1 The beginning

Erin smiled at the world around him as he pedaled through the streets, the vibrant colors of fall flashing by, the cool wind caressing his face.

To his dismay, his pleasant ride came to an end when he reached his house. Erin opened the garage door and walked his bike in. When he opened the door that led into the house, he was surprised by his little brother and sister.

They jumped on him, laughing.

"Erin. Er-rin~ You're back!" Lisa shouted as she climbed up his body.

"Did you bring me any snacks?" JJ asked as he searched through Erin's pockets.

Erin had two siblings who were both 7 years younger than him. They were twins who had just recently entered 3rd grade. JJ was a little tsundere trouble maker while Lisa was an open but slightly manipulative child. She would always get her way when she used her watery eyes and pout, but luckily she hadn't morphed into a spoiled brat.

"Yeah, I'm back, and yes, I brought you some snacks."

JJ dug deeper into Erin's pockets. He rummaged for a few seconds before his cute face lit up.

"Beef jerky!"

Now that he had gotten his prize, JJ withdrew his hands. Erin chuckled and rubbed his head.

"I don't get a thank you?"

JJ looked down and blushed. "Thank you."

Erin grinned and ruffled his hair. "C'mon, back to the table. Finish your homework fast so you can play later."

"Okaaaaayyy." The two twins groaned as they grudgingly walked back to the table.

Erin went back to his room and began to work on his History project. Ten minutes in, he got bored and gave in to the temptation of his phone. He was scrolling through his feed and looking at the cute animals when his phone buzzed violently. A text message.

"NATIONAL EMERGENCY: ZOMBIES. DO NOT GO OUT!!! MILITARY WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE CITY. STAY PUT AND BARRICADED. THIS IS NOT A JOKE OR A DRILL."

Erin jolted out of his seat and went to go warn his siblings when he heard the sound of shattering glass and the terrified screams of the twins.

He dashed out of his room, grabbing his baseball bat on the way. When he ran to the living room, he saw JJ whacking a snarling, bloody man with his textbook who tried to get at a crying Lisa.

Erin's vision tinted red and he ran over to the man and kicked him off his sister. The man groaned and stood up slowly.

"Look, I don't know what you want, but you better get out of here. I have a bat, and the cops are coming..."

He trailed off when he saw the man's face. One half of his face seemed to be chewed off and his eyes were completely black. Special effects makeup could never reach this level. There were bullet holes in his clothes that oozed dark abnormal red blood.

This was no human. There was no need for a second look or even a hint of contemplation. This was a zombie.

Erin charged at the zombie that was starting to regain its bearings. He swung at its head, making the zombie fall to the floor once again. He hit it. Again. And again. And again. The skull cracked. Then caved. Then shattered. Mashed brain and blood flew everywhere. Only when the head was completely pulverized did Erin stop.

He pulled away, breathing hard, almost about to hurl.

He looked towards his terrified siblings.

"Look it's dead. It'll be alright," he said as he tried to maintain a calm facade.

But they kept staring at the zombie behind him. Erin turned. There was another one. It was crouching over the body of the one Erin had slain. How did it sneak up so quietly? Slurping noises and the sound of tearing flesh echoes through the living room.

Erin motioned for his siblings to back away. They did so obediently but were still scared for their brother.

Erin carefully stepped back, but he stepped on a piece of glass. Crunch

The zombie's head jerked up. Unlike the one it was feasting on, it had normal eyes but had red irises. A chunk of flesh was carved out of its shoulder, but it looked relatively unharmed.

Before Erin could react, it lunged, going for his throat. Erin barely knocked it off of its course with his bat.

"RUN! This one is different from the last one! Get the gun from the safe! Go through the backyards and get far away. Don't go to the streets! Find Charlie! He lives down the block!"

The twins looked at Erin, reluctant to leave him, despite the mortal peril looming over their heads.

The zombie lunged again, hands clawing at Erin. One hand raked down his chest to his hip diagonally in an instant. Erin stumbled back and tried to hit the zombie away, but its claws easily tore through the wooden bat.

"HURRY AND GO!" Erin shouted before it lunged once again, for his throat. This time, Erin couldn't knock it away, and its teeth dug in.

He fell to the floor as the zombie began to eat and the pain began to set in. He tried to wrestle the zombie's head away, but it had abnormal strength. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see JJ crying as he pulled a frozen Lisa away to follow Erin's last instructions.

He breathed a sigh of relief when they left, but it came out weirdly, only a gurgling and whistling sound could be heard.

Then a loud thump was heard. The zombie lifted its head and turned to face the source of the sound. Another loud thump. The light was blocked and a huge shadow appeared. When the zombie was distracted, Erin pulled away with his arms and dragged himself next to a chair. he tried to lift his head to see what was going on, but his muscles were all eaten by the red-eyed zombie. He struggled to lift himself into a slightly sitting position. If he was going to die, he might as well see what the fuck the other thing was.

When he saw it, he was shocked. It was a huge red zombie. The zombie was around 7ft tall and it was packed with muscle. Despite being packed with power, it wasn't too bulky. A killing machine. That is the first thing that came to Erin's mind when he saw it. The red-eyed zombie lunged at the big one and clawed it, but it only covered its head with its arms. Its arms and hands became covered with wounds and dark red blood. Compared to the other, it was much slower, but the red-eyed zombie had a tough time moving around in the enclosed space. The big zombie's arm shot out and grabbed the red-eyed one by the head. The red-eyed zombie struggled in the other's grip. The big zombie quickly twisted the head off with ease. It then began to munch on it like an apple. Erin almost hurled at the sight.

It quickly finished off the head and lumbered towards Erin. Then, he felt a sharp stinging pain in his chest. The big zombie pulled something out of his chest. It stepped away, its prize in its hands. A red, beating heart. The crimson blood dripped down its arm. It opened its mouth and popped it in. Erin's vision and consciousness began to fade as he saw and heard the big zombie slowly walk away in search of more red flesh. Just before he completely lost consciousness, he realized something. The zombie wasn't red because of a mutation. It was because it was soaked in blood.