Flash Back

I never thought life'd end up like this, did I? Caught me off guard, it did. But looking back,I reckon I could've seen the signs if I hadn't been so blind to 'em. Maybe, deep down, I knew what was comin', but I couldn't face it. It's like I was lookin' for any excuse to avoid change, even though I knew it wouldn't help a damn thing. It's as likely as Hitler throwin' a Hanukkah bash for the Jews—that's how much likely I was gonna change.

Anyway, the name's Chuck Huggins, and life's been a right bastard lately. Just lost me job, and to top it off, me mum passed away right after I got the news. And you know what's bonkers? The very next day, a zombie outbreak hit our town.

Let me tell ya how it all went tits up...

About a month before the whole mess, found meself moving back in with me mum. Doctors dropped the bombshell 'bout her having AIDS and she could be meeting the Lord any time soon. Couldn't believe me ears, Wanted to smack him for cracking jokes at such a moment, but bloody hell, it almost made me laugh.

In the car ride home, me mum looked even skinnier than usual, and for a moment, I thought maybe her time was near. I mean, she'd lived a long life, eighty years ain't nothin' to sneeze at. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it if she kicked the bucket.

You might be thinking, with the way I talk about her, that I don't fancy me mum much. Well, you'd be closer to the truth than you might think. In fact, I don't just dislike her—I bloody well hate her. She's the reason I've struggled with me weight, always shoving food down me throat. Tried to go on a diet once, and she made me quit. But despite all that, I gotta admit, I do appreciate the old bat.

I woke up on a bleedin' gray Wednesday, where it all kicked off. The sky outside was a miserable mess, nothin' but clouds, givin' no hint that weird and bloody mysterious things were about to go down all over the country. Started hummin' some daft tune as I picked out my most boring tie for another soul-suckin' day at work.

At noon, I grabbed my briefcase and buggered off, slidin' into my sexy Soni, my red '80 Honda Civic. Called her Soni 'cause she reminded me of my ex, Soni, always struttin' around in a tight red dress. Backed out of the house, took a spin 'round the corner and up the road, buzzin' 'cause it was payday. Kept hummin' away, feelin' chipper. Finally rolled into the Cybersecurity Guardian parkin' lot. Got to the office on the tenth floor and parked my arse at the back to avoid any wankers.

The boss rang me up on those bloody things on the ceiling, sounded proper pissed. Right on the dot at 3:45 PM, I swaggered over to his office. He had a stack of documents and slapped his hand on his big forehead. "Chuck, a lot of people in this office don't really like you," he said, trying to sound all nice but still came off like a right wanker. I just nodded, not really catching his drift.

"Chuck, I've asked you plenty of times to get to know your coworkers, but you never listen," he sighed. Then came the kicker. "I'm sorry, but we have to let you go."

The confused look on my face must've said it all. "How? I've always done my tasks," I replied, baffled. He sighed again, "It's not my decision, Chuck. Can you please leave?"

I wanted to throttle him but didn't fancy spending my life behind bars. As I was walking out, he had the nerve to say, "Close my door on your way out."

I spun around and shot back, "Close it yourself, wanker."

Drinking was never me thing, mate. My old man used to get pissed and beat the hell outta me mum, so I hated the stuff. But when I got the boot from me job, it really knocked me on my arse. So I dragged meself to a bar, started knockin' 'em back one after another until I was out cold. Next thing I know, me phone's buzzing, and I wake up with it stuck to me face.

I answer it, still half cut. "Hello, is this Mr. Chuck, Chuck Huggins?" the voice on the other end says. "Yeah, this is Chuck," I slur back. And then they hit me with it. "Your mother's passed." Those words smacked me harder than when Soni buggered off.

I couldn't wrap me head around it, thought it had to be a joke. I used to joke about not missing her if she died, but hearing it for real?

What the fuck.

So I staggered home, tried to sleep it off. Hours, minutes, seconds dragged by. Then, at midnight, the heavens opened up, rain hammering down, thunder cracking. Made me feel even more knackered. But everything changed when I woke up to some noise outside at

6:12 AM....