The End is Just the Beginning 1/2

It's the end of the fucking world. I'm all alone. I've lost everything and everyone I've ever cared about. The only one who hasn't left my side is my beloved Beatriz. I know I'm not the only survivor left out there. I'm tired of being by myself, with only my thoughts: The memories of a much happier time......

I'll never forget that first day. I woke up with an unbareable headache from the festivities of New Year's Eve at the Thirsty Turtle - my beautiful girlfriend sleeping at my side. Her name was Shelah. She had long legs, brown hair, innocent brown eyes, and the most amazing smile. You know, perfect. We grew up together, only a few blocks away from one another in Pelham Bay. We never really spent much time together over the years because we went to different high schools and had different groups of friends. We reconnected about a year ago, and it immediately became something great. I was in love - Something I never knew before; something I never thought I could feel... We were the couple that they wrote novels about, and romantic screenplays. We couldn't wait to get married. We saw our children in each other's eyes: Baby, Mary Anne, and her big brother, James Maldonado. We were perfect.

I was woken up by a news report on my clock radio, rather than the usual 101.9 morning music. All I could hear before I shut off the alarm was "stay indoors." So I assumed we were probably just getting another snow storm. I woke up Shelah, and headed down to make some breakfast. My dogs were barking at the front door repeatedly. I told them to shut up. I figured there was a dog outside the house and they were just being territorial. My mother, Mary Anne, was already in the kitchen making eggs and wheat toast. She definitely wasn't your average mother. She was perfectly fit and incredibly hard working. Most people are exhausted after a single aerobic workout. She averaged 5 a day! Then she would come home and clean the entire hous,e and still find time to cook for me and my brothers. I helped her around the house because I was her only child still living at home. I definitely could have helped her more. I wish I did. Even though I didn't always show it, I loved her more than anything. She was the biggest part of what made me, me.

I guess u can say I was a good person - Stress the word "was." I was kind-hearted, loving, strong-willed, hopeful. I've always been a huge animal lover. I always tried to do the right thing, as often as I could. I worked out daily, making sure I always got my cardio in. A film major at Hunter College, I was almost ready to graduate. I was ready to spend the rest of my life in success and happiness. I had my whole life ahead of me.

So, after having breakfast with the two women who meant the most to me, I was going to drop off Shelah at her house and say hello to her parents. We exited the house, only to the sight of complete and utter chaos: Multiple cars crashed into one another, some on fire and smoking up the air... Many of my neighbors running for their lives, from their own family members. "What the fuck?!?!?" I screamed at this horrific site. I've had countless dreams about a zombie apocalypse, but never imagined it would really occur. The first thing i did was hit myself in an attempt to wake myself up. But, my intense headache gave me a pretty clear message that this was really happening.

The first words out of Shelah's mouth were "My parents!!!" as she jetted for my car. Immediately, I knew that this was a terrible idea, but I couldn't leave her alone. I had to protect her. So, I alerted my mother of the situation, to which she freaked out. I locked the door behind me and ran for my car, alongside Shelah. Her house is only about 5 blocks away from mine, so this wasn't a very far journey. I had no idea who was who, so I drove as carefully as possible, trying as hard as I could not to hit any of my fellow New Yorkers. Upon arriving at Shelah's, I knew that her parents were going to be safe. Her father locks up the place like a fortress. When we got to the front door, I noticed a mail carrier's bag on the steps, and stains of blood on the storm door. This wasn't a good sign.

After gaining entry, Shelah ran up the stairs - fastest run ever - and continued to call out to her mother. But, no answer. When we got into her living room, we could see her mother resting on her favorite chair. We tried to wake her up and inform her of whatever the hell was going on. But she wouldn't budge. I said to Shelah, "look!" as I pointed her to the bite marks in her mother's arm. Just as Shelah began to cry, her mother woke up, with the emptiest look in her eyes. She looked right at Shelah and reached out for her, scratching her neck and shoulder. I managed to pull Shelah from her mother's grasp, and headed towards the door, dragging her behind me. Still, she fought me. She didn't know what was going on, and didn't want to leave her mother like that. I had to tell her, "there's nothing we can do for her now, baby. I'm sorry. Your father can't be very far from here, and, judging by the look of the place, he isn't in much better shape than your mother right now." I couldn't keep her from crying, and I knew that there was nothing I could do to relieve this pain she was feeling. I could have only imagined how I would be if I lost my parents. All I could do is drag her to the stairs, and get her to her feet so we could escape.

There he was, at the foot of the stairs. Shelah's father looked up at us, as though he was ready to devour us both......