Before I was dead-An ATA Short Story by Jay

Erika ran down the street, caked with blood and guts. She had never seen anything so gruesome. Tucking a strand of chestnut brown hair behind her ear and continuing her sprint. She was exhausted by the time she ducked behind a garbage bin in an alley. Panting furiously, she raised her gun as a shadowy figure passed by the alley, looking around, and scampering off in frustration. The thing was not human. It was a shadowy silhouette that seemed to never cease. It was just a....three dimensional shadow.
Erika sighed with relief, wrapping her rust colored scarf back around her neck. "That was a close one." she breathed.
She peeked out of the alley, looking over at the wood ahead. She sighed. No point staying there. Gun ready to be shot, she trekked slowly over to the first tree, quickly ducking behind and checking for shadows. When she was satisfied with the emptiness of the seen, she continued onward. It was an eerie place, with an abundance of trees. Erika pulled up her jacket. It was mighty cold out, and her breath came out as visible vapor. Suddenly, though, she heard a snap of a twig. She turned, face to face to one of the shadow monsters. It swiped upwards at her, claws long and sharp.


~26 hours earlier~

Erika smiled as the bell rang. She grabbed her books, and Kelly met her right away. "Are you coming over tonight?" she asked in a cheery tone. Erika shook her head. "No thanks. Mom and Dad want me to stay home."
Her gray blue eyes were sad. "They never let me go anywhere."
Kelly waved a hand. "Psht. Naw. We'll see if you can come over tomorrow." she told her thoughtfully. Erika smiled half heartedly. "Okay..."

~

Erika fell on her butt. Blood was trickling down her arm, as three slash marks appeared on her arm. She raised the gun, wincing at the loud bangs that followed, and the pain of her fresh wound. She already had one on her leg. She sat there as the creature.....disappeared, and reloaded the weapon. As she rested, she found out how alone she was. What situation she was in. And, how scared she was. Tears dripped down her cheeks. She wouldn't be alone. She couldn't be. There must be some survivors. "I'm going to Albany!" she assured herself. "There must be people there."
And, a couple miles up the road in Albany, there were.