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The sun is just now starting to peak over the hills. For about an hour now the sky has been getting lighter and lighter, but for the first time the radient orb itself is in sight. The light it lets off revealed the brown mass of trees that cover the hills all around me, ocasionaly a splash of yellow or orange leaves will break the monotany of the brown but they are few and far between. All and all the the vibrant colors of fall had faded and the forest was dead. Fitting. Everything was dead. It is November 12 2007. For a day and a half now ive been sitting in the charred remains of former home. I havent seen my family since the fire. The Fire. Rain had doused the flames hours after they started but in my head they still burn. We had heard the stories about the disease that was spreading, and how it was coming our way. Dad didn't put much faith in it. "What do we have to worry about?" I remember him saying. I confess that i wasnt very conserened either, I might have let my imagination get away with me but i never thought that evil, that walking death would find its way to our doorstep, but with every passing day the news reports had new stories of thoughs, things, and all the pictures! every hour i saw new pictures. They looked like people but that was were the similarities ended. After a while i suppose i became numb to their affect, but two still stick out in my mind. The first is of a mother fighting tooth and nail against one of the zombies (or what ever the hell thoughs things are) to save her toddlers life, the look of love and her willingness to throw her safty to the side to save that child touched me unlike anything else i had seen during this crisis. The other picture is of that same mother, probly 6 hours later, she had lost the look of love that was so apparent in the first photo her eyes had glosed over and her complection seemed to be more grey then the happy pink it had held hours before, and as for her toddler, its lungs were hanging out of her mouth. Still with all of these events taking place there is no way it could reach us on our tiny little dairy farm in Rainy Creek WV. Or so we thought. Then two days ago there was an grimm emergency broadcast. "Attention the Campion Virus has reached Alderville, Ansted, Richardsburg and Hollderbie's Landing, if you live within 50 miles of any of these location please remain indoors, barricade your self within your home and seek high ground. Do not go out side or attempt to aid any person behaving oddly. If you are forced to come in contact with one of the infected individuals damaging the brain is the only way to permanatly stop them. I repeat DO NOT GO OUTSIDE." We fell into the affected area, but barely. No one paniked, we were all cool, calm, and collected. Dad and my brothers went about rounding up all the cows and herding them into the barn. Mom and Sis started to gather the non parishable food, first aid kits and water purifier. It was my job to clear out space in the attic and start carrying blankets and supplies up. By all accounts we were doing everying the way it should be done, following every step the survival guides and television info would tell you to take. We should have been fine. Then my cell phone rang. "Stay in the attic" I heard my father say then he was gone there was an unmistakeable air of fear in his voice. I listened to him, I did what any respectful junior in High School should do. Yet I will admitt i was curious, curious enough to peak out the small window in the attic and see wat was going on. I made out the shape of my father and brothers, even in the blackness of night where everything seems to blend together i could separate my kin from the other objects, but my family wasnt alone. Joining them on the front lawn of my childhood home were at least half a dozen figures. "Zombie" I thought but something wasnt right. they didnt stagger towards my family as the monsters on tv did with a mindless want to feed on thier flesh. The beings on my lawn had thought they moved with a purpose, they were obviously human. For close to an hour i watched my Father debate with the figures. I was able to deduce who the leader of the strangers was, though i could not make out his features in the darkness i was able to see he was quite big, he moved with crouched over gait that made one think of a predator and his hands were constantly contorted into fists. After a good time of observing the relative peace of the situation was broken. I heard my father shout, blaitenly defiant, "get the hell away from my home you cant have anything." At that point all hell broke loose. The leader of the strangers struck my father with something he pulled off his belt. Dad collapsed like a wet noodle. I didnt stick around to see the rest of the brawl, i transversed the attic and picked up dads hunting rifle. I checked the chamber to see if it was loaded. It was. I flicked the safty off and hurried back to the window. The group of strangers was noticably smaller, I took aim, but before i could pull the trigger something interupted the silence. From the kitchen i heard my sister scream. Panic griped me. I whireled around and headed to the trap door that would let me out of the attic. I tried to kick it down. It didnt budge. "Damn it" i said out loud. I continued to beat at the trap door but it did little more then shake. The screams came again, this time from the lawn. I rushed back to the window the only place were i could see what was going on my Brothers and Father had disapeared. In thier place was a pick up truck with a UHaul attached to the back. Two of the people were dragging my mother and sister into the back of the UHaul. I pulled the lever on the rifle and let a round loose. I heard a scream of agony and saw the strange people scatter and run around. I was able to let two more shots off and here one more scream before the people disapeared into the truck. Its engine roared to life and it began to move. It started to pull away then turned so that the drivers side window faced me. For that brief moment i saw the face of thier leader. His cold eyes and thin lips pierced me as our gazes met. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes then grabed something from the person setting in the pasangers seat. pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit the tail end of a rag, the other was in the mouth of a bottle of vodka. he pulled back and launched it throught the down stairs window then sped off, my family with them. My life has been a blur sence then. Shock maybe, I remember grabing the rope ladder and climbing out of the window. I remember watching the living room and kitchen go up in flames before the downpour started. Half of the house burnt the other half (mostly the area abouv the metal garage) including the attic stayed mostly intact. Now i sit in the ruins of my former house. Praying for the safty of my family. and the chance to see them again.