Dystopia, He survived

"So how is school going? No teachers notes your hiding? Or plans to hire a parent for any conferences I dont know about?" She asked her daughter with a half cocked smile.

" Mooomm! Your never gonna let me live that down are you?"

"I have to admit Raylynn Mari , at your age not only would I have ever thought of that. But I would have never had the guts to pull it off."

" Well I guess with every generation comes a new and brilliant technique. Those before havent thought of. I think they call it evolution. Humans have since the beginning of dawn adapted to survive new and constant evolving environments." They both chuckled.

"Speaking of evolving and surviving. My assignment for this semester, is based on how our family survived the apocalypse of 2021. Basically digging out as much info I can in the history of life before, during, and after shit hit the fan. Do you think grandpa will talk to me about it? I dont wanna upset him by bring it up. So what do you think I should do?" They rhode quietly for a while. Listening to the sound of horseshoes thumping the dirt.

"'Clip-clop '" "'Clip-clop'"

'Hhmmph Nheeyyyy!! phooohpgsshh! NnaaaghAY!

"Wooow Woow girls calm down!.

I think grandpa would love to hear your interested in our families history. And to be honest Ive been waiting for you to take an interest as well. Its truly a sad yet amazing story of survival and to get the real effect it has to be told by him."

" How old was he when the outbreak began?"

In a cloud of dust they came to a stop just before the porch steps. With a bit of forced enthusiasm in her tone of voice she said. " Two! He was two when it began. He was the youngest person to have survived. But thats all I'll tell you. So no more questions its not my story to tell."

They unloaded thier groceries and continued talking." Also when you bring it up ask him about my grandmothers diary. She started one after the death of my grandfather up until the day she died. I read every page countless times when I was in my teens I memorized it word for word ." Once the groceries had been put away Raylynn with her notepad and jerky in hand told her mom she was off to grandpas.

" Have fun m! Are you taking one of my girls or yours?"

"Mine!"

"Can you put the girls in their stables for me on your way out?"

" Yes! Love you!"

"Love you too! Tell pops I said hi!"

She grabbed the saddle leashes and lead the girls out to the stables.

" NnGHAaayy Phoooossh!"

" Come on girls Hiiyyaaa" She put each of them in their stables then unsaddled and fed them. Lilli and Daisy were a couple of beautiful wild horses her mama was raised with as a little girl. When she finished checking their food and water supply she locked up their stables. Then double checking to make sure she didnt miss something. Once confident she made her way to the stable located at the back of the stable barn.

"NnaaayyPHoofsh"

" Hey their babygirl how are you doing back here?! I know I know Mom insisted i take Lilli cause Daisy dont like riding without her!"

"Nnaayyy HHhmphsshhh"

Aww come on Secret! Who wants an apple? Come on take it!" She

coaxed her horse out of her stable, She saddled up Secret who was a beautiful pearly white stallion, gramps gave her for her thirteenth birthday!

"Wooow girl, steady! steady! We're going to see grandpa it's not far. Your okay girl."

" NAaayY! ghheggghu !" Secret settled down allowing her girl to saddle on up. She was dew for a ride. After a few minutes they were off. It was a short block to her grandfathers shack. Not at all far from her house. He was never far away just incase they ever needed him. He was their rock.

" What brings you up here kiddo? Your mama okay!? Should I saddle up?" Jumping up from his porch chair in a flash.

" Mamas good! She says Hi! Calm down supergramps dont pull a hammy or have a stroke. Boy for a old fart you sure do move fast."

" Girl im probably the healthiest man in town. While your sore from a couple blocks of riding, at your young age. I am feeling like a spry spring chicken. I could run lapse around you for hours." They both chuckled as she leaned in to hug him.

" So Im not sure how to bring up the reason for me being here. Ssooo.... We have been given one assignment for this semester. The topic is based on how are family survived the outbreak. And when I asked mama she told me it was not her story to tell. Soo..."

After a long silence a single tear ran down his cheek.

" Hey if you dont wanna talk or its painful then forget I brought it...." He quickly interrupted, "do you have time cause if Im gonna tell you how we survived and in turn you will be writing a biography about me?! I will agree only if you give me your full attention. And also take notes. If my story is going to be written. I want it to be the truth. No adding to it or changing it." His life wasnt special enough to tell the world about. He humbly believed. But his story was worth hearing!

" Ive got my pen my note pad and some jerky. I'll whip up some lemonades, and im all ears!" She wasnt to thrilled about the topic when it was assigned. But the suspense was now chomping away at her mind. She placed their drinks on the table grabbed her pen n paper, and shouted. "Okay ready when you are." She could hear him down the hallway up in the attic rummaging through some old boxes. " Do u need a hand grandpa?" She shouted.

"Ahhaah!" He said in excitement. He then plopped down next to her placing the book along with a little red velvet flip open gift box that was worn. It was a rose red velvet wrapped jewelery gift box with tares on either side curling up where it had been torn. He stared for sometime. She went to interrupt the awkward silence "we dont have to....!"

" Ssshhoooshh....! I was just spaced out if you want to help me through this process just listen okay! If I pause, tear up, hell if i even cry, just give me a moment. And then I'll continue. Its a long story that happen decades ago. So unless ur hungry or need a bathroom break please dont interrupt, okay?!" She gave a silent nod. Grabbed her pen and listened intensely. He handed her a picture that was well taken care of for how old it was. Amazingly the image was still visible and radiated with love. She studied the photo and before she could ask he said " isnt she beautiful?!"

" Shes very beautiful is this grandma and my great grandfather?" He nodded!

" So wait thats you as a baby? She looked closer man gramps what a beautiful family. I hope my babies are as adorable."

"Babygirl when you have babies they will be more adorable than me at that age. Cause looking at ur beautiful mama as well as you. Ive realised that each generation is even more beautiful than the last."

"What were their names?"

"My mothers name was

Rebecca Mari Encinas.

But people called her Becky!

She was a beautiful person who loved me so much. This book is hers she kept a diary to tell her story. Our story its the only thing that will connect u to the family we had before the apocalypse. Read it skim it keep it pass it on to through generations add to it keep her memory and our families lives alive from her stories she gives details of almost every family member we had some with details about them some you will laugh, some you will cry, some you may even dislike but you will know them through her you will have a connection to your relatives.

Also this box is for you from her she passed away a few months after you were born. She named you. Your name Raylynn Mari Chadwick. This was the name she picked for me if i was a girl. After i was born she had her tubes tied thinking she wouldnt want another kid then she wanted a little girl who would look like her be like her and whom was smart and honest. You were her babygirl. The spitting image of her. Ray was mine and my dads middle name. Lynn was her mothers middle name. Mari was hers and her middle name. She wanted you to have this too. He slip the old bix over to me i picked it up inside was a heart shaped locket.

" What is it?"

"Put it aside for now and I'll finish the story!"

My fathers name was

Ralph Ray Chadwick J.R.

he went by Ray."

"Do you remember him?"

"I dont have any actual memories of events. But i do remember the sound of his voice and way he made me feel. It was a deeply rooted joy or happiness that lit me up. I felt like I was untouchable nothing could hurt me, if he was there. The amount of love my parents had for me was the most intense love i had ever felt. It was so strong its hard to truly explain."

" You dont have to explain grandpa i know exactly what your saying cause thats how I feel around you." He hugged her and said. " Now where were we?! Oh yea! My dad well he was my world. And mom she was my world and I was theirs!" He reached for the faded mahogany brown leathered notebook. It was a thick little book seemed that she added more paper to it over time. As some of the paper would change every hundred pages or so. He opened it up skimmed through it. Pausing to read a few things, chuckle then begin flipping through it again. He then said "It was the year 2021 I had just turned two on new years eve December 31 2020. Seven months later sometime in July of 2021. Was the beginning of the end. It from moms understanding started in Washington state. Here in America. Strangely enough that same day. It hit every continent on the planet roughly all at the same time. And it spread like wild fire.

At two years old i was a quick learner. And had the vocabulary of a five year old. And my best skill I inherited from my dad was the ability to pick up skills and words after only seeing or hearing it one time. So at that age I new all about monsters. So if mom said hide. I hid stayed quiet and wouldnt move until all we heard was dad.

Because of this it made us capable of traveling with stealth. Most two year olds couldnt grasp the importance of being quiet. Or were so terrified all they could do was cry. Witch made them less likely to survive. They pretty much were wiped out from the beginning. I maybe met a total of three kids younger than eight and only about roughly 200 kids whom survived between the ages of eight to sixteen. Put it this way. Your grandmothers generation I was 15 years their senior. "

Not alot of people trying to bring kids into an apocalyptic world. So mom and dad with me in tote, made our way across the states heading northeast up the map to get to Canada."

" Why Canada?"

He chuckled and said "because the zombies in Canada would be easier to defeat." With a wicked chuckle. After laughing he cleared his throat. And explained he was joking. This was a joke his dad would tell people if they asked him why Canada. His parents always managed to crack inappropriate yet wicked funny jokes. They were the kind of people that could find humor in any type of situation. But not just humor only they saw funny. But that kind of humor hinged on the truth of situations. Reguardless of the subject or situation at hand. They would light up all the people around even with some very inappropriate or touchy subjects. The both of them together was intoxicating to witness."

" So when did it happen? How did grandpa Ray die?"

She immediately regretted asking when the tears started streaming down his face at an increasing speed. He couldnt stop the water from coming and he didnt even try. That was the first time she had witnessed her grandpa cry. It wasnt a sob or dramatic loud over done cry like others who she seen cry, do. But more like a quiet respective moment of silence. And a broken faucet that streamed out in a steady stream.

" It had been a little over four months since the beginning of the outbreak." He continued.

"And in that four months, almost the entire planet was wiped. Over

two and three quarters of the human population gone. Entire countries within a few days were wiped of every human that turned into creatures. Fueled with rage, violence, and an unfulfilling hunger for live human flesh. It was almost a form of mad cow disease. If i had to compare it to a disease with similar symptoms. It was Four months later we had met a group of people forming a colony in a rural area with homes like cookie cutter neighborhoods. Working together they manage to reinforce a perimeter along the outlines of a town and with the colony growing with newcomers daily it wasnt long before the supplies started running out. My dad was who suggested a group of guys ganging up and going out to scavenge up as much supplies as they could find every few nights or so and as the colony grew. So did the demand of supplies. But also the groups of scavengers grew as well. Witch meant they were able to split and cover more ground. Then one night outside the gates of the colony my dad and some guys found a scared desperate heard of around seven stallion horses. They instantly took to befriending the humans. I think they were smart enough to recognize safety. A few days later he went for a supply run. The guys he was going with were not his normal group of guys. He was taking alot of newbies. In hopes to teach them how to do runs. Its unclear what happened exactly. On account no one else besides my father had made it back. "

" So he made jt back? That means he was okay though?!? Doesnt it?"

He took a long deep breath then sighed a nd hung his head and said "no! He ran to my mama and kissed her. Put a finger to her mouth. Then motioned with his eyes to his right bicep. While staring in his eyes it was the first time she ever saw fear in them. She dropped to her knees sobbing helplessly. I ran across the room to him. 'Daddy' he dropped to his knees he said Jaxtyn you were god sent. Everything I could hope you would be but so much more. Your strong, smart, and perfect. You have made me so proud to be your dad. Dont ever forget how proud of you I am. Or how much i love you. Take care of your mom! You have and always be her life support. Her reason to live. Just be the best version of yourself in life and you will get the best outta life. Dont ever stop surviving. He hugged me so hard and gave me a kiss. Then sent me to the other room. He then told mama she was his life his love and she was his always. And he was hers. She asked 'why did you come back'. she pounded his chest. 'Why!?' He said 'cause you needed the supplies I gathered.' And she broke down sobbing he said 'I love you Babe.' While he fastened a heart shaped locket around her neck and said 'I'll see you again. Babe now pull the trigger. He put the hand gun in her hand kissed her then pushed himself off of her. Starring in his eyes frozen with pain she watched his life leave him his soul drain form his eyes. She saw the rage fillup in his eyes. The empty dead eyes purring back at her. "Mama! get up! Shoot him. Kill him! Mom

She was in shock. She was unable to move. It had broke her completely. Then he charged at her. She screamed! Closed her eyes! And threw her arms over her head just as he was ready to pounce on her.

"'Clink-clank BBAanG Click- clank BbaANG Cink-clank BBAanG "' The last shot was a head shot it splattered his brain everywhere. Ripped his entire top of his head on one side off.

I was a baby only six years old when i got my first kill. I saved my mom from my dad. After he turned into a zombie. I never blamed myself even at six I understood I did what i had to do. And i saved my mom from a life full of blaming herself of his death. It was what needed to be done. He was at peace with what had to be done his strength gave strength.

She never forgave herself for freezing though. I never blamed her for it i froze to until i saw i would lose her too. The guilt she would of felt had shebeen the one that had to kill him would have been something she wouldnt have ever coped with. And his last words 'be strong she needs you.' Stayed with me my whole life. She lost her light when he died. For years she seemed to just pass through life on standby doing what she had to do to make sure I survived. But one day she woke up something inside her had changed. She said he came to her in a dream. It had felt so real. In the dream he had filled her with such an intense happiness that stayed with her. She called it his light inside her. Said thats what he did in her dream he came back to her to give her his light so she would always fill him with her and she did. I believe she truly believed he had found away. And what she felt was real because she felt his presence. To be honest I felt him there with us too. I cant explain but he was there always with us. A year later all the zombies were

dead. Their dead bodies succumbed to the extreme environments witch caused them to melt into jello. Or become stiff petrified rotted corpses. They would harden up eventually turning into dust. Five years and the end was over. A strong few had managed to survive. It was five years of running hiding and constant survival living. The cause of the outbreak is still unknown. For many years their were rumors and speculations that it was aliens from outer space. Who were trying to wipe us out. Or some thought it was the rapture of some sort of religious beliefs. And some blaming other countries. Honestly i believe it was mother nature taking back her land then again aliens might have done it or maybe it was a small corpporation or just one entire accident a grave one. I guess not knowing the truth is probably better with no one to blame means no one to hate. kinda just works out. The years that followed was me and Mama trying to find where we fit in.