Nick wasn’t prepared for this, even though he had talked about it and laughed about it many a time before it actually happened. It was a common conversational topic between his friends, but it was never a serious thing. They all had their preferred ‘zombie plans’ – Nick’s was to get an axe and find a nice place in a park that he’d be happy dying in. Carl’s was logical; stay alone, find a safe place to stay in until things quieten down a bit, and then get out of the city. Laura’s was typical Laura; stock up on weapons and kill as many zombies as she could. Erik’s was almost a blend of Nick’s and Carl’s; find a safe place and stay there, only leaving when completely necessary. He’d spend most of his time writing music.

Of course, none of them actually carried out their plans. They were teenage musicians; as intelligent and mature as they thought they were, they really weren’t. When sirens started going off in the city, they were all in their respective homes. Their lives continued as normal; they left their houses and hung out as much as they normally did, against the authorities’ recommendations. So they were together when they properly realised what was going on.

They were at Nick’s house when it happened. In the lounge, upstairs, with two huge windows overlooking the cul-de-sac. Erik noticed it first and pointed it out to the others.

“Hey, look,” was all he said, unable to really put it into words. There was a girl, their age, stumbling down the street. Her shoulder was drenched with blood, and her arm was hanging limply.
“Should we go help?” Laura suggested. “She looks seriously hurt, guys.”

They were out the door and halfway down the driveway when one of the neighbours approached the girl. They were trying to help, that was obvious, but the girl didn’t react well. She ran the final few metres between her and the neighbour and jumped at him, the both of the tumbling to the ground.

“What the fuck?” Nick exclaimed, as the neighbour’s screams filled the air. The girl lifted her head at the noise and looked at the four of them, mouth surrounded by what looked to be blood. She stood and stepped toward them.

“Shit!” Carl yelled, spinning on the spot and rushing back inside. The other three were quick to follow.
“What the fucking fuck was that?” Laura cried.
“Shit, I don’t know!” Nick shouted.
“Guys, calm the fuck down!” Erik yelled over the top of the noise. “Fuck! I can’t hear a thing!”
Everyone fell silent. It lasted a few seconds before Nick spoke up.
“Zombies?” he almost whispered. The others gaped at him.
“Ohhh, shit!” Laura exclaimed. “Fucking zombies!”

“Aw, fuck,” Erik sighed. “Here we go.”