Prologue

'Fear is in the mind'. That's what Antonio's grandmother used to tell him when he was younger, since he used to be so terrified to jump off the fifty-meter diving board at the public pool. 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Do what you fear and fear disappears.'

There was no Abuela to tell Antonio that now, not that he ever believed her, anyways. There was no more anyone. No Mami, no Papi, no hermano, no more Gordo the puppy.

For the first time in twenty-one years...Antonio was utterly, and completely...alone.

He grasped his baseball bat to his chest, his breath coming in short, restricted gulps of air as he leaned back against the wall of a dark alleyway. Clickers clicked, runners ran, walkers walked. The whimpers and moans of nearly-dead citizens of Los Angeles decaying deeper inside the alleyway made the young Spaniard's gut twist painfully.

This was it. Antonio was done. He would go mental if he lived another minute in this hell-hole. Defeated, he dropped the wooden baseball bat.

It clanged loudly along the pavement, which instantly drew the nearby zombies' attention.

"It doesn't have to end like this," He whispered, the sound of hissing clickers filling the air. He could hear them stagger over in his direction, getting closer and closer. Soon they would find him, and they would feed off of his warm, young organs.

The reply to his whisper was never said out loud, yet Antonio heard it.

'Oh, but it did.'

A/N: I'mma back. With a full-length story, hooray! Should I continue? C: Let me know what you think of it so far! :*