Begining at the End

Chapter 1 Rebirth Dusk settled over the city, shadows cast over the once vibrant streets. Anna wandered through the vacant street, memories of the daily hustle and flooded her mind. A faint scream in the distance brought her back to the unsettling reality; it was time to get back under shelter the reapers would be venturing out soon. Shaking of the trip down memory lane Anna set off at a jog in the direction of her shelter, her mind focused on the reapers. “Reapers” that was what the men with fancy college degrees had decided to call the once humans, undead humans that could hunt like animals. They had destroyed so much, less than a year before these streets had been at the brink of overpopulation. Dallas had become ground zero for the outbreak that would send the nation into chaos; it was the Ebola scare of 2014 that began the chain of events that would lead to destruction. In 2014 the Ebola scare stole the attention of the media all over America, if only we had known what had really been happening behind the scenes. The government had staged the Ebola outbreak as a cover for their mistakes, now death in a reaper infested wasteland was all that was left.  Anna moved quietly as the last glow of the sun began to slip out of sight, reaching the entrance of shelter just as the screams began to echo and the sunlight faded completely. Inside the dark she secured the door, waiting for any signs of the reapers nearby. Her breathing labored as she leaned against the door, another day at ground zero. “Mom, is it safe?” The soft whisper was from her son; Matthew was perched at the top of a dark staircase.  “As safe as it can be. Where is your sister?” Anna climbed the stairs, running her hand through her son’s hair as she reached him. “Christine is sleeping. Did you find anything for her today?” Matthew asked. She felt the sadness in his voice. “I found a few things; you can see what you think. How was everything while I was gone? I didn’t mean to be gone all day. You do a great job keeping watch and taking care of your sister.” Anna said softly as they walked into a room on the left side of the stairs, handing Matthew the pack she had been carrying on her back.  “It was another day, nothing happened.” Matthew settled onto the floor in front of a bunk bed, on the bottom was Christine snoring softly wrapped in a dingy pink blanket.  Sadness and love tangled with Anna’s emotions, she slide to the floor to watch her son shift through the pack. They lived mostly in the dark; the only lights were old solar yard light that she had collected on her ventures out into the city for supplies. The lights gave a soft glow and the only sounds were Christine’s soft snores and the sounds of her brother rummaging through the pack, it was a typical post Reaper night. Anna smiled as Matthew pulled a small teddy bear from the pack, his face lighting up. He had pulled cans of food and bottles of water from the bag, but the teddy bear was the source of happiness. Quietly he stood and laid the small bear next to his sleeping sister, then as quickly as it came the smile vanished. Matthew set to work hiding the food behind a board in his closet; they had found out very quickly that humans could be worse than the reapers. After closing the entrance to their make shift panic room he yawned, sighing he climbed up onto the top bunk. Anna watched her son stare out the window into the dark night, to only be 10 he had become very adult. She stood and moved to lean on the bed, placing her hand on her sons, no child deserved this life.  “Did your sister and you eat?” Anna asked quietly, she always tried to keep food and water in stock. “Yes, we ate earlier before the sun began to set. Did you find anyone out there today?” He asked about survivors everyday Anna went out.  “No one, it looks like everyone has left the city. We may want to think about finding a new place soon too, with less people the Reapers will get worse. It won’t be easy but we can’t stay here, they will eventually find a way in.” Anna straightened up, moving silently to the window as a scream echoed nearby.  A chill slid down her spine as the scream died out, the sound was just too close for comfort. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips, another night without sleep was staring her down. There has to be a safer place than this, somehow she would get her children there. Anna sat against the wall opposite the window, watching the darkness, wondering how she would manage. Every so often a scream in the night would echo in the distance, bringing her thoughts back to reality.