Authors note: This is a semi-factual retelling of how my gang was formed, and how it fell into ruin. Some stories are exaggerated, others based on fact. Enjoy.

 

Prologue: The Outbreak

Jacob Zwic was an ordinary teen. He spent the majority of his year at Northrock High School, the only place left that would take him. Jacob was a troublemaker, one of the worst in town. He was notorious, his many schemes making almost every school expel him. Finally, after his parents begging the principles at Northrock, they allowed him to enroll.

It was the last few days of school, the first time he had made it an entire year at one place, when all hell broke loose. Jacob rode home with his friend, Robert, that day. Just as he hopped out of Rob's yellow Toyota, Jacob's mom yelled for him. He rushed inside, not wanting to upset his mother. The hurried walk slowed as Jacob saw his mother, staring at a screen in the main room of his house.

"Mom?" She didn't respond, his question falling on deaf ears.

"Mom?" He repeated,"You O.K.?" His mother glanced at him, snapped out of the stupor by her son's voice. She pointed at the screen, it's glow hypnotizing her once again. The channel was turned onto the Channel 7 News. The reporter was talking frantically, too fast for Jacob to make out what he was saying. The occasional image would appear, showing gruesome bodies strewn on the ground in front of the medical lab right outside of Everett. The fence was torn apart, military vehicles missing tires and roofs piled near the entrance.

The reporter calmed himself long enough to say a few intelligible sentences.

"The lab boys were working on a virus, trying to weaponize it. They tested it on deceased donors, and they created the biological weapon known only as "Scorpion 7", or "S-7", named after the company that created it. They then tested it on a live subject. The subject's skin turned a vibrant green, and it grew three times it's normal size, breaking out of the lab"

The reporter quieted, and the scene changed. A new reporter stood in the old one's place, surveying the wreckage of the labs.

"That was 3 days ago, and now, the virus has seeped out of the compound and into the streets. There are reports of zombie-like creatures roaming in the woods near the wreckage, and the military have been hunting done these "zombies." So far, the search has turned up 7 dead animals, all torn to pieces. In other news, a man was found who was reported dead a day ago. He was wandering the streets, grabbing random pedestrians. He was arrested after biting one passerby in Everett, and i being tried and jailed in Sea-"

The lights blinked out, as well as the screen. No power. Someone must have been blasting the AC in their building, causing the power to go out. Jacob walked outside, heading for the library to try and ruin their computers again, like he always did when the power was out. He reached to pull the door handle and grasped thin air. Someone had broken down the door, leaving shards of glass all over the library floor. Jacob figured he would be blamed, and turned to leave.

He was met face to face with a person. After overcoming his initial shock, he pushed past the motionless person standing in front of him. Just as he reached the curb, the man grabbed him by the shoulder. Jacob turned, and for the first time, noticed the man was a sickly shade of green. The man lunged, blue froth pouring from his mouth. He bit down hard on Jacob's shoulder, leaving a chunk of skin exposed. The wound burned like acid, tearing even further into his arm.

Jacob fell into the glass shards, too weak to stand and fight. The man leaned over and started clawing at him, cutting into his flesh. Jacob thrashed, grabbing hold to a particularly sharp piece of glass. He landed a kick on the man, disorienting him. Jacob saw his opportunity, and cut into the man's throat with the shard. He staggered, wounded from the cut, but he did not fall, instead trying even harder to finish Jacob. finally, after another two stabs, the man fell, dead.

Jacob was shocked. He had just ended a man's life. This was by far the worst thing he had ever done. He rushed back to his apartment, seeing no one, even though it was mid-day in Seattle. He walked in, his mom still stood in the same place, staring at the screen. He had been gone almost an hour, and she hadn't moved at all. He tapped her back, hoping to get her attention. She turned, staring into her sons face, showing the green in her eyes. Wait. Her eyes aren't green. Jacob looked at the rest of her face, all the color of well watered grass.

He ran. Out of his apartment, all the way to Olympia Military. A soldier stopped him.

"What is your business?" His gun was trained on Jacob.

"I need help, I was attacked by..... green people...." Jacob was sure he was about to be laughed at, but the soldier just nodded as the gate opened. He showed Jacob to the main courtyard, where helicopters were being prepared for takeoff.

"Get in one of those copters," 4 of them had already left, only leaving 2 behind. "We are evacuating. Whole damn state has been overrun with zombies"

"Zombies?" Jacob had surely misheard him.

"Yep, green bastards from Scorpion came in and turned the entire only in only 3 days." Jacob was quiet for a long time after that, until he finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"Where are we going?" They had been flying for hours, not stopping for fuel anywhere.

"Canada. Uninfected so far, should be safe for a while"

Suddenly, the helicopter pitched, the pilot leaned over the controls, unconscious. 

"This is Chopper 2, we are going do-" The heli slammed into a tree, a branch hitting Jacob in the head, sending him into oblivion.

12 Hours Later

Jacob was hanging from his seat, which had somehow snagged on the trees. Below him, the charred wreckage of the helicopter sat. He hung there, trying to unravel himself.

"Well, look what we have here"

Jacob's eyes shot up, spotting a man with a revolver aimed at him.

 BANG 

The bullet flew past him, hitting his strap. Jacob free fell, hitting the dirt with a loud thud. He looked up to see a hand helping him up

"I'm Diamond," He had a sly grin on his face, the look of a troublemaker, "And welcome to Canada"

 

END OF PART 1