Standing high on the cliff of Gulfcrest, over the bay of Iliad, a picturesque port town in Alaska. A caravan of buses make camp for the night.
“I gotta hand it to you, the mountains are really beautiful here. I actually think this might be a good place to set up our efforts. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” Lea says to Jack.
Lea, a strong five foot six inch middle aged Korean woman with tattoos scaling from the tips of her fingers to the edges of her neck, speaks to Jack, your average forty something salt and peppery columbian american.
“What?! We. Lea. We were in Colorado. You came all the way to Alaska and you didn’t believe me?” Jack says with a confused look on his face.
“Okay, first. While I didn’t believe your idea of a sleepy port town in Alaska being a setting point for us, being a good idea, I did believe in YOU. Second,” as Lea is abruptly cut off, both whip their heads around at the sound of an aggressive scream.
With red veins scaling its face, blood dripping from its gnarled and blacked mouth. An aggressive beast in human skin lets out another inhuman scream as it charges full speed at the pair.
In an instant, Leas’ hand finds the handle of her six barrel long rifle, lifting it to aline with the charging creature. In a blood curdling blast and snap, the head of the beast is no more as it slams on to the ground with a sickening crunch.
“And secondly, It’s the zombie apocalypse, what else was I gonna do.” Lea calls back as she goes to grab a drink from one of the cooler boxes.
‘It’s been three years since the first zombie outbreak and six months since I asked these kind folk to put their hopes, dreams, and lives in my hands. All in the hope of building a new future in Iliad, Alaska.’
‘It was a small town that people would come to visit once a year. A quiet fishing village most of the year. That changed when Aqua Tech set up shop here.’
‘Within a few years, they built a massive campus across the bay, as well as a mountain of other innovations. They used Iliad as a testing ground for all their new tech. It was just poor timing that, on the day of the companys’ public launch, the world went to the zombies.’
‘Their tech would have changed the world. It really is too bad but maybe their work will help rebuild. At least, that’s the dream I sold my people.’
A few hours pass, the sun starts to set. It’s still early in the year so the sun goes down around eight. Jack and Lea have set up some chairs and such. Over by a jeep to watch the sun set, they’re joined by a few friends, Quinn, Ruby, and Pete.
‘Quinn is the youngest, early twenties. They’re a wiz at computers and anything you’d consider advanced. Mexican born, American raised. Kind but very impatient.’
‘Ruby is in her early thirties, standing at six feet tall. She was born in America but her parents immigrated from france. One of the most gifted medical doctors you will ever meet. A little odd, in her own world most days but a skilled and trusted friend. She gained most of her experience in the military as a combat medic.’
‘Now Pete is an interesting one. He has to be in his eighties but you couldn’t tell. Spitting image of a prospector but from india. Found him in a farm in Canada, baked out of his mind. Despite that, he had successfully run a massive farm single-handedly. He has proven to really know what he is doing. He even managed to grow a small farm on the roof of one of the buses. We will need renewable food once we settle down, so we asked him to come with us.’
“So let me get this straight. In the height of summer, the sun just doesn’t set?” Pete askes Jack.
“Not exactly. The sun technically sets and we get a few hours of darkness. Just wait til you see daylight at midnight. It really messes with you.” Jack says with a half-hearted chuckle.
“I do wonder how that will affect my crops. Hey, do y’all hear that”
In the distance, you hear inhuman screams and shouts.
“Oh it’s just a few zombies. Nothing to worry about.” Lea says as she lifts her rifle to her shoulder with a side smile.
“Yeah, I suppose so. It’s just that they sound a lot louder and angrier than normal.” Pete exclaims as he takes a drag off his pipe.
“You know, no, he is right. It’s getting louder.” Jack says as he begins to stand up.
What was a few lone cries are now a chorus of lung destroying bellows. Breaching over the hill, silhouetted by the setting sun, rushing at full speed, a hoard of a few hundred flesh eating beasts.
The first hundred slam against the bus closest to the cliff edge, sending it tumbling down. The next hundred slam into the next bus, knocking it to its side. Trampling over it like a leaf in the path of a speeding car. The zombies fling themselves from the cliffs’ edge.
With the engine running, the last few dozen slammed into the third bus. Trying to escape, the third bus speeds out past Gulfcrest and slams through an abandoned house.
Jack, Quinn, Lea, Ruby, and Pete jump into the jeep and begin to speed off.
“What the hell was that! I’ve never seen a hoard like that!” Jack exclaims as he pounds the steering wheel.
“Didn’t they seem unbothered by us? Like they were running from something?” Pete says as he stares back at the top of the hill. In the haze and dimming light, he swears he might see the grim reaper himself, staring back at him.
“Did any of you see anyone else make it out?” Ruby says to the group. Collective head shakes and shrugs until a hand shoots up from the trunk area.
“What the hell? Six?! How long have you been back there? Why are you back there?” Pete says as he grabs his arm and helps him up.
A tall, lanky, mid 20ish man stands up. Originally South African, He ended up in the same small town that Jack lived, at the age of four. He was obsessed with being the best sharpshooter in the world. Won silver in the olympics, even though he says he should’ve won gold.
“Hello. Yes, it is me. Two hours. Drunk. I saw the grim reaper on a horse.” Six says as he slumps back down.
“You too? So I wasn’t seeing things” Pete whispers to himself.
“Let’s worry about all that later. I know a place we can hold down till morning.” Jack says as he drives off into the night.
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