144 comments

Fiction Historical Fiction Fantasy

On March 3rd, 2021 the nationwide alert was heard on every T.V. screen, Radio, Phone, Tablet, Streaming service. Every electronic in the country was showing the same thing. โ€œDisturbance, Covid-19 now known as the Zombie virus, is catching faster and faster. The world is under a complete shutdown, no human is allowed in or out of the house. I repeat Disturbanceโ€ฆโ€

I turn to my brother quickly, the fear present on his face scares me more than the message itself.

โ€œWhat do we do?โ€ I ask him quietly, I donโ€™t want him to hear the fear in my voice.

โ€œWhere did you put dad's shotgun?โ€ He says standing up quickly.

โ€œItโ€™s in the cellar, along with our other survival stuff. Why do we need it?โ€ I ask my panic slowly slipping out.

โ€œHave you never seen the walking dead? They were once humans, meaning they arenโ€™t dumb. They are still going to know how to open doors, work weapons, drive cars, the whole shebang. We arenโ€™t safe, Cy. We have to find a way to keep ourselves safe. Dadโ€™s shotgun and the cellar should be safe enough.โ€ He says heading towards the basement.

I follow after him pulling a hand through my shaggy brown hair stumbling slightly down the stairs. โ€œOkay, But dad never showed us how to survive. You donโ€™t even know how to shoot a shotgun. Dad never showed you before he died.โ€ I say as he grabs the keys off the wall next to the stairs.

โ€œDoesnโ€™t mean I never learned by myself. Plus, how was Dad supposed to know we would be facing an apocalypseโ€ He says putting the key into the cellar lock and twisting until I hear the clicking of the brace locks coming undone.

โ€œYeah, well we donโ€™t know how to survive,โ€ I say now twisting my shirt as I look around the cellar room walls.

โ€œI was in boy scouts, remember? Just cause you never wanted to go to boy scouts doesnโ€™t mean that everyone doesnโ€™t know how to survive.โ€ He says grabbing the shotgun and then the bullets.

โ€œBut, Ty, what if we fail? What if the virus gets to us? Then what? We just die, Is that what dad would have wanted? We need to plan this out. Who is going to ration the food? Who is going to go upstairs and wash our clothes? Who is going to stand guard and at what time? Thereโ€™s a process to survival, so we have to get one that works for us.โ€ I say crossing my arms over my chest slightly huffing.

โ€œWe wonโ€™t fail, Cy, The virus wonโ€™t get to us even if itโ€™s in the house, dad made sure to get extra masks. The clothes down here are thick enough that it wonโ€™t touch your skin, Iโ€™ll go upstairs and wash the clothes every Monday. You can ration the food cause youโ€™re the mathematician. Weโ€™ll take turns standing guard, Iโ€™ll take the night shift and youโ€™ll take the morning. Is that a good enough plan?โ€ He asks as he surveys everything we have.

โ€œFine, but we have to take account of everything in here and continue to do so, In case we run out of supplies,โ€ I say finally taking a seat near the food, pulling the canned goods out, and starting to count them.

โ€œAlright, but can you be quiet while you do it?โ€ he says cocking the gun before putting the safety back on and placing it near the door where he is sitting.

โ€œYeah, okay,โ€ I reply absently as I count the canned soups.

{{{}}}

Here is some context on how I and my brother got to where we are. For starters, my name is Cylus, or Cy for short. I have two older siblings, a twenty-year-old sister named Sydney and a seventeen-year-old brother named Tyler. Our dad kinda had a thing for names with the second letter being Y. His own name was Ryder Berkley.ย My father was a Navy sailor. He loved the ocean and lakes. Which is why we leave near the beach.ย 

He and my Mother Stephine had a bad falling out a couple years ago when I was only twelve years old. Now Iโ€™m fifteen years old and She only calls once a year. Iโ€™m not complaining tho, she was never the nurturing type. My father raised all of us while my mother just stood by and watched. After the pandemic hit she just stopped calling altogether, Ty says she probably caught covid and passed away. I highly doubt that, the pandemic just gave her a reason not to call us anymore.

When our father passed of Covid-19 a week ago he set us up with enough money to live in this house until I go off to college, so Ty and I donโ€™t get separated or put in foster care where we wouldnโ€™t be safe. When school stopped we did everything virtually, I'm in the twelfth grade so I'm graduating this year with my brother Ty. It's been weird, to say the least, trying to keep up with my classes. I mean try being 15 in all advanced college classes during a pandemic, it's probably the hardest thing I've dealt with this year.

So that's the whole background so far of what's happening with the Berkley family.

{{{}}}

That night I sleep restlessly while Ty guards the door. The loud knocking comes early in the morning while Ty is sleeping.ย I grab one of the big jackets and shrug it on, I put on two masks and pull the hood over my hair and ears. I grab the shotgun and cautiously make my way up the stairs. I move in front of the front door and look through the peephole to see my older sister.ย 

โ€œHow recently have you been tested?โ€ I yell through the door, I hear her scoff

โ€œThis morning Cy, now open the door cause itโ€™s cold,โ€ She says, raising up a piece of paper up to the peephole that says she was tested at 0857 this morning. The results say that sheโ€™s negative and I unlatch the door and open it letting her in.

โ€œThank you,โ€ She says walking in and taking her jacket off โ€œWhereโ€™s Ty?โ€ she asks as she looks around the house.

โ€œHeโ€™s down in the cellar sleeping, weโ€™re doing shifts and itโ€™s my turn,โ€ I explain walking towards the basement door with her following close behind.ย 

โ€œWhy are yโ€™all in the cellar? Staying upstairs isnโ€™t going to get yโ€™all sick you know that right?โ€ she says as we make our way down the stairs and into the cellar

โ€œWe know, but the zombies are going to move just like humans and we have to be prepared for anything,โ€ I say as I place the shotgun down and close the door to the cellar.

โ€œUnderstandable,โ€ She says sitting down next to Tyโ€™s sleeping body.

"So, what are you doing here? Didn't you say you'd never stay in this house after dad died?" I ask sitting down in front of her.

"Yeah, but there's no time like the future right?" she says running a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, I guess so," I say and I turn around and lean my head on her lap with my eyes closed.

{{{}}}

Little did I know that would be the last time I ever had my older sister with me that year. Her eyes slowly turned bright green and her jaw became displaced. Her skin became a nasty pale color and her nails and lips turned blue. I would have to find a cure for her and I wouldn't stop until I did.


February 05, 2021 17:24

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144 comments

Nora Ouardi
17:01 Feb 14, 2021

Waittttt this is amazing- you have talent! ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

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12:56 Feb 16, 2021

Thank you! I'm glad you read my bio :)

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WOAH did not expect that! (Well at the same time i kinda did, but shhhhh) I LOVE the way you did your story! Here's a like in return for the one you gave me, and just because, here's a follow too! :) Also HELLO FELLOW HUNGER GAMES FAN :D

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Also *invisible rainbow flag emoji* I read the bioooo! I don't really support it myself tbh but that does not mean others can't and I am not a stingy Karen who judges others for it :) just wanted to add that lol Also fellow Hufflepuff Tech District (forgot which one that is lol, 7 I think?) and can I be a Marshmallow ;)

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15:00 Mar 04, 2021

no worries lmao, I talk a lot myself lol. trust me I'm the friend that sends a whole paragraph text lol. Thank you for the flag :) totally fine if you don't support everyone has their opinions no judgment from me :p YAY a fellow Hufflepuff. District 7 is lumber but yay Hunger Games Ofc you can be a marshmallow :)

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yayyy we need more ppl that don't judge, ppl can have different opinions and beliefs without having to hate on each other. Yayyyyyy hufflepuff gang Niceeee btw have you read the Hunger Games book that recently came out, The Ballard Of Songbirds or something like that? Yayyy I'll copy the thing in the description :D

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16:23 Mar 04, 2021

Right like, stop judging people for what they believe in... yeye I haven't but I totally want to tbh. :p

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KENNEDY PLANT
20:47 Feb 18, 2021

*Cough* *Cough* I don't have a rainbow flag..so I'm just going to stand here awkwardly waving my..*Wink*.....invisible rainbow flag. There you go. (:

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21:13 Feb 18, 2021

Lmao๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ You just made my day so much better thank you ๐Ÿ˜Š

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Eddie Thawne
16:32 Feb 17, 2021

Wow! This felt so real and emotional with the survival instinct kicking in. I never saw the ending coming. Beautifully written!

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17:21 Feb 17, 2021

Thank you! Means alot

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Eddie Thawne
18:19 Feb 17, 2021

You're welcome. Kindly leave a feedback on my latest submission, "Till death do us part", let me know what you think.

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19:07 Feb 17, 2021

Will do :)

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Moon From Earth
17:53 Feb 15, 2021

I know it's already been said a lot, but this would be an awesome first chapter for a book. I'd love to find out what happens next!

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12:55 Feb 16, 2021

I might do a part two idk...

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Zahra Daya
17:18 Feb 15, 2021

Oo, the ending on this leads me to believe this could easily be a novel. I loved that readers could relate to Cy's problems in the pandemic - it really pulled me even more into the story. For improvement, make sure you proofread for things like wrong capital letters and spelling. Other than that, very good job :) Also, I'd love it if you could check out my recent story and leave me some feedback (I love constructive criticism)! Hope we can be friends :) - Z

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12:56 Feb 16, 2021

I totalty will thank you! I'll check out a story of yours :)

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๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

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16:44 Feb 12, 2021

Lol you made my day so much better thank you :)

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Nainika Gupta
16:16 Feb 12, 2021

๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

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16:44 Feb 12, 2021

LMAO you made my day

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Nainika Gupta
16:46 Feb 12, 2021

:):) no problem! :D

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You left me on a cliff hanger I hope you finish this story in the future

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16:06 Feb 12, 2021

I might idk

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Courtney C
17:32 Feb 09, 2021

This was definitely a fun read, and props for the creativity of turning an epidemic into an apocalypse. As a pointer for next time, the earlier comments seemed right on the money - this draft reads more like a novel than a short story. Some of the characterization, while creative, doesn't necessarily need to be there in such a brief word count. It's enough that you know these things, unless you were planning to develop the idea further. Another thing: punctuation and capitalization. For the majority of your story, you had the hang of it, b...

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17:35 Feb 09, 2021

It was something I was hoping to make a novel... I just wanted to share the first chapter as a preview ig

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Courtney C
17:42 Feb 09, 2021

Okay, cool ๐Ÿ‘ having a bit more room to run, so to speak, would help with the pacing when you aren't constricted to 3,000 words. Good luck with it, it's a really cool idea

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Michael Boquet
14:30 Feb 09, 2021

A neat little survival tale. I like that you ramp up the suspense, right at the end. Is this a possible first chapter for a novel? It definitely reads like one. In the second section, instead of having your narrator say, "Let me give you context"; in future stories you could try something like, "As I counted the cans I thought about how we got here..." OR even add a tag that says "three weeks earlier" or something. Just some ideas for new things to try in future stories.

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16:28 Feb 09, 2021

I never even thought about that... Thanks!

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L.J Ferguson
03:04 Feb 08, 2021

A very fun.. and scary read๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป

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18:09 Feb 08, 2021

Thanks lol

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That Asian Creep
08:59 Feb 06, 2021

Wow, really well written. Sequel?

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18:08 Feb 08, 2021

Maybe, lol.

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Vale Scarlett
08:48 Jul 13, 2023

This kind of reminds me of Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier if you've read it. Also, good job bro this is amazing!

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Nyx :)
18:11 Apr 27, 2021

๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ I loved the story! your vert talented! ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

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11:36 Apr 28, 2021

Hehe...You make me blush... Tysm and I'm glad you liked it...if you did I urge you to read my other stories...(:

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Nyx :)
14:21 Apr 28, 2021

I will! us girl lovers have to stick together!

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14:24 Apr 28, 2021

Period boo. :)

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Nyx :)
14:40 Apr 28, 2021

hahaha. how old are you? (you could just give me an idea and if you dont want to thats cool)

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14:41 Apr 28, 2021

I'm 15 going on 16 in June :) you?

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Eva Bhalla
02:44 Feb 26, 2021

This was great-even though I am not a zombie fan this was great! Truthfully I would just scream if I was in that situation. Anyway, loved the detail and hope to see more great work! :)(Also don't have flags sadly-* me pretending I do*.)

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12:18 Feb 26, 2021

Thank you :) glad you liked my story.

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Eva Bhalla
12:59 Feb 26, 2021

Course! :)

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Theresa Anna
16:04 Feb 18, 2021

Fun read, I thought the family history gets a little info-dumpy tho and would have liked to see the sister bit played out scene-wise as he finds her...anyways good job! Keep writing!

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16:08 Feb 18, 2021

Thank you...You're not wrong about the info dump... I wanna fix but I have no clue how tbh. If you come up with any ideas let me know :)

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Zoe Knight
10:26 Feb 18, 2021

While I hate the idea of covid being even more dangerous then it is, I liked the story. Though I have to say, I see it more as a beginning of something longer rather than a standalone piece. I think one easy thing that could be changed is the exposition in the middle - it's not really neccessary. What we need to know is that their father died and how many of them are there, and that information could have been thrown more naturally without the interuption. :)

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12:22 Feb 18, 2021

I could see what you mean, however, it's just how he explains things... And it might be a part series idk... wherever the wind blows

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Un Known
23:37 Feb 17, 2021

Loved this story. Also, loved the Covid-19 zombie thing. What happens next?

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12:23 Feb 18, 2021

He gonna find a cure to get his sister back... it's kinda why I explained that he was a genius... And thank you!

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Un Known
03:29 Feb 25, 2021

Oh, sorry. I mean, can't wait for part 2. If there's gonna be one.

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12:21 Feb 25, 2021

There will be for sure and don't apologize... I was confused while writing this sooooo.... I didn't know where I wanted to take it.

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Un Known
21:40 Feb 26, 2021

Okay!

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Luna Wood
20:57 Feb 17, 2021

I really loved this story! ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

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16:18 Feb 18, 2021

Thanks :)

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