“Oh please don’t Brendan; you know they will get you!” A small girl was frantically pulling on a larger boy’s arm trying to get him away from a barb wire fence. They both bore the same blue eyes and blonde hair. The boy shrugged her off and continued towards the fence.

“You know I have to go Johanna. You know I can’t stay here and watch this happen.” Brendan kept walking. “I don’t care if they set the Deadened Ones on me, I’ve got my gun and I’ll handle myself.” The smaller girl sat down on a stump and began to cry. “Don’t cry Johanna, I’ll be back once I find the Resistance and I will save you Mama and Papa. Don’t you worry at all.”

“B-B-But the Deadened Ones will kill you! You know that!” Johanna was practically screaming now. She kept screaming but the boy kept walking. He knew if he turned around again he wouldn’t be able to force himself to go. He walked along the fence until he found what he was looking for, a small hole at the bottom of the fence. He had spent hours before looking for a significant hole which he could get through. Brendan, Johanna, and their parents lived in the only town that had not been turned into Deadened Ones. Goldstone was its name. Brendan had never thought that was a very fitting name because all except for the Mayor’s house the entire town was made up of grimy cobblestone.

No one knew what the Mayor’s real name was. They just called him the Mayor, and knew they must obey. The Mayor was the reason this was the only town left. He had the Weapon. He actually had two. The first was a colossal cannon. It fired lasers into the sky turning entire cities into Deadened Ones. The second one was a small belt laser. With the same effect. Deadened Ones. Want to know what they are? No, you really don’t, but for the sake of the story you must. They are the most horrendous creatures that walk the earth. They would tear you limb from limb if their master, the Mayor, told them to. They are made of rotting flesh because of their useless organs and unstable diet of human flesh. Their bodies have gone cold, like a long dead corpse. They look as though they had sat still in a lake for days, all white and bloated. And they stank… of death. The Mayor reserved the right to set them loose upon families, individuals, even the entire town if he decided.

But these weren’t your ordinary zombies. They were extraordinary, even by human standards. In the movies Brendan used to watch with them, they were always slow and shambling. These were surprisingly fast and agile. They could jump farther, run faster, and run farther than any human being. And the secret is in the brain. They use their entire brain at the max. More than twice the nerve impulses go through their brain than humans. They think quicker. They are like humans in that they are completely aware of their surroundings. They know that they are hurting people. They just don’t care. Through dying, and being viciously resurrected by the Mayor kills all emotions. They live to do his evil bidding. What has this world come to?

If someone escaped Goldstone he would set them on him as soon as he knew. Which he would quickly because of his well paid strategically placed spies. There were escapees never found though. They were the Resistance. They were loved by all but none would say it. To say it would be treason against the Mayor and they would be killed. Somewhere in the mountains the camp of the Resistance settled, and its scientists work on a way to fight the Deadened Ones day in and day out. They have found a medicine that will make you impervious to the Mayor’s laser, but the Deadened Ones could still tear you apart. Many Goldstone citizens dream of joining the Resistance, but few do. The road is long and rough, and you most likely are chased by Deadened Ones the Entire way. Now let us get back to our hero.

The harsh winds whipped at his face and clothes as he walked through the deserted pasture. A light frost crunched beneath his feet. His gun was in his hand. The mountains loomed in the distance, but he had so far to go. He had provisions for only two days, because if he didn’t get there in two days, the Deadened Ones would find him, maybe before.

He heard a rustle in a bush next to him. He jumped. Then out hopped a small rabbit. He chided himself for being so frightful when the unthinkable happened. It happened so fast that he didn’t even see it at first. One second the rabbit was there. The next it was clutched bleeding in the mouth of a Deadened One. His reflex was almost has fast as that was. His gun hand was up and there was a bullet in its head in a few seconds. He broke into a run. They always hunted in packs. He knew he would have to fight. They were faster than him, stoked up on steroids from the Mayor. He turned. He had seven bullets left in his gun, and another two full magazines in his belt. He hoped that would be enough, but chances are it wouldn’t. A mass of Deadened Ones poured from the thick brush. He would have no chance. He would die fighting though. He quickly fired his entire first clip. Reloads and does it again. Once more. The Deadened Ones are almost on top of him and he is out of bullets. Then something else comes from the brush. These ones weren’t dead. Three men burst out holding an old-fashioned Gatling Gun on a fast moving truck. They mowed down hundreds of Deadened Ones and reached Brendan. “They hate you! That means your cool with us! Hop on!” The first man tried to make himself heard over the roar of the Deadened Ones. Brendan didn’t need to be told twice. They drove away as he jumped on and were soon heading towards the mountains.

“Are you guys with the Resistance?” Brendan inquired.

“Well duh!” A husky man said. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in weeks and that he could snap John in two. “My name is Roger. These two bozos are twins. Joe and Jack. Real original I know.” He pointed to two lanky boys that looked around 18.

Though Brendan was bursting with questions, he rode in silence. He didn’t know if he could trust these men. He had heard of stories of people thinking they found the Resistance but it was really the Mayor’s spies.