PROLOGUE

CHAPTER THREE –

– CHAPTER THREE –

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Everything was blurry.

Luke sat up and shook his head, clearing his vision.

He looked at his surroundings. He was on a cold, dirt floor with a wooden roof.

Then he remembered where he was. He also remembered the chaos that occurred some time ago.

He stood and walked toward the loose plank in the ceiling. But before removing it, he listened for the groans of zombies.

There was silence.

Then he had a thought. What if this had all been a long dream, and he’d been sleep-walking and ended up in this secret room?

But he shook the foolish idea in an instant.

Removing the plank, he was greeted by the morning sun. He was about to climb out when he realized that he should have seen the ceiling, not the sun.

What is going on here?

He climbed out of the underground bunker and stood in amazement at what he saw.

Where his house had once stood was now ruins. The roof lay collapsed on the ground, just inches away from sealing the hidden room. The majority of it was covered with ashes, evidence of a serious fire. There was only one portion of the wall left, and it was burned to a crisp.

Luke fell to his knees in shock. Despair crept into his mind as he realized all he once knew was gone. His village, his friends, and even his parents were never to return.

“WHY?!” He screamed. “WHY ME?!”

He then burst into tears, not relenting for quite some time.

His sobs eventually ceased when he noticed the sun setting. Rising to his feet, he wiped his tears on his tunic. The same tunic his mother had crafted him, he realized. At least he had something of value that survived the destruction.

Suddenly, he was reminded that he needed to find shelter for the night.

Well, at least I have that going for me. I already have a shelter.

He hopped down into the secret room again, bringing the plank with him and sealing the entrance once more.

I guess this will have to be my home until I find something better.

There was a torch on the wall, which he hadn’t noticed before. He smiled at this, even though he’d just had a nervous breakdown. Darkness was one less thing he needed to worry about.

Though he had been out of it for who knows how long, he was tired. He found a soft area on the dirt floor and closed his eyes. It was different than his nice, cozy bed, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about monsters breaking in his base.

It seemed like forever, but at some point, he finally drifted off to sleep.

He awoke several times during the night. Zombies constantly groaned, sending chills up his spine. Each time, however, he reminded himself that he was safe as long as he was inside his shelter and that they would never find him. At least he hoped.

After what seemed like an endless night, he finally heard the zombies’ screams of pain as they burned in the sunlight. Only long after the cries of anguish did he dare to peek outside.

He removed the floorboard again and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the sun high in the sky. Small piles of rotten flesh dotted the landscape of burned houses and charred trees.

That’ll teach ’em!

He crawled out of his hidey-hole with renewed confidence. Confidence was soon replaced with grief, however, as he looked at all the burned houses. Countless lives had been lost in the invasion, including his parent’s. Those who weren’t killed by the zombies were burned alive in their homes. It was horrifying to think about.

He felt like having another nervous breakdown, but he controlled himself. He forced himself to think instead about what he needed to do to survive.

He decided to search the village for anything useful that he could put to good use.

Walking out of the rubble which had once been his house, he made his way down the old dusty road. He spotted several small farming plots, but most of which were destroyed by fire. There was a couple, however, that had a few lone stalks of unharmed wheat. These he harvested.

Finally, he came to the schoolhouse. Countless memories had been made in this old place. It was still standing, miraculously, but damaged severely. He considered searching inside, but deemed it too dangerous. He didn’t want the roof to cave in on him.

Walking a little farther, he came to the fletcher shop. It was in surprisingly good condition, save the burnt sign and busted windows. He then wondered if his mother was inside.

Hopeful and also afraid of what he might see, he knocked at the door.

“Mom?”

There was no answer.

He pulled open the door, stepping inside. Glass covered the floor near the windows, and the front counter was covered with scratches. Other than that, everything seemed normal. It was clear the zombies hadn’t cared too much about this building.

“Mom? Are you in here?”

Still no reply.

Daring to go farther in, he stepped behind the counter and looked into the back room. An anvil sat in the corner, and barrels of who knows what lined the right wall. No one was in here. He was just not wanting to accept his mother’s death.

A lone tear ran down his face. He quickly wiped it with his sleeve.

He exited the store, being careful not to step on glass. He then looked toward the sun, which was still high, but slowly descending.

Already?!

Reluctantly, he headed back to his base. He would have to search the rest of the village tomorrow.