Red Skies

Prologue

There was a distinct sound of crunching dead leaves coming from behind her, a startling sound. The lone survivor whirled around; dog tags clinking noisily against each other, trigger finger ready on her rifle, body taut as a wire. Wide sapphire eyes darted side to side, inspecting every shadowy corner, every vacant crevice; because even in the daylight they roamed.

Gaping bloody maw's gnashing, large fingers ready to crush bone; wanting to feed on human flesh. Annie knew she had to be careful. Especially coming through an abandoned town like this one.

Every nerve in her body screamed, but she needed to keep moving. She turned, resuming her destination, she crept cautiously through the mid of a suburban line of houses. Her rations were decreasing each day and it had only come to a matter of time before she had needed to be on her feet again. She traveled far and wide, surviving off grainy granola bars, before eventually arriving at this eerie town, The location that had apparently used to be a glorified vacation spot.

The bloodied sign she had passed three miles back read 'WELCOME TO SHIGANSINA' in cheerful cursive. It looked foreboding to her. But then again, most of everything did. Shigansina was this quaint town that had been popular for its quiet nature and beautiful lakes that ran close by.

The town was deserted of human life now, as far as Annie could tell. Not many had lived in Shigansina; an estimation of five hundred perhaps. But it had been the gaudy hotels that reeled in vacationers like fish to bait. As for the original residents, Annie wondered where they all could have possibly gone. If they had been devoured whole by those lumbering creatures that now stalked half the country. Or if a select few of them had managed to evacuate before all hell broke loose. It remained a mystery.

Though whether they escaped or not; It would have been only a matter of time before they were hunted by those creatures and cannibalized. Or worse. Became one of them. In fact, Annie thought it would be better if those who had lived here all simply perished instead of succumbing to the virus. The symptoms that did occur if a victim was not eaten, and left to drown in their own blood, was a fate far worse than death.

Oddly enough, it was never known what kind of virus had forced humanity to a standstill. Some speculated it was airborne, some thought it was the contaminated water lines, whilst others speculated it could only be transferred by blood.

It was never known what could have caused the virus either. Five years ago, just as soon as it arrived, the media acted oblivious, putting it off as a mere mild level threat. Informing the masses that it had been found to only spread among the vermin in the sewers of Sina City. Nobody questioned what ominous thing could have been being cooked up in the undergrounds, however.

The only thing that was done was the Officials of the Health Bureau pushing for more people to get their vaccination shots. Annie remembered those ridiculous commercials. The ones of those smiling doctors with pearl white teeth, and stark pressed overcoats droning on about the beauty of health. She had gotten herself vaccinated the day prior to seeing that commercial, and thought it very off putting.

But as it was, weeks went by, then soon months. Before the cries of civilians collectively resonated in demand; they wanted answers. More and more people were getting sick in the city; suddenly the elderly were dropping dead in the streets. Children were becoming bedridden, with small grotesque tumors growing

on every expanse of their skin. People were becoming angry, paranoid, hysteric. Many believed the flu shots had done mostly nothing, except worsen the illness.

It was only than that the media announced, an outbreak of an unknown deadly disease that had started in the sewer tunnels. They labeled it a bio-hazardous threat. But by then, it had already been too late. Cries were already being drowned by louder screams of anguish and pleads of help until the city gave up its humanity in the form of fire and explosions until everything rang completely silent.

It was not long before the rest of humanity followed.

She had seen it happen. Eight months ago. The shifting. The wailing as her friends coughed up bloody phlegm that grew darker, chunkier until it seemed like they were regurgitating their own intestines. The bloating of their limbs and appendages as they screamed in excruciating pain, growing twice the size of a normal human being. They grew, and grew, skin stretching over lumpy muscle or hanging loose over bone. It was horrifying, a nightmare that replayed in her head like a broken record. Their faint cries for help rang in her ears on silent nights. Annie had not slept in peace since that day.

She carried their deaths like she carried her own weapon. A chance that kept her alive, only because she was too much of a coward to suffer a grim fate as they had, should she ever choose to stop. Their deaths were a weight on her heart that she knew would never disappear. Her friends, and her lover. She could not have kept them safe. Nobody can be kept safe in this world that turned its back on them. That became crueler when the beasts were born.

Annie clutched a hand to her jingling dog tags as she strode to a halt in front of an elementary school. Public School 104, she read. Her ears perked as she heard a flutter of wings, raising her rifle to the fat pigeon that landed on the roof of the abandoned van beside her. She saw her own reflection in its crimson eyes, they tracked her every move. Annie noted the speck of blood on its beak. It cocked its head as she lowered her weapon, trekking cautiously up the wide stairs into the school. She could not waste any more bullets. She had only seven the last time she counted.

The front doors were dented and, as everything else was, covered in splotches of rusted blood. But it had luckily been left ajar, enough for her to squeeze through. Strange enough the handles on the inside of the doors looked like they had been crushed under heavy pressure. Hefty thumb shaped prints were left on them. Annie examined the door for a moment longer, before stalking slowly into the main hall, gun poised and ready.

Her first initiative was to find the cafeteria; her stomach gurgled at the thought of a full meal. She ignored the protesting of her insides as she turned a corner into another vacant hallway. The doors to each of the class rooms were all strewn open, as if everyone here had run out at the same time.

The hairs at the back of her neck stood up as she felt a presence grow stronger for each empty classroom she passed. Something was hiding in one of these rooms. Annie stuck her head in for a brief inspection in each one before she continued, she saw nothing in every room. But she knew it was only a matter of time before she came upon one of them.

Annie prayed there will only be one. Two she can barely handle without injuring herself; three, she's better off counting the seconds she had left living. And God save her soul if they might be deviant.

Fortunately for her, she did not come upon any lurking monsters possibly hidden in the class rooms as she reached the end of the hallway. However, that inkling presence was still there. Following her like a shadow; Annie wasted no time opening the doors to the stairwell in front of her and dashing in.

The cafeteria must be downstairs, in the basement, she thought. Making her way down, boots landing with heavy creaking of a door resonated from upstairs as she reached the cafeteria, though Annie was to overcome with getting her hand's on actual food, If there was actually any left to spare.

The cafeteria was nothing out of the ordinary; it looked untouched in contrast to the violent mess left in the classrooms. The pristine white benches were still lined in rows, and the floor was spotless. Devoid of any gore, thankfully. Regardless; Annie proceeded with a quick a sweep of the area, she could never be too careful.

There was not much to inspect, however she managed to find a small old-fashioned key under one of the many benches. It was peculiar, made of bronze and curved at the edges. Annie pocketed it, maybe it might come of use to her later.

Annie closed in on the cafeteria kitchen, shouldering her rifle as she hopped over the shiny counter. Already aware that the dried foods should be kept somewhere in the back. Though she was met with utter disappointment as her eyes took in the empty shelves were the rations should have been.

Her stomach gurgled again, and she sighed exasperatedly. Another bust? She had traveled far for this one too. Turning on her heel, Annie walked out of the food shed, hopping over the counter once more; practically slipping on the metal surface this time.

She cursed, leaving the kitchen empty-handed. Already thinking of plan b's and c's. Maybe this town had a community center, or a hospital she could ransack.

If worse came to worse, she could always check the homes that she had passed on her way here. But that would be her last resort. It was not so much that Annie knew she might come upon one of the family members turned or left for dead. But more so that each time she would invade a home, she would see the happy pictures of the family that had lived there hung on the walls. Alive, and human.

Blissfully unaware of what was too come. She hated that churning feeling in her gut, every time she saw a newborn being held by a proud young mother or father in one of those photos. It made her sick. It made her think of what could have happened.

Annie swallowed, either way. She needed food. Otherwise she would not last another week; she already eaten all the granola bars she had saved. Annie left the kitchen, eyes lazily sliding across the expanse of the cafeteria. Her pupils blew wide as her sight set on a vending machine that stood just a few feet from her on the other side of the cafeteria, its glass casing broken. How could she have missed that? She had not been thorough with her inspection after all.

She jogged over to the broken machine, rifle thumping on her shoulder blades. There was a god, Annie thought, because she could see the rows of snacks that she was soon going to collect. The sharp glass of the vending machine would deter her, so she removed her rifle and used the butt of the gun to shatter the rest of the glass.

It cracked into tiny shards that fell at her feet. The glass crunched under her sturdy boots as she knelt in front of the machine. Annie took off her rucksack, grabbing the M&M's and chips that lay scattered and stuffing them into her pack. Her lips quirked slightly, this was not exactly the meal she hoped for. But it was certainly enough, for now.

She was too focused on her task; Annie failed to notice that the ever-growing presence now lurked closely.

It took only one step more; before she sensed she was not alone. Annie jumped to her feet, quickly grabbing a hold of her rifle; only to feel the cold metal of a pistol press harshly against her neck. She was too late.

"Don't move." A voice behind her spoke gruffly.