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One Week Earlier

She could hear and see two black objects pounding loudly against the concrete. They emitted a booming sound that reverberated in her ears when they collided against the hard surface, but were at a distance in which she could barely make out their details.

The sound kept growing louder.

She needed to do something, and preferably soon, or else she'd be late.

Crossing to the left was too dangerous. Enormous beasts swiftly zoomed by that side, producing powerful gusts of wind each time one passed. She couldn't see what they looked like. It was all a fleeting blur, which left as soon as it came. All that remained, after their rapid pummeling against the gravel, was the scent of smoke and some other burnt material.

The path in front of her was the only route she could take. It would have ample space, if it weren't filled with various kinds of giants.

Black boots started coming into focus. They were near. The scent of synthetic material attacked her nostrils, along with humidity, sweat, nachos and an irresistibly potent one. It was hypnotic. At the last minute, she came to her senses and quickly swerved to the right.

The fat giant continued on. Obliviously concerned with a destination, as well as, the sub sandwich in his hands.

She struggled to breathe in the heavy air. It offered little comfort, but there were bigger obstacles to face.

One more block—that's all she needed—then, she would be safe. She ran as fast as she could.

White shoes.

She veered to the left.

Black shoes.

She veered to the right.

Charging forward, she ran in between looming pillars of legs. There were so many of them. Too many! It was exhausting.

A pair of blindingly glossy red heels clicked and scraped the surface of the sidewalk. They were headed in her direction. Instinctually, she turned and almost collided against a huge pair of brown shoes.

The man rapidly halted. Perhaps, a little too abruptly for his comfort, as his shoes skid across the grainy surface.

"Hey!" He screamed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his body unstably wobbling in all directions when his feet fought for purchase.

"Stupid cat!"

She heard him yell before turning the corner, and reaching the alley.

Panting heavily, she cautiously took a few steps forward, but paused when she saw a figure at the far end. Her quick breaths, that were coming in sporadic bursts, were cut short when a sound startled her.

A groaning sound bounced from the walls and amplified throughout the area. Groups of rats skittered in the opposite direction. Some hid within trash cans and others behind the dumpsters lined up against the walls. A scraping and rustling sound came from the figure. She sniffed the air, but garbage was the only smell that surrounded the area.

It was hunched over and lazily hauled each foot against the ground as it approached.

Another groan.

A man started coming into view. He had a beanie that covered long, greasy and stringy hair. Strands fell over his shadowy face. A wrinkled shirt covered a lumpy upper body and several holes decorated a pair of shabby jeans that were frayed at the bottom. The frayed ends were caked with the street sludge they had been dragging over.

When he was near enough for her to see who it was, he yawned and scratched his left butt cheek. [Image above]

"S'up, Muffins?" He said while stretching.

Muffins approached the man and sat in front of him. She meowed her request.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses! I got the stuff right here."

He placed a handful of leftovers in front of her.

"Shredded it for you. Best steak in town. I can't believe someone would throw away half a rib-eye!" He exclaimed and slowly sat near her.

Muffins carefully ate the shredded steak. It was delicious, better than the canned food her Anna gave her.

A thumping sound emanated from within the dumpster next to them, causing her to jump back and crouch against the ground.

"What the hell was that?" The homeless man stood up and began to open the dumpster's lid.

She took several steps back and gripped the ground with her nails. The hair on her back spiked upwards. Her ears twitched incessantly. Something was wrong.

When the homeless man peered into it, something growled from inside. His body trembled, momentarily petrified, he remained leaning over the edge. He began to move, but a pair of hands wrapped around his shoulders and pulled his upper body within. The lid smacked repeatedly on his back, as his legs aggressively kicked the air. The dumpster bounced a few times with a loud clanging sound that almost drowned out his shrieks. A final amorphous scream echoed, before the crunching sound of bones and chewing replaced it.

Muffins yowled and ran out of the alley as fast as she could. At the entrance, she halted and looked back. The only visible sign of the homeless man were his pair of legs slowly disappearing and the lid slamming shut after them.

"Hey kitty, are you lost?" A fancy, blond-haired woman stopped and picked up the cat. "Let me get a better look at your information." She said as she reached for the tag.

Muffins hissed and with lightning speed swiped at the woman's hand.

"Ow!" The woman quickly jerked back, accidentally dropping Muffins in the process.

The cat meowed loudly when she hit the ground and scampered off.

"Wait ... oh, forget it." She watched the cat agilely dodging pedestrians on the sidewalk. Running swiftly into the crowd, until there was no sign of her.

Holding the hand close to her face, she inspected the injury. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw tiny droplets of blood had emerged from two jagged scratches that ran from the top and across the index finger. With the clean hand, she frantically searched in her purse.

She took out a bottle of hand sanitizer and poured its contents liberally onto the wound. Nervously, she rapidly rubbed both hands together. Reaching into the purse again, she shakily pulled out a napkin to wipe off the excess fluid.

"Just in case!" She poured some more sanitizer on her hands. "Serves me right."

With a heavy sigh, she shook her head.

The woman continued walking.

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***[1,066 words]

The real Muffins, curled into a ball and sleeping.

From the next chapter on, it will be present day. Zombie action picks up more 1/3 of the way. This story is somewhat a bit like a stereotypical B-Movie. If you want to maybe have a laugh, you can listen to the songs at the scenes or event they belong to. Quite to what extreme does all the silliness go to? Will be evident with the songs and some of the images. If you want the story to be a bit more serious, then ignore the songs. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy it, along with the music and the artwork. Don't forget to vote on the chapters if you do.

I controlled my verbosity. There was no better way to force or challenge myself into simplistic and "to the point" writing than present tense. Of course, that also means that through its simplicity, it's also more difficult in many ways.

My cat was the inspiration for the drawing above, with some modifications made. Drawings are lazily cropped and photographed, as well as—occasionally—inconsistently drawn due to severe time constraints. So please, put that wet noodle away.***