Dawn breaks, illuminating the coastline. "Where...am I?" I scan my surroundings, and begin my journey east, towards some forgotten town, it's former inhabitants shuffling, crawling, hopping aimlessly through it's long-dead streets, decay and rot dripping from their mouths, falling onto a road that has seen all the cars and commerce it ever will. I break right, hugging the shoreline, the cool sand not helping dry my wet boots. Christ, I hope I don't get trenchfoot. I slow my pace around 100m away from a large warehouse building, and I drop completely at 50m. I spot two walkers making their way north of me, and as my window of opportunity opens, I feel courage's breeze urge me forward, in a desperate crawl for the doorway. Once inside, I raise myself to a crouched position. Rubble occupies most of what looked like an indoor loading bay, obscuring my view of the west side of town. Scanning the rest of the room, I spot a ladder leading up to the first of 2 catwalks above my head. I climb quickly, and a sinking feeling in my loins begins to gnaw at me. I hurry around the building, dismayed. From a distance, as a mirage, I see things that I desperately need, only to find them come into focus as empty tin cans, not a scrap of edible material to give to my growling gut. I take them anyway, and a thought tickles the back of my head: 'This is the Future.' I consider myself, the immediate danger pushed from the forefront of my thoughts for a brief interval, while I take the cans in a desperate gamble to distract the harbingers of my fate. 'It's only a matter of time'. I make my way back down the ladder, and carefully poke my head out of the doorway. Clear, for now. I check behind me, 'Shit.' Some other sorry sod, keeping low to the grass, is making his way towards me, and quickly. I considered calling out to him, but I choose to make a swift, and quiet getaway. He's not the only one nearby who wants to kill me. I swing north into the village, avoiding the horrors lurking within. I pass like a phantom behind houses, peeking into the door frames, desperately searching for food, and water. Finding nothing, I continue in an easterly direction, keeping between the coast and a highway running parallel. Another town is on the horizon, and I start heading for it. A sign reads, 'Balota'. My head sees 'Hope'. Some time ago, I made a pact with a friend. Should the impossible happen, should society collapse and we are left as little more than beasts on this earth, it is at the hangars north of Balota that we would meet. 'I hope he's not dead.' I make my way towards the town for a time, and seemingly out of nowhere, I've got one right on top of me. I drop, but the unholy bastard had seen me. I get up, and start my sprint towards Athens. I speed through the town, frantically checking doorways, sheds, and anywhere I felt may have some semblance of respite; but there was nothing. Chancing a glance over my shoulder behind me, I've got a whole congregation in hot pursuit. There, just over the horizon are the hangars. With stealth out, I beeline towards them, likely looking the fool as 2 dozen husks trail me, their hunger palpable to the point where bile rises in my gullet. Puking would only dehydrate myself now. I mustn't puke. The hangars, now in full view, seem empty. My heart, already racing from the effort, stings now with hopelessness. 'So this is the end, after all', I think. Suddenly, from behind the ATC Tower, I see him! He's breaking right, putting him in line to intercept the forgotten souls, giving me precious seconds to gain a lead on them. I make for the hangars, speedily checking them for food, water, or weapons. I find nothing but ammunition for some outdated rifle. I pick it up on a runby, and I hear my comrade call out, "Make for the hills!" I run to the fence, diving onto the ground and rolling underneath while he brings them round the far side of the fence. Sprinting 20m apart, we go north, towards the hills. Dirt and pebbles spilling down as we climb, the terrors behind us lag behind, and by the time we reach the top, we have lost them....
