Dannie struggled to fall asleep; the wind beating against the window kept him from finally achieving a well-needed rest. The seasons were beginning to change, with autumn creeping away, allowing winter to slowly take its place. The snow had yet to come, but the short days and longer nights hinted its inevitable arrival. He laid in his room on his mattress, which had now become stained and dusty. A single candle in the center of the room with a flickering flame was all that held the dark at bay. Dannie was huddled into a ball, holding onto as much heat as possible. He began to wonder about the difficulty that lay ahead. His heavy clothing was enough for now.
But as the temperature continued to decline, its sharp sting would soon begin to bite at his body. Scavenging for wood to burn would be dangerous. But the alternative was freezing to death. He sighed at his prospects, but this was his reality now. His 26th birthday was coming up, and it made him sad for a moment. He thought of his family; they all died during the start of the infection. The world had come to an end, filled with the living dead. And those like Dannie, fighting every day to avoid becoming apart of the mindless hordes. In the morning he would make the perilous journey to the hardware store and look for any useful supplies. If he could only fall asleep.
As the sun began to rise, Dannie was awoken by the light coming through the window shades. He forced himself to stand up and stretch. On his way to the front door, he grabbed his pack and some more items. He opened the door and stepped into a pitch-black hallway. Dannie lived on the 15th floor of an apartment building. But without power, the stairwells he used to move around were always void of light. He turned on the flashlight and made his way down the stairwell to the front of the building.
When he was finally outside the hardware store, the sun had finally set. Dannie did not like going into buildings at night, but it was safer than staying outside. He walked up to the entrance, took a breath, removed his knife from its sheath, pushed the sliding door to the side, turned on his flashlight, and entered. As much as Dannie tried to control his breathing, his nerves made it difficult. This was a new location farther than his normal store, which no longer had what he needed. He could already hear the shuffling footsteps and moans of zombies inside. He hoped it was only a few, because any more would be trouble.
He started his hunt; he passed the checkout kiosks, making his way to the aisle. He thought he might as well start with the aisle closest to him. As soon as he entered the aisle, his flashlight revealed two zombies roaming in the narrow space. There were no obstructions on the floor. He approached slowly, making as little noise as possible. When he was within arms length of the first zombie, a petite female with half her face missing. He plunged his knife into her skull. This caused the other zombie, a tall but slender man, to take notice and begin to attack Dannie. He quickly removed the knife and closed the gap. He sidestepped the zombie and kicked the back of its knee. In an instant, it fell to the floor, and Dannie plunged the knife into its skull. He removed the knife and looked around for any zombies that may have approached unnoticed. Nothing appeared as he pointed the flashlight from one end of the aisle to the other. The next five aisles were empty on both sides, but the sixth was a nightmare.
On the left and right, zombies crowded the aisles. Dannie counted at least twelve. Shiiiiiit! he thought to himself. How am I going to kill twelve zombies without causing a swarm? No way I can do this without light; I am dead if I try. He quietly distanced himself and began looking around and saw that this store had a small second-floor office. He had to get up there to camp the night away or risk death. He went up the stairs slowly to not make noise. When he reached the top, he grabbed the door handle and hoped it was not locked. His hand rotated, and to his luck, the knob began to turn. He smiled and almost laughed out loud. He slowly opened the door and pointed his flashlight inside. After inspecting, he froze when his flashlight lit up figures cowering in the corner. It was a girl pointing a gun at him, with another girl hugging her tight. Shiiiit! Dannie thought.
Dannie stood still as he stared at the terrified girl pointing a gun at him. Even though he was worried she might fire at him and alert the zombies down below. He was also shocked, as this was the closest he had been to a girl in years. She was dirty, but he could still see her strawberry blonde hair, grey-colored eyes, and soft facial features. Dannie knew he had to be careful or he was going to get shot. The girl was breathing heavily, and her hands were very shaky. She spoke to him with a broken voice, filled with fear. "Le--av--e, I'll kill you. I won't let you hurt us." Dannie stayed silent for a moment before he replied, "I don't want to hurt you; I came up here to hide from the zombies down stairs. I had no idea you were up here. Please don't fire. I promise I don't want to hurt you. Can I put down my flashlight so the light is not in your eyes?" The girl took a moment before she responded, "slow--ly, I will sho---ot you; I swear I wi---ll."
Dannie slowly put the flashlight on the floor at an angle between them so the light could fill up the room. Now they were both visible in the light. He put up his hands to show he was not holding a weapon. Dannie spoke, "I am not armed; I am just trying to hide like you; all I have is my knife. Also, if you shoot me, the noise will bring the zombies here. If they surround the stairs, no one is getting out of here." The girl looked at Dannie; she had a look of uncertainty. Her breathing had calmed a little, but her hands remained shaky. She replied, "Go somewhere else, please; I don't want to hurt you, but I will to protect my sister." Dannie looked at the other girl that was hugging her; she was shaking; she must be terrified.
He could not see her face, but her hair matched her sisters. So Dannie responded, "If I go back down there, I will die. What can I do to help you calm down so that I can close the door behind me?" The girl shook her head and replied, "I can't trust you; I have to keep my sister safe; please leave, or I will." Before she could finish her words, a zombie in the store nocked over something heavy because it landed with a loud bang. The sound startled both Dannie and the girls. That's when Dannie heard the gun click. He looked shocked at the girl, with her finger having pulled the trigger. Empty, the gun was empty.
