[center I'd liked to think I could forget the day the world came to an end, but it's not that easy. I could very vividly remember sitting on my parents' couch, watching my little brother open his birthday present. I waited patiently as he tore open the wrapping paper, screeching as loud as a seven-year-old could because he'd finally received that silly action figure he'd always pined after when we went to the store.]
[center He'd been so excited, he'd almost forgotten to give me mine. It was so strange sometimes, sharing a birthday with him. I had been so pissed on my sixteenth birthday. If only he'd held on a little longer, I could've had my Sweet Sixteen as we'd planned. Instead, I'd been stuck in the hospital, waiting for a "stupid" sibling that I had only come to love deeply. I protected that young boy with everything I had when it came to him growing up. Bullies? Never a problem. I was intimidating enough just by being older.]
[center My mother had cleared her throat and mentioned that he had something to give me. He'd grown even more excited, scrambling to get up the stairs to his room. He came back down just as fast, skidding to a stop in front of me. He handed me the small box, getting upset when I shook it to hear the contents as if that would help me figure out what resided inside.]
[center It was a charm bracelet, with two girls and two boys, each with one of our names on them. He swore up and down that it was his idea, though my mother told me later on that night that she'd been the one to suggest it. He had picked it out. I allowed him to keep his little "secret" up until the day he took his last breath.]
[center The day our house got broken into by one of them.]
[center This was the thing I was thinking about as I ran down the road, my feet thudding as they hit the ground, breathing labored as panic began to set in. The charm bracelet jingled ever so slightly with each step, definitely not helping with the memories that refused to leave my mind.]
[center I wish I could say I was surprised, but I wasn't. Even when I tried to be careful, I somehow managed to find myself in a very compromising position. I wasn't even sure how I really ended up running away from the horde. One moment there was nothing. The next, they were everywhere. It was a wonder to me how that worked at times.]
[center I was so tempted to stop, to just let them have me, but I wasn't really ready to give my life over to them. Not yet, at least. So, despite the stitch in my side, I continued to run, trying to think of what to do next. The best thing to do would probably find a way onto the roofs, but with no visible ladders, unless I really wanted to take the time to look, the idea was almost impossible. There was no telling what buildings were open, if I could even get to the roof from inside, or who or what would be inside. That just wasn't a chance I was willing to take.]
[center It wasn't until a shot rang out that I finally slowed, turning just in time to see the figure on the roof. I immediately felt more panicked. I had no idea if he was firing at me or the undead, but I wasn't about to stick around and find out. The only thing I was grateful for was that the sound had caught some of their attention, which was a bit of a relief, but that didn't stop all of them.]
[center Unsure of what else to do, I finally ducked into an alley, hiding behind a dumpster and pressing myself against the wall, placing a hand to my mouth to keep from making any noise, especially when the explosion occurred. Whoever this person was, they had to be out of their mind. Surely they had a death wish.]
[center Slowly but surely, everything had begun to grow quiet again. For a moment, I was sure the person had gone and blown themselves up along with the undead. It wasn't until he whistled that my stomach found its way into my throat. Even at his words, I was hesitant to come out of my hiding place. The undead were predictable. I knew what to expect from them. People on the other hand couldn't be trusted. There was no telling what sick, twisted things were running through their minds. I'd seen that with the last group I'd been with. It's why I'd left.]
[center Pulling out my pistol, I slowly stood, making my way out from between the buildings. I quickly aimed my gun at him, keeping some distance between the two of us. [b "Just stay right there,"] I said, quickly glancing around to make sure we didn't have any more company. Whatever he'd used had worked like a charm. I'll admit, I was a bit impressed. [b "If you plan on hurting me, I suggest you walk away now because I won't hesitate to put you down like a dog, do you understand me?"] Harsh, sure, but I wasn't about to let my guard down. Not with a stranger.]