The crowd roared to life as our team moved closer to the yard line. Chants echoed throughout the bleachers showing the intensity of our team spirit.

"Blue and white! Titans fight! Fight! Fight!"

I wasn't much of a "paint your face your team's color" type of girl. I didn't really know much about football, to be honest. I would have much rather enjoyed cozying up to a nice book or catching up on some studying, if it wasn't for Jax being on the football team. Even my mom and dad were more hyped up about it than I was, as I watched them shaking their pom-pom sticks.

"Oh look! They're bringing Jax out there," my mom said, pointing down toward the field.

The crowd cheered louder as they watched him jog out towards his team. The girls sitting in front of us were especially annoying, penetrating our ears with their screams.

I bit my lip, secretly admitting that I really couldn't blame them. His seventeen-year-old body looked as if it was a grown man's; he was nearly six feet tall and so handsome. Soaking in the sight of him striding along, it was like watching some Baywatch character in real life, except that his shirt was still on. Man, was I watching too many movies!

I thought about the first time I met Jax. When he and his mother moved next door to us six years ago, he was completely closed off. I'm not saying that I was taking any initiative to talk to him. I was super shy and awkward as hell, but things started to change when our moms became close friends. It wasn't long before we became friends too.

As time went on, our bond grew stronger as did my feelings. Lucky me, I had blown my chance of turning our relationship into something more when he asked me to the seventh and eighth-grade dance three years ago. Out of pure fright of possibly making a fool of myself with my two left feet, I stupidly said that I couldn't go. My lame excuse to him was that I'd be visiting my great aunt Mallory.

That night, after I supposedly came back from my great aunt's house, we talked about the dance. I had actually spent the evening reading the Harry Potter series, again. Jax couldn't stop talking about a girl he danced with; her name was Stephanie. I pretended that it didn't bother me and tried to change the subject.

I had missed my chance that night, and I was forever in the friend zone with him.

The crowd cheered, bringing my mind back to the game. Leaning over my mom, I asked, "What position is Jax again, Dad?" I didn't know anything about football. I knew that, like most sports, each team had to score on opposite sides. Other than that, I didn't have a clue.

"He's a tight end, which can open up a gap through the defense for a tailback to run through. He can also protect the quarterback and the running backs from getting sacked too."

"I have no idea what you just told me," I said, smiling through my teeth.

My mom chimed in, "You and me both!"

"He can also catch a pass, which he told me about that play, so hopefully they run it," Dad continued, as his eyes remained glued on the game.

After someone yelled "hike!" bodies slapped together like a wrestling match, tossing one another down to the ground. I couldn't see Jax at first, but as he bulldozed his way through the other team, he started running towards the goal line. His body turned back as his teammate threw the ball. Adrenaline rushed, jolting me to my feet. As the ball sailed through the air, Jax jumped up, catching it as he fell into the touchdown zone.

The deliriously excited crowd came alive once again, hooting and hollering. Even I participated in this one; not one person was sitting. We all watched as Jax was greeted by his teammates with chest bumps and pats on his helmet.

My face could not stop smiling. Not because we scored, but seeing Jax happy, made me too.

Feeling my phone buzz to life, I pried my eyes from the field and reached into the pocket of my windbreaker.

GOVERNMENT ISSUED ALERT-AN UNKNOWN OUTBREAK HAS REACHED COLORADO-PLEASE STAY INSIDE AND LOCK YOUR DOORS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Reading the bold block text over again on my screen, my brows furrowed in disbelief. I looked over to my mom and dad to show them, but they were already looking at their own screens. Hearing the chants die out and more ping sounds made me look around. Each persons face in the stadium illuminated just like my parents.

Small chatters began to erupt on both sides of the field and then soon escalated as people started shouting their questions aloud. Instead of cheers and whistles it was utter chaos and frantic noise. I looked back down at my phone and imagined what type of outbreak it might be. Swine flu? A repeat of the 1918 influenza pandemic? We've lived in the small town of Pagosa all my life and have never experienced an alert like this before.

Mr. Dominguez, our principle, started walking toward the middle of the field with a microphone in his hand. As he spoke, the crowd became quiet, anticipating his message.

"Everyone! Please remain calm. Everything is under control. Due to a broadcasted alert," he said, waving his phone in the air, "we will have to postpone the rest of the game until we get more information. Please exit the bleachers in a calm manner and return to your homes. Thank you."

"What's going on? What outbreak is it?" I cocked my head, looking for an answer.

"It's probably nothing, sweetie. Most likely, it's just some sort of flu or something," my mom said as she took my hand and squeezing it gently.

"Let's get going before we get stuck in traffic," Dad said, standing up and stretching.

"I need to call Jax's mom and let her know the game has been canceled." Pursing her lips and skimming the crowd for any sight of her, "She's probably already here."

Helping my mom look, I stood up and scanned the crowd. Suddenly, my eyes narrowed in on the opposite side of the field. Before I could register what was going on, a group of people in the bleachers had begun climbing on top of one another, kicking and pushing as if their lives depended on it.

My breath began to quicken as I stared at a woman whose mouth was covered in blood. She was being held back by others, unable to escape their mob.

Next to her was a man who was gushing blood from his throat. His body shuddered until he was no longer moving. My eyes opened wide in disbelief when he stood up and started attacking someone else. "What the..." I muttered.

Swarms of bodies tried to push their way from the scene, like a sea of waves clashing. Some began falling off the ledge at the top of the brick stairs.

Screams echoed out through the cold night as we watched the madness unfold from our side of the field.

My head turned towards a loud screech coming from the left. Before I knew what was happening, people started to claw their way past me to get away from the screams.

I grabbed my mom's hand and held on for dear life as my dad tried to shuffle us away, in all attempts to keep us together. I didn't want to look back at the commotion that was going on behind me.

"Stay together! Don't let go of your mom's hand!" Dad shouted as he tried to make a path to the exit.

I firmed my grip as I tried to follow my mom, stepping through and over people. Before I knew it, my hand slipped from my mom's grasp and I lost my footing. I tried to get back up but the weight of panicked people kept flooding over me, kicking and kneeing me in the process. I tucked my body into the fetal position, waiting for it to be over—hoping I would survive.

"Evren!" my mom shouted.

Trying to get back on my feet, I could see my parents just inches away from me.

"I'm right here!" my voice quaked.

My mom was the first to reach me, but before I could turn toward another piercing scream, my dad jumped over us and tackled someone down.

They scuffled with each other and my mom ran over to intervene. The person's face came into focus and I could see chunks of blood smeared along his jaw and cheeks. His eyes were not of his own, but black as the night sky. It could not be possible though. They were only made up through fiction of an imaginary mind. I was starring in the eyes of a zombie.

With his mouth wide open, he bit my dad on the shoulder. My mom could not pry him off my dad, but his eyes widened as he turned to face my mom, making her his next target. My dad started to convulse beneath her feet as she tried to fight the zombie off.

"Mom!" I screamed in agony as I witnessed my mother being torn and eaten alive. I could feel bile rise from my throat as my brain tried to register what was happening.

Dad soon woke with the same dark eyes and began biting her leg. My body trembled at the sight of my parent's humanity disappearing before me.

Feeling someone grab hold of my hair, I quickly turned to see its gaping, crusted and bloody mouth wide open, trying to bite my face.

I tried swerving away from it, but I lost my footing and tumbled down the stairs to the first row, dragging the infected along with me.

Its body weight on top of me made it difficult to breath. I managed to place my feet on its chest, thrusting it far enough away that I could stand back up. There was no time to take a moment, as another came at me full-force, nearly pushing me off the ledge. It was at least an eight-foot drop from the bleachers to the football field.

My hand immediately went to his cold throat, trying to keep his infected mouth away from me. Beads of sweat glided down my forehead as my jaws clenched.

Darting glances from the corner of my eye, the other zombie that I had pushed backwards was now crawling up my leg. I could feel his hands penetrating through my jeans and making contact with my skin. In one violent motion, he sunk his teeth into my leg.

My head flew back, feeling the pain bolt through my body as I screamed louder than I ever had before.

Out of pure reflex to get away from the pain, I threw myself backwards. I watched my long brown hair float forward as time slowed. Bracing for impact, I moaned in pain as my back made contact with the ground.

One of the infected had held on during our fall. His eyes locked onto me giving it pure adrenaline to not stop. It was clear that no living person existed there anymore. I forced my body to crawl away, digging my hands beneath the soil as I dragged myself.

Running towards me, with helmet in hand, Jax swiftly made contact with the infected and sent it flying backwards. Not stopping, he continued to bash at the zombie until it moved no more.

I felt Jax's arms lift me up and carry me away to a small dark room. Through my hazy vision, it looked like the shack they kept the sports gear in. He laid me on the concrete floor, tore the bottom of his shirt, and wrapped it around my gushing wound.

"You're burning up," he said, placing his hand on my forehead.

My lips quivered, and then my body began to shake uncontrollably.

"I've... been... bit."

His hazel eyes caught the light from outside and they shone so beautifully. His lips frowned, "Everything is going to be okay."

"Don't let me turn into one of them," I pleaded.

"Don't you give up on me now," he said, as he took my hand. "You're going to make it! We're both going to make it, you understand?"

Tears fell down my face as I remembered what happened to my parents. "My mom and dad," I whispered. "They didn't make it."

Jax looked away, trying to take in what I had just said. He loved my parents just as much as I did. They always treated him like a son. He wiped his face before looking back at me. "I have to find my mom. She was heading over here."

My head was getting fuzzy as I was shutting down. I couldn't get up and I couldn't stop him from leaving, even if I tried. I was too weak. Feeling the pain all over my body was causing me to come in and out of consciousness, until there was only complete darkness.

                                ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃ ❃

Two Years Later

I threw the hatchet with full force, watching it glide through the air and hitting its target. The Z's body tumbled to the ground, giving the Earth a big thump before lying motionless next to a snag tree. A strong unpleasant smell of putrid entered through my nostrils, making my eyes water as I got closer towards it. Even after two years of enduring the changes the world had to offer, I was still sensitive to it. That smell was the perfume of our planet now, since the Z's took over. Within months, the entire continent had been infected, bringing a mass downfall of our food and resources just like that. We were in a time now where fire was your light, your weapon was your friend, and your two legs were your ride.

Humans slowly began dying out, or worse, turning. You were either eaten by a Z, or turned into one, depending on how hungry they were.

My bites had left me scratching my head as to why I never turned. Of all the people in the world, I was the one that was immune to them. Nevertheless, it was a curse not a gift.

Tons of stories have echoed through my ear. People talked about where the source of the problem was that created our doomsday. Some had said it came from a group of scientists experimenting with a new antidote in curing cancer that went wrong; others attributed it to the end of days and our last judgment. I have had my fair share of guesses, but I still could not wrap my head around the fact that, of all people, I was still alive and not them.

Memories of my parents and Jax pushed their way into my thoughts. I wished I had said that I loved them one last time.

My body stiffened as the memories tried to invade my thoughts. I squeezed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them back up.

I skimmed through the dry seasoned woods, confirming that no more Z's were coming this way.

I kicked at its feet with my heavy boot to make sure it was permanently dead. I do this with every Z that I take down. There is no room for assuming or having doubts. That is what gets you killed; that is what gets others killed.

My eyes stared at the Z's face as my hatchet sat lodged in its skull, reflecting the sun's beam on its blade. It was a woman this time. Her decomposed and shredded skin, showing her cheekbones and ribs, would normally make it hard to tell, but her blonde locks meshed with dirt and blood gave it away. It was still hard to put them down, even after countless Z kills. My mind was still fighting with me on the fact that they were once living and breathing people who were trying to survive.

The flair of the sun penetrated my back as I felt sweat start to run down my neck, reminding me of what I was trying to find. My throat ached for water the more I thought about it. I yanked my hatchet from the corpse and placed it in my side pocket holder. Feeling the weight of Lucy gave me comfort.

"Atta girl," I whispered.

She was my one and only friend that was always by my side; she was there whenever I needed her. I knew it wasn't normal talking to a hatchet, but she was a part of me and I her. Now I got why Tom Hanks was sad when he lost Wilson.

It felt like hours walking on foot, with no signs of a water source anywhere within the woods. My boots felt like bricks, as my feet started to drag along the dry cracked dirt. The sun's gleam was no longer peeking through the patchy overhanging limbs of branches. Darkness took over as the moon illuminated unevenly throughout.

I snapped my head to the left at the sound of movement. I couldn't tell if it was a Z, but from the noise of it echoing through my ear, whatever it was, was close.

I hated nightfall and I hated that the Z's made me afraid of it like I was a scared little child.

I needed to find higher ground, especially as my focus was not as sharp. Dehydration was kicking in. I would surely be toasted if the sound I heard earlier was a horde of Z's. I had to stop and rest to gain what strength I had left.

Feeling my way through the darkness, I found a tall and strong enough tree to support me. Climbing up, I secured a spot on its thick trunk right by another one, close to my side for support. Hugging the tree with my thighs, the bark digging in through my jeans, I threw my bag forward in front of me to grab my rope. I wasn't going to take a chance in falling. I wrapped the rope around me and then around the side trunk. I tightened the knot, feeling it hug my waist.

Soon, my eyes grew heavy as I slipped away.