This is going to be long, which is something I don’t normally do. Well I made this one with two view points and from the first person perspective. I’m not so good at third person. This is (I hope) my best story yet.



Apotheoses (journal entry two)


Journal entry 2 January 19th 2015

I’m going to risk it and go to the ‘Armory’, which is what it’s called. I’m not too sure I’m going to make it.
…

‘I know this is stupid’ I thought to myself; actually thinking about my decision. ‘But if I don’t do this, then death is guaranteed’ I look at the dimly lighted room that I knew I was going to have to leave. I slung my long black trench coat on and lightly walked to the heavy metal door leading to the street.
I open the door and I’m met with a horrifying and foul stench at which I cringe and reach for a bandana in my left pocket. I tie it around my mouth and nose in a pathetic attempt to halt the smell. It helps but there is just a faint whiff of rotting flesh that is more then enough to make me gag. Bodies liter the streets, which makes the smell even more ghastly and putrefying. I stumble away from the worn building and to the middle of the highway; at least there I have some relief from the awful smell.
The highway is wide and leads straight into the city, I can see the faint misty mushroom cloud hovering ominously over the ravaged city, a whole week went by and still it says in that same spot, not moving, just getting more and more transparent. I'm not too sure where the fallout drifted but I know that salvation lies just two miles away



“Is the Geiger picking up anything?” I respond, “No, it’s been quiet so far” “good. Is there anybody around?” I look around at the carnage and debris scattered across the highway. “No sir, I’m on the main highway and I haven’t heard or seen anything.” I’m alone on this mission; given the fact that The Ovo corp. didn’t want to waste another ten-man team. I ask. “When is the Heli going to pick me up?” I hear a chuckle on the other end; “I never said anything about picking you up did I?” just then the line goes dead. “Hello…” I listen for a response, but all I hear is static, complete static, And nothing else.
I was the only person that the Ovo corp. used in this mission. I was sent here with nothing more then a G18 glock to protect myself, a Geiger counter, and a syringe full of a prototype cure. I don’t even know if they tested it. All they said was, ‘Incase you’re infected use this’ my pilot handed me it without even giving me instructions on when or how to use it. All it is to me now is, false hope in a syringe. I walk, alone, along the cracked highway. Stepping over the bloated and rotting bodies of the innocent victims of this horrid disease. “Jesus!” I stumble upon a body that is being devoured by doves of rats the size of a capybara's. At least I hope they’re rats.


‘God this place has gone to complete hell’ I think to myself, scanning the distant horizon and only seeing the faint outline of skeletal buildings. I’m just half-a-mile from the ‘armory’ I don’t have a watch anymore, neither can I see the sun to determine how much sunlight is left. I just keep walking in a straight line; that’s kept me alive so far. I have not seen a single thing since I left, and I’m starting to think that I may never see another living thing again.
I walked for another twenty minuets before I come across the building in which I was searching for. I look at the massive structure and one thought is going through my head that I can’t ignore, ‘There’s something in there’ I hope I’m wrong. I walk over to the solid metal doors and crack one open. I don’t see or even smell a thing, I open it further, but I still can’t detect anything. I opened it up to the point that I can get the barrel of my M4 inside. But then; I hear a loud, piercing shriek come from inside; the next second, I’m on the floor, staring up at a grotesque, dismembered figure that is unworldly. It looks straight into my eyes, and I stare right back. My M4 is nowhere in sight. I reach for my Magnum, yet the monster just stares at me, not moving, not breathing, and not even thinking. I’m fast enough to get the front and rear sights aimed and fixated over the chest of the beast. I fire a shot, recoil shooting through my arm and causing the gun to lift up in the air; I center the gun as the beast cocks back from the impact. I fire another ear splitting shot into the beast’s chest but it just won’t go down. I center the gun one last time thinking this thing will rip me apart if I can’t kill it. But as I’m squeezing the trigger I hear a gun shot from behind me. The beast’s head explodes, sending bits and pieces of rotten flesh in all directions. Then it falls to the ground with a loud ‘thud.’ I react on instinct, turning around, I aim the gun at the dark figure, at this point I’m lying on my back in an odd position, silhouetted by the shadow of the building. It walks towards me, then, without warning, it say’s “You shoot them in the head, not the body”

…

I look at this silhouetted person and ask, “Are you infected?” he quickly responds, “If I were, I wouldn’t have bothered to save your ass.” The figure walks towards me; I finally see the Ovo corp. logo on his Vest. I lift my magnum so that it’s level with his head, “Who are you, and why do you have the Ovo corp. logo on you’re chest?” he walks a bit closer; now I can see him clearly. He looks about my age, maybe older, and it looks like he’s been through hell. “I work for them…well not anymore.” “Why is that?” “I was sent here to measure the radioactivity in the blast radius.” “Why?” He sighs, “The Ovo corp. is going to send a ‘cleaning’ team here…” I interrupt him, “They already tried that and everyone they sent was killed by those…things.” “No they were killed by the Radioactivity around here.” “Yea, bull shit. Why don’t you work for them now?” “As I said, I was sent here to measure the radioactivity. I expected them to pick me up after I was finished but they didn’t. They left me for dead; Even though I have this.” He pulled out a syringe. I looked at it, and then asked, “What’s that?” “The Ovo corp. was trying to find a cure after they found out what they did. It was being researched for just about six months. They were able to destroy the virus but the effects differ from person to person” I had a hard time believing him, “Why would they leave you if they gave you that?” I stand up, keeping my sights between his eyes. He says “I don’t know, maybe they thought it wouldn’t work…fuck if I know.” I stand there, in silence; pondering over the idea of actually trusting someone. I didn’t want to, but this guy is tied in with the Ovo corp. Maybe he can help me get out of here. If I don’t risk anything, I don’t get anything.

Journal Entry 3

January 20th 2015

Food supply: acceptable. Ammo Supply: Excellent.

I decided to trust Travis, I’m not too sure if that was a good idea…only time will tell. We secured the gun shop; nothing else was in here, thank god. I don’t know what I’m going to do know; maybe I’ll just wait. No…. I’ve been doing that for far too long. If I want a way out of this, I’m going to have to go were it all started…America.
I miss the world and how it used to be. Especially when the world was at piece and the only worry was the Afghan War, which is just a thing of the past. A new war is being fought, the war for survival. So far, the odds are against me. Sure I got weapons and a hell of a lot of ammunition, but all the guns in the world can’t stop a virus. I need to get out of Russia…and it looks like Travis is my ticket out of this hellhole.


“Keegan” I look back at Travis who is sitting on a bench across from me. “What are you doing?” “Planning” He stands up and says, “well then, what’s the plan?” “I’ll let you know when I have one, for now, just try and stay quiet.” He sits back down, clearly disappointed. I look at the ground, kind of feeling shitty about what I said. I finally break the eerie silence, “You know what?” “What?” “I can actually remember how the world used to be before all this shit.” He chuckles, “Really? I can’t even imagine a city without those things in it.” “I lived in Wyoming, You know where that is?” “Damn right I do. That’s where all this hell started for me.” A light laugh comes over the both of us, “Well, that’s where life began for me. Wyoming was never really exciting or even unique; I would always say ‘When I grow up, I’m going to get away from the Rez.’ I would always say that, always. Even though I knew how hard life was. But one day, I finally got my wish. After high school I enlisted in the Navy. I passed my ASVAB test but there was only one thing that hindered my . I never liked guns. Even when I was younger I hated them. I would hunt with my dad but I would never tell him that I don’t like killing animals. Of course in was a way of survival for my people, but these days, you don’t need to kill something in order to survive.” I laugh hard, “Doesn’t seem that way now does it?” I sigh and continue, “Before all of this shit I was a gunner on the USS Ronald Reagan. I traveled from place to place. One day I might be in the Gulf of Mexico, the next I would be off the coast of Somalia or something. It was fun, but it was also hell. After the first Anti-Matter bomb went off near Manhattan New York. The USS Ronald Reagan was ordered to patrol the coasts of Europe. We were told that Russia might use nuclear weapons and we were ordered to ‘keep the piece.’ Well it didn’t work; just two days after that first blast, Russia unleashed a hell horde of nuclear missiles, strategically aimed to obliterate most of America’s large cities. We were able to destroy at least half of the missile’s in mid-flight however; the rest that got through ravaged all of the cities in which the missiles were intended to hit. Wyoming was one of them. I think you were able to get out of there in time.” He looked at me and said, “actually, me and at least three hundred other soldiers were sent there after the blast to comb the blast radius for survivors.” “Did you find anybody” “Oh we found survivors. Just not the ones we intended to find.” I had to ask, “What do you mean?” “There were people who survived the blast, but they fell victim to the Virus. Our entire squad was attacked. Me and a couple of team members were the only ones who escaped." He looked at me; a tear rolling down his cheek. "One of the one's who was left behind was my brother." The tear left his cheek and landed on the ground. Nothing but a small pool of regret and sorrow was left. I needed a way out of here, i might as well ask now. "Travis." He looked up at me and asked, "What?" Do you know were the Helicopter that dropped you off, is?" a slight pause, then, "Yea. all aircraft is supposed to return to base for refueling and storage." "But where is the base?" He thought for a second. "Umm... Seven clicks to the North, why." I thought about the plan. "If there are planes there, do you think you can fly one?" I saw the look on his face. I knew he was going to say no. "Umm... i have some training in flying an AC-130 but I don't think it's enough." I stand up, "Good enough, Let's go." he stops me, "Wait. We don't even have a plan to get there. We can't just walk over seven kilometers and expect to survive." "Well we can try." "No. we'll wait for morning, and then go get some transportation." I slap his hand away, “We need to go now.” He refuses, “We don’t know how much daylight is left. Traveling at night is the most dangerous thing to do.” “Oh… how do you know?” Travis opens his mouth to say something but all I hear is a piercing yell come from all directions. I look around but I’m halted by Travis shooting at the windows. ‘Fuck!!!’

I punch Travis in the side of the head. He falls to the ground but is still conscious. “What the Fuck are you doing?!” I yell to him, “I don’t know I… I… I…” the windows at the front of the store explode and is quickly followed by another shriek. I pick Travis up and we run for the back door, which is through the storage room. Travis leads the way to the door. He opens it and runs in. I stop at the door and look at the front of the store. There was a massive silhouette that was standing in the window seal. It was massive, and on either side of it were wings, the size of a man. It was an infected dragon. I knew this just by the way its head and neck are shaped. I know it sees me. I bolt inside and close the door behind me. Just half a second later the door is busted down by the pursuing dragon. I don’t need to grab Travis because he’s already at the back door. I follow close behind. Slamming the door shut behind me. ‘These things don’t know how to open a door, and this one is solid metal, so it should slow him down.’ God I hope I’m right.
Travis rounds the corner and by the time I turn the same corner he’s already in a car. The head lights are flickering which means he’s trying to hot wire it. I open the passenger side door and as I sit down the engine starts. I slam my door and we peel out of the high way into a neighbor hood, trying to evade the dragon which is flying somewhere in the sky. Travis’s eyes are fixed on the road a head. Were going about 90 mph by know, and were just driving in a straight line. I roll down the window and stick my head out. I can’t see anything in the sky, but then again its pitch black now. Travis slows down and he drives at a cruising speed of 60mph. I feel a hell of a lot safer know.
…

The road is dimly lit by the fading headlights, but I’m still able to drive without to much difficulty. “Where’d you learn how to hot wire a car?” I respond, “I was a bad kid when I was younger.” He laughs. I have a hard time getting comfortable with him around. I don’t know why but, I think I like him. I shake my head free of those thoughts. But I’m met with a loud thud. I look around and see figures running at the car. They don’t even try to avoid the car; they just run right at it. But soon I’m in the clear. I sit back down and slow the car. The car gets quiet, but then I hear a loud shriek come from above. Then I feel the car get lifted up. I feel weight less. I look at Keegan who is also in the air, just above his seat. I can feel the car turn around in mid air, and then without any warning I hear a loud crash and the sound of crumpling metal fills my ears. I can feel pain but all I see is black. The next twenty seconds feel like an eternity but eventually I awake. Everything is out of place and Keegan is nowhere in sight. I can see the road in which we just traveled and at the very end of it I can see the horde of diseased people sprinting at me. I hear a loud thud and then breathing just behind me. I muster enough strength to look behind me and all I see is a black dragon. The scales peeling off to reveal rotting muscle tissue and what appears to be an axe, stuck in the thigh of this monster. I move around but the next thing I feel is pain in m neck and around my head. Teeth. It’s teeth digging into my neck.