---Trigger warning!---
There are mentions of suicide and self-harm in this story.
Read at your own risk.
---
I was 14 years old when it happened. I heard screams ringing out on the usually peaceful streets of New Aeros.
Never would my 14-year-old self have imagined the horrors that happened that day.
The police were quick to arrive, guiding us to safety.
Though one thing I noticed, was a man with a bite mark on his leg.
The next thing I remember was that same man biting into the neck of a police officer.
The man was quickly shot, though that left the line open for the dead to get past.
I watched in horror as my parents ran with me, as the dead swarmed the police line, devouring the officers, and any who were too slow, as they went.
My parents and I immediately ran for the center of the city, where the warp station was.
When we reached the station there were thousands of people there.
The military soon arrived to help. They set up stations to check if anyone was bitten. Those that were, got shot dead on the spot.
Eventually, someone turned and sparked a chain reaction, causing all hell to break loose.
My parents ran with me back home, where we thought it was safe.
Turns out it wasn't.
My parents told me to run, as they were being gunned down by armed looters.
I managed to outrun them, considering I did track back in my freshman year of high school.
When I knew I was safe, the reality of the situation hit me like a hover-truck.
I had watched my parents die.
I had watched hundreds, if not thousands of people get eaten by their fellow citizen.
I was now alone, nobody to depend on.
This is how it was for a year and a half.
I was hiding from a bunch of crazy people calling themselves the "Followers of the bloody rose."
They were, and still are, a group of people who were desperate enough to eat the flesh of humans, making them no different from the dead.
Luckily, all of them are dumb as rocks.
Half a year later…
"SHIT!" 'What happened to stealth Zara?!'
I'm currently running from a horde of undead. Why might you ask? Because I was stupid and accidentally tripped a car alarm while looting.
"It's almost night, FUCK!" Night in New Aeros has become dangerous ever since the infection began.
Monsters we call "Hunters" stalk the streets at night.
Never seen one myself, but I heard from the veteran scavengers that they are almost impossible to fight and can outrun a hover-car.
In other words, if one sees you, your dead.
They have a glaring weakness though: UV light.
I'm almost tempted to call them vampires due to that weakness, but it wouldn't be accurate.
I ran down the road as fast as I could, until I ran into an alleyway with the dead still tailing me.
"I guess it's good I learned how to get out of situations like this." I ran towards the wall and jumped up, planting my foot against the wall before jumping to another.
I repeated this series of actions until I was on the fire escape of a building. I climbed up the escape and made it to the roof.
"Well... might as well test that new glider Opera gave me."
I pull my bag off of my back and open it, revealing a folded-up contraption and everything I scavenged for the day., "Let's hope I don't die."
I take the device out of the bag and put it on, causing the glider to unfold.
"'Just run and jump Zara! it'll be fine Zara!' Yeah right." I run towards the edge of the building and reluctantly jump off.
I fall slightly, before I feel myself moving forward at a steady pace, "Huh... It actually works."
I glide over the horde that was chasing me earlier, "Can't this thing move any faster?"
I soon regret saying that, because not a moment later I get shot out of the air by a Spitter, "Damnit, were you a marksman before turning?!"
I fall to the ground fast and hit the ground hard, "Damn... That hurt."
I get up as quickly as possible and see the directional signs to the settlement, "Finally."
I follow the signs and eventually make my way to the settlement. Only...
"Why is the gate busted down?!" I quickly run inside the settlement and see undead eating the bodies of the settlers.
I quickly run towards the building we use for emergencies like this, killing a few undead along the way.
I enter the "Safe house" as we called it. I see a survivor from the attack cowering in the corner, facing away from the door.
I walk up to them, "Hey, do you know what happened?" I ask.
They don't respond.
I tap them on the shoulder...
...And they quickly turn around and grab my arm, biting into it, "SHIT!"
I pull out my knife and stab them in the head, killing them instantly.
I pull my arm from their mouth and drop my knife, leaving it in the person's head.
"Fuck!" I immediately realized that they were infected, and that now I am too.
I pull out my makeshift pistol that I made just in case of emergencies.
I press the gun against my head, feeling my heartrate rise at the cold touch of the barrel against me.
I hesitate, not wanting to go out like this.
"I can't!" I throw the weapon across the room, causing it to go off and hit the dead person next to me.
I'm not much of a crier. But in that moment, I couldn't help but cry until I fell asleep.
An hour later...
I wake up to a burning sensation across my whole body, "AH ARGH!"
I clutch my arm, where the sensation was at its worst.
The pain eventually became so bad, that I passed out.
When I woke up, it was night. Thankfully the UV lights were still on, or I'd be Hunter chow.
"I'm... alive?" I look at my arm and see that the bite has already healed, although its scarred.
I look over at the undead that bit me. I get up of the ground and walk over, before ripping my knife out of its head.
I clean the blade by wiping it on my pants, "Am I... Immune?" I ask myself.
I look at the bite mark on my arm, wishing it wasn't there, "I shouldn't go flaunting this around, people might get the wrong idea."
I walk over to where I threw my gun, "'Course its broken, why wouldn't it be?"
I exit the "Safe House" and look around to see that all the undead are gone, "At least I don't have to survive in here with a bunch of infected."
I decide to leave the settlement in the morning, permanently.
I go to where I usually slept and sat on the cot, thinking, 'I was only out for a few hours and yet that bite wound is healed completely. How?'
I grab my knife and push it into my unbitten arm, drawing blood, "It's kind of green... The hell?"
I pull the knife out of my arm and see the wound heal at a slow, but visible rate.
"The hell happened to my body?"
I lay down on my bed and fall asleep, deciding to worry about it tomorrow.
---
When I open my eyes, I find myself standing in front of myself, who was crouched down next to a shadowy figure, who appears to have been shot.
"Hey... Don't cry about me Zara... We only knew each other for about two days... No need to get so worked up..."
"But I said I'd protect you!"
I try touching the shadowy figure, only to pass through them.
"Its fine... I did kinda make that impossible for you when I jumped in front of that shot..."
"I probably would have been fine!"
I guess they can't see or sense me at all.
"I don't care...! *Cough* *Cough* All I care about is being helpful..."
"And I finally was! I saved someone special to me... Take that dad!"
"You can't joke around like this right now; you need to rest."
"Zara, we both know how this is going to end... I was shot by a Chosen... Only you could survive that."
'Shit, this guy is toast.' I think to myself.
"..." My copy remains silent before replying, "I know..."
"I have one last request, Zara."
"Yeah?"
The shadowy figure smirks evilly, "Kick their ass for me..."
The shadowy figure goes limp, still smirking. My copy sheds a few tears before turning opposite the shadowy figure and calmly, but with hidden rage, walks away.
I close my eyes and reopen them to see that it was just a dream, "These dreams are getting weird."
I get up off my cot and collect as much stuff from the settlement warehouse as possible. I discard my broken gun and my glider that got destroyed.
I found some bandage wrappings to cover my bite mark up with.
I walk by a mirror and look into it, "The fuck?!" My hair and eye color have changed.
I used to have generic brown eyes with boring black hair, but now I have white hair and bright yellow eyes that almost look like they're glowing.
My skin tone is still light at least, "I wouldn't be surprised if I grew a third arm at this point..." I sigh.
I continue to pack up my things. After getting everything packed up, which consisted of a couple of UV lights and some food and water, I set out into the city.