing heavily, and blood begins to flow from his mouth.

"I don't like the look of this," Carmela said, slowly clutching my shoulder.

"Sir, we can take you to the hos—"

Charles was about to finish his sentence when the man lunged at him and bit his neck.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

Charles screamed in agony as the man ripped off his flesh.

Suddenly, more people began to transform and began attacking the uninfected. The screams of the helpless victims echoed throughout the store, filling the room with terror.

Stunned by what had occurred, I quickly opened the cabinet beneath the counter as I regained my senses and pulled out a pistol that I had kept here for safety.

"We've got to get Chester!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly, a zombie noticed us and began to approach. My body reacted quickly by raising the pistol and aiming it at the zombie's head. I feel like my muscle memory is starting to kick in, and I'm reminded of the times I've practiced for this type of situation. Zombies have a simple weakness: destroy their brain and they die. As the zombie approached, I pulled the trigger and fired a bullet through the zombie's head.

Carmela was taken aback and looked at me as the zombie died and fell to the ground.

Someone enters the store unexpectedly. As it approached, it stared us down with dead eyes.

"Chester," Carmila said, her voice cracking slightly.

No, this isn't happening..

I stood frozen and took a step back as tears streamed down my cheeks. Chester was bitten and has already turned.

"Let's go," I said as I pull Carmela's hand and ran to the store's back door.

The streets were already in shambles as soon as we exited the store. As the zombies appeared, people began to flee and scream. The cops have begun to fire on the zombies, but their numbers continue to grow.

Carmela and I rush into her car. As tears streamed down our faces, she stepped on the gas and drove away.

"I can't believe it," Carmela exclaimed, her voice cracking. "Charles and Chester were already like my little brothers."

As we got closer to home, I noticed our gate was open. Someone must have gone inside.

No, Rex!

"Hey, did you forget to close the gates?" irritated Carmela.

"No," I said as I stepped out of the car, raised my pistol, and walked inside with caution.

The lock has been broken, so someone must have forced their way inside.

"Rex?" I called out, but my dog was nowhere to be found.

"How is the gate open?" Carmela asked as she looked around.

I didn't respond because I was still scanning the area for potential threats. But no one seems to be around, not even Rex.

Shit.

After a few minutes of looking around the house and not seeing Rex, I began to panic and eventually cried. I couldn't keep myself together any longer as tears streamed down my cheeks, not knowing where to look for him.

Rex is my best friend, and most likely the only friend I've ever had. He is the only one I can talk to when I'm alone, and he has always protected us since our mother died. Sometimes I think Rex is an angel sent by our mother to keep an eye on us.

As night fell, Carmela and I boarded up our house and chained the gates. Still hoping for Rex's to come home, I gaze out the window from my room.

Though I know Rex is a strong dog, the creatures who killed Charles and Chester are still out there, and I found myself crying again as I thought of him in trouble.

"Hey," Carmela said as she entered the room, "I'm sorry about Rex, I know he's actually your dog and you and him were really close."

"All I want is for him to come back," I said, my voice breaking.

Carmela sat beside me, and as tears streamed down my face, she hugged me tightly, and I couldn't help but to cry even more.

"Listen, I was on the phone with my boyfriend, and he said his place is safe," Carmela explained, "and I want you to come with me."

I'm surprised as I break our embrace.

"No, I can't come," I stated emphatically, "if Rex comes home tomorrow, I need to be here."

"But what if Rex is dead? We can't wait for him forever! We have to go now!" Carmela exclaimed.

"If you want to go, go!" I said as I stepped away from her, "I can protect myself, and what's the point of boarding up our house if we're going to leave?"

"Adelaide, but—" she began, but I cut her off.

"I'm staying, I'm sorry," I stated emphatically.

Carmela exited the room without saying anything as I shut the door. I rushed into my bed, burying my face beneath the sheets, and bursted into tears. After some time, I heard the gate open. I peered out the window and saw Carmela reattaching the chain to the gate as his boyfriend arrived in a car.

When she left, I went downstairs and to the gate to make sure it was securely closed when I discovered a piece of paper stuck between the chains.

"Adelaide, I'm sorry if I have to leave. But I promise to come back! Merlin said we won't be too far and his men will protect us from those nasty creatures we saw. I know I can count on you and you can protect yourself. You don't need me. To be honest, I feel like I'll be a burden if I stay there. Besides, when our mother died she gave you the title of the house. So it's yours. All yours. I wish you could have come, but I understand your reason to stay. By the way, I left a walkie-talkie in my room if in case of emergency, you can reach me out." —Carmela

I crumpled the paper and threw it away. I was about to enter the house when a zombie attempted to break in through the gate. However, the chain keeps it tight and close.

I drew my pistol from the edge of my shorts and raised it towards the zombie. With a single shot to the head, the zombie collapses, his blood splattering on the ground.

1 WEEK LATER

The number of infected people started to rise on a daily basis. As I began researching the virus on the internet, I discovered that some people believe it was caused by a meteorite that fell on April 28, 2011 in China, but scientists and experts disagree. Nobody knows where the virus originated.

On September 5, 2011, the first outbreak occurred in Libya and Russia. Nobody knew what type of virus it was, so the WHO was caught off guard.

On October 18, 2011, the United States and European countries reported the same virus.

Even though the virus's rate of infection was increasing daily at first, no one took it seriously because it only caused coughing and sneezing in its first victims. Later, the virus mutated, causing its victims to become aggressive, violent, and cannibalistic. Those who have been infected will begin attacking the uninfected, and if you are bitten, you will turn into one of them.

And then, on January 10, 2012, the virus arrived here in the Philippines.

The virus rapidly spread, and our government was ill prepared when the dead began to attack the living.

Rex is still missing. I went out the other day to look for him, but I didn't see him anywhere in the neighborhood.

Maybe he's hungry right now, and where is he sleeping? What if he gets into some trouble? Please, Rex, come home.