Updated.

I recently found out that there is an official novel of the prequel of Dawn, called "Firestorm" by Greg Keyes. I just purchased it from Coles this afternoon, and I've noticed a few flaws in my characterization.

One, his wife's name is Maddy, not Kathy (but I was close). Also, his two sons are John and Edward, not Mark and Dylan like I estimated.

So, I'm updating and correcting all my chapters up to date as of now. :D

"Sarah, sweetie, its time to wake up."

Groaning at the sound of my name, I rolled over on my bed to face my mom. Opening my eyes a crack to see her shining face, she opens the blinds and lets the morning light flood into my room. The intense rays hit my face and blind me instantly. I jump back with a cry and bury my now aching head under my pillow, groaning in pain.

"Come on sleepy head, you don't wanna miss breakfast do you?"

At the sound of that, my stomach replied with low, hungry growls. I huffed in defeat and sat up slowly, stretching my tired stiff limbs till I felt satisfying pops free my joints. Leaning over to my night stand, I reached into the drawer and pulled out my paper mask, slipping it over my head so it hung loosely off my neck. Throwing off my covers and jumping off the squeaky springs, I followed Mom into the other room where Dad was grilling on a hot plate.

"Morning, darling" Dad called out, over the sound of sizzling eggs and hash browns.

I yawned a "Good morning" reply and took my seat at a side of the small square table. Mom walked up behind me and gave a soft kiss upon my bed head. I looked up at her with a beaming smile and gave her a kiss upon her cheek. Leaving me to my food, she noticed how dark it was in the room. Walking up to the window over the sink, she drew back the curtains and let the natural light enter the house. Outside, I could see people roaming the sparse roads and sidewalk's with paper masks covering their faces. They looked weak and hungry, scavenging whatever they could scrape off the street for trade. My chest pained at the sight; what had happened to our world to let it fall to pieces like this?

Dad said it was caused by a group of wild apes that escaped the 'Gen Sys' labs up north, and that they were infected with disease that spread to us. The people were calling it "The Simian Flu." Thousands of people had died already within the first six months of the illness, and the Government had issued closed ports, and curfews under martial law when the people started to get restless. Every night, I would hear distant gunshots in the darkness, and the horrified screams of men, women, and children who broke their curfew to try and scrap something to eat. Those that tried to outrun the law were shot under authorized deadly force. It was scary living here in the city, because there were so many out their who were unpredictable, and would do the unthinkable just to try and stay alive. I guess living under fear was the best way to keep order. Anything as little as a pocket knife or bottle of pills nowadays could be the difference between life and death. Mom was with the CDC, and they were trying to find a cure to stop this; but so far nothing.

I prayed that they would...and soon.

"Here you go, princess" Dad chimed setting a steaming plate in front of me. The heavenly aroma swirled around me and I felt my mouth begin to water. Wasting to time at all, I grabbed my fork and started to shovel my meal down my throat. Dad poured Mom and himself a cup of coffee and sat down in their seats with the paper spread out in front of them, murmuring to themselves about the latest updates on the sickness.

"Looks like it's spread to England. Already 15% of the population is infected in a few weeks!"

"But didn't they already shut down the airports?"

"Looks like somebody managed to weasel into the border before they did and spread the virus."

A moment of silence swept into the room like a chilling wind. The air went still around us before our eyes, and Mom's expression began to change. She scrunched her eyebrows together and upper lip curled with her crinkled nose. Her eyes began to gleam with moisture.

"Oh my god..."

The sound of Mom's voice began to quiver, and she stood from her seat and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Dad's face melted into one of deep concern, and he quietly followed suit. From where I sat, I could hear her quiet sobbing from through the door. In midway putting another fork-full of food into my mouth, I slowly glanced up behind and towards their bedroom door. Hearing her cry like that...it made me want to cry myself. I could tell from her tone, she was scared for the future, that the world was really ending. Dad slipped himself into the room and left the door a crack open. Quietly, I slid from my chair and tiptoed to the frame peering inside. Dad had his strong-arm wrapped around Mom's shoulders, holding her dear and close to him. Mom's shoulders quivered and her body shook as she wept in his embrace.

"It's all coming apart" I heard her whisper under her sobs.

With a heavy, sorrowful sigh, Dad pulled her closer, and whispered reassurance into her ears. "You'll find a way. You're one of the brightest in the C.D.C. Don't be saying things like that Ellie, I mean, we're all still here. Alive and together as a family."

Dad glanced up as if on cue and turned to meet me in the eyes. I jolted back startled and sunk my face behind the frame. Did he know the whole time I was here? Maybe I shouldn't have listened in, am I in trouble?

Mom looked up with tears in her eyes and saw me eavesdropping as well. With a small smile, she softly called out my name and opened her arms to invite me into the room. Slowly coming out of hiding, I peaked in to see her. I stepped into the room cautiously making my way towards them. Their friendly faces encouraged me not to be afraid, and I climbed upon the high bed with all my strength. Clutching tightly upon the thick sheets, I dragged my tiny body onto the mattress with a huff. Sitting up, I placed myself between them both and felt their love envelop me. Mothers hitched breaths were calming to gentle sobs till she exhaled with peace in mind.

"I-I'm sorry Peter...Sarah" she whispered to us, "I will be stronger for us, and we will beat this virus!"

The enriching power in her voice struck courage into our hearts, and I believed every word she said. Virus? Let's see who will live to tell the tale; of how the humans beat the Simian Flu! Mommy will find a cure, and she'll be the one to save us all!

"You can do it Mom, I know you can!"

Hearing me say that brought a smile to her face. The gloomy depressing feeling that clouded the air around us gradually dispersed, and Dad pulled us all closer together. Mom and I let out a surprised cry, and fell gently as one upon the mattress. I let out bubbly fits of laughter, and we cuddled into his barreled chest. He soaked in our warmth and affection to the last drop into his skin, warming his chilled heart for our worlds circumstance. It may be difficult, but we will find a way around this epidemic. Humanity has endured several other plagues and illnesses before in the past where it seemed all was lost, but we always fought through it to the end. Recovery will be a slow process, but I know that we will endure.

Time heals all wounds, and in time, we will see this as another historical event.

Black Death, Asian Flu, Spanish Flu, all had dramatic effects on man kind, yet we still thrive and live on as Earth's dominant species. They'll write this into the history books and teach about it in school, just another story how humanity lived through the worst.

Just wait and see.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The sound brought the three of us out of our fun and broke us apart. Dad slipped out of bed and left the room. Mom slowly stood from her spot as well and cautiously poked her head around the corner. When Dad peered into the peek hole, a big smile came to his face, and he excitedly swung the door open. Who stood outside were our friend's, Dreyfus and his family. Mom's eyes lit up when she saw him and waved me over to greet them saying who it was. I slid off the bed excitedly and bounded across the room. Charging down the hall, I met them with a big smile on my face. Beside Dreyfus was his wife, Maddy, and his two sons, John and Edward. It was an exciting time when they came over to visit cause they had two kids close to my age I could play with. Dreyfus and Maddy were so nice, but it was rare when Maddy came. She was with the U.S army you see, so she was always drafted to somewhere on the other side of the world. But now during the flu, she was needed here to keep the peace at the checkpoints and zones. As soon as she saw my beaming face, she got down on one knee in her baggy camo-pants and stretched out her arms.

"Hey there, doll face" she cried with a smile, embracing me tightly.

"Hi Aunt Maddy!" I replied with the equal amount of enthusiasm. Even though she's not my real aunt, Daddy wants me to call her that out of respect and love. I like calling her "Aunt" cause it makes it feel like she's one of the family.

Once we let go of each other after a while, I turned to the boys. "Hey guys, how's it going?" I greeted.

"Its been good. We found a new house closer to dads work and closer to you guys!" John exclaimed.

Mom and Dad both smiled at the news and congratulated the couple who thanked in regard. "Hey, why don't you kids go play in the back yard? Maddy offered.

The three of us exchanged looks of approval, and we charged out the back door. "Remember to wear your masks!" Dreyfus called out to us. I stopped and slid the cover of my mask that dangled around my neck to the front of my face. John and Edward reached into their back pockets, and pulled out similar masks, and did the same following me swiftly out the sliding glass doors. We immediately started to chase each other around the fence enclosed space, claiming 'tag you're it!' every few minutes. I could sense that the adults were watching us all with a watchful, careful eye. Standing still in the middle of the yard to observe this left me completely vulnerable to attack, and I was tagged by a fleeing, laughing Edward. His blonde hair shone in the sunlight as soon as he passed me catching my attention. A full on wave of competition shot through me and I was recharged for the chase. Out of the three of us, I was considered the most agile and quick, so I was never really a target in tag. But when I drop my guard for even a moment, they take their chance and wallow in satisfaction that the 'All Speedy Sarah' was caught.'

But their accomplishment never lived for long. I thrived in the thrill of the chase. Like a cheetah chasing an antelope, I always got my target.

For hours, we went back and forth tagging one another. We were so full of energy and spite that we had never even noticed that it was already creeping into the evening. The sun had already made its way halfway across the sky and was headed for the ocean. What we also were oblivious to were the rolling in storm clouds from the east. The distant rumbling of thunder brought it to our attention and we planned for an early retirement.

After a few more rounds of our games, Dreyfus stuck his head out of the door and called for his sons to come back inside, that they were going to leave soon.

As soon as we were heading inside, the distant sounds of gunshots brought us back to the fence. "Mom, Dad!" John called out. Dreyfus and Maddy heard the call of their child and came out to the porch. They too heard the fields of fire, and looked at each other in confusion. My Mother and Father followed them out when they heard the boys calls to see what the commotion was about. Dad rushed to the side gate and walked out to the front yard to inspect the neighborhood. We were about to follow when Maddy told us to stay in the yard as she followed the adults around. Edward rushed to the fence and called me and his brother over. He had discovered a hole large enough for all three of us to peek out of. We shoved our heads together to look out, and what we saw astounded us.

We saw smoke rising out of the city!

A thick, black cloud of cinders and ash rose to the sky acting like a warning beacon. Something was going on, and it wasn't good. Soon the sparse sounds of gunfire became more close together, until it sounded there was a full-out war going on! The adults came rushing back into the yard and herded us into the house. Dad locked the back gate and the back doors. He and Mother then proceeded to make sure every door and window was shut and locked tightly. Dreyfus turned to his wife, and they both nodded. Maddy fished her keys from her pocket and went out to her car. I looked out the window to see her popping open her trunk. She dug around in it before pulling out a large gun! She then pulled out three smaller hand guns, putting one in her holster strapped to her waist, and slamming the trunk door shut. She returned inside and handed Dreyfus and my Father a gun. Reaching into her pocket, she gave each a handful of bullets which they stored into their own pockets.

"Maddy, let us help you!" Mom pleaded.

Maddy shook her head and made sure her firearm had a full cylinder clip. "I'm sorry Ellie I can't let you, this sounds like it could really get out of hand!"

Mom ran to the living room coffee table and opened one of the drawers. After digging everything out, she pulled out a gun of her own! Everybody was dumbfounded by the sudden secret revealment. "My uncle was a police officer, taught me how to point and shoot to kill in defense."

"But why did you have a hidden gun?" Dad asked her shocked.

She looked at him with a flat expression. "When you live with plenty in a time of poor, it would be wise to keep something hidden away just to be safe, for protection."

Maddy sighed and agreed with haste, there was little time to spare.

"Mommy can we come too?" I called after her.

"Absolutely not!" she spat out, "this is very dangerous, and anything can happen!"

Dreyfus then looked up at her. "But if we're all going, who's gonna stay and protect them? In case someone breaks in and steals while they're here? They could be desperate. When people get desperate, they become very violent, so I wouldn't be surprised if they came armed."

Mom went silent, and lowered her head in deep thought. Dad turned and looked at his wife. "Honey, the supplies can be replaced, the kids can't."

Looking up and meeting him in the eyes, she gave in, and said "OK." John, Edward, and I all jumped for joy and were just about to run out the door to the car but we were stopped abruptly by Mom's harsh tone. "But! Only if you don't leave the car, and you do as we say without any 'ifs' or 'buts', am I clear?" she finalized.

The three of us looked up and agreed without an argument, and hopped into the back seat of or parents vehicle's. Swiftly the adults piled into their cars and the engines roared to life. We backed out of the driveway, and sped off toward the tower of smoke spewing out of San Francisco.