Before I saw them with my eyes, I saw them in my dreams. 

I woke up in a sweat, their details quickly fading from memory. What stayed with me was the feeling of horror.

Six weeks later, they came.

--

Picture a grizzly bear, with the armor of a crocodile, and the eyes of a demon... 

Big steel ships screeched overhead, massive white light beams flashed on and off like controlled thunder. The world watched as they came down... and mauled the Earth's population away to nothing.

Some tried to fight back, but they didn't stand a chance. 

I was with my family that night, just a boy. They came in when we were sleeping and devoured my sister in her room across from mine. She screamed the whole time. I was frozen with fear.

I threw my bed sheets over me and hid. Dad stormed in after my sister, he was yelling for her, crying, he tried shooting... but it got him.

It went after my mom next.

I hid there til morning. Stayed up all night listening to the screams of my neighbors getting slaughtered. 

By sunrise it went quiet. I'd hear something terrible slither outside my window occasionally, the bed already wet from fear and an overflowing bladder.

Around noon, I peeked out from my bed sheets for the first time... The house was a mess, my sister's bedroom was torn to hell, the door frame smashed by a monster's entrance. Blood all over... My sister's left arm lying there... My father's foot.

It was too much to take in. I didn't go see what happened to Mom.

I went to the front window and saw the neighborhood in bloody disarray. It was quiet...

I went to where the front door used to be, walked through it in a trance, no concern if I died right there.

I saw one of those things standing in my neighbor's driveway, it's evil eyes locked onto mine. I didn't move and neither did it.

He blinked. I didn't. 

He stepped forward. I held my ground.

He creeped towards me, staying low to the ground, but still towering over me... I instinctively put my hand out as though he was a neighbor's dog. 

He froze, looked at me... Turned his head, blinked... Blood foamed at it's mouth, dripped onto the grass... 

I put my hand out... Slowly, gently pet him... It feels like a scaly, nightmarish landscape.

It makes a noise... First I think it's angry... Then I realize, it's purring. 

I step forward, look up at him, we lock eyes.  "It's OK..." I say.

His mouth hanged open, reeked of the neighbor's corpses. 

I slowly raised my Dad's shotgun, pressed the barrel to the beast's forehead. 

"It's OK buddy." I whispered.

I wiped away a tear... and pulled the trigger. 

BAM!!

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THEY CAME... | 1/3 | https://theprose.com/post/141292/they-came-part-1-3

THEY SAW... | 2/3 | Coming Soon

I CONQUERED. | 3/3 | Coming Soon

Shall I compare you to a solar flyby?

You're far too lovely, too warm, too bright.

Even the brightest stars dim to nothing,

but ours faded too quickly.

Sometimes the flames of my heart get doused with liquor,

and I try to reach you, phone you, message you,

and not every message is received, nor every video,

but the sun never sets, only fades from view.

While I may never see you again,

I have your image, your voice, your thoughts, your soul.

   So long as stories are told, they'll tell of you.

   So long as these words live, you shall too.

7:47am:

I don't even know what to say here. I write (here in this journal) every day, with the intentions of passing on some of my introspect to my daughter. I allow myself to be open; to express it all~ even my fears and failures. I wanted her to know about them, learn from them, grow from them.

And now today, as every other day (same time and window seat) I sit here, pen in hand unsure of how to express what is going on here. The world, (as we know it) is completely over; fantasy meets reality today~ I could actually laugh as I place these words on paper, except I am in a cold sweat and too frozen in fear to transfer anymore movement~

anymore than what is being used to write with my left hand.

8:21am:

If my daughter survives, I want her to know I didn't let fear get the best of me. One of life's lessons I verbally passed down to her, was to not let it take hold of you. We practiced this many times~ redirected our thoughts, approaching the situation with love, patience and consideration. These were things we enjoyed overcoming together. These are the times our bond grew.

I want her to know I stayed true to that, to the end. That her love is what kept me focused. And that I didn't let the bite get me right away....

If I would let fear seep into the wound, I wouldn't be able to react, or hold on to my sanity; nor would I be able to write this last journal entry.

And I will finish (as I do everyday).

8:46am:

I want her to know I tried all our options we discussed right after I locked our vault. I want her to know I did my best; but cutting off the bitten area of my hand didn't prevent the infection from spreading.... unfortunately.

9:03am:

Now... I don't have much time, not much time at all, in fact, though I know my brain can handle the critical thinking, I can feel it taking control of me; infecting one neurotransmitter at a time.

As we converse, I am fighting against this urge... the alterations of my behavior. I will not let fear take control over my body, nor will I let...

9: 14am:

That was a massive shift.... I am warding off the effects as long as I can. For research purposes, I theorize that the transmission and take over of the zombie parasites can be fought of (buying some time for the host) with strong mental capabilities. Let's list....(stay focused).

Strong mental capabilities: strength, loyalty, trust, honor, devotion~ I made a promise to not kill myself.... she made me swear.

Our loyalty and honor to one another is stronger than this apocalypse; and if it was at all possible, to turn those characteristics into some sort of "power", we could defeat them on our own...

but it's not possible. And I am running out of time.

It's already happening....

9:23am:

Holding on. Tried reminiscing on our last embrace....boy, did that hurt. All of my supplies from my pack and trail trips came in handy as I had to close the steel vault door on my baby. I remember the day we purchased the safe room; the Titan series~ "engineered to succeed", all that prep and safe keeping of our travel money, valuables, records and documents; now it's just being used to protect her from "zombies"....

Who will I become?

9:30am:

Seven minute stretch... focus...

My expectations are for someone to find her. She is protected from them; from me....but she cannot stay in there forever. We agreed on it before, so there is no sense for me to regret our decision at this point (I'm worrying about her alone in there). It's too late to go back. I can't go back. I....

9:35am:

This is probably it. If you get out love, don't look for me~ I would be so ashamed. I promised you I wouldn't kill myself, but please.... run from me, baby.

I pray now I won't see you. I can only hold off this for a bit longer and by then I won't be your mother anymore...

I pray now I can preserve some connection between us. It is what has kept me going this long. I hope....

I pray now I won't open the vault after this completely takes me over....

9:38am:

Three minutes....I love you Eva Rose. This will be my last journal entry. I am glad I got to finish before

.....